2020年2月26日

52分鍾前上周,碳(以前Paylater, OneFi的產物)宣布其100000美元“擾亂基金”,通過它每啟動計劃投資10000美元,以換取5%的股權。創業基金是開放的,從六個非洲國家,在fintech部門喜歡貸款,什麼水平,保險等等。以外的現金,公司承諾支持接受者初創公司提供其客戶基礎,辦公空間,API,指導等等。新聞的反應褒貶不一的創業生態係統。一方麵,一些人很興奮地看到創業資金在非洲的其他公司。啟發的一個反應,Techpoint團隊貼上基金”啟動5級“集24 Techpoint非洲的播客。然而,也有很多的負麵評論,其中一些被張貼到我們的報告。常見的情緒就是10000美元太小了5%的股權。廣告作為第一係列評論文章我將分享,我決定筆在討論我的想法。資助者/投資者有一些因素時要考慮為你的啟動和籌集基金資助者/投資者是最重要的之一。 Many startups raise funds from investors with no other value to contribute to the company than the cash injection. As the company grows bigger, the founders soon realise that the existing investors can’t help with the next raise or the right network to scale the company. As a media startup, for example, a $10,000 investment from Techpoint (an established media player) is more valuable than $25,000 from Alhaji Wale, an angel investor, with little to no knowledge of the industry. Techpoint’s $10,000 investment is more than just the money; brand equity and market acceptance are part of the investment. The investment is also a solid market validation, and it can act as an exit plan for further fundraising. In the same vein, Carbon’s ~ $10,000 in a fintech startup is a potentially good investment. Brand affiliation and valuation Valuation is one of the subjects that is dear to startup founders, and it’s a sensitive subject to investors as well. At 5% equity for say $10,000, Carbon automatically places a potential investee at $200,000 pre-money valuation. This means the company’s post-money valuation will be $210,000. Its next valuation depends on the traction, and the value Carbon can bring to the startup. Let’s put this into context; some startups get into US accelerator, Y Combinator (YC) for less than their market value. But considering the brand equity that comes with being a YC-backed company, they don’t mind this. YC gives $150,000 for 7% immediately a startup is accepted, pre-money valuation of $1,050,000 and post-money of $1,200,000. After just 3 months of acceleration in YC, startups go on to raise further funds at a minimum of $3,000,000 valuation. Brand affiliation plays an important role in the valuation of early-stage startups. Customer Acquisition Cost savings Customer acquisition cost is the most expensive operational cost after staff salary, so having access to an investor’s customers should be more than a dream come true. According to Carbon, one of the perks that will come with this investment is access to its customer base. If Carbon has 500,000 customers, this means the startup will have instant access to 500,000 users to interact with its solution. Mentorship Mentorship is vital to startups at every stage, but it’s crucial to startup survival at an early stage. The right mentorship is a commodity that can’t be undervalued. This is especially so when a bigger startup invests in a smaller startup within the same industry. Not only the founder(s) will benefit from the relationship; the engineering team and other parts of the company will benefit too. In conclusion, I believe that up to $10,000 for 5% is not a bad investment if it comes from the right investors that bring much more than money to the table. What do you think? I would love to read your views on the subject in the comments section below. Meanwhile, speaking of valuation and share allocation, Techpoint will be treating these and other investment-related topics at the next Techpoint Startup School. If you want to learn more, you can enrol here . NEW: Nigerian startups raised $377m in 2019, more than twice what they did in 2018. Find out more when you download the full report . Early-stage startup? The 2nd cohort of Techpoint Startup School is coming in March. Apply now . Techpoint Build 2020 is here! Register now . Also, you could win $10,000 for your startup at Pitch Storm. Apply now .