Raising capital for your startup can be an intimidating process. Not only is money hard to get — especially from venture capital firms — but even pursuing it requires extensive preparation and positioning. This post covers some expert advice from Lighter Capital CEO BJ Lackland about how to best position yourself to pursue funding from VCs, angel investors, alternative funders, and other sources. Some of the items on the list are logistical items like having your unit economi

Seeking funding for your startup? Of course, you know you’ll need to present your financials to prospective investors. But what does that mean, exactly? While there’s no one formula for how to lay out your numbers, there are some basic elements that you should include, even if just on a single slide in your pitch deck. But of course if funders are interested in your business, you’ll need to get more detailed. Here are the basics you’ll need to provide no matter what stage of

At my first startup, the CEO would run through financials at every other company meeting. She would tell us our revenue, how it was tracking to our monthly and yearly goals. She would remind us of standard expenses and highlight any major one-offs, like a move to a new office space or a big push at SXSW. The company had a profit share, so understanding the financials meant understanding how we could work harder and smarter to put more money in our pockets. I had never worked

As our Chief Investment Officer, I’ve been involved in many of the 150+ funding deals we’ve completed, as well as many deals that never went through. I’ve seen some wacky stuff when it comes to startup financials: hand-built spreadsheets that are a cross between an income statement and a balance sheet. Personal finances completely intertwined with company finances. Unbalanced balance sheets. Incorrect formulae. We have so many great companies and leaders apply for funding fro