Seraf Investor Compass

Since I am part of a team that runs a very active angel network, most of the time, I am juggling a bunch of deals in different stages of completion. It can be hard to keep track of where everything stands. Obviously, regularly updated lists and status reviews are...

Join Seraf and Deviate Consulting for a practical conversation on how today’s family offices are modernizing their back office operations. We’ll cover reporting, workflows, technology, and operational structures that improve transparency, reduce friction, and support...

Transparent, timely, and consistent reporting is one of the most important drivers of investor trust for bot

Advisory boards are not always that well understood, but they can be a huge driver of success for start ups. Advisory boards can provide a company with experience, connections, perspective, and legitimacy. And there are times when they can provide encouragement to...

Join Seraf for a fun and in-depth conversation on The London Theatre as an alternative asset class.

Ask a great investor what factors are most critical in his/her success in selecting investments and you will probably hear some variation on the following list: Great Team, Great Idea, Huge Market Opportunity, and Innovative Business Model. But there is one other...

There are a million reasons not to invest in any given startup. Even in the best case, there will be unanswered questions, missing pieces, missing team members, projected losses and uncertainty all around. The diligence process tends to document all of the warts in...

As most investors know, the next step after an initial pitch is usually a longer format “deep dive” type of meeting. In Prepping an Entrepreneur for a Deep Dive Meeting with Investors, we talked about what a deep dive meeting is, and, more importantly, how to help...

It’s exciting news! The CEO of one of your investments tells you that a buyer expressed serious interest in acquiring her company for $30M. Since the company has struggled to find huge growth, you are relieved and do a quick mental “back of the envelope” calculation...

Most startup companies have a continuous need for funds to help grow the business. You will hear the term “Follow-on” as a frequent catchphrase for this type of investing. For example, it’s common to hear one investor say to another, are you planning on “following-on”...