Why is it reprehensible to use words such as “Ventures” or “Capital” when one is not an investor? Because the company/person implicitly promises something that they cannot guarantee. They are not a venture capitalist or an investor, and they won’t be the one deciding to invest.
The unicalmel incarnates the principles of a startup that has a sustainable business model that prioritises profitability over growth. It requires a smaller amount of funding than a unicorn, with the potential to become profitable and self-sustaining with a smaller amount of investment.
If you are not sure if you are likely to qualify for SEIS, you can ask HMRC before you go ahead and apply for SEIS Advance Assurance. This will let you know if you meet the criteria and give investors a peace of mind as HMRC have provisionally agreed that your venture is eligible for SEIS.
Investors are typically well-versed in the market they are investing in, and are likely to scrutinise any claims made about market size and potential. As such, it is important to ensure that the data presented on the TAM SAM SOM slide is well-researched and supported by credible sources.
Early-stage valuations may feel uncomfortable for both founders and investors… Is there a simple way?
We are happy to announce that we’ve partnered with Equidam: an online platform for startup valuation that enables entrepreneurs to understand their valuation, transparently discuss it, and close fair deals.
A sophisticated investor is an investor that has sufficient capital and experience to evaluate independently the soundness of an investment opportunity, and bring forward such investment process.
In the past weeks we have established why valuations are helpful, when it makes sense to get your venture evaluated and what are the most common valuation methods for revenue generating companies and early-stage startups.
Being a successful entrepreneur is a race all be it, at times, a slow and steady one. There is a start line and as soon as that starting gun fires there will be hurdle after hurdle along the course. The hurdles may slow you down or they may even knock you down and bring you to a halt. You determine if that hurdle is to become your finish line.
In order to encourage investment into startups and early-stage businesses the UK Government has created a tax relief scheme called EIS: Enterprise Investment Scheme. This takes the form of…
The startup life cycle has 6 stages, no wait 5, no, another website said 7 stages and then if you actually read The Lean Startup by Eric Ries then you will have read that there are 3 startup stages.
Let’s face it, it doesn’t really matter how many stages there are, as long as you understand the steps involved you will be able to figure out where you are at and what the next steps on your growth path are.
The question is: how can we evaluate the startup if we have not yet reached the stage where recurring revenues are the norm?
Managing to raise capital is rarely easy, and can prove to be an uphill battle, even at the best of times. This is the case even though you have a stellar idea and your business is performing in the marketplace.
What are the underlying principles that you should be using in a negotiation? It doesn’t matter whether you’re the one looking to make the investments or the business looking to attract investors because these principles and techniques will always work – whichever side of the negotiating table you happen to be sat on.
WHEN AN INVESTOR SHOULD SIGN ONE?
If you think you have a special idea and you are scared somebody could steal it from you, think again… Many people have the same ideas at the same time, but the difference is all in the execution!
OUR MANIFESTO: The world advances thanks to the effort of single brave individuals that innovate starting from zero. All successful companies become institutions sooner or later, and loose the ability to change and fuel progress. And the advancement of our human race is left in the capable hands of Founders and Entrepreneurs.
Closing an investment is something that could theoretically take less than a month, but this almost never happens. Normally six months is a good ballpark to start preparing your agenda, but what can you expect from this process?
