7 Things No One Ever Tells You About Raising Venture Capital Financing

There are numerous great resources out there to help you raise venture capital or angel financing. Hopefully I’ve helped in some small way with my thoughts on pitching VCs and reviewing financing options.

But there are some parts of the process that few people talk about. And they’re important; especially for startups raising money for the first time.

1. Signing a term sheet is only step one. Of course there are many steps involved in getting a term sheet. You’ll submit an elevator pitch (followed by a bunch of other things), have numerous meetings, negotiate, etc. — all before you get the beloved term sheet. Getting a term sheet is a significant milestone but if you think the process is smooth sailing after that, think again. Post-signing of the term sheet is when the real work begins!
2. It might not be worth negotiating the finer points of the deal at the term sheet stage. The fact is, everything can be changed once a term sheet is signed, so negotiating on the finer points of it may be overkill. You may push hard to have very specific language in the term sheet only to realize when you get to the real agreement that it will be re-worded anyway. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t negotiate for what you want and believe in, but recognize what the term sheet is: a letter of intent to invest, not a binding or absolute contract.

At Cannes: Madison Avenue wants you! 

Why she put her day job on hold: The winning videos would air during the Super Bowl, advertising's big event. It is, says Dehnert, "the Mack Daddy of all stages."

The payoff: Her quirky "Checkout Girl" beat more than 1,000 entries to be one of two shown in the Feb. 4 broadcast. "It's a Cinderella story," says Dehnert, 38.

Start-up tests odds on lotto tickets

By: Rebecca Wu