This site uses cookies to improve your experience. To help us insure we adhere to various privacy regulations, please select your country/region of residence. If you do not select a country, we will assume you are from the United States. Select your Cookie Settings or view our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Used for the proper function of the website
Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Strictly Necessary: Used for the proper function of the website
Performance/Analytics: Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Some analysis and duediligence along the following lines should be performed on every idea, as a reality check, before committing your efforts and other people’s money to building a business: Look for places where competitors are few. Don’t forget to consider customer alternatives, like trains versus airplanes.
——— I’m getting ready to go overseas to teach , and I’ve spent the last week reviewing several countries’ ambitious attempts to kick-start entrepreneurship. In Silicon Valley the equivalent is the journeyman coder or web designer who loves the technology, and takes coding and U/I jobs because it’s a passion.
We just completed the fourth week of our new national security class at Stanford – Technology, Innovation and Great Power Competition. Joe Felter , Raj Shah and I designed the class to cover how technology will shape all the elements of national power (America’s influence and footprint on the world stage). 7, 2017.
To stay competitive in our digital world, small and medium-sized businesses need to be equipped with and proficient in the latest technologies. Along with lack of oversight, outdated software or hardware, inadequate cybersecurity, or one bad tech investment could seal the demise of a small enterprise. Tech Debt 2.0
One of the unintended consequences was that many of the academics went off to found a wave of startups selling their technology to the military. Within a decade, the rise of venture capital in Silicon Valley enabled startups to find commercial customers rather than military ones. The Government Can’t Act Like a Startup.
Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse duediligence on the investors. Investor duediligence 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.
Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse duediligence on the investors. Investor duediligence 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.
Due to their unique oversight, governments have a surplus of data at their fingertips. Here are the facts about AI startups needing data , and how that helps governments. Here are the facts about AI startups needing data , and how that helps governments. government procurement data. All hope is not lost, though.
The previous post described how China built its science and technology infrastructure. This post is about the how the Chinese government engineered technology clusters. Of all the Chinese government programs, the Torch Program is the one program that kick-started Chinese high-tech innovation and startups.
Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse duediligence on the investors. Investor duediligence 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.
As governments and communities aim to reduce environmental impact, there is a rising demand for eco-friendly transport solutions. The Shift to Sustainable Transport Transportation is changing quickly due to growing concerns about the environment. The initial purchase price of electric and hybrid cars tends to be higher.
Investors, partners, team members, and customers implicitly value or devalue a startup based on the leader’s physical presence, emotional identity, social skills, intellectual agility, moral values, and past performance in the domain. I have paraphrased his key points here as follows: Leader personal impact.
This post previously appeared in the Harvard Business Review. But these look for founders who have a technical or business model insight and a team. Accelerators provide these teams with technical and business expertise and connect them to a network of other founders and advisors. Carlos stirred his coffee.
In 2022, we saw unusual supply constraints — lingering post-coronavirus supply chain issues, a persistently tight labor market , and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — converge with high demand — partly fueled by heavy government stimulus during the first two years of the pandemic.
Investors, partners, team members, and customers implicitly value or devalue a startup based on the leader’s physical presence, emotional identity, social skills, intellectual agility, moral values, and past performance in the domain. I have paraphrased his key points here as follows: Leader personal impact.
If you are the hot-shot technical innovator that invented your solution, make sure you have an equally adept business and marketing expert to complement your skills. “If Bill Gates was the technical genius, but Steve Ballmer, from Procter & Gamble, ran the business side of the equation.
—— When I wrote Four Steps to the Epiphany and the Startup Owners Manual , I believed that Life Sciences startups didn’t need Customer Discovery. In the real world a big pivot in life sciences far down the road of development is a very bad sign due to huge sunk costs. used to serve those customers.
It’s been exciting to watch the Lean Startup movement grow from a practice utilized in the tech world to one implemented in a wide variety of sectors ranging from enterprise to education, religious organizations, nonprofits, and government groups. You also can’t just take private sector ideas and overlay them on local government.
According to an old Harvard Business Review article, many people in history, famous for their inventions, like Thomas Edison, were entrepreneurs who only later were remembered as inventors of the products they commercialized. Of course it helps to have innovative technologies before you start building a business.
Some analysis and duediligence along the following lines should be performed on every idea, as a reality check, before committing your efforts and other people’s money to building a business: Look for places where competitors are few. Don’t forget to consider customer alternatives, like trains versus airplanes.
The internet is a great tool for business, transforming how companies interact with their customers and providing new channels to sell products, provide services, and make money. With that in mind, if you’re running an online business, you need to consider implementing customer verification best practices. Customer verification steps.
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.
This method is often used by businesses to send voice messages to their prospects, clients, and customers without interrupting them. With this technology, the phone will never ring even as the pre-recorded audio messages are being delivered to multiple voicemail boxes at the same time. Safe and Secure Ringless Voicemail Service.
Some analysis and duediligence along the following lines should be performed on every idea, as a reality check, before committing your efforts and other people’s money to building a business: Look for places where competitors are few. Don’t forget to consider customer alternatives, like trains versus airplanes.
The Department of Defense has thought that Artificial Intelligence is such a foundational set of technologies that they started a dedicated organization- the JAIC – to enable and implement artificial intelligence across the Department. These technologies will transform businesses and government agencies. What’s Different?
It is not always a financial transaction; sometimes it comes in the form of managerial or technical expertise. It is possible to attract a venture capital partner with an idea for a business, but most deals are closed after the business has a founding team , a minimum viable product or MVP, and customers. Understand VC Term Sheets.
It’s only been a bit over a month since the start of 2025 past year has witnessed seismic shifts in technology, from breakthroughs in generative AI to emerging solutions in climate tech and healthcare. This is an extension of the previous list with new sources and startup requests. You can find the 2024 RFS list here.
The best way to ride the “silver tsunami” is to develop age-focused products or adapt one’s customer touch-points to the effects of physiological ageing. This can be diagrammatically represented below: Courtesy of Customer Experience Magazine. Embracing Physiological Ageing. Age-friendly Apple.
It’s not just about moving goods but also about optimizing routes and providing exceptional customer service. Navigating Industry Regulations and Compliance An array of regulations governs freight brokering to ensure safety and fairness within the industry.
Advanced technologies continually alter our world’s landscape, and each step is an incremental evolution that propels you forward. Modern businesses rely heavily on this positive cyclical and iterative disruption to be competitive in the marketplace and innovate, delivering new services and products to their customers faster than ever.
The previous post described how China built its science and technology infrastructure. This post is about the how the Chinese government engineered technology clusters. Of all the Chinese government programs, the Torch Program is the one program that kick-started Chinese high-tech innovation and startups.
Some analysis and duediligence along the following lines should be performed on every idea, as a reality check, before committing your efforts and other people’s money to building a business: Look for places where competitors are few. Don’t forget to consider customer alternatives, like trains versus airplanes.
I was invited to Finland as part of Stanford’s Engineering Technology Venture Program partnership with Aalto University. Toxic Business Press and Contradictory Government Incentives. While the government says they love startups, the first thing they did this year is raise the capital gains tax. Part 1 can be found here.
The rise of technology has invited a fall in consumer trust. As the regulations that govern the internet evolve and threaten the safety of online users’ personal information, more and more individuals are engaging the digital world with increasing suspicion and hesitance. Customers Demand SSL Reassurance. Consumers want honesty.
Today’s customers are much more proactive in going online for the latest information, rather than simply reacting to the “push” messages that businesses traditionally use to drive commerce. If you as an entrepreneur are not “listening” to your online reviews, and not moving quickly to make changes, you are losing ground.
As a potential investor, I always think of the high rate of failure of disruptive technologies, due to the longer learning curve of customers, infrastructure change consistently required, and higher marketing costs. Before you act, shut up and listen to employees, customers, and futurists.
Do you find it hard to maintain or start tech support services for your business? Information technology or IT is a crucial tool in today’s digital era. All businesses, big or small, should have their technical support department. This is often due to many factors, like having no resources and knowledge about IT.
Modern technology has made it possible for fleet managers to optimize operations, streamline vehicle acquisition, and leverage telematics innovations to their advantage. By adopting advanced technologies and data-driven strategies, companies can optimize their fleet operations and stay ahead of the competition.
Unfortunately, I see too many new entrepreneurs who let their passion for a new idea or invention blind them to the stark realities of customer need, opportunity size, or pricing and cost implications. The sooner you face these issues, the more success you will garner from investors and customers.
Finding a customer for your product in the Department of Defense is hard: Who should you talk to? Looking for DoD customers How do you know if they have money to spend on your product? Think of the PEO Directory linked below as a “Who buys in the government?” government intends to communicate this information. phone book.
A few months ago, VC Cafe launched a series on startup engagement and outreach programs of large tech companies. Amazon Corporate Development – Notable acquisitions include Whole Foods ($13.7B), smart doorbell system Ring ($1.2B, 2018) and autonomous mobility technology Zoox ($1.2bn).
According to a Harvard Business Review article, many people in history, famous for their inventions, such as Thomas Edison, were entrepreneurs who only later were remembered as inventors of the products they commercialized. Of course, it helps to have innovative technologies before you start building a business.
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. More importantly, it makes no demands of you to stand and deliver your weekly customer development progress in front of your peers.
This class is built on conducting in-person of interviews with customers/ beneficiaries and stakeholders, but due to the pandemic, teams now had to do all their customer discovery via a computer screen. How would customer interviews work via video? See here for an extended discussion of remote customer discovery.).
We organize all of the trending information in your field so you don't have to. Join 5,000+ users and stay up to date on the latest articles your peers are reading.
You know about us, now we want to get to know you!
Let's personalize your content
Let's get even more personalized
We recognize your account from another site in our network, please click 'Send Email' below to continue with verifying your account and setting a password.
Let's personalize your content