Any entrepreneur who is serious about his trade will need to know about the term sheet.

Is your NDA doing more harm than good for your startup?  Here are 5 reasons Angel and VC funds avoid NDAs.

A principal goal in the life of a scalable startup company is getting external equity funding. The closing of a funding round is cause for celebration. However, founders are often left with a somewhat bitter-sweet taste when they realize what just happened.

As an angel investor and leader of an angel group, I receive funding inquiries every day. Most come in the form of an executive summary, which typically provides one of the initial interactions an entrepreneur will have with an investor.

As Angels and VCs are tightening their fists, entrepreneurs are less likely to get next stage funding. Having a great team, pitch and front man are simply not enough.

The entrepreneur seeking investment should recognize the advantages of obtaining such an investment. However, the endeavor needs entrepreneurs to have a strong understanding of their objectives, opportunities, strategy, and fit with potential corporate partners.

The Billion Dollar Startup Club has 101 companies as of July 2015, with the number one private company valued at $46 billion. It’s no secret, technology has revolutionized entrepreneurship. The explosive growth of tech-based companies is at its highest since 1995, surpassing the dot-com boom of year 2000.

The capitalization table (cap table) summarizes who owns what part of the company before and after financing. It is one of the most important elements of the term sheet because it outlines the complete transaction succinctly using concrete numbers.

 An entrepreneur without funding is a musician without an instrument.― Robert A. Rice Jr.

A fair number of really smart, well-prepared entrepreneurs get tripped up, stumble around and eventually fall to the ground when they make their startup funding pitches to the Angel Investment Group that I am a part of.