Archive: early stage
Strong Follow-On Deals Have These Features
By Adam Sharp on October 26, 2021
When I first got into startup investing, I was mostly investing in early-stage deals. Valuations usually fell between $3 million-to-$10 million (with a few exceptions of around $40 million). I was focused on trying to find the potential big winners as early as I could. And I definitely got a few winners — Density.io, Cabify, FabFitFun, Deel, etc.
How to Handle Silicon Valley’s Rising Valuations
By Adam Sharp on February 16, 2021
It’s getting a little crazy out there in some pockets of the startup investing world. All the Series A deals I’ve seen lately have been much more expensive than they were even a year ago. I recently saw a fast-growing software company raising a Series A with just…
Later Stage Startup Valuations are Rising
By Adam Sharp on January 19, 2021
Most of the deals I get invited to online are early-stage ones — pre-seed, seed, and Series A. But I do see a fair number of Series B and C deals as well. And I’ve noticed that the later the deal is, the higher the valuation tends to…
The Strength of Early-Stage Companies
By Adam Sharp on January 5, 2021
We live in a remarkably disruptive time. New technologies are changing the way almost every industry operates. There’s a lot of opportunity for innovative companies to make a big impact. But we also live in a very unique time when it comes to finance and monetary…
Know Your Risk Tolerance
By Adam Sharp on November 20, 2019
What one investor may find enticing another may find too risky. That’s why private investors need to understand their risk tolerance.
Why We’re Looking for More Series A Startup Investments
By Andy Gordon on September 16, 2019
The First Stage Investor team is on the lookout for more Series A companies to recommend. And we’re also keeping an eye on escalating valuations.
Look for Startups That Check These Three Boxes
By Andy Gordon on November 14, 2018
I’m always on the lookout for a company that meets three key criteria. So I was excited to discover two companies that checked all the boxes.