Although it seems raising as much venture capital as humanly possible is Silicon Valley's mantra, there are reasons to be cautious when signing termsheets. Startups raising a couple of million dollars had a median exit price of more than $10 million, while the outcome for those raising double that was [...] read »  Last week we took a look at all the news around small business lending and spoke with Merchant Cash & Capital’s (MCC) Stephen Sheinbaum to get his take. I’m convinced alternative small business funders are here to stay, and although I received an email or two questioning why I would be interviewing someone from the merchant cash space, I think Sheinbaum offers a great perspective on what’s happening in small business lending. read »  Many businesses get trapped at the $10 million in revenue milestone, running out of gas for all sorts of reasons. So where does the necessary fuel come from to get to next crest, the $100 million mark? read »  Investors love cold, hard facts. But they remember stories. read »  Every business has its bumps, and when it comes to raising capital, the hurdles can seem higher than ever. So how do you break through and nab that needed referral for funding? VC Theresia Gouw explains how it's done. read »  It's hard to imagine that just two years ago, the Oculus Rift—a virtual reality device that's been called "the future of gaming"—was just an idea in its founders' minds. But after raising $2.4 million on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter in September 2012, tech startup Oculus VR was able to launch its vision in earnest. That funding was a critical step in the development of the Oculus Rift and a major step toward the company's $2 billion acquisition by Facebook. This story and others like it are[...] read »  When you invest in a private equity fund or make an angel investment, you are told in big bold letters that this is an illiquid investment and you should not expect to touch that money again for at least 5 to 10 years. read »  Five valuable things investors with operational experience bring to the table. read »  You get what you pay for -- especially when you decide to offshore your company's mobile app. Here are some red flags to look out for if you decide to take the risk. read »  If you pay any attention to the industry press, it sure looks that way. The recent commitment by Wells Fargo Bank to lend $100 billion (and yes, that’s with a ‘B’) to small businesses in the United States by 2018 is a bold move for one of the biggest traditional lenders. It would appear that there are some traditional lenders (Wells Fargo for example) for whom the light bulb has clicked on and they’ve remembered the important role small business plays in creating jobs and[...] read »
How do small-to-medium-size companies face their biggest challenges and make the most of their resources? Insights and lessons from dynamic entrepreneurs.