VC Cafe

MARCH 16, 2025

Mention that you do “Consumer tech” as a startup founder and you’d be limiting your funding options to one third of the venture capital funds (in Israel that figure is probably closer to 10%). Until now, consumer tech was perceived as a risky binary investment. Personalisation is increasing across the board.

Technical Review 78

Technical Review B2C Generative AI IPO 78

Steve Blank

DECEMBER 11, 2020

We just held our seventeenth session of our new national security class Technology, Innovation and Modern War. Joe Felter , Raj Shah and I designed a class to examine the new military systems, operational concepts and doctrines that will emerge from 21st century technologies – Space, Cyber, AI & Machine Learning and Autonomy.

Technical Review 369

Technical Review Taiwan Technology Design 369

deal architect

APRIL 15, 2020

Alex Shootman, CEO of Workfront is one of my favorite tech execs because he is always positive - and that in an authentic way. I had enjoyed his book, Done Right (my review here) because he had so many examples.

Technical Review 326

Technical Review Leadership Conversion 326

View from Seed

JULY 6, 2020

You are a native of NYC tech with a strong network. You have 4-6 years of professional experience as a technology operator, founder, or investor in New York. 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.

Technical Review 257

Technical Review Software Review Hiring Seed Stage 257

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 29, 2019

Remote work and freelancing are professional roles that involve an incredible amount of effort, tech-savvy, and time management. Fortunately, there are technological tools that can maximize working time by making meetings more efficient, improving your office workflow, and better managing client interactions.

Technical Review 204

Technical Review Retention Software Review Cloud 204

Hearpreneur

NOVEMBER 2, 2022

Technology disruption is happening at a rapid pace all around us. We asked our entrepreneurs what changes do they expect due to technology shortly, and this is what they have to say. #1- I also expect to see more technology to assist with personalized experiences at trade shows, both in person and virtually, shortly.

Technical Review 126

Technical Review Software Review Artificial Inteligence Technology 126

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 20, 2017

So how did a company that provides storage grow so fast (we’ll exit 2017 with 10’s of millions in recurring revenue), why is it so defensible and is it really a tech startup? If you buy that Amazon is a tech startup then essentially you’ve already answered the question. In short — how the hell did we raise $30 million?

Technical Review 268

Technical Review Los Angeles Software Review Artificial Inteligence 268

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2018

Usually after a Monday partner meeting you get a pretty strong: Yes, term sheet coming No, sorry we’re passing Maybe, we need to do more due diligence / analysis / work I always counsel founders that “good news comes early” so if you haven’t heard by Tuesday at noon chances are it wasn’t likely a clean “yes.”

Technical Review 314

Technical Review Due Diligence Partner Term Sheet 314

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 8, 2018

eCommerce might be impressively high-tech, but the tracking and verification methods that are its backbone are in desperate need of an upgrade. Of course, Niantic tried to stop such cheating, devoting months of effort diligently programing an update, only to discover the internet was able to find a work around in less than an hour.

Networking 279

Networking Technical Review eCommerce Software Review 279

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2014

and had several phone conversations after that. We did a full-court press led by Steven because once we decided this was the team we wanted to work with and this opportunity mapped to our belief system that content + tech will build a generation of great Internet companies. Tech Market Analysis Upfront Ventures' And Seriously.

Technical Review 373

Technical Review North America Los Angeles Cofounder 373

ReadWriteStart

DECEMBER 16, 2021

If you don’t know what is conversation intelligence, you must be living under a rock. Covid changed many things for the post-pandemic world and brought on digital tech advancement, one of the major advancements was in AI , especially in the field of con versation. What is Conversation Intelligence? Wondering how?

Conversion 162

Conversion Technical Review Startup Software Review 162

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2014

The more data I collected and the more conversation I had with GPs and LPs the more I realized that there was another major factor at play in the concentration of capital in larger funds – many traditional VC firms were now setting up “opportunity funds” or “growth funds.” 2007 was the watershed year.

Technical Review 398

Technical Review Venture Capital Valuation Pre-Money Valuation 398

TechEmpower

JULY 24, 2023

At TechEmpower, we frequently talk to startup founders, CEOs, product leaders, and other innovators about their next big tech initiative. The conversations are interesting and varied because they’re about new, exciting, different things. After all, that’s what tech innovation is all about. Where’s the mystery?

Developer 520

Developer Technical Review CTO Hire Fractional CTO 520

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 7, 2014

Contrast that with a VC conversation I had. Who else can provide context if your portfolio isn’t growing as quickly as your peer group, if they believe you paid too high a price on a deal, if they question your due diligence in a given situation or whatever critique they might offer?

Software Review 341

Software Review Customer Technical Review LP 341

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 13, 2022

Acknowledge every customer feedback and review. For those of you who are fearful of a spurious negative review, I recommend that you proactively ask every customer for a positive review, such that any negatives will be lost in a sea of positives. Don’t let that one negative stand out as the only review submitted.

Technical Review 355

Technical Review Social Media Channel Flash 355

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 11, 2014

There’s an article making the rounds in tech circles titled “ Growth Hacking is Bull ” written by Muhammad Saleem. In his maiden post on the topic he wrote, “After product-market fit and an efficient conversion process, the next critical step is finding scalable, repeatable and sustainable ways to grow the business.

Technical Review 384

Technical Review Hockey Stick SEM Channel 384

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 22, 2021

On the other hand, if you open every conversation with “I need money,” you won’t have any friends or any money. You need to convince them that you have been working on this vision for a long time, and have done the “due diligence” on all the potential knockoffs. Practice your “elevator pitch,” and end it by asking for the order.

Technical Review 338

Technical Review Elevator Pitch Due Diligence Angel Investor 338

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Nearly every successful tech startup I’ve observed over the past 20 years has gone through a similar growth pattern: Innovate, systematize then scale operations. At MakeSpace we had to build complex models to tell us how our pricing and conversion compared down to the neighborhood level. Seriously, this happens.

Operations 286

Operations New York City Technical Review Startup 286

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 4, 2013

But when you create a product for a large segment of users who previously couldn’t afford products due to price or complexity and if that product can work at “Internet scale” you have the chance to do something truly amazing. I have written this up before if you’re interested – I call it Deflationary Economics.

Technical Review 401

Technical Review Startup Business Model Non-Compete 401

The Startup Magazine

APRIL 15, 2022

In this Macropay review , let’s have a look at the most common online shopping check-out issues that customers face and how to address them. Understanding these reasons can help businesses adjust and improve their customer conversion rate by implementing new strategies. Understanding the Problem. Trust is Key to Businesses.

Technical Review 167

Technical Review Customer Startup Conversion 167

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 18, 2020

All of us are struggling to keep up in this age of technological acceleration, where we learn every day that we can’t trust links in our email, marketing guarantees, or phone requests from people we don’t know. I’m sure that all of you recognize that the technology available for marketing has changed.

Customer 433

Customer B2C Technical Review Social Media 433

The Startup Magazine

DECEMBER 12, 2024

You need to respond to comments, answer questions, and take part in conversations that are relevant to your industry. Failing to Manage Online Reputation Ignoring reviews or unaddressed feedback can quickly damage a startup’s reputation, especially if it is left unmonitored.

Social Media 155

Social Media Reputation Startup SEO 155

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 22, 2021

Many aspiring entrepreneurs are looking to the Internet as an opportunity to get rich quick, instead of a place where you can start a business you love, for very little capital and minimal technical expertise. Pay others to handle small stuff, and keep your time available for bigger priorities. Let your audience help with content creation.

Technical Review 312

Technical Review Software Review Internet Revenue 312

VC Cafe

SEPTEMBER 2, 2022

The time spent on reviewing decks went down compared to 2021. Going back to the Docsend research, which includes a survey of 300 founders and VCs in addition to their anonymous data collection on thousands of decks shared and reviewed, they found the top components/slides on successful pre-seed decks. Weeks to launch?

Technical Review 166

Technical Review Early Stage Cofounder Portfolio 166

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 11, 2022

SEEING THINGS FROM THE VC SIDE OF THE TABLE While I was a VC in 2007 & 2008 those were dead years because the market again evaporated due the the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). Almost no financings, many VCs and tech startups cratered for the second time in less than a decade following the dot com bursting.

Valuation 466

Valuation San Francisco Ratchet Liquidation Preference 466

The Startup Magazine

FEBRUARY 11, 2022

On the other side of the spectrum, the idea of finding a unicorn has attracted many investors toward the much riskier venture capital and emerging technologies. Over the past decade, advancing technologies and social consciousness have been causing unprecedented and exciting shifts in every sector of the economy, not just the tertiary.

Private Equity 165

Private Equity Equity Technical Review Software Review 165

The Startup Magazine

NOVEMBER 1, 2021

If you want to increase conversions and drive more traffic to your business website, teaming up with platforms like Groupon can be an excellent way to achieve them. These can include webinars, email marketing , product review blogs, and creating YouTube videos. Optimise Product Pages for Conversions.

Affiliate 197

Affiliate Marketing Technical Review Software Review 197

YoungUpstarts

FEBRUARY 25, 2020

Stick to the agenda so that you don’t quickly get off-topic and refer to this roadmap throughout your conversation. Use Technology to Review Goals & Tasks. You can also run a more effective meeting by using technology to project the status of projects and tasks. Follow up & Continue the Conversation.

Technical Review 204

Technical Review Software Review Conversion Email 204

VC Cafe

FEBRUARY 21, 2023

It’s not just the competition against the incumbents and the large tech platforms that founders has to worry about, but most importantly is the company’s performance and product market fit. Understanding the benchmarks on conversion, retention, and churn for your business is therefore critical.

Retention 109

Retention Conversion Churn Rate B2C 109

ReadWriteStart

JULY 7, 2021

The entrepreneurs can reduce their operational costs significantly – by utilizing advanced technologies like autonomous vehicles, drones, and robots for courier delivery. Rigorously testing the final version of the solution to eliminate technical bugs and glitches. . What is the tech stack for Uber for courier app development?

Technical Review 163

Technical Review Artificial Inteligence Demand Social Media 163

ConversionXL

JULY 8, 2021

Conversions are crucial to your business. But a good conversion rate doesn’t always mean more sales. The magic of a conversion rate formula lies in gleaning marketing insights. In this article, we’ll explore how to calculate conversion rates and its application across different channels and customer journeys.

Conversion 156

Conversion CPA Metrics Analytics 156

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

The reality is that as a result of two major trends the costs of starting a technology startup went down massively. So What Impact Did the Drop in Tech Founding Costs Have on VC? was originally published in Both Sides of the Table on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Venture Capital 328

Venture Capital Technical Review Seed Stage IPO 328

VC Cafe

MARCH 1, 2024

In addition, founders thinking about starting a company can be overwhelmed by choice, as there are so many problems to tackle with technology, but it could be comforting to know that investors are interested in those areas in the first place.

Artificial Inteligence 176

Artificial Inteligence Technical Review Software Review Generative AI 176

ReadWriteStart

DECEMBER 19, 2019

Silicon Valley gets significant attention for its role in producing tech startups that often go on to see massive, international success. In the past decade, hundreds of interesting, innovative tech companies have emerged in and around Israel—and they’re worth learning from.

Technical Review 179

Technical Review Artificial Inteligence Israel Silicon Valley 179

View from Seed

JANUARY 27, 2021

You are a “digital native” with a strong interest in new technology and have hands-on proficiency with many online tools for managing social media interactions, event production, and project management. You are actively engaged in the NYC or Boston tech ecosystem. All applications will be reviewed confidentially. How To Apply .

Operations 227

Operations Hiring Seed Stage Software Review 227

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 26, 2022

It started with an email survey on your last stay at their hotel, but now includes requests for online product reviews, to social media input on the design of future products. Some say it’s happening today because it’s new, and technology makes it possible. Marketing is no longer a one-way conversation. Marty Zwilling.

Customer 267

Customer Technical Review Social Media Partner 267

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2022

You can review all the specifics of this approach in the classic book by Nathan Furr and Paul Ahlstrom, appropriately titled “ Nail It then Scale It: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating and Managing Breakthrough Innovation ,” but I will net it out here. Leverage your customer conversations to predict and validate your business model.

Angel Investor 359

Angel Investor Technical Review Incubator Business Model 359