OpenVC Blog

How Much Should Startup Founders Pay Themselves [2025]

Founder compensation is a tricky topic. How much are you supposed to pay yourself? What will your investors think? And are you even allowed to compensate yourself when your team is subsisting on cold pizza and borrowing the Wi-Fi from the nearest office? This article breaks down the many dimensions of the "tech founder salary".

Posted by Shaun Gold | August 14, 2025

Why Startups Fail at Agency Partnerships (And How to Succeed)

Many founders hire agencies like they're code shops when what we really need are partners who deeply care about our customers. This post will help you identofy what a great agency looks like.

Posted by Milosz Falinski | August 12, 2025

12 dirty clauses in VC term sheets

This post will help you identify the key traps in a VC term sheet. Unlike our blog on VC scams, these are all legal clauses - but ones you should never have agreed to.

Posted by Stéphane Nasser | July 23, 2025

How VCs make money: dirty edition

Many founders ignore how VCs make money. In my opinion, that's a mistake. Today, we're fixing this situation! In this post, you will learn how VC firms actually make money - including some of their dirty tricks - and what it means for you as a founder.

Posted by Stéphane Nasser | July 17, 2025

Why investors don't give honest feedback

Investor feedback is rarely valuable because it's rarely true. When they pass, most investors give a generic, well-rounded reason. "It's not you, it's me" kind of thing. But why is it that way?

Posted by Stéphane Nasser | July 17, 2025

How to skip VCs and go straight to M&A

M&A can help startups accelerate growth, acquire talent, expand market share, and even achieve a higher valuation than they could on their own. However, the process requires careful planning, research, and execution. Here’s a quick guide to navigating M&A as an early-stage startup.

Posted by Olga Duka | July 3, 2025

How to pick the right fundraising advisor

Should you use an external advisor to help raise funds for your startup? In this post, I want to give you the playbook on working with a fundraising advisor: is it a good idea for you, how to pick the right one, and what you should expect?

Posted by Jonathan Hollis | June 15, 2025

Top 20 crowdfunding platforms for startups

Crowdfunding platforms allow entrepreneurs to raise capital from “the crowd” in varying amounts. In return, investors get compensated with equity in the company or other rewards. This post covers the top 20 crowdfunding platforms for startup founders.

Posted by Shaun Gold | June 10, 2025

The Ultimate Guide To Venture Capital Due Diligence

A rigorous due diligence process can help investors avoid predictably bad investments and bring some sense back into decisions that can be highly emotional. This guide is designed to help both founders and investors nail the DD process.

Posted by Jori Karstikko | May 19, 2025