Focal’s Post

I believe that there is way too much pressure on quick and instant exits, and this doesn't give startups ample time for market penetration and consolidation. This is why I advise first or second-time founders not to disrupt but to build a fast-to-market and fast-to-product-market-fit product, either by contributing to an existing vertical or by extending availability to a market segment. Founders and VCs should be able to have a long-term plan for continuous deal collaborations post pre-seed until market consolidation. Facebook, Airbnb, Uber, Amazon are all examples of startups that didn't show signs of profits early; in fact, they ran in the red for years before market consolidation. Facebook is notorious for not monetising for the first few years. I agree that timing and economic conditions play an important role in all these as well. It's hard to build, but with the right mindset, integrity, focus and collaborations, anything is possible.

Investors give startup founders money to grow the startup. Growth is not optional, it is the very thing you sold them a stake for. It’s extremely stressful. Losing your OWN money is one thing. Losing your investor's money is next-level stress. This is why I do what I do at Midstage Institute. I help founding teams speed up their startups systematically. So they don’t need to have those awkward no-growth investor meetings. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gtFy_Zhe

Starting to feel that the Series A/B markets are warming up. Over the past year+, most founders preferred to avoid a distracting and lengthy Series A process in a slow market. Instead, they often raised a quick seed+ round, and focused on building and growing past the usual Series A metrics. Recently, we've seen some startups close quick/oversubscribed Series A/B rounds, and more founders are considering raising now. It's still closer to anecdotal than robust data, but we'd be among the first to notice at Pioneer Fund, with our large portfolio of strong YC startups. I plan to post here again if the trend continues or not.

Join a startup early and you can make millions. Join a growth stage startup and you have way better odds of seeing an exit. But what stage offers the optimal tradeoff between risk and reward? We looked back at 14,000 startups that raised in 2014-15 and found the highest expected values are: Series C, A, and B in that order. We also dug into how these numbers vary if you want a larger exit (>$500M) or boost your odds by working at a startup with top investors.

Hello Xsellerate Founder subscribers! Most of you will be across this I'm sure, but, if not, see below for a link to the various different funding options and support available for Startups in Victoria through LaunchVic. Should you need any help navigating the different funding options and finding out what the right path for you could be then please reach out to us to connect. #startup #scaleup #startupadvice

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I get asked this all the time Matt... What is the difference between ”Venture Studios & Accelerators” In short: Venture studios offer comprehensive, flexible, hands-on support from idea to growth stages Accelerators offer brief, structured programs for early-revenue startups, focusing on education and networking But for a more detailed answer ⤷ Check out this post below And if you like this table You’d love this post on the comparison between the returns of Traditional Start-Ups and Studio Start-Ups Click here to see why I say that ⤷ https://lnkd.in/gaTBvTAd

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