FUNDRAISING RESOURCES

LOI investor interest

LOI Template (Investor Interest)

Demonstrate investor's qualified interest in making an investment in a funding round

seed due diligence list

Due Diligence Checklist – Seed Round

Checklist of typical due diligence requests during an institutional-led seed round

Investor Update Template

Investor Update Template

For monthly business updates to your investors and key stakeholders

Convertible Notes Quiz

Convertible Notes Quiz

Test your knowledge of convertible note mechanics

Read related article

Cap Table Simulator

Cap Table Simulator

Model your cap table through multiple rounds of funding

COMPENSATION-RELATED RESOURCES

sales commission model

Commission Plan – Monthly Payout Model

Payout model based on straight-line or modified straight-line commission plans

Read related article

MBO Template - Resource

MBO Template

For administering management by objectives (MBO) bonus plans

Read related article

Sales Commission Plan

Sales Commission Plan Template

A template for documenting and communicating your sales commission plan

Read related article

Sales Commission Plan Models

Commission Plan Models – High Level Planning

A template to help compare two different types of variable compensation plans

Read related article

startup compensation

Compensation Guidelines for the Early Days

Salary and equity grant suggestions for different levels of new employees

Read related article

LEGAL RESOURCES

83(b) filing suggestions guidelines

83(b) Filing Guidelines

Guidelines for filing IRS Form 83(b), including requesting a file-stamped copy

Letter of Intent (Beta / Pilot Test)

LOI Template (Beta / Pilot Test)

A template for substantiating a test customer and their purchase intent

Letter of Intent Template

LOI Template (Partnership)

A template for outlining a verbally-agreed business partnership

Open Source Usage Policy

Open Source Usage Policy Template

A template that communicates policies for incorporating open source

Read related article

legal archive

Legal Archive Hierarchy

Suggested organizational folder structure for a legal archive

Read related article

STRATEGY & PLANNING RESOURCES

startup progress tracking

Back-of-Napkin Company Assessment

Visually gauge your company’s progress towards validated learning

Read related article

strategy template

Strategy Horizons Template

A template to facilitate strategic planning

Read related article

M&A-RELATED RESOURCES

Podcast Interview

Podcast Interview

Learn how acquisitions go down and how founders can avoid screwing them up

Read Related Article

Resource - contracts ledger

Contracts Ledger Template

Keep track of important contracts information

Read related article

Reps & Warranties checklist

Reps & Warranties Checklist

Get ready for common disclosures and attestations required with an acquisition

Read related article

Due Diligence Checklist

Due Diligence Checklist

Get ready for acquisition due diligence using this sample checklist

Read related article

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

The Sumo Advantage by Bernie Brenner

The Sumo Advantage

How to successfully team with industry heavyweights

Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Five Dysfunctions of a Team

A leadership fable that explains the most common struggles of working as a team

Strengths Finder 2.0

Strengths Finder 2.0

Discover your core strengths and ways to successfully leverage them

Running Lean by Ash Maurya

Running Lean

A process for quickly vetting product ideas and increasing odds of success

The Lean Startup

The Lean Startup

Methods for adapting and adjusting before it’s too late

Zero to One - by Peter Thiel

Zero to One

A new way of thinking about innovation and finding value in unexpected places

The CEO Tightrope

The CEO Tightrope

How to master the balancing act of a successful CEO

startup cap table

Venture Deals

The definitive reference guide to venture investment mechanics and terms

OTHER RESOURCES

Quarter-to-Date Progress Tracking Chart

Quarter-to-Date Progress Tracking Chart

A spreadsheet for monitoring weekly progress towards a quarterly financial goal

Video Interview on The Fire show

Video Interview on The Fire Show

Insights and tools to use during the earliest stages of startup idea development