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<ul><li>VC investments in India softened in the first quarter of 2023 but expected to pick up in the latter half of 2023 says a KPMG report. </li><li>This quarter, VC investors were inclined to make smaller investments in startups with more reliable valuations. </li><li>In Q1 2023, VC investment in Asia declined significantly, dropping from $25.5 billion in Q4 2022 to just $13.5 billion.</li></ul>VC investment in India has softened in the January-March quarter of 2023 as investors were picky and scrutinized potential deals more intensely, says a Venture Pulse report by KPMG. VC investments went down to $2.1 billion in the quarter, down by 77% as compared to the same quarter last year when VCs poured in $9.1 billion into the market. “Despite the current slowdown in VC funding, macro factors in India remained relatively strong compared to other jurisdictions, which is driving optimism that the country will see a bounce back in VC investment in the later half of 2023,” said the report. The FOMO effect VC investments in Q1 of 2023 hit a 11-quarter low, as VC investments were at $2.1 billion last in the second quarter of 2020 – right when the lockdowns had started. Soon after however came a boom time. KPMG says that Fear of Missing Out or FOMO drove a lot of VC investment in India in 2021 and early 2022. However, without the FOMO effect is now gone and VCs enhanced their focus on startup performance and profitability. “The biggest change in India is that the euphoria for deals has died down. The FOMO has gone. The big ticket deals have also dried up, which has had an outsized impact on our total investment numbers,” says Nitish Poddar, partner and national leader, PE KPMG in India. Fintech was still a major area of investment, with large deals such as PhonePe, NoBroker, KreditBee, and Insurance Dekho. Agtech and gaming also saw increased interest. However, edtech interest declined in Q1 2023 after a period of high enthusiasm. “But despite the visible decline, it’s important to know that a lot is still happening in India. The macros here are still very good. We’re still seeing a lot of funding in pre-series A deals. And we’re still seeing a lot of new micro funds being raised in the country — funds under $100 million with check sizes from $1–5 million,” says Poddar. VC investments in Asia decline, Down rounds go up In Q1 2023, VC investment in Asia declined significantly, dropping from $25.5 billion in Q4 2022 to just $13.5 billion. This was the lowest quarter for VC investment in the region since Q2 2015, with several factors contributing to the decline. In China, a surge in Covid-19 cases impacted VC activity prior to the New Year holidays. Hong Kong was affected by rising interest rates and a slowdown in IPO activity, while India experienced investors becoming more selective with their investments. Japan was the only country in the region to see an increase in investment during Q1 2023, but the total was still far lower than Q1 2022. The data also shows that down rounds (when the pre-money valuation of a fundraising round is lower than the post-money valuation of the round previous) has gone up significantly in 2023 as compared to the last year, the report reveals. In Q1 2023, the global VC investment trend showed a decline in each quarter following its peak of over $200 billion in Q1 2022. By Q1 2023, the total VC investment worldwide had dropped significantly, falling well below $60 billion. The uncertain global market, which is impacted by factors such as rising interest rates, domestic and geopolitical challenges, economic concerns, and the war in Ukraine, meant that no region was immune to the changing market conditions. This resulted in investors becoming increasingly cautious and risk-averse, leading to a reduction in VC investment activity.

FOMO out, scrutiny in: VC investments fall 77% in Q1 2023 says KPMG

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The venture capital industry could face a big contraction in the near future.</li><li>Thats's according to Scott Stanford, cofounder and partner at ACME Capital, an early-stage VC firm.</li></ul>It's no secret: Venture capitalists are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lps-are-defaulting-firm-buying-up-their-stakes-2024">hurting</a>.A slowdown in VC deal <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/venture-capital-funding-crunch-will-continue-2024-2023-12">activity</a>, which started in late 2022, has continued into the first quarter of this year, accounting and advisory firm EisnerAmper <a target="_blank" href="https://www.eisneramper.com/insights/financial-services/venture-capital-q1-vc-blog-2024/#:~:text=The%20slowdown%20in%20VC%20deal,was%20invested%20across%2015%2C580%20deals.">wrote</a> in an analysis published on June 16.You've heard this story before: inflation, interest rate uncertainty, and low M&amp;A volume are having <a target="_blank" href="https://www.inc.com/sam-blum/the-state-of-venture-funding-in-2024-so-far-anemic.html">chilling effects</a> on the investing environment.Venture capital has cyclical fluctuations, but Scott Stanford, a cofounder and partner at ACME Capital, an early-stage VC firm, thinks something more meaningful is underway."It's not crazy to think half the VC firms that were actively investing in the last decade will be sidelined and eventually collapse," he wrote in an email to BI.The first wave will die off in the next five years. Ten years from now, the damage will be evident, he said.Some simple back-of-the-napkin math paints a grim picture.In a chart compiled by Stanford and shared with BI, by 1990, there were 300 VC firms overseeing $17 billion in assets. Over the last two decades, those numbers went through the roof. Now, there are 3,000 VC firms overseeing $1.2 trillion.By contrast, the increase in exits is modest at best. By 1990, VC-backed IPOs totaled $12.7 billion. By 2021, that increased to $60.1 billion. And it's a similar story with VC-backed M&amp;A deals.The venture industry got ahead of itself, in other words: The proliferation of firms and the money they're managing is not supported by the financial value they're creating."As the venture capital industry matured over the past several decades, euphoric momentum investors, not technologists, drove the creation of funds and the deployment of capital, blind to the nuances and challenges of timing innovation cycles," Stanford and ACME cofounder Hany Nada told investors in a recent letter shared with BI."Just as investors mistime specific investments or funds, the venture industry as a whole got as much as a decade or two ahead of reality, leading to an overcrowded, overcapitalized, and overvalued market," they added.<h2 id="03af2507-6311-43f3-ae85-0c2bb24e15b1">VC backers have other options</h2>Other factors will serve to cull the herd in VC, per Stanford.Limited partners (LPs), or investors who put money into venture firms, have other options thanks to higher interest rates, Stanford added. Low-risk investments like investing in Treasury bonds, for one example, are commanding a decent return.Tech, meanwhile, is "no longer an elusive sprite commanding irrational M&amp;A premiums or IPO exuberance," Stanford said.Once upon a time, a startup claiming they were a tech company somewhere in their pitch deck might command a billion-dollar valuation. That era is long gone.Finally, AI isn't necessarily the next panacea, Stanford said.The jury is out on whether it spawns the next generation of unicorns — when leaders like OpenAI are providing the tech openly, and anyone can use it to spin up decent products.All told, in this environment, investors without deep expertise, powerful networks, or mega-funds to deploy will be hard-pressed to raise money and build enduring franchises, Stanford said."A VC without capital is like a tennis player without a racquet," he said. "They can give interviews and make headlines but they aren't invited on the court."<div type="image" title="The ACME Capital team." height="4002" width="6000" msid="111124353" hostid="261" sizebytes="1317914"></div><h2 id="73f0b2e9-ab0b-4b58-a988-7c2cd0c879b8">VCs will have to take risks again</h2>Stanford believes today's challenges will give way to a new — or, rather, an old — era of VC investing.Tons of startups that went to market in the last handful of years had a similar strategy: Backed with millions in funding, they launched an app that was slightly better than someone else's.In the past, you could get away with making social features, apps, and incrementally better software in this fashion, Stanford said.Nowadays, incumbents can do all that themselves.So, investors that survive the contraction will have to back companies that are actually inventing things and therefore come with a sizable risk profile.When those companies get it right, they generate outsized returns. When they get it wrong, they go to zero.Maybe these VCs can be part of what Stanford describes as a renaissance of technology, "where systems work for us versus us working for them," he and Nada wrote to LPs.

A top VC predicts the industry is heading for a massive and enduring contraction

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="13392007" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ben-narasin" source="Orion">Ben Narasin</keyword> is the founder and general partner at Tenacity Venture Capital.</li><li>He says lots of highs and lows — and being kept in the dark — are part of the nature of <keyword id="13392008" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="early-stage-investing" source="Orion">early stage investing</keyword>.</li></ul>What's the real story behind those acquisitions where "deal terms were not disclosed?" Deals with no announced value are the Schrödinger's cat of the early stage investing world — you don't know whether you've made or lost money.When the terms aren't disclosed, and the founder didn't bother to notify you the deal was coming — which happens more than I'd like when you were a small check in a long ago seed round — investors are just as likely to discover they lost all their money as to find they made a profit.While there are legitimate reasons not to announce deal terms, the most common one is that they aren't interesting enough to disclose.Last year, within a four-week timeframe, I had four companies in my portfolio announce transactions, and in only one case was I given a heads up that it was coming — and even then, I wasn't told the terms.<h2>So, then one goes into financial purgatory, waiting to find out whether you've made or lost money.</h2>It's safest to assume you've lost money until you're proven otherwise and gain a happy surprise, but of course I reach out to founders to ask.Last October, one deal had a 10x outcome. In another, I got my money back. Another was a modest loss. And I'm still waiting to learn about the fourth. So overall, there were more positive outcomes than negative.In one case, I had to follow up twice just to find out anything. When the first request got no response, I started to worry it was a talent acquisition with nothing for investors. I sent a note saying that (because maybe it would force a response), only to have my founder tell me to chill out. I felt bad that I pressured my founder instead of celebrating his victory, but it's hard to be in the dark and wondering. I know founders have a lot going on when they're in liquidity mode, but I also know there are a fair number of VCs that can help and sometimes even optimize outcomes.<h2>I've seen quite a few deals and I know most of the tricks the buyers will deploy.</h2>That's the other part of the equation. The investor gets a DocuSign and, sometimes, the supporting documents (the last one I got was 255 pages). There are sometimes assumptions of future liabilities and other things VCs sometimes agree to, that I know from experience private equity guys won't agree to, and this makes it hard. And when the whole outcome is pennies on the dollar or even a refund on a small check, having to spend lawyer fees to figure it out isn't palatable.If the shareholder consent level (the percentage of shareholders that need to approve the deal for it to close) isn't too high, one can often just abstain and be dragged along, in theory gaining dissenters rights or some protection to protest later in an impact scenario. (I'm not a lawyer — ask one if you want to know if this is true. It's an opinion, not a fact.)So when you see a "deal terms were not announced" deal, know it can be anywhere on the spectrum. I have lost all my money in some, and in one case made 60x on an almost $1 billion outcome — though the latter eventually got disclosed, the former never did.

I'm a VC whose investments have made my firm almost $1 billion. Here's what I look for when evaluating a startup.

These 44 pitch decks helped fintechs disrupting trading, investing, and banking raise millions in funding

<ul class="summary-list"><li>This post originally appeared in the Insider Today newsletter.</li></ul>Hello! If you happen to own a huge restaurant chain, take Red Lobster's $20 Ultimate Endless Shrimp promotion as a cautionary tale: The company's profits tanked <a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/red-lobsters-all-you-can-eat-endless-shrimp-backfires-2023-11">due to an overwhelming appetite for the deal</a>.In today's big story, we're looking at <a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-invest-make-money-work-next-decade-2020s-2023-11">where experts advise people to park their cash</a> over the next decade.What's on deck: <ul><li>Markets: Economist Neil Dutta makes the case for a <a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/2024-outlook-us-economy-stock-market-jobs-inflation-interest-rates-2023-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">soft landing for the US economy</a>, and what that means for 2024.</li><li>Tech: The "<a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/discover-power-outfits-fashion-venture-capital-rising-stars-2023-11">power outfits</a>" of up-and-coming investors.</li><li>Business: Some people are "<a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/shoppers-are-doom-spending-to-cope-with-financial-stress-2023-11">doom spending</a>," while others are "<a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/americans-are-doom-saving-too-2023-12">doom saving</a>" amid economic uncertainty.</li></ul>But first, what's the long-term play here?If this was forwarded to you, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter/insider-today">sign up here.</a><h2>The big story</h2>Bang for your buck<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter/insider-today"></a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-invest-make-money-work-next-decade-2020s-2023-11"></a><div type="image" title="Illustration of a person looking through a finance portfolio." height="1800" width="2400" msid="105733530" hostid="261" sizebytes="111298"></div>There's plenty of chatter about how to invest next year. But what about how to invest for the next 10 years?The market volatility in the wake of the pandemic gave people visions of getting rich overnight, but true investing is a long-term play. With that in mind, Business Insider's James Faris and Will Edwards spoke to nine professional investors, strategists, and financial planners about the best way to <a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-invest-make-money-work-next-decade-2020s-2023-11">invest and manage personal finances for the next decade</a>. Their piece has plenty of tips for anyone wondering where to put their money, from the actual investments to the vehicles to use.Let's get the bad news out of the way first: A near-zero interest rate environment won't be returning. Yes, rates will eventually come down. But it won't happen overnight, and <a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ken-griffin-inflation-linger-decades-ukraine-israel-hamas-gaza-war-2023-11">they won't drop to pre-pandemic levels</a>. (It's worth remembering a rate cut doesn't guarantee a market boon, <a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/news-today-november-27-interest-rate-cuts-fed-2023-11">as we've previously covered</a>.) As a result, a new market regime means new investing strategies will be necessary, <a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-invest-make-money-work-next-decade-2020s-2023-11">James and Will write</a>.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-invest-make-money-work-next-decade-2020s-2023-11"></a><div type="image" title="someone on the trading floor, pointing up" height="960" width="1280" msid="105733531" hostid="261" sizebytes="62414"></div>One of the big takeaways from the story was how hard it seems the next 10 years will be for investors.Setting aside recency bias, it's been relatively easy to generate good returns in the market over the past 10 years. Sure, there have been bumps in the road. But if you bet on most of the big-name tech stocks — or took a chance on some innovative newcomers — you're probably sitting pretty.But elevated rates mean cash won't come cheap for those innovative companies looking to take chances. It also means the bar for returns is that much higher. (<a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/news-today-october-24-treasury-yield-bond-market-stocks-recession-2023-9">More on that here</a>.)As <a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-invest-make-money-work-next-decade-2020s-2023-11">James and Will outline</a>, that could mean looking to mid-cap stocks with room to grow. Or even going abroad, where stocks aren't as pricey. Whatever you decide, patience will be the name of the game for investors going forward. And to be fair, that's not much different than how things have always been.<h2>Your Monday headline catchup</h2>A quick recap of the top news from over the weekend:<ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-grimes-lock-down-details-custody-battle-texas-2023-12">Elon Musk says his kids' safety is at risk unless a Texas judge restricts access to his custody battle with Grimes</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-allison-greenfield-engoron-law-clerk-trump-fraud-trial-2023-11">Meet Allison Greenfield, the law clerk driving Trump bonkers at his fraud trial</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/openai-sam-altman-firing-what-happened-with-helen-toner-2023-12">We now have more details on what the heck happened at OpenAI</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-cant-millennials-buy-homes-first-time-buyers-mortgage-rates-2023-12">Millennials have become their own worst enemy in the housing market</a></li></ul><h2>3 things in markets</h2><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/2024-outlook-us-economy-stock-market-jobs-inflation-interest-rates-2023-11"></a><div type="image" title="An American flag has been transformed into a bar graph." height="1200" width="2400" msid="105733532" hostid="261" sizebytes="24564"></div><ul><li>2024 is shaping up to be a great year for the economy — and the stock market. After three years of pain, America is finally seeing the job market holding up and inflation cooling. So, if this year was about the hard work of stabilizing the economy, then next year is about <a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/2024-outlook-us-economy-stock-market-jobs-inflation-interest-rates-2023-11">enjoying the fruits of that labor</a>. </li><li>Speaking of 2024... JPMorgan's top market strategist issued his 2024 stock forecast. It's the most bearish projection on Wall Street so far, seeing the S&amp;P 500 ending next year at 4,200 — representing a <a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-outlook-sp500-lowest-price-target-next-year-jpmorgan-2023-12">potential downside of 8% from current levels</a>.</li><li>Crypto stocks have notched triple-digit rallies this year. AI names may have commanded the market's attention lately, but another corner of the market is seeing impressive gains: stocks tied to digital assets. Coinbase, MicroStrategy, Riot Platforms, and Marathon Digital shares are up more than 250% in 2023. Meanwhile, bitcoin has <a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/crypto-stocks-coinbase-microstrategy-riot-marathon-bitcoin-ether-ftx-binance-2023-12">climbed about 130% year-to-date</a>.</li></ul><h2>3 things in tech</h2><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-productivity-boost-job-performance-inequality-economics-2023-11"></a><div type="image" title="White-collar workers on laptops sitting on bar graphs, with AI robots affecting productivity, pushing one down and lifting the other up" height="600" width="800" msid="105733534" hostid="261" sizebytes="23134"></div><ul><li>ChatGPT is good news for employees who suck at their jobs. AI might just be the great equalizer. Studies show that it's not helping everyone get better at their jobs. Instead, it's mostly <a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-productivity-boost-job-performance-inequality-economics-2023-11">turbocharging workers who are bad at their jobs</a> — narrowing the gap between high and low performers. </li><li>VC "power outfits." Business Insider's 2023 rising stars of VC shared the clothing items that help them look and feel the best at work. Their style is a bit less traditional and includes pieces like <a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/discover-power-outfits-fashion-venture-capital-rising-stars-2023-11">Chelsea boots, jeans, and high-top sneakers</a>.</li><li>Leaked meeting transcript: AWS VP says senior engineer departures are "making us better." Some employees were concerned about the exodus. But Prasad Kalyanaraman told employees last month that attrition <a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-aws-executive-talk-senior-engineer-departures-2023-11">helps the company be more focused</a>.</li></ul><h2>3 things in business</h2><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cybertruck-elon-musk-tesla-not-sold-europe-anytime-soon-2023-12"></a><div type="image" title="Cybertruck" height="2667" width="4000" msid="105733535" hostid="261" sizebytes="1165432"></div><ul><li>Why Elon Musk's Cybertruck won't be coming to Europe anytime soon. The first reason is pretty simple: the Cybertruck is too heavy. To drive a vehicle heavier than 3.5 tons in the EU, you may need a truck driver's license. Plus, Tesla faces a <a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="https://businessinsider.com/cybertruck-elon-musk-tesla-not-sold-europe-anytime-soon-2023-12">bevy of production challenges</a>.</li><li>A Gen Xer making $344,000 secretly worked three jobs. Then two of them laid him off. The 48-year-old said this scenario is exactly <a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/overemployed-remote-jobs-full-time-tech-layoffs-work-retirement-savings-2023-11">why he was overemployed</a>. He said balancing three jobs was transformational for his finances (but also led to burnout).</li><li>Doom saving vs. doom spending. In the face of economic uncertainty, some Americans are "<a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/shoppers-are-doom-spending-to-cope-with-financial-stress-2023-11">doom spending</a>" to help cope with the stress. Meanwhile, others are "<a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/americans-are-doom-saving-too-2023-12">doom saving</a>," which could ultimately cause headaches for some businesses.</li></ul><h2>In other news</h2><ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/see-mcdonalds-new-cosmcs-menu-2023-12">We got a look at the menu for CosMc's, McDonald's new spinoff</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/broadcom-vmware-new-era-begins-2023-11">At VMware, "change" and "uncertainty" loom after its $69 billion acquisition by Broadcom, which left customers on edge</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-make-gpt-custom-chatgpt-ai-15-minutes-guide-2023-12">I made a GPT, a custom version of OpenAI's ChatGPT, and it only took me 15 minutes. Here's how</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/partner-career-job-success-jealousy-relationship-2023-11">Three questions to ask yourself if your partner's career success is making you jealous</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/banana-republic-vs-j-crew-store-tour-2023-12">I shopped at Banana Republic and J. Crew to see how their transformation is going. One was much more fun to shop</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-get-back-into-exercise-routine-fitness-coach-tricks-2023-12">How to get back into an exercise routine: six tricks from a former fitness coach</a>.</li></ul><h2>What's happening today</h2><ul><li>The Oxford Dictionary announced its Word of the Year. The contenders included beige flag, de-influencing, heat dome, parasocial, prompt, rizz, situationship, and Swiftie. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rizz-oxford-english-dictionary-word-year-charisma-social-media-2023-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Check out the winner</a>. </li><li>Happy birthday, Jay-Z! Tyra Banks, Blake Snell, and Thomas Carlyle were also born on this day.</li><li>Earnings today: Gitlab <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/earnings-calendar">and other companies</a>.</li></ul><h2>For your bookmarks</h2>Trailer vs. motel"I stayed in a 250-square-foot trailer on a gorgeous property for $80. I'd choose it over a motel every time." It was <a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stayed-in-renovated-rv-better-than-motel-worth-price-2023-11">surrounded by gorgeous scenery</a> and was also beautifully decorated inside.The Insider Today team: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/dan-defrancesco">Dan DeFrancesco</a>, senior editor and anchor, in New York City. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/diamond-naga-siu">Diamond Naga Siu</a>, senior reporter, in San Diego. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/hallam-bullock">Hallam Bullock</a>, editor, in London. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/lisa-ryan">Lisa Ryan</a>, executive editor, in New York.

A new era for the market means a new way to think about investing

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=e8301967eccb9d27ea678ca38d34e3a99a325637d02ba4ff553204f209cc0b15&amp;postID=651484a4d34cd129df390ced&amp;postSlug=life-of-startup-founder-no-vc-funding-money-2023-10&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fposts%2Fmelissakwan_we-made-5-wrong-hires-that-ended-up-costing-activity-7085241513718231040-lGhM%2F">Melissa Kwan</a> is the CEO and co-founder of eWebinar. </li><li>She says she doesn't have to answer to anyone else because she's bootstrapped. </li></ul>I've built three startups over the past 13 years and consciously chosen not to raise venture capital for any of them, also known as "bootstrapping."I chose bootstrapping because it lets me live a life that puts my happiness ahead of maximizing profits, which for me, is the life/work balance that makes building a startup sustainable.Currently, I'm the co-founder and CEO of <a target="_blank" href="https://ewebinar.com/">eWebinar,</a> an automated webinar platform that helps companies run hundreds of webinars without needing to be there to host them live.Here are 8 unconventional ways I get to live my life because I didn't take VC money:<h2>1. I'm able to make my own schedule</h2>I start my day at noon, go out for dinner, and work until midnight. I don't wake up with an alarm. I run errands when I need to and take naps when I feel like it. I take time off whenever I want, including every birthday.<h2>2. I don't have to justify anything to anyone</h2>My life partner is my cofounder. We travel nine months of the year and work on the road. We give everything for this company, but externally, it looks like we're always having fun and doing very little. I don't have the stress of needing to justify our relationship and how we spend our time to a board.<h2>3. I don't have VC's telling us what to do</h2>No VC can tell us to get an office and hire locally to prove their money is well spent. We have a team of contractors who set their own hours. We believe people are most productive when they choose where they live and when they work. Also, I prioritize lifestyle over revenue and don't attend events I don't want to. I don't attend networking events, conferences, or booths. I have a zero-call policy; no sales calls, no support calls — no exceptions. All communication is through email or chat.We optimize for happiness, not dollars.<h2>4. I'm able to grow slowly – the way that I want to grow</h2>It took us 36 months to hit $1 million annual recurring revenue. We spent time listening to feedback and built something customers love so they'd stick around because we didn't need to manufacture growth for investors. And because it was the only way to build a sustainable business.<h2>5. I don't have to worry about backlash</h2>Since I don't have to worry about keeping up my public image for fear of negatively impacting fundraising, I can share my honest opinion with anyone I want without worrying about backlash. My answer to how things are going doesn't always have to be "I'm killing it!"<h2>6. I don't need anyone else's approval to make major decisions</h2>As the sole director and board member, I can make decisions around hiring and firing execs, budgeting, compensation, investments, corporation structure, stock options, dividends distribution, selling shares, exiting – as I see fit for the business.<h2>7. I can raise capital on my own terms</h2>A common misconception with bootstrapped companies is that they raise zero capital. In truth, they often choose to raise capital or sell a portion of their shares much later when there is significant revenue. If we ever take this path, it'll be on our terms.<h2>8. I can sell the company when I want</h2>This is the most important yet most underrated item on this list. I wouldn't have been able to sell my previous startup if we had VCs because the price would be too low for venture-level returns. I can't imagine working years towards a life-changing exit, only to have someone who never spent a day in my business tell me I can't. If that happened, I wouldn't be living as freely as I do now and wouldn't have cofounded eWebinar.<h2>There was a time when I thought I needed venture capital to be a "real startup"</h2>I was living in New York, and every startup founder I knew was raising money, so I thought that was the only path to success.Ironically, because nobody would fund my last company and we had to sustain our own growth, we became laser-focused on generating revenue and eventually hit profitability. I realized then how liberating it is to not rely on someone else for survival. As it turns out, the only "funding" we needed was from paying customers.As I was building a company on my terms, my VC-backed founder friends were constantly stressed over growth rates and how they were going to raise the next round of funding. I had complete freedom and they had very little.<h2>While I enjoy the benefits of bootstrapping, it doesn't come without many obvious challenges</h2>Growing a company with limited resources means you're constantly making tradeoffs between where you can and cannot invest in your business. And as a founder, you may not be able to pay yourself for years. That kind of sacrifice is not for everyone, and sometimes I do wonder whether it'd just be easier to raise capital.But then I think about the way I get to live everyday as a result of having no boss, and I know I made the right decision.Many people think bootstrapping is a financial decision. For me, it was an intentional lifestyle choice. I asked myself, "What kind of life do I want to live if I am going to build this company for the next 10 years?<a target="_blank" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissakwan/&amp;sa=D&amp;source=docs&amp;ust=1695843459730032&amp;usg=AOvVaw2NXDDlF0OdJL2XnSN4SxK6">Melissa Kwan</a> is the CEO and co-founder of eWebinar.

My life as a startup founder is way better because I didn't take VC money. Here are 8 upsides.

New Delhi, Mar 17 () Private equity and venture capital investments recorded a 24-month low of USD 1.7 billion in February this year, primarily on account of significant decline in large deals, says an EY report. According to the IVCA-EY monthly PE/VC roundup, uncertainty over the impact of COVID-19 is expected to act as a significant headwind to Indian PE/VC investments. The rapid spread of the pandemic over the past 30-45 days has spiked business risk premiums, which has already led to significant downward correction in capital markets around the world, which in turn has impacted fund inflows. Further, travel restrictions and inability of people to meet face-to-face is expected to delay work-in-progress deals and limit the number of new deals from being struck, the report said. "After a good start to PE/VC investments in 2020, both investment and exit activity have declined considerably in February 2020. The decline in value of PE/VC investments is primarily on account of the number of large deals (over USD 100 million) going down substantially," said Vivek Soni, Partner and National Leader - Private Equity Services, EY India. There were five large deals worth USD 700 million in February 2020 compared to nine deals worth USD 2.0 billion last year and five deals worth USD 1.4 billion in January 2020. "This is the lowest aggregate value of large deals in over 19 months. The largest deal announced in February saw General Atlantic invest USD 200 million in BYJU'S, an edtech company, followed by Warburg Pincus' investment of USD 150 million in Apollo Tyres Limited," the report said. Soni further said that besides the coronavirus scare, domestic issues concerning taxation policies impacting InvIT's and REITS and lingering issues over the financial health of some of our domestic banks and NBFCs, will act as sentiment dampeners, potentially slowing down large ticket PE/VC investments in the short term. In the medium term, however valuations are expected to moderate, and may open up good opportunities for PE/VC investors. From a sector point of view, education sector (USD 311 million across five deals) has emerged as the top sector for the first time due to the large investment in BYJU'S, followed by technology (USD 271 million across 18 deals) and real estate (USD 232 million across three deals). Financial services, that has traditionally been one of the top sectors, was relegated to the fifth place with USD 162 million invested across nine deals, the report said. DRR MRMR

PE/VC investments in Feb slips to 24-month low of USD 1.7 bn: Report

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11905391" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="vc" source="Orion">VC</keyword> firm Y Combinator told startups in its portfolio to think about other ways to fundraise in 2022.</li><li>This comes at a time when VC investments are dropping and tech firms are laying off workers.</li></ul>The <keyword id="11894135" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="silicon-valley" source="Orion">Silicon Valley</keyword> venture-capital firm <a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/">Y Combinator</a> told startups in its portfolio that raising funds could get difficult this year."No one can predict how bad the economy will get, but things don't look good," said <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/21/everyone-is-drafting-up-their-own-startup-black-swan-memo/?campaign_id=4&amp;emc=edit_dk_20220523&amp;instance_id=62144&amp;nl=dealbook&amp;regi_id=58846835&amp;segment_id=93098&amp;te=1&amp;user_id=33847c70fb45b38628c8b13c348dde58">the letter</a>, which was titled "economic downturn" and sent to <keyword id="11964073" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="founders" source="Orion">founders</keyword> planning to raise funding in the next six to 12 months. "The safe move is to plan for the worst."Y Combinator's letter comes at a time when tech firms are implementing <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/recession-2022-companies-prepare-economic-downturn-netflix-layoffs-meta-hiring-2022-5">hiring freezes</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-lays-off-150-amid-slowing-growth-subscriber-losses-2022-5">layoffs</a> because they're anticipating a recession later this year. Venture-capital investments are dropping, too: A May report by Crunchbase News found that the value of VC investments had dropped by <a href="https://news.crunchbase.com/business/global-vc-funding-decline-monthly-recap-april-2022/">$5 billion</a> between March and April. But raising <keyword id="11897927" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="venture-capital" source="Orion">venture capital</keyword> isn't the only way to fund a business. Insider spoke with three founders who explained how they successfully started and scaled their companies without venture capital. <h2>Determine the best type of financing based on your <keyword id="45663" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="revenue" source="Orion">revenue</keyword></h2>The funding expert Arielle Loren — who is also the founder of the first business-funding app for women, <a href="https://100kincubator.com/">100K Incubator</a> — <a href="https://100kincubator.com/"></a>broke funding options into <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/women-ceos-founders-capital-funding-small-businesses-2019-10">three levels</a> based on a business' monthly revenue ranging from $0 to more than $100,000. At level one are businesses that earn under $3,000 a month and haven't established proof of concept yet. Level-one funding options include <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-small-business-bank-accounts-credit-cards-2021-4">business credit cards</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/best-personal-loans">personal loans</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/what-is-a-home-equity-loan">home-equity loans</a>, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/equity-crowdfunding">crowdfunding</a>. Loren said these worked best because these founders hadn't started making a serious profit. As a result, they shouldn't take out funding that they might not be able to repay.Businesses at level two earn $3,000 or more a month in sales and are on track to reach six figures a year. Loren lists funding options such as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/business-pitch-competition-how-to-win-winner-deidre-mathis-2019-11">pitch competitions</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tips-for-bidding-on-government-contracts-small-business-2021-2">government contracts</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/how-to-get-a-business-loan">government small-business loans and private business loans</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-payment-processor-loan-square-paypal-stripe-2019-11">payment-processor loans</a>, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/what-is-a-credit-line-how-to-get-one">business lines of credit</a> for companies to consider. These are good options for businesses that have just started earning steady revenue and are looking to expand.The final level comprises companies that earn $9,000 or more a month in sales. For businesses that might not want to pursue venture capital based on the recent warnings, angel investing is another option. Business owners can consider this when their companies are showing enough growth to pursue serious funding.Additionally, the biggest advantage for businesses in level three is that there's nothing to repay. However, it also means that the owner will be giving up more of their equity and therefore more parties can be involved in making decisions.<h2>When money is tight, use a spreadsheet to track expenses</h2><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/30-year-old-turns-tax-refund-into-side-hustle-2021-3">Shereen Campbell</a> started her online business <a href="https://mylittlemagicshop.com/">My Little Magic Shop</a> selling crystals, gemstones, and jewelry with $3,400 from a tax refund. She wanted to track every dollar she was investing in her business and used a detailed budget spreadsheet to organize expenses like savings, debt payments, and paychecks. She also created a second spreadsheet that tracked her company's revenue, traffic, and sales targets. This helped her scale the business, and she now books $12,000 a month in revenue. "Being so diligent about creating and maintaining these two <keyword id="12461225" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="spreadsheets" source="Orion">spreadsheets</keyword> really, really helped to keep me focused, disciplined, and strategic," she <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/entrepreneurs-save-enough-start-business-2021-3#shereen-campbell-used-spreadsheets-to-split-her-personal-and-business-expenses-1">previously</a> told Insider.<h2>Set a frugal budget and stick to it</h2><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/how-early-retiree-lives-off-investments-2021-3">Jeremy Schneider</a> said the key to successfully building his business <a href="https://www.rentlinx.com/">RentLinx</a>, an advertising website for rental properties, was living frugally. He stuck to a fixed budget for grocery shopping, drove an older car, and paid himself a minimum salary to keep costs low while scaled the young startup."I had a roommate, and our rent was $1,400, so I was paying half of that," he <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/entrepreneurs-save-enough-start-business-2021-3#shereen-campbell-used-spreadsheets-to-split-her-personal-and-business-expenses-1">previously</a> told Insider. "It was very frugal living."In 2015, 12 years after he started RentLinx, he sold it for $2 million.

Raising venture capital is about to get more difficult in 2022. 3 founders explain how to fund a business without VC.

The <keyword id="6355302" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rupee" source="Orion">rupee</keyword> rebounded from its lifetime lows to close 25 paise higher at 82.75 (provisional) against the US dollar on Thursday amid weakness in the greenback overseas. Fag-end buying in domestic equities also bolstered sentiment, forex traders said. However, rising crude oil prices in the international market capped the rupee's gain, they added. The local currency recovered on suspected RBI intervention after hitting a record low of 83.29 during the session. At the interbank forex market, the local unit opened weak at 83.05 against the greenback but later lost ground to quote at 83.29. It also touched an intra-day high of 82.72. The rupee pared all its losses to end at 82.75 (provisional), registering a gain of 25 paise over its previous close. In the previous session, the rupee had settled at an all-time low of 83 against the dollar. Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, slipped 0.17 per cent to 112.79. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were net sellers in the capital markets as they offloaded shares worth Rs 453.91 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/vc-investments-in-india-soften-across-all-verticals-except-fintech-kpmg/articleshow/94988138.cms">VC investments in India soften across all verticals, except fintech: KPMG</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/construction-materials-startup-globalfair-raises-20-million-from-lightspeed-others/articleshow/94988399.cms">Construction materials startup GlobalFair raises $20 million from Lightspeed, others</a>

You Searched For "Low VC investments" and got 9 results

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