Fidelity Private Shares

Super excited to be speaking at Startup Boston, connecting founders & investors in #Boston! If you're not yet registered, you can get free tix here: https://lnkd.in/e5JATfTr I'm teaming up with some friends for a session on preparing to raise capital. Come hear from me, plus three brilliant locals: Ellen Chisa, Michael Jabbawy, and Richard Rabbat on 9/11 at 11:30 am. So pumped to rep Fidelity Private Shares at Boston's biggest startup community event! #SBW2024 #founders #Boston

What does EVERY startup founder need if they are raising capital ...... 1) A Cap Table 2) 409a Valuation 3) Data Room 4) Investors This is why we are THRILLED to have our friends at Fidelity Private Shares sponsoring the Founders N' Funders VC Reverse Pitch Event in Indianapolis next week on Tues, Aug 27th!!! 🙌 Pretty much every founder struggles with making sure their cap table is always up to date an accurate and modeling out the impact of dilution from fundraising. Fidelity Private Shares makes this easy for founders! They also make it easy to issue stock options to employees and investors, and will help you get a fast, accurate and reliable 409a valuation you can count on! Their FREE data room platform is game-changing in helping founders run an effective and efficient fundraising process. And ..... Having personally worked with Jason Hammond at Fidelity Private Shares, I can confirm that he is one of the most connected guys I know when it comes to helping founders connect with potential investors. If you're a founder looking to raise capital ..... You NEED to meet Jason!!! ....... And, you need to register for this event! ➡️ Register Here: https://lnkd.in/guGn2GZm Jason is a huge supporter and advocate for startup founders, and he will be at the FNF event in Indianapolis next week with me --- I'm excited for you all to meet him in person! Fidelity also offers a ton of valuable free resources for founders, including a Fundraising Guide for Startups that is AWESOME!!!! Let us know if you'll be in Indianapolis for the RALLY Innovation Conference and the Founders N' Funders event next week (Aug 27-28). ---- 🤝 Connect with Jason Hammond on LinkedIn ✅ If you want a FREE copy of Fidelity's "How to Raise an Equity Financing Round" eBook .... comment "✅" below and I'll send you the link.

What do founders need to know about 409A valuations? From understanding the basics to avoiding common pitfalls, our guide covers many essentials. Download the guide: https://hubs.ly/Q02M3Hlz0 Topics include: - Why you need a 409A - When to get a valuation - Common valuation methodologies - Top mistakes to avoid - How to get a 409A valuation ...and more! #409A #startups #FundingTips #founders

We were thrilled to co-host an event with Glasswing Ventures this week, diving deep into AI startup growth and fundraising trends. Here are some key takeaways from the event:     - Growth: Balancing growth while preserving your cash runway is crucial. Test and measure the impact of every dollar spent—don’t let confirmation bias cloud your judgment. Also, stay tightly aligned with your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) to help avoid distractions that can derail your product roadmap. - Hiring: With the explosion of AI companies, finding top talent—especially in machine learning and engineering—can be tough. Cultivating a culture of growth and learning can help you train and retain the talent you need.     - Fundraising: Be prepared before you raise! Glasswing’s Ali Mahmoud emphasized the importance of a cap table platform like Fidelity Private Shares℠. Your cap table and data room may reflect the kind of leader you are and how risky (or not) your venture might appear to investors.    Ali Mahmoud also suggests sharing a teaser deck before an investor meeting when you’ll dive into the full presentation. This sets the stage without preconceived notions.     Before pitching, seek honest feedback. Flux's Ted Julian advises giving your friends permission to share negative feedback—it might be uncomfortable, but it will benefit you in the long run.    - Ecosystem Navigation: Surround yourself with communities and people who can help you see around corners. Ask about other groups, events, and hubs that could be valuable for your journey.     At Fidelity Private Shares, we’re here to help support your growth. Join our startup community: https://hubs.ly/Q02LCVzx0     #AI #Startups #Fundraising #Growth #Leadership #Innovation

Navigating getting a 409A valuation is an important step for startups granting stock options to employees. Typically, an independent evaluator will determine your 409A valuation based on a variety of industry-standard methods. The methods that evaluators use will be different depending on the growth stage of your company. In this article, Fidelity Private Shares’ DeRonnie Pitts discusses what you can expect at different stages of your company’s growth. Read more here: https://hubs.ly/Q02LlS7m0 #startups #409A #fundraising #equity

In July, we teamed up with Transcending Glass for another exciting gathering of female and non-binary founders and funders in Boston. It was wonderful to witness the shared goals and interests across varied industries, from life sciences to climate tech and SaaS.     One common theme: the power of community and learning from one another. During the event, founders exchanged tips on scaling, fundraising, and must-attend events.    Shout out to Andee Wallace, PhD and her non-profit, Transcending Glass. She’s not just a powerhouse founder – she’s building community and fostering connection: two things we believe in deeply!    Want to attend more events like this? Join our startup community: https://hubs.ly/Q02KQz_20   #startups #founders #startupevents 

Founders, join our next webinar to dive into essential strategies for optimizing your cap table, learn more effective fundraising models, and explore capital efficiency techniques.   On Wednesday, August 21st, join Kristen Craft in conversation with Derek B., Managing Director at Forum Ventures, Brittney Wade, Investor at Alumni Ventures, and Abigail Risse, Healthcare Investor at Touchdown Ventures.     During this session you’ll:  - Learn how to structure your cap table for better growth and investor relations.  - Understand best practices for building an investor pipeline and fundraising more efficiently.  -Discover techniques to help extend your runway by effectively managing cash flow and fundraising cycles.  Register for the webinar here: https://lnkd.in/gzhhZW7t   #founders #startups #captable #venturecapital 

“One of the most common mistakes founders make is failing to maintain parallel information in their cap table and data room. For example, the company may have issued options or equity when a new hire joined, and the information in the offer letter may differ from the information on the cap table. Fidelity Private Shares℠ was built to avoid this type of issue.” Check out more of Kristen Craft’s advice on cap table management in this recent Forbes article: https://hubs.ly/Q02JF7dh0 #captable #founders #startups

Over the past week, we’ve been honored to spend time with some of the smartest, most influential community members to share more about Fidelity Private Shares℠. These individuals come from many walks of life: founders, investors, board members, and mentors. Their unifying trait is a passion for supporting founders. They are as bullish on the startup ecosystem as we are, and they’ve shown themselves to be relentlessly generous with their time, perspective, feedback, and connections, in support of founder success. We believe that all founders should have access to the equity management tools – and the feedback and support – that can truly make a difference in their trajectory.  Huge thanks to:  Isabelle Ury, Rebecca Zhang, Edwina Cheng (Edwina Yeo 杨时恩), Michael Spidaliere, Ryan Viktorin, CFP®, David Lewis, Molly Tyler, Rebecca Moore, Chareeda R., Devin Bramhall.    Join our startup community: https://hubs.ly/Q02J4mS90   #founders #startups #venturecapital 

We teamed up with our friends from MGMT Boston, HubSpot For Startups, and HubSpot Ventures for networking and a panel discussion about SaaS startup growth in 2024.     The panel, moderated by Kristen Craft, included serial entrepreneurs, Andrew Lau, Co-Founder & CEO of Jellyfish and John Andrews, Co-Founder & CEO of Cimulate, Inc.     They touched on best practices including:    -Pace of growth is a balancing act: at times, you may find yourself growing faster or slower than desired (or than your investors desire!) There's no one right answer or speed; the "right" pace depends on your product, your team, and the macroeconomic factors that matter to you    -Growth strategy and tactics: make sure you're thinking about both. You need a good strategy as your north star, and you need the right focus on tactics and logistics to make sure you can execute    -Sales process/team/approach: this topic was top of mind during both the panel and the networking portion of the event. Many folks in the room were bullish on founder-led sales for as long as possible (in order to keep a tight feedback loop, among other reasons). Others believe in the value of bringing on sales talent — especially a sales leader who's also comfortable being a player-coach in the early days. Again, there is no one right answer, but during the early days of a startup's trajectory, learning fast is always table stakes.      Big thanks to Matt Crane from MGMT Boston, Rafael Obando from HubSpot For Startups, and Nate Morgan from HubSpot Ventures for teaming up on this with us AND for your unwavering commitment to supporting the startup ecosystem!    Want to join more events like these? Join our startup community: https://hubs.ly/Q02HJR220