One of the realities in venture valuation is this: Most firms don’t follow IPEV or ASC 820 in a fully “by-the-book” sense. Not because they disagree with the guidance, but because in practice, applying it rigorously can feel disproportionate to the pace and uncertainty of venture investing. So, what happens instead? Fair value often leans on practical, straightforward approaches: • Recent transaction prices • Waterfall-based allocations • Selective updates between financing e

We often treat fair value like a destination: a precise figure we need to “get right.” But in reality, fair value is not a number - it’s a discipline. And it starts with a shift in mindset. This is especially true when we’re dealing with VC-backed companies with complex cap tables. These aren’t simple businesses - they’re shaped by multiple share classes, liquidation preferences, conversion rights, and path-dependent outcomes. Value doesn’t sit in a single line. It’s distribu

You run deep diligence on market size, competitive dynamics, founder quality, and traction. But when it comes to returns, the thing that ultimately matters most - many investment decisions still rely on a few static exit assumptions and a spreadsheet model that’s brittle, linear, and often misleading. The reality is: Your outcome isn’t driven by valuation alone. It’s driven by the interaction of: • Structure (preferences, participation, conversion) • Dilution (future rounds y

Most VC firms still manage cap tables, waterfalls, and ownership models in spreadsheets. And for years, that worked. But venture portfolios have become more complex. More rounds. More instruments. More reporting requirements. More LP scrutiny. This carousel explores why leading VC firms are beginning to view cap table infrastructure differently, not as an administrative tool, but as a source of better decision-making, stronger governance, and greater operational leverage acro

For years, fair value in venture capital has been one of the least standardized and most resource-intensive parts of the investment lifecycle. Despite the increasing sophistication of the asset class, valuation processes often lagged behind, relying on fragmented data, manual models, and highly time-consuming workflows. For many firms, achieving true rigor meant committing significant internal resources or external advisory costs, making consistency and scalability a challeng

After digging into the most common valuation shortcuts in venture capital, a few clear truths emerge: 1️⃣ Cost is not fair value Cost is historical. Fair value is current. IPEV and ASC 820 are explicit: once new information exists, holding at cost stops being conservative and starts being misleading. 2️⃣ Last price per share ≠ portfolio truth LPPS reflects one deal, at one point in time. It ignores preferences, protections, optionality, and changes in performance or market

From Clarity to Confidence In my article - VC Waterfall Calculations: The Hidden Engine Behind Cap Table Clarity , I argued that waterfall calculations are the hidden engine behind cap table clarity. But clarity alone isn’t enough. In venture finance, clarity must translate into confidence, confidence in valuations, negotiations, and ultimately, decision-making. When founders, CFOs, and investors understand not just what they own but what they can get , they unlock a new lev