K9 Ventures

AUGUST 13, 2010

We really were doing the i-thing before Apple came out with its first iMac in 1998. Heck, it had to work, since we built it in close consultation with the customer. In the end the revenue simply wasn’t enough to make a sustainable business and so we had to switch gears once more (in today’s parlance that would be a “Pivot”).

Revenue 72

Revenue Developer Java Customer Development 72

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 4, 2010

The irony is that in a retrospective paper ten years later (1998), [ 2 ] the authors backed off from their claims. In 1998 Goto.com , a small startup (later Overture, now part of Yahoo ! ), created the pay per click search engine and advertising system and demo’d it at the TED conference. The only problem is that it’s simply not true.

Silicon Valley 324

Silicon Valley Differentiation United States Customer Development 324

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 1, 2010

But nine months after the first call was made in 1998, Iridium was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. When it was spun out as a a separate company, Iridium’s 1990 business plan had assumptions about potential customers, their problems and the product needed to solve that problem. No Business Plan survives first contact with a customer.

Business Plan 335

Business Plan Customer Business Model Customer Development 335

Steve Blank

MARCH 18, 2011

VC’s worked with entrepreneurs to build profitable and scalable businesses, with increasing revenue and consistent profitability – quarter after quarter. They taught you about customers, markets and profits. With Netscape’s IPO , there was suddenly a public market for companies with limited revenue and no profit.

Internet 335

Internet IPO Silicon Valley Agile 335

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 8, 2010

In 1998 RIM quickly followed this up with a next generation product with an 8-line display, ran on AA batteries and would last 500 hours. In today’s language of Customer Development , RIM positioned the Blackberry as a segment of an existing market – pager users who needed two-way communication. New Market Revenue Curve.

Hockey Stick 279

Hockey Stick Customer Development Silicon Valley Networking 279

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

OCTOBER 23, 2012

” Here’s the summary of his track record (excerpted from the Fast Company article): Forefront — IPO’ed in 1995 by CBT — CBT stock fell 85% in 1998 and prompted class-action lawsuits. GroupOn’s engine that turned capital into revenue growth was a form of force-feeding rather than building a product).

IPO 240

IPO Flash Bootstrapping Private Equity 240

Steve Blank

JANUARY 4, 2012

from box-office revenue. But the total movie industry revenue was $87 billion. After the VCR was introduced, studio revenues took off like a rocket. 1998 – the MPAA got congress to pass the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), making it illegal for you to make a digital copy of a DVD that you actually purchased.

Silicon Valley 336

Silicon Valley Distribution Washington Channel 336