Q2 2015 U.S. Startup Funding Report
Results are in for the second quarter of 2015, and Mattermark has all the details on funding rounds raised by startups in Q2. In this in-depth analysis we explore emerging trends like cities on the rise, extend our view of ongoing trends like greater capital concentration in seed rounds, and more. Download the free report here.
From the Investors
Sam Altman of Y Combinator looks to dismiss any signaling issues by now maintaining pro rata for every YC company in every round with a post-money valuation of $250 million or less in “Pro Rata”
Max Wessel of Sapphire Ventures warns that startups raising at ‘valuations they can grow into’, may have a negative impact on current and future employees in “The Moral(e) Danger of Value Inflation”
Cankut Durgun of Aslanoba Capital argues why investors having to face losses with ‘media darlings’ will help normalize private market valuations in “Company Fundamentals and What the Media Portrays”
Satya Patel of Homebrew advises founders to ‘give yourself the ability to control your startup’s destiny and take on more risk only when you feel ready’ in “The Two Goals of Startup Fundraising”
Bijan Sabet of Spark Capital praises products that feature native advertising, as he believes this form of monetization is a sign of love and respect for the product and users in “Native Advertising and User Respect”
Alida Miranda-Wolff of Hyde Park Angels provides a glossary of terms founders should understand before they even receive a term sheet in “How to Read a Term Sheet”
From the Operators
Christina Wallace of BridgeUp: STEM urges the startup community to include more perspectives of ‘founder depression’ and the realism of entrepreneurship in “Let’s Get Real About Startups and Mental Health”
Marcelo Calbucci of EveryMove gives an overview of three types of advisors he’s encountered as a founder and their specific characteristics in “The Three Types of Startup Advisors You’ll Find: The Dad-type, the Mom-type, and the Grandpa-type”
Chris Savage of Wistia recaps his story of taking a chance on closing a major client, even if that meant revealing a scrappy team and product in “How We Nearly Missed the Flight that Changed Our Business”
Blake Irving of GoDaddy focuses on ‘Applied AI’ and how it is more attainable and relevant to today’s software than ‘Strong AI’ in “Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work”
Julie Zhuo of Facebook expands on why the best of Silicon Valley is summed up with ‘of course’ and its worst is ‘I expect…’ in “The Best and Worst of Silicon Valley”