April 13, 2021
Last week we talked about how to evalute the target market for a company developing a drug, and some of the pitfalls that investors should be aware of if they hope to invest profitably in the space. With the high start-up costs and often long timelines for regulatory approval, pharmaceuticals are a high risk, but high reward, industry. Read More >
April 5, 2021
Investing in the biotech and pharmaceutical space presents unique challenges. With an average of 12 years to FDA approval for a drug, significant time can pass before investors see profits from a compound. Read More >
March 22, 2021
US healthcare venture capital (VC) funding set a new record in 2019 at 10.7 billion, a 10% increase from 2018. Although this may look appealing to healthcare entrepreneurs, most of this funding occurs during later-stage investments. Read More >
March 15, 2021
Miami has received quite a bit of attention recently as the newest city-center to evolve into a tech hotspot brimming with entrepreneurs and investors. Announcements by such market leading firms as Softbank and Goldman Sachs that they plan to establish a presence in Miami have given the impression of a new trend emerging. Read More >
March 8, 2021
Over the past decade, major changes have been made to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) guidelines to allow startups to utilize equity crowdfunding (CF) to raise capital. Back in 2012, the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act was passed. Read More >
March 1, 2021
Most investors know that legal diligence is an important part of the due diligence process for any new investment. This must include, among other things, an investigation into the company’s intellectual property, business contracts, and formation documents. Read More >
February 22, 2021
Choosing the proper entity selection for your start-up venture is crucial. This is how you will protect yourself, as the founders, and additionally, engage interest from potential investors. Read More >
December 18, 2020
According to a survey by CB Insights, the #1 reason start-ups fail is there is “no market need” for their product or service. Whether you are starting a new company, or looking to invest in one, the first order of business is to answer a simple question: will anyone want to pay for what I plan to offer? Read More >
October 28, 2020
In our previous post we discussed if Agile is right for your company. In this post, we will talk about how to implement it for those companies where it is. By using Agile as a mindset, your firm can obtain business agility through self-assessment and organizational mindset. First, leaders in your organization Read More >
October 22, 2020
Anyone who has spent five-minutes talking to a software developer about their work is likely to have heard about Agile. Agile is an approach to project management that allows teams to create and respond to change faster and more effectively. It helps teams identify uncertainty and figure out how to Read More >
October 9, 2020
Whether you are an entrepreneur hoping to raise money or an investor looking to participate in the next new, great opportunity, you will eventually encounter that staple of angel investing: the term sheet. However, for those new to the game the term sheet, which can often be as concise as Read More >
October 1, 2020
There’s an old saying: “In business there are two types of problems: finding customers and everything else.” In a recent survey by CBInsights of over 100 startups that failed to secure follow-on funding, the #1 reason respondents cited as the reason for their company’s failure Read More >
August 24, 2020
Whether one is an entrepreneur or an angel investor looking to back one, understanding the market landscape in which the start-up in question will operate is the first order of business. To do this, one must adopt a beginner’s mentality and question all assumptions - especially those made by the start-up’s founders. Read More >
July 17, 2020
For many entrepreneurs, building value for themselves and shareholders by coming up with innovative ideas, developing strong products and executing on sales and operations comes naturally. But many entrepreneurs overlook a key area of value creation: their brand. Read More >
June 11, 2020
According to FEMA, 40% of small businesses never reopen their doors following a disaster, and as recent events have demonstrated, no company is immune from experiencing crises. However, those that prepare in advance by creating and testing response plans and then react quickly and decisively when faced with a crisis improve their chances of recovery and often emerge as more resilient and innovative companies. Read More >
June 3, 2020
While the financial markets have enjoyed a healthy rebound since their lows in March, the data on Main Street continues to deteriorate. The initial damage has been troubling and public health officials are uncertain when the virus’ infections will slow. Read More >
May 13, 2020
After assessing a start-up’s idea and position in the market landscape, it is imperative to dissect the revenue model and perform traction analysis. As Angel List co-founder Naval Ravikant states, traction is “quantitative evidence of market demand.” Read More >
May 4, 2020
Raising capital is a difficult and time-consuming process, but it can be made easier with proper preparation. As a start-up team pitching to investors, knowing what investors are looking for and understanding their expectations will improve your chances of landing your next financing. Read More >
April 26, 2020
On April 24th, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (CARES Act 3.5) to refill the depleted funds provided in the CARES Act passed on March 30th. Below, is a breakdown of the new additions and how it will affect small businesses. Read More >
April 23, 2020
As the impact of COVID-19 continues to unfold, investors are starting to assess the implications for various industries in the economy. We have collected some of what we consider to be the best work on this topic in order to make it easier for readers to navigate the onslaught of articles and studies on the subject. Read More >
April 16, 2020
The impact of COVD-19 on the economy is still unfolding, but investors are already telling the founders of the companies in which they have invested to prepare for the worst. As founders think through their options, an understanding of how previous recessions have affected their industry can help set some parameters for their decisions. Read More >
April 14, 2020
The Cane Angel Network is working to help small businesses and startups with the challenges presented by COVID-19 and widespread stay-at-home orders. The federal government’s recently enacted CARES Act provides small businesses with access to funds, a critical lifeline for struggling businesses. Read More >
April 7, 2020
A business plan is a company’s blueprint; it provides a roadmap for business owners and frames expectations for investors. Many entrepreneurs will often have a good idea for what they want to achieve with their new business, but have difficulty organizing their ideas on paper and expressing their vision in a financial model. Read More >
April 7, 2020
The most difficult, but also perhaps the most important, part of due diligence is assessing the management team. No organization can succeed and survive without strong leadership. Read More >
April 7, 2020
We are excited to announce our official launch of the ‘Cane Angel Network! The ‘Cane Angel Network facilitates investments in UM-related start-ups by UM-related early stage investors (“Angels”) to further the success of the University of Miami’s global community. Read More >
