A principal goal in the life of a scalable startup company is getting external equity funding. The closing of a funding round is cause for celebration. However, founders are often left with a somewhat bitter-sweet taste when they realize what just happened.

The entrepreneur seeking investment should recognize the advantages of obtaining such an investment. However, the endeavor needs entrepreneurs to have a strong understanding of their objectives, opportunities, strategy, and fit with potential corporate partners.

The Billion Dollar Startup Club has 101 companies as of July 2015, with the number one private company valued at $46 billion. It’s no secret, technology has revolutionized entrepreneurship. The explosive growth of tech-based companies is at its highest since 1995, surpassing the dot-com boom of year 2000.

Angel and venture capital investors may receive hundreds or even thousands of executive summaries each year. With their time being limited and the competition for their attention intense, it is extremely important that the entrepreneur provide executive summaries that “Wow!”

The capitalization table (cap table) summarizes who owns what part of the company before and after financing. It is one of the most important elements of the term sheet because it outlines the complete transaction succinctly using concrete numbers.

Any entrepreneur who is serious about his trade will need to know about the term sheet.

“A term sheet is like a prenuptial agreement and a coach’s playbook. Spend the time to understand the plays, and what happens should you ever separate from the business.”- Mitch Thrower

Startup due diligence is one of the most important components of the funding process for a new business…

A fair number of really smart, well-prepared entrepreneurs get tripped up, stumble around and eventually fall to the ground when they make their startup funding pitches to the Angel Investment Group that I am a part of.

Is your NDA doing more harm than good for your startup?  Here are 5 reasons Angel and VC funds avoid NDAs.