Venture Capital Valuation – Guide

In early 2024, the venture capital market showed signs of recovery due to improving economic conditions and investor confidence. Despite an overall decline in previous years, seed and pre-seed valuations have remained relatively stable. The median seed-stage valuation in 2024 is approximately $15 million, which is up from the previous year. This indicates that high-quality startups are still attracting significant interest from investors.

The venture capital method is well suited if your firm has not yet generated revenue. It’s what you use to figure out a pre-money value. An investor’s perspective is reflected in a venture capital startup valuation. They seek a big exit to compensate them for taking a risk by investing in the firm.

In this article, we’ll help you understand everything about venture capital valuation. Also, you’ll learn what it entails to calculate a venture capital valuation from this guide briefly.

What is venture capital valuation?

A venture capital valuation is a calculation of the value of your business that venture capitalists require before they offer investment. Private equity refers to the value of a firm that is not publicly listed and is therefore not publicly traded. This informs venture capitalists about the viability of their business.

Venture capital valuation

Since much startup valuation is based on speculation and guesswork, investors have no single, universally acknowledged analytical process. Instead, VCs and Angels will use various venture capital valuation tools to determine a startup’s worth.

How does venture capital valuation work?

Many assumptions go into calculating a valuation using the venture capital method. Understanding the core mechanism is critical for you as an entrepreneur. As a result, you and your investors can debate various scenarios and assumptions.

Changes in the input parameters define the range. As a result, you should think of them as one of a larger set of valuation options. Your revenue multiples, the investor’s return on investment, and your revenue prediction for the year of the exit all play a role.

The Venture Capital approach, which is frequently used to assess very early-stage enterprises with no historical performance data, generates a Terminal Value at a future date when a venture capital investor expects to exit the investment. The Terminal Value is then reduced by the rate of return required by a venture capital investor (over the term until exit).

Depending on the stage of growth of the company being appraised, venture capital investors often demand different rates of return.

How to do the calculation of venture capital valuation

So, how does a corporation become valued using the venture capital method? Here is how to calculate the value of venture capital:

The concept is straightforward: venture capitalists, like all other investors, realize their profits when a liquidity event (an exit) occurs, and they expect a specific rate of return on their investments.

This can be stated as follows:

• Exit Value / Post-money Valuation = Expected Return on Investment (RoI), or
• Exit Value / Expected Return on Investment = Post-money Valuation (RoI)

Exit Value

The Exit Value (EV), also known as the Terminal Value, is the estimated price for the company to be sold or an investor leaves. This is usually computed using the Venture Capital approach as a multiple of the company’s revenues in the year of sale.

Return on Investment

The Rate of Return, also known as the Rate of Investment, is typically represented as a multiple of the initial investment. The return on investment (ROI) is a function of how investors perceive risk.

Detailed step by step calculation of VC Valuation

A VC firm is interested in investing in a new business. The investment value that will be returned in 5 years is $6 million (Exit Value), hence they decided to invest $6 million in the business. The ROI expected by the VC is 10% of the amount it invested in this venture. Outstanding number of shares is 1 million.

Step 1: Post-Money Valuation

The post-money valuation is calculated by dividing the investment value by the expected return:

• Post-money Valuation = Investment (Exit) value / Expected Return on Investment
• Valuation = 6,000,000 / 10% = 60,000,000

So, the post-money valuation is $60 million.

Step 2: Pre-Money Valuation

The pre-money valuation is calculated by subtracting the investment from the post-money valuation:

• Pre-money Valuation = Post-money Valuation − Investment
• Pre-money Valuation = 60,000,000 − 6,000,000 = 54,000,000

So, the pre-money valuation is $54 million.

Step 3: Pre-Share Value

Per-share value = Pre-money valuation ÷ total number of outstanding shares

= $54 million / 1 million = $54

To summarize the above steps:

• Post-money Valuation: $60 million
• Pre-money Valuation: $54 million
• Pre-Share Value: $54

Guidelines for VC valuation to follow before calculation

Before attempting valuation calculations, here is a step by step guide to follow:

• Allocate an enterprise value
• Process calibration and backtesting
• Select a proper valuation technique for the business
• Consider multiples depending on the level, industry, and location of business.

Venture capital valuation model/methods

When it comes to venture capital valuation, there are several models or methods available. Some of these models depend on certain aspects of venture capital. These methods are:

• Calculate the needed investment – This is basically calculating how much money and resources the business will need to scale. At this point, the business owner aligns the business’s position and its goals to draw a line on how many resources will move the business.
• Forecast Startup Financials – A financial projection is a study of financial data that aid in predicting a project’s future revenue and expenses. A financial estimate is an integral part of the planning process for a starting firm. A startup’s financial prediction might assist in planning for the first few years of operation.
• Determine the Timing of Exit – The estimated time of investment from the venture capitalist is used to plan and calculate risk and results.
• Calculate Multiple at Exit – A multiple, often known as a multiplier, is a valuation technique that determines the worth of a corporation or business in relation to a financial indicator. It is necessary to understand the rate of interest that should be added before the year of exit.
• Discount to PV at the Desired Rate of Return – The discounted cash flows and exit price are added together using the investor’s needed return to arrive at the business’s worth under the given scenario.
• Determine Valuation and Desired Ownership Stake – At this point, the business’s worth and position are determined. Also, the stake to remain with the owner is then discussed and determined to calculate additional risk.

Implications of Venture capital method

While the venture capital valuation method is the most common for early-stage funding, it has several flaws. The VC strategy, for starters, necessitates a reliance on expected growth and future income.

Finally, investors’ needed discount rate of return or multiples is a subjective decision based on the investor’s perceived risk. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to assessing risk in the subject industry. As a result, the VC method can deliver widely disparate returns across investors.

When to use venture capital valuation?

The strategy is particularly useful in valuing startups, which usually lack historical financial data that can be used to do significant comparable company research. Especially when the startup hasn’t made revenues yet. The venture capital valuation is best suited for calculating pre-money valuations.

Here are key scenarios when to use venture capital valuation:

• Early-Stage Funding Rounds – It is useful for startups with limited financial history. It helps establish a valuation based on future potential rather than past performance.
• High-Growth Potential Startups – The VC method allows investors to estimate future exit values based on projected revenues and market multiples for startups in sectors like technology or biotech with high growth potential.
•  Lack of Comparable Companies – Valuation methods like DCF may not apply when a startup operates in a niche market with few comparable companies. The VC method, which focuses on projected exit values, is suitable for such scenarios.
• Exit Strategy Planning – Startups planning to exit soon can use the VC method to estimate their value at the time of exit, which can help them negotiate better terms with potential acquirers or during an IPO.
• Negotiation of Terms – Valuation is often one of the most critical elements in negotiation discussions between founders and investors. Understanding the VC valuation can help parties agree on fair terms regarding ownership stakes and investment amounts.
• Market Conditions – The VC method helps startups to adjust their valuations based on investor sentiment and market trends, which helps to remain startups competitive in fundraising efforts in changing markets.

Get your VC valuation with Eqvista!

The Venture Capital Method gives a well structured approach to valuing startups by focusing on future potential and investor returns. It is essential in various contexts, especially for early-stage startups seeking funding, high-growth businesses, and unique ventures without clear comparables.

We at Eqvista are always happy to meet you to discuss solutions to your business needs. With Eqvista, you can get an affordable and quality business valuation for your business. Also, Eqvista can help you with all your business consultations with outstanding professionalism at affordable rates.

We also provide outsourced solutions to maximize all your business opportunities to help you grow.