Disrupting disruption with disruptive disruptions since 2010.
Someone who talks about starting a company the way other people talk about going to the gym -- constantly, passionately, and with absolutely no intention of following through. Their startup is always launching next month, and next month is always next month.
A referral to an investor through a trusted mutual connection, as opposed to cold outreach. The difference between getting a response and having your email automatically archived.
A financing so dilutive that existing shareholders are essentially wiped out, often following multiple bridge rounds and broken promises. The financial equivalent of starting over but with more emotional baggage.
An introduction to an investor or customer through a mutual connection, vastly more effective than cold outreach. The difference between your email being read and being instantly deleted by an EA.
A spreadsheet model showing how acquisition proceeds flow to different shareholders based on liquidation preferences and other terms—usually revealing that founders get far less than their ownership percentage suggests. It's where equity dreams go to die.
Options for investors to purchase additional equity at a predetermined price, typically sweetening deals when a startup is desperate or when investors have serious FOMO about missing upside. The financial equivalent of a rain check.
A market opportunity that nobody has thoroughly exploited yet, either because it's genuinely undiscovered or because nobody cares.
When founders get a waiver from anti-dilution adjustments because they dilute themselves (or the math is too ugly). Technical term for 'let's not do this.'
A moderate anti-dilution clause that factors in both the down round price and the number of new shares issued—less devastating for founders than full ratchet but still painful.
Low-fidelity sketches of how a user interface will work, before high-fidelity design. It's the cheapest way to validate UX before wasting designer time.
The order in which classes of stock get paid in an exit event, determining who gets what money from the sale. The reason cap table lawyers exist and make inexplicably high hourly rates.
Starting with a narrow, focused product in a niche market, then expanding horizontally once you dominate that niche—the startup version of 'start small, think big.'