Posts Tagged ‘startup’
Wednesday, September 1st, 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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Tags: 10X, attorney, DCF, entrepreneur, John Doerr, liquidation preference, return, startup, valuation, vc, venture
Posted in Ask the Attorney, VC Issues | View Comments
Sunday, August 29th, 2010
I’m using Twitter as a form of micro-blogging to share interesting articles, blog posts and podcasts relating to entrepreneurship, startup and corporate law issues, and mergers & acquisitions.
For those of you who missed this week’s Twitter updates, below are my five most popular tweets (via bit.ly) and two most popular blog-related tweets. If you’d like to see all of my tweets (or an RSS feed of them), you can do so here. Many thanks, Scott
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Tags: coders, entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship, founder, high-tech, Marc Andreessen, mergers, participating preferred, quora, Series A, startup, twitter, Twitter Highlights
Posted in Twitter Highlights | View Comments
Wednesday, 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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Tags: entrepreneur, liquidation preference, liquidation preferences, multiple, participating preferred, pre, pre-money valuation, preferred stock, startup, valuation, vc
Posted in Ask the Attorney, VC Issues | View Comments
Monday, August 23rd, 2010
To Our Clients & Friends: Welcome to our weekly series entitled “Helping Entrepreneurs Succeed.” Each week, we post a short video clip of a successful entrepreneur, investor or business leader on a variety of topics to help entrepreneurs succeed.
This week, we present Marc Andreessen, a brilliant entrepreneur and co-founder and general partner of the venture capital firm, Andreessen Horowitz; he is also co-founder and chairman of Ning. In this interesting, three-minute clip (courtesy of Stanford University’s Entrepreneurship Corner), Marc discusses (i) how to attract top talent to your startup and (ii) the hiring process generally. I hope you enjoy it. Many thanks, Scott
Tags: Andreessen Horowitz, entrepreneur, entrepreneurs, hiring, investor, Marc Andreessen, startup
Posted in Helping Entrepreneurs Succeed, Startup Issues | View Comments
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010
Introduction
This post was originally part of my “Ask the Attorney” series which I am writing for VentureBeat (one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs). Below is a longer, more comprehensive version.
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Tags: confidential, entrepreneurs, founder, intellectual property, invention, invention assignment agreement, IP, mark, offer letter, protection, startup, trade secret, trademark, USPTO
Posted in Ask the Attorney, Startup Issues | View Comments
Wednesday, July 28th, 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. Please feel free to call me directly if you have any questions (415-979-9998). Thanks, Scott
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Tags: attorney, business attorney, cold calls, entrepreneur, iquidation preference, M&, NDA, option pool, pre, start-up, startup, startups, valuation, vc, vc firm, venture
Posted in Ask the Attorney, VC Issues | View Comments
Wednesday, July 21st, 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. 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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Tags: accredited, accredited investors, business attorney, Dodd, Form D, new worth, private placement, Regulation D, rescission, Rule 506, SEC, securities laws, startup
Posted in Angel Issues, Ask the Attorney | View Comments
Wednesday, 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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Tags: accredited investors, broker, business attorney, convertible notes, diligencing, finder, Form D, investors, preferred stock, SEC, securities laws, securities lawyer, startup, unregistered finder
Posted in Ask the Attorney, Securities Law Issues | View Comments
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010
Introduction
I had originally intended to discuss “Series FF” stock in today’s post (as a follow-up to last week’s post regarding “Class F” stock); however, I had several telephone calls in the past few days with respect to the issue of choice of entity for startups and thought it would be helpful to get this post up.
Indeed, one of the most important early decisions an entrepreneur must make in connection with his or her venture is the choice of entity. There are basically six choices: (1) sole proprietorship, (2) general partnership, (3) limited partnership, (4) C corporation, (5) S corporation or (6) limited liability company. Below is a discussion of each entity, including a basic description, the advantages and disadvantages, the ideal candidate/business for such entity, the cost to set-up such entity and the most important take-away.
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Tags: c corporation s corporation, choice of entity, corporation, entity, entrepreneurs, formation, limited liability, limited liability company, LLC, Neil Patel, partnership, pass-through, personal liability, shield, sole proprietorship, startup, tax treatment, venture capital
Posted in Startup Issues | View Comments
Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
Below are ten tips for entrepreneurs who are launching a start-up that will seek venture capital (“VC”) financing.
1. Protect Yourself from Personal Liability. The entrepreneur’s first step in connection with launching a start-up should be to form an organization that will protect against personal liability. As discussed below, a Delaware C-corporation is the structure that VC investors will generally require; however, if a financing is not imminent, it may be prudent for the entrepreneur to form an S-corporation or a limited liability company to obtain “pass-through” tax treatment (and then convert the entity to a C-corporation down the road, if necessary) to take advantage of the company’s initial losses, if applicable. The bottom line is that the entrepreneur should seek the advice of counsel in connection with the formation of any business organization, including the advice of tax counsel (e.g., shareholders in S-corporations — as opposed to C-corporations — are not eligible for the “qualified small business stock” capital gains tax break; and losses in C-corporations may be deductible up to $50,000/yr. or $100,000/yr. on a joint return with respect to “Section 1244 stock”). (more…)
Tags: entrepreneurs, intellectual property, Rule 506, Rule 701, securities laws, startup, stock option, venture, venture capital, vesting
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Securities Law Issues, Startup Issues | View Comments