VC Cafe

MARCH 16, 2025

Few free growth channels remain, and incumbents often own or clog the major avenues. In today’s AI landscape, this means moving beyond basic text interfaces to leverage AI for innovative features and engagement mechanics that drive viral adoption and organic growth. Gaming founders know this challenge well.

Technical Review 78

Technical Review B2C Generative AI IPO 78

ReadWriteStart

APRIL 8, 2023

Automation, Chatbots, AR, and AI Reign: the Future is Already Here Read more: 5 Reasons Why AR is the Future of Online Shopping Automation makes business operations flow smoothly without encountering technical difficulties. It also improves employees’ productivity by allowing them to focus on vital business operations.

eCommerce 185

eCommerce Technical Review Software Review Analytics 185

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 27, 2012

So many small restaurants struggle to maintain a functional website, but many have adopted social media channels to share, promote, and get feedback on their restaurants. Restaurants, and the food and beverage industry overall, have found great value in social media. This article was first posted on OnlineCollege.

Social Media 202

Social Media Media Small Business Reputation 202

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 20, 2018

When operating a website, one of the keys to success is keeping Google in your corner. When the Google Arts and Culture app released a feature in January that matches a selfie to a famous work of art, it didn’t take long for the doppelganger game to go viral. Google Rewards SSL Verification. Be Transparent About Collecting User Data.

Customer 200

Customer Technical Review Security Internet 200

Up and Running

JANUARY 27, 2021

It doesn’t just come down to operations; some of these tools will help you reach new audiences and build better relationships with future customers. Lodgify—The one for booking operations. It gives the gift of automation to your vacation rental operations. Stay open to everything. Typeform—The one for guest feedback.

Software Review 79

Software Review Software Technical Review Social Media 79

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 3, 2016

Viral marketing costs real money, and your support staff and hosting systems cost even more. Even non-profits need a profitable business model to offset staff and operating costs. Don’t get caught in the myth that you shouldn’t worry about monetization until after you have a large customer base.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Investor Viral 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 1, 2015

Viral marketing costs real money, and your support staff and hosting systems cost even more. Even non-profits need a profitable business model to offset staff and operating costs. Don’t get caught in the myth that you shouldn’t worry about monetization until after you have a large customer base.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Viral Distribution 120

View from Seed

AUGUST 30, 2016

Referrals (generating direct customer referrals and new revenue channels with fellow local business owners). We think that’s how Alignable can transform how business owners operate and grow their businesses. Word-of-mouth (increasing awareness for their business through the networks of others). How do you create an infinite loop?

Social Media 185

Social Media B2B North America Media 185

Hearpreneur

OCTOBER 25, 2023

As soon as you have 2-3 months' worth of sales data to work with, use a formula to calculate stock reorder levels to ensure you always have stock ready to go, especially if you're promoting your products on platforms known for viral content, like TikTok. Thanks to Dani Mechlowitz, Delta Fulfilment ! #6- Thanks to Steven Light, Avenue B ! #13-

eCommerce 143

eCommerce Omaha Entrepreneur SEO 143

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 5, 2010

There was a backlash against the Plaxo spamming yet it paved the way for everybody who came after them to get users to drive viral adoption and we’d throw up our arms and say, “oh boy, here goes another social network that my friends are going to spam me about&# mentality that made it acceptable for everybody who came afterward.

Social Network 318

Social Network Networking Internet Technical Review 318

Steve Blank

APRIL 20, 2021

In the Roku case study we’ve chosen three execution branches: (1) delivery platforms, (2) sales channels, and (3) chip platforms. For software products, they would be the operating systems with big market shares: iOS, Android, web, Mac, and PC. Today, Roku has become an operating system embedded in other brands’ TVs.

Product 436

Product Viral Channel San Francisco 436

Startup Lessons Learned

NOVEMBER 7, 2008

I too would be concerned about false negatives, but perhaps this strategy could be integrated into a broader market research strategy that included user engagement, viral marketing, etc which would all be quantifiable under the Google analytics. A very interesting strategy. Im defiantly going to give it a shot on my next project!

Demand 167

Demand San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment 167

Hearpreneur

JANUARY 22, 2023

#4- Investments in digitalization will grow Photo Credit: Sean Stevens Even though small businesses have come a long way in adopting digitalization and tech solutions, 57% of small business owners say they still need to update their IT infrastructure to make their operations run more smoothly. billion in 2021 to $13.03

Artificial Inteligence 127

Artificial Inteligence Technical Review Entrepreneur Social Media 127

mashable.com

SEPTEMBER 12, 2011

We also soon decided that we wanted to outsource as much of our operations to hosted services as we possibly could. Join the conversation by adding Mashables Pete Cashmore to your Circles on Google+ Close Welcome to Mashable! Sign in with Facebook or Twitter to get started! Publisher Platform (P3). startupcto

Startup 79

Startup Social Media RSS Social Network 79

mashable.com

SEPTEMBER 14, 2011

If you’re a startup entrepreneur, you risk facing a competitive disadvantage if you wait too long to expand your operations. Now more than ever, social media channels are increasingly the norm, so further investing in community activities like meet-ups and workshops can add a face-to-face element — one that is extremely valuable.

France 77

France Marketing Social Media Startup 77

Steve Blank

DECEMBER 7, 2010

Business schools teach aspiring executives a variety of courses around the execution of known business models, (accounting, organizational behavior, managerial skills, marketing, operations, etc.). How does it differ on the web versus other channels? Did anything change about Value Proposition or Customers/Users or Channel?

Wiki 318

Wiki Lean Management Business Model 318

mashable.com

OCTOBER 27, 2010

Topics are divided into IT, marketing, sales, finance, customer service, operations and human resources sections, which makes it easy to search for the latest discussions on your interest area. This feature makes it more likely that you’ll receive prompt and useful responses. What will you find here?

Entrepreneur 94

Entrepreneur Social Media Technical Review Social Network 94

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 3, 2021

Not so long ago, business leaders operated behind the scenes, and even long-time employees rarely heard from them or saw them in the news. You need to be visible in marketing efforts, viral videos, and interactions with key customer segments. Online it may be time to take a formal position via blogs and interviews.

Stealth 362

Stealth Leadership Viral Social Media 362

mashable.com

AUGUST 31, 2010

Incorporate on any other day and you’ll be looking at filling out two business income tax returns for that year (one for the months when you were operating as a sole proprietor, and the second for those months after your incorporation became effective). What will you find here?

LLC 75

LLC Social Media Startup Philadelphia 75

mashable.com

AUGUST 31, 2010

Incorporate on any other day and you’ll be looking at filling out two business income tax returns for that year (one for the months when you were operating as a sole proprietor, and the second for those months after your incorporation became effective). What will you find here?

LLC 75

LLC Ruby Social Media Startup 75

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 3, 2012

Geoffrey Moore, many years ago, observed that there are two major business architectures: high margin, low volume (complex systems model), or low margin, high volume (volume operations model). Most startups these days use one of three primary growth engines: the viral, sticky, and paid growth models. Channel pivot.

Silicon Valley 273

Silicon Valley Architecture Startup Channel 273

ConversionXL

APRIL 13, 2017

They work cross-functionally with engineering, design, analytics, product management, operations, and marketing to design and execute growth initiatives.”. This usually comes down to very company specific things, like what channels are effective for growth. Product vs. Growth? But what about between growth and product? SEO-focused?

Analytics 99

Analytics Engineer SEO Channel 99

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Geoffrey Moore, many years ago, observed that there are two major business architectures: high margin, low volume (complex systems model), or low margin, high volume (volume operations model). Most startups these days use one of three primary growth engines: the viral, sticky, and paid growth models. Channel pivot.

Lean 255

Lean Entrepreneur Silicon Valley Architecture 255

Duct Tape Marketing

MARCH 30, 2023

In a recent episode, they talked with Kevin Perry about how he goes viral on every single platform. So, well, ironically interesting , the pandemic shut down our adult sports leagues that had been operating for 25 years in a number of different cities shut us down for almost 18 months. Kristi Herold (16:15): Yeah.

Retention 92

Retention Canada Channel Pay to Play 92

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 1, 2012

Even a non-profit has to generate revenue (or donations) to offset operating costs. A major resource is cash funding, but other resources, such as industry contacts and access to marketing channels may be more important for certain products. Even viral marketing costs real money and time. Business model doesn’t make money.

Intellectual Property 274

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Viral Early Stage 274

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 5, 2012

Costs of product on YouTube content is literally 99% cheaper than traditional TV and; Distribution of content can now go viral and can predictably distributed via social networks. Over time if you produce compelling content you can package it up and repurpose it to distribute through other channels. They have to. Hello, Yahoo!?! (I

Silicon Valley 374

Silicon Valley Los Angeles Distribution Java 374

mashable.com

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

Twitter search operators can help you filter out links (search “ -filter:links “) and find tweeted questions (search “ ? Try using a few search Google operators, for example: ["brand name" -intitle:"brand name"] to find in-text brand mentions you are most likely to have missed. viral video. Social Media.

Social Media 108

Social Media Analytics Media API 108

ConversionXL

FEBRUARY 11, 2020

Twitter is always a highly recommended social media channel to promote your brand online. Twitter has an advanced search feature, but it also supports a couple of simple search operators that can help you find relevant discussions: Question search. Step 2: Set up a Twitter-friendly conversion channel. Simply add a space and a “?”

Conversion 68

Conversion Social Media Search Campaign 68

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2013

Even a non-profit has to generate revenue (or donations) to offset operating costs. A major resource is cash funding, but other resources, such as industry contacts and access to marketing channels may be more important for certain products. Even viral marketing costs real money and time. Business model doesn’t make money.

Intellectual Property 251

Intellectual Property Startup Viral Early Stage 251

ConversionXL

OCTOBER 14, 2021

Brand visibility is a measure of how frequently consumers see your brand through channels such as search, social, and email. Advanced brand tracking studies can include inputs from digital advertising efforts, social listening tools, and other operational data. Brand visibility. However, these changes are not statistically significant.

Metrics 157

Metrics Marketing Campaign Audience 157

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 2, 2022

You can’t succeed in business without an operational model that delivers value to customers at a reasonable price, with an underlying cost that allows you to make a profit. Word-of-mouth and viral marketing are popular terms these days, but are rarely adequate to initiate a new business. Sales/Marketing. Production.

Business Model 256

Business Model Distribution Viral Green 256

mashable.com

NOVEMBER 3, 2010

Gordon is also operating director of Zynga and director at Amazon, both sFund partners. The group seeks out technologies that are complementary to the company’s core operations, including applications, software and infrastructure startups. What will you find here?

Angel Investor 80

Angel Investor Startup San Francisco Social Media 80

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 29, 2011

You can’t succeed in business without an operational model that delivers value to customers at a reasonable price, with an underlying cost that allows you to make a profit. Word-of-mouth and viral marketing are popular terms these days, but are rarely adequate to initiate a new business. Sales/Marketing. Production.

Business Model 246

Business Model Distribution Viral Green 246

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2012

You can’t succeed in business without an operational model that delivers value to customers at a reasonable price, with an underlying cost that allows you to make a profit. Word-of-mouth and viral marketing are popular terms these days, but are rarely adequate to initiate a new business. Sales/Marketing. Production.

Business Model 242

Business Model Distribution Viral Green 242

Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 14, 2009

Compared to the million-dollar startup, they are operating at micro-scale. Because they have no presence in the market, they have to find distribution channels to bring in customers. How does that stack up? First of all, they are not selling their product by hand.

Customer 167

Customer San Francisco Lean Hockey Stick 167

crowdSPRING Blog

AUGUST 6, 2017

There are terrific free YouTube channels for entrepreneurs and small business owners and many online schools and sites offer free or low-cost online courses. The story behind Khan Academy is tech legend: educator Salman Khan started by posting videos on YouTube to help his cousin with her math homework and the videos went viral.

Programming 73

Programming Technical Review Small Business Illinois 73

Gust

NOVEMBER 25, 2012

Geoffrey Moore, many years ago, observed that there are two major business architectures: high margin, low volume (complex systems model), or low margin, high volume (volume operations model). Most startups these days use one of three primary growth engines: the viral, sticky, and paid growth models. Channel pivot.

Silicon Valley 187

Silicon Valley Architecture Startup Channel 187