From someone who's funded 300+ B2B companies and seen every hiring disaster imaginable Your first five hires will shape your next fifty. Get them wrong, and you're not just burning cash—you're setting your company culture on fire. After funding over 300 B2B companies, I've watched brilliant founders torpedo their startups with terrible early hiring decisions. … Continue reading Your First 5 Hires Will Make or Break Your Startup (And Most Founders Get It Dead Wrong)
Author: MartinGTobias
I ride my bike, surf, develop great software products, develop real estate and invest in great ideas.
recap: “From Pre-Seed to Seed in less than 9 months” wITH ABBAS KHAN, FOUNDER OF CIVIQ IQ
Watch the full conversation here: From Pre-Seed to Seed in less than 9 Months A Database That Couldn’t Exist Two Years Ago At Incisive Ventures we back founders who turn previously impossible problems into tractable businesses. Civic IQ perfectly fits that thesis. The problem: Selling to roughly 100 000 local governments (cities, counties, school districts, … Continue reading recap: “From Pre-Seed to Seed in less than 9 months” wITH ABBAS KHAN, FOUNDER OF CIVIQ IQ
Update on Venture graduation rates
U.S. Startup Funding Graduation Rates (Pre-Seed → Seed and Seed → Series A) Pre-Seed to Seed Graduation Rate Current Conversion: Recent industry benchmarks indicate roughly half of U.S. startups that secure pre-seed funding go on to raise a seed round. Specifically, about 45–55% of pre-seed–backed companies manage to “graduate” to a seed financing. This figure … Continue reading Update on Venture graduation rates
RECAP: “Product and User Experience, how to make a cure and not a vitamin” webinar
You can watch the full conversation here: Product and User Experience, how to make a cure and not a vitamin with Greg Raiz From Friction to Fire: Turning UX Into a Cure, Not a Vitamin One of the core principles that guides our investment thesis at Incisive Ventures is a relentless focus on real pain—not … Continue reading RECAP: “Product and User Experience, how to make a cure and not a vitamin” webinar
With AI solve for the previously intractable
Most technology innovations are incremental improvements—the next faster chip, the next bigger hard drive, a new feature for your CRM, a better email client, etc. Every now and then, something comes along that opens up huge new white spaces of innovation by enabling us to solve previously intractable problems. Problems people had been working on … Continue reading With AI solve for the previously intractable
RECAP: “WHERE IS THE VALUE IN AI?” Webinar
Watch the full broadcast here: Where is the value in AI? We’re in the midst of an AI infrastructure boom. Companies like NVIDIA dominate today’s spending, much like Cisco and Dell did during the cloud’s early days. But history is repeating itself: just as SaaS outpaced cloud infrastructure, AI applications will soon dwarf the current … Continue reading RECAP: “WHERE IS THE VALUE IN AI?” Webinar
Accounting blunders for pre-seed founders to watch out for
Accounting tends not to be a strong suit at pre-seed companies. It's okay if you own it and get better over time. Here are the most common accounting errors I have seen in Pre-seed (fix them if you have them).🧵 Cash accounting vs GAAP. Getting paid a one-year subscription up front and counting all the … Continue reading Accounting blunders for pre-seed founders to watch out for
RECAP: “How to Pick your first Angel or Pre-Seed investors”
Watch the full broadcast here: How to Pick your first Angel or Pre-Seed investors In today's dynamic tech landscape, securing the right investor can be a game-changer for startups. During a compelling presentation, Martin Tobias, a seasoned pre-seed investor, shared valuable insights into the intricacies of choosing the right investor, particularly in the realm of … Continue reading RECAP: “How to Pick your first Angel or Pre-Seed investors”
Chat GPT would be terrible at pre-seed investing, here is why
I have been a pre-seed software investor for 25 years, investing in over 250 companies. Chat GPT would be a terrible Pre-Seed Software investor; here is why. I asked Chat GPT "How do you evaluate Pre-Seed software companies"? Here is their 7-part framework and how it is off base versus my experience in the industry. … Continue reading Chat GPT would be terrible at pre-seed investing, here is why
RECAP: “The Importance of Inflection Points: Telling a Compelling “Why Now?” Story”
https://youtu.be/RcCAkNBUNqg?si=kb40k3nZpxJOSU8t In the fast-paced world of venture capital and startups, understanding the significance of timing is often as crucial as the idea itself. In his engaging talk, Martin Tobias, General Partner of Incisive Ventures and an experienced investor, unfolds the layers behind the crucial element of a "Why Now?" narrative in pitch decks. The "Why … Continue reading RECAP: “The Importance of Inflection Points: Telling a Compelling “Why Now?” Story”