[author: Jared Brenner]

Some interesting links we found across the web this week:

Ransomware Prevention Highlighted at FTC Technology Workshop
When a piece of software or an online service is your company’s most valuable asset, it’s obviously crucial to stay on top of the latest cybersecurity threats. The Federal Trade Commission is here to help, and a recent FTC event highlighted the importance of combating ransomware, in which a hacker holds your company’s data hostage for a cash payment. Check out this blog post from our own Reed Freedman and Joseph Jerome for a summary of the issue, and be sure to click through to links in the post for more coverage.

How Do VCs Choose Their Investors (and should entrepreneurs care?)
You might spend hundreds of hours getting a sense of your favorite VCs’ interests and preferences, but don’t forget that your potential investors have investors of their own! The more you can learn about a VC’s fund, the more prepared you’ll be when connecting, so remember the tips in this piece from a fellow entrepreneur. (And don’t forget to make sure your VC actually exists! Here’s a bonus link to a cautionary tale from the always awesome Dan Primack.)

Startup Valuation: Why Not Listen to the Market?
Valuations are a crucial and nebulous component of every startup’s lifecycle—whether you’re at the earliest stages or working on a financing round—you’ll always need to consider both the fair market value of your shares and the premium an investor is willing to pay for them. Determining either number is said to be more art than science, but this piece from AlleyWatch breaks down the most common methods.  

How Millennials Will Change The Face Of Finance & Investing
As you’ve probably heard, the federal rules for equity crowdfunding went into full effect earlier this year, allowing private startups to offer their stock online to the general public. Some say the concept is too heavily regulated to be worthwhile for companies, but could that change as consumers’ investing habits evolve? Equity crowdfunding platform CEOs are betting on it, and here’s a great perspective from one of them via Forbes. 

Don’t break regulation — get a policy strategy now, startups told
Startups are disruptive by nature, but a penchant for rule-bending doesn’t mean you should improvise your regulatory strategy. If you’re in a highly regulated sector, take some tips from these TechCrunch panelists and err on the side of being over prepared. (Your lawyer would probably love to help!)