top of page

Entrepreneur Resources

We know creating a startup is a hard path to follow. That is why we bring you these resources to help increase the chances of getting funded

From Idea to Business

Business Plan

It is a conceptual framework that describes how a company creates, delivers, and extracts value. The key word in the Business Model Canvas is "change", that is, we must be prepared for market variations once we are playing in it. It is a tool designed to be dynamic, unlike the traditional business model.

A business model answers the questions, what, who, how and how much.

  • Who is my client, user, beneficiary?

  • What product or service do I offer you?

  • What value do I offer and how do I generate it?

  • How do I make money, monetization?

  • How do I relate to the client?

  • How do I get my product or service to the customer?

  • Distribution/sale channel?

  • What activities/resources are key to delivering the promised value?

  • Which partners are key to delivering the promised value?

  • How much do those activities/resources and partnerships cost me?

    Original text by Sofia Seman

Key Partners.png
Key Partners 
Key Activities 
Key Resources
Value Propositions
Customer Relationships
Customer Segments
Channels
Cost Structure 
Revenue Streams
Diseño sin título (1).png

IMPACT

Negligible 
1
Minor 
2
Moderate
3
Catastrophic3
Major
4
Diseño sin título (1).png

LIKELYHOOD

Certain
5
Likely
4
Possible 
3
Unlikely
2
Rare
1
Low
Moderate
Extreme

Know Your Risk

And How to De-Risk

The way to make progress on a company (and to get higher valuations from investors) is to address the biggest risks as quickly and thoroughly as possible.


How do you demonstrate to early adopters that you're good at building products? The further you move from "high risk" to "low risk" along each spectrum, the stronger your valuation, perceived progress, and likelihood of success will become.
 

It is important to analyze different types of risk associated with internal and external factors, and present them in a way that explains how you plan on mitigating it. The following are categories of risk you should analyze:
 

1. Product/Market Fit Risk

Goal: prove that you’re actually building something that people want.
 

2. Product Quality Risk

Goal: prove that you can build a great, high-quality product.

​

3. Team Risk

Goal: prove that you’ve assembled a great team for achieving your vision.
 

4. Recruiting Risk

Goal: prove that you will be able to grow your team effectively. (This is a very real risk in Silicon Valley, where demand for good engineers is much higher than supply.)
 

5. Sales Risk

Goal: prove that your team can sell the product effectively.
 

6. Market Risk

Goal: prove that if you execute well, you can make enough money to become a huge company (e.g. $1b+ exit potential).
 

7. Funding Risk

Goals: prove that you have enough capital to reach the milestones needed to raise more money on better terms (if you want to), and that you have a viable back-up plan if you can’t raise money on your ideal timeline.
 

8. Short-Term Competition Risk

Goal: prove that you’re differentiated from existing players in the market.

​

9. Long-Term Competition Risk

Goal: prove that as you become successful and other companies try to copy you, you will be able to maintain your strong position.
 

​

How to De-Risk


Step 1: Do an honest self-assessment of your company’s major risk areas.


Step 2: List ways to move from high risk to low risk along each risk spectrum. If you’re not sure what you can do, ask investors, advisors, or other founders.

 

Step 3: Create short-term and long-term risk mitigation plans for your company. Some of the action items might be small and easy, like running an AdWords test to estimate customer demand and market size. Other actions will take time, like figuring out an elegant way to bake network effects into your product or finding a good VP of Sales when no one on your team has sales experience.


Do an honest self-assessment of your company's major risk areas.
If there's little remaining risk in an area, focus on other areas.
pick your investors and advisors deliberately.
Try to address risks before you have to face them head-on.

Extracted from Coding VC

Types of Funding

1. Personal investments
When starting a business, you are usually yourself. This shows investors and bankers that you have a long-term commitment to your project and that you are willing to take risks.

​

2. Close circle
This is money borrowed from a spouse, parents, relatives, or friends. Investors and bankers regard this as “patient capital,” which is money that will be paid back later as your business profits have increased. Close circle should note:
Family and friends rarely have much capital.
They may want to have a stake in your business.
A business relationship with family or friends should never be taken lightly.

​

3. Venture Capital
From the outset, you should keep in mind that venture capitalists look for technology-driven companies with high growth potential. Venture capitalists take an equity position in the company to help it bear risk. This involves giving away some of the ownership or equity of your business to an outside party. Venture capitalists also expect a healthy return on their investment, which is often generated when the company begins selling shares to the public. 

 

4. Angels
Angels are generally wealthy individuals or retired business executives who invest directly in small businesses owned by others. They are often leaders in their own field who bring not only their experience and network of contacts, but also their technical and/or managerial knowledge. Angels tend to finance the early stages of the business with investments on the order of $25,000 to $100,000.

In return for risking your money, they reserve the right to monitor the company's management practices. In concrete terms, this often means a seat on the board of directors and a guarantee of transparency.

​

5. Business incubators
Commonly, incubators will invite future companies and other start-ups to share their facilities, as well as their administrative, logistical, and technical resources. For example, an incubator could share the use of its laboratories so that a new company can develop and test its products more cheaply before starting production.
Generally, the incubation phase can last up to two years. Once the product is ready, the company usually leaves the incubator facilities to enter its industrial production phase and is left alone. Companies that receive this type of support often operate in cutting-edge sectors such as biotechnology, information technology, multimedia or industrial technology.

​

6. Government subsidies
Government entities provide financing, such as grants and subsidies, that may be available to your business. Getting grants can be difficult. There can be strong competition and the criteria for prizes are often strict. Generally, you will need to provide:
A detailed description of the project
An explanation of the benefits of your project.
A detailed work plan with all costs
Details of relevant experience and background on key managers
Completed application forms where applicable

7. Bank loans
Bank loans are the most used source of financing by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Banks offer different advantages, be it a personalized service or a personalized refund. It's a good idea to shop around and find the bank that meets the specific needs of your business. In general, bankers look for companies with strong track records and excellent credit. A good idea is not enough; it has to be backed by a solid business plan. Start-up loans also typically require a personal guarantee from entrepreneurs. So this option can become prohibitive in some situations.

Diseño sin título (1).png

Types of funding for startups

Angel Investor

$20B

​

Banks

$14B

​

Crowd

Funding

$5.1B

​

Venture Capital

$22B

​

Personal savings

and credit

$185.5B

​

Friends and Family

$60B

​

2020 US. startup funding by type

​

TYPES OF FUNDING ROUNDS

Common Elements of Growth

Proof of Concept/ prototype

Proof of Concept/ prototype

Funding

Round

Stage 

Focus

Proof of Concept/ prototype

Hiring, Market expansion, Buying business

Large scale Expansion

Business Acquisition and international markets

Amount of investment

Pre Seed/

Seed

Series A

Series B

Series C

Hiring

Development, Operations, Branding and Marketing

$10K - $1MM

$10MM

$15MM - $20MM

< $50MM

bottom of page