Most venture capitalists have never
run a company. We are investors who have been in the
trenches. We have worked 18-hour days, 7 days a week,
building sustainable businesses on a shoestring budget.
We were successful entrepreneurs because we were smart
with how we executed our strategies and spent our money,
and we're smart with how we invest our money today.
Financial
Discipline The companies we founded as
entrepreneurs were bootstrapped to significant scale
and profitability. We did not raise venture capital.
We maxed out our credit cards (and ruined our personal
credit ratings in the process!). While every startup's
requirements are different, we believe our investee
companies should raise the bare minimum capital needed
to grow their business. This preserves maximum ownership
for the entrepreneur and encourages financial discipline.
Business Development
& Alliances New companies have a short
time in which they must differentiate themselves and
surpass their crowd of competitors. Because of our
trusted relationships and experience with the major
companies in our markets, we can usually greatly accelerate
the establishment of the right corporate partnering
arrangements for our investment companies, both domestically
and internationally.
Commitment
to Winning Aprilis' relationship with
its investment company is built on a shared commitment
to excellence, a common culture that has led to an
unusually high proportion of successful ventures.
Indeed, a major source of our satisfaction is our
working relationship with entrepreneurs who have the
character and ambition necessary to build world-class
technology companiess.
