Steve Blank

MAY 17, 2010

At best I think business plan competitions are a waste of time. Business Plan Versus Business Models. Where did the idea that startups write business plans come from? A simple way to think about it is that in a startup no business plan survives first contact with customers. There is no alternative.

Business Plan 320

Business Plan Business Model Customer Development Deal Flow 320

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 14, 2009

To do this they have to accomplish five things; 1) get deal flow – via networking and legwork, they identify likely industries, companies and teams with the potential for rapid growth (less than 10 years), 2) evaluate those companies and teams on the basis of technology, market opportunity, and team.

Silicon Valley 237

Silicon Valley IPO Technical Review Venture Capital 237

Steve Blank

MAY 7, 2009

For those of you who don’t know, business plan competitions are held by universities who get their students to enter and compete to see who has the best business idea. In exchange, these VCs/companies get early looks at new deal flow and offer aspiring entrepreneurs feedback and advice on their business plan.

Business Plan 160

Business Plan Silicon Valley RSS Venture Capital 160

David Teten

APRIL 1, 2021

Customer Development. A well-developed model is Andreessen Horowitz’s Executive Briefing Center. A true industry luminary will help in deal flow & differentiation . These folks are rare, expensive, and often have multiple side obligations (book deals, speaking engagements, etc.). Disadvantages.

Private Equity 78

Private Equity Venture Capital Portfolio Equity 78

ReadWriteStart

MARCH 27, 2011

Unlike Lean startups, their priority isn't to learn in order to create a scalable business model. This is lean development without any customer development. Creating quick buzz and social proof is not the same a developing long-term customer development, but it pays off. 1: Find a Simple Idea.

Lean 144

Lean Startup Agile Coder 144

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

MARCH 11, 2014

They have many, many man-years of development and customer development in them. Edwin: Oh sorry, so the business model. Edwin: The business model is that the organizer has to pay. And so professional angels that have access to real deal flow? We kept it simple, the business model.

Technical Cofounder 220

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Software Review Management 220