스타트업을 마감하는 것은 창업자들에게 씁쓸한 일일 수 있습니다. Fundid의 경우, 급등한 금리로 경영자금 스타트업이 망했습니다. 그러나 창업자 Stefanie Sample에 따르면, VC와 파트너들도 회사를 해친 것입니다.

TechCrunch는 2022년에 회사를 소개했을 때 Sample이 금융 투자자 Nevcaut Ventures, The Artemis Fund, Builders and Backers의 지원을 받아 325만 달러의 시드 자금을 조달했을 때 기재했습니다.

Fundid 이전, Sample은 몽타나의 수십 개의 수익 창출 프랜차이즈 사업 소유자로서 10년 이상을 보냈습니다. 그녀는 12개의 Taco Bell 지점을 소유하고 있으며 이전에는 2개의 Massage Envy 프랜차이즈와 다른 수익 창출 회사 3개를 소유했습니다. 그 경험을 통해 그녀는 회사들이 자체 자본에 액세스하기가 얼마나 어려운지 직접 보았습니다.

그녀는 여성 사업 소유자들을 대상으로 주로 마케팅되는 창업 신용카드를 통한 대출과 그랜트 매칭 도구와 같은 금융 자원을 제공하기 위해 Fundid를 시작했습니다.

Fundid가 은행이 아닌 핀테크 회사였기 때문에 운영을 보증하는 채무 시설 파트너가 있기로 Sample가 밝혔습니다. 그녀는 파트너를 찾아 SOFR(보증 이후 금리 유효화)를 사전 협상했다고 설명했습니다. 이것은 미국 달러 기판 파생상품 및 대출 가격 책정에 은행들이 사용하는 금리입니다.

그러나 2022년 봄부터 2023년 말까지 연방준비제도는 금리를 11회 인상했습니다. Fundid가 첫 카드 제품을 출시하려 한 직전에 채무 시설 파트너가 나쁜 소식을 Sample에게 전해 왔습니다.

“초반에는 금리가 거의 없어서 숫자가 맞았습니다,” Sample는 TechCrunch에 말했습니다. “금리가 오르면 도대체가 생겨서 몇몇 숫자가 맞지 않았습니다.”

자본 비용이 Fundid가 부과할 수수료 대비 너무 많이 들겠지만, Fundid가 사실상 손님이 제품을 사용하도록 지불해야 했으며, “그 숫자는 결코 상쇄되지 않을 것이라,”고 Sample는 말했습니다.

더 얻고 싶다면 사실상 누구라도 우리 회사를 헤완내기 위해,” 그녀는 추가 교본을 취할 것이라고 말했습니다. 그녀는 기부하려고 했던 투자자가 회사의 전체을 가져갈 수 있었습니다. “금리 시장은 우리 주위 사람들에게 회사를 탈취할 기회가 되었고, 그리고 영업 모델이 우리 사례에서 작동하지 않았습니다. ‘우린 뭘 하고 있는 걸까?’”

따라서 2023년 여름, Sample은 시장에서 신용카드를 철회하기로 결정했습니다. 그녀가 시장에서 신용카드를 철회하는 동안 2023년 여름, Fundid은 투자자들이 경영자금미 수과기대하도록 촉구했음에도 불구하고 철회하도록 했소. 투자자들은 Sample에게 믿음을 품고 뉴제품이나 새로운 회사 블라운든료나, 다읷라고 겸분해주, 다읷라고 겸2음와는고 함은서레 성동하여여

이와함께 2리년 멘타자금이 투자되었으물러 카드를 거짓말을 하지 않도록 카드를 카드될 수 없어도 가일V노Pureㅅ몃에 K kap table what 밤 marked too 이데이. S 을 cap tabe would have been “too messed up to try anything new,” Sample said.

들으면이네

주肉소비이 지구는원부인에서와 Capita이글이이 주쳐우 S 않하이탭는데U 나부로지고 와차밑로인泣않두C밑옳싶으지새작에 해당가S tue모를im쉽시,pare모를,二wilqpkljld완이eil,2었유acio

모 off; and learning how to play ukulele — Sample said the Fundid experience has, however, made없래헝N단다이을강서한었의back to what she affectionately calls “real businesses.”

She’s now launched a new investment company called Pailor Capital that stems from her work helping women finance their own businesses. A better way to do that is to buy existing profitable companies, she feels. She’s also purchasing an existing business.

“My existing investors are fantastic, this is a reflection of seeking new investment in a market that decided fintech, lending and cards were no longer desirable,” she wrote in her postmortem.

Pailor Capital has made seven investments so far this year, all for women to find, buy and grow existing businesses.

“If we really want to make a dent on gender equality and business we’re better off encouraging women to go out and buy existing profitable businesses,” Sample said. “Then their impact as CEO essentially skips the ladder.”

https://techcrunch.com/2023/05/10/how-do-you-know-when-its-time-to-shut-down/

자금을 소진하면서 펀드레이징은 어려워졌습니다. 다음은 무엇인가요?

Investment犬스파로

She also said during this time she lost faith in the venture path. In 2023, the company was hitting all of its metrics in a timely manner. However, as the finance market changed, investors were actively collaborating with Sample to find a path forward. She described it like having “whiplash all the time.”

She also became disgruntled over how much of Fundid’s ownership she had lost, and could continue to lose if she stayed on the venture fund raising path. Sample spoke to other female founder friends who were raising at the seed stage and had already given up 30% of their company — similar to her.

As a general rule, seed investors typically want 10%-20%. Although 25% or even 30% is not unheard of, it is considered high for those early rounds.

But she felt that as a female founder, the odds were stacked against her, and she struggled to get competitive term sheets. The data backs up her perception. In 2022, female founders landed less than 19% of all venture fund dollars that year, PitchBook found. In 2023, it was 23%.

Far fewer female-founded companies are backed annually (less than 1,000 in 2023, compared to tens of thousands for males) and the deal amounts and valuations are lower, too, the PitchBook research shows.

“With the venture landscape, the goal posts are always moving or the rug being pulled out from under you,” Sample said. “When you are a female founder, you have to sacrifice a lot to be among the 2%. We end up paying ourselves less and accepting worse term sheets. The other part is that it is already so hard to get capital, yet the world is telling you to be grateful. I just wanted to build a real company, and it made me disgruntled how it all worked.”

https://techcrunch.com/2023/05/10/how-do-you-know-when-its-time-to-shut-down/

새로운 시작

The whole experience inspired Sample to write a postmortem post about Fundid’s journey, which she shared with TechCrunch. In it, Sample wrote that “Fundid may have failed as a company, but more than that, we acknowledge that we failed the small businesses that need innovation in capital markets.” In it she wrote, “Would I do it again? Honestly, no.”

In hindsight, she said she would definitely build the next company with a technical co-founder, not take money from friends and family and should have “stuck to her guns” when it came to not launching a credit card. “As the founder/CEO, I’m the decision maker; this is my fault,” Sample wrote.

Fundid’s official close date was April 1. After taking some time off — and learning how to play ukulele — Sample said the Fundid experience has, however, made her eager to go back to what she affectionately calls “real businesses.”

She’s now launched a new investment company called Pailor Capital that stems from her work helping women finance their own businesses. A better way to do that is to buy existing profitable companies, she feels. She’s also purchasing an existing business.

“My existing investors are fantastic, this is a reflection of seeking new investment in a market that decided fintech, lending and cards were no longer desirable,” she wrote in her postmortem.

Pailor Capital has made seven investments so far this year, all for women to find, buy and grow existing businesses.

“If we really want to make a dent on gender equality and business we’re better off encouraging women to go out and buy existing profitable businesses,” Sample said. “Then their impact as CEO essentially skips the ladder.”

https://techcrunch.com/2023/05/10/how-do-you-know-when-its-time-to-shut-down/