Author name: startup_admin

If you’re looking for a place to find like-minded individuals in a business setting, then LinkedIn groups are a good place to start. It’s a great spot to get and share information, get answers, and even search for or post jobs and business opportunities. As a venture capitalist it’s important to stay connected and on top of news and trends in the industry, so we’ve gathered a few LinkedIn groups to keep you in the know. Venture Capital: Funds, Growth Capital Funding, Business Capital & Financing: WIth 46,525 members, this group is focused on sharing events, connections, and videos as well as resources and training on the venture capital industry. This group was created by Richard C. WIlson of The Miami Family Office, a $500M AUM single family office. Impact Entrepreneur: This group is organized by Laurie Lane-Zucker, founder and CEO of the Impact Entrepreneur Center. It is listed as an official “Best LinkedIn Group” and has 15,914 members. Impact Entrepreneur is in the business of change, and hosts entrepreneurs, investors and scholars who are interested in creative visioning. Startup Entrepreneurs Network: This a group dedicated to networking for startups, investors, VCs, and Angels. SEN has 29,004 members and was started by John Ricci, founder of US Angels, a group that invests in technology, healthcare/life sciences and other sectors across the US. Private Equity Investor Relations, Fundraising, Placement and Investment (and Venture Capital, too):  This is a new group that already has over 31,000 members. It’s for anyone involved in investing, VC funds, and private equity. It’s a great place to post and share articles and insight and to engage in open discussion about current topics. International Wealth Management Group: This group is for networking, discussions and investment opportunities. It currently has over 18,000 members and is open to all, especially those with interest in wealth management. This list just scratches the surface of all of the wonderful groups out there. We think you’ll find that LinkedIn groups can be a quick way to network and share opportunities, opinions, and know-how.   Liza Dickinson is a freelance virtual assistant, writer, and master of keeping people organized. She coordinates TEN Funding events and manages TEN social media outreach.        If you are interested in tracking a startup, you can sign up for TEN Capital’s Monitoring service which tracks key startups and provides information about their revenue, earnings, and other key financial information.  The first 3 companies are free for 6 months. Signing up as an investor with TEN is easy and free. Visit our Investor Page and sign up now! If you have any questions, please contact us at info@tencapital.group.

The Initial Coin Offering (ICO) uses the blockchain as a new organization unit – a decentralized and self contained mini-economy.  The token is the key access point into the system as the middleman has been cut out.  Designing the token becomes a key part of the new system as it determines the flow of payments and rewards to those using the system. In developing an ICO, one must determine the cryptoeconomics of the token including the maximum number of tokens, value for purchase (usually based on Bitcoin or Ether or an alternate (ALT) coin), discounts for purchasing early, and distribution of the token to founders, backers, developers, and other uses such as marketing, legal, and security. The key to determining the tokenomics is estimating the size of the digital ecosystem and how many players both contributors and users will engage the system and how many transactions they will incur. One should issue enough tokens to run the core system but also consider how the system may grow over time. One can optimize the token for different goals. Most ICOs issue tokens for building out the system and running it in its basic form.  One could take the longer view and price the token to increase usage of the platform, i.e. setup a price that matches the value the user receives. Similarly, one could price the token to encourage developers to build out the digital ecosystem around the ICO. It can be difficult to develop a plan for the entire life of the blockchain system envisioned so one may consider issuing another type of token later that give a higher level of access to the digital system since it may be in a more mature state. One may also issue different types of tokens to give unique benefits to users.  As the system grows, new applications and higher value benefits will become available.     Hall T. Martin is the founder of TEN Capital and a builder of entrepreneur ecosystems by startup funding through angel networks, funding portals, syndicates, and more.  Connect with him about fundraising, business growth, and emerging technologies.     If you are interested in tracking a startup, you can sign up for TEN Capital’s Monitoring service which tracks key startups and provides information about their revenue, earnings, and other key financial information.  The first 3 companies are free for 6 months. Signing up as an investor with TEN is easy and free. Visit our Investor Page and sign up now! If you have any questions, please contact us at info@tencapital.group.

In the world of the Initial Coin Offering, the primary document is called the Whitepaper which covers the key elements of a blockchain-based, tokenized system and associated token sale. Since most projects are in the early phase – conceptual/prototyping, the whitepaper contains not only the business fundamentals, but also the technical underpinnings to the project. Here’s a list of topics to include your whitepaper. Introduction with problem description–set the context for the ICO with the problem you are solving. It helps your case to use numbers to make the problem more specific. Solution—describe your solution and how a tokenized, decentralized blockchain system solves the problem. Technology background—show the technology plan behind the solution.  At a high level show how you plan to attack the problem. Team—show the team especially the technical members who will build the system. Token Description— show how the token works with the proposed system.  Those who contribute receive tokens while those who draw value from the system are contributing tokens. Sale methodology & Redemption process—Show what the tokens cost and how one signs up to buy those tokens. This also includes maximum number of tokens as well as discounts for pre-sales and bounty programs.  In addition describe future redemption plans based on lockup periods. Market size and competitive analysis—show the size of the market you are pursuing and what portion of the market your solution addresses. Security Considerations – show how your token relates to securities laws and if your backers must be accredited investors? Potential Risks – outline the risks in the project including technical, marketing, and otherwise. Disclaimer—list the caveats for the token backer including securities issues. Since the ICO focuses on blockchain technology and the industry is in its early stage, the two key elements backers look for are a strong technical team, and a compelling use case that doesn’t require a tremendous amount of infrastructure to be in place.     Hall T. Martin is the founder of TEN Capital and a builder of entrepreneur ecosystems by startup funding through angel networks, funding portals, syndicates, and more.  Connect with him about fundraising, business growth, and emerging technologies.     If you are interested in tracking a startup, you can sign up for TEN Capital’s Monitoring service which tracks key startups and provides information about their revenue, earnings, and other key financial information.  The first 3 companies are free for 6 months. Signing up as an investor with TEN is easy and free. Visit our Investor Page and sign up now! If you have any questions, please contact us at info@tencapital.group.