OpenVC Blog

Jens Lapinski: From Founding $200m Angel Fund to Backing 100x Return with One Investment Every Week

This is episode 16 of the OpenVC Podcast. In this episode, Jens shares insights on identifying high-potential startups and managing a fast-paced investment strategy. He discusses strategic exits, coaching founders, and navigating challenges in early-stage ventures. Plus, he reveals the secret behind Angel Invest’s success and lessons from missed opportunities.

Posted by Harrison Faull Jens Lapinski | January 12, 2025

Why VCs won't sign your NDA

Should founders ask investors to sign a NDA before sharing their deck. The answer is no. Here are the 6 reasons why, and here's how you can actually protect your startup without a NDA.

Posted by Stéphane Nasser | January 11, 2025

How to validate your startup idea - 7 methods explained

Market validation is the process of determining if there’s a need for your product in your target market. In this post, we break down 6 methodologies that will help you validate your startup idea and the market you want to address.

Posted by Shaun Gold | January 8, 2025

The Stages of Startup Funding: From Pre-Seed to IPO

As a founder who is going to be raising capital, it is essential to know what stage your company is in. This post covers all funding stages from boostrapping and pre-seed to seed, Series A series B, and late-stage.

Posted by Shaun Gold | January 6, 2025

Series A explained

This article aims to help you understand everything you need to know about the series A stage: stage, check size, criteria, and more.

Posted by Shaun Gold | January 5, 2025

Bocar Dia: Scaling Hootsuite $0 to $150M and leading Forum Ventures with 75+ Investments an Year

This is Episode 15 of the OpenVC Podcast. In this podcast, Bocar shares how he helped grow Hootsuite from a million users with no revenue to $150M in sales. Now a sales coach at Harvard and GP at Forum Ventures, he discusses go-to-market strategies for early-stage startups, resilience in entrepreneurship, and key lessons from his venture journey.

Posted by Harrison Faull Bocar Dia | December 27, 2024