Product Startup Case Study, Model Included
A case study for an early stage product startup "Coolest Speaker Ever".
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Understanding the financial implications of your strategic decisions will enable you to react faster to market feedback and not to waste time and money.
In this case study we will teach how to build such a business intelligence tool.
Why are case studies important?
They help you understand which questions to ask. If you don't know which questions to ask, you can't create the right inputs to the model and build the right logic.
They demonstrate how to convert your decisions into assumptions. If you see examples and understand the process, it becomes easier to formulate your own assumptions based on your strategic decisions.
They explain how to correctly develop business logic. Business logic of a financial model is the brain of your company. If you build it correctly, you will have a valuable business intelligence tool you can use to evaluate the effectiveness of your strategy.
They tell you which KPIs and business drivers to consider. If you don't understand which metrics to track, you will not know how well your business is doing. Examples specific to a business model help you figure out what is important for your venture.
They help you determine your funding needs and valuation. If you understand the process behind determining funding needs and valuation for another company, you can easily do it for your own.
Finally, they clarify how the model is built technically. Understanding how all the pieces work together and the rationale behind all formulas makes it easier to create your own financial model.
Get started now!
If you want to learn how to model and value early-stage startups, consider taking our Flagship Finance 5-Course Series “Impress Investors with Robust Financials and Credibly Value Your Company”. You will receive $125 off if you register for all five courses. Learn more details HERE.
If you already have a finance background, but no startup modeling experience, consider taking "Financial Modeling for Product Startups". Learn more about it HERE.
Prerequisites:
- Accounting and Financial Analysis.
- Financial Modeling of Software and Service Startups: Eight Business Models and Financial Modeling of Product Startups: Eight Distribution Channels.
- Valuation Concepts and Valuation Models.
What will you learn:
How to create assumptions and model five go-to-market strategies to explain it to your investors.
How to create assumptions for and model online, sales reps, events, and wholesale distribution channels to formulate the development strategies of your startup and adjust it according to the situation.
How to estimate costs, working capital, and fixed assets to see the strong and weak sides of your plan.
How to analyze the resulting model to ensure that your venture is financially feasible.
How to customize a financial model template to your needs.
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF ACCOUNTING, FINANCIAL MODELING, AND VALUATION IS REQUIRED.
- Accounting and Financial Analysis.
- Financial Modeling of Software and Service Startups: Eight Business Models and Financial Modeling of Product Startups: Eight Distribution Channels.
- Valuation Concepts and Valuation Models.
This course offers:
- LIFETIME ACCESS to 2 hours of easy-to-understand MBA-level finance lectures;
- LIFETIME ACCESS to 120+ practice questions;
- AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD IMMEDIATELY: All PowerPoint and Excel materials;
- AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD IMMEDIATELY: A comprehensive, complete, and functional financial model template for a fictional software startup with four distribution channels.
Curriculum for Course # 4B Case Study for An Early-Stage Product Startup "Coolest Speaker Ever"
- Formulating assumptions for pricing and marketing strategies for each revenue stream;
- Modeling techniques for pricing and marketing strategies for each revenue stream;
- Formulating cost assumptions and assumptions for working capital and fixed assets;
- Constructing proforma financial statements;
- Determining the company's funding needs and valuation; and
- Creating a financial summary and performing a break-even analysis.
The resulting model, available for download, contains the following:
- Monthly revenue projections for each revenue stream:
- "Coolest Speaker Ever" sells its product via four distribution channels: Online, Events, Sales Reps, and Wholesale.
- There are three marketing strategies for the online distribution channel.
- The wholesale channel uses a salesforce to secure distributors
- Monthly variable and dynamically determined operating costs.
- The company uses a third-party fulfillment system and has limited warehouse operations.
- Yearly salaries and overhead costs.
- Monthly working capital and fixed asset projections.
- Annual income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement.
- Valuation and funding needs.
- Break-even analysis and financial summary.
- Customer acquisition costs for each revenue stream.
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Your Instructor
Victoria Yampolsky, CFA, is a serial entrepreneur and an experienced business & finance executive with extensive startup experience. She is the President and Founder of The Startup Station, an education and consulting company specializing in modeling and valuing early-stage ventures.
The Startup Station helps startups articulate their business case to investors from the financial point of view. We create a detailed strategic roadmap, a robust financial plan and a resulting valuation that outline business logic, drivers, financial goals, and key metrics for their company. The Startup Station has worked with over 100 startups across 15+ industries ranging from manufacturing to technology, consumer electronics, medical devices to fashion, media & entertainment, and has helped founders raise over $50M in startup capital.
Victoria has also developed a comprehensive seven-course finance curriculum geared to entrepreneurs of early-stage ventures with little to no knowledge of finance. To-date more than 1,000 founders have completed the courses and learned the basics of accounting, financial modeling, valuation, and startup financing.
Victoria is a speaker and an advisor to multiple startups as well as a founder of several ventures in media and entertainment. Previously, Victoria worked for Deutsche Bank and was a technology consultant with CapGemini's Financial Services Division.
Victoria holds a Bachelor's Degree, Cum Laude, in Computer Science, with a minor in Mathematics, from Cornell University and an MBA, with honors, from Columbia Business School. Victoria is also on the Advisory Board of the Computing and Information Science (CIS) Department of Cornell University.