Posts Tagged ‘preferred stock’

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Convertible Note Seed Financings (But Were Afraid To Ask) – Part 1

by Scott Edward Walker on April 9th, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction

We are in the golden age of seed financing.  Venture capital funds, seed funds, super angels, angel groups, incubators, and “friends and family” are all playing the seed financing game and investing early in startups in an attempt to land the next Facebook.

As a result, the pendulum has swung dramatically in the founders’ favor, and the issuance of convertible notes for seed financing has never been more prolific.  Indeed, as a corporate lawyer for 18+ years, I have seen this development first-hand.

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Raising Capital? 3 Tips for Entrepreneurs – Part 2

by Scott Edward Walker on September 21st, 2011

I’ve been helping entrepreneurs raise capital as a securities lawyer for 17+ years, and there are certain fundamental mistakes that I’ve seen entrepreneurs repeatedly make.  Accordingly, I thought it would be helpful to share three basic tips for entrepreneurs in connection with raising capital.  This is part two of a three-part series, which was originally published on The Huffington Post.

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Venture Capital Term Sheets – Redemption Rights

by Scott Edward Walker on July 7th, 2011

Introduction

This post originally appeared in the “Ask the Attorney” column I am writing for VentureBeat; it is part of my ongoing series regarding venture capital term sheets.  Here are the issues I have addressed to date:

In today’s post, I examine the redemption rights of investors.

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VC Term Sheets – Dividends

by Scott Edward Walker on March 3rd, 2011

Introduction

This post originally appeared as part of the “Ask the Attorney” series I am writing for VentureBeat.  Below is a longer, more comprehensive version, which is part of my series on venture capital term sheets.  Here are the issues I have addressed to date:

Today’s post relates to dividends and how to protect the company from over-reaching by the investors.

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What Is a Liquidation Preference?

by Scott Edward Walker on August 25th, 2010

Introduction

This post was originally part of my weekly “Ask the Attorney” series which I am writing for VentureBeat (one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs).  Please shoot me any questions you may have in the comments section – or feel free to call me directly at 415-979-9998.  Many thanks, Scott

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“Ask the Business Attorney” – What Are the Biggest Legal Mistakes Startups Make Raising Capital?

by Scott Edward Walker on July 7th, 2010

Introduction

This post was originally part of my “Ask the Attorney” series which I am writing for VentureBeat; below is a longer, more comprehensive version.  I know this stuff tends to be very technical (and perhaps boring), but it is nevertheless critical that entrepreneurs have a basic understanding of the securities laws.

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“Ask the Attorney” – Series FF Stock

by Scott Edward Walker on April 21st, 2010

Introduction

This post is part of my weekly “Ask the Attorney” series which I am writing for VentureBeat (one of the most popular websites for entrepreneurs).  As the VentureBeat Editor notes on the site: “Ask the Attorney is a new VentureBeat feature allowing start-up owners to get answers to their legal questions.”  Below is a longer, more comprehensive version.  Please give me your input in the comments section.  Many thanks, Scott

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Webinar for Entrepreneurs: Venture Capital Term Sheets (Plus More)

by Scott Edward Walker on April 15th, 2010

Introduction

My colleague, Susan Morgan, conducted a webinar yesterday with respect to venture capital term sheets for the “CFO University,” which is group of Chief Financial Officers convening monthly webinars via CFOwise.  As I have previously discussed, Susan recently joined our team and has strong financing experience, including 7+ years at Fenwick & West in Silicon Valley where she closed more than 30 financings.  (You can learn more about Susan’s background on her bio page.)  In conjunction with the webinar, Susan also wrote a brief post on convertible notes.  You can see the webinar and read the post below.  Many thanks, Scott

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“Ask the Attorney” – Types of Angel Financing

by Scott Edward Walker on February 17th, 2010

Introduction

This post is part of a weekly series called “Ask the Attorney,” which I am writing for VentureBeat (one of the most popular websites for entrepreneurs).  As the VentureBeat Editor notes on the site: “Ask the Attorney is a new VentureBeat feature allowing start-up owners to get answers to their legal questions.”

I have two goals here: (i) to encourage entrepreneurs to ask law-related questions regardless of how basic they may be; and (ii) to provide helpful responses in plain English (as opposed to legalese).  Cheers, Scott

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Angel Financings: Five Tips for Entrepreneurs – Part 2

by Scott Edward Walker on December 16th, 2009

Introduction

This is part two of my two-part series on angel financings.  In part one, I provided the following five tips for entrepreneurs: (i) push for the issuance of convertible notes; (ii) understand the key business terms; (iii) diligence the angel(s); (iv) never subject yourself to personal liability; and (v) comply with applicable securities laws.  Below are five additional tips for entrepreneurs to help them through the angel financing process.  Obviously, this is still a difficult environment in which to raise capital; however, I am confident that 2010 will bring greener pastures.

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