Private equity firms may find relief in the fact that global dry powder has steadily declined since 2023, reaching $2.52 trillion by July 1, 2025. While global M&A volumes fell 9% in the first half of 2025 on a year-on-year (YoY) basis, the stabilization of tariffs and trade policies could pave the way for renewed …
Seasoned investors are aware of the importance of the dilution-related insights gained through cap table solutions. However, the benefits of such software to a startup founder are arguably much more significant. Not only does this software enable real-time ownership tracking, but it also simplifies stock option management and tax compliance. It can also catalyze the …
When selling your business, deciding between SDE and EBITDA can significantly impact your valuation. While Main Street deals love Seller’s Discretionary Earnings for its raw, owner-centric truth, Wall Street speaks fluent EBITDA for its clean, scalable story. Choose wrong, and you’ll either confuse sophisticated buyers or undersell to local competitors. Choose right, and you’ll position …
Startups usually raise enough capital to operate for about 24 months. But when that runway ends, investors expect evidence of either product-market fit or rapid scaling to justify the next round. The danger is treating those 24 months as breathing room. Instead, think of the first 3 months as your window to prove scalability. Then, …
2025 proved to be a transformative year for M&A with over $85 billion changing hands in the year’s largest single transaction alone. From mega-mergers in utilities and transportation to sovereign wealth fund acquisitions in gaming, the deals closed this year signal major shifts in corporate strategy and industry consolidation. Top 100 M&A Deals of 2025 …
Private equity firms continue to attract investors seeking superior returns compared to public markets. The private equity industry has achieved tremendous growth, with investment volumes reaching historic highs in recent years. Despite market volatility, private equity remains a compelling investment place for high-net-worth individuals and institutional investors who can navigate its inherent risks and illiquidity. …
The US startup ecosystem in 2025 is setting new records, with billions investing in startup companies that span AI, infrastructure, energy, and more. This is transforming how founders build ventures and how investors spot opportunity, making equity management more crucial than ever. For founders, the challenge is managing growth, raising capital, and keeping equity transparent …
The US Series A funding landscape looks dramatically different from the peak years of 2020-22. In 2025, Series A funding has reached $23.02 billion through October, a significant decline from the $58.17 billion record set in 2021. Series A Capital Deployment: A Decade in Review Note: Data for 2025 is as of 31st October Founders …
The artificial intelligence sector has experienced unprecedented growth, producing some of the most highly valued startups in technology history. With a combined market capitalization exceeding $1.2 trillion among the top-tier companies, the AI ecosystem represents a fundamental shift in how technology creates and captures value. This analysis examines the current landscape of AI startups, their …
Tech companies, especially software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies, have been investor favorites for decades and for good reason. These companies often create a new niche for themselves and are highly scalable. In this article, we will take a close look at the gross profit margins of such companies, one of their key differentiators in the eyes of …
Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS) tax benefits under Section 1202 represent one of the most powerful wealth-building opportunities in the tax code, but are companies actually leveraging them? We surveyed founders across industries to find out how they’re structuring for QSBS tax benefits. The data reveals that QSBS tax benefits aren’t just about savings, they’re …
In Q3 2025, the total global VC funding reached $97B, marking the fourth consecutive quarter exceeding $90B and a robust 38.6% year-over-year increase. Q3 was characterized by extreme capital concentration with mega rounds ($500M+) capturing more than 30% of all funding and just 18 companies securing one-third of total capital deployed. AI dominated with $45.1 …
Distressed debt can be an investment opportunity that allows you to effectively beat the market. In 2024, Brazil had a real interest rate of 35.1%, greater than the returns of the S&P 500, the Nasdaq, and the Nasdaq 100. With such returns, you could more than 20x your investment portfolio in just 10 years. The …
For early-stage startups, setting up a cap table might not feel as pressing as product development or fundraising. Yet it is one of the most critical documents you can create. According to the State of the Cap Table Industry 2024, almost 90% of startups use equity-based compensation and update their cap tables in real-time to …
In 2022, US IPO activity plummeted by 83% and has yet to recover to the levels seen in 2021 or even 2020. However, the surge of IPOs in those years has distorted expectations of what ‘normal’ looks like for the market. Looking back over two decades, the median annual number of IPOs since 2000 is …
The general consensus is that uncertain market conditions have held back a number of companies from going public. While the number of initial public offerings (IPOs) has risen steadily since 2023, activity remains far below the highs of 2020 and 2021. Due to such market conditions, many companies have ended up with elongated IPO timelines. …
In 1993, Jensen Huang, Chris Malachowsky, and Curtis Priem founded NVIDIA as a fabless manufacturer of graphics accelerator chips for desktop computers. At the time, NVIDIA had secured funding of $20 million from investors like Sequoia Capital and Sutter Hill Ventures. In 1999, NVIDIA came up with the GeForce 256, which it positioned as the …
When Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were scaling Apple Computer beyond their garage operation in 1978, they turned to a Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) that provided $500,000 in startup capital. This crucial funding helped launch the revolutionary Apple II computer and transformed a two-person startup into one of the world’s most valuable companies. Small …
Apple Inc. is one of the top five IT giants in the United States with a market capitalization of $3.445 trillion as of August 2025. The company’s ownership structure is characterized by institutional investors, with over 60% of shares held by major investment firms, while retail investors maintain a substantial 51.43% stake. Apple’s capital structure …
On June 29, 2010, Tesla Inc., went public, becoming the first American carmaker to launch an IPO since 1956. Back then, Tesla was a young company with a big goal: to change the auto industry with fully electric cars. Shares started at $17, raising $226 million to help develop the Model S sedan. In October …
