Kickstarter alone has led to almost 3 billion dollars of funding to nearly 120,000 projects. Crowdsourcing has become a viable alternative to traditional funding sources, whether the focus is launching a specific project or building a business. The success stories of crowdsourced funding are as varied as the projects funded. However, the lessons from failed […]
There are plenty of savvy startup experts who will tell you that there is absolutely no reason to form your startup as an LLC. You should always be a Delaware C Corporation. If you talk to any of the major accelerators, that’s what they’ll tell you. Same for most VCs. But make no mistake, there […]
Could you imagine if someone went to a restaurant and said: “Hey, chef, I was looking on the internet and I found a bunch of recipes I liked. So I cooked a five-course meal, with appetizers, starters, salad, dessert, and the whole shebang. But I’m not sure it tastes all that great so I was […]
Conflicts with your business associate(s), particularly for start-ups, can be difficult. Most importantly, you want to address and resolve those conflicts before they interrupt your bottom line—building a successful company and promoting a solid venture. It cannot be said enough: Start-ups and any other business relationships should be grounded in written documentation. If you have […]
1) Working with the Wrong Kind of Investors There’s a saying in the startup world: “the first money that goes in determines how much money, if any money at all, comes in after.” Regular startup investors are an incestuous lot, and they’re usually a pretty sophisticated group, too. If you look at the resumes of superstar […]
Too often, startups lock themselves into thinking that there are only a few ways to raise capital. But that’s not true. There are plenty of different ways to raise money if your business if promising and if you’re creative. VCs and angel investors might have certain vehicles they return to repeatedly, but there’s no reason […]
When you’re a startup lawyer, part of your job is to serve as a document merchant. It’s part of the job, but it’s probably my least favorite part of the job. I love learning from startups. I love working with startups. Working with growing startups to make them better — that’s just what we do. Providing high-quality documents […]
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance that congratulations are in order. Someone is very interested in what you’re doing. But best not to get too excited just yet. There’s a lot of work ahead before you get to your final destination. If you have a business that has been the main source of […]
If you are trying to split equity in your startup it can start with some third grade math. Add your equity to your co-founders’ and get to 100%, right? Not so fast. Consider the following scenario. You and another co-founder have quit your full-time jobs to work on a company. There are also four other people who have joined […]
What makes a startup? Businesses have been starting up for centuries, but the term “startup” gained traction with the dot-com boom and bust. Companies that were nothing became million dollar entities within a year and then just as quickly plummeted back to earth. Pets.com is the most noted example. Conceived in 1998, the company raised […]