2023年4月24日

2023年4月23日下午5:54 PDT 3月10日,许多硅谷创业公司和投资者醒来的可怕消息,硅谷银行已经坍塌。现在,美国联邦存款保险公司已经介入,恐慌情绪消退,尘埃已经落定,初创公司仍然面临一个不确定的金融环境。凯特·克拉克,高级记者的信息,与两位创始人的人接近行动:Immad洪德、汞的联合创始人和首席执行官,fintech公司,许多创业公司涌入SVB的崩溃后,拉胡尔Vohra,超人的创始人兼首席执行官,电子邮件应用程序,占用的资金在SVB银行的失败。那一天是什么样子讨论的三个为创业导航和共享他们的最好的建议依旧动荡的金融环境。醒来鸟唱歌,咖啡酿造…和金融崩溃Vohra清晰地记得,他意识到超人的大部分资金——他们拿到125美元的风险。“那天早上我醒来的时候至少有四个或五个不同的文本消息和Twitter DMs。当时所有的人都知道,可能有一个在硅谷银行流动性问题发展。“Vohra等待谣言动摇。”一两个小时之后,很明显我和董事会,最终可能没有系统出错硅谷银行至少他们不能够恢复。但不幸的是,这不是信心如何工作的一个潜在的银行挤兑。”他迅速召开董事会会议。“我们决心,其他创业公司:如果有一个运行在银行,你不想是最后一个人在运行,想成为第一个运行。 We decided we’re going to run a preemptive payroll. And we’re going to start looking quickly for a new bank.” Growth at Any Cost? In the wake of the SVB collapse, it may be time for startups to start prioritizing profit over growth. Vohra said, “If you’re a venture-backed startup, aiming for profitability is fine, but only if you’re also growing really fast. I would buckle down. I would invest more in product. I’d look at the overall efficiency of the team, and most importantly I would ask, ‘Do we have the runway to make it through what might be two, three years of not a particularly great environment to raise in?’ Because if you can avoid raising this environment, you should.” So what new habits should startups adopt with respect to cash management in the wake of the SVB collapse? Akhund had this advice: “If you're sub a few million and you're below the FDIC insurance limit, I would definitely set up a couple of bank accounts. But I wouldn't stress too much more than that. Beyond a few million, especially if you've got a longish runway, I would go for money market funds. If you've got more than $30 million, ideally you have someone who is a finance leader. You probably want to look at treasury ladders.” Looking at a Brighter Financial Future As startups—and thousands of people who have suffered layoffs—know, the economy hasn’t been in a good place for some time. But what’s the outlook for the next year or two? Clark asked Akhund and Vohra for their predictions. Akhund said, “I think most indicators are that rates have peaked. As soon as they start heading downwards, that’s going to be a fairly positive thing for the startup ecosystem. It’s not going to be like back to 2021, but the startup ecosystem does rely on optimism.” Vohra agreed, and added, “I think what we’ll see is a huge uptick in merger and acquisition activity. Now, this isn’t going to happen anytime soon, because acquirers are being very precious with their cash. We’re still seeing layoffs, but that will change, I think, in the next two years. A ton of companies will potentially be looking to sell and find a good home for their products, their customers and their team. At that point, acquirers will be looking to leverage their cash, which today they’re hoarding.” The Forever Story of Silicon Valley: Boom or Bust While the outlook might be bleak in the short term, the panelists agreed that the horizon holds promise. Silicon Valley has always been a boom-or-bust market. But innovation never rests, even in a depressed economy. As the post-SVB environment recovers and venture capitalists regain their appetites, startups should continue to do what they do best: Innovate and bring exciting new products to market. Did you miss the panel? You can catch the full replay on our site . Most popular stories this week