The State of Canadian SaaS
I was in Ottawa recently to present my thoughts on the state of the Canadian SaaS industry. The fact that 500 people showed…
Ask @StartupCFO: How do I solve for ‘platform conflict’?
One of the biggest challenges in building SMB SaaS companies is distribution. There are so many small businesses out there.…
Ask @StartupCFO: What makes a good buyout target?
In a prior post, I made the case for why founders (and their investors) should consider a buyout rather than a strategic exit.…
Ask @StartupCFO: Should I consider a buyout?
Typically, when founders and management teams think about their exit strategy, they are thinking about selling to a strategic…
Ask @StartupCFO: Are there any downsides to earn-outs?
It’s quite common in mergers & acquisitions for deals to get structured such that some of the price gets paid on closing,…
Ask @StartupCFO: What’s the path to an acquihire?
No one starts a company in order to sell it for talent. But unfortunately, not everyone makes it to the Unicorn promised land,…
Ask @StartupCFO: How do I approach my exit strategy?
There’s a strange dance that startups weave when it comes time to think about exit strategy. If you actually approach buyers…
Ask @StartupCFO: When should I ask for annual prepayment?
When I am talking with SaaS founders the discussion frequently turns to the pros and cons of asking customers to prepay their…
Ask @StartupCFO: Am I settling when it comes to driving company performance?
I was with one of my CEOs this morning. As we walked through the highs and lows of his business I made a suggestion that I…
Ask @StartupCFO: should I talk to corporate development?
Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator, is a smart dude. Founders rightfully listen to what he has to say. One of his many…
Ask @StartupCFO: How do I deal with ‘mentor whiplash’?
Back in my VC days we ran the FounderFuel accelerator. Our program was blessed with many strong mentors. We regularly brought…
Ask @StartupCFO: When should you get on the VC train?
I think we can all agree that the startup industry pays too much attention to VC. Our conferences, press, and tweets are dominated…
@StartupCFO explains the long, winding road to a closed funding round
The typical way that startups raise capital is to wait until they have 6 months of runway and then start a roadshow. They put…
Ask @StartupCFO: How do you know when to exit your company?
When should you sell your company? It’s hard to think about a more important question. Sometimes you have no choice. If you’re…
Ask @StartupCFO: how do I make my pitch stand out to investors?
The blogosphere is littered with posts on how to prepare an investor pitch. Many VC firms have even posted their preferred…