Showing Ian Westbergs posts


Getting Ready to Raise Series Pt. 1: Is Venture Capital Right for You?

One of the many misconceptions when creating a company is that the terms “startup” and “small business” are easily interchangeable. They are not. In the venture capital industry, a startup has many more requirements and expectations of being a hypergrowth endeavor that can generate at least 10x […]

Angel Investors – Understanding Your Target

Most entrepreneurs will need to raise a small round of capital very early in their company’s life cycle to get the company off the ground. The amount is typically anywhere from $100K to $500K and is utilized to build the MVP (minimum viable product) and secure initial […]

Primer on California Proprietary Information and Inventions Agreements

For entrepreneurs operating in innovation-driven marketplaces, protection of intellectual property is of foremost concern.  Accordingly, startups should require each employee and independent contractor they engage to enter into a Proprietary Information and Inventions Agreement.  While agreements of this nature go by several different names (e.g., Confidential Information […]

Perfecting the Pitch – Solve Big Problems with Unique Solutions

When developing your investor pitch materials, it is important to approach the process as a competition for the investor’s attention. Most companies view their competition as the handful of companies that service their particular market segment. When it comes to raising capital, you are actually competing against […]

Startup Operations – Identifying & Navigating Legal Risks

Many entrepreneurs have a good understanding of statutory limitations and regulatory constraints on the operations of the businesses they are starting.  That understanding often comes as a result of familiarity gained from years of experience operating in an industry.  Other entrepreneurs may be newer to an industry, […]