There are a few legal issues that we’ve seen consistently become hurdles for entrepreneurs and their lawyers. While in some cases they will simply be a hassle to clean up in a financing or an exit, they often have meaningful financial implications for the company and, in the worst case, can seriously damage the value […]

There is another type of term sheet that is important in an entrepreneur’s life—the letter of intent (LOI). Hopefully, one day you’ll receive one from a potential acquirer that will lead to fame, riches, and happiness. Or at least you’ll get a new business card on heavier card stock. Typically the first formal step by […]

As we enter the home stretch of the book, we spend some time talking about financings at different stages of the life of a company. Not all financings are created equal. This is especially true when you factor in the different stages that your company will evolve through over its lifetime. Each financing stage—seed, early, […]

While most people ask themselves “What should I do?” when seeking VC financing, there are also some things that a person should not do. Doing any of the following at best makes you look like a rookie (which is okay, we all were rookies once) and at worst kills any chance that you have of […]

Regardless of how much you know about term sheets, you still need to be able to negotiate a good deal. We’ve found that most people, including many lawyers, are weak negotiators. Fortunately for our portfolio company executives, they can read about everything we know online and in this book, so hopefully in addition to being […]