Startup Founder Playbook

A minimalist office with a white table, two black chairs, two small potted plants, a glass bottle, and two blank picture frames on a white wall.

A practical guide to building and de-risking your biotech startup.

The Startup Founder Playbook is designed to help you navigate the early stages of company building in the biotechnology industry. This playbook provides actionable insights to de-risk your path and set yourself up for success through understanding how to structure your venture and secure key resources in order to turn your vision into reality.

1. Getting a Startup Started

FOUNDER READINESS

SPINNING OUT FROM A UNIVERSITY

COMPANY FORMATION

TECH STACK

A NOTE ON MENTAL HEALTH

2. Funding for Startups

FUNDING LANDSCAPE FOR STARTUPS

WHAT IS VENTURE CAPITAL

HIERARCHY AT A VENTURE FUND

BIOTECH SOCIAL CONTRACT

3. Fundraising from VCs

PREP WORK & BUILDING AN INVESTOR DATA ROOM

THE PITCH

FUNDRAISING STRATEGY & VC OUTREACH

INVESTOR CONFERENCES

THE VC PROCESS

HOW VCS EVALUATE STARTUPS

UNDERSTANDING THE TERM SHEET

LANDING THE PLANE

4. Post Funding Operations

BOARD RELATIONSHIPS & UPDATES

HIRING YOUR DREAM TEAM

THINKING AHEAD FOR COMMERCIALIZATION

5. Resources and Guides

Resources and Guides Overview

USEFUL REPORTS & ARTICLES

BACKGROUNDER TEMPLATES

INVESTOR TRACKING TEMPLATE

DEVELOPMENT FINANCING FORECAST

EXTERNAL LINKS

AMBOY STREET VENTURES MARKET REPORT

VC PITCH DECK TEMPLATES

BD TRACKING TEMPLATE

CAPITALIZATION TABLE TEMPLATE

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

Thank you for exploring the Startup Founder Playbook! We’d love to hear any feedback you have on this resource. Your feedback will help us refine the Playbook, add new perspectives, and shape how we continue supporting this community.

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