To Our Clients & Friends: Welcome to our weekly series “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.
Today, as a bonus to the Mark Zuckerberg clip posted on Monday, we present startup guru Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator and a very smart guy. Indeed, I was discussing Paul last night during my presentation to the Lean Startup Circle in Portland. In this interesting, recent four-minute clip (courtesy of TechCrunch), Paul discusses, among other things, (i) how negotiating leverage has shifted to the founders in connection with angel financings; (ii) how much cheaper it is to launch a startup these days; and (iii) how it is becoming “social acceptable” to launch a startup. I hope you enjoy it. Many thanks, Scott
I’m using Twitter as a form of micro-blogging to share interesting blog posts, articles and podcasts relating to entrepreneurship & startups, mergers & acquisitions, and business & corporate law issues.
For those of you who missed this week’s Twitter updates, below are my five most popular tweets (via bit.ly) and my blog-related tweets. If you’d like to see all of my tweets (or an RSS feed of them), you can do so here. Thanks, Scott
I’m using Twitter as a form of micro-blogging to share interesting blog posts, articles and podcasts relating to entrepreneurship & startups, mergers & acquisitions, and business & corporate law issues.
For those of you who missed this week’s Twitter updates, below are my five most popular tweets (via bit.ly) and my blog-related tweets. If you’d like to see all of my tweets (or an RSS feed of them), you can do so here. Thanks, Scott
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 startup guru Steve Blank, a retired, highly-successful serial entrepreneur (with 30+ years of venture experience), and currently a Consulting Professor at Stanford and blogger extraordinaire. In this interesting, short clip (courtesy of Stanford University’s Entrepreneurship Corner – 11/11/09), Steve discusses his checklist for entrepreneurs launching a venture, including (i) what’s the opportunity? (ii) where’s the innovation? and (iii) who’s the customer? I hope you enjoy it. Many thanks, Scott
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 Jerry Kaplan, a serial entrepreneur, technical innovator and author of “Startup–A Silicon Valley Adventure.” In this solid seven-minute clip (courtesy of Stanford University’s Entrepreneurship Corner), Jerry discusses the “five biggest mistakes that entrepreneurs make,” including (i) having unclear goals; (ii) trying to prove that they are smart; and (iii) doing it for the money. I hope you enjoy it. Many thanks, Scott
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). 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
The purpose of this post is expand upon my answer to the question on Quora:
“What should you do as a startup when a Bay Area VC insists that you use their expensive legal counsel?”
Mark Suster, a VC at GRP Partners, has also written and spoken about how he likes to “share” his legal counsel with the startup in which he is investing. My advice to entrepreneurs is clear: push back hard on this issue and choose your own strong, independent legal counsel – i.e., a law firm that’s going to work hard to protect you and watch your back.
Walker Twitter Highlights: August 29th – September 4th
by Scott Edward Walker on September 5th, 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
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
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
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
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
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
What Are the 5 Biggest Mistakes that Startups Make Regarding IP?
by Scott Edward Walker on 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.
“Ask the Business Attorney”: What Are the Most Common Mistakes Startups Make Dealing with VC’s?
by Scott Edward Walker on 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
“Ask the Business Attorney” – Will the New Financial Reform Bill Destroy Angel Investing?
by Scott Edward Walker on 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
I’m using Twitter as a form of micro-blogging to share interesting articles, blog posts and podcasts relating to entrepreneurship, business 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
“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.
I’m using Twitter as a form of micro-blogging to share interesting articles, blog posts and podcasts relating to entrepreneurship, business 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
I’m using Twitter as a form of micro-blogging to share interesting articles, blog posts and podcasts relating to entrepreneurship, business 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 my 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
I am using Twitter as a form of microblogging to share insightful articles, blog posts and podcasts relating to entrepreneurship, mergers & acquisitions, and business and corporate law issues.
For those of you who missed this week’s Twitter updates, below you’ll find highlights of our top tweets. If you’d like to see all of our tweets (or an RSS feed of them), you can do so here.
If you have any questions or comments with respect to any of the tweets below, please contact me through the comments section of this post. Many thanks, Scott
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.
For those of you who missed this week’s Twitter updates, below you’ll find highlights of our top tweets. If you would like to see all of our tweets (or an RSS feed of them), you can do so here.
If you have any questions or comments with respect to any of the tweets below, please contact us through the comments section of this post. Many thanks, Scott
Walker Twitter Highlights: February 28th – March 6th
by Scott Edward Walker on March 7th, 2010
For those of you who missed this week’s Twitter updates, below you’ll find highlights of our top tweets. If you would like to see all of our tweets (or if you would like to receive an RSS feed of them), you can do so here.
If you have any questions or comments with respect to any of the tweets below, please contact us through the comments section of this post. Many thanks, Scott
For those of you who missed this week’s Twitter updates, below you’ll find highlights of our top tweets. If you would like to see all of our tweets (or if you would like to receive an RSS feed of them), you can do so here.
If you have any questions or comments with respect to any of the tweets below, please contact us through the comments section of this post. Many thanks, Scott
For those of you who missed this week’s Twitter updates, below you’ll find highlights of our top tweets. If you would like to see all of our tweets (or if you would like to receive an RSS feed of them), you can do so here.
If you have any questions or comments with respect to any of the tweets below, please contact us through the comments section of this post. Many thanks, Scott
Walker Twitter Highlights: November 30th – December 5th
by Scott Edward Walker on December 6th, 2009
For those of you who missed this week’s Twitter updates, below you’ll find highlights of our top tweets. If you would like to see all of our tweets (or if you would like to receive an RSS feed of them), you can do so here.
If you have any questions or comments with respect to any of the tweets below, please contact us through the comments section of this post. Many thanks, Scott (more…)
For those of you who do not follow Walker Corporate Law Group, PLLC (Walker) on Twitter, I have set forth below highlights of our tweets for the past seven days (in reverse chronological order). I indeed hope that a few of the links to articles, blog posts, podcasts and videos are helpful to our clients and friends. If you would like to follow Walker on Twitter (or if you would like to receive an RSS feed of our tweets), you can sign-up here. You can also check out the recent tweets of some of the entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and others Walker is following by clicking their photos on such page. If you have any questions or comments (or if you would like any additional information) with respect to any of the tweets below, please contact me through the comments section of this post. Many thanks, Scott (more…)
For those of you who do not follow Walker Corporate Law Group, PLLC (Walker) on Twitter, I have set forth below highlights of our tweets for the past seven days (in reverse chronological order). I indeed hope that a few of the links to articles, blog posts, podcasts and videos are helpful to our clients and friends. If you would like to follow Walker on Twitter (or if you would like to receive an RSS feed of our tweets), you can sign-up here. You can also check out the recent tweets of some of the entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and others Walker is following by clicking their photos on such page. If you have any questions or comments (or if you would like any additional information) with respect to any of the tweets below, please contact me through the comments section of this post. Many thanks, Scott (more…)
For those of you who do not follow Walker Corporate Law Group (Walker) on Twitter, I have set forth below highlights of our tweets for the past seven days (in reverse chronological order). I indeed hope that a few of the links to articles, blog posts, podcasts and videos are helpful to our clients and friends. If you would like to follow Walker on Twitter (or if you would like to receive an RSS feed of our tweets), you can sign-up here. You can also check out the recent tweets of some of the entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and others Walker is following by clicking their photos on such page. If you have any questions or comments (or if you would like any additional information) with respect to any of the tweets below, please contact me through the comments section of this post. Many thanks, Scott
For those of you who do not follow Walker Corporate Law Group (Walker) on Twitter, I have set forth below highlights of our tweets for the past seven days (in reverse chronological order). I indeed hope that a few of the links to articles, blog posts, podcasts and videos are helpful to our clients and friends. If you would like to follow Walker on Twitter (or if you would like to receive an RSS feed of our tweets), you can sign-up here. You can also check out the recent tweets of some of the entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and others Walker is following by clicking their photos on such page. If you have any questions or comments (or if you would like any additional information) with respect to any of the tweets below, please contact me through the comments section of this post. Many thanks, Scott (more…)
Walker Twitter Highlights: September 27th – October 3rd
by Scott Edward Walker on October 3rd, 2009
For those of you who do not follow Walker Corporate Law Group (Walker) on Twitter, I have set forth below highlights of our tweets for the past seven days. Indeed, I hope that a few of the links to articles, blog posts, podcasts and videos are helpful to our clients and friends. If you would like to follow Walker on Twitter (or if you would like to receive an RSS feed of our tweets), you can sign-up here. You can also check out the recent tweets of some of the entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and others Walker is following by clicking their photos on such page. If you have any questions or comments (or if you would like any additional information) with respect to any of the tweets below, please contact me through the comments section of this post. Many thanks, Scott
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…)
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