Erica Wenger 🏕️’s Post

You don’t need to raise VC to build a business with big impact, *even in a market that has heavily VC-funded players*. Case in point: Excalidraw is an open source alternative to Miro. Excalidraw is bootstrapped and revenue-funded, Miro is VC-funded ($476M raised). Miro just added a comparison page to Excalidraw - meaning that they saw enough demand for people searching for Miro vs Excalidraw that they added this page.

Seed rounds keep getting bigger in Q1 2024 But more money early on isn't always better for two reasons: 1️⃣ It can be tempting to try and do more things (poorly) 2️⃣ It can make a sub-$3M ARR exits unprofitable for commons Peter Walker and Carta just released data showing that cash raised in Seed rounds continue to rise, while Series A, B, C and D rounds are all down 🤯 For most companies... More money pre-PMF doesn't get you there faster and the $4M raised in a Seed round doesn't include all the money stacked up in pre-seed SAFEs Just a PSA to stay as lean as possible pre-PMF and focus on knocking out the right milestones (problem solution fit and gtm fit) first before chewing through too much equity dilution 💪 -- ♻️ Repost to help a founder in your network Click 'visit my website' at the top of this post to register for my free 7 term sheets training session on how to get multiple term sheets from VCs

Throwing bricks in my glass house here – but this is the meme the world needed back in 2021 – and still needs 🧱🧱🧱 Somewhere along the way we seem to have forgotten this fundamental principle 👇 We've become obsessed with Venture, leading to many Founders benchmark themselves on Venture Money raised Venture Money in itself isn't cool – the only way Venture Money becomes cool is if a $ of Venture Money turns into more than a $ of Customer Money – and in turn more than a $ of Company Value Every $ of Venture Money spent that does not lead to that increase in Company Value is a $ wasted that you will never get back For Founders raising or who have raised – take a long hard look at your Venture Money (or the plan for your future Venture Money) and make sure those $s are spent in a way that leads to Company Value – if they aren't – panic 🚨🚨🚨

“Our product is the most advanced on the market built by a genius team” they said… The fundraising game has become much more noisy over the years. Because of that, newer founders feel they need to ‘sell’ harder for VCs to say yes. Unfortunately, the opposite happens. - Broken promises - Bad vibes during pitching - Gross misrepresentation It’s really tough for founders now especially when VCs have their guards up. Some tips: - Acknowledge, not bash the competition, there will be areas you shine vs them - Focus on facts and the market, kill the hyperbole - Aim for reasonable valuation so that raising follow-ons won’t be as

I ran into this extensive guide about fundraising issued by Hustle Fund. I recommend to have a look and see what VCs and business angels are expecting from early stage entrepreneurs. #businessreshape#techstartupsfunding#businessgrowth#

In the black is the new black cash flow > $$ raised disagree? 5 years ago everyone bragged about how much capital they raised now you're starting to hear about people bragging about not raising what's hot right now for founders? 1. Understanding value of CF 2. Not having to ask for permission to exist every 12m 3. Bootstrapping - it's easier to bootstrap a venture scale business than ever before If you are raising, founders will look for more flexible, sustainable and aligned funding partners but bootstrapped businesses will stay more innovative why? Constraint means you just build it agree or disagree?

Become part of our Speedinvest pre-seed marketplace map! It's not easy to become visible and connect with other marketplace founders or investors if you haven't raised funds or garnered public attention yet. My colleagues Marc Mühling & Victor H. got you covered and are creating the first landscape to cover super early marketplaces in Europe. Sign up here, it takes 2 mins: https://lnkd.in/gSx9id4K

I chatted with Daniel Shellard, Partner at Breega, towards the end of 2023 for our VC spotlight series. We discussed their new fund, the value-add they provide to founders, what he looks for in a startup beyond just thesis alignment, the firm's fundraising experience and much more! Article link in the comments below 👇

If you’re an EU startup with an idea or early traction, and you’re getting ready to raise money, try and raise money from Angel Invest. The investors at Angel Invest are by far the best investor I’ve ever worked with (those that know me, know that I always bring them up). They understand pre product market fit and getting to PMF better than any other investor I’ve worked with over the years.

“Knowing your investor persona is almost just as important as knowing your customer persona.” ‼️ Woah. Logan Meaux true, true, and so true. If you’re a founder, carefully listen to this sound bite. It’s simple and sound founder-to-founder advice.