Tag Archives: angel investors

WSJ – Five Intellectual Property Mistakes Startups Should Avoid

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Antone Johnson • 0 Comments

IP ownership gets complicated thanks to the natural fluidity of startups as business enterprises: A developer may start out with a side project, bring some of that knowledge to bear on a consulting engagement, and ultimately found or join a related startup.… Continue Reading

Filed Under: entrepreneurship, law, startups

The Great Crowdfunding Train Wreck of 2013

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Antone Johnson • 6 Comments

What sort of business operators can we predict will be disproportionately drawn to using a funding mechanism that is designed from the ground up to leverage a large number of middle-class individual investors with minimal bargaining power under circumstances involving minimal disclosure, toothless corporate governance and little-to-no liability to shareholders?… Continue Reading

Filed Under: angel investing, law, public policy, startups, venture capital

Convertible Note Financing 101 for Startups

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Antone Johnson • 5 Comments

A key advisory role of startup lawyers in my opinion is to level the playing field by bringing our own perspectives to bear, having gone through the twists and turns with many clients over the years. Knowledge is power.… Continue Reading

Filed Under: angel investing, law, startups, venture capital

Web 2.0 Summit 2010 – Thought Leaders Ponder the “Battelle” for the Network Economy

Posted on November 15, 2010 by Antone Johnson • 1 Comment

This week, industry leaders, pundits, journalists and assorted hangers-on are gathering in San Francisco for the annual Web 2.0 Summit, one of the online industry’s most influential events. John Battelle and Tim O’Reilly moderate conversations with a long list of Web luminaries, including Eric Schmidt, Carol Bartz, Marc Benioff, Reed Hastings, Peter Chernin, Tony Hsieh, Evan Williams, Mark Zuckerberg, Mark Pincus, Ron Conway, John Doerr, and Fred Wilson.… Continue Reading

Filed Under: angel investing, digital media, entrepreneurship, events, law, public policy, social media, startups, venture capital, Web 2.0

The Crying of Bin 38: Valley Insiders, Anonymous Quorans, and a Vast Angel-Wing Conspiracy

Posted on October 30, 2010 by Antone Johnson • 1 Comment

My particular interest in Angelgate relates to the role of anonymity in social media, its facilitation of information flow in a way never seen before, and the fragility — under some circumstances — of that anonymity. Allowing users to log in via Facebook Connect, Twitter OAuth or Google Apps makes it easier than ever to unmask anonymous posters when a site owner is required to comply with a subpoena or search warrant.… Continue Reading

Filed Under: angel investing, entrepreneurship, law, social media, startups, super angels, venture capital

Resources for Early Stage Entrepreneurs: Fifteen Items in the “Top 10″

Posted on August 5, 2010 by Antone Johnson • 10 Comments

Following is the new, improved, Top 15 List of free online resources addressing key recurring themes and questions that founders raise in our initial meetings: Assembling a founding team, choosing and forming a legal entity, deciding on how to compensate co-founders and employees, gauging market conditions for VC and angel funding, deciphering legal jargon and documents used in VC and angel financing rounds, identifying and retaining the best professional advisors, and so forth.… Continue Reading

Filed Under: angel investing, entrepreneurship, law, startups, super angels, venture capital