VC Minute

Text your thoughts directly to Rich.  AJ outlines his proven approach to fundraising. He stresses the significance of tapping into your network, constructing a narrative-driven pitch deck, and carefully selecting the right partner for your business. About QuotaPath QuotaPath brings ownership and accountability to your compensation process by automating sales commissions. Rally teams around shared...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. AJ Bruno, QuotaPath's CEO has raised $70 million for QuotaPath and had a successful sale of TrendKite for $225 million, after multiple rounds of funding.  He's also a father of three and a pilot who does not like the idea of building the plane while flying it. About QuotaPath QuotaPath brings ownership and accountability to your compensation process b...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. How Glade Optics organically attracted seasoned operators as investors through a meticulously planned reputation-building strategy About Glade Optics Glade Optics designs premium ski goggles, helmets, and sunglasses from their headquarters in Breckenridge, Colorado. Winner of Ski Magazine's Goggle of the Year, Freeskier's Editor's Choice Award, a...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. The hidden costs of fee-based lenders and why Glade Optics went with GCVF for better deal terms and invaluable business insights About Glade Optics Glade Optics designs premium ski goggles, helmets, and sunglasses from their headquarters in Breckenridge, Colorado. Winner of Ski Magazine's Goggle of the Year, Freeskier's Editor's Choice Award, and...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Navigating the emotional rollercoaster of early struggles and the rewards of reaching a sustainable revenue level About Glade Optics Glade Optics designs premium ski goggles, helmets, and sunglasses from their headquarters in Breckenridge, Colorado. Winner of Ski Magazine's Goggle of the Year, Freeskier's Editor's Choice Award, and Blister's...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Why Glade Optics chose non-dilutive funding: the dual benefits of protecting equity and gaining mentors About Glade Optics Glade Optics designs premium ski goggles, helmets, and sunglasses from their headquarters in Breckenridge, Colorado. Winner of Ski Magazine's Goggle of the Year, Freeskier's Editor's Choice Award, and Blister's "Bes...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Curt Nichols of Glade Optics shares his journey from bootstrapping with credit cards to scaling a high-seven-figure business in ski gear. About Glade Optics Glade Optics designs premium ski goggles, helmets, and sunglasses from their headquarters in Breckenridge, Colorado. Winner of Ski Magazine's Goggle of the Year, Freeskier's Editor's Choice A...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Fractional talent is a great way to get experienced team members on a part-time basis to augment your full-time staff in a cost-efficient way.    About Bolster Bolster is the new way to find the right executives. We supercharge startup growth by matching CEOs with transformational leaders—without the hassle of traditional talent sourcing. Built by entrepreneurs...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Matt literally wrote the book on startup boards. Heed his advice and find the best possible board members, keeping a balance between independents and investors. About Bolster Bolster is the new way to find the right executives. We supercharge startup growth by matching CEOs with transformational leaders—without the hassle of traditional talent sourcing. Built b...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Start your hiring processes while you're fundraising so you can hire as soon as you raise. Otherwise you waste valuable months.    About Bolster Bolster is the new way to find the right executives. We supercharge startup growth by matching CEOs with transformational leaders—without the hassle of traditional talent sourcing. Built by entrepreneurs for entre...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. The next two post-funding mistakes are over-spending and not forecasting cash. Cash is king! About Bolster Bolster is the new way to find the right executives. We supercharge startup growth by matching CEOs with transformational leaders—without the hassle of traditional talent sourcing. Built by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, the Bolster marketplace is packed...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. There are three post-funding mistakes Matt regularly sees from founders. The first is under-reporting. About Bolster Bolster is the new way to find the right executives. We supercharge startup growth by matching CEOs with transformational leaders—without the hassle of traditional talent sourcing. Built by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, the Bolster marketplace...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. While funding is down, it's down less at Seed. Angel investing is down, but it's likely leveled out and will hold steady. There is still a plethora of capital available, there are incredible tools to start businesses using low/no-code. There's never been a better time to start a company. About Carta Carta builds infrastructure for tomorrow's...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Need help building your option pool? Carta has a tool: https://carta.com/option-pool-calculator/ Please listen to Peter's message about option exercise window. Personally, I agree with him that exercise windows should be longer for employees. The 90-day industry standard is just an arbitrary number.  About Carta Carta builds infrastructure for tomorrow&apo...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. As fundraising constricts, investor-friendly terms come out. Understand the effect these terms have on you and your company, as well as the effects of stacking SAFEs. Here is the FREE Carta SAFE & Convertible Note calculator: https://carta.com/blog/safe-and-convertible-note-calculator/ About Carta Carta builds infrastructure for tomorrow's innovators....

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. On Tuesday, September 12th our friend and operating partner at SpringTime, Jessie Dixon, passed away after a battle with cancer. Her obituary and details about the celebration of life is here: https://www.horancares.com/obituaries/jessie-dixon She was previously a co-founder at Havenly, and in the e-commerce industry before getting into the startup world. More...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. We all know that valuations are down and that down rounds are up. But does a down round need to be a stigma? Some great companies have been built after down rounds.  About Carta Carta builds infrastructure for tomorrow's innovators. Founders can manage their equity, issue options, and pay fairly using Carta Cap Table and Compensation tools. You can get a w...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Founders, whatever you think it's going to take you to raise this funding, it's probably going to take longer. So begin those conversations earlier than you think you need to. About Carta Carta builds infrastructure for tomorrow's innovators. Founders can manage their equity, issue options, and pay fairly using Carta Cap Table and Compensation to...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Founders are always going to add value no matter how big or small the check size is. About Rescripted Reaching 9M people monthly, Rescripted is the #1 global media platform for women's health and fertility, providing content, tools, and resources for wherever you are in your reproductive lifecycle. Learn more at rescripted.com , and follow along at @hellor...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Rescripted has over 60 Angels on its cap table. How did they do it? Networking "like a crazy person." About Rescripted Reaching 9M people monthly, Rescripted is the #1 global media platform for women's health and fertility, providing content, tools, and resources for wherever you are in your reproductive lifecycle. Learn more at rescripted.com ,...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. One of the best pieces of advice Abby got: seriously evaluate if your business actually needs venture capital. About Rescripted Reaching 9M people monthly, Rescripted is the #1 global media platform for women's health and fertility, providing content, tools, and resources for wherever you are in your reproductive lifecycle. Learn more at rescripted.com , a...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Your team is also watching your company valuation. About Rescripted Reaching 9M people monthly, Rescripted is the #1 global media platform for women's health and fertility, providing content, tools, and resources for wherever you are in your reproductive lifecycle. Learn more at rescripted.com , and follow along at @hellorescripted on Instagram and TikTok....

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Do you want industry expertise or operational experience from investors? Write out what you want before you start fundraising. About Rescripted Reaching 9M people monthly, Rescripted is the #1 global media platform for women's health and fertility, providing content, tools, and resources for wherever you are in your reproductive lifecycle. Learn more at re...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Personalized, forwardable emails that your connections can send along will unlock doors to new investors.  About Rescripted Reaching 9M people monthly, Rescripted is the #1 global media platform for women's health and fertility, providing content, tools, and resources for wherever you are in your reproductive lifecycle. Learn more at rescripted.com , and f...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Where are you in the process? What's your valuation expectation? Abby provides guidance on answering both of these trick questions. About Rescripted Reaching 9M people monthly, Rescripted is the #1 global media platform for women's health and fertility, providing content, tools, and resources for wherever you are in your reproductive lifecycle. Learn...