Steve Blank

APRIL 16, 2013

For decades this revered business magazine described management techniques that were developed in and were for large corporations – offering more efficient and creative ways to execute existing business models. Each of these authors ( along with others too numerous to mention) profoundly changed my view of management and strategy.

Technical Review 331

Technical Review Lean Venture Capital Customer Development 331

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 14, 2014

The problem is that professional investors (Angels and Venture Capital) want a proven business model before they invest, ready to scale, rather than the more risky research and development efforts. Apply for contests and business grants. Consider licensing your product or intellectual property, and “white labeling.”

Entrepreneur 283

Entrepreneur Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 283

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

When Netscape went public, it unleashed a frenzy from the public markets for anything related to the internet and signaled to venture investors that there were massive returns to be made investing in anything internet related. After the crash, venture capital was scarce to non-existent. Then one day it was over. IPOs dried up.

Lean 335

Lean Burn Rate Startup IPO 335

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2014

There has been much discussion in the past few years of the changing structure of the venture capital industry. The rise of alternative sources of capital (crowd funding and the like). The overall trends in our industry have breathed a new life into the venture capital industry. The iPhone was released.

Technical Review 398

Technical Review Venture Capital Valuation Pre-Money Valuation 398

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

Over the past month a colleague ( Chang Xu ) and I sifted through data on the venture capital industry (as we do every year) and made a bunch of calls to VCs and LPs to confirm our hypotheses. As a result of the IPO window shifting we saw a massive inflow of public-market capital into the latest stages of venture.

Venture Capital 328

Venture Capital Technical Review Seed Stage IPO 328

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2021

Apple pulled ahead of other mobile phones in its early days largely because it cultivated an ecosystem of software developers who created iPhone apps to meet every consumer niche and need. Simple metrics and your personal knowledge of the industry can’t keep up with all the relevant competitive forces.

Software Review 355

Software Review Algorithm Global IPO 355

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 26, 2015

One of the least understood parts of the venture capital industry and venture capital firms is how investment decisions actually get made. I have developed a line of thinking and a common retort for people who ask about some of these deals and I often say, “I don’t mind being wrong.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Detroit Early Stage Partner 150

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 24, 2014

I become a venture capitalist in September 2007 – exactly 6.5 I spent my first year developing proprietary deal flow and learning the business and then the Sept 2008 / Lehman Bros collapse / financial meltdown happened. As a result I didn’t write my first venture capital check until March 2009 – exactly 5 years ago.

Los Angeles 387

Los Angeles Intellectual Property LP Venture Capital 387

View from Seed

APRIL 6, 2021

You are intentional about developing a point of view on new sectors that we can learn from. You have a deep desire to learn the venture capital business and are ready to hustle to meet the next great founder. You have a point of view on emerging technology and business models, and you are not afraid to voice your conviction.

Technical Review 317

Technical Review Software Review Seed Stage Cofounder 317

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2022

The problem is that professional investors (angels and venture capitalists) want a proven business model before they invest, ready to scale, rather than the more risky research and development efforts. Leave the world of new computer chips and new drugs to the big companies, and people with deep pockets. Commit to a major customer.

Intellectual Property 261

Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator Bootstrapping 261

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2022

Yet as I mentor entrepreneurs around the country, crowdfunding still seems to be one of the least understood approaches to startup funding, with more myths than accredited angels and professional venture capital investors combined. Other popular sites for startups, including StartupNation and Startups.co Marty Zwilling.

Accredited Investor 352

Accredited Investor Startup SEC Equity 352

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2013

And we chose to locate ourselves 3 blocks East of The Third Street Promenade where much new development is taking place. Perhaps the biggest piece of new news is that after 17 years of operations we’ve changed our name from GRP Partners to Upfront Ventures. What’s up with that? Upfront seemed to fit the bill.

Los Angeles 343

Los Angeles Las Vegas San Francisco Baltimore 343

The Startup Magazine

FEBRUARY 19, 2025

Artificial intelligence continues to be a bright spot in the world of venture capital. In Q3 of 2024, AI-related startups landed $19 billion USD, which equates to 28% of total venture dollars. This being said, this hinges on an ability to develop and release specific software applications ahead of the curve.

Artificial Inteligence 97

Artificial Inteligence Engineer Software Software Engineering 97

View from Seed

JULY 6, 2020

You are intentional about developing a point of view on new sectors that we can learn from. You have a deep desire to learn the venture capital business and are ready to hustle to meet the next great founder. . You have a point of view on emerging technology and business models, and you are not afraid to voice your conviction.

Technical Review 257

Technical Review Software Review Hiring Seed Stage 257

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 20, 2020

Yet as I mentor entrepreneurs around the country, it still seems to be one of the least understood approaches to startup funding, with more myths than accredited angels and professional venture capital investors combined. Other popular sites for startups, including StartupNation and Startups.co Marty Zwilling.

Accredited Investor 324

Accredited Investor Entrepreneur SEC Equity 324

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

Gross margins at 66% is fine (they’re selling through a reseller who takes a 33% margin) but their sales aren’t yet large enough to cover the costs of their IT development team + management + marketing + office costs, etc. They raised $5 million in venture capital to fund growth. So which company is better run?

Startup 418

Startup Revenue Technical Review Flash 418

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 25, 2020

According to National Venture Capital Association statistics , only 16% of venture-backed startups recently used this alternative, due to high liability concerns, demanding shareholders, and high costs. IPO – public company initial public stock offering. Think of it as a succession plan, to keep growing what you have started.

Exit Strategy 376

Exit Strategy Startup Private Equity Equity 376

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 29, 2022

Here are the key elements of the strengths framework they have developed, with my own insights and experience added for your consideration: Money: the capital you have, or can easily raise. Fortunately, you can develop this skill. If you need venture capital, maybe you need to spend more time in Silicon Valley or Boston.

Silicon Valley 325

Silicon Valley Angel Investor Technical Review Boston 325

Steve Blank

APRIL 14, 2013

Filed under: China , Customer Development , Technology , Venture Capital. China Customer Development Technology Venture Capital' They are the signs of a leadership frightened not by external enemies but by their own people. It usually doesn’t end well.

China 328

China Silicon Valley Non-Compete Intellectual Property 328

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 22, 2024

Advances in materials science will drive down error rates Regional research consortiums Venture capital investment FOMO and financial engineering We talk a lot about qubits in this post. How many physical qubits do you need? As a reminder a qubit – is short for a quantum bit.

Technical Review 267

Technical Review Illinois Algorithm Software Review 267

VC Cafe

JANUARY 22, 2021

Amazon Corporate Development – Notable acquisitions include Whole Foods ($13.7B), smart doorbell system Ring ($1.2B, 2018) and autonomous mobility technology Zoox ($1.2bn). The Alexa Fund also provides up to $200 million in venture capital funding to fuel voice technology innovation. Investing and m&A. Physical space.

Technical Review 174

Technical Review Startup Venture Capital Incubator 174

VC Cafe

JULY 26, 2020

“After the crash, venture capital was scarce to non-existent. Ditch the business plan and when assumptions are proven wrong, pivot Customer Development: Build a product your customers want (vs. Agile Development: launch an MVP early and iterate quickly.

Lean 214

Lean Seed Capital Startup Burn Rate 214

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 30, 2019

The problem is that professional investors (angels and venture capitalists) want a proven business model before they invest, ready to scale, rather than the more risky research and development efforts. Leave the world of new computer chips and new drugs to the big companies, and people with deep pockets. Commit to a major customer.

Intellectual Property 219

Intellectual Property Technical Review Startup Incubator 219

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

At our mid-year offsite our partnership at Upfront Ventures was discussing what the future of venture capital and the startup ecosystem looked like.

Technical Review 416

Technical Review Pre-Money Valuation San Francisco Valuation 416

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2022

I’m not an expert on leadership, so I am always on the lookout for specific development guidance, such as the classic book, “ Leadership Results ,” by the well-known leadership coach and business psychologist, Sebastian Salicru. Good entrepreneurs can make a success from almost any business idea, through a following of partners and customers.

Leadership 285

Leadership Reputation Venture Capital Global 285

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

Recently I wrote a post arguing to make the definition of a Startup more inclusive than that to which Silicon Valley, fueled by Venture Capital return profiles, would sometimes like to attach to the word. But I would point out that these days there are really talented tech developers & teams everywhere. Here are mine: 1.

Community 378

Community San Diego Silicon Valley Los Angeles 378

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 25, 2017

Venture Capitalism is changing. The influx of large corporations to the venture capital space has only enhanced funding opportunities for startups and startups no longer need to have their sights solely focused on venture capitalists. Startups should leverage these changes in venture capital to their advantage.

Venture Capital 193

Venture Capital Technical Review Kenya Startup 193

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 13, 2020

Finally I realized that venture capital and angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary. Since your product or technology may still be in the early stages of development, the investor in actually investing in you, and your previous achievements, as much as your current startup.

Intellectual Property 316

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Early Stage Venture Capital 316

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 4, 2020

They aren’t operating on big bankrolls of venture capital (at least initially), and they don’t have trust funds to fall back on if the business fails. In the eyes of entrepreneurs chasing venture capital funding, how could being self-funded ever look like anything but a handicap? If they don’t come through, who will?

Entrepreneur 205

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Silicon Valley Bandwidth 205

Hunter Walker

OCTOBER 14, 2024

Over the course of 18 months, I built up an initial knowledge set as I was developing the underlying thesis for the brand. HW: Sanzo was founded, and thrived, through a time where traditional venture capital firms got excited about – and then became more disillusioned – with DTC brands.

New York City 110

New York City Hockey Stick Distribution Angel Investor 110

Up and Running

NOVEMBER 26, 2018

Myth #1: Venture capital is a growing opportunity for funding businesses. Actually, venture capital financing is very rare. I’ll explain this more later, but assume that only a very few high-growth companies with high-power management teams are venture opportunities. Venture capital.

SBA 161

SBA Venture Capital Angel Investor Technical Review 161

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2022

Finally I realized that venture capital and angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary. Since your product or technology may still be in the early stages of development, the investor in actually investing in you, and your previous achievements, as much as your current startup.

Intellectual Property 278

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Early Stage Venture Capital 278

ReadWriteStart

DECEMBER 15, 2022

This allows the studio to develop processes, well-organized development teams, and growth plans. Over time, this revenue reduces the dependency on outside venture capital sources. Outside project work for clients helps to assemble talented development teams. There are many different types of startup studios.

Incubator 188

Incubator Startup Software Developers Software Development 188

Steve Blank

AUGUST 5, 2014

Kathryn has been the founding VP of Marketing of Oracle , a successful recruiter, a world class Venture Capitalist, a co-founder of a Venture Capital firm, a great board member, one of my mentors and most importantly a wonderful friend. The answer of course, was Venture Capital, but that was not in the cards—as yet.

Venture Capital 335

Venture Capital Silicon Valley Chicago Cofounder 335

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

Venture Capital is a tricky industry. Many questioned whether it could survive under the fail whale, inevitable competition from Facebook, founder fighting, fights with 3rd-party developers let alone become a revolutionary business that could make money. Far from it. Lots of it.

Technical Review 362

Technical Review America United States Partner 362

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2014

Finally I realized that Venture Capital and Angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary. Since your product or technology may still be in the early stages of development, the investor in actually investing in you, and your previous achievements, as much as your current startup.

Angel Investor 268

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Early Stage 268

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014

According to recent National Venture Capital Association statistics , only 20% of venture-backed startups now use this alternative, due to high liability concerns, demanding shareholders, and high costs. IPO – public company initial public stock offering.

Exit Strategy 289

Exit Strategy Entrepreneur IPO Startup 289