Startups have different stages. We used to have our own five stage, but feel that Howard Love has better description for the startup stages.
Where is your startup ? What are the KPI’s relevant for the stage you are in ? Have you “overleaped” one of the stages ?
Please note that what gets the media attention are the odd exceptions, not the median cases – as the median cases are boring.
Many entrepreneurs dream about an exit - in reality exits (any kind, even small) are rare and on average much smaller than people usually think.
Only a part of exits are disclosed (ie. amount becomes public, latest at buyer’s annual report) and as a rule, non-disclosed exits are smaller (typically <10m€) than the disclosed ones. In Nordics a median for a disclosed exit for a technology company is 12-15m€ , for non-disclosed less than that. Typical US technology exit is estimated to be around 5m$.
Whatever both parties accept is OK, there is no book value. As to us, we compare the suggested valuation primarily against what has been achieved to date, secondarily to what the plan is “promising”. The higher the price tag, the more you are expected to have already, and the more is expected from you going forward. And while there is no “List” price, professional investors know what kind of companies have been able to close rounds at what valuations, which gives a comparable. Worth noting is that any founder with experience in fundraising will tell you that more important than the valuation, or even the amount raised, is that the process is quick and smooth, allowing you to get back to doing business as soon as possible. If you try something that is unrealistic, you will learn the hard way the wisdom behind that.