Because you mentioned MVP, Im assuming that your current business is a service company, not a technology/product company. If that's the case, then you would definitely need to build out an MVP of the product and ideally show customers using the product as is. The major issue of a service compan...
Really depends on how many rounds of funding you think you'll need. Most startup founders have their equity diluted anywhere from 15%-33% after 2-3 rounds of funding. If he is a key partner, then 25% is fair and a better deal for you. VCs hate preferred shares being issued because it just complic...
That depends a lot on what assets you have, and what type of business you're trying to create. Do you already have a MVP version of your product? I hope so, six months in! One option is to pre-sell your product (beta version) to your audience, which not only helps with financing but also gets t...
Dan has given you some excellent advice. On the low-level, purely mechanical front, send your pitch via some tracked service like FedEx or UPS, for two reasons. 1. Nobody is going to throw one away without opening it. 2. When a road-blocking gatekeeper rolls you to a stop, just say: "Could I sp...
I love this! Congratulations on a smart approach to launching a startup. I got a chance to talk to DHH - founder of Basecamp and hacker. (read about it here: http://blog.unthink.me/what-i-learned-in-1-hour-with-basecamps-founder-david-heinemeier-hansson) One of his biggest pet peeves is the idea...
I know this moment all too well. I've been on both sides of this one, and let me say - it's not as scary as you think. If the new hire comes to the table with more to offer than previous hires, then it shouldn't be something you have to "sell". If you think you need to "sell" this new hire to yo...
I agree with all of Ryan's points, and their order of importance. Use where you grew up as an advantage, not a disadvantage. From what I've read it sounds like you should definitely be able to pull this off.
Answer to question one: If your celebrity curators are big enough names and are really committed, there is a small chance that you could raise a seed round of $750k or more pre-launch. That said, a number of "celebrity-supported" ventures have had very mixed to bad results so it could cut eithe...
I've been through several acquisitions and a few IPOs. If the company is acquired, you should contact the CEO and the CFO to ask the price per share at which the company was acquired. If you have vested options, they should send you a letter letting you know whether your options are "in the mon...
I like the way you framed this question. Staying calm, always leads to better decisions being made. The best way to maintain a "calm" state is to do your best to look at your business from a completely detached view. Having a talk with myself or anyone else well-reviewed on Clarity can bring n...