Michael Siegel is Strategic Analyst at Oracle for Startups. Michael and I both worked at venture capital firms and, in this episode, we discuss the ins and outs of tech startups and venture capital.

We talk about starting a company, building a network of founders, who should raise venture capital, how to vet investors, what types of returns venture capitalists expect, lifestyle businesses, founder-market fit, and much more.


GUEST


Michael Siegel LinkedIn
Oracle for Startups Website
Oracle for Startups Twitter

PODCAST


Safa Mahzari
Patreon
Alluxo Website

TERMS


SaaS = software as a service
VC = venture capital or venture capitalist
LP = limited partner at a VC firm
GP = general partner at a VC firm
Angel syndicate = a group of private investors who invest in startups
Seed = the first institutional round of capital
Series A = growth capital for companies who succeed after the seed stage
M&A = mergers and acquisitions
IPO = initial public offering

RESOURCES


"Venture Deals" by Brad Feld
"Leaders Eat Last" by Simon Sinek
"How Will You Measure Your Life" by Clay Christensen

TIMESTAMPS


0:00 - Episode intro
0:55 - Michael's background
4:29 - Oracle for Startups
7:48 - What is a seed round?
15:11 - Building a network and tech hub
23:19 - Which startups should raise VC?
26:58 - Startup venture capital math
32:53 - How to vet investors
39:43 - Is headcount a vanity metric?
47:25 - Ambitious ideas might be easier
57:15 - Wrap up and final thoughts


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