David Fisher

Why Buying Your First Business is the hardest & Financing The Fear is Being seen as too risky by lenders and investors. The Solution: Prepare a solid business plan with detailed financial projections. Work with a financial advisor to enhance your credibility. Consider alternative financing options like SBA loans or seller financing.

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How to create your first VC Fund in Emerging Markets ?! Having navigated the journey, pains, and gains of establishing Georgia's first VC fund and accelerator focused on U.S.-oriented products, I want to share the lessons I've learned along the way. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be sharing daily posts aimed at those who aspire to start and grow their own venture funds in emerging markets, where people often prefer to invest in real estate, restaurants, or keep money in cash. These posts will cover a range of topics, including: - Fundraising Strategies: Tips on attracting LPs in emerging markets and overcoming skepticism about the potential high returns of local startups. - Building a Venture Partner and Advisory Team: Insights into assembling the right people to support your fund's mission. - Navigating Regulatory Landscapes: Guidance on legal considerations based on my experiences with VCLab, crafting recommendations for the Azerbaijani government, and securing a license for Georgia’s first registered VC fund. - Deal Sourcing and Evaluation: Why I decided to start in Georgia with early-stage startups, the addition of an acceleration program, and the focus on U.S.-targeted products. - Growing Pains and Gains: Personal challenges and successes in fund management, especially in a market where traditional investments still dominate. - The Importance of Collaboration and a Systematic Approach in Venture Capital: Why working together and building a structured approach matter in this field. - Ethical Norms in Venture Fund Management - And Other Topics My goal is to provide practical advice and foster a community for current and future fund managers. Whether you're just starting out or looking to scale, I hope these insights will be valuable on your journey. Stay tuned for the first post tomorrow! Feel free to share this announcement with anyone who might find it helpful, and don’t hesitate to leave comments or questions below. Let’s grow together! Future Laboratory Ventures #firstvcfunds #vcfunds #VC #LP

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Want to build wealth faster? Skip startups. Buy Boring Old Businesses. Here’s why: 1. They’re already making money. 2. They come with customers, systems, and momentum. 3. They’re undervalued – 2.5x profits is standard. 4. SBA loans or seller financing make them accessible. 5. Easy profit boosters: raise prices or add new products. 6. They’re easier to scale than startups. Startups fail 65% of the time within the first 5 years. But "boring" businesses? They’re built to last. Don’t build from scratch. Buy something proven. If you could buy a "boring" business, what type of business would you buy?

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🤖 I asked Claude by Anthropic for analysis of how many venture capital firms are needed worldwide, and here is the answer. Wow. 🤯 To estimate the need for new venture capital firms worldwide, let's approach it from both a top-down and bottom-up perspective, considering the expansion of the model to more cities, regions, and industries. ⬇️ Top-down perspective: Global coverage: Aim to cover not only the major cities but also smaller cities and regions with potential for innovation and entrepreneurship. Assume a target of 1,000 cities and regions worldwide. Diversification across industries: Expand the focus to include a wide range of industries such as technology, healthcare, energy, agriculture, education, and more. Assume an average of 10 key industries per city or region. Venture capital firms per industry per location: Estimate that each industry in each city or region would need an average of 5 venture capital firms to support startups across various stages and specializations. Calculation: 1,000 cities/regions × 10 industries × 5 firms per industry = 50,000 venture capital firms needed globally. Existing firms: Assuming there are currently around 10,000 venture capital firms worldwide, this leaves a need for 40,000 new firms. ⬆️ Bottom-up perspective: Startup density: Consider the number of startups per capita in thriving startup ecosystems like Silicon Valley, which has approximately 1 startup per 1,000 people. Assume a global population of 8 billion and a target of 1 startup per 10,000 people in the expanded model. Number of startups: With a global population of 8 billion and a target ratio of 1 startup per 10,000 people, the goal would be to support 800,000 startups worldwide. Venture capital firms per startup: Estimate that each startup would need support from an average of 2 venture capital firms throughout its lifecycle, considering different stages and specializations. Calculation: 800,000 startups × 2 firms per startup = 1,600,000 venture capital engagements needed. Venture capital firm capacity: Assume that each venture capital firm can effectively manage an average of 40 engagements at a time. Calculation: 1,600,000 engagements ÷ 40 engagements per firm = 40,000 venture capital firms needed globally. Existing firms: Assuming there are currently around 10,000 venture capital firms worldwide, this leaves a need for 30,000 new firms. Combining the perspectives: The top-down approach suggests a need for 40,000 new venture capital firms, while the bottom-up approach suggests 30,000. As a middle ground, we can estimate a need for approximately 35,000 new venture capital firms. Adjusting for potential overlap and inefficiencies, a more conservative estimate would be around 25,000 to 30,000 new venture capital firms needed worldwide to expand the model to more cities, regions, and industries.

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Wondering about capex-heavy deals in the search fund community. Asset-light businesses appeal for scalability, but are we overlooking the downsides? Hard assets provide leverage and can mitigate risk, especially when the market shifts, and the depreciation is nice for taxes. Striking a balance between growth and stability is key. How do you all approach this in evaluating opportunities with meaningful assets?

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How To Assess Product-Market Compatibility, as discussed by a16z & Sequoia Capital. Discover more at https://buff.ly/4bJnqSi Gain insights into determining the fit between your product and the market with expertise from leading venture capital firms. #ProductMarketFit #StartupInsights

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https://buff.ly/46dCF4M A Comprehensive Guide for Pitch Decks (Investor Deck) Versions provides valuable insights into crafting effective presentations for potential investors. This resource covers essential elements like market analysis, financial projections, and competitive landscape assessment. It emphasizes the importance of clear communication and compelling storytelling to engage investors. Additionally, it offers tips on structuring the deck for maximum impact, utilizing visuals effectively, and tailoring the content to the target audience. Understanding these principles can significantly increase the chances of securing funding for your business. #PitchDecks #InvestorRelations

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Hey Founders! Not all sales go as planned, in fact many go off track, even after the signed LOI and with parties on both sides aligned. Dealing with hiccups 😬 is as much a part of the process as getting in sync on price, terms, and timeline to closing. So, when a "busted process" happens, or terminated LOI leads to a need to re-engage other buyers, what's the right play? In our experience it happens more with independent PE firms and #searchfunds, but it happens with big firms and strategic buyers too. Give us a few minutes and we'll give you some ideas to get things back on track. Might make or save you $Millions! Maybe more!!

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𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙑𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝘾𝙖𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝘿𝙪𝙚 𝘿𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙌𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙚 Venture capital due diligence is a crucial step in securing funding. Here’s what to expect: 1️⃣ Purpose: Assess risks and validate growth potential. 2️⃣ Key Focus Areas: • Corporate: Ownership and governance. • Financials: Statements and liabilities. • IP & Assets: Patents and contracts. 3️⃣ Documents Needed: • Incorporation docs, cap table, and financials. • IP filings and key agreements. 4️⃣ Two Steps: Internal review (business model) and external validation (legal/financial checks). Preparation builds trust and improves your funding chances. #VentureCapital #DueDiligence #StartupFunding #InvestorRelations PS. check out 🔔 for a winning pitch deck the template created by Silicon Valley legend, Peter Thiel https://lnkd.in/ejp-Bhnu

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Unlock the true value of your business with Intellectual Property (IP). It's your highest-value asset and a key driver in boosting your business's worth. From federal trademarks to patents, transferable contracts, and valuable content, ensure your IP portfolio is robust to maximize your selling potential. #6Ps #SeilerTucker #BusinessJourney #Entrepreneurship https://loom.ly/XIzD1gQ utm_source=youtube&htrafficsource=tiktok

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Successful ventures that have achieved Product-Market Fit and have scaled their operations will probably face this new reality: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀. As explained by Mark Suster, this liquidity is most likely to come from Private Equity firms, who have the expertise to evaluate companies based on long-term fundamentals, much like the approach taken by Warren Buffett (rather than the speculative one from crypto-traders 😉). Valuation is not a one-time event but a dynamic process that follows a chain-like logic, where each link is interconnected. An irrational (high) valuation early in the chain can have significant repercussions later on, leading to fewer financing or liquidity options - as professional investors will not accept it. You may avoid this by establishing a clear valuation roadmap that demonstrates a consistent risk/return rationale for each type of investor, from business angels and venture capitalists to Private Equity firms and the Public Market, spanning from the first funding round to the eventual public offering. #EntryPriceMatters #ValuationRoadmap #PrivateEquity

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7 Tech Trends will shape 2025: ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ ✅ Crypto (easy value transfer, value storage, volatility is a feature) ✅ AI (we need it to accomplish great things) ✅ Quantum + AI (the most important challenges require quantum computation) ✅ Robots (so we can focus on more important things) ✅ Longevity biotech (largest market in the world - all people) ✅ Fusion power (because software consumes a lot of energy) ✅ Fundamental science - physics breakthroughs, it's been awhile.

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