# Blog Category: Business Valuation

Learn everything about business valuations, from methods and strategies to metrics. Whether you’re raising capital, planning an exit, or simply seeking to maximize your business’s value, our resources will guide you.

ASC 820 valuations must be completed before audits because they define how investment fair values are measured, documented, and disclosed. For small and mid-sized fund managers, engaging a third-party valuation specialist is the most reliable way to ensure audit-ready compliance.

## Key Takeaways

### What Is ASC 820 and Why Does It Apply To Fund Managers?

If you’re sponsoring a spouse or family member for a green card, you’ve likely encountered Form I-864 and the question of whether your income alone is enough. Under Section 213A of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), the sponsor must maintain the immigrant at an income level equal to or greater than 125% of the …

### Recent Startup Valuations

Recently, OpenAI became the world’s second-most valuable startup after a $40 billion funding round, reaching a valuation of $300 billion. In 2025, we are no strangers to such headlines regarding AI startups. For instance, Safe Superintelligence reached a valuation of $32 billion without even having a product. With such strong hype surrounding the sector, keeping …

### Understanding Market Capitalization and Value

Market cap measures what the stock market assigns to a company’s equity at a given moment. Market value attempts to capture the entire economic footprint of a business. Understanding where one ends and the other begins is critical for investors evaluating acquisitions, founders preparing for fundraising, and analysts benchmarking performance.

### AI Startup Growth

Artificial intelligence has seen huge growth, creating some of the most valuable tech startups around. Now, the top AI firms are worth tons of money, with Anthropic leading the pack at a stunning $965 billion. This look into AI startups covers their worth, investments, and new trends that will mold the industry’s future.

### Valuation Factors When Moving

If you hold private shares in a US startup and are planning to move to Canada, you may owe no tax on pre-move gains, but only if you get your FMV valuation right before you cross the border. Here’s what you need to know.

### Business Equity and USCIS Requirements

You are sponsoring a relative for a green card. You completed your Form I-864, but then you came across a problem. The income from your house isn’t enough to qualify according to the 125% poverty level test. However, you have started your own business that has an equity of $2 million. Why would the USCIS …

### Returns on Investment

When a company becomes successful, investors may expect two types of yields. One is the yield that demonstrates development potential. This operational and performance-based development can be rewarding for certain types of investors. Similarly, the yields that promise the investors definite and stable income regularly make certain other groups of investors …

### Valuation Tools

Anyone who’s been in the investment market long enough will be aware of the many valuation tools that are used. Each one considers different valuation parameters and has its merits and demerits, but none of them are used on its own. Only the best professional analysts know the right combination to …

### Communicating with Different Stakeholders

The way you talk with your accountant is very different from how you engage with your HR. What these two people know about you, they want to know from you, and their thinking patterns are extremely different. Most founders forget that these differences exist with VC firms as well. They prepare a single deck and …

### Trends in Price-to-Sales Ratio

As of 2026, the Price-to-Sales (P/S) ratio has demonstrated notable trends that reflect broader market conditions and investor sentiment. The P/S ratio has shown a significant upward trend over the last five years, when it surged from 3.894 (Minimum Range) to 6.925 (Maximum Range). The current P/S ratio for the S&P …

### Debt-to-Equity Ratios Across Industries

Different industries have different capital needs, risk profiles, and cash‑flow stability, so they naturally settle at different leverage levels. A D/E number that looks risky in one sector can be perfectly normal in another, which is why cross‑industry comparisons are often misleading.

### Importance of Company Valuation

Company valuation is one thing that every entrepreneur must bear in mind at every stage of a business. No significant decision can be taken without estimating the market value of a company at any given point. Factors called valuation multiples are important indicators in this process.

### Advanced Valuation Challenges

At Eqvista, precision is everything. Some valuation cases demand more than technical skill; they call for judgment, experience, and the ability to deliver under pressure. That level of work belongs to Eqvista’s Tiger Team, a specialized group that handles the firm’s most advanced, complex, and time-sensitive assignments.

### Insights from Engagements

Every month, Eqvista delivers valuation reports for client assets worth over $5 billion, spanning everything from growth-stage startups to unicorns, with our largest single engagement reaching $25 billion. Patterns emerge not just in the numbers, but in methodologies and temperaments.
