Publication
Remote or On-site? The Real Cost of Office Space for a Venture-backed Startup
https://www.toptal.com/management-consultants/startup-funding-consultants/business-startup-costs
Erik is available for hire
Hire ErikErik Stettler
Verified Expert in Management Consulting
Management Consulting Expert
New York, NY, United States
Toptal member since March 15, 2018
Bio
A data scientist and Harvard MBA with distinction, Erik co-founded a global venture capital fund and has invested in 50 startups that have raised over $500 million, realizing six exits. He previously led analyses for cases including restructurings of $3 billion in global operations and M&A deals worth over $10 billion. Erik's work has been noted in Forbes, CNBC, and HBR. He speaks three languages and serves as Toptal's Chief Economist, leading analyses on the talent economy and future of work.
Career Highlights
Founding Partner
Firstrock Capital
Financial Analyst | Project Leader
NERA Economic Consulting
Financial Analyst
Amaranth
Education Highlights
Master of Business Administration (MBA) Degree
Harvard University
Bachelor's Degree
Pomona College
Case Studies
Statistical and Financial Model for Growth Strategies
Growth StrategyBanking & FinanceStatisticsStartups
Industry Expertise
- Business Services
- Banking
- Investment Banking
- Financial Modeling
- Startups
Other Expertise
- Business Models
- Data Science
- Early-stage Venture Capital
- Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
- Real Options Reasoning
- Seed Fundraising
- Statistics
- Valuation
Work Experience
Founding Partner
2013 - PRESENT
Firstrock Capital
- Funded 50 global tech companies that have raised a capital of over $500 million. Realized six exits.
- Invested early in Clipboard Health, raised 93M at 1.3B valuation; Pachama, raised 93M; Authy, exit; Bluesmart, raised 25.6M; Streem, exit; Meural, raised 9.3M, exit; Snappr, raised 13M; Trueface, raised 5M, exit; and Stabilitas, raised 5M, exit.
- Worked with portfolio companies in all elements of the product, business development and growth, fundraising, and financial strategy.
- Built a statistical platform for portfolio companies to analyze growth trends across user cohorts, client actions most associated with long-term engagement, the impact of product updates on growth and engagement, and funding needs.
- Closed a global group of limited partners (LPs) and worked with several of them to strengthen the data and financial strategies of their own multinational financial and industrial companies.
Focus areas: Fundraising, Capital Raising, Business Planning, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Financial Modeling, Investment Thesis, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Fintech
Financial Analyst | Project Leader
2005 - 2011
NERA Economic Consulting
- Conducted statistical and financial analyses and led project teams directly under the chairman of the global securities practice to help US and European clients including financial institutions and consumer product and technology companies with challenges including M&A transactions worth over $10 billion and restructuring of over $3 billion in global subsidiaries.
- Conducted analyses in derivatives modeling, econometrics, valuation, and client population evolution.
- Led senior business development strategy sessions and firm-wide R&D projects on the implications of market events such as the subprime collapse, reporting to the firm's clients.
- Created expert reports and presentations to communicate results of analyses to clients' senior management, attorneys, and the courts if the case occurred in the context of legal actions.
Focus areas: Valuation, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
Financial Analyst
2000 - 2002
Amaranth
- Analyzed pricing and risk parameters for options and convertible bonds alongside fund portfolio managers.
- Modeled macro-arbitrage opportunities, high-frequency volatility, derivatives payoff, and restructuring.
Focus areas: Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Risk Models, Derivative Pricing
Other Experience
Publication
Tough Times Don’t Have to Mean Tough Terms: Leveraging Financial and Cap Table Modeling in VC Negotiations
https://www.toptal.com/management-consultants/fundraising/financial-modeling-cap-table-modeling
Publication
Raising Venture Capital in Down Markets: A Guide to Early-stage Funding
https://www.toptal.com/management-consultants/startup-funding-consultants/early-stage-funding
Publication
Redefining Retirement: The Benefits of Freelancing After 60
https://www.toptal.com/insights/future-of-work/redefining-retirement
Publication
The Evolution of Venture Capital: Investing in Global Talent
https://www.toptal.com/management-consultants/venture-capital-consultants/evolution-of-venture-capital
Publication
The Personal Finance of Career Independence
https://www.toptal.com/insights/agile-talent/career-independence
Publication
How Open Talent Can Drive Healthcare’s Digital Transformation
https://www.toptal.com/insights/healthcare/open-talent-digital-transformation
Publication
The Power of Optionality, Part 3: Adapting to New Market Landscapes
https://www.toptal.com/insights/rise-of-remote/optionality-3
Publication
Black Swans 3: How Challenges Lead to Breakthroughs
https://www.toptal.com/insights/rise-of-remote/black-swans-3
Publication
The Power of Optionality, Part 2: Volatility to Opportunity with Distributed Teams
https://www.toptal.com/insights/rise-of-remote/optionality-2
Publication
The Power of Optionality, Part 1: Tech & Talent
https://www.toptal.com/insights/rise-of-remote/optionality-1
Publication
Black Swans and the Paradigm Shift of Remote Work – COVID-19 Lessons, Part 2
https://www.toptal.com/insights/rise-of-remote/black-swan-part-2
Publication
COVID-19 Lessons Part 1: Organizational Adaptability and Black Swans
https://www.toptal.com/insights/rise-of-remote/black-swan-part-1
Publication
Applications of Statistics for Measuring Company Growth
https://www.toptal.com/management-consultants/data-analysis-consultants/measuring-company-growth
Publication
Mastering Sustainable Startup Growth and Finding Your Relevant KPIs
https://www.toptal.com/management-consultants/data-analysis-consultants/startup-metrics
Education
2011 - 2013
Master of Business Administration (MBA) Degree in General Management
Harvard University - Boston, MA, USA
2000 - 2003
Bachelor's Degree in Economics
Pomona College - Claremont, CA, USA
Skills
Finance
Capital Raising, Valuation, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Seed Fundraising, Crowdfunding, Fundraising, M&A (Buy-side), Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Investment Thesis, Financial Modeling, Derivative Pricing, Risk Models
Industry Expertise
Financial Markets, Venture Capital, Banking & Finance
Geographic Expertise
United States, Latin America (LATAM)
Output Software
Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynote, Microsoft Excel
Other
Real Options Reasoning, Business Models, Risk Modeling, Data Science, Statistics, Emerging Markets, STATA, Early-stage Venture Capital, Fintech, Excel VBA, Derivatives, Business Planning, Growth Strategy, Startups, Google Drive, Microsoft 365, Python
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