Solidago Management的动态

Here's how to bootstrap a resilient startup by balancing slow growth with early revenue, turning limitations into strengths and defining success on your own terms. https://lnkd.in/ew46scZn #howto #build #thriving #business #without #venturecapital #bootstrapping #resilient #startup #balancing #slowgrowth #early #revenue #turning #limitations #strengths #defining #success #own #terms

?? Just published my latest article on Crunchbase News: The overlooked merits of bootstrapped companies in the M&A landscape. ?? Learn why self-funded startups can be hidden gems for future investors, acquirers & how their focus on sustainable growth adds long-term value. ?? #Startups, #SustainableGrowth #mergersandacquisitions

In case you missed it. Looking to take your startup to the next level and achieve super-fast growth in sales and revenue? Our CiC, Harry 'Tomi Davies, just dropped a must-read article for every founder who’s serious about scaling their business and attracting investors. Whether you're looking for your first round or preparing for a major funding push, this guide gives you the steps to unlock growth and stand out to investors. These insights could change your startup's future. Don't let this opportunity pass you by! Read it now: [https://lnkd.in/dxc33ZAE] #StartupSuccess #InvestmentTips #TomiDavies #FounderGrowth #EntrepreneurJourney #InvestorReady #NigerianStartups

There are a million different pitch deck styles out there. Here are several that helped startup founders raise millions of dollars!?https://lnkd.in/ds_wcje5 #Startup?#Founder?#PitchDeck?#Investors?#VentureCapital?#VC #WorkingCapital?#Founder

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to raising capital. ?? For SaaS startups that generate revenue quickly and require minimal upfront investment, VC funding is not always the right move. According to Entrepreneur, bootstrapping can be a more beneficial strategy. By choosing to bootstrap, you can scale your company at your own pace, on your own terms, while retaining complete control over your equity. Bootstrapping allows for a stable and deliberate approach, leading to a deeper understanding of your market and stronger connections with your customers. It offers a certain autonomy that VC can’t and leads to more favorable exit opportunities. Ready to bet on yourself? If you haven't considered alternative funding options, now may be the right time.?Lighter Capital's funding can help you keep your equity while scaling your growth. ?? https://lnkd.in/ew46scZn #bootstrapping #nondilutive #entrepreneurship #capital #funding #growthcapital #Saas

?? From $20K to $100M Without VC Funding! ?? In just 6 years, Voyo Popovic, founder and CEO of Piece of Cake Moving, bootstrapped his company from one truck to 350+, with over 800 employees and $100M in annual revenue—all without taking a dime from venture capitalists. Voyo's journey highlights the power of: Maintaining control over your vision Creating a perfect market fit through customer feedback Investing in customer satisfaction to drive demand Building a culture of resourcefulness for sustainable growth Hiring the right people to fuel long-term success VCs aren't the only path to success—sometimes, bootstrapping is the key to building a business that truly lasts. https://lnkd.in/gEaGnrHX #Entrepreneurship #StartupLife #Bootstrapping

In my recent analysis of the success stories behind some of the most renowned companies, I focused on their market vision—particularly through the lenses of TAM, SAM, and SOM. While it would be insightful to evaluate their current figures, their initial market assessments remain remarkably intriguing. By examining companies like Airbnb, Uber, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Snapchat, Pinterest, Dropbox, Spotify, and WeWork, I have noticed a common thread: a clear and ambitious understanding of their Total Addressable Market (TAM), Serviceable Available Market ( SAM), and Serviceable Obtainable Market (SOM). These metrics not only guided their early strategies but also paved the way for their impressive growth trajectories. Their approach to market segmentation and the strategic insights derived from these metrics have been instrumental in their ability to capture significant market shares and sustain growth. Below is a table summarizing the TAM, SAM, and SOM for these companies, showcasing their market vision and strategic planning. #Startup #Entrepreneur #VentureCapital #VC #Investment #Investors #AngelInvestors #Funding #SeedFunding #SeriesA #TechStartups #Innovation #BusinessGrowth #Startups #ScaleUp #PitchDeck #BusinessAngels #StartupEcosystem #StartupFunding #Investing #StartupSuccess #Entrepreneurship

The advice Founders are getting from VCs is varying a LOT right now between GROWING FAST and GROWING SLOW. I’m fortunate in that I get to work at an operator level with many startups/founders at any given time so I have a good sample size of the realities of the startup landscape. It’s not complete, but it is a sample size. I also work across many different VCs so I get to see all their various bits of advice trickling down to the operations of a startup. The dichotomy (I promise no more big words on a Sunday) with what I’m seeing is wild. Two startups this week made very impactful decisions. They both have a lot of happy customers and a decently repeatable/predictable GTM revenue engine. The first Founder decided that they are going to go hard investing more in growth so they can maximize their momentum going into fundraising. Their logic is that while investing more cash shortens their runway, but without strong growth it’s harder to raise at a good valuation (or at all) and more importantly when they raise they will already have the trajectory toward even greater growth and easier fundraising in the future. They think about the funding round as a milestone not an inflection point. They decide the inflection point with their growth strategy. Now. They are laying the groundwork for a successful future. They are betting on themselves and their ability to execute. But they are also betting on the opportunity cost of leading a successful growing startup that has the trajectory of success vs spending a decade at a startup that never gets escape velocity to do big things. The second Founder is cutting spend on growth. The plan is to extend their runway to hopefully get a bridge round. Instead of investing to get the growth trajectory up and build momentum into a very attractive funding round that attracts investors they will slow down and likely not have any pop in growth. This feels safe, but if/when the next round is closed they will not be in a much different place then they’re in right now. They will still have to execute on the same growth path, it will just be…. Later. The instinct to survive is hugely powerful, but it's counter to the speed/needs of a venture backed startup. Making these decisions is incredibly hard. But the investors who sit on the boards of these companies are there to advise on how to navigate these incredibly hard decisions and the advice they are giving seems to vary to great degree. And of course there’s all sorts of nuance to these examples, but I always think about the opportunity cost of “waiting for some future state to occur” vs being in control of your destiny today. I also see how exhausting it is for Founders who don’t get the escape velocity needed for successful and exciting growth and I wonder if they regret not going harder earlier to take on more risk, but potentially change the future. I don't envy the decisions these Founders need to make.

The startup environment isn't for the faint of heart. The startup exit market is even worse, and that's an understatement. The backlog of companies yet to exit has ballooned to a record-high 57,674, a record high, with late-stage companies accounting for 32.4 percent. And, that's causing indigestion in the venture capital and angel investor community. IPOs are MIA. The closed IPO window has forced venture investors to take whatever liquidity they can get, and that's as bad as it sounds. More startups are exiting at a loss than at any point since 2009. Since 2022, 70% of VC-backed exits were valued at less than the capital investors put in.?That has VC powerhouses likely seeing more startup investments go to zero. And, it only goes downhill from there. Series D investments and beyond are getting a D grade with a majority of later stage exits since 2022 coming in at a loss. Unicorns are getting old. They used to money in the bank, but unicorns aren't galloping anywhere fast. In good times, it's easy for the investment community to discount or overlook unrealistic, unjustified valuations due to overexuberance. During economic uncertainty, that overexuberance has become a liability. Unicorns valued at $2.5 trillion is sitting (or stuck depending on your perspective) in VC portfolios, nearly 40 percent of them for almost a decade. Today's startups are paying the price. Outside of AI companies that VCs and investors continue to go gaga over, many startups are finding unfavorable term sheets to be the norm, that is, if they even get to that stage. More are simply investing less leaving many startups to bootstrap (which has its advantages) or closing shop. For investors who often claim to have learned from past market booms and busts, it might be time to reconsider that belief https://lnkd.in/evTye7cN #startups #investment #venturecapital #ipo #founder #entrepreneur #artificialintelligence

Well put.... There seems to be an obsession with VC backed (often cash burning) start ups. The WeWork and others.... Whilst these do sometimes pay off spectacularly - think overnight billionaires, They are the minority - and most fail. The new startup focuses on cashflow first, not pumping up market cap. They're inexpensively built and operated, not burning millions a month on yet to be released features. They're often run by an early 30s solopreneuer, not a team of 22 year old Stanford grads. They're remote first, working out of homes, not expensive offices in Palo Alto. But the exciting thing is these companies are started with $3,000 not $3 million. They cashflow in month 4, not month 40. They're started by French, Indian and Australian Entrepreneurs - not just Americans. All made possible by No Code, AI, Freelancers and Social Media.... it's an thrilling new world.