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Want to know what really catches an investor's eye? Join us at FoundersFirst 2024 for an exclusive panel discussion that brings together distinguished investors to share their perspectives on what makes startups investment-ready! What’s in it for you: 📊 Understand current investment trends and opportunities 💡 Learn what metrics truly matter to investors 🎯 Align your growth story with investor expectations This isn't just another panel discussion - it's your chance to understand the investor perspective and position your startup for fundraising success! 🎟️ Special Investor Pass Available 🎟️ Apply for Investor Pass: https://lnkd.in/g2q_SwqK #FoundersFirst2024 #VentureCapital #StartupFunding #InvestorInsights #StartupGrowth #EntrepreneurshipJourney #StartupIndia #InvestorStrategy #StartupEcosystem Shanti Mohan Rohit M A Gaurav Arora Sipika Nigam Sabah Mehkeri Pramod Lamba Vedanshi Sinha Syna Dehnugara Pranav Mahajani Indu Awasthi

The West Coast is winning! Investment heats up in 2024. Over the past year, the Western US captured a whopping 53.3% of all startup investments, with the North East following at 26.6%. Is your company positioned to capitalize on this trend? Read more about CARTA's State of Private Markets for Q1FY24 here: https://lnkd.in/dPSS7MMp #StartupInvestments #InvestmentTrends #2024Investing #StartupGrowth #InvestmentOpportunities

2024 has been a transformative year for startups and VCs globally. With increasing economic pressures, the "growth at all costs" mentality is fading. Investors are now more selective, prioritizing fundamentals like unit economics, sustainability, and genuine product-market fit. The era of vanity metrics and inflated valuations is over. Now, it’s all about “no-nonsense metrics”—revenue growth, profitability, burn rate, and gross margins. So, what does this mean for founders? It’s time to focus on real product-market fit, profitability, and capital efficiency 💡 Catch the latest article on the top VC trends of 2024 and their impact on the future of startups! The link is in the first comment.

The Reality of Valuations: Startups vs. Listed Companies For startups, valuations often reflect future potential and market excitement. But once a company goes public, the market becomes the judge. If expectations don’t align with reality, the public market is quick to correct overvalued stocks. Public companies have to prove themselves quarter after quarter, and that keeps valuations grounded. Investors appreciate listed companies for their transparency and accountability, where the focus shifts from potential to profitability. Are you ready to explore how public markets bring valuations back to reality? #Valuation #StartupVsListed #StockMarket #PublicMarkets #Tradejini #CubePlus

🗣 Join me, Thanh, and Michele as we lead the next Sequoia webinar series! "How Startups Build Investor Confidence with a Smart Total Rewards Strategy" In this 45-minute webinar, we’ll walk you through the key factors for startups when developing a successful total rewards strategy, including how to: 🚀 Nail your philosophy early for scalable growth 🚀 Retain and recruit effectively at the right price and level 🚀 Appear more mature to investors with intentional consideration of comp and benefits Register at the link below: https://lnkd.in/gsgnti7V

Budding startups and savvy investors—your perfect match is just a click away. Partnerscan bridges the gap between fresh ideas and experienced capital.💼🚀 👉 https://partnerscan.org/ #StrategicAlliances #BusinessGrowth #InnovationPartners #CorporateNetworking #GrowthStrategy #PartnerscanAlliance #IndustryLeaders #BusinessDevelopment #CollaborateToInnovate #CorporateSynergy

Here's a great illustration of what's not investable. Conversely, investors who negotiate hard to obtain a significant chunk of equity might win the battle but lose the war. Avoid being the reason founders are unable to raise the next stage of funding—because if you are, you'll end up owning a lot of shares in nothing. #venturecapital #entreprenuership #starups

⛔️Uninvestable captables. An excellent post from Sam Marchant for both founders as well as investors. Check out the red flags. 🚩 #alwaysbelearning #sharingknowledge #founders #investors #firstdegree

A messy cap table structure is a red flag to investors 🚩 #startup  #fundraising  #angelinvestor  #investments  #VentureCapital  #vc #Entrepreneurship  #venturefunding  #investing #TechNews #Innovation #technology  https://lnkd.in/eKHcdzrK

I've seen this before and it tells a sorry story, but not the whole story. It's easy for new founders to make some errors, many pointed out here in Sam Marchant's post and by others in the comments - and it's often the case that advisers put their own interests first by being too greedy with their own ask (and possibly not earning it either). Kiran Mehta's advice is good in that you should try very hard not to raise more than 25% per round, preferably 15%-20% max, so that you arrive at Series A with more than 50% held by founders. An 'uninvestable' situation, or a difficult one anyway, emerges when growth and scale don't happen quickly enough and you have too many rounds before Series A because you're trying to stay afloat or get near #productmarketfit. Then you can get into 'zoo' territory too easily or lose control too early. The interesting question I'd ask Sam, Kiran and VC colleagues is how much founders have to worry about any of this if they aren't going to get VC investment anyway (most won't). Sure, keep control of a good chunk of equity, but a lot of founders will be scaling and need money supported by angels, some by family offices, not by VC. Thoughts welcome 🌈 Mike 🦴 Bank Steve Procter Dan Bowyer