2020年2月26日

52分钟前上周,碳(以前Paylater, OneFi的产物)宣布其100000美元“扰乱基金”,通过它每启动计划投资10000美元,以换取5%的股权。创业基金是开放的,从六个非洲国家,在fintech部门喜欢贷款,什么水平,保险等等。以外的现金,公司承诺支持接受者初创公司提供其客户基础,办公空间,API,指导等等。新闻的反应褒贬不一的创业生态系统。一方面,一些人很兴奋地看到创业资金在非洲的其他公司。启发的一个反应,Techpoint团队贴上基金”启动5级“集24 Techpoint非洲的播客。然而,也有很多的负面评论,其中一些被张贴到我们的报告。常见的情绪就是10000美元太小了5%的股权。广告作为第一系列评论文章我将分享,我决定笔在讨论我的想法。资助者/投资者有一些因素时要考虑为你的启动和筹集基金资助者/投资者是最重要的之一。 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 .