Category: Startups

How do you DD a VC who issues a term sheet? – grayscale_vc

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

Interesting list. I won’t say I don’t agree with the list but I think it is missing one big section.

#4 hints at it a little but not directly enough.

Do you get along with your VC is one I would add.

You will be spending potentially years around your VC either in board meetings, in coffee chats or on WhatsApp. I always tell founders to spend some time with the VC over lunch or coffee – just to get to know each other more. 

I don’t think its only a financial transaction but there are lots of other elements involved.

How do you DD a VC who issues a term sheet? – grayscale_vc:

4. Operating Style Connected with value-add is the fund’s operating style. Are they hands-on or hands-off? If hands-on, how many times a month do they like to meet and what do they usually want to discuss. Will they get to know your whole management team or just the founders. And then choose which kind of VC you want for the next phase of growth. It’s preferable that you talk to companies regarding the specific manager within the fund team who’ll handle you post investment.

Seed funding in Singapore isn’t dead. Here’s all the proof you need.

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

Normally behind a paywall but this article is free for the day.

Here is one of my incendiary quotes:

Smith adds: “The meme that there is a stage-specific crunch is usually started by founders who have struggled to raise a round. The truth is that everyone struggles and fundraising for startups or venture funds are never easy.”

Seed funding in Singapore isn’t dead. Here’s all the proof you need.

WeWork opens co-working ‘lab’ space in Singapore for early-stage start-ups, Business News & Top Stories – The Straits Times

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

Blockpunk!

WeWork opens co-working ‘lab’ space in Singapore for early-stage start-ups, Business News & Top Stories – The Straits Times:

WeWork Labs piloted its concept for the first cohort of start-ups here in September. These included graduates of accelerator programmes and non-profit organisations. Eight start-ups participated in the pilot, including BlockPunk, which is building a next-generation anime studio.

Chief executive and co-founder Julian Lai-Hung said: “Having graduated from the Entrepreneur First Singapore incubator, we wanted to find a similar start-up-friendly culture and global community. WeWork Labs provided this and also helped in attracting new hires and kept the team happy, collaborative and productive.”

How Superhuman Built an Engine to Find Product/Market Fit | First Round Review

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

Long but good read on product/market fit.

I dig Superhuman so maybe I am biased.

Here are the 4 points:

1) Segment to find your supporters and paint a picture of your high-expectation customers.

2) Analyze feedback to convert on-the-fence users into fanatics.

3) Build your roadmap by doubling down on what users love and addressing what holds others back.

4) Repeat the process and make the product/market fit score the most important metric.

Read on to get the skinny on each point!

How Superhuman Built an Engine to Find Product/Market Fit | First Round Review

SAP Buys Qualtrics; 2018 Catapulted to $65B in $1B+ M&A Volume • Tomasz Tunguz

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

Largest VC backed software acquisition ever!

SAP Buys Qualtrics; 2018 Catapulted to $65B in $1B+ M&A Volume • Tomasz Tunguz:

Qualtrics fetched 23x trailing twelve months revenue multiple. This is the second largest among those I have tracked. The only one greater is the Microsoft/Github acquisition, which is based on press reports of Github’s revenue. Each of the other data points is substantiated through public investor disclosures. It’s the largest ever VC backed software acquisition. Congratulations to the Qualtrics team!

Russian cybersecurity firm Group IB to open global HQ in Singapore: CEO | Reuters

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

I have written before about the notion of cities and anchor tenants when it comes to the startup ecosystem.

I fully believe that Singapore has won this battle versus any other SEA city.

Now add Group IB to the list. You may not know the name but what I find interesting is why they chose Singapore.

What many people don’t know is the one Interpol is in Singapore and two, they HQ their cyber crimes unit in Singapore.

I suspect more companies who work around this industry will start to see Singapore as the best spot for an HQ.

Russian cybersecurity firm Group IB to open global HQ in Singapore: CEO | Reuters

What Happens When A Founder Is Fully Vested? – AVC

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

There is a lot to unpack in this one.

Let me just quote this since yes – this is a polarizing issue in general:

This is a common question I hear from founders. They ask me what is standard in this situation. And I tell them that not only is there no standard answer, that this is one of the most emotionally charged issues to come between founders and their investors and boards and companies.

What I usually find surprising is that some founders are shocked there is any notion of founder vesting.

There is.

However this post is more about what to do when fully vested which I have no experience with.

What Happens When A Founder Is Fully Vested? – AVC

The Anchor Tenant – AVC

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

This is why I am excited about Singapore and think it will remain the leader for the SEA startup scene for years to come.

Singapore is full of anchor tenants in tech and media.

Google, facebook, apple, AirBnB, soon stripe and eventually Dyson will all be here building stuff.

We will continue to see more trailing tech spouses (TTS) which in turn will bring more employees or people who have a spouse working that will use their opportunity to build or join a startup.

The runoff from the anchor tenants is only beginning to be felt in Singapore and around the SEA region.

The Anchor Tenant – AVC:

Malls need anchor tenants. These are the stores that bring the folks to the mall so that they can discover all of the other amazing places to shop that sit between the big tenants.

Cities need the same. Particularly cities that are trying to develop new industries.