Disrupting disruption with disruptive disruptions since 2010.
The attempt to prove you weren't just lucky with Series A and that your unit economics actually work at scale.
The first major institutional funding round, typically $2-15 million, where professional VCs finally take your startup seriously. The moment you stop being a 'cool idea' and become a 'company with serious growth ambitions.'
A startup that's past the early stage and trying to grow as fast as possible. It's the phase where you hire thousands of people who aren't sure what the product is.
The second major funding round, typically $10-50 million, aimed at scaling a product that already has demonstrated traction. Proof that your MVP was more than just a fever dream.
A legal instrument creating a right for investors to purchase equity in a future priced round at favorable terms. Y Combinator's attempt to make early-stage investing 'simple' (it's not).
The third major funding round, usually $20M-$100M+, designed to accelerate growth and expand into new markets. When 'startup' starts sounding like 'real company' and the pressure becomes genuinely intense.
The sale of existing shares between investors, employees, or founders, rather than new share issuance. The legal way for early employees to cash out without an exit event.
Later-stage funding rounds where the valuations get absurd and the investor meetings become increasingly surreal.
Later-stage funding rounds (C, D, E, F, etc.) for companies approaching profitability or dramatic growth. The venture capital equivalent of 'we've lost count.'
Sequential rounds of venture capital funding, each alphabetically closer to either massive success or spectacular failure.
Simple Agreement for Future Equity—a legal document that converts to stock 'later,' making investors believe they're taking less risk than they are.
Subsequent rounds of funding representing your startup's graduation from 'scrappy' to 'possibly overvalued' to 'we definitely raised too much money.'
When existing shareholders sell their shares publicly without the company itself receiving any money—basically using the company as a cash machine.
The VC philosophy of betting on billion-dollar outcomes rather than sustainable businesses, essentially asking startups to be either spectacular failures or astronomical successes with no middle ground.
The constellation of measurements VCs obsess over (MRR, ARR, CAC, LTV, churn) that supposedly predict success but often just delay the realization that your growth is unsustainable.
Platforms where employees and early shareholders can sell restricted private stock before IPO, giving insiders a chance to diversify while theoretically validating company valuation.