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Financing Growth. Alex F. DeNoble, Ph.D. San Diego State University MEET U.S. Program. The Fund-raising Challenge:. Raising funds is like a chess match. The entrepreneur must constantly think ahead to the next fundable milestone. This challenge raises 2 fundamental questions:
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Financing Growth Alex F. DeNoble, Ph.D. San Diego State University MEET U.S. Program
The Fund-raising Challenge: Raising funds is like a chess match. The entrepreneur must constantly think ahead to the next fundable milestone. Thischallenge raises 2 fundamental questions: • What does my company have to look like at the next fundable milestone? • What must I do to get the company ready for the next fundable milestone? MEET U.S.
Growth of a Firm • Firms evolve through lifecycle stages • Each stage is characterized by: • New strategic challenges and issues • Evolving managerial skill requirements • Changing levels & types of risks • Changing financial requirements MEET U.S.
Value Drivers by Stage of Development MEET U.S.
Seed / Development Phase Defining, refining and testing products & markets Gaining credibility Customers Suppliers Investors Attracting critical talent Establishing logistics & distribution channels Growth Phase Building an organization Infrastructure Policies Procedures Managing people Recruit Train Retain Managing Customers & Markets Raising Capital Challenges of a Growing Firm MEET U.S.
Types of Equity Capital • Savings and other personal assets • Friends, family and fools (the 3 F’s) • Angel Investors • Angel Syndicates • Venture Capital Firms • Strategic Corporate Partners • The Public Markets • Corporate Buyout MEET U.S.
Venture Capital Funds Flow Portfolio Cos. Pension funds $ $ Insurance cos $ $ Venture Capital Fund $ Individuals $ $ $ $ Corporations MEET U.S.
Harvesting the Venture Fund Portfolio Cos. Pension funds Insurance cos Venture Capital Fund Individuals Corporations Return on Investment MEET U.S.
Deal Structure Issues: Objectives of Equity Investors • Maximum Return (IRR; Xreturn) • Large Equity participation • Liquidity • IPO • Merger or Trade Sale • Put back to the Company • Hedge Risk MEET U.S.
Financial instruments Control Keep founders and motivate them Avoid litigation Voice in management Control over major events Protect proprietary information Preemptive & first refusal rights Antidilution provisions Covenants (negative & affirmative) How Equity Investors Hedge Risks MEET U.S.
Deal Structure Issues: Founder’s Objectives • Keep as much equity as possible • Minimize dilution • Keep control of operations • Incentives for founders & key employees • Quality investors with deep pockets • Keep restrictions to a minimum • Force conversion of preferred to common as soon as possible MEET U.S.
Deal Structure Issues: Company’s Needs • Minimum funds to get to next milestone • Balance Sheet Considerations • Debt vs equity • Simple capital structure • Availability of conventional financing • Cash flow & income statement considerations • Future Needs • Current Investors vs future investors • Other sources of cash MEET U.S.
Art Management Investors Location The Story The Deal Science Market Competition Technology Proprietary position Financial requirements Valuation Art vs. Science of Equity Investing Source: Brian Dovey, Partner, Domain Associates MEET U.S.
Science: Market • Size/Unmet Need • Customer requirements • Customer loyalty • Sales cycle • Price sensitivity Source: Brian Dovey, Partner, Domain Associates MEET U.S.
Science: Competition • Who else is out there? • What is their edge? • What is your unfair advantage? • How long can you sustain this unfair advantage? Source: Brian Dovey, Partner, Domain Associates MEET U.S.
Science: Technology • What do other experts think about the business? • How many technical things must go right for it to be a success? • Is it breakthrough or incremental? Source: Brian Dovey, Partner, Domain Associates MEET U.S.
Science: Proprietary Position • What is patentable and is it worth patenting? • Are you free to practice your art? • Can you block others? • What should stay a trade secret? • Is there a cohesive strategy to move the product to market? Source: Brian Dovey, Partner, Domain Associates MEET U.S.
Science: Financial Requirements • How much money is needed to reach the next financeable milestone? • Do you believe them? • What happens when that doesn’t happen? Source: Brian Dovey, Partner, Domain Associates MEET U.S.
Science: Valuation • Who are you selling to? • What might they be willing to pay? • Run some numbers as a reality check • What type of return will justify the risk? Source: Brian Dovey, Partner, Domain Associates MEET U.S.
Art: Management • Do they have the right people? • Can they recruit the right people? • Can you work with them? • Are they bureaucrats? • How do they work up and down the organization? • Can they tell the right story to the right audience? • Is the chemistry right? Source: Brian Dovey, Partner, Domain Associates MEET U.S.
Art: Investors • How much is the corporation willing to risk? • Are other investors interested in the deal? • Are there investors from previous rounds still investing? • Do the investors have experience in this industry? Source: Adapted from Brian Dovey, Partner, Domain Associates MEET U.S.
Art: Location • Will it be easy to recruit senior management to your location? • Will it be easy to recruit new employees when you need them? • Are there potential acquirers around? Source: Brian Dovey, Partner, Domain Associates MEET U.S.
Art: The Story • Is it compelling? • Is it understandable? • Is it differentiable? • Can it be told in 15 minutes or less? Source: Brian Dovey, Partner, Domain Associates MEET U.S.
Art: The Deal • How do you and others value the company? • Is it destined to be public or acquired? • Do you syndicate? With whom? • Who are you competing with for the deal? • Don’t forget the management pool • Is a “staged financing” appropriate? Source: Brian Dovey, Partner, Domain Associates MEET U.S.
Value-Added Benefits of VCs • Obtaining additional equity financing • Recruiting and selecting additional member of the management team • Interfacing with other investors • Monitoring financial performance • Serve as a sounding board to team • Monitor operating performance • Formulating business strategy Source: Ehrlich, De Noble, Moore & Weaver, 1994 MEET U.S.
Exit Strategy Some options include: • Going public • Selling the business • A stock buy-back at the going rate • Leveraged buy-out • Second round of investment Source: Ehrlich, De Noble, Moore & Weaver, 1994 MEET U.S.
Source: Guy Kawasaki The Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs MEET U.S.
Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs # 10 Entrepreneur “Our Projections are conservative” Investor “Multiply this forecast by .1 and add five years” Source: Guy Kawasaki MEET U.S.
Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs #9 Entrepreneur “IDC (or Jupiter or Yankee Group or Gartner Group) forecasts that our market will be $50 billion by 2003” Investor “This is the fifth $50 billion market I’ve heard about today” Source: Guy Kawasaki MEET U.S.
Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs #8 Entrepreneur “Amazon will sign our deal next week” Investor “Call me when you get Bezos’s signature” Source: Guy Kawasaki MEET U.S.
Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs #7 Entrepreneur “Key Employees are set to join us as soon as we get funded” Investor “Give me their phone numbers so I can verify this story” Source: Guy Kawasaki MEET U.S.
Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs #6 Entrepreneur “We have no competition” Investor “Either there is no market or you don’t know how to use a search engine” Source: Guy Kawasaki MEET U.S.
Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs #5 Entrepreneur “We need you to sign a non disclosure agreement” Investor “You’re clueless: no one signs a nondisclosure agreement” Source: Guy Kawasaki MEET U.S.
Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs #4 Entrepreneur “Cisco (or Oracle or HP or Sun) is too slow to be a threat” Investor “If arrogance were venture capital, your deal would be oversubscribed” Source: Guy Kawasaki MEET U.S.
Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs #3 Entrepreneur “We’re glad the bubble has burst” Investor “We are too, because your valuation just dropped 50%” Source: Guy Kawasaki MEET U.S.
Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs #2 Entrepreneur “Our patents make our business defensible” Investor “Hire more engineers, not patent attorneys” Source: Guy Kawasaki MEET U.S.
Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs #1 Entrepreneur “All we have to do is get 1% of the market” Investor “I want to fund a company that will get 99% of the market” Source: Guy Kawasaki MEET U.S.
Thank You MEET U.S.