The 1 Guide To Startup Valuation

When investors ask for a valuation, many founders choke. They stutter, stall or worse: ask the investor. The investor is puzzled. Founders can name the price for their product. Then why not for their shares? The #1 Guide to Startup Valuation hands you the tools to value your startup. You will learn: The difference between selling your shares and raising money Why investors buy your shares The 4 building blocks of startup valuation How to value your startup if you raise money with equity How many shares you have to give away when you do a convertible How to choose between one or multiple exit scenarios How to choose between a convertible with a discount and a discount and a cap How to choose between equity and convertible debt If you don

This book sheds new light on the most important contemporary and emerging startup valuation topics. Drawing on the first-hand professional experience of practitioners, professionals, and startup experts from various fields of finance, combined with a sound academic foundation, it offers a practical guide to startup valuation and presents applications, practical examples, and case studies of real startup ecosystems. The book discusses pressing questions, such as: Why are startups in California are higher valued than those in New York? Or why do startups based in London receive higher valuations than those in Paris, Berlin, or Milan, even when they are based in similarly-sized economies, share the same industries, and often even have the same investors? Answering these questions, the authors present key topics, such as hierarchical and segmented approaches to startup valuation, business plans, and sensitivity analysis, many methods such as venture capital valuation, first Chicago valuation, scorecard valuation, Dave Berkus valuation, risk factor summation valuation, and discounted cash flow valuation, in addition to business valuation by data envelopment analysis and real options analysis, as well as critical conceptual issues in the valuation such as expected returns of the venture capital and price versus value concepts, among others. The book will help angel investors, venture capitalists, institutional investors, crowd-based fractional investors, and investment fund professionals understand how to use basic and advanced analytics for a more precise valuation that helps them craft their long-term capital-raising strategy and keep their funding requests in perspective. It will also appeal to students and scholars of finance and business interested in a better understanding of startup valuation.

This updated edition includes several new features, including: · The Startup Valuation Explorer · Expanded coverage of Valuation Methods · Responding to investor questions about your valuation · Understanding option pool impact on your valuation For many early-stage entrepreneurs assigning a pre-money valuation to your startup is one of the more daunting tasks encountered during the fundraising quest. This guide provides a quick reference to all of the key topics around early-stage startup valuation and provides step-by-step examples for several valuation methods. This Founder’s Pocket Guide helps startup founders learn: • What a startup valuation is and when you need to start worrying about it. • Key terms and definitions associated with valuation, such as pre-money, post-money, and dilution. • How investors view the valuation task, and what their expectations are for early-stage companies. • How the valuation fits with your target raise amount and resulting founder equity ownership. • How to do the simple math for calculating valuation percentages. • How to estimate your company valuation using several accepted methods. • What accounting valuation methods are and why they are not well suited for early-stage startups.

This book offers a primer on the valuation of startups. Innovative startups are characterized by high growth potential that usually absorbs liquidity. This is unattractive for traditional banks, replaced by other specialized intermediaries such as venture capital or private equity funds, which diversify their portfolio basing their strategies on a multi-year exit. Startups coexist in an evolving ecosystem with established firms, to which they transfer innovativeness, technology, flexibility, and time-to-market speed, contributing to reinvent the business models and receiving from mature firms feedback on the current market features, the existing clients, and their unsatisfied needs. The valuation paradigms represent a central issue for any start-upper seeking external finance, either from family and friends or through a wider professional placement. This book, complemented by practical cases (concerning, for instance, FinTechs, digital platforms, and e-Health applications) offers a guide to practitioners, students, and academics about the trendy valuation patterns of the startups based on their strategic business planning

Valuing Early Stage and Venture-Backed Companies Unique in the overall sphere of business valuation, the valuing of early stage and venture-backed companies lacks the traditional metrics of cash flow, earnings, or even revenue at times. But without these metrics, traditional discounted cash flow models and comparison to public markets or private transactions take on less relevance, calling for a more "experiential" valuation approach. In a straightforward, no-nonsense manner, the mystique surrounding the valuation of early stage and venture-backed companies is now unveiled. With an emphasis on applications and models, Valuing Early Stage and Venture-Backed Companies shows the most effective way for your company to prepare and present its valuations. Featuring contributed chapters by a panel of top valuation experts, this book dispels improper valuation techniques promulgated by unknowing business appraisers and answers your key questions about valuation theory and which tools you need to successfully apply in your specific situation. Here, you'll find out more about various valuation techniques, including: "Back solving" valuation Modified cost approach Option pricing model Probability-weighted expected returns model Asian puts New data on discounts for lack of marketability Detailed and hands-on, Valuing Early Stage and Venture-Backed Companies equips you with broad foundational data on the venture capital industry, as well as in-depth analyses of distinct early stage company valuation approaches. Performing valuations for your early stage company requires an understanding of the special circumstances faced by your organization. With ample examples of generally accepted allocation models with complex capital structures common to early stage companies, Valuing Early Stage and Venture-Backed Companies mixes real-life experience with deep technical expertise to equip you with the complete, user-friendly resource you'll turn to often in valuing your early stage or venture-backed company.

Very few of the decision makers involved in a venture backed company have a definitive understanding of how valuation techniques are being applied to their financial statements and their decision making process. This casebook provides a quick and accurate road map on how valuation techniques used for tax, financial reporting and deal structure impact a company's past, present and future. The book includes real world case studies to simplify this complex subject for the practitioners serving companies, the founders and executives running the companies, and the investors that fund the companies.

In What Matters in Startup Valuation, Dr. Kenji Ng contributes two decades of experience into this essential book for anyone with an enterprising spirit and enthusiasm. As one of the startup-industry’s most tenacious, creative, and bold strategists, Dr. Kenji contributed to the leadership of one of the noughties' great corporate evolutions in Asia, by converting small, normal startup customers into zealous business evangelists and serial entrepreneurs. As the founder and director of a consultancy firm, an advisor for a private investment company, a strategic planning, and financial modeling & valuation specialist in the enterprise business, she has put her ideas to the test with dozens of newly formed partnerships and companies. Through her own initiatives, networks and enterprising influence, she has consulted countless businesses and helped various startups into achieving their dreams. When starting a new business, an entrepreneur's ultimate goal is to show that it can generate revenue. The company has proven itself when the developed product or service is a solution that clients require and utilise. This book will not only illustrate but also explain how startups and entrepreneurs may overcome significant uncertainty by prioritising important tasks, and raising sufficient fund for continuous growth of their startup ventures. Entrepreneurs have lofty goals but setting up a business for success needs foresight. Being reactive may lead to problems with clients or employees, as well as divert attention away from the ultimate goal of increasing productivity and revenues. Don't sweat the little stuff when it comes to matters that are beyond your control and have an impact on areas that you can influence. A lack of preparation might result in future problems that can bankrupt a business. For instance, failing to manage HR issues consistently may end in a lawsuit, whereas hiring a HR consultant may have completely avoided this predicament. Similarly, in the startup sector, collecting the appropriate and accurate information from verified sources and relevant personnel is critical to attaining startup goals; in this case, acquiring proper, adequate funding and establishing long-term sustainability, as well as thriving and prospering. Instead of sophisticated business strategies, this book will indicate a framework for startups to explore, analyse, and adjust their strategies in a continuous improvement cycle. Thus, the business model that the team advocates here, is a novel approach to new product/service creation, with an emphasis on quick iteration, consumer insights, creative vision, and tremendous ambition all at the same time.

This easy to follow guide helps startup founders understand the key moving parts of an investment term sheet, and review typical preferred share rights, preferences, and protections. Along the way, we also provide easy-to-follow examples for the most common calculations related to preferred share equity deals. Expanding on these fundraising concepts, this Founder’s Pocket Guide helps startup founders learn: What a term sheet is and how to summarize the most important deal terms for your fundraising and startup building goals. How preferred stock shares differ from common shares, with review of how each key preferred share right and preference is tied to the investor’s shares. Key terms and definitions associated with equity fundraising, such as pre-money valuation, founder dilution, and down round. How to decipher legalese associated with a term sheet deal, such as pro rata, fully diluted, and pari passu. The full list of the most common term sheet clauses, their plain English meaning, and their importance to an early-stage investment deal. Simple math for the key term sheet financial aspects, including calculating fully diluted shares outstanding, investor equity ownership percentages, and the impact of option pools on founder dilution. Example exit scenarios, showing how term sheet deal points impact how exit proceeds get divided among investors and founders.