Kevin O'Leary’s Post

The decision-making process is venture's ultimate black box. Even as someone who lives and breathes fundraising processes, I had little idea how my peers at other consumer funds carried out due diligence (DD) and got to investment decisions. Having polled a host of leading consumer VCs, I've laid out how VCs run their investment processes, focusing on 'commercial DD' and the decision-making framework that goes with it. Link to the blog in the comments 👇 I hope this proves useful to founders and also VCs looking to optimise their ways of working. Thank you so much to the VCs for their transparency and for filling out what was quite a long survey! Yes, fundraising is a horrible process, but there are VCs who want to help make it better. Specifically, Manuel, Rachel, Lilac, Jimmy, Anna, Billy, Lucas, Sarah, Hugo, Bill, Christopher, Nico, Anurag, Jack, Fred, Louis, Otto and Geordie. #startup #fundraising #venturecapital #duediligence #consumer

 'Actually, this year is the very best time to fund a company and start a company'. But actually [in] '24, it's really true.” - Rainer Märkle Check out Anne Sraders Sifted article on VCs' tips for fundraising founders in 2024. #venturecapital

We advised a VC to pass on a $1M startup investment because of a legal mess. Here are the three biggest red flags discovered during the investor’s due diligence: 1. Founders do not have the stock issued to themselves. 2. Missed 83(b) election. You can possibly fix it, but if you already raised money from investors, fixing it will cost you. 3. Backdating. That’s exactly why we advised that VC to pass on a founder, because the founder backdated the stock issuances, which really shows a lack of integrity. Our free Startup Due Diligence Checklist is linked in the comments below so you can clean up the legal mess before showing it to investors. #startupfounder #startuplawyer #lawlace #fundraising #investing #duedilligence #investorduedilligence

White male-founded fintech company kevin raised a seed round of 9.5 MILLION euros in 2021 (a SEED round), and just six months later, raised a Series A round of 61.8 million euros led by Accel. Imagine if that 70 million euros had gone to fund, say, 10 female founders. Or 20. This is your regular reminder that last year, only 1.7% of all venture capital went to female founders, and that is why these investors have seen their 70 million euros go up in smoke, when they could have funded 20 female-founded unicorns-in-waiting with the same money, and seen VERY different results. #FundFemaleFounders

When is the right time to fundraise?   Our clients often wonder about the optimal timing for fundraising, whether as startups, real estate investors, or businesses planning inventory purchases. Our recommendation: Raise money when you don't need it. This strategy opens up opportunities to scale, invest, and expand with confidence. Understand the nuances of timing in our latest insight. #FundraisingStrategy #BusinessGrowth #FinancialPlanning

wonder about year to year changes

The best time to fundraise is always when you don’t need to. That way you have more control or say over the process including timing and terms. In today’s video I walk though why this is a good approach to accessing capital.

Again, only from the exclusive insights of Peter Walker and his team at Carta, check them out. Here, we have the most recent quarter distribution of pre-money, cash raised (and hence together post-money), and dilution. However, pay attention to his note about dilution. Hope that helps the many founders and equity compensated employees out there. #startup #valuation #dilution #fundraising

A fresh round headed by JM Financial Ltd Financial Private Equity has raised rs 45 crore ($5.4 million) for the bottled water brand Clear Premium Water. According to a press statement from Clear Premium Water, the funding’s proceeds would assist efforts aimed at establishing the company’s brand and improve its current capabilities and distribution network. To share your startup story write us on - startup@viestories.com #JMFinancialPrivateEquity #clearpremium #company #fundingAlert