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Business Model Equity Product 
Steve Blank
JANUARY 17, 2023
Three types of organizations – Incubators, Accelerators and Venture Studios – have emerged to reduce the risk of early-stage startup failure by helping teams find product/market fit and raise initial capital. He had a track record of taking small teams and growing them into successful product lines.
Steve Blank
OCTOBER 30, 2012
The class teaches founders how to dramatically reduce their failure rate through the combination of business model design, customer development and agile development using the Startup Owners Manual. And Udacity has put their awesome production resources behind the class and hosts the Lean LaunchPad online lectures.
335
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Steve Blank
SEPTEMBER 1, 2011
Unlike small business entrepreneurs, their interest is not in earning a living but rather in creating equity in a company that eventually will become publicly traded or acquired, generating a multi-million-dollar payoff. Their job is to search for a repeatable and scalable business model. Google and Android.)
335 
SoCal CTO
MARCH 3, 2011
This overview (executive summary) needs to include: Product and Business What is the product? How does the product solve a pain? What's the business model short-term and long-term? What are related products/companies? What product, market testing have you done so far, if any? Are there specs?
264 
SoCal CTO
MARCH 3, 2011
This overview (executive summary) needs to include: Product and Business What is the product? How does the product solve a pain? What's the business model short-term and long-term? What are related products/companies? What product, market testing have you done so far, if any? Are there specs?
259 
Steve Blank
MARCH 12, 2014
Therefore we needed them to think and learn about two parts of a startup; 1) ideation - how to create new ideas and 2) customer development – how do they test the validity of their idea (is it the right product, customer, channel, pricing, etc.). Customer Discovery in the Real World. You need to propose disruptive solutions.
335 
SoCal CTO
JANUARY 5, 2011
Some really great stuff in 2010 that aims to help startups around product, technology, business models, etc.
378 
Startup Professionals Musings
FEBRUARY 10, 2023
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. Investor due diligence on a startup is not a mysterious black art, but is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of your business model, team, product, customers, and plan.
345 
View from Seed
APRIL 6, 2021
You have unbounded curiosity for emerging trends, a love for experimentation, and you’re always eager to dive into new products and technologies before others do. You have a point of view on emerging technology and business models, and you are not afraid to voice your conviction. A Final Note. How To Apply .
317 
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 11, 2020
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. Investor due diligence on a startup is not a mysterious black art, but is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of your business model, team, product, customers, and plan.
310 
The Startup Magazine
SEPTEMBER 15, 2020
The process of getting venture capital funding may be difficult, but it pays off in a cash infusion for your business which may be able to make the difference between failure and success. Dan Lok explains what venture capital funding is and how to secure it for your business. Venture capital is a type of private equity.
179 
View from Seed
JULY 6, 2020
You have unbounded curiosity for emerging trends, a love for experimentation, and you’re always eager to dive into new products and technologies before others do. You have a point of view on emerging technology and business models, and you are not afraid to voice your conviction. A Final Note. How To Apply .
257 
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 30, 2013
Here are some tips which will signal traction and fundability to investors, as well as to your team: Document your business plan. It’s hard to build a business without a plan, just like it’s hard to build a house without a blueprint. If you have a product description, that’s necessary, but not sufficient.
Both Sides of the Table
JANUARY 4, 2014
I think as a tech industry we have bred a culture that places more emphasis on product excellence than managing human behavior. Of course it makes no sense to have great people management and a crappy product. ” Of course we all go into businesses expecting to be aligned with our co-founders but over time life changes.
340 
Startup Professionals Musings
JUNE 2, 2013
I like the work just published by Bob Rice in “ The Alternative Answer ,” which does a great job of summarizing the investment universe, starting with the “conventional” stocks, bonds, and real estate, but moving on through more esoteric alternatives, including hedge funds, private equity, real assets, managed futures, and finally venture funding.
269 
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 10, 2014
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. Investor due diligence on a startup is not a mysterious black art, but is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of your business model, team, product, customers, and plan.
257 
Startup Professionals Musings
AUGUST 31, 2012
Here are some tips which will signal traction and fundability to investors, as well as to your team: Document your business plan. It’s hard to build a business without a plan, just like it’s hard to build a house without a blueprint. If you have a product description, that’s necessary, but not sufficient.
Startup Professionals Musings
JUNE 17, 2011
Here are some tips which will signal traction and fundability to investors, as well as to your team: Document your business plan. It’s hard to build a business without a plan, just like it’s hard to build a house without a blueprint. If you have a product description, that’s necessary, but not sufficient.
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. Business strategy allows you to change customer perceptions and responses to your product or service offerings. Great business model. Scalability.
A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks
MARCH 21, 2017
Rather, buyer behavior is rooted in their strategy — a combination of product thesis, their theory of their market’s evolution, how they need to position for customers and against competitors, their long-term brand development, geographic expansion plans, and so on. Startups shouldn’t act smug about this. This had to be remedied.
242 
ReadWriteStart
JUNE 1, 2020
You must have a prototype or a minimum viable product (MVP). One should also establish the proof of concept of your business before you can qualify for funding. Ground rules of funding. ? Firstly, not all businesses are fundable. This kind of funding is only applicable if the product is unique and innovative.
150 
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. Business strategy allows you to change customer perceptions and responses to your product or service offerings. Great business model.
View from Seed
SEPTEMBER 18, 2019
As a seed-stage company, it is understandable to have a nascent (or non-existent) product and a barebone team relative to the great ambition of the company. The “product roadmap”. The other aspect of the people roadmap is org-level team building necessary to unlock or accompany certain stages of the business.
195 Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 22, 2010
Here are some tips which will signal traction to investors, as well as your team: Document your business plan. It’s hard to build a business without a plan, just like it’s hard to build a house without a blueprint. If you have a product description, that’s necessary, but not sufficient. Ship a minimum product now.
Gust
DECEMBER 27, 2012
You should know EVERYTHING about your business, product, customers and competition. You should have a crystal clear understanding of your business model and your financials. At the other end, do your homework to really understand which investors would be the most productive for you to approach.
164 
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. Build a prototype product. This must be someone who is willing to pay real money for your product or service. This is called “validating the business model.”
VC Cafe
FEBRUARY 27, 2024
especially if the startup already has a product and revenue? Seed is about showing initial product market fit. In smaller funds, ticket sizes tend to be lower, so pre-seed is the only stage where micro funds are able to secure their minimum equity targets. A founder asked me what makes a $2M round “pre-seed”?
186 Up and Running
JULY 22, 2014
These three components (revenue, COGS, and gross margin) are the backbone of your business model—i.e., You’ll also list your operating expenses, which are the expenses associated with running your business that aren’t incurred directly by making a sale. your gross margin, which is your revenue less your COGS. how you make money.
148 
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 7, 2018
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. through Grants.gov , an online directory of more than 1,000 federal grant programs that don’t look for equity or payback.
225 
Startup Professionals Musings
JUNE 20, 2016
Business credentials and functional coverage. Even if your product is a technological marvel, I look for balanced strength on the team in finance, marketing and operations. It starts with having a vision and an ability to get the message across in your elevator pitch, in a written business plan and one-on-one with potential investors.
152 
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. Build a prototype product. This must be someone who is willing to pay real money for your product or service. This is called “validating the business model.”
224 
The Next Web
DECEMBER 30, 2012
How to identify and engage the first customers for your product, and how to gather, evaluate and use their feedback to make your product, marketing and business model far stronger. How to Build a Startup (EP245) by Steve Blank: You’ll learn the key steps of the Customer Development process. Khan Academy.
The Startup Magazine
MARCH 14, 2022
It is here that the groundwork is laid and the business model developed. A business plan is drawn up to attract investors and partners. The legalities of starting the business are addressed to create a structure for attracting funding. A growing business must support its personnel in every way possible.
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.
Steve Blank
APRIL 14, 2013
business models. Small startups act the same way, simply cloning each other’s products. Even though they’re next to Zhongguancun, the hottest place for startups in China, there seems to be a lower appetite for risk, a lack of interest in equity (instead optimizing for a high salary) and very little loyalty to any one company.
329 
The Startup Magazine
AUGUST 11, 2023
It is necessary to cover the early stages of product development, thorough market research, and other processes during the initial step. Seed capital is a component of the initial investments made in young businesses. The term “seed financing” refers to the stage of funding that comes from first equity.
148 
Both Sides of the Table
JUNE 22, 2011
But this mania to not miss out on the next big thing is driving some investors to pay growth-equity prices for traditional market risk (as in, they’re paying up before it is clear there is product / market fit). Those with strong business models suddenly stand out when the tide goes out. And so on down then line.
309 YoungUpstarts
AUGUST 6, 2012
The Sandbox is designed to accelerate the process of business creation through a 12-week experiential-based program, producing either investment-ready firms or ready-to-go, revenue-generating entities. Current participants include Craftistas, CrowdRouser, and Flat Shoes Tattoos. Harvard Innovation Lab.
202 
YoungUpstarts
APRIL 16, 2020
For example, a rapidly growing business is often purchasing lots of inventory, investing in fixed assets, and not managing their accounts receivable. If your business model is profitable but you’ve mismanaged one of the above categories, you need to build a 13-week cash forecast to manage your short-term crisis.
200 
Up and Running
SEPTEMBER 19, 2017
When you accept outside money, particularly a private equity (PE) investment, however, that changes. In this article, I’ll provide some personal stories of how investors have navigated the balance between raising private equity capital and not losing control of their startup. Rule 1: Bootstrap until you have a viable product.
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.
78 Both Sides of the Table
MARCH 6, 2010
If I’m interested I get to spend more time with them, if I’m not I don’t have to – A few companies per month come in that have fascinating business ideas that warrant my spending more time trying to understand their people, company, technology and market. The upside for entrepreneurs is the equity in their business.
312 
The Startup Magazine
JANUARY 26, 2021
Essentially, suppliers put up their profiles and products, setting prices and minimum quantities. Global Sources, once listed in Bermuda and now owned by the private equity giant Blackstone, has been active in Hong Kong since the 1970s and focuses on trade in and out of the former British colony. Kinnek is the newcomer.
164 
VC Cafe
MARCH 1, 2024
Eliminating middlemen in healthcare – from using AI to automate repetitive human jobs to exploring new and better business models for providing care. Iterating with intelligent editors – products that enable users to take an existing output and refine it (ex.
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