Insights
What we’ve learned building companies.
Lessons from the businesses we’ve built with founders, and the ones that taught us the most.
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Best startup quotesThere is so much said about startups that it’s hard to differentiate between good and bad advice. Hence, we’ve created this page, where we’ll add the best startup quotes we come across (and leave out the worst).Read the post →
How not to write to investorsI’m sure I’m not the only early-stage investor who regularly receives cold pitches from founders via LinkedIn. Recently I received one that really stood out. Our mission here at DQventures is to help early-stage founders avoid many of the common pitfalls involved in launching a startup.Read the post →
Investment deck review: hiveonlineThanks to founder and CEO, Sofie Blaksted, for sharing the hiveonline pitch deck with us for another deck review. These videos are intended to provide a glimpse at how many investors read decks for the first time.Read the post →
Should I issue share options in my startup?They say there are two sides to every story, and this is definitely true when it comes to using options and equity as incentives in the early stages of a company. Your perspective on options depends very much on whether you are the employee being asked to sacrifice some of your salary, or if you’reRead the post →
Investment deck review: EMotiveThis is a first attempt at an investment deck review – courtesy of friend of DQventures, Dan Regan, who happens to be the Managing Director of Southwest England EV startup, EMotive. The point of this video is to show first-time founders, in this case, Dan, how early-stage investors like us look at decks.Read the post →
Why is it so hard to raise early-stage capital?Many founders and investors will think they already know the answer to this question. I know I did. Then I asked ten people, all of whom have been been both serious startup investors and founders. I was fascinated to receive such a wide array of answers.Read the post →
Is it a mid-life crisis, or should I join the great resignation in 2022?After some time off over the festive period, it’s not unusual to feel reluctant about restarting work. Take heart. If you’re not looking forward to returning to the workplace, you’re in the majority. Research by consulting firm Gallup has concluded that a staggering 85% of people don’t like their work. This isn’t about Covid.Read the post →
Update: Dec 2021Hello friends! In the last last update we shared a picture of James working outside his home in Sweden. It’s now minus-12 in Stockholm, and everything is white. Working outdoors is somewhat less appealing. Similarly, Arjun is locked in a hermetically-sealed room in India(!). Delhi’s air pollution is particularly severe at present.Read the post →
5 learnings from startup failure and success: investors.This is the third of three articles written for budding startup founders. If you haven’t yet read the other instalments, you can find part 1 here. If you want a shortcut to the lessons, see this Twitter thread. 1. For investors, this is business.Read the post →
5 learnings from startup failure and success: founders.This is the second of a three-part article about startup success. We recommend reading the sections in order. You can find part one here. Shortcut to the lessons in this Twitter thread. 1. Don’t do it for the money.Read the post →
5 learnings from startup failure and success: fundraising.This is the first of a three-part article about startup success. If you haven’t yet read part one, you’ll find it here. If you want a shortcut to the lessons, you can find them in this Twitter thread. At some point in 2017, on a day that my subconscious has tried to forget, I realisedRead the post →
Zenn: create your own logo and branding onlineZenn founder, Steve Reid, has been fascinated by design and art from a young age. On a visit to a sneaker shop when he was 8 years old, he became enamoured with the Adidas logo, as well as the company’s “brand with the 3 stripes” tag line, and beautiful box packaging. 35 years later, thisRead the post →