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As an ambitious founder, joining an accelerator program can be a major stepping stone to startup success. By joining an accelerator, startups can fast-track their progress, accessing resources and networks that would otherwise take years to build. The impact of such programs is evident when we look at companies like Dropbox, Airbnb, and Reddit, each of which gained invaluable benefits from accelerator experiences with Y Combinator. By turbocharging their development, these companies leaped ahead, becoming industry leaders and household names. In this article, we’ll delve deeper into the world of accelerators, helping you understand why such a program could be a game-changer for your startup and some startup Accelerators to consider from our Connect investment database. Benefits of Joining an Accelerator One of the most significant advantages of accelerator programs lies in the mentorship they provide. Founders are often paired with experienced entrepreneurs, investors, or industry experts who guide them through their growth trajectory. These mentors provide a wealth of industry insights, and strategic guidance that can open doors to significant networking opportunities. Alongside this, accelerators usually offer a certain amount of funding in exchange for equity. This early-stage capital injection can be crucial for startups to build their prototype, hire talent, or scale their operations. It also opens up a vast network of fellow founders, investors, and industry professionals, creating an ecosystem of collaboration and learning. Additionally, founders gain access to resources and tools, such as workspaces, training sessions, and state-of-the-art technology. Accelerators ensure startups have what they need to succeed in today’s competitive market. These cumulative benefits can often be the catalyst that propels a young startup from stagnation to rapid growth. Related resource: The Top 16 Accelerators Powering Startup Growth “We surveyed 43 founders who attended these accelerators to better understand their biggest takeaways from each respective program. Founders highlighted many aspects of the accelerator programs, including access to quality advisers, mentors, and corporations, the strength of the program’s network, and the benefits of an environment that encourages deep thinking and iteration. They also appreciated education on fundraising and warm connections to investors and potential customers. On the other hand, founders expressed the need for more education on running a company.” – PitchBook Newsletter Related resource: 12 Online Startup Communities for Founders Selection Criteria and Application Process Accelerators receive a plethora of applications, but only a handful make the cut. Therefore, understanding the selection criteria is crucial. Generally, these programs look for startups with high business potential, meaning your idea should solve a significant problem and have a sizable market. Team composition also plays a vital role; accelerators prefer diverse, dedicated, and capable teams that can withstand the rigors of startup life. Scalability is another crucial factor; your business should have the potential to grow rapidly and provide a return on investment. As for the application process, it usually begins with an online application where you’ll provide information about your startup and why you believe it would benefit from the program. You’ll likely need to submit a pitch deck – a brief presentation outlining your business plan. If your application is shortlisted, the next stage is usually an interview with the accelerator’s selection committee. This is your opportunity to demonstrate your passion, knowledge, and commitment. Related resource: Our Teaser Pitch Deck Template Startup Growth Metrics and Benchmarks For startups looking to attract accelerator interest and subsequent investment, monitoring and presenting the right growth metrics is critical. Key metrics include Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) and Year-over-Year (YoY) growth to showcase revenue consistency and scalability. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and Lifetime Value (LTV) ratio provide insights into the efficiency of marketing strategies and customer value. Engagement metrics, like Daily Active Users (DAU) or Monthly Active Users (MAU), highlight product stickiness and user adoption. Tracking these metrics allows startups to demonstrate growth potential and operational efficiency to potential accelerators and investors. Equity vs. Non-equity Programs For founders, choosing between equity-based and non-equity accelerators is a crucial decision that impacts the future of your startup. Equity-based programs typically require you to give up a portion of your company's equity in exchange for capital, mentorship, and resources. This can be a good option if you're looking for substantial funding and are willing to share your company's ownership. On the other hand, non-equity accelerators offer support without taking any stake in your company, ideal for those who wish to retain full ownership. However, they might offer less capital. Consider your startup's funding needs, how much control you're willing to share, and the specific benefits each program offers to make an informed decision. Related resource: Pros and Cons of Crowdfunding for Your Startup Legal and IP Considerations for Startups in Accelerators When joining an accelerator, it's crucial to carefully navigate legal and intellectual property (IP) considerations. Protecting your startup's IP is paramount, as it forms the core of your value proposition. Ensure you understand the terms of the accelerator agreement, especially concerning IP rights and confidentiality. Some accelerators may require disclosure of your IP, so it's essential to have clear agreements in place to protect your interests. Consulting with a legal expert specializing in startup and IP law can provide tailored advice, helping you safeguard your assets while benefiting from the accelerator's resources and network. Engaging in due diligence and obtaining professional legal guidance are key steps in this process. What to Expect from an Accelerator Most programs are highly structured and rigorous, designed to make the most of every minute. A typical day could include a blend of workshops, mentorship sessions, networking events, and ample amounts of time for product development. Accelerators push startups to evolve rapidly, so the schedule can be demanding. Expect long days and tight deadlines, but also a supportive, collaborative environment full of passionate people who share your entrepreneurial spirit. It’s a high-intensity period, but the pace is intentionally set to prepare you for the demanding nature of running a startup. Preparing the Team Preparing your team for an accelerator program is much like gearing up for a marathon. The program’s intensity means your team will need to be mentally prepared and resilient. Transparency is key – ensure your team understands the expectations and commitments of the program. Encourage open communication about concerns and questions. Prioritize team health and well-being to avoid burnout. Foster a culture of agility and quick decision-making, as accelerators move at a fast pace. Regular check-ins and debriefs can help the team navigate the experience collectively, learning and pivoting as needed. Setting realistic and achievable goals before entering an accelerator is crucial. Having clear objectives will help you stay focused amidst the whirlwind of activities and opportunities. Your goals could range from product development milestones, market validation, and customer acquisition targets, to preparing for fundraising. Be ambitious, but also practical – consider your team’s capacity and the program’s duration. Your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Remember, these goals are not set in stone; they should evolve as you receive new information and feedback during the program. Regularly revisit and revise your goals to ensure they align with your startup’s growth and the invaluable feedback you’ll receive within the accelerator environment. Related resource: Startup Metrics You Need to Monitor Navigating Post-Accelerator Challenges After completing an accelerator program, startups face the challenge of maintaining momentum. To sustain growth, focus on continuous learning and adaptability, leveraging the network and resources acquired during the program. Establish clear, achievable goals for short and long-term growth, and continuously measure performance against these objectives. Engage with the accelerator alumni community for support and potential collaboration opportunities. Prioritize building strong customer relationships and refining your value proposition based on feedback. Lastly, maintain fiscal discipline while seeking further investment opportunities to fuel growth. Resources The most active startup accelerators and where they’re investing Accelerator connect profiles in our Fundraising CRM Seed-DB maintains a global list of accelerators and data on their funded startups. Barclays Eagle Labs: Our passion is innovation and growth so much so, that in 2015 when underused Barclays spaces became available we created Eagle Labs, a network made up of member businesses, partners, investors, corporates, mentors, banking expertise and so much more. Startup Accelerators to Check Out Buildit Accelerator And Program Info Provided by Arta Beitāne, Associate and Accelerator Program Manager About: Buildit is an accelerator that supports hardware and IoT startups in turning an idea into a tangible, market-worthy product. Sweetspot check size: $ 300K Traction metrics requirements: Must have an MVP or working prototype Thesis: At Buildit you don’t just get a product accelerator. You get a partner in development that’s invested in seeing you succeed. Program Specifics: What does the curriculum include? What skills and knowledge areas does the program focus on? “​Curriculum topics: Smart prototyping, design for manufacturing, business modelling and pricing, efficient marketing with 0$ budget, pitch trainings, Fundraising & Legalese, IP protection, Sustainability and ESG reporting since Day 1…The program focuses on setting up the startup so that the team can raise their next investment rounds – clear plans and milestones, team competencies, IP rights, etc.” Mentorship and Network: Who are the mentors and what are their backgrounds? “​Mentors are of various profiles, and the group constantly changes as we are on a constant lookout for fresh perspectives. Mentors usually are or have been founders themselves, some are investors and some are specialists in their own areas (lawyers, engineers, consultants). What networking opportunities exist within the program? What kinds of professionals will they have access to? “​Mentors (a long list of 300 experts, compiled over years) and investors mainly.” Success Stories and Track Record: What notable companies have gone through the program?” “​We’re proud [amongst others] of STRIGA, Naco Technologies, Alternative Plants to name a few.” Post-Program Support: What kind of support (if any) is offered to startups after they complete the program? “​In most cases, we invest in our program graduates. Participants are pre-selected in a way where we see high potential of a Buildit investment case. The network is quite widespread geographically and industry-wise, nevertheless, relatively closely knit, therefore, we see high likelihood in portfolio company founders helping each other + we try to host annual in-person events to facilitate relationship building and rekindling.” Aviatra Accelerators About: Aviatra Accelerators empowers women entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses faster and with more confidence. Thesis: We offer classes, coaching and community to women entrepreneurs. Our program “Capital-Ready Women” helps women get ready to successfully access capital from lenders and investors. "Our newest program for women entrepreneurs is Capital-Ready Women. It’s designed to help women get ready to successfully access capital from lenders and investors. It begins with our Free Fundability Assessment, available at FreeFundabilityAssessment.com." Union Kitchen About: Union Kitchen is a Food Business Accelerator. We build successful food businesses by bringing together our Accelerator with access to our Kitchen, Distribution, and Stores. Since starting in 2012, we’ve worked with over 650 food businesses, including DC favorites Compass Coffee, Snacklins, Mas Panadas, Caribe and many more! Union Kitchen also launched an investment fund in 2022. Are you ready to build your successful food business? Apply here: https://unionkitchen.com/apply Lair East Labs About: Lair East Labs is an early-stage venture firm based in New York City that empowers founders to expand internationally. At the heart of Lair East Labs comes our founder-centric accelerator program. Each cohort intakes 10 startups to receive curriculum content, mentorship network, office space, and investments of up to $150K. Our 4-month program combines the best of two worlds: learning from alum founders and gaining access to a diverse mentor and investor network with extensive experience navigating the Asian markets. Our portfolio companies have raised $65 million of funding after completing the accelerator. For more information, please visit https://laireastlabs.com Traction metrics requirements: Must have a MVP for software-centric startups or associated IP or research paper to validate the technology for DeepTech companies Arkley Brinc About: Arkley is an Accelerator VC that focuses on early-stage hardware startups to help them grow from prototype to IPO. Thesis: We are the most individual acceleration program on earth. Representing the bespoke model: We do what’s necessary to make you do what’s impossible. We are working with startups as a team member in order to achieve agreed operational and financial goals by using Arkley’s ecosystem. Accelerator Centre About: Accelerator Centre is a network of facilities dedicated to developing and commercializing technology startups. Thesis: The Accelerator Centre is an award-winning startup accelerator dedicated to building and scaling sustainable, globally competitive companies and giving startups the highest probability of long-term success. Dreamit Ventures About: Dreamit is a venture fund and growth-focused accelerator for Urbantech, Securetech, and Healthtech startups Sweetspot check size: $ 1M Traction metrics requirements: Seek healthtech and securetech companies with early commercial traction and proven product market fit that are focused on scaling. Thesis: Dreamit Ventures is a fund and growth program focused on startups with revenue or pilots that are ready to scale. Capital Innovators About: Capital Innovators provides top-ranked accelerator programs, venture fund management, and corporate innovation. It manages private and corporate venture funds focused on technology, consumer products, and energy innovations. Capital Innovators has helped scale 188 companies and assisted them in raising over $600 MM in follow-on investment and creating over 2,900 jobs. HARDS About: The First Brazilian Software/Hardware Accelerator Thesis: How do we acceerate your startup? It’s easy .. years of experience from our investors, partners, mentors, advisors and managers in hardware and software development, added to the experience of accelerating Darwin Startups! Village Capital About: Our mission is to reinvent the system to back the entrepreneurs of the future. Our vision is a future where business builds equity and long-term prosperity. gener8tor About: gener8tor is a nationally ranked, concierge accelerator that invests in high-growth startups. Sweetspot check size: $ 100K AngelPad About: AngelPad is a seed-stage accelerator program that finds product market fit, defining a target market to get first validation for a company. Sweetspot check size: $ 1M Thesis: Find awesome companies with founders we like to work with and spend three very intense months with them. The Alchemist Accelerator About: The Alchemist Accelerator is a venture-backed initiative focused on accelerating startups whose revenue comes from enterprises. Sweetspot check size: $ 75K Traction metrics requirements: Looking for companies from the idea stage to 15K+ in MRR FounderFuel About: FounderFuel is a mentor-driven venture accelerator that helps new startups make progress on the venture path. Sweetspot check size: $ 120K Thesis: We ignite the global success of companies by developing the leaders behind them. Amplify About: Amplify is a pre-seed fund in Venice, CA dedicated to backing strong teams at the earliest stages and supporting from first check to exit. Thesis: At Amplify, our vision is clear — help passionate technology entrepreneurs grow their startups into strong, scalable & successful companies. Flashpoint About: Flashpoint is an international tech investment manager with approx. $400 million AUM focused on international tech companies originating out of Europe and Israel. Flashpoint manages five venture funds: three VC funds, a Venture Debt Fund, and a Secondary Fund. The firm is headquartered in London and has offices in New York, Tel-Aviv, Budapest, Warsaw, Riga, and Nicosia. Global Insurance Accelerator About: The Global Insurance Accelerator is a mentor-driven business accelerator designed to foster innovation in the insurance industry through startups targeting the global insurance industry. We take in early-stage companies who are building solutions that support the insurance industry. We provide seed funding, networking with our mentors, a desk in our beautiful office in Des Moines, 100-days of on-site support and time on stage at the Global Insurance Symposium with hundreds industry executives in attendance. This is not your typical accelerator. Our investors are insurance carriers, our mentors are primarily insurance executives. Startups participating in our program find product-market fit and do customer discovery faster than they could ever do at any other accelerator. We are a strategic partner. The Deal: Investment with founder-friendly terms: $50k in the form of a post-money SAFE that converts to 5% of the company; no board seat Curated meetings with 75+ insurance-focused mentors in program; dozens more after Final presentations @ Global Insurance Symposium (~600 attendees in 2019) Additional exposure at industry conferences One-bedroom, residential-style suite at the Staybridge Suites, with amenities including daily breakfast, nightly dinner, gym, pool, and laundry (in-person nights / 2-minute walk from GIA) Office space for your entire team Typical accelerator perks (deals on hosting, marketing tools, etc) Stocked fridge at the GIA office Founders need to be in Des Moines during the program, business-related travel is supported Hardware.co About: HARDWARE.co is a global community and accelerator for entrepreneurs, industry professionals and makers dedicated to the creation of innovative hardware products and companies. HARDWARE.co is made out of several interconnected components to serve, maintain, and grow our community. The HARDWARE.co Accelerator, Lab, Meetups, and Online Platform form a multichannel resource to give community members the opportunity to create leading products and companies. We support every stage of hardware development – from ideas, to prototypes, to investments, and beyond. Looking for Investors? Try Visible Today! Use Visible to manage every part of your fundraising funnel with investor updates, fundraising pipelines, pitch deck sharing, and data rooms. Raise capital, update investors, and engage your team from a single platform. Try Visible free for 14 days. Related Resource: Accelerator connect profiles in our Fundraising CRM

Venture capital (VC) has become an instrumental force in driving innovation and growth across various industries, and healthcare is no exception. Within the article, we’ll cover venture capital within the healthcare sector, its significance, the healthcare investment landscape, the benefits it brings, and the types of healthcare companies that VCs actively invest in. The Role of Venture Capital in Healthcare Venture capital serves as a catalyst for progress in the healthcare industry. By providing funding and expertise to early-stage and high-potential companies, VCs help drive innovation, accelerate research and development, and bridge the gap between groundbreaking ideas and commercial success. With their financial resources and industry knowledge, venture capital firms empower healthcare entrepreneurs to transform their visions into tangible solutions that improve patient care, enhance medical outcomes, and reshape the healthcare landscape. The Healthcare Investment Landscape VC firms are actively seek opportunities in a wide range of healthcare sectors, including biotechnology, medical devices, healthcare IT, and healthcare services. Despite a slight slowdown, venture capital funds managed to raise an impressive amount of nearly $22 billion in 2022, making it the second-largest fundraising year on record. The positive momentum continued into Q1 2023, with the fundraising pace accelerating slightly to $6.8 billion. Notably, early-stage investors showed a preference for seed and Series A investments, indicating their confidence in backing promising startups at the initial stages of their growth journey. As venture capital funds still have a significant amount of capital yet to be deployed in the healthcare sector, it is expected that top companies will continue to attract investor interest. However, this interest is likely to come with investor-driven valuations, as investors seek to balance risk and returns in an increasingly competitive market. The abundance of available capital presents a unique opportunity for healthcare startups to secure the necessary funding to fuel their growth and innovation. Although the overall investment pace experienced a slowdown in Q1, with investors navigating macro uncertainty and market downturns, they remained focused on supporting their promising later-stage portfolio companies. This support was evident through insider extensions and bridge rounds, allowing companies to bridge the funding gap and continue their growth trajectory. Looking ahead to the second half of 2023, there is an expectation of an uptick in larger, outsider-led funding rounds. These rounds may see valuations being adjusted to better reflect market conditions, potentially resulting in down rounds or flat “engineered” rounds that include incentives for new investors. “CVS is betting big on primary care. Here’s a breakdown of its 5 biggest deals of 2023. CVS is aggressively investing in and acquiring digital health companies while competitors retrench. We dig into the pharmacy giant’s recent primary care moves.” Anand Sanwal, founder of CBInsights, Newsletter Benefits of Venture Capital in Healthcare Venture capital firms play a pivotal role in shaping the future of healthcare by providing critical funding, expertise, and strategic guidance. Access to Capital One of the primary advantages of venture capital in healthcare lies in its ability to bridge the funding gap for early-stage companies. Healthcare ventures often require substantial financial resources to advance research, conduct clinical trials, and navigate complex regulatory landscapes. Expertise and Guidance Beyond financial support, VC firms bring a wealth of industry knowledge and experience to the table. Seasoned investors offer strategic guidance, mentorship, and operational expertise to healthcare entrepreneurs. Their deep understanding of the sector helps startups refine their business models, overcome regulatory hurdles, and optimize their commercialization strategies. The invaluable insights and advice provided by venture capitalists significantly enhance the chances of success for healthcare ventures. Validation and Credibility Securing VC funding serves as a powerful validation for healthcare startups. The rigorous due diligence process conducted by venture capitalists not only validates the viability of the company’s products or services but also enhances its credibility in the eyes of other stakeholders. This validation opens doors to additional funding opportunities, attracts potential partners and customers, and positions the company as a trusted player in the industry. The stamp of approval from venture capitalists acts as a strong endorsement, driving confidence in the startup’s vision and mission. Network and Partnerships Venture capital firms possess extensive networks within the healthcare ecosystem, comprising key players such as healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies, regulatory bodies, and industry experts. By partnering with venture capitalists, startups gain access to these invaluable networks, which can facilitate collaborations, strategic partnerships, and distribution channels. The connections offered by VCs are instrumental in accelerating market adoption, expanding reach, and tapping into new markets. The network effect of venture capital opens up a world of possibilities for healthcare startups to thrive and make a significant impact. Long-Term Support and Sustainability Unlike short-term investors or traditional lenders, venture capital firms typically take a long-term view when investing in healthcare companies. They are committed to supporting startups throughout their growth journey, providing follow-on funding rounds as needed. This long-term support ensures the sustainability and continuity of healthcare ventures, enabling them to focus on innovation, research, and achieving long-term objectives. The stability and backing of venture capitalists give healthcare startups the confidence and resources to navigate challenges and pursue ambitious goals. Types of Healthcare Companies VCs Invest In Venture capital firms invest in a wide array of healthcare companies, each with its unique value proposition and growth potential. These are some of the top healthcare industries that are attracting VC investment along with some other trending industries as well Biotech Companies Biotech companies leverage biological processes and living organisms to develop innovative therapies, diagnostic tools, and research solutions. VCs invest in biotech firms due to the tremendous potential for groundbreaking discoveries, the ability to address unmet medical needs, and the prospects of substantial returns on investment. Subindustries within Biotech include: Gene Editing: Companies developing innovative gene editing technologies like CRISPR-Cas9, enabling precise modification of genetic material for potential therapeutic applications. Immuno-oncology: Companies focusing on immunotherapies that enhance the body’s immune system to target and fight cancer cells, including cellular therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors. Precision Medicine: Companies that leverage genomic data and advanced analytics to develop personalized medicine approaches, tailoring treatments to individual patients based on their genetic makeup, biomarkers, and other unique characteristics. Check out our investor list article, The Top VCs Investing in BioTech. Medical Device Companies Medical device companies focus on developing advanced medical technologies and devices that enhance patient care, improve treatment outcomes, and streamline healthcare delivery. These companies often require significant financial backing for research, development, clinical trials, and regulatory approvals. VCs invest in medical device companies to support their growth and innovation in this rapidly evolving sector. Subindustries within Medical devices include: Minimally Invasive Surgical Devices: Companies develop innovative medical devices and instruments for minimally invasive surgeries, offering improved patient outcomes, reduced recovery time, and enhanced surgical precision. Digital Health Monitoring Devices: Companies create wearable devices and remote monitoring technologies, enabling continuous tracking of vital signs, remote patient monitoring, and real-time health data analysis. Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Medical Imaging: Companies combining AI and medical imaging to improve diagnostic accuracy, automate image analysis, and assist radiologists in interpreting medical images such as X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans are attracting investment. Healthcare IT Companies Healthcare IT companies play a vital role in transforming the delivery of healthcare by leveraging technology to address industry challenges and improve overall outcomes. They develop innovative solutions that enhance clinical workflows, optimize administrative tasks, ensure data security and privacy, and facilitate seamless interoperability among various healthcare stakeholders. They do this through creating software, systems, and platforms that streamline processes, improve patient care, enhance data management, and enable efficient communication within the healthcare ecosystem. VCs are attracted to companies that bring innovative and disruptive solutions to the industry, leveraging technologies like AI, machine learning, and big data analytics. These solutions have the potential to transform healthcare practices and enhance patient care. Additionally, companies that focus on cost reduction and operational efficiency by automating tasks and streamlining workflows are interesting to VCs. These companies enable healthcare providers to optimize resources, minimize errors, and achieve cost savings. VCs also acknowledge the importance of regulatory compliance and data security in the healthcare sector. Companies specializing in robust cybersecurity measures and privacy protection tools are in high demand. Subindustries within Healthcare IT include: Telehealth Platforms: Companies developing telehealth platforms, telemedicine apps, and remote patient monitoring solutions to support virtual consultations, remote diagnostics, and remote care delivery. Health Data Analytics: Companies specializing in advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence to derive insights from healthcare data are receiving investments, supporting population health management, personalized medicine, and improved clinical decision-making. Cybersecurity and Privacy: Companies focusing on healthcare data security, patient privacy protection, and compliance with regulations such as HIPAA. These companies develop solutions to safeguard electronic health records, secure data sharing, and prevent data breaches. Healthcare Services Companies Healthcare services companies encompass a wide range of organizations dedicated to providing essential healthcare services to individuals and communities. These companies, can include hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, home healthcare providers, and diagnostic services. VCs recognize the increasing demand for healthcare services due to factors such as population aging and rising healthcare needs. Investing in healthcare services companies allows VCs to capitalize on this growing market and generate favorable financial returns. Moreover, VCs seek out healthcare services companies that bring innovation and differentiation to the industry. Companies that introduce novel care delivery models, leverage technology advancements and enhance patient experiences attract VC investments. By investing in such companies, VCs aim to support the transformation of healthcare services delivery and improve patient outcomes. Subindustries within Healthcare services companies include: Digital Health Platforms: Investment is flowing into companies offering comprehensive digital health platforms, integrating electronic health records (EHRs), patient engagement tools, telehealth capabilities, and data analytics to improve care coordination, patient outcomes, and operational efficiency. Home Healthcare Services: Companies providing innovative home healthcare services, including remote monitoring, virtual consultations, and personalized care delivered in the comfort of patients’ homes, are attracting investment. Mental Health Services: Investments are being made in companies focusing on digital mental health solutions, such as online therapy platforms, mental health apps, and virtual support networks, to address the increasing demand for accessible and convenient mental healthcare. 6 Venture Capital Firms Investing in Healthcare Numerous firms are actively investing in healthcare innovation and shaping the future of the industry. Below we’ll explore six notable venture capital firms that have made significant contributions to the healthcare sector. These VCs bring a wealth of experience, expertise, and financial resources to support the growth and success of healthcare startups and companies. Their strategic investments have helped drive advancements in biotechnology, medical devices, healthcare IT, and healthcare services, propelling the industry forward and improving patient care. 1. Felicis Ventures Felicis Ventures is a boutique VC firm that backs iconic companies reinventing existing markets and creating frontier technologies. At Felicis Ventures we back the world’s iconic companies of today and tomorrow. We have a passion for products and out-of-the-box thinking. Company Stage: Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth ​​Location: Menlo Park, California, United States Portfolio Highlights Guild Predibase Operant 2. New Enterprise Associates New Enterprise Associates is a global venture capital firm investing in technology and healthcare. NEA’s proven investment strategy spans all stages of a company’s growth, from seeding innovations in emerging markets to funding early-stage companies in high-growth markets to fueling the growth of market leaders. Any stage of growth is the right stage to partner with NEA. We can add value and offer expert guidance throughout your company’s lifecycle—whether your big idea is at its inception or has already progressed to be a viable reality. Company Stage: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth Location: Menlo Park, California, United States Portfolio Highlights PixieBrix Regression Games Timescale 3. BoxGroup Investing in dreams at the earliest stage with companies like Plaid, Airtable, Ro, Ramp, and many more. We support companies based on conviction in the team. We believe in “founder market fit” – the concept that certain teams are able to unlock specific markets. This is the first step to get to “product market fit.” Ideas tend not to be equal opportunity which means that it requires the right team to bring a vision to life. Company Stage: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A ​​Location: New York, United States Portfolio Highlights Plaid Airtable Ramp 4. SV Health Investors SV Health Investors, formerly SV Life Sciences, is a leading healthcare and life sciences venture capital and growth equity firm. Their goal is to transform healthcare – one investment at a time – by supporting the entrepreneurs who create and build breakthrough companies and treatments. In biotechnology, we are venture-focused. In healthcare services and digital health, we seek growth equity opportunities. In medical devices, we pursue a range of opportunities from early stage/venture-focused to early commercialization to growth equity. Company Stage: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth ​​Location: Boston, Massachusetts, United States Portfolio Highlights Therini Bio Nimbus Therapeutics Quell Therapeutics 5. Elevate Capital For some populations, there is a noticeable gap in gaining access to investment capital. These aspiring entrepreneurs are both underserved and overlooked, yet they have the courage and vision it takes to start and scale a business. At Elevate Capital, we believe there is a tremendous opportunity to invest early and offer mentorship to these entrepreneurs. We provide the venture capital and guidance they need to turn their startups into great companies. Elevate Capital is the nation’s first institutional venture capital fund that specifically targets investments in underserved entrepreneurs—such as women and ethnic minorities, or those with limited access regionally to capital and opportunities. We support visionaries with disruptive ideas and products through two specialized investment vehicles. Company Stage: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A Location: Portland, Oregon, United States Portfolio Highlights TrovaTrip The Bacon HacWare 6. StandUp Ventures StandUp Ventures is a Toronto-based, seed-stage venture capital fund focused on investing in high-growth ventures with at least one female founder in a key leadership role. We believe that women-led companies think outside the box, recruit great talent, and serve bigger markets. We invest in seed-stage, for-profit technology companies with at least one woman in a C-level leadership position within the company and an equitable amount of ownership. We’re dedicated to curious, confident, and fearless entrepreneurs building ground-breaking technology companies. We partner with ambitious founders across Canada to break through from Seed to Series A. Company Stage: Seed ​​Location: Toronto, Canada Portfolio Highlights ODAIA Acerta Analytics TealBook 7. Civilization Ventures Civilization Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on cutting edge innovations in exponential health tech and biology. Company Stage: Seed, Series A, Series B ​​Location: San Francisco, California, United States Portfolio Highlights Foresight Diagnostics Evonetix Infinimmune Partner With VCs Investing In The Future of Healthcare with Visible Venture capital has emerged as a powerful catalyst for progress in the healthcare industry. By bridging the funding gap, providing expertise, and fostering innovation, VCs enable healthcare startups to thrive and create transformative solutions. Funding not only drives financial success but also cultivates a future where patient care is enhanced, medical outcomes are improved, and the boundaries of what is possible in healthcare are continually pushed. Check out Visible’s investor database, Connect, to find VCs investing specifically within the healthcare space. Also here are two more of our list articles, 10+ Founder Friendly Venture Capital Firms Investing in Startups The 12 Best VC Funds You Should Know About Companies should leverage VCs expertise and resources to accelerate their growth, navigate regulatory challenges, and scale their impact. Also, get access to Visible for free for 14 days: https://app.visible.vc/create-account

Since launching Visible Data Rooms last month, thousands of founders have leveraged them to distribute fundraising assets and data to their current and potential investors. Most Popular Data Room Folders Using our own data, we were able to pull the most popular “folders” created so far. Check them out below: Legal and Corporate Docs – Confirms your business is a legitimate company (incorporation docs, formation docs, IP, etc.) Financials – In the early days, keep this section light – especially around projections. As you scale from pre-seed to series A, this section will become more important. Be sure the data here matches your pitch decks, other documents, etc. Team and Stakeholders – This generally goes hand-in-hand with “Legal and Corporate Docs.” This helps investors confirm you have employee structure, contracts, signed PIAAs, etc. Cap Table – Most, if not every investor, will ask for this. Investors want to understand if you have a “clean” cap table. Market Data – Considered a “nice to have” but can still be valuable. Later-stage investors will likely do their own analysis and research here. Every business and investor is different. Be sure to build and share the information that is right for your business. Build a Data Room with Visible Visible Data Rooms integrate directly with Visible Decks, Dashboards, and Updates. Manage every aspect of your fundraise with Visible and spend more time on what matters most — building your business. Give it a try here.

The Extended reality (XR) industry which includes Agumentented Reality (AR), Virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR) is changing the way we experience the world by creating an immersive experience in a virtual world (VR) or merging the real and virtual worlds together (AR). Immersive technologies has become a focus for some of the largest tech companies and investors alike thanks to rapid advancements of AR and VR technology, increased popularity within gaming, and new innovations such as the introduction of the metaverse. These technologies are also now being developed for a wide range of uses, such as industrial, communication, training exercises, and gaming. Statista forcasted the global AR, VR, and mixed reality (MR) market to reach 30.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2021, rising to close to 300 billion U.S. dollars by 2024. There’s never been a better time for AR and VR, spiking the interest of startups as well as investors looking to take advantage of the market. Visible looks to help connect founders with investors all over the world. Below, we highlight 15 of our favorite AR/VR venture capitalists. Search through these investors and 13,000+ more on Visible’s Connect platform. Related Resource: 14 Gaming and Esports Investors You Should Know Bloomberg Beta Location: San Fransisco & New York City, California, United States About: Invests in powerful ideas that bring transparency to markets, achieve global scale, with strong, open cultures that embrace technology. Thesis: We believe work must be more productive, fulfilling, inclusive, and available to as many people as possible. Our waking hours must engage the best in us and provide for our needs and wants — and the world we live in too often fails to offer that. We believe technology startups play an essential role in delivering a better future. We can speed the arrival of that future by investing in the best startups that share these intentions. Investment Stages: Pre-Seed, Seed, Early Stage Recent Investments: Fiddler AI Chef Robotics Weights and Biases Tonic Ware Related Resource: The 11 Best Venture Capitals in San Francisco Dune Ventures Location: New York, New York, United States About: An early stage venture firm backing the founders shaping interactive content. Thesis: Dune Ventures: a new early stage venture firm investing in gaming, esports, and interactive technology. We invest globally and back founders building content studios, social platforms and infrastructure that will define the next generation of entertainment. Investment Stages: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B Recent Investments: Starform Ramen VR Medal DreamCraft IndiGG HCVC Location: San Francisco, California, United States About: HCVC is the first global venture capital fund dedicated to full-stack and hardtech startups. Thesis: We are looking for outstanding founders, building game-changing products or technologies and targeting large potential markets Investment Stages: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A Recent Investments: Anello Photonics Augmenta Giraffe360 Span Full Speed Automation Intel Capital Location: Santa Clara, California, United States About: Intel Capital is a force multiplier for early-stage startups – inspiring and investing in the future of compute via investments in Cloud, Silicon, Devices, and Frontier. Investment Stages: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth Recent Investments: 3D Glass Solutions Grip Security Landing AI Astera Labs Untether AI 7 Percent Ventures Location: London, England, United Kingdom About: Early stage tech investing in UK, EU & US. Seeking the most ambitious founders with deeptech or transformative moonshot ideas to change the world for the better Thesis: We invest in early stage tech startups which represent billion dollar opportunities. Investment Stages: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A Recent Investments: Vauban Dent Reality Breeze Humanity Safely You Related Resource: 15 Venture Capital Firms in London Fueling Startup Growth Type One Ventures Location: Los Angeles, California, United States About: We are a venture capital fund investing in Seed and Series A startups with operational expertise, capital, and industry resources. The startups we invest in have dynamic teams and are building technical products with the capability to progress humanity forward. At Type One, we help founders harness their superpowers so they can change the world. Thesis: Progressing humanity towards a type one civilization Investment Stages: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Growth Recent Investments: Emerge RoboTire Emerge Gravitics Radian GFR Fund Location: San Francisco, California, United States About: GFR Fund is a venture capital fund that invests in early-stage startups that are disrupting the consumer entertainment industry Investment Stages: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A Recent Investments: Phiar Technologies Omeda Studios ProGuides BoostVC Location: San Mateo, California, United States About: Boost VC is a family of founders making Sci-Fi a Reality. Twice a year Boost VC invests in 20+ startups. The three month accelerator program includes housing and office space in Silicon Valley. Portfolio consists of 150+ companies, who have raised over $200M after joining Boost VC. Investment Stages: Accelerator, Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A Recent Investments: FitXR Alta Sidequest JigSpace Giblib Tvori Tribe WXR Fund Location: Marina del Rey, California, United States About: The WXR Fund invests in gender diverse seed stage companies that are transforming business and human interaction with spatial computing (VR/AR) and artificial intelligence (AI). We are the only venture firm at the intersection of the next wave of computing and female founders. Thesis: The WXR Fund invests in two of the greatest opportunities of our time: the next wave of computing + female entrepreneurs. Investment Stages: Accelerator, Pre-Seed, Seed Recent Investments: Obsess mpathic.ai Scatter Prisms of Reality Embodied Labs The Venture Reality Fund Location: San Francisco, California, United States About: The Venture Reality Fund drives innovation and investment at the intersection of immersive, spatial, and intelligent computing for consumer and enterprise sectors Thesis: Investing in Early Stage VR and AR Startups Investment Stages: Series A, Series B Recent Investments: Phiar Technologies Obsess Doorstead Lux Capital Location: Silicon Valley, California, United States About: VC based in NYC and Menlo Park investing in counter-conventional, early-stage science and tech ventures, with $2.4B AUM across 8 funds. Thesis: Lux Capital invests in emerging science and technology ventures at the outermost edges of what is possible. Investment Stages: Seed, Series A, Series B Recent Investments: Runway Clarafi A-Alpha Bio Benchling Plexium OCA Ventures Location: Chicago, Illinois, United States About: OCA Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on equity investments in companies with dramatic growth potential, primarily in technology Investment Stages: Seed, Series A, Series B Recent Investments: GrayMatter Robotics Balto Osso VR Placer.ai VeriSIM Life Ludlow Ventures Location: text About: VC is a customer service business. Whether it’s testing product, pushing pixels, leveraging our network, or forcing people to download your app, we’re here to help. You make our dream jobs possible and we’re forever thankful for that. Thesis: We believe in VC without ego. We invest with insane conviction and love backing the right teams when others think it’s too early. Investment Stages: Seed, Series A Recent Investments: Point One Navigation Headout Notarize Lev Density Craft Ventures Location: San Francisco, California, United States About: Craft Ventures is an early-stage venture fund specializing in the craft of building great companies. Thesis: We invest in outstanding teams that are creating market-defining products. Investment Stages: Seed, Series A, Series B Recent Investments: Trusted AgentSync TryNow Voiceflow ClickUp Creandum Location: Stockholm, Stockholms Lan, United States About: Creandum is a leading European early-stage venture capital firm investing in innovative and fast-growing technology companies. Thesis: We are a venture capital advisory firm powering innovation from Stockholm, Berlin, and San Francisco. Investment Stages: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B Recent Investments: Lokalise Pleo Meditopia Seon Craft Docs Related Resource: Atlanta’s Hottest Venture Capital Firms: Our Top 9 Picks Start Your Next Round with Visible We believe great outcomes happen when founders forge relationships with investors and potential investors. We created our Connect Investor Database to help you in the first step of this journey. Instead of wasting time trying to figure out investor fit and profile for their given stage and industry, we created filters allowing you to find VC’s and accelerators who are looking to invest in companies like you. Check out all our AR/ VR investors here. After learning more about them with the profile information and resources given you can reach out to them with a tailored email. To help craft that first email check out 5 Strategies for Cold Emailing Potential Investors. After finding the right Investor you can create a personalized investor database with Visible. Combine qualified investors from Visible Connect with your own investor lists to share targeted Updates, decks, and dashboards. Start your free trial here.

At Visible, we oftentimes compare a venture fundraise to a traditional B2B sales and marketing funnel. At the top of the funnel, you are finding potential investors via cold outreach and warm introductions. In the middle of the funnel, you are nurturing potential investors with meetings, pitch decks, updates, and other communications. At the bottom of the funnel, you are working through due diligence and hopefully closing new investors. Related Resource: All Encompassing Startup Fundraising Guide A strong sales and marketing funnel starts by identifying the right leads for your business. The same idea is true for founders looking to find investors for their business — find the right investors for your business. If you are a founder in Germany, check out our list of venture capital investors in your area below: 1. Global Founders Capital As put by their team, “Global Founders Capital is a globally oriented, stage agnostic venture capital firm that empowers gifted entrepreneurs worldwide. Global. We support founders in all geographies. Stage agnostic. We back companies across all stages and throughout the lifecycle. Operational. Our platform offers founders all the support they need to scale.” Learn more about Global Founders Capital by checking out their Visible Connect profile → Location Global Founders Capital is headquartered in Berlin but they invest in companies across the globe. Related Resource: 8 Most Active Venture Capital Firms in Europe Preferred industries GFC is agnostic in its investment approach and will back companies across many industries. Portfolio Highlights Some of Global Founders Capital’s most popular investments include: Canva Slack Delivery Hero Company Stage GFC is stage agnostic and will invest in companies across all stages. 2. HV Capital As put by the team at HV Capital, “Founded in 2000, HV Capital has a deep track record of spotting European winners at seed stage: HV Capital backed the first generation of German billion-dollar businesses. With over € 2.1bn under management, HV Capital has invested in about 225 disruptors from every industry, partnering with them for the long-term and sustained growth that has led to some of the most successful businesses in the German market. From early stage to growth, HV Capital has the experience to know what makes a leader – which is why HV Capital is the leading all-stage investor in the German market, and one of the leading investors in Europe.” Learn more about HV Capital by checking out their Visible Connect profile → Location HV Capital has offices in Berlin and Munich. HV Capital funds companies across Europe. Related Resource: Berlin Venture Capital Investors and Accelerators to Know Preferred industries HV Capital is agnostic in its investment approach and backs companies across many sectors. Portfolio Highlights Some of HV Capital’s most popular investments include: Delivery Hero HelloFresh Tourlane Company Stage As put by their team, “HV Capital leads seed rounds from €0.5-5m, growth stage investments of up to €20m, and follow-on investments with up to €100m per company. HV Capital supports companies for 10 years or longer and deploys capital at all growth stages.” 3. High-Tech Grunderfonds As put by their team, “HTGF is a venture capital investor for innovative technologies and business models. We successfully support the best founders whose ideas can revolutionise entire industries and improve people’s lives – from seed to exit. As a seed investor, we have financed 700 start-ups in the industrial tech, digital tech, life sciences and chemicals sectors. We have overseen more than 160 exits, including IPOs. When founding your company together with us, you benefit from an experienced partner at your side.” Learn more about High-Tech Grunderfonds by checking out their Visible Connect profile → Location HTGF has offices in Bonn and Berlin and invests in companies that are headquartered in Germany. Preferred industries HTGF traditionally invests in companies in the following industries: Digital tech Industrial tech Life sciences Chemicals Portfolio Highlights Some of High-Tech Grunderfonds’ most popular investments include: 4GENE Anybill Covalo Company Stage HTGF is focused on seed-stage investments Related Resource: Seed Funding for Startups 101: A Complete Guide 4. Earlybird Venture Capital As put by their team, “Founded in 1997, Earlybird invests in all development and growth phases of technology companies. Among the most experienced venture investors in Europe, Earlybird offers its portfolio companies not only financial resources but also strategic support plus access to an international network and capital markets. The Digital West Fund focuses primarily on early stage digital technology opportunities in GSA, Nordics, UK, Benelux, France and Southern Europe, while the Digital East Fund is focused on early stage ICT investment opportunities in Eastern Europe and Turkey, being the leading tech VC in this region. The Health Fund focuses on early and later stage opportunities in digital health, medical devices, diagnostics, enabling technologies and biopharma across Europe. Earlybird-X backs deep tech innovation, including robotics, AI, and mobility, at the earliest stages – tapping into a network of leading European universities.” Learn more about Earlybird by checking out their Visible Connect profile → Location Earlybird has offices in Berlin and Munich and invests in companies across all of Europe. Preferred industries Earlybird invests in companies across many sectors and industries depending on the fund. Related Resource: 10 VC Firms Investing in Web3 Companies Portfolio Highlights Some of Earlybird’s most popular investments include: Hive ShapeShift Aiven Company Stage Earlybird invests across many stages but is focused on early-stage companies. 5. Point Nine Capital As put by the team at Point Nine Capital, “What we do: We invest mostly at seed (AKA the v0.9 stage). Occasionally we make pre-seed, “Seed II”, or “early Series A” investments. Our initial ticket size is €0.5-5 million. If you raise a seed round from us, ‍we commit to participating in your Series A. We’re geo-agnostic. Europe is our home market, but 20-30% of our investments are in the US, Canada, and other countries.‍ We obsess about helping you win, and it shows in the numbers: More than 65% of the companies that we back at the seed stage raise a Series A, and more than ten are already at $100M+ ARR (and counting).” Learn more about Point Nine Capital by checking our their Visible Connect profile → Location As put by their team, “We’re geo-agnostic. Europe is our home market, but 20-30% of our investments are in the US, Canada, and other countries.” Preferred industries Point Nine Capital is focused on B2B SaaS and Marketplace companies. Portfolio Highlights Some of Point Nine Capital’s most popular investments include: Algolia Delivery Hero Loom Company Stage As put by their team, “We invest mostly at seed. Occasionally we make pre-seed, “Seed II”, or “early Series A” investments. Our initial ticket size is €0.5-5 million. If you raise a seed round from us, ‍we commit to participating in your Series A.” 6. Cherry Ventures As put by their team, “Cherry Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm led by a team of entrepreneurs with experience building fast-scaling companies such as Zalando and Spotify. The firm backs Europe’s boldest founders, usually as their first institutional investor, and supports them in everything from their go-to-market strategy and the scaling of their businesses.” Learn more about Cherry Ventures by checking out their Visible Connect profile → Location Cherry Ventures has an office in Berlin and typically invests in companies across Europe. Preferred industries Cherry Ventures invests across all sectors and industries. Portfolio Highlights Some of Cherry Ventures’ most popular investments include: FlixBus Infarm Forto Company Stage As put by their team, “We invest throughout Europe and in pre-seed and seed-stage startups.” 7. b2venture As put by their team, “b2venture is an early-stage venture capital firm supported by an unparalleled community of angel investors, bringing unique expertise, entrepreneurial experience, and hands-on support to our portfolio companies. We draw on the collective power of our angel investor community to help us find and foster unique entrepreneurs, maverick ideas, and outlier companies from all over Europe. We invest in the pre-seed, seed and across later stages as well.” Location b2ventures has offices across Europe and invests in companies across Europe. Preferred industries b2ventures is industry agnostic and invests across many sectors and industries. Related Resource: 17 Travel & Tourism VC Investors that can Fund Your Startup Portfolio Highlights Some of b2ventures most popular investments include: Raisin Sumup Ledgy Company Stage As put by their team, “b2venture is an early-stage venture capital firm. We invest in companies in the Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A financing rounds with tickets from EUR 250’000 to EUR 5’000’000. Our average ticket size amounts to EUR 1’000’000. We are prepared to invest significantly in follow-on financing rounds in later stages of your company.” 8. Project A Ventures As put by their team, “Project A invests in digital companies that challenge the status quo of their industries. With over $1 billion of assets under management, we start with investments of $1 million to $10 million and reserve up to $30 million for future rounds, from pre-seed to Series A and beyond. In addition to capital, we provide our portfolio companies with exclusive operational support by our team of 120 in-house experts including all areas across product, growth, data and people. Since 2012 Project A has invested in more than 100 companies.” Learn more about Project A Ventures by checking out their Visible Connect profile → Location Project A Ventures has offices in Berlin and London and invests in companies across Europe. Preferred industries Project A fund’s digital companies — these can span many industries and business models as shown below: Portfolio Highlights Some of Project A’s most popular investments include: Trade Republic Kry Sennder Company Stage As put by their team, “We start with investments of $1 million to $10 million and reserve up to $30 million for future rounds, from pre-seed to Series A and beyond.” Take your fundraising efforts to the next level with Visible As we mentioned at the beginning of this post, a venture fundraise often mirrors a traditional B2B sales and marketing funnel. Just as a sales and marketing team has dedicated tools, shouldn’t a founder that is managing their investors and fundraising efforts? Use Visible to manage every part of your fundraising funnel with investor updates, fundraising pipelines, pitch deck sharing, and data rooms. Raise capital, update investors, and engage your team from a single platform. Try Visible free for 14 days.

Understanding the intricacies of Schedule K-1 is crucial for founders and business owners navigating the tax landscape. Schedule K-1, an IRS tax form, plays a pivotal role in the financial and tax reporting for entities such as partnerships, S corporations, and trusts. Its primary function is to report each partner's share of income, deductions, and credits, allowing these amounts to be taxed at the individual level rather than at the corporate rate. This mechanism is a cornerstone of the "pass-through" taxation model, which is fundamental to entities that distribute earnings directly to their members​​. Getting to Know Schedule K-1 The Schedule K-1 plays a crucial role in aligning the financial outcomes of entities like partnerships, S corporations, and trusts with the tax obligations of their individual members or beneficiaries. This alignment is pivotal, ensuring that income, deductions, and credits are reported transparently and accurately, directly impacting the tax filings of individuals involved in these business structures. What is a K-1 Form? The Schedule K-1 form is an essential tool used by the IRS to manage the complex "pass-through" taxation process, where the tax liability passes from the entity to the individual. This form reports the share of income, deductions, and credits from entities such as partnerships, S corporations, trusts, and estates to the IRS. Its primary purpose is to ensure that the income earned by these entities is taxed at the individual level, reflecting each member's or beneficiary's share of the entity's financial activities during the tax year. This approach avoids the double taxation typically associated with corporate earnings, ensuring a fair and equitable tax treatment for all parties involved. Who Needs to Fill It Out? The requirement to complete and file a Schedule K-1 extends to a diverse group of taxpayers. Partners in partnerships, shareholders in S corporations, and beneficiaries of trusts and estates must report their share of the entity's income, deductions, and credits through this form. This broad applicability underscores the form's importance in tax filing, ensuring that individuals accurately report their income from various sources and comply with federal tax laws. Related resource: A User-Friendly Guide to Startup Accounting Difference Between W-2s and K-1s Understanding the distinctions between Schedule K-1 and W-2 forms is crucial for accurately navigating tax responsibilities. While employers issue W-2 forms to report wages, salaries, and other compensation paid to employees, Schedule K-1s serve a different purpose. K-1 forms report the income, losses, and dividends distributed by partnerships, S corporations, and other entities to their partners or shareholders. This fundamental difference highlights the diverse nature of income sources and the importance of correctly reporting them to the IRS. The K-1 form ensures that income from pass-through entities is taxed appropriately at the individual level. At the same time, W-2s cater to direct employment income, each playing a unique role in the broader tax reporting ecosystem. Types of K-1 Forms by Business Structure Navigating the tax implications of business earnings requires understanding the different Schedule K-1 forms applicable to various entity structures. Each type of entity—partnerships, S corporations, trusts, estates, and foreign alliances—uses a specific version of Schedule K-1 to report the income, deductions, and credits attributable to its members, shareholders, or beneficiaries. This differentiation ensures that each entity complies with tax regulations while providing accurate information for individual tax filings. K-1 Forms for Partnerships The Schedule K-1 form (Form 1065) is vital for partnerships. It details each partner's share of the business's income, deductions, and credits, allowing this information to be reported on individual tax returns. Partnerships, including general partnerships (GP), limited partnerships (LP), and limited liability partnerships (LLP), utilize this form to distribute the financial outcomes of the business operations to the partners, reflecting their respective shares according to the partnership agreement or the proportion of their investment​​. K-1 Forms for S Corporations S corporations use Schedule K-1 (Form 1120-S) to report each shareholder's proportionate share of the corporation's income, deductions, and credits. This form facilitates the pass-through taxation feature of S corporations, where the income flows through to the shareholder's tax returns. It's essential for ensuring that shareholders accurately report their income from the corporation, maintaining compliance with tax laws while avoiding double taxation of corporate earnings​​. K-1 Forms for Trusts and Estates Trusts and estates report income, deductions, and credits to their beneficiaries using Schedule K-1 (Form 1041). This form is crucial for managing income distribution from these entities, allowing beneficiaries to include this information in their tax filings. Using Schedule K-1 by trusts and estates ensures that the income is taxed at the beneficiary level, providing a precise tax reporting and compliance​​mechanism. K-1 Forms for Foreign Partnerships The Schedule K-1 forms issued to U.S. partners regarding foreign partnerships include additional requirements and considerations. These K-1 forms must account for income earned in other countries, and U.S. partners must report this foreign income on their tax returns. The complexity of tax treaties and international tax laws necessitates careful attention to accurately report foreign income and claim applicable tax credits or deductions. This ensures U.S. partners comply with U.S. tax obligations and the tax regulations of the foreign country where the income was earned. Things to Consider While Filling Your K-1 Filling out your Schedule K-1 is more than transferring numbers from business documents to a tax form. This process involves nuanced considerations and complexities that can significantly affect your tax responsibilities and financial planning. It's crucial to approach this task thoroughly and understand the underlying principles and implications to ensure accuracy and compliance with tax laws. Partnership Agreements Partnership agreements are vital in reporting income, losses, and other items on Schedule K-1. These agreements outline the distribution of profits and losses among partners and can significantly impact the figures reported on each partner's K-1. Different contracts may allocate income and losses based on various factors, such as the percentage of ownership, invested capital, or other agreed-upon terms. This allocation directly influences each partner's tax obligations, highlighting the importance of accurately reflecting the partnership agreement terms on Schedule K-1. Basis Calculation The concept of basis calculation is central to understanding your financial stake in an entity and its implications on your taxes. Your basis in the partnership, S corporation, or trust represents your investment in the entity for tax purposes. It's crucial to determine the taxable portion of distributions you receive and calculate gain or loss on the sale of your interest in the entity. The basis starts with your initial investment and is adjusted annually by factors including your share of the entity's income, losses, and distributions. Understanding and accurately calculating your basis ensures you report the correct income or loss on your tax return, avoiding potential tax issues. Reporting Income Accurate income reporting on Schedule K-1 is essential for compliance with tax laws and minimizing your tax liability. Incorrect reporting can lead to audits, penalties, and interest on unpaid taxes. It's imperative to carefully review the K-1 form to ensure that income, deductions, and credits are correctly reported according to the entity's financial statements and tax returns. Any discrepancies should be resolved before filing to avoid potential issues with the IRS. Accurate reporting is crucial for preventing penalties and ensuring that you pay the correct amount of tax, neither overpaying nor underpaying. How to File Your Schedule K-1 Filing your Schedule K-1 is essential in complying with tax regulations for individuals involved in partnerships, S corporations, trusts, and estates. Understanding the process and ensuring the inclusion of all necessary information is critical to a smooth and accurate filing experience. What Information Should You Include? When completing your Schedule K-1, there are several critical pieces of information you need to ensure completeness and accuracy in your filing: Entity Information: This includes the name, address, and EIN (Employer Identification Number) of the partnership, S corporation, trust, or estate. This identifies the entity with the IRS and ties your tax situation to the correct business entity. Partner or Shareholder Information: Your name, address, SSN (Social Security Number), or ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) must be accurately reported. This information links you to the entity and ensures that your share of income, deductions, and credits is correctly reported to the IRS. Tax Year: Indicate the tax year for which the Schedule K-1 is being filed. This specifies the period for which the reported figures apply. Share of Income, Deductions, and Credits: Detail your specific share of the entity's income, deductions, and credits. This section is the core of the Schedule K-1, outlining what needs to be reported on your tax return. It includes various types of income, such as rental income, interest, dividends, capital gains, and deductions and credits you're entitled to claim. Capital Account Analysis: If applicable, include changes in your capital account for the year. This involves reporting contributions, withdrawals, and any changes in the ownership percentage. Additional Information: Some K-1 forms may require further information, such as details on foreign transactions, alternative minimum tax items, or other specific adjustments. This is particularly relevant for entities involved in complex transactions or those with international aspects. Accuracy in reporting these details is paramount. The information provided on Schedule K-1 directly affects your individual income tax return and your overall tax liability. Errors or omissions can lead to audits or penalties from the IRS, making it crucial to double-check all entries and consult with a tax professional if you have any uncertainties. Schedule K-1 FAQs Navigating the complexities of Schedule K-1 can prompt many questions, primarily as taxpayers work to comply with IRS regulations and optimize their tax outcomes. Below, we address some of the most common queries related to Schedule K-1, aiming to shed light on its intricacies and help taxpayers understand their responsibilities. K-2 vs. K-3: What's the Difference? The distinction between Schedule K-2 and K-3 is primarily about the type of information they report, catering to the IRS's requirements for international tax dealings. Schedule K-2 is used by the entity (partnership, S corporation, trust, or estate) to report items of international tax relevance at the entity level. Meanwhile, Schedule K-3 is provided to the partners, shareholders, or beneficiaries, indicating their share of the global items reported on Schedule K-2. K-2 is for the entity's records, and K-3 is for the individual's tax return, ensuring compliance with international tax obligations. Related resource: What Is Form 3921, and How Does It Affect Your Employees? When Are K-1 Forms Due? The deadline for issuing Schedule K-1 forms varies depending on the entity type. For partnerships and S corporations, the K-1 forms should be issued by March 15th or the 15th day of the third month following the end of the fiscal year if the entity operates on a fiscal year basis. Trusts and estates have until April 15th, or the 15th day of the fourth month after the end of their fiscal year, to issue K-1 forms. These deadlines ensure recipients have sufficient time to include this information in their tax filings. Is K-1 Considered Income? Yes, the income reported on Schedule K-1 is considered taxable income for the recipient and must be included on their income tax return. This income can affect the taxpayer's overall tax liability, potentially altering their tax bracket and influencing the total taxes owed. It's essential to accurately report K-1 income to avoid underpayment penalties and calculate the correct tax liability. When Should I Get My K-1? Recipients should typically receive their Schedule K-1 by the abovementioned deadlines: March 15th for partnerships and S corporations and April 15th for trusts and estates. If you haven't received your K-1 by these dates, contacting the entity is advisable to inquire about the delay. Delays in receiving your K-1 can impact your ability to file your tax return on time, so proactive communication is key. If necessary, consider filing for an extension on your tax return to accommodate the late arrival of the K-1. Find the Right Investors for Your Startup Navigating the complexities of Schedule K-1 and understanding its implications is crucial for startup founders looking to maintain compliance and optimize their tax positions. Securing the right investors becomes equally important as you steer your startup towards growth. Leveraging platforms like Visible can streamline this journey, find investors, track a fundraiser, and share a pitch deck directly from Visible. Give Visible a free try for 14 days here. Related resource: EBITDA vs Revenue: Understanding the Difference

Latest Funding and Market Trends in EdTech (2023 and Beyond) The EdTech sector presents a landscape of both challenges and opportunities. Founders need to be agile and adaptable, with a focus on the key growth areas of AI, mobile learning, and data analytics. Despite the current downturn in venture capital funding, the sector's long-term growth prospects remain promising, driven by technological advancements and a global push towards accessible, quality education. Funding and Investment Trends In 2023, the EdTech sector is witnessing a notable decline in venture capital funding. Investments in the second quarter stood at $707 million, contributing to a total of about $1.8 billion in the first half of the year. This represents a significant 58% drop compared to the same period in the previous year. The forecast for total VC funding in 2023 is projected to be around $3.5 billion, a decrease from $10.6 billion in 2022 and far from the record $20.8 billion in 2021​​. The current investment climate has moved away from the "golden age of mega rounds." The recent period marked the second consecutive quarter without funding rounds exceeding $100 million, known as mega rounds. This cooling trend is attributed to a shift in market conditions, including a return to in-person learning and the expiration of federal aid that had previously boosted remote learning​​. Related resource: Top 18 Revolutionary EdTech Startups Redefining Education Opportunities and Growth Prospects Despite the current slowdown, the long-term outlook for EdTech remains robust. Most forecasters anticipate continued substantial growth in the sector throughout the rest of this decade. This optimism is rooted in the belief that technology will continue to be a significant driver of global growth in education by reducing costs and expanding access to learning​​. AI, mobile learning, tutoring, and data analytics are emerging as focal points in the EdTech sector. Innovations in these areas are expected to drive growth, with AI becoming a crucial component for startups. Mobile learning is also gaining prominence due to its widespread accessibility. Tutoring services are evolving, often combining AI, mobile technology, virtual/augmented reality, and gamification to offer more engaging and personalized learning experiences​​. Implications for EdTech Founders Navigating the Changing Landscape: EdTech founders must adapt to the evolving investment landscape, which may involve seeking smaller and more frequent rounds of funding. With the shift in investment focus, there is an increased emphasis on sectors outside of K-12, particularly in areas related to training and worker upskilling​​. Leveraging Emerging Technologies: Founders should focus on leveraging emerging technologies like AI and mobile learning to create innovative solutions. There is a growing market for platforms that use big data and analytics to personalize learning. Additionally, developing solutions in the tutoring space, particularly those that address gaps in K-12 education, can be a fruitful direction​​. Exploring Alternative Funding Sources: With the decline in traditional venture investments, it's crucial for startups to explore alternative forms of funding. This could include government funding, foundation-led philanthropic investments, and other non-traditional financing options. Diversifying funding sources can help sustain innovation and support the growth of new ideas​​. Emerging Technologies in EdTech For EdTech founders, emerging technologies offer a plethora of opportunities to innovate and create impactful educational solutions. As AI and IoT continue to evolve, they will undoubtedly unveil new possibilities for enhancing learning experiences and educational outcomes. Embracing these technologies and integrating them into EdTech solutions will be key to addressing the evolving needs of learners and educators alike. AI-Driven Innovations Personalized Learning Experiences: AI's ability to tailor educational content based on individual learning styles and needs is more advanced than ever. Using complex algorithms, AI can analyze student performance data to create a uniquely personalized learning journey. This not only enhances student engagement but also improves learning outcomes. Intelligent Assessment Tools: AI is revolutionizing the way assessments are conducted. With advancements in natural language processing and machine learning, AI systems can now grade open-ended responses, provide real-time feedback, and even identify areas where students might need additional support. Automated Content Generation: AI is being used to develop educational content, from generating practice questions to creating interactive learning modules. This technology allows for the rapid creation of high-quality, dynamic content that can adapt to curriculum changes and evolving educational standards. AI Tutors and Assistants: AI-powered tutoring systems are becoming more sophisticated, offering students personalized guidance and support. These virtual tutors can answer questions, assist with problem-solving, and provide explanations, much like a human tutor but with the added benefit of being available 24/7. IoT in Education Smart Classroom Technologies: IoT is transforming traditional classrooms into smart learning environments. This includes the use of smart boards, IoT-enabled lab equipment, and connected devices that enhance interactive learning and provide real-time data to both students and teachers. Enhanced Learning Analytics: now it’s possible to gather extensive data on student engagement and classroom dynamics. This information can be used to optimize teaching strategies, classroom layouts, and even individualize student learning plans based on engagement levels and performance. Improved Resource Management: In educational institutions, IoT can help manage resources more efficiently, from tracking equipment usage to monitoring energy consumption. This not only reduces operational costs but also contributes to creating a more sustainable learning environment. Future Outlook: Trends and Predictions in EdTech The future of EdTech is marked by a landscape of continuous innovation and adaptation. For EdTech founders, staying abreast of these trends and predictions is crucial to developing solutions that meet the evolving needs of learners and educators. By embracing these changes and anticipating future needs, EdTech companies can not only contribute to the advancement of education but also thrive in a dynamic and growing market. Key Trends Shaping the Future Increased Adoption of AI and Machine Learning: AI and ML will continue to be at the forefront of EdTech innovation. They are expected to drive further personalization in learning, provide more efficient assessment tools, and enable the creation of dynamic, responsive educational content. Growth in Virtual and Augmented Reality: VR and AR are anticipated to gain more traction in the educational sector. These technologies will provide immersive and interactive learning experiences, making complex concepts more accessible and engaging. Rise of Microlearning and Bite-Sized Content: The trend towards microlearning is expected to grow. Short, focused learning sessions that fit into busy schedules are increasingly appealing, especially for continuous adult education and corporate training. Focus on Lifelong Learning and Upskilling: As job roles evolve rapidly, there will be a heightened focus on lifelong learning and upskilling. EdTech platforms that cater to professional development and career transitions will likely see increased demand. Expansion of Gamification in Education: Gamification will continue to be a key element in engaging learners. By making learning more fun and interactive, EdTech solutions can improve retention and motivation across various age groups and educational contexts. Greater Emphasis on Inclusive and Accessible Education: There will be a growing focus on making education more inclusive and accessible. This includes developing solutions for learners with disabilities and those in underserved communities. Predictions for Growth and Evolution Market Expansion: The global EdTech market is projected to continue expanding, driven by technological advancements and the increasing acceptance of digital learning solutions. Diversification of EdTech Solutions: Expect to see a broader range of EdTech products catering to different educational needs, including early childhood education, K-12, higher education, and adult learning. Integration with Traditional Education Systems: EdTech will increasingly complement and integrate with traditional education systems, bridging gaps and enhancing the overall learning experience. Adoption in Emerging Markets: Emerging markets will likely see a surge in EdTech adoption as internet penetration increases and digital devices become more affordable. Investment Shifts: While venture capital funding may fluctuate, investment in EdTech is expected to remain strong, with a shift towards more strategic and impact-focused funding. Key Players “In the future, entrepreneurs will sell knowledge over products.”- Ankur Nagpal founder of Teachable Source: CB Insights Pre-K Education: Learn With Homer– Raised a total of $93M and was then acquired. K-12 Education: Platforms like Kahoot! and Quizlet have brought an element of gamification to K-12 classrooms, making learning interactive and enjoyable. Meanwhile, EdTech platforms like Google Classroom and Canvas help manage classroom tasks and streamline communication between teachers, students, and parents. Other big players include Khan Academy a free world-class education platform and GoStudent for 1 on 1 tutoring. Higher Education: Tools like Coursera, edX, and Udemy are revolutionizing higher education. These platforms provide a wide range of courses from universities around the world, giving students access to quality education regardless of location. They also offer micro-credentials, which are becoming increasingly recognized by employers. Continuing Education and Adult Upskilling: LinkedIn Learning, Coursera provide professionals the opportunity to learn new skills, stay current in their field, and even transition to new careers. They offer a myriad of courses in fields ranging from business and tech to creative arts. Specialized Learning: Companies like Rosetta Stone and Duolingo make language learning accessible to everyone, while platforms like MasterClass provide expert-led courses in various domains, such as writing, cooking, acting, and more. Cohort-based Learning companies: EducateMe, Maven and and various boot camps such as LeWagon and Iron Hack for tech upskilling. “Microlearning” or Bite-sized Learning involves absorbing knowledge in small, digestible segments, usually less than 10 minutes in duration. This method addresses time constraints, a common hurdle for employee participation in workplace learning. It not only condenses learning periods, thus increasing student engagement but also promotes information retention through repetition. Several innovative microlearning platforms have adopted this approach some examples include GoodCourse and 7Taps. Companies Own Offerings: Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams for Education, and Apple’s educational resources. In the era of lifelong learning, the market for educational technology has expanded dramatically. As technology continues to evolve and integrate into the education sector, we can expect to see even more niche EdTech platforms arise to meet the diverse needs of learners. Unique Challenges Technological infrastructure, including reliable internet access, is still a hurdle in many parts of the world. Concerns regarding data privacy and security. User engagement and retention, particularly in the K-12 segment, require a fine balance between education and engagement. Articulating Unique Value Proposition for EdTech Founders As the EdTech marketplace starts to rapidly grow and is swarming with innovation, it is crucial for founders to effectively articulate the unique value proposition (UVP) of their startups. Your UVP is essentially the backbone of your business. Understanding and expressing your UVP is vital, particularly in the EdTech sector. This is because educational institutions, teachers, students, and parents – the primary stakeholders in EdTech – are looking for targeted solutions to specific challenges they face in the educational landscape. Whether it’s improving learning outcomes, enhancing teacher productivity, or increasing education accessibility, the ability to distinctly show how your solution addresses these challenges can make or break your fundraising efforts. Improving Learning Outcomes If your EdTech solution can improve learning outcomes, demonstrate this with data from pilot studies or user testimonials, showing how your product increases knowledge retention, improves grades, or develops specific skills. Highlight unique features of your product that facilitate these improved outcomes, such as AI-powered adaptive learning paths or gamified learning experiences. Enhancing Teacher Productivity EdTech is not only about students but also about empowering teachers. If your product can enhance teacher productivity, illustrate how it reduces their administrative burden, automates repetitive tasks, or assists in more efficient classroom management. Show how your product can help teachers spend more time doing what they do best—teaching and mentoring students. Increasing Education Accessibility In a world increasingly focused on equality and inclusion, EdTech solutions that increase educational accessibility have a powerful appeal. If this is your company’s strength, show how your product helps reach underprivileged communities, accommodates students with special needs, or allows flexible learning for those who can’t attend traditional classes. Concrete examples and stories will help your audience understand the real-world impact of your solution. EdTech Shower Thoughts First, a little flashback to the end of 2022- the value of 30 EdTech unicorns approached $100 billion, comparable to Fortune 500 companies like General Electric and American Express (that’s pretty impressive). According to research, students following personalized learning approaches significantly outperform their peers. AI helps to address the challenge of high student-teacher ratios, providing customized learning experiences. EdTech’s reach extends beyond traditional education, with remote work enhancing its importance in professional development. Automated identification of skill gaps and intelligent resource recommendations are seen as valuable to businesses and their employees. The potential impact of government funding on EdTech’s growth- the trend towards technology use in education might lead to a significant portion of the available $30 billion US government funding being allocated to EdTech. Learning Management Systems (LMS) is incredibly important in achieving scalability in EdTech. LMS not only helps manage large classrooms but also crucially harnesses data from personalized learning platforms, enabling educators to improve content and technologists to better understand user behavior. Resources EdTech VC connect profiles in our Fundraising CRM From Exploding Topics: 56 Fast-Growing Edtech Companies & Startups (2023) 12 Emerging Education Trends (2023-2026) $30B in government funding available to educators in the US HolonIQ: 2022 closed with 30 EdTech Unicorns around the world, collectively valued at $89B Accelerator- Imagine K12 (which is specifically focused on EdTech) Events: SXSW EDU, and Bett Show attract educators, and GSV Ventures hosts their annual ASU + GSV summit VCs Investing in the EdTech Space 1. NewSchools Venture Fund About: “NewSchools Venture Fund is a is a national nonprofit venture philanthropy working to reimagine public education. Since our founding, in 1998, we have invested nearly $200 million in 200 education ventures. Our investments were instrumental in the creation of nearly 470 new schools with the potential to serve more than 200,000 students, and the development of ed tech products that serve more than 60 million students and their teachers.” Thesis: “We are the first venture philanthropy focused on K-12 education. As a nonprofit and intermediary funder, we raise charitable donations and then grant those funds to early-stage entrepreneurs who are reimagining public education. While we have a rigorous investment process, we seek educational and social returns, not financial ones.” Stage: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Growth EdTech Notable Investments: ClassDojo, Handshake, and Uncommon Schools. 2. EduCapital About: The largest European Edtech & Future of Work VC. Educapital invest’s in innovative European companies with the highest potential to scale and become European and global leaders. Thesis: We invest in Entrepreneurs shaping the future of education & future of work. Stage: Seed, Series A, Series b, Growth EdTech Lastest Investments: Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences, Edflex, Lunii 3. Bonsal Capital About: We support tech-enabled, mission-driven startups and funds and leverage our experience as educators, venture capitalists, and ecosystem leaders to empower you to find the resources you need, so you can better serve your end user and customer. Thesis: Bonsal Capital is a mission-driven partnership, and supporting education has been a core driver since our founding in 1999. With decades of experience in education as investors, practitioners, and volunteers, our principals have authentically grown a partnership that seeks founders and leaders who want to make a positive impact with a product and/or service, and who keep prospective scale and sustainability at the forefront. We support the growth of companies focused on tech-enabled services in education, and we have invested in and partnered with more than 20 such companies over the past two decades, providing human and financial capital, as well as other resources, that have made a positive impact on tens of millions of end users. We believe that, by fostering education, we can make the world a better place and feel good about our place in it. Stage: Seed, Series A, Growth EdTech Notable Investments: Upswing, Nepris, and Everyday Labs 4. Learn Capital About: LearnCapital is a venture capital firm focused exclusively on funding entrepreneurs with a vision for better and smarter learning. Thesis: “We back and build rapidly scaling tech-enabled companies that tackle the world’s biggest human-centered problems and help us all reach our full potential.” Stage: Seed, Series A, Growth EdTech Notable Investments: Udemy, Coursera, and Chegg. 5. Emerge Education About: LearnCapital is a venture capital firm focused exclusively on funding entrepreneurs with a vision for better and smarter learning. Stage: Pre-Seed and Seed EdTech Notable Investments: Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences, Edurino, and Colossyan 6. Owl Ventures About: “Founded in 2014, Owl Ventures is the largest venture capital firm in the world focused on the education technology market with over $2 billion in assets under management. The Silicon Valley-based firm was purposely built to partner with and help scale the world’s leading education companies across the education spectrum encompassing PreK-12, higher education, future of work (career mobility/professional learning), and “EdTech+” (intersection of EdTech and other major industries such as FinTech and healthcare).” Thesis: “We believe there is a digital revolution rapidly unfolding in education and workforce development. This revolution is creating a historic opportunity to invest in companies that are disrupting and improving the over $6 trillion global education market. The entire education and training sector is shifting rapidly as access to the internet and connected devices has flourished. Hundreds of millions of students and teachers around the world can now leverage innovative learning platforms.” Stage: We invest in companies at all stages from seed, early, growth, and later stages, globally. EdTech Notable Investments: MasterClass, degreed, Khan Academy, Schoology, and Knewton. 7. Reach Capital About: Reach supports the most promising entrepreneurs developing technology solutions for challenges in early childhood, K-12, and higher education. Thesis: “Education is a critical engine for economic mobility. Alongside health, wellbeing, career development and healthy relationships, we are interested in all ideas that empower people to learn, grow and succeed — in school, at home, for work … wherever they go.” Stages: “early, and support you at every stage of your journey” EdTech Notable Investments: Guild Education, Classcraft, and Merit America. 8. General Catalyst About: General Catalyst backs exceptional entrepreneurs who are building innovative technology companies and market leading businesses, including Airbnb, BigCommerce, ClassPass, Datalogix, Datto, Demandware, Gusto (fka ZenPayroll), The Honest Company, HubSpot, KAYAK, Oscar, Snap, Stripe, and Warby Parker. The General Catalyst team leverages its broad experience to help founders build extraordinary companies. General Catalyst has offices in Cambridge, MA, Palo Alto, CA and New York City. Thesis: General Catalyst is a venture capital firm that makes early-stage and growth equity investments. Stages: Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth EdTech Notable Investments: Chegg, Coursera, and Udacity. 9. Kapor Capital About: Kapor Capital invests in early stage gap-closing tech enabled startups. Thesis: Kapor Capital invests in tech-driven early-stage companies committed to closing gaps of access, opportunity or outcome for low-income communities and/or communities of color in the United States. Stages: Pre- Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B Looking for Investors? Try Visible Today! Use Visible to manage every part of your fundraising funnel with investor updates, fundraising pipelines, pitch deck sharing, and data rooms. Raise capital, update investors, and engage your team from a single platform. Try Visible free for 14 days. Related Resource: EdTech VC connect profiles in our Fundraising CRM

Venture capital firms need to have a system in place to track the performance of their different investments. Limited partners want to understand how a specific fund is performing — especially when a general partner is raising a new fund. Multiple on Invested Capital (MOIC) stands out as a critical measure for investors aiming to track their portfolio performance . This article delves into the essence of MOIC, offering a clear guide on how to calculate it and its significance in the venture capital ecosystem. Related resource: Venture Capital Metrics You Need to Know What is Multiple on Invested Capital (MOIC)? In venture capital, MOIC is a crucial metric that measures the return on investment by comparing the current or exit value of an investment to the initial capital invested. It offers a straightforward ratio indicating how many times the original investment has been returned, making it essential for evaluating the financial performance of an investment. MOIC's simplicity allows venture capitalists to assess value creation, compare performance across various investments, and make informed decisions on future investments or exits. As a universal metric, it facilitates direct comparison across diverse portfolios, highlighting the efficiency of startups in generating growth and guiding investors in maximizing their returns. MOIC Formula The formula for MOIC is: MOIC = Current Value of Investment / Total Invested Capital Each component plays a crucial role: Current Value of Investment: The present market value or exit value of the investment. Total Invested Capital: The initial amount invested. Unrealized vs. Realized MOIC Unrealized and realized MOIC are two states of the Multiple on Invested Capital that reflect different stages of an investment's lifecycle in venture capital: Unrealized MOIC refers to the calculation of the multiple based on the current market value of an investment that has not yet been liquidated or exited. It represents a paper value, indicating the potential return on investment if the investment were to be sold at its current valuation. Unrealized MOIC is a snapshot of the investment's performance at a given point in time, offering investors a glimpse into the possible outcome of their venture, assuming the market conditions remain favorable until the actual sale or exit. Realized MOIC, on the other hand, is determined when an investment is actually sold or exited. It calculates the multiple based on the final sale price or exit value, representing the actual return on investment received by the investor. Realized MOIC is concrete, reflecting the tangible outcome of an investment after it has been fully liquidated. The key difference between these two measures lies in their timing and certainty: unrealized MOIC is speculative, based on current valuations that can fluctuate, while realized MOIC is definitive, based on actual returns received from an investment. Both metrics are valuable for investors to assess and monitor the performance and potential of their investments over time. MOIC vs. IRR MOIC and IRR are both used to evaluate investment performance, but they do so in fundamentally different ways: MOIC measures the total return on an investment as a multiple of the original investment. It's calculated by dividing the current or exit value of an investment by the initial amount invested. MOIC provides a straightforward, time-independent snapshot of investment performance, showing how many times the invested capital has been returned. IRR, on the other hand, calculates the annualized effective compounded return rate of an investment, considering the time value of money. IRR is the rate at which the net present value of all the cash flows (both positive and negative) from a project or investment equals zero. It provides a time-weighted annual return, making it especially useful for comparing investments with different durations. The primary difference between MOIC and IRR is how they incorporate time: MOIC is a simple multiple, useful for quickly assessing the magnitude of return without considering the investment period. IRR provides a deeper analysis by considering the timing of cash flows, offering a rate of return that accounts for the duration of the investment, making it possible to compare investments on a more nuanced level. While MOIC offers a clear, immediate measure of how much value an investment has generated, IRR gives insight into the efficiency and timing of returns, accommodating more complex scenarios where the timing of cash inflows and outflows is a crucial factor. Why MOIC is Important in Venture Capital MOIC plays a crucial role in evaluating investment performance by providing a clear, direct measure of the financial returns relative to the initial capital invested. It does this by expressing the return as a multiple, showing investors how many times their original investment has been returned in value. This simplicity and directness make MOIC an invaluable tool for quickly assessing the effectiveness of investments in generating financial growth. MOIC helps investors understand the value generated from their investments by offering a straightforward metric that reflects the total increase in value of an investment, without the complexity of accounting for time or the pattern of cash flows. It enables investors to gauge the overall success and efficiency of their investments in turning the initial capital into a larger sum. By comparing the initial investment to the current or exit value, investors get a clear picture of the investment's performance and its contribution to their financial objectives. Related resource: VC Fund Performance Metrics 101 (and why they matter to LPs) Compares Returns Across Investments and Funds By expressing performance as a multiple, MOIC standardizes the evaluation of investment returns across different startups and VC funds, making comparisons straightforward despite variations in initial investment sizes. This standardization is possible because MOIC calculates returns relative to the invested capital, providing a ratio or multiple that directly reflects how many times the investment value has increased. For instance, an MOIC of 3x indicates that the investment value has tripled, regardless of whether the initial investment was $100,000 or $10 million. This approach abstracts away the absolute dollar amounts and focuses on the proportional return, enabling investors to compare the performance of various investments on an equal footing. MOIC thus serves as a universal metric that simplifies the assessment of financial efficiency and success across the diverse landscape of startup investments and VC fund portfolios, facilitating more informed decision-making processes for investors. Provides a Benchmark for Success MOIC serves as a robust benchmark for success by offering a uniform metric that quantifies investment performance as a multiple of the initial capital. This simplicity allows stakeholders to assess and compare the absolute return on investments across various ventures, irrespective of their scale or the amount of capital deployed. In the competitive landscape of venture capital, where the goal is to maximize returns on investment, MOIC distills the essence of financial success into a single, comprehensible figure. It enables investors to quickly identify high-performing investments and make informed decisions based on the capacity of startups to multiply the initial funds provided. By setting a clear, quantifiable standard, MOIC helps define what constitutes a successful venture within the industry, guiding both investors and entrepreneurs in their pursuit of exceptional growth and value creation. Tracks Progress Over Time MOIC can be calculated at various stages throughout the lifecycle of an investment, offering investors timely insights into its performance and future potential. By comparing the current or exit value of an investment to the original capital invested at different points, investors can track the progression of their investment's value over time. This dynamic application of MOIC allows stakeholders to monitor growth trends, evaluate the effectiveness of strategic decisions, and adjust their expectations for future returns based on real-time data. Such periodic assessments of MOIC provide a clear, ongoing picture of an investment's health and potential, empowering investors with the information needed to make informed decisions regarding additional investments, exits, or strategic shifts to maximize returns. How to Calculate MOIC Calculating MOIC involves a straightforward process, enabling investors to assess the performance of their investments at any point in time. Here’s a step-by-step guide to calculating MOIC, along with an example to clarify the process: Identify the Total Invested Capital: Determine the total amount of money invested in the venture. This includes all capital contributions made towards the investment. Determine the Current or Exit Value of the Investment: Assess the current market value of the investment if it has not been sold, or use the exit value if the investment has been liquidated. Calculate MOIC: Divide the current or exit value of the investment by the total invested capital. The formula is: MOIC = Current Value of Investment / Total Invested Capital​ Example: Let’s assume you invested $100,000 in a startup. After a few years, the current market value of your investment is $400,000. Total Invested Capital: $100,000 Current Value of Investment: $400,000 Using the MOIC formula: MOIC = $400,000 / $100,000 = 4 This means your investment has generated a return four times the original amount invested, indicating a significant increase in value and showcasing the investment's performance. By calculating MOIC at various points during the investment period, investors can monitor the progression and potential future returns of their investments. This continuous assessment helps in making informed decisions, whether it's about holding onto the investment, considering additional funding, or planning an exit strategy. What Is a Good MOIC? A good MOIC (Multiple on Invested Capital) typically indicates that an investment has generated a substantial return relative to the initial capital invested. In venture capital, a MOIC of 3x or higher is often considered good, as it demonstrates that the investment has tripled the original amount invested, reflecting strong value creation and investment performance. Example of a Good MOIC: If an investor puts $1 million into a startup and later exits the investment for $4 million, the MOIC would be 4x. This is considered a strong performance, as the investor has quadrupled their initial investment. Conversely, a bad MOIC falls below 1x, indicating that the investment has lost value and the investor receives back less capital than they originally invested. Example of a Bad MOIC: If an investor invests $1 million in a company, but the investment's value decreases, and they can only exit at $800,000, the MOIC would be 0.8x. This signifies a loss, as only 80% of the initial investment is recovered. Track Your Fund Performance Data With Visible By leveraging Visible, investors can track critical portfolio company and investment data all from one place. Learn how to get started with Visible to track your crucial investment data here. Related resource: The Ultimate Guide to Startup Funding Stages

In the dynamic world of startups and technological innovations, founders constantly seek strategies to ensure growth, competitive advantage, and talent acquisition. One such strategic approach that has gained prominence is acquihiring. In this guide we’ll demystify acquihiring, offering insights into its definition, differentiation from traditional hiring and acquisitions, operational mechanics, and its myriad benefits for both acquiring companies and founders considering this pathway. By exploring the nuances of acquihiring, founders can better navigate the complexities, ensuring informed decisions that propel their ventures toward sustained success. What is Acquihiring? Acquihiring, a blend of "acquisition" and "hiring," describes the process where a company is acquired primarily to onboard its employees, not necessarily for its products or services. This strategy often provides a graceful exit for startups facing financial hurdles, while also offering acquiring companies rapid access to a skilled workforce​​​​. Acquihiring vs. Traditional Hiring and Company Acquisitions Acquihiring, traditional hiring, and company acquisitions are distinct strategies used by companies to grow their teams, acquire talent, and expand their business operations. Each approach has unique characteristics and serves different purposes within the corporate strategy. Acquihiring vs. Traditional Hiring Acquihiring is a strategy where a company acquires another company primarily to hire its employees, rather than to gain control of its products or services. This approach is particularly appealing when a company wants to onboard a whole team that has already demonstrated the ability to work well together, thereby bypassing the lengthy and often uncertain process of assembling a new team through individual hires​​​​. Traditional Hiring involves the process of recruiting individuals to fill specific roles within a company. This method focuses on assessing individual candidates through interviews, skill tests, and other evaluation criteria to fill a vacancy. Traditional hiring can be time-consuming and requires resources for sourcing, interviewing, and onboarding each new employee individually. Acquihiring vs. Company Acquisitions Company Acquisitions typically involve one company taking over another to gain control of its assets, including products, services, technology, and sometimes the workforce. The primary goal of a company acquisition is often to expand the acquirer's product line, enter new markets, or eliminate competition, not specifically to hire the talent​​​​. Acquihiring, while technically a form of acquisition, has a different focus. The main goal is to integrate the talent from the acquired company into the acquiring company's workforce. In many cases, the products or services of the acquired company may be phased out or significantly altered as the team is redirected towards projects within the acquiring company. Acquihiring is less about the acquisition of business operations and more about the rapid assimilation of a skilled workforce​​​​​​. Acqui-hire Example A notable example of an acquihire is Yahoo's acquisition of Tumblr for $1.1 billion, mainly to recruit Tumblr's founder, David Karp. Although the venture didn't turn out as successful as hoped, it illustrates the potential scale and intent behind acquihiring strategies​​. How Does Acquihiring Work? Acquihiring stands out as a strategic approach, blending acquisition with talent recruitment to enhance a company's workforce through the integration of entire teams. This method focuses on harnessing collective talent, ensuring a swift and effective transition of skilled individuals who have proven their ability to work together. 1. Target Identification and Initial Contact This step in the acquihiring process is critical for laying the foundation for a successful acquisition. During this phase, a larger company proactively scouts for smaller companies or startups that have a team with the skills, expertise, and cultural fit it desires. This search is often driven by the larger company's strategic needs, such as filling specific talent gaps, entering new markets, or enhancing technological capabilities. Once a potential target is identified, the larger company initiates contact to gauge interest in an acquisition. This initial outreach is typically done discreetly to maintain confidentiality and to prevent any unnecessary disruption to the target company's operations. The aim here is to open a dialogue about the possibility of an acquihire, discussing preliminary terms and understanding the smaller company's openness to such a proposal. This step requires meticulous research and networking, often involving the use of intermediaries such as investment bankers, venture capitalists, or mutual contacts to make introductions. The larger company must carefully assess not just the technical capabilities of the potential target's team, but also their compatibility with the larger company's culture and the feasibility of integrating the team into its existing structures. 2. Due Diligence and Valuation This is a pivotal phase in the acquihiring process where the acquiring company undertakes an exhaustive assessment of the target company's overall health and worth. This comprehensive review encompasses an evaluation of the target's financials, assets, liabilities, legal standings, team capabilities, and any other pertinent factors that could affect the acquisition's value and viability. Financial Analysis: The acquiring company scrutinizes the target's financial statements, revenue models, cash flow, and future financial projections. This helps in understanding the financial health and sustainability of the target company. Asset Evaluation: Beyond financials, tangible and intangible assets including intellectual property, technology, customer databases, and brand value are assessed. This evaluation helps in understanding what the acquiring company is precisely gaining beyond the talent. Liability and Legal Review: Potential liabilities, including debts, legal disputes, and contractual obligations, are closely examined. The acquiring company also reviews compliance with laws and regulations to identify any potential legal risks. Team Assessment: A crucial part of due diligence in acquihiring, this involves evaluating the target company’s team's skills, experience, and cultural fit within the acquiring company. Understanding team dynamics and potential retention strategies is key. Valuation: Based on the comprehensive due diligence findings, the acquiring company develops a valuation of the target. This valuation reflects not just the tangible assets and financial health of the company but also intangible aspects like the team's potential contribution to the acquiring company’s future growth. Making an Offer: Armed with a valuation, the acquiring company formulates an offer to acquire the target company. This offer considers the due diligence findings and reflects a price that accounts for both the assets and liabilities uncovered during the evaluation. 3. Negotiation and Agreement In this step, both the acquiring and target companies engage in detailed discussions to finalize the terms of the acquisition. This stage involves a series of negotiations to align the interests and expectations of both parties regarding compensation, roles of key team members, and the plan for integrating the team into the acquiring company. The main components of this step include: Compensation Negotiation: One of the primary focus areas is the negotiation of compensation packages for the key team members of the target company. This includes not only salaries but also bonuses, stock options, and other benefits. The aim is to ensure that the offers are attractive enough to retain the top talent post-acquisition. Roles and Responsibilities: Discussions around the specific roles and responsibilities that the acquired team members will assume within the acquiring company are essential. It's important to clarify expectations and career paths to ensure a smooth transition and integration. Integration Plans: Both companies collaborate to develop a comprehensive plan for integrating the acquired team into the acquiring company. This includes detailing how and when the team will be integrated into existing projects, training programs to acquaint them with new processes and systems, and any cultural assimilation activities. Legal and Contractual Agreements: Once the terms are agreed upon, drafting a formal contract becomes imperative. This contract encompasses all the negotiated terms, including compensation, roles, integration plans, and any other agreements made during the negotiations. Legal teams from both sides review the contract to ensure it adheres to all regulatory and legal requirements. Signing the Contract: The final step of this phase is the signing of the contract by representatives from both companies, officially sealing the acquisition agreement. This formalizes the acquihire, allowing the process to move forward to the announcement and transition phase. 4. Announcement and Transition By meticulously planning and executing the announcement and transition phase, companies can minimize disruptions, maintain operational continuity, and harness the full potential of the acquired talent, setting the stage for successful collaboration and growth. Key aspects of this step include: Official Announcement: This involves crafting and distributing a well-thought-out announcement that highlights the benefits of the acquisition to all stakeholders. The message is usually optimistic, focusing on the synergies between the two companies, the value the acquired team brings, and how the acquisition will drive future growth and innovation. Communication Strategy: Effective communication is critical during this phase. The strategy often includes Q&A sessions, meetings, and press releases to address any concerns and provide clarity. Transparency and openness in communication help in mitigating uncertainties and fostering trust among the team members of both companies. Integration into Projects: Following the announcement, the acquired team is gradually introduced to their new roles within the acquiring company. This involves aligning them with projects that benefit from their expertise and where they can start contributing effectively. The goal is to ensure a seamless integration where the new team members feel valued and can immediately begin making an impact. Cultural Assimilation: Integrating the acquired team into the company culture is equally important. This can include orientation programs, team-building activities, and mentorship arrangements to help the new team members understand the company's values, working style, and expectations. It's crucial for the acquired team to feel welcomed and for the existing employees to be open to the new ideas and perspectives they bring. Monitoring and Feedback: Throughout the transition, it's vital to monitor progress and solicit feedback from both the acquired team and existing employees. This feedback loop can identify any integration issues early on and allow for adjustments to the transition plan, ensuring a smoother assimilation process. 5. Integration and Role Assignment By carefully managing the integration and role assignment process, the acquiring company can maximize the value of the acquihire, ensuring that the new team members are engaged, productive, and committed to their new roles, contributing to the overall success and growth of the company. This phase can be broken down into several key activities: Role Alignment: Assigning the right roles to the new team members is crucial. This involves understanding their strengths, experiences, and career aspirations and matching them with the needs and opportunities within the acquiring company. The objective is to place these individuals in positions where they can make the most impact and feel fulfilled in their work. Retention Strategies: To ensure the long-term success of the acquihire, the acquiring company must implement retention strategies that address the unique needs and expectations of the new team members. This could include competitive compensation packages, career development opportunities, incentives aligned with company goals, and creating an inclusive culture that values their contributions. Cultural Integration: Beyond just assigning roles, integrating the new team members into the company culture is essential. This might involve orientation sessions, cultural workshops, and team-building activities designed to foster connections between new and existing employees, helping them to understand and embrace the company's values, practices, and expectations. Training and Development: Providing training and development opportunities is key to ensuring that the new team members can effectively contribute to their new roles. This could include technical training, leadership development programs, or mentorship arrangements to help them adapt to their new environment and responsibilities. Feedback and Adjustment: Continuous feedback mechanisms should be established to monitor the integration process and address any challenges or concerns that arise. This could involve regular check-ins, surveys, and feedback sessions that allow new team members to express their experiences and for management to make necessary adjustments to the integration plan. Advantages of Acquihires for the Acquiring Company Acquihiring provides immediate access to a skilled workforce, enabling faster integration and promoting team cohesion. Moreover, it is cost-effective compared to traditional hiring processes​​​​. Rapid Access to Skilled Workforce Acquihires provide immediate access to a skilled and experienced workforce, streamlining the process that typically involves individual recruitment efforts. This strategy is especially beneficial in industries where talent is scarce and the recruitment process is lengthy and competitive. Here's how acquihires facilitate rapid access to a capable team: Seamless Team Integration: Acquihiring a team means bringing on board a group of professionals who have already proven their ability to work together effectively. This existing synergy among team members can significantly reduce the ramp-up time for projects, as the team is accustomed to collaboration and has established workflows. Industry Expertise: Teams acquired through acquihires often come with specialized knowledge and skills tailored to specific projects or technologies. This expertise can be immediately leveraged, allowing the acquiring company to accelerate development timelines and innovate more rapidly. Cultural Fit: The process of acquihiring includes evaluating the cultural fit of the team with the acquiring company. A good match ensures that the new team members can quickly adapt to and thrive in their new environment, contributing to their immediate effectiveness and long-term retention. Reduced Training Time: Since the team is already familiar with working together on similar projects or technologies, the time and resources required for training are significantly less compared to hiring individuals from different backgrounds. This allows for a quicker transition to productive work. Strategic Advantage: By acquiring a team with a track record of success, companies can immediately strengthen their position in competitive markets. This rapid infusion of talent can enhance innovation, product development, and market responsiveness. Faster Integration The advantage of faster and smoother integration of the acquired team into the acquiring company's culture and operations is a significant benefit of the acquihiring process. This accelerated integration is primarily due to the collective transition of a team that has pre-existing working relationships and dynamics. Here's how this benefit manifests: Pre-established Team Dynamics: Unlike individual hires who may take time to adjust to a new team environment, acquihired teams already have established working relationships. This familiarity can lead to quicker project kickoff times and more efficient collaboration, as the team members already understand each other's working styles and strengths​​​​. Alignment with Company Goals: Acquihired teams often undergo a vetting process to ensure their goals and values align with those of the acquiring company. This alignment helps in smoother cultural integration, as the team is likely to share similar motivations and work ethics, reducing friction and misunderstandings​​​​. Streamlined Onboarding Process: The collective onboarding of an acquihired team can be more efficient than individual onboarding processes. Tailored orientation sessions can address the specific needs and questions of the team as a whole, ensuring they understand the company's operations, expectations, and culture from the outset​​​​. Leadership Continuity: In many cases, the leadership structure within the acquihired team remains intact, providing a sense of continuity for the team members. This can help in maintaining morale and productivity as the team transitions into the new company, with familiar faces guiding them through the process​​. Retention Strategies: The acquihiring process often includes discussions and agreements on retention strategies that are specifically tailored to the needs and expectations of the acquired team. This proactive approach can address potential concerns early on, ensuring that the team members feel valued and see a clear path for growth within the new company, further smoothing the integration process​​​​. Team Cohesion The pre-existing cohesion and established dynamics of an acquired team significantly contribute to enhanced productivity and innovation within the acquiring company. This effect is rooted in several key factors that stem from the team's history of collaboration: Efficient Communication: Teams with a history of working together have developed effective communication channels and understandings. This efficiency reduces misunderstandings and accelerates decision-making processes, allowing for faster project development and problem-solving​​​​. Trust and Mutual Understanding: The trust built within a pre-existing team encourages open discussions and the sharing of ideas without fear of judgment. This environment fosters creativity and can lead to innovative solutions, as team members feel comfortable proposing and critiquing ideas​​​​. Aligned Work Ethic and Values: Teams that have developed a cohesive work culture have aligned values and work ethics, which can seamlessly integrate into projects at the new company. This alignment helps in maintaining a high level of motivation and dedication towards project goals, directly impacting productivity and the quality of work​​​​. Rapid Conflict Resolution: Familiarity among team members means conflicts are likely to be resolved more quickly due to an understanding of each other's personalities and work styles. Quick resolution of disputes keeps the focus on progress and innovation, rather than getting bogged down in interpersonal issues​​​​. Collective Creativity: A team that has worked together successfully in the past has likely developed a collective creativity, where the sum is greater than its parts. This dynamic can lead to the generation of unique ideas and creative approaches to challenges, driving innovation within the acquiring company​​​​. Cost-effectiveness The cost-effectiveness of acquihiring, when compared to traditional hiring processes, is rooted in several key areas where efficiency gains and cost savings are realized: Reduced Recruitment Costs: Traditional hiring involves costs associated with advertising positions, sourcing candidates, conducting interviews, and potentially hiring recruitment agencies. Acquihiring bypasses many of these steps by bringing in an entire team at once, significantly reducing the per-capita cost of recruitment​​​​. Lower Training and Onboarding Expenses: Acquihired teams require less time and resources for onboarding and training because they are accustomed to working together and can leverage their pre-existing knowledge and skills. This contrasts with individually hired employees who may need extensive training to reach full productivity​​​​. Minimized Turnover and Retention Costs: Acquihiring often includes negotiations of terms that are specifically designed to retain key employees, thus potentially reducing turnover costs. High turnover in traditional hiring can lead to repeated cycles of recruitment, training, and lost productivity, all of which have significant financial implications​​​​. Immediate Productivity Gains: Since acquihired teams can hit the ground running, they contribute to projects and objectives much sooner than individually hired employees who may take months to acclimate and become fully productive. This immediate contribution can accelerate time to market for products and services, providing a competitive advantage and potentially increasing revenue sooner​​​​. Avoidance of Competitive Salary Bidding: In the competitive market for top talent, companies often find themselves in costly bidding wars to attract individual candidates. Acquihiring can sidestep this process, as compensation packages are negotiated at the team level, potentially avoiding inflated salaries that can occur in competitive hiring scenarios​​​​. Related resources: Types of Venture Capital Funds: Understanding VC Stages, Financing Methods, Risks, and More A Quick Overview on VC Fund Structure Why Would a Founder Consider Being Acquihired? Exploring the concept of acquihiring reveals its attractiveness to founders seeking not just an exit but also growth opportunities within larger entities. This strategic choice blends financial benefits with the potential for continued innovation, presenting a path for both personal and project advancement. Next, we'll delve into the reasons driving founders towards acquihiring as a viable and beneficial option. Financial Incentives Acquihires offer financial rewards and security for founders, especially when traditional funding routes prove challenging. This acquisition strategy not only provides founders with immediate financial benefits, often in the form of upfront cash and stock options in the acquiring company but also ensures a safety net that is particularly valuable in uncertain economic climates or competitive industries. Founders facing difficulties in raising additional rounds of funding or looking to mitigate financial risks find acquihires an appealing option. The financial payout can significantly outweigh the potential returns from an uncertain future, providing both a secure exit and a rewarding transition into new roles with the stability of a larger organization behind them​​​​​​. Continued Legacy and Project Survival An acquihire offers founders a unique opportunity to ensure the continuity and further development of their projects within the stable and resource-rich environment of a larger, established company. This arrangement allows the founder's vision and project to survive and potentially thrive, even if the original startup faced hurdles in scaling or funding. By becoming part of a bigger entity, the project benefits from access to greater resources, including technology, expertise, and networks, which can accelerate development and expansion in ways that might not have been possible independently. Additionally, the alignment with a larger company's strategic goals can inject new life and direction into the project, ensuring its legacy continues while also contributing to the broader success of the acquiring company. This transition can be particularly gratifying for founders passionate about their work, as it allows their innovations to reach wider audiences and have a more significant impact, all while securing their financial future and professional growth​​​​​​. Access to Resources Becoming part of a larger organization through acquihiring opens doors for founders and their teams to a wealth of resources, advanced technology, and expansive networks that might have been inaccessible otherwise. This integration offers several key advantages: Enhanced Resources: Larger companies often have deeper pockets and more substantial budgets allocated for project development, marketing, and research. This influx of resources can provide the necessary fuel for accelerated growth and product enhancement, allowing founders to scale their projects more efficiently than on their own. Advanced Technology Access: Being under the umbrella of a well-established company means having access to cutting-edge technologies and tools. This access can significantly shorten development cycles, improve product offerings, and foster innovation, keeping the project at the forefront of technological advancements. Expansive Networks: Larger organizations usually have well-established networks, including industry contacts, potential customers, and partners. Being part of such an entity allows founders to tap into these networks for business development, strategic partnerships, and even mentorship opportunities, which can be invaluable for growth and expansion. Market Reach: The acquiring company's established brand and market presence can significantly boost the project's visibility and credibility. This enhanced market reach can open up new customer segments and territories, driving increased adoption and revenue streams. Connect with Your Next Business Partners with Visible Navigating through the complexities of startup evolution and expansion, this article has unveiled the strategic maneuver of acquihiring, showcasing its pivotal role in facilitating growth, competitive edge, and talent integration. Acquihiring stands distinguished, not only as a means to onboard a cohesive, skilled workforce swiftly but also as a conduit for ensuring the survival and prosperity of innovative projects under the aegis of larger, resource-abundant organizations. Stay up to date with our resources by subscribing to our weekly newsletter here. Raise capital, update investors, and engage your team from a single platform. Try Visible free for 14 days. Related resource: Portfolio Management: What it is and How to Scale it at Your VC Firm

CleanTech and Climate Tech sectors are more crucial than ever, driving innovation to address our planet's most pressing environmental challenges. As an entrepreneur in these fields, you are part of a transformative movement focused on sustainability and climate action. However, navigating this landscape requires a unique set of strategies and insights. This comprehensive guide will provide the tools to overcome common hurdles, connect with venture capital firms actively investing in CleanTech and Climate Tech, and leverage opportunities for growth and impact. Definition and Differentiation: CleanTech vs. Climate Tech CleanTech (Clean Technology): CleanTech focuses on reducing industries' environmental footprints by improving efficiency, reducing waste, and utilizing renewable resources. This includes innovations in energy efficiency, renewable energy (solar, wind, hydro), green transportation, water purification, and waste management. Climate Tech (Climate Technology): Climate Tech specifically targets mitigating climate change effects. This involves technologies that focus on carbon capture and storage, climate modeling and monitoring, and adaptation technologies to cope with the impacts of climate change. While both sectors aim to promote sustainability, CleanTech broadly addresses environmental impacts across various industries, whereas Climate Tech is directly aimed at combating and adapting to climate change. Current Trends and Market Analysis Growth and Investment The CleanTech and Climate Tech sectors are experiencing unprecedented growth, fueled by an escalating global emphasis on sustainability and stringent environmental regulations. This growth is a response to the urgent need to address climate change and a reflection of the sectors' potential for significant economic returns. CleanTech Growth: Global Focus: The international community's increasing commitment to sustainable practices drives growth. Countries are implementing aggressive policies to reduce carbon footprints, benefiting CleanTech innovations in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and waste management. Investment Surge: Investors are pouring capital into CleanTech, recognizing sustainable technologies' long-term value and necessity. In 2023, global CleanTech investments surpassed previous records, signaling strong confidence in the sector. Climate Tech Momentum: Net-Zero Commitments: Governments and corporations worldwide are setting ambitious net-zero carbon goals. This accelerates developing and deploying Climate Tech solutions such as carbon capture and storage, climate resilience infrastructure, and advanced climate modeling tools. Early-Stage Investments: Venture capital funding in Climate Tech has seen a notable increase, particularly in early-stage startups. This trend is driven by the recognition that early investments in disruptive technologies can yield substantial returns as these innovations mature and scale. Technological Innovations Rapid technological advancements are a cornerstone of growth in both CleanTech and Climate Tech. These innovations improve efficiency, reduce costs, and open new frontiers for sustainable practices. Renewable Energy: Solar and Wind Advances: Developing more efficient solar panels and wind turbines makes renewable energy more accessible and cost-effective. Innovations such as bifacial solar panels and floating wind farms are expanding the potential for clean energy production. Energy Storage: Breakthroughs in battery technology, including solid-state batteries and grid-scale energy storage solutions, address the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources, facilitating a more reliable and resilient energy grid. Electric Vehicles (EVs): Transformation in Transportation: The EV market is experiencing explosive growth, driven by technological advancements in battery life, charging speed, and vehicle range. Innovations in EV infrastructure, such as widespread charging networks and vehicle-to-grid technology, further support this transformation. Sustainability in Manufacturing: Companies are increasingly focusing on sustainable practices in EV manufacturing, including using recycled materials and reducing the carbon footprint of production processes. Climate Tech Breakthroughs: Carbon Capture and Sequestration: Significant progress in carbon capture technologies enables more efficient and cost-effective ways to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and store it securely underground. AI-Driven Climate Modeling: The integration of artificial intelligence in climate modeling is enhancing the accuracy of climate predictions and providing valuable insights for mitigation and adaptation strategies. Market Drivers: Regulatory Pressures and Incentives: Environmental Standards: Governments are implementing stricter ecological regulations, compelling industries to adopt CleanTech and Climate Tech solutions. These regulations are often accompanied by substantial financial incentives, such as tax credits, grants, and subsidies, to encourage compliance and innovation. Policy Support: Policy frameworks supporting green technologies, including renewable energy mandates and carbon pricing mechanisms, create a favorable environment for sector growth. Consumer Demand: Sustainable Products and Services: Increasing consumer awareness and demand for environmentally friendly products drive companies to incorporate sustainable practices into their operations. This shift is evident across various industries, from fashion and food to transportation and energy. Market Differentiation: Companies prioritizing sustainability are gaining a competitive edge, attracting a growing segment of eco-conscious consumers. Corporate Sustainability Commitments: Carbon Neutrality Pledges: Corporations commit to ambitious sustainability goals, including achieving carbon neutrality. These commitments enhance their brand reputation and drive investments in CleanTech and Climate Tech solutions. Strategic Partnerships: Businesses are forming partnerships with CleanTech and Climate Tech startups to integrate innovative solutions into their operations, further fueling sector growth. Key Challenges and Opportunities in Each Sector Challenges High Capital Requirements: Both CleanTech and Climate Tech startups often face significant upfront costs for research, development, and deployment of their technologies. Regulatory Hurdles: Navigating complex and varying regulations across different regions can be daunting and time-consuming. Market Adoption: Proving the viability and scalability of new technologies in real-world applications is critical and often challenging. Opportunities Government Support: There are numerous grants, subsidies, and incentive programs available to support CleanTech and Climate Tech initiatives. Investor Interest: Increasing awareness of climate change impacts attracts more investors to these sectors, creating a favorable funding environment. Technological Advancements: Ongoing innovations provide new avenues for startups to differentiate themselves and capture market share. Corporate Partnerships: Collaborating with established corporations can provide startups with essential resources, market access, and credibility. Related resource: The Future is Green: 15 Climate Tech Startups to Watch This Year Focus on Impact Metrics Highlighting the environmental impact and sustainability benefits of the CleanTech solution can attract socially conscious investors and customers. Patagonia Patagonia, an outdoor clothing and gear company, places a strong emphasis on impact metrics related to sustainability. The company tracks and publicizes its efforts to reduce carbon emissions, minimize water usage, and promote responsible sourcing of materials. By transparently communicating its environmental initiatives, Patagonia attracts loyal customers who align with their values, and the company’s commitment to sustainability becomes a significant driver of brand loyalty. Patagonia’s Page: Environmental & Social Footprint Ecolab Ecolab, a global provider of water, hygiene, and energy technologies and services, focuses on impact metrics related to water conservation and sustainable operations. The company measures and reports on water savings achieved through its solutions, helping businesses and industries reduce water consumption and environmental impact. By demonstrating the positive environmental outcomes of its services, Ecolab attracts clients who prioritize sustainability, leading to long-term partnerships and business growth. Ecolab’s 2030 Impact Goals Ecolab Releases 2022 Corporate Sustainability Report, Highlights Progress Toward 2030 Impact Goals Resources Impact Investors and Fund Managers to Know Climate Tech’s Evolution: The Maturation to a Competitive, Returns-Focused Thematic Investment Sector From Clean Tech 1.0 to Climate Tech 2.0: A New Era of Investment Opportunities The climate tech sector is booming—here are the applications VCs are most excited about The Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) For impact investors, the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) offers a directory of its members, many of whom are impact investors interested in sustainable technologies. VCs Investing in Clean Tech and Climate Tech Startups Lowercarbon Capital About: Lowercarbon Capital invests in decarbonization technologies across various sectors, including energy, transportation, food, and manufacturing. They fund research and invest in technologies to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere. For too long, the world has ignored the scientists, inventors, and entrepreneurs who are pursuing solutions to lower emissions, remove carbon, actively cool the planet, and save human, animal, and plant life as we know it. We are working to fix that. Third Sphere About: Third Sphere works for founders transforming global systems. We’ve made over 100 investments in notable firms like Cove Tool, OneWheel and Bowery Farming. We’re usually a pre-customer investor and offer traditional venture as well as credit finance, along with coaching and connections to over 12,000 customers, investors focused on re-imagining our planet. Our team is ranked in the 99th percentile of climatetech investors on NFX Signal, and Techcrunch named us one of the top 10 VCs founders love the most. We know that climate is about more than carbon—it’s also about force multipliers like asset finance and distribution. We believe the best climate solutions don’t look like climate solutions at all, just better, faster, and cheaper products and services. We prefer rapid deployment that will get us close to 1.5C in warming while upgrading our systems to make them more resilient. But we’ll also look at moonshot opportunities because we know we need a plan B. Thesis: A real investment is about more than capital. We invest at the earliest stages, usually pre-customer, stay close to our founders, and work with them from the inception of our relationship so they can build relationships with other founders, investors, and customers. Breakthrough Energy Ventures About: Launched by Bill Gates, Breakthrough Energy Ventures invests in companies developing technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Breakthrough Energy is dedicated to helping humanity avoid a climate disaster. Through investment vehicles, philanthropic programs, policy advocacy, and other activities, we’re committed to scaling the technologies we need to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Thesis: Breakthrough Energy Ventures provides reliable and affordable power without contributing to climate change. Energy Impact Partners About: Energy Impact Partners LP (EIP) is a global investment platform that invests in companies shaping the energy landscape of the future. EIP brings together entrepreneurs and the world’s most forward-looking energy and industrial companies to advance innovation. With over $2.5 billion in assets under management, EIP invests globally across venture, growth, credit, and infrastructure – and has a team of over 70 professionals based in its offices in New York, San Francisco, Palm Beach, London, Washington D.C., Cologne, and Oslo. Thesis: We bring together incumbents and innovators in a differentiated collaborative model to build and scale businesses for substantial impact. Generation Investment Management About: Co-founded by former US Vice President Al Gore, Generation Investment Management focuses on sustainable investments, including Climate Tech. Since its founding in 2004, Generation has played a pioneering role in the development of sustainable and environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing. Prelude Ventures About: Prelude Ventures is a venture capital firm partnering with entrepreneurs to address climate change. Since 2013, we have invested in over 40 companies across advanced energy, food and agriculture, transportation and logistics, advanced materials and manufacturing, and advanced computing. We have a long-term commitment to the sector, accept informed risks, and couple a fundamental emphasis on venture-level returns with an understanding of deep-tech and hardware development timelines. Prelude manages capital exclusively for Simons family philanthropic entities and is a founding member of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition. Thesis: We invest in the low-carbon economy. 3×5 Partners About: In everything we do, we allow our love for each other and for the planet to be our guide. We seek out companies that are delivering advancements in clean air, food, water, shelter, education, healthcare, sanitation, and climate and environmental sustainability. When we find companies that align with our mission, we go beyond due diligence and take the time needed to build relationships grounded in trust, shared vision, transparency, and mutual accountability. Third Derivative About: We are building an inclusive, global ecosystem that rapidly finds, funds, and scales climate tech innovation and transforms markets. Thesis: We are mission driven and market focused. Rising to the climate crisis challenge is a once-in-a-generation, trillion-dollar economic opportunity. That’s why we were founded with purpose: to find, fund, hone, and scale the most-promising technologies to achieve larger, faster reductions in global carbon emissions. Evergreen Climate Innovations About: Clean Energy Trust is a cleantech accelerator that fuels innovation to create a healthier environment and more prosperous future. Clean Energy Trust is a 501C3 public charity. Our unique funding model gives us the flexibility to invest early in promising technology and young companies. We invest across the spectrum of cleantech including energy efficiency, agriculture, energy generation, energy storage, and transportation technologies. Sweetspot check size: $ 100K Greentown Labs About: Greentown Labs is a community of climate action pioneers working to design a more sustainable world. As the largest climatetech startup incubator in North America, Greentown Labs brings together startups, corporates, investors, policymakers, and many others with a focus on scaling climate solutions. Driven by the mission of providing startups the resources, knowledge, connections, and equipment they need to thrive, Greentown Labs offers lab space, shared office space, a machine shop, an electronics lab, software and business resources, and a large network of corporate customers, investors, and more. With incubators in Somerville, Mass. and Houston, Texas, Greentown Labs is home to more than 200 startups and has supported more than 500 since the incubator’s founding in 2011. These startups have collectively created more than 24,000 jobs, raised more than $4 billion in funding, and generated more than $9.8 billion in regional economic impact. Future Energy Ventures About: Future Energy Ventures is a unique venture capital platform that brings together corporate partners and world-class start-ups to shape the future energy landscape. Future Energy Ventures is the venture capital investment and collaboration platform of E.ON, one of Europe’s largest operators of energy networks and energy-related infrastructure and a provider of innovative customer solutions for about 50 million customers. Thesis: Future Energy Ventures is born from the energy industry, but it understands energy must converge with other sectors to create a sustainable and prosperous future. This is why we go beyond energy to invest in companies solving problems in cities or building frontier technology. The realization of our ambition relies on collaboration and partnerships; between people and companies from many different industries. Looking for Investors? Try Visible Today! Use Visible to manage every part of your fundraising funnel with investor updates, fundraising pipelines, pitch deck sharing, and data rooms. Raise capital, update investors, and engage your team from a single platform. Try Visible free for 14 days. Related Resource: Clean Tech and Climate Tech VC profiles in our Fundraising CRM

Venture capital can be a game-changer for startups, offering not just financial backing but a whole ecosystem of support. However, it's not without its trade-offs. This article delves into the multifaceted world of venture capital, from the substantial resources and invaluable networks it brings to the potential for diluted ownership and pressure for rapid growth. Whether you're considering venture capital for your startup or simply curious about its implications, this guide will provide you with a balanced perspective. Advantages of Venture Capital for Startups Venture capital offers a plethora of advantages to startups that go beyond mere financial investment. It's about injecting your business with the resources, knowledge, and networks needed to thrive in competitive markets. Let's explore how venture capital can catalyze your startup's growth and success. Related resource: How to Find Venture Capital to Fund Your Startup: 5 Methods Access to Significant Capital Venture capital provides startups with significant capital that can be pivotal for scaling operations, research and development, and entering new markets. Unlike traditional financing, which may be limited or come with stringent repayment terms, venture capital offers a substantial financial runway, allowing startups to focus on growth without the immediate worry of financial constraints. Expertise and Mentorship Beyond capital, venture capitalists often bring a wealth of expertise and mentorship to the table. They offer strategic guidance, industry insights, and operational advice that can help navigate the complexities of scaling a startup. This mentorship can be invaluable in avoiding common pitfalls and accelerating growth. Networking Opportunities Securing venture capital also opens the door to a vast network of industry contacts, potential partners, and clients. These connections can be instrumental in business development, partnerships, and even future fundraising efforts. The right introductions can significantly accelerate a startup's trajectory. Credibility and Prestige When a VC firm decides to invest, it does so after thorough due diligence, assessing the startup's potential for growth, market opportunity, and the strength of its team. This rigorous evaluation process means that once a startup secures venture capital, it's seen as having passed a critical test of viability and potential. This perception can be incredibly beneficial in several ways: Attracting Further Investment: With the initial VC backing, other investors are more likely to take an interest in the startup. VC funding can serve as a validation of the startup's potential, making it easier to raise additional rounds of funding. The initial VC investment often acts as a catalyst for attracting more capital, as it reduces the perceived risk for subsequent investors. Talent Acquisition: Top-tier talent looks for opportunities that offer both growth potential and stability. VC funding enhances a startup's appeal to such individuals by providing evidence of both. The funding signifies that the startup has enough resources to scale and supports its long-term vision, making it a more attractive place for ambitious professionals looking to make their mark. Market Positioning: A startup with venture capital backing can also command more attention in its market. Customers, suppliers, and partners often view VC-funded startups as more credible and stable, making them more likely to do business with them. This enhanced credibility can be crucial for startups looking to establish themselves in competitive markets. Brand Visibility: VC firms often have extensive networks and platforms for promoting their investments. When a startup secures VC funding, it can benefit from this exposure, increasing its visibility in the industry and among potential customers. No Repayment Requirement One of the most significant advantages of VC funding over traditional loans is the absence of a repayment obligation if the startup fails. The advantage of not having to repay the investment if the startup fails frees entrepreneurs from the weight of debt, allowing them to focus fully on their vision and growth. This model not only facilitates innovation and risk-taking but also builds a partnership framework between investors and founders, where both parties are equally invested in the success of the venture. This risk-sharing model has several advantages for startups: Encourages Risk-taking: Knowing that failure will not result in crippling debt allows entrepreneurs to pursue innovative, high-risk ideas that could lead to significant market disruptions. Focus on Growth: Without the burden of debt repayment, startups can channel their resources into growth and development rather than diverting funds to service debt. Attracts Talent: The potential for significant returns without the personal financial risk associated with debt can make startups more attractive to top talent. Investor Support: Since VCs have a vested interest in the startup's success, they are more likely to provide support, advice, and connections to help the business grow. No Debt or Interest In traditional financing models, such as bank loans or debt financing, the borrower is required to repay the principal amount along with interest, regardless of the business's success. This obligation can place a considerable strain on a startup's cash flow, especially in its early stages when revenues may be unpredictable or non-existent. Moreover, in the event of business failure, entrepreneurs may still be liable for the outstanding debt, which can lead to personal financial ruin in the case of personally guaranteed loans. Venture capital, on the other hand, is invested in exchange for equity in the startup. VCs are well aware of the high risk associated with these investments, including the possibility that the startup may fail. Their return is contingent upon the success of the business, typically realized through an exit event such as an initial public offering (IPO) or acquisition. If the startup fails, the venture capital invested does not need to be repaid. This setup aligns the interests of the investors with those of the founders, as both parties succeed or fail together. Related resource: Pros and Cons of Crowdfunding for Your Startup Scalability Venture capital is a critical accelerator for startups aiming to make a market impact, providing not just funds but a springboard for rapid growth and scalability. This financial backing enables startups to swiftly penetrate and expand in markets, pushing innovation and product development at an accelerated pace. It facilitates the hiring of top talent essential for scaling operations and executing ambitious growth strategies. Furthermore, venture capital empowers startups to engage in strategic partnerships and acquisitions, enhancing their market reach and product offerings. It supports substantial investments in marketing and brand building, crucial for establishing market presence and driving customer acquisition. Additionally, venture capital aids in geographic expansion, opening doors to new markets and global opportunities. Disadvantages of Venture Capital While venture capital can be a powerful tool for startups, it's not without its disadvantages. The pursuit of venture funding comes with considerations that can affect your startup's trajectory and founding principles. Let's examine the potential downsides to be mindful of. Dilution of Ownership Accepting venture capital typically involves exchanging equity in the startup for financial investment, leading to a dilution of the founders' ownership stake. This means that founders own a smaller percentage of their company after the investment than they did before. While this influx of capital is crucial for growth, it also results in founders sharing control and potential future profits with the venture capitalists. This trade-off is an essential consideration for startups, as it impacts the founders' influence over company decisions and their share of the financial rewards in the event of the company's success. Less Control Venture capital investors frequently seek a say in business decisions as a condition of their investment, potentially leading to diminished control for the original owners. This involvement can range from strategic direction to operational changes, reflecting the investors' stake in the startup's success. While their expertise can be beneficial, it may also result in founders having to compromise on their vision or make decisions aligned with the investors' goals, rather than their own. This dynamic underscores a critical trade-off in venture funding: accessing significant capital and expertise at the cost of sharing decision-making power. Pressure for High Growth VC funding often comes with the expectation of rapid, substantial returns, placing intense pressure on startups to grow quickly. This urgency for growth can sometimes push startups towards aggressive expansion strategies that may not align with sustainable or prudent business practices. The drive for quick scalability and market dominance can lead to short-term decisions that prioritize speed over stability, such as overextending financial resources, neglecting quality control, or unsustainable customer acquisition practices. While rapid growth can propel a startup to success, this pressure can also risk its long-term viability and ethical standing, challenging founders to balance investor expectations with sustainable development. Length and Complex Process Securing venture capital is a time-consuming and complex process, marked by an extensive due diligence phase that demands significant attention and resources from startup founders. The journey to obtain venture funding involves multiple steps, including preparing detailed business plans, financial projections, and engaging in negotiations with potential investors. Venture capitalists conduct thorough due diligence to assess the viability, market potential, and team capability of the startup. This scrutiny can include deep dives into the startup's financials, business model, competitive landscape, legal compliance, and more. The process ensures that investors are making informed decisions but also requires startups to be transparent and well-prepared. This exhaustive vetting process, while necessary for securing investment, can divert founders' focus from day-to-day operations and delay immediate business development efforts. The complexity and length of securing venture capital not only test a startup's readiness and resilience but also its capacity to balance long-term fundraising goals with short-term business needs. Focus on Exit Strategy Venture capitalists typically enter investments with a clear exit strategy in mind, aiming for a significant return on their investment through a sale, merger, or public offering of the startup. This focus on exit events is fundamental to the venture capital model, as it dictates the timeline and manner in which investors expect to realize their profits. However, these exit strategies may not always align with the long-term vision of the startup founders. Founders often embark on their entrepreneurial journey with a passion for their product or service and a vision for long-term growth and industry impact. In contrast, venture capitalists' emphasis on an exit within a certain timeframe can pressure startups towards rapid scaling and market positioning that prioritizes short-term valuation increases over sustainable growth and development. This misalignment can lead to strategic conflicts, where founders are pushed to make decisions that optimize for an exit event rather than the long-term health and vision of the company. Navigating these differing objectives requires careful negotiation and alignment of interests between founders and their venture capital partners to ensure that the company can achieve both its immediate goals and long-term ambitions. Alternatives to VC Funding For startups wary of the potential downsides of venture capital, there are several alternative funding options available. These alternatives can offer different advantages, from less dilution of ownership to more aligned growth strategies. Let's explore a few of these options. Related resource: Types of Venture Capital Funds: Understanding VC Stages, Financing Methods, Risks, and More Angel Investments Angel investments represent a vital source of capital for startups, typically coming from affluent individuals who provide funding in the early stages of a company's growth. Unlike venture capitalists, who usually invest through funds with money pooled from various sources, angel investors use their own wealth to support startups they believe in. These investors often offer capital in exchange for equity in the company, acquiring a stake in the startup's future success, or sometimes through convertible debt, which can later be converted into equity. Angel investors not only provide financial backing but can also bring valuable expertise, industry connections, and mentorship to the startup. Their investment can be crucial during the initial phases when the startup may not yet qualify for venture capital or bank loans due to the high risk associated with early-stage ventures. By opting for angel investment, founders can secure the necessary funds to kickstart their operations, refine their product, or expand their market reach, all while potentially gaining a supportive advisor in their angel investor. This form of investment offers a blend of financial support and personal engagement, making it an attractive option for startups seeking both capital and guidance. Revenue-based Financing Revenue-based financing is a funding model where investors provide capital to startups in exchange for a percentage of the company's future revenues until a predetermined amount is repaid. This form of financing offers a flexible repayment schedule that directly correlates with the business's performance, making it distinct from traditional equity or debt financing. In this model, repayments increase when revenue is high and decrease during slower business periods. This flexibility is particularly advantageous for startups with fluctuating revenue patterns, as it aligns repayment obligations with their financial capacity. Unlike equity financing, revenue-based financing does not require founders to give up ownership stakes, nor does it impose fixed repayment terms like traditional loans. Instead, the total repayment amount is usually a multiple of the invested capital, agreed upon at the outset. Revenue-based financing is attractive for businesses that generate consistent revenues but may not yet be profitable or for those looking to avoid dilution of ownership. It allows startups to access the capital they need for growth, such as expanding operations, entering new markets, or increasing marketing efforts, without the pressures of equity dilution or rigid debt schedules. This model promotes a partnership approach, with investors directly vested in the company's revenue growth and success. SBA Loans Small Business Administration (SBA) loans are a government-backed financing option designed to support the growth and sustainability of small businesses. These loans are facilitated by the SBA, a U.S. government agency, in partnership with banks and lending institutions. The SBA guarantees a portion of the loan, significantly reducing the risk to lenders and enabling more favorable terms and lower interest rates for borrowers compared to traditional bank loans. SBA loans are known for their relatively lower interest rates and longer repayment terms, making them an attractive option for startups and small businesses seeking funding without the burdensome costs associated with conventional loans. The variety of SBA loan programs caters to different business needs, from purchasing equipment and real estate to providing working capital and funding for expansion projects. One of the key benefits of SBA loans is their accessibility to businesses that might not qualify for standard bank loans due to requirements for higher credit scores or collateral. The SBA's backing means that businesses with solid plans and potential for success have a greater chance of obtaining the financing they need, even if they're in the early stages of growth or lack extensive credit history. However, the process of applying for an SBA loan can be more complex and time-consuming than other financing options, requiring detailed business plans, financial statements, and projections. Despite these challenges, the favorable terms, lower interest rates, and government support make SBA loans a compelling choice for small businesses and startups looking for a stable and affordable source of funding. Connect With the Right Investors for Your Startup With Visible Venture capital offers startups a blend of significant capital, expertise, and networking opportunities, propelling rapid growth and market impact. However, it also brings challenges such as diluted ownership and intense pressure for quick returns. Alternatives like angel investments, revenue-based financing, and SBA loans present different benefits and trade-offs, catering to various startup needs. For founders navigating these options, Visible provides a comprehensive platform to find and connect with the right investors, track a fundraise, share a pitch deck, and manage stakeholder communications effectively. Give Visible a free try for 14 days here. Related resource: A Guide to How Venture Capital Works for Startups and New Investors

Fundraising is difficult. Building a process and system to attract and close investors can help move a fundraise along. At Visible, we often compare a venture fundraise process to a traditional B2B sales and marketing funnel. At the top of a fundraising funnel, you need to find the right investors for your business. Like identifying a qualified lead for sales and marketing, you need to define the investor that is a fit for your business. In the middle of the fundraising funnel, you need to nurture potential investors with meetings, emails, pitch decks, and more. At the bottom of the fundraising funnel, you are ideally closing new investors and delighting them with regular communication. Related Resource: A Quick Overview on VC Fund Structure In order to help you find the best investors for the top of your fundraising funnel, we created an investor database, Visible Connect. If you’re a founder located in Japan, check out our list of investors using Connect below: 1. Genesia Ventures As put by the team at Genesia Ventures, “It would be no exaggeration to say that the world has entered a new era through digital technologies, and startups have played and are still playing pivotal roles in this game-changing transformation. The large industries and social infrastructure that have thus far led the world are on the brink of new development through the disruptive potential of the digital sphere. Simultaneously, developed regions are establishing new industries through a digital infrastructure that is not dependent on traditional modalities or assets. Through seed and early-stage investment in startups, we believe we can help achieve a thriving society heralded by digital technology, and we are committed to supporting these startups and accelerating their growth, ushering in a world in which everyone can create wealth and has equal opportunities.” Learn more about Genesia Ventures by checking out their Visible Connect profile → Location Genesia Ventures has offices in Japan, Indonesia, and Vietnam. They invest in companies across Southeast Asia and Japan. Portfolio Highlights Some of Genesia Ventures’ most popular investments include: Nudge Activaid Airboxr Investment Focus Genesia is focused on seed-stage and early-stage investments. Related Resource: The Understandable Guide to Startup Funding Stages 2. Global Brain As put by their team, “Global Brain’s mission is to “bring unimaginable innovation into society through business creation.” Our surrounding environment is significantly changing due to global risks including extremely intense global competition, pandemics, and global warming. We believe that in such a time of uncertainty lies the greatest opportunity. The power of startups is vital to overcome unprecedented situations. The global economy is now largely led by many companies created right after the financial crisis.” Learn more about Global Brain by checking out their Visible Connect profile → Location Global Brain has an office in Tokyo and 9 other office locations across the globe. Portfolio Highlights Some of Global Brain’s most popular investments include: Base Food August Fluently Investment Focus Global Brain invests in companies across all stages and all industries. 3. Monozukuri Ventures As put by their team, “Monozukuri Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Japan and North America specializing in hard tech. In addition to the investment, we have a dedicated team to support hardware prototyping, mass production, and business development. We aim to create a world where entrepreneurs and startups can quickly produce and sell high-quality products, even in small quantities. Our mission is to help the world’s entrepreneurs rapidly deliver high-quality products to the market, regardless of production volume. As a global ecosystem contributor, we provide founders with essential resources such as investment, mentorship, prototyping know-how, manufacturing expertise and community support.” Learn more about Monozukuri Ventures by checking out their Visible Connect profile → Location Monozukuri Ventures has offices in Japan and North America and invests in companies in Japan and the US. Portfolio Highlights Some of Monozukuri Ventures’ most popular investments include: Mira Sembient HiberSense Investment Focus Monozukuri Ventures invests across all stages and primarily funds companies building hard tech. 4. D4V (Design for Ventures) As put by the team at D4V, “We help startups deliver not only financial returns but also positive impact on the world. Our work aims to support and strengthen the culture of entrepreneurship in Japan and beyond, accelerating the growth of a more entrepreneurial economy.” Learn more about Design For Ventures by checking out their Visible Connect profile → Location D4V is located in Tokyo and primarily invests in entrepreneurs and companies located in Japan. Portfolio Highlights Some of D4Vs most popular investments include: Cinnamon AI HOMMA Nudge Investment Focus D4V is focused on early-stage investments. Some of the markets and verticals that they are focused on include: Digital Disruption and Industry Transformation New Lifestyles and Cultures Financial Tools and Wellbeing Lifelong Learning and Empowerment Personal and Public Health 5. Benhamou Global Ventures As put by their team, “BGV is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on global Enterprise 4.0 technology innovation. The partners at BGV drove successive waves of enterprise technology disruption in Silicon Valley and have years of company-building experience. Founded by Eric Benhamou, former chairman and CEO of 3Com, Palm and co-founder of Bridge Communications, BGV is comprised of global operating executives and investors, and is often the first and most active institutional investor in its portfolio companies.” Learn more about BGV by checking out their Visible Connect profile → Location BGV has offices across the globe and invests in companies across the globe. BGV has an office in Kyoto. Portfolio Highlights Some of BGV’s most popular investments include: Kardinal Everest Labs Anch.ai Investment Focus BGV is focused on early-stage investments and specializes in “Enterprise 4.0 companies.” As put by their team, “Enterprise 4.0 refers to a new wave of B2B startups that combine artificial intelligence, intelligent automation and proprietary access to data to deliver actionable insights for enterprise businesses. These disruptive startups provide full stack solutions in the form of hyper-niche vertical solutions, programmable cloud infrastructure or cloud-native security innovations to generate immediate business value and significant ROI improvements for their customers.” Related Resource: How AI Can Support Startups & Investors + VCs Investing in AI 6. Sozo Ventures As put by their team, “Sozo Ventures was formed in 2012 to invest in and support technology-enabled ventures with their global expansion. We invest in category leaders transforming global industries with advanced data technologies, ecommerce, enterprise cloud, fintech, IoT and healthcare IT, and other advanced solutions. We are structured to connect the most ambitious entrepreneurial teams with the world’s most advanced and respected customers and distributors. We are at our best when we can share our expertise well before expansion strategies are set.” Learn more about Sozo Ventures by checking out their Visible Connect profile → Location Sozo Ventures has office locations in Tokyo and Redwood City, CA. Sozo invests in companies across the globe. Portfolio Highlights Some of Sozo’s most popular investments include: Zoom Twitter Coinbase Investment Focus As put by the team at Sozo, “We look for companies that are at the ‘Readiness’ Stage – a term coined internally that details companies that have a strong management team and culture, stable long-term investors, credible and recognizable customers and traction, and appropriate organizational structures for target international customers. Readiness is achieved by different businesses at different stages – and Sozo is set up to be a long-term flexible supporter of companies that we partner.” 7. Beenext As put by the team at Beenext, “We don’t just invest in startups, we get ‘invested in them. BEENEXT is a partnership of the founders, by the founders, and for the founders. When a founder partners with us, it partners with the entire BEENEXT community. We provide an opportunity for co-creation, inclusive growth, knowledge-exchange, mentorship and capital support.” Learn more about Beenext by checking out their Visible Connect profile → Location Beenext has an office in Singapore but invests in companies in Japan, Southeast Asia, India, and the US. Portfolio Highlights Some of Beenext’s most popular investments include: AngelList SixSense Wellthy Investment Focus Beenext invests in companies across the globe and across many sectors and industries. Looking for Investors? Try Visible Today! As we mentioned at the beginning of this post, a venture fundraise often mirrors a traditional B2B sales and marketing funnel. Just as a sales and marketing team has dedicated tools, shouldn’t a founder that is managing their investors and fundraising efforts? Use Visible to manage every part of your fundraising funnel with investor updates, fundraising pipelines, pitch deck sharing, and data rooms. Raise capital, update investors, and engage your team from a single platform. Try Visible free for 14 days. Related Resource: Private Equity vs Venture Capital: Critical Differences

Collecting updates from portfolio companies on a regular basis is an important part of running smooth operations at a VC firm. Well-organized, accurate, up-to-date portfolio data helps investors provide better support, make data-informed investment decisions, and share more engaging insights with LPs. However, collecting data from portfolio companies can also be a time-consuming and frustrating process if you’re not implementing best practices. On Thursday, March 28th, Visible hosted a product webinar covering tips for streamlining the portfolio data collection process for VCs. This webinar recording is not made publicly available. Reach out to our team to learn more about Visible. Webinar Poll Results Here are the results from the poll conducted during the webinar. The top three reasons VCs collect data from companies are: Understand company performance in general Send updates to current LPs Provide better support to portfolio companies Topics Discussed Why VCs collect data from portfolio companies (poll) Top 5 most common metrics to track Founder-friendly data collection What other investors are doing How to set your firm up for data collection success Advice from Visible customers Demo of recent product updates Time for questions This webinar recording is not publicly available. Reach out to our team to learn more about VC portfolio data collection best practices. Related Resources Portfolio Data Collection Tips for VCs The Best Practices for VC Portfolio Data Collection Streamlining Portfolio Data Collection and Analysis Across the VC Firm

Venture Capital funds dedicate a lot of time and resources to optimizing their pipeline processes. However, not all VCs apply the same level of intention and effort to their post-investment processes. This is why portfolio support is not only considered an important differentiator for funds but also a critical part of the success of the fund and its portfolio companies. Value-add portfolio support can help with everything from attracting better deal flow (don’t forget founders talk to each other!), improving brand recognition, raising capital from LPs, and most importantly, helping companies succeed. What is Portfolio Support? Portfolio support is a post-investment process that is intended to help portfolio companies perform, grow, and overcome potential hurdles. This typically includes some combination of the following: New company onboardings Hiring and recruiting Marketing and promotional support Future fundraising support Events Why is Portfolio Support Important? In the early days of venture, capital alone was enough to be a differentiator. As the venture capital market has evolved so have the expectations for VC funds. Formalized post-investment support for portfolio companies has become a differentiator for VC firms — it helps with brand recognition, portfolio company performance, and ultimately improves a firm's odds of increasing returns and raising a future fund. Who Owns Portfolio Support? Portfolio company support is typically owned by the person running a firm's platform. For larger funds, this might be a dedicated person or team (e.g. Head of Platform, Platform Manager, etc.). At a smaller fund, this likely falls on the shoulders of a partner. Related resource: VC Fund Performance Metrics 101 How Do Portfolio Companies Request Support? In Visible’s survey taken by VC Portfolio Operators, respondents shared that they are made aware of support needs from companies in a variety of different ways. The most common is directly from companies (44%) but also from investment team members (29%) and in third place, from Investor Updates from companies. From this data, it’s clear portfolio support requests are being shared in myriad ways with different team members at a fund. This highlights the importance of having open and transparent communication across your fund team so that portfolio support requests can be triaged quickly and by the right person. Getting Started With Portfolio Support Best Practices This guide is created for VC investors and operators who want to level up their portfolio support. The content of this guide is derived from Visible’s 2022 Portfolio Support Survey, Visible’s July 2022 Webinar on Building Scalable Portfolio Support, and the industry experience Visible has gained through supporting hundreds of investors around the world to improve their portfolio monitoring and management processes. Contents of the Guide: What is Post-Investment Support Who Owns Post-Investment Support How to Best Scale Your Post Investment Support Most Common Portfolio Support Requests + Resources Advice for First-Time Platform Managers Ready to take your support to the next level? Learn how Visible can help you with your portfolio management and reporting here.

Raising capital as a startup founder is difficult. On top of building a product, hiring a team, and scaling revenue, founders need to make sure that their business is funded for success. If you are a founder starting to raise your seed round, check out our guide below: What is Seed Funding? Seed funding is capital that a company raises in its earliest stages — typically the earliest form of outside capital. Seed funding is integral to getting ideas off the ground and giving a potential company and idea life. After a seed round, startups go on to raise future rounds of capital — e.g. Series A, Series B, Series C, etc. You can learn more about seed fundraising and future rounds in our post, The Ultimate Guide to Startup Funding Stages. What is the Purpose of Seed Funding? The purpose of seed funding is simple. It is intended to give a founding team enough capital to pursue a certain idea or market to prove if the concept works. Different investors may have different requirements for a seed-stage company but generally, they are pursuing “product-market fit.” As Marc Andreessen, Founder of Andreessen Horowitz, defines it, “Product/market fit means being in a good market with a product that can satisfy that market.” Seed size rounds are exploding in size and the purpose may be vary quite a bit from company to company and investor to investor. When is it the Right Time to Raise Seed Funding? The timing to raise seed funding for a startup can be tricky. First and foremost you should approach seed investors when you believe you have a strong enough product, market, or team (or combination of those) to build a company that deserves to be venture-backed. This means that you can scale and grow to the valuations where an investor can generate a solid return on your company. As the team at Y Combinator writes, “Founders should raise money when they have figured out what the market opportunity is and who the customer is, and when they have delivered a product that matches their needs and is being adopted at an interestingly rapid rate. How rapid is interesting? This depends, but a rate of 10% per week for several weeks is impressive. And to raise money founders need to impress. For founders who can convince investors without these things, congratulations. For everyone else, work on your product and talk to your users.” If you believe that your business has what it takes to generate massive returns for an investor, it is likely time to start your fundraising process. Related Resource: What is Pre-Revenue Funding? How to Raise Seed Funding for Startups The key to successfully raising a seed round is to have a system and process in place to raise capital. Just as you have a systematic approach to your sales and marketing funnel the same should be done for your fundraising efforts. Regarding fundraising, we like to think of it as similar to a traditional sales and marketing funnel for a B2B enterprise business. In its simplest form, a traditional sales & marketing process can be broken into 3 steps: Attracting and adding qualified leads to your top of the funnel on a regular basis. Nurturing and moving the leads from through the funnel with the goal of closing them as a customer. (aka get them into a buying process) Serving customers and creating a great experience until they become evangelists or promoters. You can convert those same ideas into a “Fundraising Funnel” that looks something like this: Filling the top of your funnel with qualified potential investors. These investors generally come from cold outreach, warm introductions, or inbound interest. You want to make sure these fit your “ideal investor persona” — right sector, stage, geography, check size, etc. Nurturing and moving investors through your funnel. While you may not be actively trying to close new investors and add capital you should constantly be working the top of your funnel. Staying fresh on the mind of potential investors 365 days a year using traditional marketing tactics will pay dividends when it’s time to pull the string on a new round of capital. Pro tip: send them a lite version of your quarterly investor update. Building relationships and communicating with your current investors. Customer success is key to maintaining a strong relationship with customers once they reach the bottom of the funnel. The same can be said for your investor funnel. As a founder, one of the first places to look for capital is current investors. One of the first places a new investor will look to for guidance will also be your current investors. At the end of the day your current investors should be the ultimate evangelist for your business. Related Resource: Startup Mentoring: The Benefits of a Mentor and How to Find One Just like a standard B2B sales process, you need to have “leads” (read: investors) coming to the top of your funnel so you can move them through the funnel to ultimately close them (read: close your round). To get started, you need to understand who the right investor is for your business and how you fit into their greater vision and can be of benefit to them (more on this below). We sat down with Jonathan Gandolf, CEO of The Juice, to uncover his learnings and thoughts from his seed raise. Give episode 1 a listen below: How Much Seed Funding Should You Raise? The average round of seed funding has gradually grown since 2014. However, the last few years have been a turbulent time in the venture world, and have seen the average seed round size level out since 2021. Deciding how much seed funding you should raise is entirely up to you, the founder. As a general rule of thumb, you should raise enough to reach profitability or to the point where you can easily reach your next “funding milestone.” This can be a revenue number, user benchmark, etc. but generally speaking, should be within 12-18 months. To model this you need to have a thorough understanding of how your business functions and what it will take to get to the next milestone. Understand how much it cost to acquire a new customer, retain a customer, how much an engineer costs, salesperson, etc. To help, you can check out our popular financial modeling tools here. Related Reading: Building A Startup Financial Model That Works Types of Seed Funding for Startups There are a few types of seed funding. For the sake of this post we will mostly talk about raising venture capital but to cover off on a few other options: Friends & Family One of the most common sources of seed funding comes from friends and families. This often follows a similar approach to the funnel discussed above but likely less intensive as you, the founder, likely have an existing relationship with this group. Keep in mind that you are investing their capital in a highly risky asset class and they need to be made aware of this situation. Crowdfunding Another form of “seed funding” that is becoming more popular is crowd funding. Sites like Republic and StartEngine allow startups to raise equity rounds from individuals so check sizes can be as little as $100. Non-Traditional Firms More firms are coming out with new financial instruments to offer as an alternative to venture capital. Earnest Capital is one of our favorites. Earnest Capital provides early-stage funding, resources and a network of experienced advisors to founders building sustainable profitable businesses. Earnest Capital uses their own financing instrument called a Shared Earnings Agreement (SEAL). Check out other non-traditional investment funds here. Related Resource: Advisory Shares Explained: Empowering Entrepreneurs and Investors Incubators As put by the team at TopMBA, “A startup incubator is a collaborative program designed to help new startups succeed. Incubators help entrepreneurs solve some of the problems commonly associated with running a startup by providing workspace, seed funding, mentoring, and training. The sole purpose of a startup incubator is to help entrepreneurs grow their business.” Incubators are hit or miss if they come with capital. Some will include a small injection of capital while others are solely resources to help founders get their business off the ground. Check out our list of incubators and startup studios here. Related resource: 10 Top Incubators for Startups in 2024 Accelerators As put by the team at Silicon Valley Bank, “Private startup accelerators do provide funding and the money helps cover early-stage business expenses, as well as travel and living expenses for the three-month residency at the in-person startup accelerators. However, the funds and guidance come at a price. Just like any other equity funding, signing an accelerator agreement typically means giving up a slice of your company. Startup accelerators generally take between 5% and 10% of your equity in exchange for training and a relatively small amount of funding.” Check out our list of active accelerators here. Angel Investors Angel investors are a great starting point for any founder. Similar to friends and family investors, an angel investor is an individual that is looking to diversify their investment portfolio and back intriguing startups. However, angel investors tend to be more seasoned professionals and generally have an understanding of the risks of investing in a startup. Related Resource: How to Effectively Find + Secure Angel Investors for Your Startup Corporate Seed Funding A newer form of seed funding is corporate venture arms and funds. As large corporations continue to seek innovation and new revenue streams, the development of corporate venture funds have become popular. Corporations generally partner with a proven VC (or launch a fund internally) and deploy capital across seed-stage companies that fit into the company's thesis or growth plans. How Long Does it Take to Raise Seed Capital Raising seed capital for a startup can be a burdensome process for founders. Brett Brohl of Bread & Butter Ventures, suggests five months to raise capital. It can be broken down into the following rules (which Brett calls the 1-3-1): One Month — Building investor lists and getting documents ready Three Months — Actively pitching and taking meetings with potential investors One Month — Closing investors and going through due diligence Brett's 1-3-1 rule is a great starting point. Other peers and investors will suggest a similar timeline — we typically see founders raise seed capital anywhere between three and nine months. Financing Options for Seed Rounds The different finance instruments and options available to founders raising a seed round can feel intimidating. There are countless options and different legal meanings that make things complicated. Seed round financing options can be broken into two buckets — convertible debt or SAFEs and equity. Convertible Debt & SAFEs Convertible debt and SAFEs have become the norm in the venture world over the last decade. YC popularizes SAFEs and has made templates available for startups across the globe. You can learn more about SAFEs in our post, "The Startup's Handbook to SAFE: Simplifying Future Equity Agreements." Equity Pure equity financing has become less common in the venture world since the emergence of SAFEs. Equity financing means setting a valuation and stock prices and selling new shares to investors. As always, we recommend consulting with a lawyer when determining the financing options that are best for your business. Related resource: Navigating Pro Rata Rights: Essential Insights for Startup Entrepreneurs How to Build Your Seed Round Pitch Deck Fundraising is very much a process. Along the way, there are tools and resources that founders can leverage to better tell their story. One of those tools is the pitch deck. Pitch decks are a powerful tool that can help you tell that story. Different investors will have different opinions about pitch decks. Some investors might want to receive them before a meeting, some might only want them sent via PDF or link, and some investors might not care if you have a pitch deck at all. A pitch deck is about the content that you are sharing. However, there is a fine line between beauty and functionality when building your seed stage pitch deck. Investors will likely have feedback that will require changes but you do want to display it in a meaningful way. To learn more about crafting the perfect pitch deck for your seed round check out our post, Our Favorite Seed Round Pitch Deck Template (and Why It Works). The 5 Most Important Elements of a Successful Pitch Deck There is no prescriptive pitch deck template that will work for every startup, but there are a few things investors generally want to and expect to see in a pitch deck: Concise & Compelling — you want your pitch deck to give investors the information they need in a concise and straightforward way. This includes your problem and solution. Related: How to Write a Problem Statement [Startup Edition] The Market — investors want to understand the market you are operating in and why you have an opportunity to seize a large percentage of the market and become a large company. Related: How to Model Total Addressable Market (Template Included) Acquisition Model — going hand-in-hand with the market is your acquisition model. You want to demonstrate to investors that you have a clear and scalable way to attract new customers. Related: Pitch Deck 101: The Go-to-Market and Customer Acquisition Slide Financials — Some investors will want to see financial projections and others might not care at the seed stage because they are typically wrong. So why include them? Investors want to see how you think about your future and are thinking through metrics and models correctly. Related: Building A Startup Financial Model That Works Traction — While it might be limited at the seed stage, investors want to see what you’ve done to date. What product have you built, customers, attracted, and more. Use Visible to share your pitch deck. Once you’ve built out your target list of investors, you can start sharing your pitch deck with them directly from Visible. You can customize your sharing settings (like email-gated, password-gated, etc.) and even add your domain. Give it a try here. How to Choose Investors for Seed Funding Once you have defined what your ideal investor looks like it is time to start researching, finding, and contacting them. To find the right investors we suggest browsing different databases and networks to find your perfect fit. You may already have investors in mind or have networked with investors in the past — awesome start! If you want to continue to find investors, Visible Connect is our free database built by founders, for founders. Visible Connect allows founders to find active investors using the fields we have found most valuable (like check size, geography, traction metrics, etc.). As you begin to browse and find investors for your startup, we suggest keeping tabs on them. You most likely have an involved CRM or process to keep tabs on your current and potential customers. Should the same be true for your investors? This can be in the Visible Fundraising CRM (you can add investors directly from Connect into the CRM) or a simple Google Sheet. No matter what you decide, make sure you have a system in place to track and monitor conversations to make your life easier moving forward. Related Reading: How To Find Private Investors For Startups Building Your Investor List As you start to build your list of potential investors — we suggest breaking it down into 3 “tiers” — Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3. Tier 1 are the firms you believe to be most qualified, followed by tier 2 and 3. We highly encourage taking on these investors in “sets.” This means grouping investors in sets of ~5 (suggest trying to keep sets to 5 investors or less) so you have the opportunity to better evaluate and tailor your pitch as you move through your sets. As a rule of thumb, you’ll want to make sure you mix in Tier 1, 2, and 3 investors in each “set.” For example, if you pitch all of the Tier 1 investors in the first set, you’ll potentially miss an opportunity to tailor your pitch and only be left with less qualified (Tier 2 and 3) investors. Related Reading: What is an Incubator? What is the Difference Between Seed vs. Series A Funding? Series A funding is the next jump in a company’s funding lifecycle. In a seed round is the first capital into a business, a “Series A” is generally the next round of capital. As we defined in our Startup Funding Stages post, Series A funding is: “When a company is first founded, stock options are generally sold to the company’s founders, those close to them, and angel investors. After this, a preferred stock can be sold to investors in the form of a Series A. Series A allows investors to get in early with a business that they truly believe in. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship for both the company and the future stock holders.” When a company reaches their “Series A” they likely have product-market fit and are ready to scale their business to a $1M or more in revenue. At Series A you likely have solid revenue in place and a scaleable plan to bring on more customer sand revenue whereas at the seed round you may have little to no revenue. A seed round is used to demonstrate your product, service, or team can seize a market. A series A round is used to scale the product, service, or team to attack and scale in your market (or a new market). Additional Seed Funding Resources There are hundreds of resources out there to help you raise your seed round. At the end of the day the more entrepreneurs that raise capital the better the startup ecosystem does as a whole. At Visible, we do our best to curate and write the best resources to improve a founders chances of success. Here are a few of our favorite resources to help founders improve their odds of raising venture capital: Everything a Startup Founder NEEDS to Know about Pro Rata Rights Check out our guide and tips for handling pro rata rights during an early stage fundraise and negotiation. Our Favorite Seed Round Pitch Deck Template (and Why It Works) In our guide, we share a step-by-step guide to help build your seed round pitch deck. Plus, we offer a direct download to the template so you can get started immediately. Our Startup Funding Stages Guide Our in-depth guide covering all things related to the startup funding lifecycle. Understand what it takes to go from seed stage funding to Series A and later. Building A Startup Financial Model That Works Templates and resources to help you build your first financial model for your startup. In order to improve your odds of raising capital you need to understand the ins and outs of your business. Our Guide to Sending Your First Investor Update Tips and best practices for using investor updates to leverage your current and potential investors to help with fundraising, hiring, and strategic decision-making. Visible Connect: Our Investor Database Browse our investor database that is hand curated by the team at Visible. We include the fields and filters we find most important when searching for new investors. Visible Lite: Pre-Traction Template This template is intended for companies that are pre-traction/revenue. Even if it is simple, sending Updates from day 1 is a great way to stay top of your investors mind’s moving forward. We hope this guide is helpful to you as you kick off your seed round. To get your fundraise started check out Visible Connect, our investor database. Automatically add your investors into a pipeline to manage conversation and engagements so you can focus on building your business. Related resource: Top Creator Economy Startups and the VCs That Fund Them Kick Off Your Seed Round With Visible We believe a VC fundraise mirrors a B2B sales motion. The fundraising process starts by finding qualified investors (top of the funnel) and building relationships (middle of the funnel) with the goal of them writing a check (bottom of the funnel). Just as a sales team has dedicated tools for their day-to-day, founders need dedicated tools for managing the most expensive asset they have, equity. Our community can now find investors, track a fundraise, and share a pitch deck, directly from Visible. Give Visible a free try for 14 days here.