VC Cafe

MARCH 16, 2025

Mention that you do “Consumer tech” as a startup founder and you’d be limiting your funding options to one third of the venture capital funds (in Israel that figure is probably closer to 10%). Until now, consumer tech was perceived as a risky binary investment. But don’t just take it from me.

Technical Review 78

Technical Review B2C Generative AI IPO 78

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JULY 12, 2010

Between this blog and reviewing applications to Capital Factory I see hundreds of pitches a year. That's what you sound like when you claim that getting a software patent will protect you from competition. Software patents are especially useless for small, bootstrapped startups. Except in certain industries (e.g.

Intellectual Property 319

Intellectual Property Bootstrapping Software Review Open Source 319

The Startup Magazine

NOVEMBER 28, 2018

I work in technology where the dress code is relaxed, but an executive woman my age can wear neither a hoodie nor a stuffy suit.). The technology is finally catching up to the need, and the next few years will bring big changes. I love being a pioneer, and I love tech – I even have a patent! If so, how?

Technical Review 158

Technical Review Software Review Illinois Due Diligence 158

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2023

Most technical entrepreneurs focus hard on building an innovative product, but forget that an elegant solution doesn’t automatically translate into a successful business. Defining the right business model requires the same diligence as designing the right product, but the approach and skills required are different.

Technical Review 220

Technical Review Advisory Board Software Review Business Model 220

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 24, 2015

By bootstrapping, bartering, reducing overheads (rental and manpower), and leveraging technology (especially the web), one can start one’s own business almost on a dime without being beholden to creditors or venture capitalists. Software Developer: From “App developer” to “We provide technology solutions to take your headaches away”.

Technical Review 100

Technical Review Software Review South Carolina Startup 100

Version One Ventures

FEBRUARY 11, 2020

Given the current public struggle of tech-enabled services, marketplaces, hardware and DTC companies, enterprise SaaS also feels like VC’s most favourite investment category right now. And with “age” often come sub-optimal products, tech debt, inflexible business models, etc. Buying cloud applications has become the norm.

Technical Review 150

Technical Review Vertical Software Review Bootstrapping 150

Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 29, 2013

Most commonly, that’s uncertainty about whether you can build the product at all (what MBAs call “technical risk”) or whether anybody will use or buy it (“market risk”). For example, when your company adds ano ther blade to its disposal razors , the product’s technical development, marketing and sales will follow relatively predictable paths.

Lean 165

Lean Technical Review Startup Software Review 165

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

OCTOBER 31, 2011

If you’re Oracle with 47 product lines in 100 countries and 20 languages with distributed teams of tech writers is this the best tool? If you know the tech support guy is taking flack for a messy FAQ page, it’s “Organize your FAQ page in 15 minutes.” If you have only six FAQ entries, should you buy his tool?

Customer 279

Customer Software Review SEM Technical Review 279

Hearpreneur

JANUARY 25, 2023

This presents a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to launch their own businesses and capitalize on the latest technology. 7- Making and selling website themes Photo Credit: Sean Stevens If you know how to code, especially front-end development, you can use your skills to make money by making and selling website themes online.

Software Review 127

Software Review Technical Review Artificial Inteligence Entrepreneur 127

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 7, 2015

Most technical entrepreneurs focus hard on building an innovative product, but forget that an elegant solution doesn’t automatically translate into a successful business. Defining the right business model requires the same diligence as designing the right product, but the approach and skills required are different.

Business Model 120

Business Model Technical Review Advisory Board Software Review 120

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 20, 2024

Online Reviews If you have a great site then you can link this to online reviews. You can also use it as a way to generate more reviews, which is great, to say the least. You can also send them discount codes if they happen to leave you a positive review, which encourages them to come back to you time and time again.

Small Business 166

Small Business Software Review Campaign Technical Review 166

Rob Go

DECEMBER 28, 2011

It got me thinking about this past year, specifically around consumer tech in Boston. So I thought I’d jot down some of the highlights I have seen from my vantage point in this 2011 Boston Consumer Web Year in Review. Zipcar: Ok, not exactly consumer web/software, but a great consumer tech company nonetheless.

Technical Review 54

Technical Review Boston Software Review IPO 54

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 3, 2010

If you're capable of seeing past the old stones of Paris and the picturesque rural villages, you'll realize that France is every bit as technologically advanced as any other Western country - more so in some areas. It's now been about three years since I joined the fray as an entrepreneur and tech blogger. So what are you waiting for?

France 163

France Technical Review Incubator Early Stage 163

Up and Running

OCTOBER 13, 2022

If you’re in startup mode and have limited working capital to cover your operating expenses , you may be bootstrapping your way through the early days. This typically includes reviewing financial reports, overseeing budgets, managing overall financial planning, and more. When is the right time to hire an executive team?

CTO Hire 163

CTO Hire Fractional CTO CTO Hiring 163

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JULY 24, 2012

Welcome back to Smart Bear Live, the call-in show with Jason Cohen, sponsored by Software Promotions. I’m not sure that’s the right name for what you do, because what you do is more of a consumer proposition, and I think the word sync is very technical, and a very technocratic kind of IT sync up my crap kind of stuff.

Silicon Valley 204

Silicon Valley Software Review Internet Technical Review 204

The Next Web

SEPTEMBER 22, 2013

At Treehouse, we’re trying to make technology education affordable and accessible to everyone on Earth, and doing that means that we’ll be working for a really long time and will likely always have more to do. If your product is getting good reviews and people are willing to pay for it, you’ve got something.”. Don’t listen.

Cofounder 164

Cofounder Founder Startup Bootstrapping 164

Version One Ventures

APRIL 30, 2013

As a result, most venture capitalists are reluctant to touch hardware projects, opting for the lower costs and smaller risks of software. This means the overall costs of launching a hardware product are coming down considerably, yet hardware is still costlier (and thus riskier) than software. Focus on VCs who have done hardware before.

Venture Capital 128

Venture Capital Software Review Incubator Startup 128

crowdSPRING Blog

MARCH 10, 2011

Bootstrapped, Profitable, & Proud: Braintree – [link]. Good post about the pitfalls of code refactoring for startups – [link]. Bootstrapped, Profitable, & Proud: Braintree – [link]. Bootstrapped, Profitable, & Proud: Braintree – [link].

Social Media 94

Social Media Small Business Design Media 94

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 27, 2014

This was a company that had successfully bootstrapped itself to real revenues, employees and cashflow and I thought it deserved the structure of a going concern, not a flier. They got that way due in large part to a very public founder friendly stance. It ain''t all coding, selling, and raising money, people. I certainly have.

Term Sheet 156

Term Sheet Founder Cofounder Software Review 156

Up and Running

MAY 23, 2016

Since the term “cloud computing” was coined in 1996—at least as we have come to understand its meaning—the software as a service industry has exploded. If you use software like LivePlan, you can create this initial “lean plan” in under an hour and then spend your time where it really matters—on validating your idea.

Software Review 74

Software Review Software Delaware Forecast 74

crowdSPRING Blog

MAY 23, 2014

Tech Start-Ups: Take the Money and Build | by @tullman – crowdspring.co/1jvoIEu. Helpful insight for bootstrapping entrepreneurs … how we built besnappy for 317000 – crowdspring.co/1o7tpX4. 29 Tips for Entrepreneurs & Women in Tech | Tech Cocktail – crowdspring.co/1oj9QIU. – crowdspring.co/1j2mWos.

Social Media 93

Social Media Small Business Design Media 93

Hearpreneur

AUGUST 11, 2021

Every waking day, we are having tremendous changes in regulations and technology which greatly affects the way businesses operate. But, thanks to today's digital platforms and technical infrastructure, it's becoming more typical to be able to create a billion-dollar business in less than a decade. 8- More digital. It isn't knowledge.

Entrepreneur 127

Entrepreneur Technical Review Social Media Bootstrapping 127

Hearpreneur

MARCH 21, 2021

I did a lot of technical interviewing. We noticed a clear need for an evolution of wallet styles and technologies and ran with it. 4- Due to lack representation in the skincare industry. 17- To introduce custom software products. Photo Credit: David Moise. I had worked for several IT consulting firms. I led projects.

Entrepreneur 154

Entrepreneur Technical Review Acquisition Software Review 154

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 19, 2019

Businesses bootstrapping their approach to progress will discover this service lucrative for: Incorporating. Cloud-based management software, tens of thousands of legal advisors trust Clio to enable them to run their firm. Making wills. Trademarks. Contracts. Clio is typically designed for lawyers. The package offers: Invoices.

United Kingdom 113

United Kingdom Startup Software Review Bootstrapping 113

ReadWriteStart

OCTOBER 7, 2010

At today's roundtable we had some interesting companies and a lot of fundraising discussions, and I will review them shortly. Sub-$2 million pre-money, it is better to bootstrap. Next Igor Protsenko presented Profitero , an enterprise software product for helping retailers with price comparison and optimization.

Valuation 119

Valuation Silicon Valley Pre-Money Valuation Bootstrapping 119

blog.alinelerner.com

JUNE 21, 2013

making technical recruiting suck less. I ran technical recruiting at TrialPay for a year before going off to start my own agency. Bemoaning that non-technical people are the first to filter resumes is silly because it’s not going to change. Aline Lerner's Blog. Lessons from a year’s worth of hiring data.

CTO Hire 98

CTO Hire Hiring Software Review Technical Review 98

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

AUGUST 8, 2012

Welcome back to Smart Bear Live, the call-in show with Jason Cohen, sponsored by Software Promotions. Don’t forget to sign up for the wonderful Business of Software conference to hear Jason speak in person. So it’s property management software? Our software will do that. I don’t get this.

API 220

API Software Review Hosting Technical Review 220

ReadWriteStart

NOVEMBER 19, 2010

Well, I have coached early stage entrepreneurs for a couple of years now - diligently, patiently - and have learned a few things. As for acquiring customers, so far he has used Internet marketing, and they have just started a partnership with a large reseller of restaurant management software, which is great. Photo by tatlin.

Silicon Valley 114

Silicon Valley Startup Technical Review Early Stage 114

crowdSPRING Blog

APRIL 11, 2014

Here’s the Data | Harvard Business Review – crowdspring.co/1lLgAjK. Re/code - crowdspring.co/1embSqM. Cash Piles, Paranoia Fuel Tech Giants’ Buying Binge - crowdspring.co/1gKTw1y. How Sleep Deprivation Drives The High Failure Rates of Tech Startups | Forbes - crowdspring.co/1e8AHAF. 1mZniAb.

Social Media 94

Social Media Small Business Design Media 94

ReadWriteStart

MARCH 17, 2011

Adrian wants to build a location-based service focused on assembling, and then reviewing and rating various services from fixing roofs to plumbing. He needs to bootstrap it to a certain level, and following the 1M/1M methodology would be a good start. First up, Adrian Montero from Belen, Heredia, Costa Rica, presented FinqIt.

Costa Rica 114

Costa Rica America Silicon Valley Entrepreneur 114

crowdSPRING Blog

JULY 7, 2010

Bootstrapped, Profitable, & Proud: iTeleport – [link]. Legal Contracts for Software Developers Who Hate Contracts (w/free contract template to use today) – [link]. Outstanding … 10 Things CEOs Need to Know About Design – [link]. Focus On Your Core Business Or You Will Fail – [link].

Social Media 96

Social Media Small Business Design Media 96

crowdSPRING Blog

JULY 7, 2010

Bootstrapped, Profitable, & Proud: iTeleport – [link]. Legal Contracts for Software Developers Who Hate Contracts (w/free contract template to use today) – [link]. Outstanding … 10 Things CEOs Need to Know About Design – [link]. Focus On Your Core Business Or You Will Fail – [link].

Social Media 96

Social Media Small Business Design Media 96

ConversionXL

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

Mike Arsenault and his two co-founders—all with technical backgrounds—built their MVP while working full time for other SaaS companies. “We An engineer by training, Founder and CEO Larry Gadea built the MVP of Envoy’s first product, Visitors, by himself using only free versions of software. “I Rejoiner spent $0 on their MVP.

Sweat Equity 78

Sweat Equity Software Review Vesting Cofounder 78

crowdSPRING Blog

FEBRUARY 7, 2014

4 Steps to Starting a Web Business Without Knowing Coding | The Next Web – crowdspring.co/1ep8F6R. A special report from The Economist on Tech Startups. 21 Reasons To Bootstrap Your Startup | ZoomShift – crowdspring.co/M5SXUd. 4 Steps to Starting a Web Business Without Knowing Coding – crowdspring.co/1ep8F6R.

Social Media 95

Social Media Small Business Design Media 95

crowdSPRING Blog

SEPTEMBER 5, 2014

How to Market Test a New Idea | Harvard Business Review – crowdspring.co/1vSai6S. You suck at technical interviews – crowdspring.co/1pEfybN. How to Market Test a New Idea | by @ScottDAnthony , Harvard Business Review – crowdspring.co/1vSai6S. 5 Ways to Avoid Useless Meeting Syndrome – crowdspring.co/1lCjk4o.

Social Media 92

Social Media Small Business Design Media 92

Up and Running

OCTOBER 21, 2014

For example, Palo Alto Software focuses primarily on helping small businesses realize their dreams of starting a business. Many people reading this guide will already have an idea of what that is – perhaps a tutoring agency, or a restaurant, or a software company. Week 1 – Get the ball rolling.

Elevator Pitch 166

Elevator Pitch Software Review SBA Angel Investor 166

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 10, 2010

Then Kristen Becker presented Kir Devries , an e-commerce site that offers a well-edited collection of unique goods for practical everyday living that have been sourced due to their impeccable craftsmanship, unique design and style, and their "good factor" in the moderate price range. Kir Devries. InnovizeTech. Photo by takatuka.

Cloud 115

Cloud Silicon Valley Incubator Bootstrapping 115