Disrupting disruption with disruptive disruptions since 2010.
A funding round where the valuation is identical to (or extremely close to) the previous round's valuation, which founders desperately pretend is actually good news.
Raising capital because competitors are raising, creating a false sense of urgency and resulting in overvalued rounds where founders convince themselves they're winning when they're actually losing market share.
The panic investors feel when they suspect they're about to miss a hot deal or investment opportunity. The invisible hand that closes funding rounds at 11:59 PM on Friday.
A philosophy where you validate ideas quickly through experimentation rather than careful planning—basically expensive trial and error with a catchy name.
When secondary investors rely on a lead investor's due diligence rather than doing their own—lazy investing enabled by information asymmetry.
Whether an investor believes the founder is capable of building the company they're pitching—basically an investor betting on your charisma and work ethic rather than your idea.
The theoretical benefit of being the first company to launch a product in a market, which sounds great until the second, third, and fourth movers make better versions with bigger budgets. It's like being first to the buffet when everyone else is still getting in line.
Raising money primarily because everyone else is doing it and you're afraid of missing out, rather than because you actually need it. The startup equivalent of peer pressure at a middle school dance.
Founder ownership gradually vesting (often over 4 years) as a control mechanism for early departures. It's structured to make founders feel like they own 30% when they really own 0% until they've served their time.
A subsequent funding round after your initial Series A. It's when investors decide if they believe in your vision or think you're failing and want to cut losses proportionally.
A venture capital firm explicitly run by founders (like Peter Thiel's firm) with the theory that people who've built companies make better investors; the evidence is mixed.