The Venture Capital Bible
A crash course on venture capital from an insider to help founders prepare to successfully raise capital from VCs.
By
February 24, 2024
Hi, I'm Kieran. I worked in startups for five years at On Deck and Wefunder. I contributed directly to the accelerator products ODX (by On Deck) and XX (by Wefunder) at both places. Through my experiences and contributions to the startup ecosystem, I learned a lot about the insides of venture capital. So, I put together this guide, which I'm calling The Venture Capital Bible, to serve as a resource to founders and aspiring VCs. A special thank you to my friends who reviewed this piece before I published it.
For other ways to raise money, check out my blog post on How to Raise Money for your Business afterward.
Chapter 1: What is Venture Capital?
1:1 What is venture capital?
1:2 History of venture capital
1:3 How does venture capital differ from other types of financing?
1:4 What types of businesses do venture capitalists fund?
1:5 The stages of venture capital
1:6 The benchmarks to raise venture capital
1:7 What are the different types of venture capitalists?
1:8 How are venture capital firms structured?
1:9 How do venture capitalists make money?
1:10 What is the typical timeline for a venture capital investment?
1:11 How are venture capitalists measured?
1:12 The venture capital power law
Chapter 2: The Venture Capital Process
2:1 How do venture capitalists source deals?
2:2 How long does it take to raise money from venture capitalists?
2:3 What is a venture capital term sheet
2:4 How do venture capitalists send you money
2:5 What do venture capitalists look for in companies?
2:6 How do venture capitalists conduct due diligence?
2:7 How do venture capital firms make decisions
2:8 What percentage do venture capital firms take?
Chapter 3: Top Venture Capital Firms (2023)
3:1 Tier 1 VC Firms
3:2 Tier 2 VC Firms
3:3 Tier 3 VC Firms
Chapter 4: How To Decide If Venture Capital Is Right For Your Business
4:1 Benefits of raising venture capital
4:2 Risks associated with venture capital
4:3 When should you consider raising venture capital?
4:4 How much money can you raise with venture capital?
4:5 How much of your time is required when raising from venture capitalists?
4:6 Which parts of the venture capital process can you outsource to teammates?
4:7 What expectations do venture capitalists have of you?
4:8 How to pick your venture capital partners
