Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 16, 2017

Entrepreneurs who require funding for their startup have long counted on self-accredited high net worth individuals (“angels”) to fill their needs, after friends and family, and before they qualify for institutional investments (“VCs”). The many crowd funding platforms on the Internet, led still by Kickstarter and IndieGoGo , and the latest stages of the Jobs Act , were expected by many to put regular people in charge of funding new opportunities, and kill the need for angel groups.

Angel Investor 190

Angel Investor Accredited Investor IRR Angel Groups 190

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 17, 2017

by Brent Proulx, Talent Plus Leadership and Management Consultant. There is nothing more important for the long-term health and success of your business than to ensure you have the right employees to help you succeed. Retaining good employees alone is not enough, a good leader needs to learn how to engage with their best employees by nurturing, motivating, recognising and rewarding them.

Employee 145

Employee Bandwidth Leadership Hiring 145

Up and Running

DECEMBER 18, 2017

When I started in the financial services industry in 2003, getting to meetings when I was on the road was pretty straightforward—I took a cab. Just like executives had for more than seventy-five years. And, everything I needed to run my meeting was on my laptop in a series of Microsoft Office files—software I had purchased on CD ROM via a one-time transaction and installed on my machine.

Software Review 103

Software Review Artificial Inteligence Retention Technical Review 103

Feld Thoughts

DECEMBER 18, 2017

Use of HTTPS (which stands for HTTP Secure) has grown from 13% of the top one million websites to 19% in the past year. With major media sites such as NYTimes.com joining the movement, now over half of all web requests are served securely to the browser. Two years after the launch of Let’s Encrypt , this is fantastic progress. In this new era of state sponsored hacking and fully professionalized cybercrime, it is heartening to see engineers get seriously organized and tackle something on the sca

Caching 70

Caching Security Green Global 70

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

Startup

abovethecrowd.com

DECEMBER 18, 2017

The subject of the “consumerization of healthcare” has been around for many years. Most frequently people use this phrase in association with personal technology devices (heart-monitors, exercise accessories, sleep monitors, etc) that allow consumers to take direct control of their health information. There is however, a more important trend that relates alternatively to the consumerization of the “business” of healthcare.

Customer 59

Customer Technical Review Venture Capital Software Review 59

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 19, 2017

by Jessica Thiefels, owner of Honest Body Fitness. Technology makes a lot of things in business more efficient and engaging, especially HR, where you can lost in stacks of papers for days if you don’t stay on top of organization. There are many ways to use technology in HR, recruiting process to organization. PWC’s 2017 Global HR Technology Survey found that the areas HR finds technology most valuable include recruiting, learning management and performance management.

Technical Review 113

Technical Review Technology Social Media Cofounder 113

Austin Startup

DECEMBER 17, 2017

This the 21st installment of Startup Decision Making will conclude my writing until after the Holidays. I must take a moment to acknowledge the many kind greetings upon my return to Atlanta and the many well wishes as I departed Austin. Both cities are wondrous , and I will be in Austin regularly for SXSW and other special occasions, one example being the wedding of my daughter there this April.

Silicon Valley 48

Silicon Valley Atlanta Software Review Early Stage 48

Gust

DECEMBER 17, 2017

It’s that time of year when we’re all staring down the end of the December, wondering where the months have gone. This is also the time when a lot of entrepreneurs wrestle with their plans for the next year, asking themselves: Where should I bet big? Are the growth targets right? How am I going to pay for all these. Read more >. The post Beyond VC: Funding Options for Early-Stage Startups appeared first on The Gust Blog.

Early Stage 238

Early Stage Startup Entrepreneur 238

deal architect

DECEMBER 19, 2017

Facebook generates an annual collation of “memories” for every member. I looked at mine and felt it was too shallow. Google Search summarizes the most common queries across its user base at the end of each year in video below.

Search 170

Search Video 170

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 17, 2017

As a business owner in this age of rapid technological change, with the surge of worldwide competitors, setbacks and adversity are virtually guaranteed. Based on my years of experience mentoring and advising entrepreneurs, you need to attack problems and challenges with a mindset of success, or it is unlikely that you or your business will survive. I found that view confirmed for a wide range of leadership situations in a new book, “ The Mindset of Success ,” by Jo Owen.

Angel Investor 152

Angel Investor Agile Leadership Cloud 152

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 18, 2017

by David Essel, author of “ Positive Thinking Will Never Change Your Life But This Book Will: The Myth of Positive Thinking, The Reality of Success “ More and more high school students, and college students, are looking at opportunities in life that have nothing to do with the corporate world. They are already planning, and scheming, on how to become entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneur 150

Entrepreneur Finance Web Design 150

Up and Running

DECEMBER 20, 2017

Interested in starting a business in the cannabis industry? I can’t blame you—business is booming and there’s the potential to make huge profits as this sector continues to grow exponentially. Over half of the United States already have legalized cannabis in some form—that’s 29 states plus the District of Columbia. Many states have only legalized cannabis for medical use, but that’s gradually changing as well.

Las Vegas 144

Las Vegas District of Columbia Colorado North America 144

deal architect

DECEMBER 18, 2017

Lots of people sat through the credits at the end of The Last Jedi waiting for a post-credit scene or for bloopers. Margaret and I did to see all the job titles that went into making the movie. It is.

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170

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 22, 2017

In my activities as an angel investor, and my work with new ventures seeking investment, I find the “due diligence” stage to be fraught with the most risk. Usually this stage only really starts after an investor has expressed serious interest, or already informally agreed to invest. Most founders consider the story already told and the deal pending, so they aren’t sure what more then can do.

Due Diligence 148

Due Diligence Bankruptcy Angel Investor Stock 148

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 19, 2017

You’re young, talented, and bursting with ideas. There’s just one problem: you’re also at college, and like all good college students, that’s taking up a lot of your time. However, while it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to match the success of some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, that doesn’t mean you have to put all of your aspirations on hold until your college career is completed.

Matching 147

Matching Hiring Technology Entrepreneur 147

The Next Web

DECEMBER 16, 2017

By now you may either know an influencer, or have heard of influencer marketing. You may even be following a few and have seen them promote products which may have at one point piqued your curiosity and even helped you trust their recommendations more… or stop following them because you’re annoyed. Either way, influencer marketing has become a mainstream strategy for driving earned media via trusted experts within niche categories like beauty, fitness, and food.

Social Media 141

Social Media Advertising Web Media 141

Feld Thoughts

DECEMBER 17, 2017

There aren’t many similarities between the workplace of an NFL football player and that of a tech entrepreneur. My body doesn’t get pounded each week. Decisive critical thinking and typing speed are valued more than the last time I ran 40 yards in under five seconds. In both places, though, competitiveness and operating at peak performance are prized.

Conversion 124

Conversion Operations Networking Email 124

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 18, 2017

Traditionally, the majority of entrepreneurs have been logical thinkers, problem solvers, with full attention to details. These are the stereotypical left-brain engineers. Yet I see a big shift from the knowledge age, with its left-brain foundation, to a critical focus today on visualization, creativity, relationships, and collaboration, which are more in the domain of right-brainers.

Startup 148

Startup Engineer Viral Cofounder 148

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 18, 2017

Most people use the web to find the products and services they need. Back in 2012, 85% of consumers were using the internet to find local businesses. It’s safe to assume that an even higher percentage are searching for local establishments online. It’s important to make a good first impression when new visitors land on your home page. Here are four ways to make visitors love your website. 1.

Engineer 145

Engineer Search Design Web 145

The Next Web

DECEMBER 16, 2017

I’m sure you haven’t been able to escape the media’s endless gloomy predictions about the fate of the app. We’ve been told that new apps are a waste of money. Growth rates are sluggish. Nobody is downloading apps anymore (beyond the few we can’t live without like WhatsApp and Facebook). But all you need to do is take a look at the statistics: the app bubble is showing no signs of bursting.

Global 136

Global Mobile Web Design 136

YFS Magazine

DECEMBER 18, 2017

While there is obviously a lot of truth to some of the glamorized notions of entrepreneurship, the hardships of are often overlooked.

Entrepreneur 138

Entrepreneur Developer Leadership Startup 138

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 19, 2017

Many entrepreneurs still don’t understand that building a business culture today of doing good, like helping people (society) and planet (sustainability), is also a key to maximizing profit. Employees and customers alike are looking for meaning, not simply employment and commodity prices. Every company needs this focus to attract the best minds and loyalty in both categories.

Leadership 147

Leadership Early Stage Demand Hiring 147

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 19, 2017

Starting a business sometimes seems as simple as launching a website and creating a Facebook page. Without the right funding, most businesses run out of money quickly. Determining how to finance your business is an important decision with big consequences. There are several ways to approach funding, but there are two main sources of financing: debt and equity.

Finance 138

Finance Angel Investor Equity Startup 138

The Next Web

DECEMBER 20, 2017

Have you ever wished to take an idea and turn into a product? But are constrained by limited resources? Well, worry not, this post is all about how you can design and build a product without burning up all your resources. Great tactics to build a product without breaking the bank, trust me, I’ve used them myself. When it comes to design, limited resources, and the resulting constraints force you to be wiser and more innovative in tackling challenges.

Design 131

Design Product Web Startup 131

Feld Thoughts

DECEMBER 16, 2017

I’ve decided to stop serving on non-profit boards. I used to have a rule that I’d only serve on three non-profit boards at a time. I let this get out of control and found myself on eight non-profit boards with a commitment to join a ninth one. During our Q4 vacation last month, Amy and I talked a lot about this. I realized that I wasn’t enjoying the non-profit board service, even though I deeply enjoy my personal engagement and support of the organizations I’m on the boards of.

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YFS Magazine

DECEMBER 19, 2017

Mobile continues to disrupt the way people engage with brands. Mobile marketers should focus on these 6 strategies.

Mobile 118

Mobile Small Business Marketing Sales 118

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 18, 2017

by Chris Byers, CEO of Formstack. Success in the IT department depends on a number of factors — with process efficiency near the top of the list. If your workflows are disorganized and congested, you are going to struggle. Process bottlenecks can result in stressed employees, wasted time, unhappy clients or customers, and lost revenue due to low-quality outputs.

Indianapolis 127

Indianapolis Africa United States Europe 127

The Next Web

DECEMBER 20, 2017

You can learn useful entrepreneurial skills in all sorts of odd places. My training ground was the streets of Sweden, going door to door as a teenage evangelist. What I learned there was resilience, persistence, and self-belief. No matter how often I got turned away, no matter how badly I crashed and burned, I always found the strength to keep going on to the next house and keep pitching.

Sweden 123

Sweden Web Entrepreneur 123

The Equity Kicker

DECEMBER 22, 2017

One fear I heard expressed a lot post Brexit is that the London will lose it’s place as the dominant startup centre in Europe. These fears were compounded by programmes from France, Germany and other governments to get UK companies to relocate. It appears these campaigns have had little impact. As you can see from the table above UK based funds had considerably more success fundraising this year than their European counterparts.

Germany 91

Germany France Europe Government 91

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 21, 2017

Close. Let’s talk about the reality of taking money from professional investors. It is not the first time we’ve covered this general subject nor the last. But this time, we concentrate upon governance changes. Once a company founder has tapped the funds available from his or her resources and from friends and family, if the company needs more cash for growth, the most obvious next step is to look for money from angel investors and venture capitalists, typically in the $300,000 TO $3,000,000 ran

Covenant 97

Covenant Cost Angel Groups Angel Investor 97

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 22, 2017

A recent IT executive survey conducted by EIQ for InfoVista revealed that while consumer industries pay attention to digital transformation initiatives, they need to place equal importance on backend processes and tools to support digital transformation. These process include network readiness, cloud migration, and security.

Networking 113

Networking Cloud Security 113

This is going to be BIG.

DECEMBER 21, 2017

Board meetings at @amplehills are dangerous. A post shared by Charlie O'Donnell (@ceonyc) on Dec 20, 2017 at 8:06am PST When you're Ample Hills Creamery , the #1 rated ice cream shop in the country you can pretty much throw everything you've been told about fundraising out the window. Nothing seems to apply--you're not a tech company, you bootstrapped your way to millions in revenues before taking on capital, and you sell mostly through brick and mortar.

Cap Table 102

Cap Table Cofounder Valuation .Net 102

YFS Magazine

DECEMBER 18, 2017

In the past two years, I have been to more than 30 Chinese cities. Here's what you need to know in order to successfully do business in China.

China 99

China Global 99

Feld Thoughts

DECEMBER 21, 2017

This book was a delight. I started reading it earlier this year, caught up quickly (I started in July), and then mostly read a page each day when I was in the bathroom in the morning. I let it unfold slowly, reading the daily quote and Ryan Holiday’s (and Stephen Hanselman’s) thoughts on the quote, and then rereading the quote. I was near the end so I finished it off last night.

Portfolio 80

Portfolio Naming Conversion Email 80

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 20, 2017

There are over 170 published talks from Business of Software Conferences available to watch right now. That’s a lot of talks. Tens of Thousands of hours worth of Business of Software talks were watched this year. New talks, old talks, short talks, long talks. Out of those 170, which talks did the good people of the Business of Software Newsletter deem the most useful to them in 2017?

Europe 113

Europe Software Video Leadership 113

ConversionXL

DECEMBER 21, 2017

We publish a lot of well-researched content. Among all the new posts that were published in 2017, here are the ones that got the most attention. Starting from the 10th and moving to the number 1 spot. #10 How to Avoid Being Deceived By Data. In the hands of someone with an agenda, data can be weaponized to back up that viewpoint. Even in the hands of someone benevolent, data can be misinterpreted in dangerous ways.

Engineer 85

Engineer Search Naming Conversion 85