Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist
If you're building a startup and the words 'term sheet' make your eyes glaze over, this book is for you. Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson, co-founders of the Foundry Group, have spent years in the thick of venture capital financing, across hundreds of deals ranging from scrappy early-stage bets to substantial Series A rounds. They know this world inside out, and more importantly, they know how to explain it clearly. Venture capital fundraising is notoriously opaque. First-time founders frequently walk into negotiations without a solid grasp of how deals actually work, and that puts them at a real disadvantage. This revised edition tackles that problem head-on, walking readers through the full arc of the VC process: from initial seed funding through to later development stages, with frank guidance on negotiating strategy along the way. The updated content reflects shifts in the funding environment, covering topics such as convertible debt, equity structures, bank debt, and ICOs. There are also new chapters on hiring an investment banker and the legal practicalities of raising capital. What makes this book particularly useful is its grounded, practical tone. It strips away the mystique around term sheets and puts founders on a more equal footing with the lawyers and investors across the table. Students, aspiring investors, and anyone advising early-stage companies will find it equally valuable. It's not light reading, but it's the kind of book that genuinely changes how you approach a negotiation.
- Author: Brad Feld
- Publisher: Wiley
- Genre: Entrepreneurship
- ISBN: 978-1119594826
- Pages: 368 pages