David Spreng’s Post

“VC funding is now a rare and expensive commodity, and founders are being encouraged to focus again on business fundamentals and capital efficiency. As a result, Venture Debt is now a topic of discussion in most Board meetings, and almost every Startup that’s raising institutional capital (seed to Series D) is thinking about Venture Debt as a meaningful addition to their capital stack.” These are timely and important conversations to be had by founders, management teams, and early investors. And it’s encouraging to see demand for debt continue to increase. But it’s not hard to see why. What’s happening in the industry now can be attributed to a few factors: ✔ We are experiencing a recalibration from the “easy money” era of high valuations. Many venture equity providers are now essentially hoarding capital and waiting for cap tables to self-correct to reasonable levels. ✔ Equity is expensive, especially for late-stage companies. Venture debt has become a more compelling alternative to equity dilution for companies that want to avoid a down round. ✔ Founders are realizing that venture debt is not rescue financing. Rather, companies with consistent revenue and a clear path to profitability are increasingly seeing debt as a means of propelling further growth. While no one can predict the future, we’re very optimistic about the role that debt can (and will) play for late-stage startups throughout the remainder of the year and beyond.

Temperature Check: How are startups thinking about debt In 2024? - Hypepotamus

Temperature Check: How are startups thinking about debt In 2024? - Hypepotamus

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