Summary: Convertible debt is often the best choice for a seed round. It is convenient, cheap, and quick. It lets you close the financing quickly and turn your focus back to your customers—that’s good for the company and its investors.
When your business is very young, raising a seed financing ($50K-$500K) via convertible debt is a [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Valuation'
[Hack] The benefits of debt vs. equity in a seed round
May 14th, 2007 · 16 Comments
Learn more about: Board of Directors · Debt · Hacks · Lawyers · M&A · Negotiation · Option Pool · Term Sheet · Valuation
Focus on your share price, not your valuation
April 11th, 2007 · 6 Comments
Summary: Focus on your share price and the number of shares you own — metrics like valuation and percent ownership can fool you.
If valuation is your only pespective on a company’s capital structure, you can get fooled by games like the option pool shuffle which make your valuation seem large but actually depress your share [...]
Learn more about: Hacks · Option Pool · Term Sheet · Valuation
The Option Pool Shuffle: Beat the game and raise your valuation
April 10th, 2007 · 23 Comments
“Follow the money card!”
– The Inside Man, Three-Card Shuffle
Summary: Don’t let your investors determine the size of the option pool for you. Use a hiring plan to justify a small option pool, increase your share price, and increase your effective valuation.
If you don’t keep your eyes on the option pool while you’re negotiating valuation, your [...]
Learn more about: Hacks · Hiring · Option Pool · Term Sheet · Valuation