Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2023

Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse due diligence on the investors. Taking on equity investors to fund your company is much like getting married – it is a long-term relationship that has to work at all levels. It’s no fun for either side.

Technical Review 345

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Offshore 345

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 5, 2011

Some really great stuff in 2010 that aims to help startups around product, technology, business models, etc. 500 Hats , February 1, 2010 When to Use Facebook Connect – Twitter Oauth – Google Friend Connect for Authentication? . -

Silicon Valley 378

Silicon Valley Startup Term Sheet Venture Capital 378

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 7, 2011

I spent the month of September lecturing, and interacting with (literally) thousands of entrepreneurs in two emerging startup markets, Finland and Russia. What I found in Finland was: a whole lot of smart, passionate entrepreneurs who want to build a startup hub in Helsinki.

Finland 329

Finland Venture Capital Government Russia 329

Steve Blank

MARCH 12, 2014

. — Teaching students to think like entrepreneurs not accountants. We wanted to teach our students how to think like entrepreneurs not accountants. The startups and the teaching team crafted a challenge for the kids to tackle using the Customer Development methodology, Lean Launchpad tools and the business model canvas.

Lean 335

Lean Customer Development Startup Silicon Valley 335

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 11, 2020

Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse due diligence on the investors. Taking on equity investors to fund your company is much like getting married – it is a long-term relationship that has to work at all levels. It’s no fun for either side.

Technical Review 310

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Offshore 310

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 10, 2011

I presented to 1,000’s of entrepreneurs, talked to 17 startups, gave 12 lectures, had 9 interviews, chatted with 8 VC’s, sat on 4 panels, talked policy with 2 government ministers, 2 members of parliament, 1 head of a public pension fund and was in 1 TV-documentary. Startup incubators, business angels and VCs are starting to emerge.

Finland 332

Finland Naming Russia Government 332

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 1, 2020

I have often been asked about Startup Funding by entrepreneurs. Here is Startup Funding, a Comprehensive Guide for Entrepreneurs. In very few specific cases, depending on the nature of the business, the business model might demand a considerable gestation period or extensive research and development. Bootstrapping.

Startup 150

Startup Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Seed Stage 150

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 20, 2016

Thus the top priority of every entrepreneur who wants funding should be to build and highlight their “dream team” of co-founders, executives and advisers, to attract the biggest and best investors. Solo entrepreneurs rarely find an investor. Investors talk to each other and they love warm introductions to up-and-coming entrepreneurs.

Sweat Equity 152

Sweat Equity Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Startup 152

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse due diligence on the investors. Taking on equity investors to fund your company is much like getting married – it is a long-term relationship that has to work at all levels. It’s no fun for either side.

Technical Review 257

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Offshore 257

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2011

What options do they have available to them, since they can’t sell a share of the company (no equity investment)? There is no discussion of equity, or return on investment. You still start the process with a business plan, but then you look for a philanthropist rather than an investor. Individual and institutional donations.

Angel Investor 238

Angel Investor Technical Review Exit Strategy Equity 238

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2013

How do you as an entrepreneur with a new idea get to be one of those choices? That means there are far more entrepreneurs looking for money than there are investors, and entrepreneur entitlement is not a realistic expectation. The hype is high right now for equity crowd funding as an alternative to Angels and VCs.

Angel Investor 269

Angel Investor Cram Down Intellectual Property Venture Capital 269

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2012

What options do they have available to them, since they can’t sell a share of the company (no equity investment)? There is no discussion of equity, or return on investment. You still start the process with a business plan, but then you look for a philanthropist rather than an investor. Individual and institutional donations.

Angel Investor 218

Angel Investor Technical Review Exit Strategy Equity 218

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2012

I hear a lot of entrepreneurs contemplating their great “idea” for several years with little discernable progress, and looking for money to start. It doesn’t prove your business model of pricing, distribution, and support. Traction means forward progress. Get a real customer and real revenue. Show personal investment.

Intellectual Property 260

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 260

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 17, 2011

I hear a lot of entrepreneurs contemplating their great “idea” for several years with little discernable progress, and looking for money to start. It doesn’t prove your business model of pricing, distribution, and support. Traction means forward progress. Get a real customer and real revenue. Show personal investment.

Intellectual Property 253

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 253

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 4, 2014

Equity for the future? If you are the person staying how resentful will you become working your arse off for equity that your co-founder who leaves will get value from. If you give up after this you’re not an entrepreneur. What should the financial settlement be for the founder leaves be?

Founder 340

Founder Cofounder Sacramento Technical Review 340

Gust

DECEMBER 27, 2012

Understand your business. It sounds obvious, but the majority of entrepreneurs who pitch me have obviously never thought through many of the major issues surrounding their companies. You should know EVERYTHING about your business, product, customers and competition.

Software Review 164

Software Review Term Sheet Technical Review Angel Investor 164

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2010

I hear a lot of entrepreneurs contemplating their great “idea” for several years with little discernable progress, and looking for money to start. It doesn’t prove your business model of pricing, distribution, and support. Tags: entrepreneur traction startup investors business. Traction means forward progress.

Intellectual Property 222

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 222

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2010

Although their book is written for businesses of all sizes, I believe the principles apply especially to startups as follows: To increase return on equity invested. Investors highly prize gifted leaders who are business veterans with experience in similar ventures, who can move quickly and effectively. Great business model.

Intellectual Property 231

Intellectual Property Startup IP Finance 231

YoungUpstarts

APRIL 7, 2016

The rub is that a startup likely has the ideas to take it straight to the top, but it’s also likely that the company lacks the business skills to make it truly successful. A Startup Lab invests guidance, strategy, and takes equity in a carefully selected collection of early and seed stage startups. The solution: Startup Labs.

Seed Stage 100

Seed Stage Silicon Valley Incubator Asia 100

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 6, 2012

Follow along as we explore 10 of the most exciting college business incubators around today, and be sure to share your own favorites in the comments: Entrepreneurs Hall @ The RIT Global Village. At Rochester Institute of Technology’s Entrepreneurs Hall, innovation is a way of life. Based in Mountain View, Calif.,

Incubator 202

Incubator New York City Boston Intellectual Property 202

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

The corporate entity lends itself best to the concept of “sharing” equity required by investors, and unincorporated entities don’t get funding. They must amplify your “elevator pitch” to investors, as well as key points from the business plan and the financial model. Prepare an investment-grade business plan.

Intellectual Property 249

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Technical Review Elevator Pitch 249

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

This was an audience of mostly first-time entrepreneurs. It is great for entrepreneurs and great for VCs. So here is what I have been telling entrepreneurs privately for the past 6 months. What a bubble means for each entrepreneur. Still, market amnesia by ordinarily rational actors always surprises me. I believe that.

Saudi Arabia 309

Saudi Arabia Valuation IPO Technical Review 309

Steve Blank

APRIL 14, 2013

business models. Entrepreneurs in Beijing were knowledgeable about Silicon Valley, entrepreneurship and the state of software and tools available for two reasons. Almost every entrepreneur I met was using VPN to circumvent the Great Firewall. There’s a noticeable lack of tenacity in young, new entrepreneurs.

China 328

China Silicon Valley Non-Compete Intellectual Property 328

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2010

I get paid (well) for interesting people to come in and tell me how they want to change the world – Being an entrepreneur is like having blinders on. At least for the best entrepreneurs. Some people do the conference circuit too much, get involved in lots of side projects and attend every entrepreneur dinner. I love it.

Technical Review 312

Technical Review Due Diligence Spain Warrant 312

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

The corporate entity lends itself best to the concept of “sharing” equity required by investors, and unincorporated entities don’t get funding. They must amplify your “elevator pitch” to investors, as well as key points from the business plan and the financial model. Prepare an investment-grade business plan.

Angel Investor 224

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Technical Review Elevator Pitch 224

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 14, 2009

One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is misunderstanding the role of venture capital investors. There’s lots of lore, emotion, and misconceptions of what VC’s do or don’t do for entrepreneurs. 3) invest in and take equity stakes in exchange for capital. What Do VC’s Do?

Silicon Valley 237

Silicon Valley IPO Technical Review Venture Capital 237

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 30, 2012

Although their book is written for businesses of all sizes, I believe the principles apply especially to startups as follows: Increase return on equity invested. Investors highly prize gifted leaders who are business veterans with experience in similar ventures, who can move quickly and effectively. Great business model.

Intellectual Property 248

Intellectual Property Startup IP Finance 248

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2018

A critical stage for most first-time entrepreneurs is getting their idea developed into at least a prototype to validate their technology. This process costs money, which professional investors are not willing to contribute, since their interest is in scaling a proven product and business model into a growth business.

Early Stage 225

Early Stage SBIR Technical Review Seed Stage 225

Hearpreneur

SEPTEMBER 16, 2020

We asked entrepreneurs and business owners on their best business or entrepreneur turnaround story and here are the responses. #1- Unfortunately, he was fired and all of that potential equity disappeared. Noah teaches us that the world is full of business opportunities. 1- Reed Hastings. 2- Noah Kagan.

Entrepreneur 137

Entrepreneur China Incubator Philippines 137

The Next Web

DECEMBER 30, 2012

If you’re a startup, you are by definition competing with the smartest people in the world – either large companies with more resources than yours or fellow entrepreneurs who are hoping to disrupt large companies. Your knowledge can make the difference between failure and success. Khan Academy.

Artificial Inteligence 156

Artificial Inteligence Founder Private Equity Ruby 156

The Equity Kicker

JUNE 9, 2014

That, in a nutshell, is why entrepreneurs and VCs see risk differently. Many people think that VCs in Europe are failing our entrepreneurs by not taking enough risk. I have to constantly remind myself that they are barely six months old, and that there is still an awful lot more to prove than has been proven.

Entrepreneur 143

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Europe Revenue 143

The Startup Magazine

MARCH 14, 2022

India has always been renowned as the land of entrepreneurs. Profitably managing and owning businesses with all the inherent risks have always defined the Indian entrepreneurial spirit. It is here that the groundwork is laid and the business model developed. A business plan is drawn up to attract investors and partners.

Technical Review 167

Technical Review Due Diligence India Startup 167

David Teten

APRIL 1, 2021

I’ve recently advised a number of emerging private equity and VC funds who are wrestling with the question: What are the highest impact steps they can take to support their portfolio companies? . Almost every private equity and venture capital investor now advertises that they have a platform to support their portfolio companies.

Private Equity 78

Private Equity Venture Capital Portfolio Equity 78

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

Angel investors and venture capitalists don’t make equity investments in nonprofit good causes. What options do they have available to them, since they can’t sell a share of the company (no equity investment)? There is no discussion of equity, or return on investment. Individual and institutional philanthropy.

Angel Investor 132

Angel Investor Equity Technical Review Exit Strategy 132

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 11, 2023

This could be a proportion of the company’s equity or investment; in other instances, it could be a portion of its later-stage profits. Seed money can range from a relatively modest sum to a sizeable one, depending not only on the nature of the startup, the sector in which it will operate, and any other pertinent business aspects.

Seed Stage 148

Seed Stage Technical Review Early Stage Due Diligence 148

David Teten

JANUARY 21, 2021

V: Should you raise venture capital from a traditional equity VC or a Revenue-Based Investing VC? VI: Revenue-based financing: The next step for private equity and early-stage investment. VII: Flexible VC, a New Model for Companies Targeting Profitability.

Equity 78

Equity Revenue Cofounder Colorado 78

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 19, 2011

On Entrepreneurship: What makes a great entrepreneur? Visionary but also constantly looking to reconfirm hypothesis, • Consummate evangelist of business, • Little naïve on the chances – what we’re doing is more likely to NOT WORK Mark: “naïve optimism” don’t know it can’t be done and often looks for it, same thing has made USA what it is now.

Acquisition 304

Acquisition Warrant Customer Term Sheet 304