A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

OCTOBER 11, 2010

Great," I always exclaim, sharing the thrill of modern software development, "so how will people find out about this brilliant website?". In a world where everyone and their brother is "joining the conversation" (oops, I use that phrase constantly!), That's what we do: Bring the benefits of peer review to software development.

Software Review 261

Software Review Technical Review Viral Software Developers 261

SoCal CTO

APRIL 28, 2014

Setting the Deadline or using the works “Just,” “Easy,” or “Everyone does this.” - It’s tough on a developer to explain why it takes work to get something to be built. Adding pressure to this conversation makes it tougher. They can force a more open-ended conversation about what the possibilities are. Great question.

Technical Cofounder 280

Technical Cofounder Developer Fractional CTO CTO Hire 280

SoCal CTO

AUGUST 4, 2011

But I've often been very surprised by one aspect of these conversations. Many of these founders have talked with several developers or development firms about their plans. It needs to be a conversation. Dates/Time Zones - Do we need to handle multiple Time Zones and do conversion automatically? What is searchable?

Developer 396

Developer Founder Viral Oauth 396

SoCal CTO

AUGUST 4, 2011

But I've often been very surprised by one aspect of these conversations. Many of these founders have talked with several developers or development firms about their plans. It needs to be a conversation. Dates/Time Zones - Do we need to handle multiple Time Zones and do conversion automatically? What is searchable?

Developer 384

Developer Founder Viral Oauth 384

SoCal CTO

APRIL 2, 2013

I'm going to be looking at aspects like: Things to consider before building your MVP Features often overlooked when documenting an MVP for developers Understanding important metrics you want to measure Risks and challenges in developing an MVP. It should be a fun evening with lots of interesting conversation.

Technical Cofounder 219

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Software Developers Software Development 219

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 3, 2009

That died with waterfall software development. Let’s start with how much value you think you’ll create for your customer if they use your product in terms of hours saved, costs avoided, extra sales, better conversion rates or whatever. Ditto for enterprise software companies. Do so at your peril.

Business Plan 334

Business Plan AJAX Venture Capital Technical Review 334

YoungUpstarts

JULY 23, 2014

The companies that ‘rent’ these products on a SaaS basis enjoy the highest standard in software without the costs, risks and tech quandaries of in-house development. This Levittown model is the future of payments software. The build-it-yourself era of payment software development is coming to a close and for good reason. “We

Software 248

Software eCommerce Software Developers Software Development 248

ConversionXL

SEPTEMBER 6, 2013

I feel like “conversion rate optimization” is in 2013 what “social media marketing” was in 2009. Not because they have a conversion problem but because they never really nail the product or how to market it. This is not a conversion problem. This is a customer development problem. image source.

Customer Development 126

Customer Development Conversion Developer Customer 126

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 6, 2019

It’s actually good that the companies have started realising the importance of the testing phase in the software development life cycle. Software Testing’, or specifically the lack thereof, is one of the answers of why startups fail. Developers rush in and bomb. You might have heard below conversation-.

Software 222

Software Startup Software Developers Software Development 222

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 16, 2014

She started by sketching her business model canvas on a napkin, but somehow the conversation quickly shifted to what was really on her mind. For example, if you’re building a mobile app, then the key activities are: app software development, user interface design and demand creation skills.

Cofounder 335

Cofounder Founder Intellectual Property Business Model 335

The Startup Magazine

JULY 8, 2022

If you’re a software development company, you’ll need to secure the services of a software monetization solution provider. You may also require sufficient server space to deal with significant volumes of data beyond customer and technical support representatives, marketing staff, and business development.

Startup 158

Startup Technical Support Software Developers Software Development 158

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JULY 19, 2010

Not only was I not an expert on code review prior to building a code review tool, I wasn't even an expert on software development processes generally! One experienced startup/business/salesman (Gerry), one proven software developer (me), one proven hardware developer (Michael). Common vision. Insider knowledge.

Software Review 325

Software Review Technical Review Development Team Review Bolivia 325

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 20, 2017

years of software development. How MakeSpace Recently Closed $30 million in New Funding was originally published in Both Sides of the Table on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story. With our increases in capital we hope to be able to serve you in the near-term future.

Technical Review 268

Technical Review Los Angeles Software Review Artificial Inteligence 268

SoCal CTO

APRIL 27, 2011

I'd suggest: Startup CTO or Developer , Startup Founder Developer Gap , Part-Time CTO , Technology Advisor , CTO Founder , Acting CTO. In some cases, this changes the conversation from "I need help hiring a full-time CTO for my startup" to "I need help finding a part-time CTO who can direct a full-time developer."

CTO Hire 282

CTO Hire Los Angeles Hiring Technical Review 282

TechEmpower

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

The point is, empty textboxes aren’t just intimidating, they can significantly impact user engagement and conversion rates. Which means better conversions and happier customers. The result is less drop off, i.e., better conversion rates. Drop-off on the first page of an application is bad news.

Generative AI 297

Generative AI Artificial Inteligence Houston America 297

TechEmpower

AUGUST 21, 2023

Many CEOs of software-enabled businesses call us with a similar concern: Are we getting the right results from our software team? We hear them explain that their current software development is expensive, deliveries are rarely on time, and random bugs appear. What’s keeping you up at night? And what causes that?

Technical Review 260

Technical Review Development Team Review Software Review Architecture 260

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 29, 2023

By understanding the preferences and needs of potential customers, businesses can tailor their communication and offerings, increasing the likelihood of conversions and long-term customer relationships. Time and Cost Savings Lead identification software automates the process of lead generation, saving businesses valuable time and resources.

Lead Generation 146

Lead Generation Software Review Software Technical Review 146

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 26, 2014

Most IT projects require a variety of skill sets, from design and software development, to hosting and project management. by Julie May, CEO of bytes of knowledge (b:ok). It’s difficult to find someone who is an expert in two or more of these skills areas.

Technology 176

Technology Management Software Developers Software Development 176

Startup Lessons Learned

NOVEMBER 12, 2013

We’ve made some cool additions to our pre-conference webcast lineup , including two conversations with founding figures for methods that underlie Lean Startup. Third, I needed to take small steps—one conversation where I really shared, one part of a presentation. I believe crazy things but I try to act on the sane things I believe.”

Product Development 167

Product Development Software Review Technical Review Developer 167

SoCal CTO

APRIL 9, 2013

I just got an email asking about exactly this: I''m with a new company that needs some software built, but doesn''t need (or have the resources for) a large staff of software developers. Do not fall into the trap of Startups and a Common Misunderstanding in Agile Software Development. They will give you a quote.

Web Development 204

Web Development Web Developer Los Angeles 204

Feld Thoughts

APRIL 16, 2012

But they don’t teach you software development, which is much more useful, and a lot more fun. When I compare it to French 3, I wanted to learn conversation French. I probably would have enjoyed that. But the teacher, who was French, insisted on grinding us through endless grammar exercises.

Java 164

Java Software Developers Software Development Software 164

TechEmpower

JULY 24, 2023

The conversations are interesting and varied because they’re about new, exciting, different things. But there are some common elements too. ” or “Are you developing for desktop, tablet, mobile, or all three?” The innovator/developer relationship needs to be a conversation.

Developer 520

Developer Technical Review Fractional CTO CTO Hire 520

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 2, 2020

Here is some of our conversation: What is Agile marketing, and what makes it so different? Agile marketing takes its inspiration from Agile software development, which is how 90% of companies develop software today.

Agile 264

Agile Marketing Campaign Sales 264

SoCal CTO

MARCH 11, 2010

If you’re a Web-based startup, for example, show me how many unique visitors you think you can get in the beginning, and what you’re using for an estimated conversion rate (buyers to browsers). Give me granularity. Show me how much each unique visitor is going to cost you in search engine optimization and pay-per-click search engine expense.

Metrics 159

Metrics Startup Retention Software Developers 159

Feld Thoughts

OCTOBER 7, 2013

I remember numerous conversations with Ryan about this. Part of that vision became the agile software development products that Rally makes. Ryan started Rally (formerly F4) out of our previous office and could regularly be found scribbling all over a white board. But Ryan’s vision was always bigger than that.

Community 182

Community Colorado Common Stock Equity 182

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 7, 2019

In 2006, together with Hiten Shah, Neil founded Crazy Egg, a heatmap platform for websites to use to increase their conversion rates. Neil carried on running an internet marketing consulting business so that he could pay for Crazy Egg’s software development. This was the beginning of Neil’s big success as a digital marketer.

Software Review 212

Software Review Marketing PPC Hosting 212

SoCal CTO

APRIL 27, 2011

I'd suggest: Startup CTO or Developer , Startup Founder Developer Gap , Part-Time CTO , Technology Advisor , CTO Founder , Acting CTO. In some cases, this changes the conversation from "I need help hiring a full-time CTO for my startup" to "I need help finding a part-time CTO who can direct a full-time developer."

CTO Hire 225

CTO Hire Los Angeles Hiring Technical Review 225

VC Cafe

MARCH 7, 2025

Sesame has introduced hyper-realistic AI voice models, Maya and Miles, under their Conversational Speech Model (CSM). – by Y Combinator YC on AI-first software development (for 25% of the startups in the current YC batch, 95% of the code is AI generated!)

Israel 103

Israel Stealth Taiwan ChatGPT 103

David Teten

OCTOBER 1, 2015

I spoke with experts at a number of software development shops to get their insights on this topic, leaders at DarwinApps , Casual Corp , HappyFunCorp , OAB Studies , Coventure (a VC with its own software development team), and World Accelerator (an accelerator focused on premium domain names). Photo credit.

Software Developers 60

Software Developers Software Development Software Developer 60

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 21, 2019

For years software development worked on a “waterfall model” in which you did research, design, build, test, deploy and then watch how users reacted to your product. I also wrote an entire series on the topic of Startup Boards if you want to do any more reading that link has several articles you can dig into.

Management 234

Management Startup Dividend Early Stage 234

David Teten

OCTOBER 1, 2015

Should you co-found your company with a software development shop? I’ve talked with a number of software development shops who are eager to get into the business of cofounding companies, i.e., getting product revenue and equity instead of just consulting revenue. mentor VCs, e.g., most VCs.

Software Developers 60

Software Developers Software Development Software Review Technical Cofounder 60

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 15, 2010

He is the author of “ Joel on Software ” and I was a reader nearly 10 years ago when I had never heard of Fred Wilson, Brad Feld and VentureHacks didn’t exist. has demonstrated both high user engagement and better than average conversion rates of 1%-3.5% (versus 0.05% for traditional display advertising) for February 2010.

Stealth 285

Stealth SEC Advertising Accredited Investor 285

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 16, 2013

We work in prototypically four-week iterations, with quality engineers and software developers working in close collaboration. This finally bit us after a four month stint of development blew through its testing schedule by a factor of four: two scheduled weeks turned into two months before the product reached stability.

Lean 167

Lean Startup Software Engineering Agile 167

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 18, 2011

Now, they were able to raise enough money in the last 3 months to launch a product along with all the necessary software development to launch a pilot program for validating the idea. The lawyer will charge you for more than the initial conversation. Do they recognize any Startup Founder Developer Gap ?

CTO 167

CTO CTO Hire Equity Vesting 167

Hunter Walker

AUGUST 31, 2021

Early adopter verticals — such as software development and tech sales — is mostly in Gen 3. So my conversations with these CEOs wasn’t about pushing my particular opinion on these matters or rushing them into a conclusion, but rather helping them focus what they were hoping to accomplish with their internal and external positions.

Software 141

Software Vertical Framework Finance 141

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 5, 2012

Professionals at Co+Hoots include designers, lawyers, marketers, writers, software developers, offering not just camaraderie, but services as well. Although collaboration and conversation is highly encouraged, Ignition Alley remains a peaceful and quiet place to work for startups and creatives. Thinkspace.

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San Francisco Las Vegas Seattle Phoenix 253

The Startup Magazine

JANUARY 15, 2020

Software development is an ongoing project. We developed Pages based on actual conversations we had with our customers,” explains Kenny Rueter, Kajabi co-founder and CEO. “We That personal approach to software development has been a key feature of Kajabi’s culture since the company launched in 2010.

Software Developers 110

Software Developers Software Development Equity Software 110