In this episode, Heidi discusses how founders tend to swing between two extremes — thinking it’s not all about them (when actually, it is), or bel...

While the internal dynamics of a VC firm may feel like a black box, you can often infer what’s going on based on how your VC is acting – if you kn...

Founders need to understand investor priorities before they require investor action. The investor’s ‘zone of indifference’ describes an issue th...

Mastering cold emails is a superpower—one that can unlock dream investors, top-tier hires, and world-class mentors. The most successful founders cra...

If you’re considering an earnout, you should know exactly what is involved to set expectations – and to give yourself the highest chance of it amo...

Successful entrepreneurs seek out mentors to positively impact their careers. But how do they find a mentor, initiate contact, and build a relationshi...

All entrepreneurs should understand what venture debt is so they can make an informed decision to take it or not. Heidi poses a series of questions an...

Many entrepreneurs start companies to solve a big problem or apply innovative technology, or both. But when they fail, it’s typically the result of...

When the world is uncertain, it is especially challenging for an entrepreneur to steer their company forward. Heidi’s six-word operating manual help...

Shareholder voting rights are an essential element of the many crucial decisions made in a company. For example, they may come into play during a fund...

Over 20 years ago, Heidi Roizen became the subject of a Harvard Business School case that is still one of the most popular cases taught at business sc...

In Season 3 Episode 8 of The Startup Solution, Heidi covered "How to Think About Venture Capital" and explained the VC business model. She now wants t...

To determine if you should pursue VC dollars to fund your company, you first need to understand how the venture capital model works. Heidi covers the ...

A person with a big online presence is calling out Athena for the seed investment she received from a big corporation that appears to be in opposition...

Rudy, a founder in fund-raising mode, received a verbal term sheet. A what? Heidi informs Rudy that there is no such thing as a verbal term sheet and ...

Simone is a founder in a challenging situation. The only financing she can raise comes with a catch – she needs to do a recap. Heidi reviews how Sim...

What do you do when you want to exercise your startup’s stock options but need to borrow money to do so? Do you take an interest-free loan from your...

Many founders, like Alyssa, worry that a 409a valuation is considered a true market-based assessment of a company’s overall worth or potential. It i...

An independent director can play a crucial role in mitigating conflicts of interest among board members while also providing valuable input. Heidi exp...

Chester, an early-stage entrepreneur, wants to put terms in place so he can never be fired by his board. Like many founders, he saw what went down wit...

Some ambitious entrepreneurs embellish the truth to achieve their goals. Is this seemingly innocent practice appropriate, or is it a gateway to engagi...

Miles wants to hire an advisor, a well-respected University of California professor, but needs help defining the role, setting expectations, and forma...

The CTO needs to fire someone who is awful at their job but is the big brother of the CEO. Heidi recounts firsthand her experience of navigating a com...

Secondary stock sales can be tricky. Heidi shares a financial drama where the founder is upset that her VC is selling, and the VC is upset that the fo...

Leon no longer wants to be the CEO of the company he founded. He makes his decision after completing an exercise Heidi suggested to him in Episode 5 �...

Leon is a founder who wants his company to succeed but hates his job as CEO and is unsure if he’s the right person to lead the team. In this first o...

Luka is sued! As part of the lawsuit, he must hand over all his email messages and texts as evidence. Heidi reviews what “digital communication hygi...

Anya needs to sell her company, but to do so, she needs to keep her team. She decides to financially motivate them with a carve-out agreement that wil...

Julian is running low on cash and starts to prep for an M&A way too late. Heidi shares what’s involved in an M&A process and the importance of build...

Eddie reposts an inappropriate meme on social media and ends up with angry employees, disillusioned investors, and a tarnished reputation. In this epi...

For the final episode of the first season of The Startup Solution, Heidi tackles what is, perhaps, the single most difficult thing an entrepreneur may...

Felicia’s boardroom has become a battlefield due to the disruptive and even destructive behavior of one of her board members — but he is also one ...

Carl, a startup CEO, accidentally left a list of every employee's pay and equity in the printer. Soon enough, it was circulating on the company Slack....

In the process of closing her startup’s first round of outside capital, CEO Claire hit a snag. One of her co-founders had already left the company, ...

Nate has a first-world problem: As VP of engineering at a startup, he thought he'd become a millionaire when the company had its big exit — but he w...

Heidi changes gears from recounting other entrepreneurs' challenges to share a story of her own from when she was the CEO of a software startup. Learn...

Trent hits a crisis when his strategic investor lets their term sheet expire, and his $50 million round falls apart. Strategic investors are a huge pa...

JJ, a Threshold Venture Fellow at Stanford, has in-laws who want to pull money from their retirement fund to participate in a “friends and family”...

Founders often think of valuation as the grade at the top of the paper, which is why few things take an emotional toll like the prospect of a down rou...

When Priya informed her board that the company missed its quarterly sales target, she was met with a barrage of attacks. The real error wasn’t the b...

Threshold’s new podcast, The Startup Solution, hosted by Partner, Heidi Roizen, is coming soon! Each week, founders, startup execs and investors can...