It's always an interesting week in venture capital. Discover the best stories, blog posts and other information inside the VC ecosystem in the US and in hotspots around the world. Onward dear reader…
CONVERTIBLE DEBT & EQUITY
Frequent blogger VC Mark Suster has a detailed and in-depth post on the finer points of the use of convertible debt.
Both Sides of the Table: The Truth about Convertible Debt
I especially liked Suster’s equity and debt matrix at the beginning of the article.
CROWD FUNDING TRAIN WRECK?
There are many opinions about the rise of crowd funding and whether it will be a good thing.
OpenView Blog: Off the Rails
Venture capital firm OpenView Partners analyst Nick Petri believes that crowd funding will be legally treacherous for startups as a few bad eggs will spoil the market for many.
LIMITED LIABILITY QUESTIONS
Technology attorney Casey Riggs has a brief post on the different types of liability exposure for an LLC organization.
Strictly Business: Limited Liability Examined Part 1
Riggs touches upon the two types of liability sources - contract liability and tort liability.
STARTUPS IN BRITAIN
Here’s a piece about two guys who were inspired to create “Tech Britain” startup communities.
Startup Revolution: The Creation of Tech Britain
Shaun Gibson and Doug Ward first started with an 11 week tour of the UK, visiting the major tech hotspots.
LIFE SCIENCE VALUATIONS MOVING UP
Tech law firm Fenwick & West has their life science financing survey out for the first half of 2012.
Fenwick & West: Life Science Venture Financing Trends
The survey concludes that life science financings in the first half of 2012 were more likely to involve an increase in valuation in comparison to 2011 for the same period.
TECH VENTURE CAPITAL RIGHT FOR YOU?
Entrepreneur and now early-stage VC Chris Dixon has a short but sweet post on the dangers of trying to shoehorn a startup into the VC model in order to get financing.
Chris Dixon: Shoehorning Startups
He says there are lots of technology companies that are successful but don't fit the VC model, which is just fine.
OPEN VS. CLOSED MARKET SYSTEMS
UK-based VC Nic Brisbourne doesn't like closed systems as much as open systems.
The Equity Kicker: Musings on the iPhone5
Brisbourne is up front about his preference for open systems, since they are generally easier for startups to operate within.