Jonathan Friedman

It seems most founders believe investors asking for “extras” on the side are simply greedy and short-sighted. While it’s easy to criticize investors, I believe this behavior is driven in…

As valuations continue to rise, early stage VCs are getting more “creative” with their deal structuring. In particular, I’ve seen a rise in requests for ESOP shares to be allocated…

A common rule of thumb among early stage VCs is to reserve 2–3X dollars for every $1 initially invested in a startup. This is in order to maintain ownership levels…

Startups often ask VCs for pre-pitch meetings. These requests usually are positioned along the lines of, “We aren’t looking for money yet, just advice.” Of course, we all know this…

So you’ve made it past all the VC grilling and received a term sheet. Congratulations! But don’t celebrate just yet. Term sheets are non-binding, and even though they should signify…

While declaring “competition is for losers” has become fashionable among unicorn-chasing VCs, most founders still reject this line of thinking. They know there is a gray area, and that large…

It’s become increasingly common for early-stage entrepreneurs to “lead their own rounds” via the use of convertible notes. In cases where they set financing terms themselves, they often set a…

Breakout startups that are ready for “Fundraising Acceleration” often face the challenge of managing interest from multiple investors. Having been involved in a number of these startups first-hand as an…

Given the growth in seed funding driven by the combined forces of the “Micro-VC glut” and increasing activity by angel investors (often via crowd funding), it’s become increasingly common to…