TechEmpower
DECEMBER 17, 2013
'Merry Christmas web framework performance aficionados! What better way to celebrate the holidays than by cheering on your favorites as they race through a variety of application fundamentals in the biggest web platform grudge match of the season? We certainly can''t think of anything more festive. Now at 90 frameworks and 230 permutations (variations on configuration), Round 8 has something for everyone.
Both Sides of the Table
DECEMBER 6, 2013
'Without DogVacay my Thanksgiving would have been ruined. That’s a fact. And I’m not an investor. I just had to tell this story. It’s a great one about entrepreneurship, friendship and the collaborative economy that is helping families in need across the world. The Background. Every year my family meets in San Diego for Thanksgiving.
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Steve Blank
DECEMBER 21, 2013
'Eric Ries was kind enough to invite me to speak at his Lean Startup Conference. In the talk I reviewed the basic components of the Lean Startup and described how we teach it. I observed that now that we’ve built software to instrument and monitor the progress of new ventures (using LaunchPad Central ), that we are entering the world of evidence-based entrepreneurship and the Investment Readiness Level.
Startup Professionals Musings
DECEMBER 7, 2013
'Even in this age of globalization and virtualization, the geographic area where you choose to live and work can still make or break your startup business. I still have to tell some entrepreneurs that even with the best idea, they have to move to Silicon Valley to find the investors they need, or they need to move to the U.S. get the attention of the market they choose.
Speaker: Nick Noreña, Innovation Coach and Advisor, Kromatic
Every startup and innovation project exists within an ecosystem that either helps or hurts that project. As innovation managers, we need to keep a pulse of that ecosystem and make sure we're helping those innovation projects we're managing every step of the way. In this webinar, Nick Noreña will walk through an Innovation Ecosystem Model that he and his team at Kromatic have developed to help investors, heads of product, teachers, and executives understand how they can best support innovation in
deal architect
DECEMBER 1, 2013
'The pace of technology innovation continues to accelerate - New Florence just had a record month of posts. But innovation without adoption = duds. This Harvard Business Review article and the graph from it below show technologies are getting adopted.
YoungUpstarts
DECEMBER 18, 2013
'By Matt Anderson, Chief Digital Officer of hibu. The “Shopping Days Til Christmas” countdown is in single digits, and the busiest shopping season of 2013 will soon be a memory. If you own a retail store, now is the time to evaluate the 2013 holiday season and start thinking about how you can prepare your business in the months ahead for an even more successful holiday 2014.
Start Up Roar brings together the best content for start up professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Both Sides of the Table
DECEMBER 17, 2013
'One of the questions I’m most often asked by CEOs is how to hire sales people. I’ve written a lot about recruiting and hiring at startups including my controversial post on whom not to hire and my rapid response to the flame war. I’ve also written extensively on sales and on which sales execs to hire and how to think about the different kinds of sales leaders.
Steve Blank
DECEMBER 9, 2013
'As our Lean LaunchPad for Life Sciences class winds down, a good number of the 26 teams are trying to figure out whether they should go forward to turn their class project into a business. Given that we’ve been emphasizing Evidence-based entrepreneurship and the Investment Readiness Level , I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised when someone asked, “After we figure all this data out, should we pursue our idea based on the numbers?”.
Startup Professionals Musings
DECEMBER 26, 2013
'Since the recent recession, and at least partially sparked by it, I’m seeing a real resurgence of entrepreneurial spirit, and more startup activity than ever before. I believe the days of the “job work” mentality are thankfully waning, with more people looking to get satisfaction by making the world a better place, rather than just tolerating brain-numbing work to fund enjoyment elsewhere.
Gust
DECEMBER 15, 2013
'Image via niaje.com and www.yec.co. There is so much written these days about how to attract investors that most entrepreneurs “assume” they need funding, and don’t even consider a plan for “bootstrapping,” or self-financing their startup. Yet, according to many sources , over 90 percent of all businesses are started and grown with no equity financing, and many others would have been better off without it.
YoungUpstarts
DECEMBER 19, 2013
'By Sean C. Castrina, author of “ 8 Unbreakable Rules For Business Start-Up Success “ If you’re bootstrapping your own business, you know all about doing more with less. The ability to stretch a budget is a survival skill, especially in those cash-strapped early days. And because you know you’re never much more than a bad quarter or an unexpected expense away from closing your doors, you’re always looking for new ways to save money.
The Next Web
DECEMBER 19, 2013
'Ryan Hoover is the co-creator of Product Hunt , creator of Startup Edition , and instructor at Tradecraft. Follow him at @rrhoover or visit his blog to read more about startups and product design. Can we all agree resumes are crummy? Can you really communicate your life’s accomplishments and skill-set through an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper? Does anyone even read your resume anyway?
For Entrepreneurs
DECEMBER 16, 2013
'Three years ago I spent a lot of time looking at SaaS business intelligence companies. I loved what I saw in the demos: easy data connections, slick looking graphs, powerful drill down tools and custom dashboards made the tools look like no-brainers. And then I began my diligence calls. All of these bells and whistles […].
Occam's Razor
DECEMBER 9, 2013
'The most common mistakes digital practitioners and leaders make is to either do things in the wrong order, or to try and do too much at one time. Progress in digital marketing and analytics in either scenario becomes painful (the organization / systems / thinking is simply not in the optimal position). People become frustrated (you hire smart people, they run off to build you the Taj Mahal, meanwhile you don't have a functioning toilet).
Startup Professionals Musings
DECEMBER 14, 2013
'Entrepreneurs always work hard to create an innovative product or service, but often count on standard seller marketing for sales. But the reality is that sellers are no longer in charge of the customer buying process. Reports suggest that 90% of today’s shoppers skip marketing pitches, to research online before they buy, and over 50% check user reviews before making a decision.
Up and Running
DECEMBER 18, 2013
'This has been a big year for advances in business funding. The JOBS Act opened doors for major innovations in crowdfunding , and dozens of new funding websites have popped up to address the needs of specific types of businesses. Whether you’re a nonprofit, a new small business, a high-tech startup, or an up-and-running company, and whether you’re looking for a loan or a grant or an equity-sharing arrangement, there is an option for you.
YoungUpstarts
DECEMBER 5, 2013
'by Aneace Haddad, CEO & Founder, Taggo. Loyalty programs have not changed much since the first airline loyalty cards took off more than 30 years ago. Sure, lots of features were added over the years. Co-branded cards were invented, combining a Visa, MasterCard or American Express payment brand along with a retailer or airline brand. CRM became more sophisticated, resulting in detailed monthly statements and targeted direct marketing.
The Next Web
DECEMBER 4, 2013
'This post is brought to you by Simply Measured. If you’re running a startup, working for one, or just considering turning an idea into a company, calling your work life “busy” is a severe understatement. Along with building a product and a company, you need to build social momentum and buzz. Even a side project or personal branding ventures can resemble a full time job.
Feld Thoughts
DECEMBER 9, 2013
'On Saturday, I read the final draft of a magnificent book by David Rose. The book is titled Enchanted Objects: Design, Human Desire and the Internet of Things. I’ve known David for many years. I was a huge fan and an early customer, but not an investor, in one of his companies ( Ambient Devices ) and we share a lot of friends and colleagues from MIT and the Media Lab.
The Equity Kicker
DECEMBER 5, 2013
'As I’ve written before here at Forward Partners we work with entrepreneurs to help them launch and scale their companies in two different ways. About half our investments are in companies at true startup stage – i.e. founder + idea, nothing built – and half are in slightly more mature companies, up to late seed stage when there are maybe 5-10 people in the company.
Startup Professionals Musings
DECEMBER 18, 2013
'Everyone in the business world has heard of the old bestseller by Geoffrey A. Moore titled “ Crossing the Chasm ,” but most entrepreneurs have no idea how it relates to them. In fact, it’s all about the “focus” required to get early stage technology products across the deadly chasm from early adopters to mainstream customers. Most investors and startup professionals expand this concept of focus to apply to key issues of every aspect of strategic and tactical planning in a startup.
deal architect
DECEMBER 15, 2013
'When Karl-Heinz Streibich, CEO of Software AG invited me to help with his book The Digital Enterprise: The Moves and Motives of the Digital Leaders, he invoked Tom Peters and his best seller In Search of Excellence. Karl-Heinz said we.
YoungUpstarts
DECEMBER 16, 2013
'by Julie Miller and Brian Bedford, co-authors of “ Culture Without Accountability: WTF? What’s The Fix? “ Almost every leader has been there. One minute you’re living the company values, and the next you’re making an exception — for yourself. Perhaps you have an official policy of being super-responsive, but when an especially problematic client calls, you avoid him for a day or two.
The Next Web
DECEMBER 3, 2013
'Toss around the term “Millennial” in your favorite search engine and it brings up perceived characteristics attributed to the generation. There’s the how-to on working with them, why not to hire them, how they are narcissistic and selfish (yet still love/rely on their families), and most of all, their “always connected” obsession. The U.S. age group varies according to source, but the generation is roughly composed of those born between 1981 and 2000, according to Pew Research.
Feld Thoughts
DECEMBER 26, 2013
'A bunch of my tech friends have asked me to suggest a book to read over the holidays. My unambiguous recommendation is The Circle by Dave Eggers. I think it’s one of the best books I read this year. I’m an unabashed Eggers fan. My favorites of his are A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius: A Memoir Based on a True Story and Zeitoun.
Both Sides of the Table
DECEMBER 3, 2013
'I’m super proud to announce that DataSift has just completed a $42 million financing round coming at the end of a year where its revenue grew several hundred percent year-over-year. Considering our revenue is SaaS revenue this achievement is even more remarkable. The timing of the announcement of this investment couldn’t have been timed more perfectly if we tried.
Startup Professionals Musings
DECEMBER 23, 2013
'There is so much written these days about how to attract investors that most entrepreneurs “assume” they need funding, and don’t even consider a plan for “bootstrapping,” or self-financing their startup. Yet, according to many sources , over 90 percent of all businesses are started and grown with no equity financing, and many others would have been better off without it.
deal architect
DECEMBER 31, 2013
'Vivek Wadhwa writes “Why I have become pessimistic about Indian IT” “It is not that Indian outsourcers have become less capable of servicing Western needs. It is that their customer base—the CIO and IT department—is in decline.” He is right.
YoungUpstarts
DECEMBER 11, 2013
'by Bill McBean, author of “ The Facts of Business Life: What Every Successful Business Owner Knows that You Don’t “ There has been a lot of news coverage lately about bullying between teammates on the Miami Dolphins. And by all accounts, it’s an ugly situation — the team in disarray, sponsors canceling contracts, season ticket holders canceling tickets, the Dolphin brand becoming a punch line for comedians’ jokes, and an overall loss of value for the franchise.
The Next Web
DECEMBER 8, 2013
'This post was originally published on the ooomf blog. Palms sweaty. Heart racing. You know the feeling. Whether it’s five people or 50, public speaking is a gut-wrenching experience for most of us. Before co-founding ooomf, I had a huge fear of speaking in public. Any time I had to present something in front of more than a handful of people, my stomach would turn to knots and my throat would get so tight I wouldn’t be able to speak.
Steve Blank
DECEMBER 2, 2013
'We talk a lot about Customer Development, but there’s nothing like seeing it in action to understand its power. Here’s what happened when an extraordinary Digital Health team gained several critical insights about their business model. The first was reducing what they thought was a five-sided market to a simpler two-sided one. But the big payoff came when their discussions with medical device customers revealed an entirely new way to think about pricing —potentially tripling their r
Both Sides of the Table
DECEMBER 9, 2013
'Most board meetings are “update meetings” where management downloads its status to a group of investors. These outside board members spend most of the board meeting trying to reacquaint themselves with the company’s business and critical issues. This is hardly ideal and some simple changes could help management avoid both issues.
Startup Professionals Musings
DECEMBER 17, 2013
'Entrepreneurs have no trouble focusing on how to build a product, and the good ones know how to find and nurture those first critical customers. Many, however, don’t know how to take their small business to the next level. What I’m talking about here is a level of discipline and skill necessary to collect and analyze the relevant business data, known as metrics.
deal architect
DECEMBER 20, 2013
'Plex saves Christmas from a failed SAP implementation. In this season of cheer, it’s all in good humor. But it had me thinking, take any of the countless other Run Better ads SAP has run and you could poke holes.
YoungUpstarts
DECEMBER 9, 2013
'by Tom Panaggio, author of “ The Risk Advantage: Embracing the Entrepreneur’s Unexpected Edge “ Here’s one of business’s dirty little secrets: Many business owners prefer to keep their customers at arm’s length. They’re very careful to keep every interaction strictly professional, never getting overly personal or friendly. After all, if you get too chummy with customers — or even appear too interested in or sympathetic to their personal circumstances — they might start to want more
The Next Web
DECEMBER 21, 2013
'Danny Boice is the co-founder and CTO of Speek – a 500 Startups-funded startup that let’s users do conference calls with a simple link rather than using phone numbers and PINs. I recently started watching “The Walking Dead” (I know, I know, late to the party). I’ve been mainlining the show relentlessly on Netflix and am now on Season 3. From the very beginning, I’ve been struck by how similar is the plight of Rick—the blue-steely-eyed sheriff’s deputy bravely leading his band of non-zombies—to
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