Founder’s Pocket Guide: Startup Valuation

This guide is designed to be an introduction and quick reference to early-stage startup valuation topics.
For many early-stage entrepreneurs assigning a pre-money valuation to your startup is one of the more daunting tasks encountered during the fundraising quest. This guide reviews all of the key topics around early-stage startup valuation and provides step-by-step examples for several valuation methods.
In more detail, this Founder's Pocket Guide helps startup founders learn:
• What a startup valuation is and when you need to start worrying about it.

• Key terms and definitions associated with valuation, such as pre-money, post-money, and dilution.

• How investors view the valuation task, and what their expectations are for early-stage companies.

• How the valuation fits with your target raise amount and resulting founder equity ownership.

• How to do the simple math for calculating valuation percentages.

• How to estimate your company valuation using several accepted methods.

• What accounting valuation methods are and why they are not well suited for early-stage startups.