SoCal CTO

JANUARY 5, 2011

Some really great stuff in 2010 that aims to help startups around product, technology, business models, etc. First Principles. Steve Blank , January 25, 2010 10 Tips for Adding Game Mechanics to a Non-Gaming Service - ReadWriteStart , September 21, 2010 Startups & VCs: Learn How to Design, Market, & Eat Your Own. -

Silicon Valley 378

Silicon Valley Startup Term Sheet Venture Capital 378

View from Seed

APRIL 14, 2020

This led to a number of repercussions that most VC’s have lamented during this time, including higher prices, larger rounds, shoddy due diligence, and many companies raising large sums of venture capital that probably aren’t suited to VC funding. Business Models and Sectors. In a FOLD world, this is going to continue.

Early Stage 374

Early Stage Software Review Technical Review Due Diligence 374

Growthink Blog

DECEMBER 27, 2017

Are you looking to raise venture capital ? You need a good idea – and an excellent business plan. Business planning and raising venture capital go hand-in-hand. A business plan is required for attracting venture capital. Most investors are inundated with business plans.

Venture Capital 129

Venture Capital Business Plan Technical Review Private Placement 129

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 14, 2014

According to a Gompers and Lerner study, the challenge is very real, with a majority of new ventures that don''t attract investors failing within the first three years. In reality, the financing valley of death tests the commitment, determination, and problem solving ability of every entrepreneur.

Entrepreneur 283

Entrepreneur Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 283

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.

Business Plan 320

Business Plan Business Model Customer Development Deal Flow 320

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 11, 2022

Obviously, these companies still need money to get started, or finance growth, just like a for-profit company. Hopefully you can see from this list that the people and processes involved in financing a nonprofit have little in common with angel investors, or the venture capital process.

Angel Investor 327

Angel Investor Equity Technical Review Exit Strategy 327

The Startup Magazine

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

Venture capital: it’s the jet fuel behind many of the most explosive startups turning them into household names. However, as the business landscape evolves at a breakneck pace, so too does the strategy of these financial titans, starting a whole new set of venture capital trends.

Venture Capital 130

Venture Capital Technical Review Due Diligence Early Stage 130

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2022

According to my experience and this Motley Fool article from a few years ago, the challenge is very real, with around half of all new businesses no longer existing after five years. In reality, the financing valley of death tests the commitment, determination, and problem solving ability of every entrepreneur.

Intellectual Property 261

Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator Bootstrapping 261

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 14, 2009

Over the same 30 years, Venture Capital firms have honed their skills and strategies to match Wall Streets needs to achieve liquidity for their portfolio companies. One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is misunderstanding the role of venture capital investors. What Do VC’s Do?

Silicon Valley 237

Silicon Valley IPO Technical Review Venture Capital 237

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 6, 2013

He wanted to work in venture capital and I was new to the industry and in no position to hire anybody. He turned to Mike Jones at Science who was newly set up as an accelerator of sorts or a venture studio. I’ll leave the year out. We got along and shared stories about the startup market.

San Diego 344

San Diego Technical Review Seed Capital Sacramento 344

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 24, 2017

— all great things when you are executing and scaling a known business model. Because the new CEO had built a team capable of and comfortable with executing an existing business model, the company would fail or get acquired. A 20th century VC was likely to have an MBA or finance background. Board Control.

Founder 281

Founder Technical Review CTO Hire IPO 281

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

Or worse yet they may never get financed. Raise at “ the top end of normal &# but not so high that future financings in a corrected market become impossible. Those with strong business models suddenly stand out when the tide goes out. It’s what I love about entrepreneurship and about venture capital.

Saudi Arabia 309

Saudi Arabia Valuation IPO Technical Review 309

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2011

Obviously, these companies still need money to get started, or finance growth, just like a for-profit company. Hopefully you can see from this list that the people and processes involved in financing a non-profit have little in common with angel investors, or the venture capital process.

Angel Investor 238

Angel Investor Technical Review Exit Strategy Equity 238

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 30, 2019

According to my experience and a this Motley Fool article, the challenge is very real, with around half of all new businesses no longer existing after five years. In reality, the financing valley of death tests the commitment, determination, and problem solving ability of every entrepreneur.

Intellectual Property 219

Intellectual Property Technical Review Startup Incubator 219

Steve Blank

APRIL 14, 2013

business models. The motivations are the same – profit – driven by entrepreneurs and venture finance. business models. Filed under: China , Customer Development , Technology , Venture Capital. China Customer Development Technology Venture Capital' It usually doesn’t end well.

China 328

China Silicon Valley Non-Compete Intellectual Property 328

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 8, 2019

Obviously, these companies still need money to get started, or finance growth, just like a for-profit company. Hopefully you can see from this list that the people and processes involved in financing a nonprofit have little in common with angel investors, or the venture capital process.

Equity 235

Equity Angel Investor Technical Review Exit Strategy 235

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2012

Obviously, these companies still need money to get started, or finance growth, just like a for-profit company. Hopefully you can see from this list that the people and processes involved in financing a non-profit have little in common with angel investors, or the venture capital process.

Angel Investor 218

Angel Investor Technical Review Exit Strategy Equity 218

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

Unfortunately in early stage startups the drive for financing hijacks the corporate DNA and becomes the raison d’etre of the company. Chasing funding versus chasing customers and a repeatable and scalable business model, is one reason startups fail. Is there a profitable business model? How many are there?

Customer Development 270

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 270

Steve Blank

MARCH 31, 2014

As the venture capital business has come roaring back in the last 5 years, startups are awash in available capital. Instead of measuring success in dollars of profit, …firms focus on measuring capital efficiency. These innovations do not require change in a company’s existing business model.

Private Equity 330

Private Equity Metrics China Intellectual Property 330

SoCal CTO

JULY 13, 2010

10 Ways To Be Your Own Boss - A VC : Venture Capital and Technology , June 18, 2010 The folks at Behance and Cool Hunting asked me to talk at their 99% Conference a couple months ago. Will you negotiate million dollars rounds of financing with cool VCs? Here are the top 30 along with a brief snippet from the post. Productivity.

Cofounder 175

Cofounder Technical Cofounder Term Sheet Startup 175

David Teten

APRIL 1, 2021

Almost every private equity and venture capital investor now advertises that they have a platform to support their portfolio companies. The popularity of the model can be judged by the fact that the U.S. As an agenda for each meeting, I suggest: – How can we most add value, in addition to helping with financing?

Private Equity 78

Private Equity Venture Capital Portfolio Equity 78

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 13, 2013

Obviously, these companies still need money to get started, or finance growth, just like a for-profit company. Hopefully you can see from this list that the people and processes involved in financing a non-profit have little in common with Angel investors, or the venture capital process.

Equity 207

Equity Angel Investor Technical Review Exit Strategy 207

VC Cafe

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

While the answers are somewhat semantic, the pre-seed funding round is making a comeback in 2024 startup financing. What’s the difference between an angel round and pre-seed round and why do I believe we’ll see more pre-seed rounds taking place in 2024? Pre-seed tends to be about developing an MVP and generating early traction.

Valuation 186

Valuation Software Review Generative AI Technical Review 186

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2017

According to my experience and a classic Gompers and Lerner study, the challenge is very real, with a majority of new ventures that don't attract investors failing within the first three years. In reality, the financing valley of death tests the commitment, determination, and problem solving ability of every entrepreneur.

Product Development 177

Product Development Cost Developer Product 177

Steve Blank

APRIL 1, 2020

Remember, a year from now no one wants to be the CEO of a company out of business whose lament is, “I did what the board told me to do.”. This plan has three parts: Pivots to your new business model, changes to your operating plan, and what initiatives you save for the recovery. What does your board suggest?

South Korea 334

South Korea Salary Business Model China 334

ReadWriteStart

OCTOBER 13, 2011

9-to-5 Venture Capital. Ironically one of the things that's holding back the Finnish cluster is Tekes , the government organization for financing research, development and innovation in Finland. It's hard enough to pick which existing companies with known business models to aid.

Finland 158

Finland Venture Capital Government Russia 158

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 12, 2018

According to a recent Motly Fool report, the challenge is very real, since around half of all businesses fail in the first five years. The problem is that professional investors (angels and venture capital) want a proven business model before they invest, ready to scale, rather than early projections and product development.

Intellectual Property 134

Intellectual Property Technical Review Startup Incubator 134

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 1, 2010

Storm Clouds - A VC : Venture Capital and Technology , November 12, 2010 We have enjoyed an amazing run in the web startup and investing space over the past five or six years. Competing To Win Deals - A VC : Venture Capital and Technology , November 7, 2010 The venture capital business is highly competitive.

Technical Review 175

Technical Review Technology Product CTO Hire 175

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 20, 2016

There is a common belief in the angel and venture capital community that you put your money on the best team, rather than the best idea. Even if your product is a technological marvel, I look for balanced strength on the team in finance, marketing and operations. Solo entrepreneurs rarely find an investor.

Sweat Equity 152

Sweat Equity Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Startup 152

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 11, 2023

The following is a condensed explanation of seed funding: Seed money is a form of early-stage financing that new businesses receive from investors in exchange for a share of ownership in the company. Seed venture capital firms can make more significant follow-on investments to keep or increase their equity stake in the company.

Seed Stage 130

Seed Stage Technical Review Early Stage Due Diligence 130

Steve Blank

APRIL 14, 2013

business models. The motivations are the same – profit – driven by entrepreneurs and venture finance. business models. Filed under: China , Customer Development , Technology , Venture Capital. China Customer Development Technology Venture Capital' It usually doesn’t end well.

China 220

China Silicon Valley Non-Compete Intellectual Property 220

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2015

According to a classic Gompers and Lerner study, the challenge is very real, with a majority of new ventures that don't attract investors failing within the first three years. In reality, the financing valley of death tests the commitment, determination, and problem solving ability of every entrepreneur.

Entrepreneur 120

Entrepreneur Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 120

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

Pricing models, the freemium myth and why you may not be charging enough for your product - Seth Levine's VC Adventure , August 12, 2010 I’ve been pulled into a number of product and pricing meetings recently (for reasons unknown I’ve become the Foundry pricing and productization guy). More tiers = more complication = more confusion.

Startup 191

Startup CTO Hire Cofounder Venture Capital 191

ReadWriteStart

JULY 26, 2022

Obtaining a competitive advantage while improving consistency and quality ensures that the supply chain will soon embrace flexible business models and become more efficient. Each of these conditions then helps these companies find new and better clients while filling each business’s unique needs. from several investors.

Germany 175

Germany San Jose Technical Review India 175

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 10, 2010

And EVEN if you ARE an experienced entrepreneur, all but just a few VCs still want to see customer validation, business model validation and traction, before they will invest. I call it drip-financing. In 1M/1M, our preferred financing strategy is customers. Because customer financing equals revenue, not equity.

Cloud 115

Cloud Silicon Valley Incubator Bootstrapping 115

Steve Blank

DECEMBER 7, 2009

The initial hypothesis for Epiphany (from my much smarter partner Ben ) was that as departments in the enterprise (manufacturing, finance, customer support sales) became automated, the marketing department would eventually get its turn. We had validated our new assumptions by a set of orders, and we had pivoted on our business model.

Silicon Valley 261

Silicon Valley Non-disclosure Agreement NDA Startup 261

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 6, 2010

Obviously, these companies still need money to get started, or finance growth, just like a for-profit company. Hopefully you can see from this list that the people and processes involved in financing a non-profit have little in common with angel investors, or the venture capital process.

Angel Investor 143

Angel Investor Technical Review Exit Strategy Equity 143