Explosion in new firms cements Berlin's status as startup hub
Last month, a startup’s Series A nearly fell apart when investors and founders realized their different calculation methods produced a $750,000 variance. The culprit was not deception or bad faith, but rather a complex...more
The moniker “venture capital” is believed to have originated from the financier John Hay Whitney. Having served in World War 2, Whitney returned to the United States with a new mission: to spread American ideals of free...more
A Founder's Guide to Y Combinator's Post–Money Safes - In late 2018, Y Combinator released new forms of Simple Agreements for Future Equity (Safes) that were significantly different from the initial forms created in 2013....more
In late September 2018, Y Combinator released new forms of Simple Agreements for Future Equity (“Safes”) containing significant changes to the original forms released in late 2013. In its issuing release, Y Combinator cited a...more
From the WSGR Database: Financing Trends for 1H 2017 - Strong median pre-money valuations for all rounds of financing ushered in nearly unprecedented median amounts raised in 1H 2017, particularly for Series C and later...more
Entrepreneurs often raise capital with a combination of convertible notes and an agreement called a SAFE, or Simple Agreement for Future Equity. A SAFE seems like a no-nonsense DIY solution for early-stage companies—but...more
Dual-Class Stock: A Founder Favorite Faces Growing Investor Disapproval - Earlier this year, the investment firm T. Rowe Price adopted new voting policies that penalize companies with dual-class stock structures. They...more
After years of increasing acceptance of and reliance on convertible note financings as a mechanism for funding early-stage companies, we have noted a clear emerging trend away from such transactions (and others like them,...more
Halftime 2015: On Pace to Match 2014? Venture capital activity for 2014 was a hard act to follow. But 2015 has not disappointed so far, with fundraising and investment continuing at an historic pace. A total of $20...more
As counsel to scores of companies in capital raising mode at any point in time, my colleagues and I regularly are asked questions by entrepreneurs regarding the valuations and other terms they should expect to receive from...more
New England Outlook - Quarterly Review of Seed, Series A and Series B/Later Round Financings - Included in this Issue: - Activity Level of New England Transactions: Q2 2013 -Q2 2014 - All Rounds - Activity...more
Concern over higher valuations? Apparently not, as $59 billion invested in 2014 breaks the post-crisis record. LPs also set a post-crisis record with $32 billion in commitments to U.S.-based VC funds. PitchBook Data, Inc.,...more
Foley Partner Beth Felder gathered a group of digital media investor experts – Don Dodge, Developer Advocate for Google, James Geshwiler, Managing Director of CommonAngels and Eric Hjerpe, Partner at Kepha Partners – at our...more
In the third and final installment of this blog post series, we’ll return to last week’s question (Should I sell convertible debt or equity?), and consider the other side of the coin: choosing equity instead of debt. We’ll...more