Both Sides of the Table
MARCH 10, 2012
When I started my first tech company in 1999 I had pretty good tech chops and had led teams but had very little exposure to many other things that matter in a startup including sales, marketing & business development. Like most first-timers, I learned the hard way. Negotiating was a subset of every activity in a startup – it really was a way of life.
Startup Professionals Musings
MARCH 18, 2012
I’ve noticed that some entrepreneurs seem to have no trouble attracting investors, while others with a great business plan struggle with it. The reality is that angel investors are humans, and personal traits often make or break the relationship, even before the investment is considered. On the top line, angel investors look to invest in entrepreneurs that have an almost unwavering passion and sense of urgency.
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A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks
MARCH 27, 2012
This is a guest post by Sacha Greif – a designer and entrepreneur who recently sold thousands of copies of a self-published eBook that shows how to design a user interface step by step. He’s worked with multiple startups and is also the founder of Folyo , a service that helps companies find vetted freelance designers. Here, Sacha explains how he set the pricing for his eBook — a critical step in its success.
YoungUpstarts
MARCH 2, 2012
by Jason Womack, author of “ Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More “ For many Americans, the 21st century has gone from being the age of information to feeling more like the age of information overload. Between the e-mails, memos, and other miscellaneous information you have to read at work, your friends’ Facebook updates, your Twitter community recommending articles for you to read, and that book that’s been sitting on your nightstand (unopened) for the pa
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
Genuine VC
MARCH 14, 2012
We at NextView have been thinking about and looking for investments in seed-stage startups which leverage the megatrend of transitioning computing away from a standard fixed-web PC world. Of course that includes “mobile-first” applications and companies which ride the adoption of tablet devices (more on those in upcoming posts). But this exploration also includes alternative user-interfaces and inputs, like gesture controls.
David Teten
MARCH 12, 2012
Fitness/life guru Tim Ferriss just posted my guest article on ff Venture Capital ‘s approach to building a fitness office. (Thanks Tim!) I’ve attached below my original, much more detailed blog post about the details of how we’ve designed our office to help people stay healthy and be as productive as possible. (UPDATE: ff Venture Capital was recently profiled in The Roger, an online magazine that profiles creative workspaces.
Start Up Roar brings together the best content for start up professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Startup Professionals Musings
MARCH 29, 2012
In sports, mental toughness is defined as the ability to focus on and execute solutions, especially in the face of adversity. If anyone in business ever needed mental toughness, it’s an entrepreneur. Investors tell me that startup success is all about execution, all while facing determined competitors and overcoming customers’ resistance to change. Dr.
Startup Lessons Learned
MARCH 19, 2012
I had an incredible couple of days at SXSW. The Lean Startup track was successful beyond my wildest imaginations (we'll have video up soon ). My personal highlight was watching newly-appointed United States CTO Todd Park receive a standing ovation from a crowd that is decidedly skeptical about government. What inspired the crowd that day was not just his personal charisma or what he said, but rather, what he had done.
YoungUpstarts
MARCH 26, 2012
by Yi Ning Lim, marketing specialist at GMO GlobalSign. The Infosecurity World Exhibition & Conference 2012 ( ISWec 2012 ) was held at Putra World Trade Centre from 21 to 22 March 2012. This inaugural event was officiated by Y.A.Bhg Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor, wife of the Prime Minister of Malaysia (pictured right). The central theme of this event was the enhancement of information security against the rapid rise of cyber threats.
crowdSPRING Blog
MARCH 23, 2012
Every day on the crowdSPRING Twitter account and on my own Twitter account , I post links to posts or videos I enjoyed reading or viewing. These posts and videos are about logo design , web design , startups, entrepreneurship, small business, leadership, social media, marketing, and more! Here are some of the links that I’ve liked and shared this past week!
David Teten
MARCH 31, 2012
(An aerial view of Parliament House in Singapore. Photo credit: Wikipedia). I’m exceptionally excited to announce that I’m now Chairman and lead investor with some other angels in a new company, Spright Governance Inc. Spright is a spinoff of the Singaporean government, which will leverage their proven expertise and technology to run other cities, states, and nations globally.
Both Sides of the Table
MARCH 3, 2012
I had this ethical dilemma pop up on one of the first deals I even did as a VC. I had been looking around at several deals in late 2008 as the markets were tanking. I had gotten close on a couple of deals but nothing rose to the level of “must do.” I was learning which VCs I wanted to work with, what stage & check size I wanted to commit do and what teams would be a good fit for me.
Gregg Fraley, Author of Jack's Notebook
MARCH 14, 2012
Yes, Elvis, prescription drugs can kill you. Yes, I’ve updated my website and blog. It’s been a surprisingly fun project due to having a great technology and brand innovation partner in the firm Reuben-Hunter. Not only does it look better, it will be easier to change — and I can do it myself! I’m confident it’s more engaging, and will achieve higher rankings, sell more books and speeches and lead to more business.
This is going to be BIG.
MARCH 21, 2012
The other day I want to go see Jiro Dreams of Sushi --a documentary about an 86 year old sushi chef working out of a 10 seat restaurant in a Ginza subway station. Oh, did I mention that the restaurant is rated 3 stars by the Michelin folks? This guy is like a throwback to another era. He doesn't feel as if he's gotten to the pinnacle of his craft yet.
YoungUpstarts
MARCH 27, 2012
More and more businesses these days are catching on to the fact that social media is kind of a big deal. Customers expect to be able to connect with brands they care about, and those who do this well can enjoy the benefits of what social media can do. But there are some industries that seem to take advantage of social media better than others. For some, social media is just a natural outgrowth of an already established marketing strategy; for others, they’ve done an exceptional job harness
crowdSPRING Blog
MARCH 16, 2012
Every day on the crowdSPRING Twitter account and on my own Twitter account , I post links to posts or videos I enjoyed reading or viewing. These posts and videos are about logo design , web design , startups, entrepreneurship, small business, leadership, social media, marketing, and more! Here are some of the links that I’ve liked and shared this past week!
David Teten
MARCH 28, 2012
( This post co-written with Koen Bremer , Gyorgy Buslig , and Adham Hussein. Koen, Gyorgy, and Adham are all Columbia Business School MBA 2012 students and former consultants with McKinsey and BCG. I’ve also posted this at Betabeat.). Best Practices in Venture Capital Portfolio Company Value Creation. View more presentations from David Teten.
ReadWriteStart
MARCH 1, 2012
I am sure you have seen numerous books about how one Silicon Valley mogul or another has started his or her venture, but there are few books reporting from the scene across the pond. A new book, edited by Pedro Santos, attempts to remedy that situation with European Founders At Work. It has interviews with 20 different entrepreneurs, and as Santos says in his introduction, of course "there are many successful start-ups spread throughout Europe and there is no single large pocket of innovation.".
Gregg Fraley, Author of Jack's Notebook
MARCH 8, 2012
Innovators need to keep an eagle eye on new technology trends. Things are developing so quickly now and in so many areas that keeping tabs on what’s happening is daunting. These new developments offer a constant stream of opportunities (if you think and take action on them), but it’s a bit like that famous clip [.].
The Equity Kicker
MARCH 13, 2012
Please take a few minutes to read the passage below about the upcoming Capital On Stage conference in London. Arjen Strijker (the conference organiser) and I had a meeting of minds when we spoke last week about the importance of demystifying venture capital, it is one of the reasons I write this blog, it is why he started his conference and it is why I’m promoting it now.
YoungUpstarts
MARCH 13, 2012
Startup Weekend Singapore 2012 participants. After 54 hours of intense product development and business pitching at Startup Weekend Singapore over the weekend, Team Snapsell – which developed a mobile application which allows users to sell stuff on a mobile-first marketplace – beat over 40 other ideas to emerge victorious as grand winner of the event.
crowdSPRING Blog
MARCH 2, 2012
Every day on the crowdSPRING Twitter account and on my own Twitter account , I post links to posts or videos I enjoyed reading or viewing. These posts and videos are about logo design , web design , startups, entrepreneurship, small business, leadership, social media, marketing, and more! Here are some of the links that I’ve liked and shared this past week!
David Teten
MARCH 9, 2012
On Monday night I attended a Harvard Business School “Paths Forward” event tied to the March issue of Harvard Business Review , which consists of a wide range of research on How to Increase U.S. Competitiveness. I also contributed a blog post to the HBS Competitiveness website on some initiatives I’m working on personally with ff Venture Capital and HBS Angels related to increasing competitiveness.
This is going to be BIG.
MARCH 6, 2012
I didn't write most of the following and the original text had nothing to do with entrepreneurship. "All entrepreneurs are unsuited to the job, and therefore all entrepreneurs fail in certain crucial aspects of the job. And all are mis-assessed while in their job, for reasons that typically depend more on luck and historical accident than on factors within their control.
Duct Tape Marketing
MARCH 19, 2012
5 Ways for Small Business to Jump on the Big Data Train This content from: Duct Tape Marketing. The idea of something that’s being called “ Big Data ” has definitely reached the trend tipping point. Tech firms like are all about it. PR firms are forming teams to promote it and consulting firms have their business technology teams all over it. So, what is it and what does it mean for small business. tsuda via Flickr CC The “what is it” part is pretty easy to explain in textbook terms,
Both Sides of the Table
MARCH 31, 2012
Many MBA programs still cater too much to the needs of large, corporate management jobs or prepare students to enter big consulting companies or investments banks. If you haven’t read Adam Lashinsky’s awesome new book about Apple , you should. It takes on many of the lessons MBA programs and Corporate America have been teaching about business for the past 50+ years and questions whether lessons from Apple might be more applicable in thinking about the future.
YoungUpstarts
MARCH 21, 2012
A master of business administration is looking more attractive to many white-collar workers today as a way to take their game to the next level, and app developers are taking notice. Business applications for the iPad are becoming a huge section of the market, as the tablet grows in popularity as more than just a vehicle for Angry Birds. If you need a tool to enhance your MBA instruction or to clue you in on a subject the curriculum never covered, here are 47 great apps with a AAA investment gra
crowdSPRING Blog
MARCH 9, 2012
Every day on the crowdSPRING Twitter account and on my own Twitter account , I post links to posts or videos I enjoyed reading or viewing. These posts and videos are about logo design , web design , startups, entrepreneurship, small business, leadership, social media, marketing, and more! Here are some of the links that I’ve liked and shared this past week!
Steve Blank
MARCH 29, 2012
When Bob Dorf and I wrote the Startup Owners Manual we listed a series of Customer Development principles. I thought they might be worth enumerating here: A Startup Is a Temporary Organization Designed to Search. for A Repeatable and Scalable Business Model. There Are No Facts Inside Your Building, So Get Outside. Pair Customer Development with Agile Development.
Startup Professionals Musings
MARCH 31, 2012
As an entrepreneur, your personal integrity is critical for getting and keeping the support of investors and team members, and your company’s integrity is critical for getting and keeping customers and vendors. But in a practical sense, what does that really mean? Most definitions of integrity include something like “the quality of being honest and morally upright.
Duct Tape Marketing
MARCH 26, 2012
7 Competition Crushing Value Propositions This content from: Duct Tape Marketing. Page one of Warby Parker's infographic laden annual report. One of the biggest challenges that any small business faces in the area of marketing is standing out from everyone else that say it’s doing what you’re doing. Until you can firmly offer a solid reason for why you should buy from or hire us over everyone else, you’ll compete on price.
Both Sides of the Table
MARCH 17, 2012
I’ve started a series on negotiations in startups. In it I list some books and also link to some of my previous posts. It’s the first functional series I’ve done since sales & marketing. The very first time I ever negotiated a term sheet (and then legal docs for closing the round) I found the experience very frustrating. I was desperate to get my funding finalized to derisk my business as well as to get capital in the bank to meet our growing cash needs.
YoungUpstarts
MARCH 12, 2012
When you’ve made it to the management level, it’s tempting to think that you’re in a comfortable position where you don’t have much room for improvement. But while you may be a great manager now, there is always the possibility of becoming a better one, if only you just know how. These blogs offer a look into great ideas for growing and improving in your role as a manager, creating a better workplace and getting more results from the people you manage.
crowdSPRING Blog
MARCH 25, 2012
We write often about marketing strategies and tactics for small business and startups. These companies typically have limited budgets, thin resources, and strained capacity which combine to create a challenge for managers and owners: how to develop an effective marketing campaign using tactics that will work for their business. The Lean Startup movement provides a wonderful template, and Ross wrote a great post in which he discussed how managers can use these principles in their own marketing c
Steve Blank
MARCH 5, 2012
One of the confusing things to entrepreneurs, investors and educators is the relationship between customer development and business model design and business planning and execution. When does a new venture focus on customer development and business models ? And when do business planning and execution come into play? Here’s an attempt to put this all in context.
Startup Professionals Musings
MARCH 4, 2012
One of the big advantages of being an entrepreneur and starting your company from scratch is that you get to set the culture, which is much easier than changing the culture of an existing business. The challenge is how to do it, and how to do it right. Why not learn what you can from companies like Apple, who are leading the way with great growth and a great culture?
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