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Feeling stuck and uncertain where to start my career
Hi, as the title hints, I'm feeling a bit lost and unsure in which direction I want to start my career in. To give some background: Completed my Bachelor’s at a European target university with above average grades. Took a gap year after graduating to get some more work experience through...
Startup Founders NYC Meetup
We're having an NYC meetup focused on startup founders and entrepreneurs. Past few times were great for building connections and learning. Message me for the invite link if you are interested When: Saturday March, 9th at 7pm Where: Bar in midtown Manhattan People in similar fields are welcome as...
Founders Associate
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Launching A Niche Factoring Business
I'm looking to launch a niche factoring business targeted towards SMB manufacturers. The core value prop is helping them manage cashflows by purchasing invoices with net 60/90-day payment terms. On paper, this seems like it would be a nice, niche, lifestyle business and solve a real problem, but I'm...
Is it worth building a non-tech startup business?
As we know, a lot of the hype in the past twenty or so years has been on technology startups — those that hit product market fit, can scale fast using code (rather than labour) and hit crazy valuations. However, is it worth even trying to start a business that's not a technology startup?...
How to improve your gaming startup's chances of getting investment?
There are a number of important aspects that give a project "weight" in the eyes of potential investors. For example, I believe that 70% of a startup's attractiveness lies in one way or another in the team of its founders. This is primarily about their entrepreneurial background and experience in...
Asking Startups Weird Questions in Diligence Calls
I was talking to a friend who works at a different VC firm than mine, and he brought up the fact that they will sometimes ask founders weird questions during diligence calls. These questions can range from somewhat mundane (just simply unusual during a diligence call) to very strange trick questions...
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Startup founder, now what? Recruitment advice.
Hey, Long time lurker. Would appreciate some insight from the community. I'm been an operator for four years having been a two-time co-founder, achieving venture-backing both times. In aggregate raising $6m seed capital. I attended a target school in the UK (Oxbridge) for undergraduate and garnered...
Venture Investors: Time Horizon for Projections in a Financial Model for a Series A/B stage company
Hi all, if you were preparing a financial model to do the following to project growth for your company, how far out would you take it for investors - 3 years, 5 years? The model will do the following: 1. Calculate Cash Burn / Runway / MoM Growth 2. Project outcomes for future investors Am kind of a...
Choosing Between Internships: Strategy intern @ branding/marketing tech startup VS Business Development intern @ Big4
I'm a rising junior aiming for strategy/management consulting and right now struggling to choose between 2 internships. Both are off-cycle, so I'll have to take a gap semester. In theory, which of these would look better on my resume? Which of these would help my networking more? Which of these...
What happens to the bad VCs?
I'm considering an offer at a top early-stage fund in my preferred vertical, but given I only have ~1 year of operating experience at an AI/ML unicorn, I feel like it's a risky play given that no one wants junior product talent (i.e. you need to have owned shipping a product from ideation to...
What content would you want to see in a VC themed TikTok page? **FOR FOUNDERS**
I would like to create a VC themed TikTok page and want to get a good understanding of what new/experienced startup founders want to watch. To be more specific I would be very grateful if you could give me some ideas for content which you think will be helpful for founders to get to know more about...
How useful is experience at a startup backed by top VC (Accel, Sequoia, KP) for transitioning to said top VC?
How easy/hard is it to go from VC's portfolio company to being an investor at the VC without an exit? Any thoughts on specific roles at the startup that might make the transition more likely - other than founder? (e.g. Product, bizdev, strategy)
Q&A: Founder/Tech Exec, Former Hedge Fund Research Director, SEAL Team Intelligence Officer, Consultant
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Robert Frost Title summarizes the road I’ve traveled… consultant → intelligence community/SEAL Teams/Special Operations → director of research at a well known hedge fund → tech...
A toolset to land a great tech job
Happy Monday. Sharing a quick download having talked to hundreds of applicants recently as a Y Combinator founder building tools in the recruiting space and realizing there are more unknowns than there should be for Banking PE etc who are moving into tech roles. Some of the nuances of the modern job...
The main reasons for an investment bank not to take on a VC deal
What are the reasons for an investment bank not to take on a client's deal - related to 1) the unattractiveness of the startup for funds (e.g. bad economy), and 2) the unattractiveness of the startup for the investm. bank (e.g mandates of other banks)? What list would you make?
Fresh out of uni; starting hotel development? vs getting a job in REPE/ RE debt?
Hi, I just finished uni a couple of months ago and had some offers from REPE funds in the UK. I realised the pay was too low for an analyst role ($40k ish) compared to the US. So, I just started working by myself - ended up buying a piece of land with two other GPs and started a hotel development of...
Startup Exit
Recently quit my FT IB role to build out a startup I've been working on for 1.5 years. The co. is in the tech / media / crypto space and has raised over 7M so far. We've been having a lot of trouble building out that initial team of high performing generalists (our package is 130K base + ~300K -...
Valuation of loss-making Company and potential peers
Hi everyone, Wondering what you feel are the best methods to value a company that is loss-making for the next 4y (still trying to figure out margin run-rate after that) in the Saas space? Thinking of going TAM -> % penetration -> steady state margins -> cash conversion Don't have much info (nor...
Fintech v. Traditional Finance?
What's up Chimps, Background: I just started an entry-level role at a fintech company that serves as a secure go-between for merchants, consumers, acquirers, and our sponsored BBs. I'm in the first weeks of training, but the work itself seems super interesting (lots of risk mgmt/analysis, regulatory...
Going from sellside to founder--etiquette and reaching out questions
So I've been in the industry for about a decade and have established relationships internally with colleagues over that period, while my client relationships are almost as old. Now that I'm senior and my partner and I went independent and started our own boutique a while ago, my work hours have...
Best undergraduate university for VC/PE, Entrepreneurship, or Product Management
Hi, I am a high school senior who was admitted to several universities. My top choices are the University of Chicago, UC Berkeley (College of Letters), Carnegie Mellon University (Information Systems program), and Georgia Tech (College of Computing). I will probably pursue Computer Science at...
Networking is so important
Has anyone been struggling with networking during the pandemic? I haven't met anyone new this year apart from work, until I came across https://www.yuumi.app . Since then I've met some very successful people who've helped me out and even gotten me interviews. Met some startup folks, PE and VC...
Leaving promising startup situation for Tier 1 IBD Off-Cycle
Hi Everyone, So I've been having some sleepless nights lately. After having finished my IB summer internship, I decided to go back to my home country during covid to finish my dissertation and apply for an Off-Cycle. After getting home I was contacted by a wealthy family friend to trade some of his...
Digital/Startup roles at prestigious banks, consulting firms, etc.
Hey everyone, I'd like to work in an environment with digital technologies (and potentially) startups but would like to also have the brand name/prestige attached to a bulge bracket, mbb, large ams like blackrock etc. Are you aware of any digital/startup roles at leading banks, consultancies, ams,...
Moving from Generalist MM PE to Tech Growth Equity
Hi All, I'm currently in my first year at a generalist MM PE firm, right out of undergrad (state school target like UMich, UVA). The firm is decently well known, especially on its coast (most analysts are from top targets). I receive strong modeling, diligence, and portfolio ops work experience at...
Q&A: Recent Quitter from Fixed Income S&T to Startups
Hello. I am new to the WSO blogger community; this is my first post. I went to a semi-target and interviewed during the crisis, when company presentations & on-campus workshops pretty much dried up. WSO was a crucial source for me when I started finance recruiting in late 2007, and definitely gave...
IB Startup Ideas | MEGA THREAD
There are many different exit opportunities that you can pursue after completing your investment banking analyst stint. I mean its one of the biggest selling points of breaking into investment banking.. You can decide to lateral within the sellside, jump to the buyside, take a break in corp.fin, or...
Non-Nicotine Vaping Products (Vitamins, Caffeine, Etc.)
Anyone try out some of the non-nicotine vaping products (vitamins, caffeine, etc.) that are popping up in the marketplace? I've been experimenting but most of the brands seem like gimmicks and I'm not 100% sold on the science behind the products yet. IMO the only product that I've tried so far that...
Has Anyone Paid for L2 Research? (Founded by Scott Galloway)
Has anyone been a client of L2 Research? I love their videos and free content on brands and consumer trends and was contemplating being a paying client of theirs for deeper insights (I'm in consumer VC so it's directly relevant). If anyone has experience being a paying user of theirs I would love to...
The Effect of the Mega-Fund
Recently, an article was ran in Fortune magazine concerning how VC mega-funds are widening the funding gap (Link: http://fortune.com/2018/03/22/venture-capital-fun…). Firms such as Sequoia Capital, Battery Ventures and more are raising millions of dollars and expanding their funds exponentially....
How to value fintech companies?
Asking for interviewing purposes. How do you go about valuing fintech companies, particularly payment companies and robo-advisors? How does a company like Betterment get an $800mm valuation? What about companies that are pre-revenue or with negative earnings? Aside from the technical aspects, trying...
Jobs in Tech For Ex-Bankers
Just wanted to see what kind of jobs are out there for former banking analysts/associates in the tech/startup space? I'm aware of the typical move into corporate development but that seems like a lot of the same work and I'm looking for something a bit different at this point. Does anyone on here...
Computer Science Minor?
I wanted to hear some opinions on if undertaking a major in finance along with a minor in computer science would be a useful thing for a future career in venture capital ? Along with working at some tech startups or in tech investment banking.
The Changing Face of Venture Capital
Mod Note (Andy): Best of Eddie, this was originally posted in October 2013. The venture capital business has gone through a lot of changes over the past decade. Most recently we've seen regulations implemented that give regular Joes access to deals only institutions and accredited investors could...
Q&A - Released My Own FinTech Start-Up 'Tinder for Stocks' iPhone App - Ask Me Anything
Thought I would give back to the community that has helped me out over the years. The guides on WSO really helped me out with my interviews. I am from London. I created my own FinTech Start-up - A 'Tinder for Stocks.' Want to make your own app? Have any questions? Ask away. The app is called...
Mergermarket/Firmex report: Will the valuation gap close in 2016?
This report identifies frothy sectors like tech and life sciences as ready for a decline in valuations in 2016, which might end up spurring more M&A activity as buyers and sellers come into closer alignment. http://fir.mx/1U8izjC
IPO or IP-No: The Pros and Cons of Staying Private
Here's a rundown of the times when staying private is better than an IPO. Needless to say, there are of companies who should've thought about this more. http://fir.mx/248m3p7
GS stats show how much the US towers over the world in VC investing
This chart from the Goldman Sachs Thematic Research team shows international VC investment as a percentage of the US. As you can imagine, the US blows the rest of the world out of the water in absolute terms, and everyone but Israel in relative terms. Pulled together some related stats and charts to...
Suddenly rich out of primarily luck. What would you do if you were me?
Hi all, I read and post on WSO occasionally from a different account but created a new account specifically to make this post to protect anonymity. Because of this, I unfortunately must be quite vague. Some background: I graduated from a semi-target in 2011 with a STEM major. Towards the end of my...
The Complete Coward’s Guide to Starting a Company: Part 1
See Part 2 | Part 3 It’s the ultimate American success story: A boy grows up dirt poor and leaves home at 18 with nothing to his name. He can’t afford college, but he teaches himself to code and starts a business. Through perseverance and determination he builds it brick by brick before selling...
The Complete Coward’s Guide to Starting a Company: Part 3
Part 1: here. Part 2: here. And now for the finale. Yes, the picture is a penguin with a blade riding a shark bear. #5: Integrate into the Community In most places around the world – possibly excluding Silicon Valley, NYC , Boston, and Tel Aviv – the local startup scene is a fairly small and...
The Complete Coward’s Guide to Starting a Company: Part 2
Read part 1 here: //www.wallstreetoasis.com/blog/the-complete-coward%E2%80%99s-guide-to-sta… Like many of you, I side with those who scoff at the amount of time the developed world wastes in formalized education - i.e., reading and studying rather than doing. In the startup world, this disdain for...
The Current State of Startups From Naval Ravikant
Interested in entrepreneurship, venture capital , or growth equity? Curious about the drastic changes taking place in startup financing? Weighing off business school against your own venture? Naval Ravikant is the Founder and CEO of AngelList. Some say he's disrupting venture capital (he is) but...
What I Learned from Being Rejected by an Accelerator
A quick web Execu|Search will tell you that there are only a few basics to getting into an accelerator: a big problem, an innovative and superior solution, a large growing market, and a great team. Last fall, I applied to an accelerator with a foolproof plan. I had a product that is by definition...
Why China Might Be Right About Capitalism and Government
From Engine : A report from Engine and the Kauffman Foundation has found that over the past few decades, the entire business sector outside of firms less than a year old has given us a net job loss. Debunking conventional wisdom, and adding to an emerging thread of research, our latest report...
Quit my Finance Job, Learned to Code, Releasing my project: Investment 1 - Smarter Wealth Management
Four years into a pretty cushiony buy-side job and I was pretty dissatisfied with life. Decided to leave and bought a ruby on rails book and taught myself how to code. I've been working on a few side projects; this is the first serious one I'm releasing: Link is here: Investment 1 I thought it was...
Entrepreneurship and patent lawsuits
My original plan was to write a series about starting my eccomerce business; going through the process of finding a market, a product and funding. I still plan to do this, but I would like to talk about something that is far more pressing to me: IP litigation. Background
Startups in areas you have no prior knowledge
Hi, Just a quick thought. There seems to be a lot hype around the idea of startups etc. on here. I would be interested to hear how people would go about starting up a company that specialises in something that they have no prior knowledge in - assume its a product like an app or a tangible product....
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