Steve Blank
SEPTEMBER 5, 2018
A version of this article first appeared in the Harvard Business Review. Reading the NY Times article “ Jeffrey Katzenberg Raises $1 Billion for Short-Form Video Venture, ” I realized it was time for a new startup heuristic: the amount of customer discovery and product-market fit you need to find is inversely proportional to the amount and availability of risk capital.
A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks
SEPTEMBER 5, 2018
We all know that startups should make decisions quickly. Fast decisions leads to rapid action, which accelerates the loop of production and feedback, which is how you outpace and out-learn a competitor, even one that already has a lead. But some decisions should not be made in haste, like a key executive hire , or how to price , or whether to raise money, or whether to invest millions of dollars in a new product line.
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Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 5, 2018
Every entrepreneur I meet in my role as a small business advisor dreams of making the business run like clockwork, even without them. You are all frustrated when that never happens, even after years of 16-hour days, repeated efforts to hire the right people, and multiple campaigns to delegate more and sign up for less. There is no time for fun, and vacations never happen.
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 7, 2018
A critical stage for most first-time entrepreneurs is getting their idea developed into at least a prototype to validate their technology. This process costs money, which professional investors are not willing to contribute, since their interest is in scaling a proven product and business model into a growth business. Investors want potential for a large and timely return, with reduced risk.
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
View from Seed
SEPTEMBER 4, 2018
Despite rumors that the VC business slows down in the summer, we’ve had one or our busiest periods in quite a while. During June, July, and August, we’ve closed 4 new investments and several follow-ons, with a number of companies gearing up to go out in the fall. Although we had a busy summer, I was fortunate enough to take a bit of time off as well, and to step back for a moment and reflect on Nextview’s strategy and market position going forward. .
YoungUpstarts
SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
Starting a startup is definitely no easy endeavor. There are a number of goals to accomplish, and a variety of things that can go wrong along the way. In fact, many experts say that around 90 percent of startups end in failure. That’s a pretty startling statistic. However, there is hope for all you startup founders. With a bit of due diligence, how to develop a successful marketing plan for a startup and rules to ensure your endeavor grows and becomes successful.
Start Up Roar brings together the best content for start up professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Hearpreneur
SEPTEMBER 4, 2018
Software testing requires smart people to develop smart solutions. CEO of software crowd testing company, testIO, Phil Soffer is one such person. An early hacker in his teens and a Berkeley Ph.D. candidate in his 20s, Phil is one of the most charismatic and atypical CEOs that you will likely meet. He spent years working in the Valley and considers himself part of the rather undiscovered Plumtree Mafia (includes top execs at Redfin, Xoom, Atlassian, Zendesk and a number of VCs).
SiliconHills
SEPTEMBER 4, 2018
Assembla, a software development platform based in San Antonio, has announced plans to acquire MyGet, a software management company, based in Belgium. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Assembla, founded in 2005 and acquired by Scaleworks in 2016, is a software as a service company that sells a platform that allows coders […].
YoungUpstarts
SEPTEMBER 3, 2018
by Shishir Dubey , founder and CEO of ChromeInfotech. Mobile app development is not just about developing an app for either android or IOS. It is more than that. App development is a cumbersome process that involves a lot of micro-managed aspects to be catered to. Not only that but each of those activities must be conducted at a specific time and in a specific sequence to reach from the beginning of the app development phase to running a profitable mobile app based business.
David Teten
SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
Over the past decade, I’ve (somewhat accidentally) put together on this blog a syllabus on how to launch, manage, and invest a VC fund. Most of my research is also relevant to private equity. I thought it would be helpful to compile my past articles in one place. I break the process down into 10 steps: 1) Launch. The first issues to think about are org chart, incorporation, financial structure, and so on.
Duct Tape Marketing
SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
The Secrets to Scaling Your Business written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing. Marketing Podcast with Mandy McEwen. Podcast Transcript. My guest this week on the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast is Mandy McEwen. She is the founder and CEO of Mod Girl Marketing and is an expert in helping companies and digital agencies scale. Having founded her company back in 2010, McEwen shares what she’s learned from her experience, in both growing her own business and helping thousands of ma
Rob Go
SEPTEMBER 4, 2018
Despite rumors that the VC business slows down in the summer, we’ve had one or our busiest periods in quite a while. During June, July, and August, we’ve closed 4 new investments and several follow-ons, with a number of companies gearing up to go out in the fall. Although we had a busy summer, I was fortunate enough to take a bit of time off as well, and to step back for a moment and reflect on Nextview’s strategy and market position going forward. .
Transformify
SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
Businesses have to build their SEO so that they can attract traffic that will later be converted into customers. However, enhancing the SEO of a company web page can be an expensive process. Instead of using the costly strategies, here are some free online resources that a business can utiliz to enhance SEO. Content Creation Tools. To enhance the ranking of your business website, you have to write engaging and informative content.
David Teten
SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
Over the past decade, I’ve (somewhat accidentally) put together on this blog a syllabus on how to launch, manage, and invest a VC fund. Most of my research is also relevant to private equity. I thought it would be helpful to compile my past articles in one place. I break the process down into 10 steps: 1) Launch. The first issues to think about are org chart, incorporation, financial structure, and so on.
deal architect
SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
Charles Phillips, CEO of Infor recently hosted a virtual fireside chat. It’s something I have encouraged him to do in the past. It was only a half an hour or so and one of my analyst colleagues said it had.
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 2, 2018
The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. If your forte is a service, like consulting or web site design, it’s harder to find guidance on what will get you funded, and how you can scale your business.
View from Seed
SEPTEMBER 5, 2018
The beginning of September always seems to mark the unofficial end of summer. While the proverbial joke about venture capitalists being completely out on vacation in August is only partially true [insert link to Manifesto], things do really change after Labor Day. Whereas a couple weeks ago, nailing down meetings various VC partners was likely going to be tough, everyone is now back in the office and ready to engage.
David Teten
SEPTEMBER 4, 2018
Addepar and PEVCTech invite you to a dinner and presentation on “Analyzing Alternatives Data at Scale: Approaches to Computation and Data Management.” Our friends at Addepar will share insight into how their platform can be used to analyze collections of alternatives portfolios at huge scale. The speaker is Ben Cohen , Software Engineering Lead, Addepar.
deal architect
SEPTEMBER 5, 2018
This past long weekend my wife and I were at two restaurants and one hotel, each of which was planning to shut down for a week or two for maintenance, to give employees some needed time off. I turned to.
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 3, 2018
It may not be as sexy, but starting a new business which builds on an existing technology or business model is usually less risky than introducing that ultimate new disruptive technology. There are many levels of innovation that go beyond copying someone else’s idea, but stop short of pushing the leading edge (bleeding edge). Many of the major business successes started this way.
For Entrepreneurs
SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
In today’s blogpost I would like to introduce my partner for Zero to 100, Stephanie (Schatz) Friedman. Stephanie has been an executive in 3 successful startups and was most recently the SVP of Sales and Customer Success at Xamarin which has since been acquired by Microsoft. Stephanie joined Xamarin as its first non-engineering hire in.
David Teten
SEPTEMBER 4, 2018
Addepar and PEVCTech invite you to a dinner and presentation on “Tracking, Analyzing, and Reducing Risk When Investing in a Diverse Portfolio of Illiquid Assets.” Our friends at Addepar will share insight into how their platform can be used to analyze collections of alternatives portfolios at huge scale. The speaker is Ben Cohen , Software Engineering Lead, Addepar.
deal architect
SEPTEMBER 7, 2018
We ran yesterday Part 1 of the interview with Brad Keywell. Part 2 below continues with his fascinating focus on verticals when most tech vendors play it safe around horizontal markets. He also talks about how he believes the current.
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 1, 2018
Entrepreneurs seem to have blinders on when looking at competitors. Generally they are so focused on killing competitors that they fail to see the positive potential of a strategic partnership or some other type of collaborative relationship. Sometimes you have to put aside the emotion and the passion, and just look at what is best for your business.
YoungUpstarts
SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
Over the years, technology has definitely changed plenty of things. It has quickly changed the monetary system all around the world with the introduction of cryptocurrencies. This unique form of currency is gaining popularity very rapidly. While cryptocurrencies are pretty amazing in their own right, you need to understand the technology that has made them so amazing.
Rembrandt Communications
SEPTEMBER 7, 2018
What is your small business really saying when it comes to public relations? When you think of small business PR, you probably think about distributing a press release. After all, you want to get your B2B message out to as many people as possible in a short amount of time. But, before you send out […]. The post Engage Your Audience With Good Small Business PR Content appeared first on Small business PR and content strategy that boost sales, awareness and credibility fast!
deal architect
SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
This continues a series of interviews with tech executives who have seen the industry evolve over a minimum of two decades. They have helped analyze, envision, develop and take to market some of the most influential technology the world has.
Up and Running
SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
This article is part of our Business Planning Guide —a curated list of our articles that will help you with the planning process! What are the most common mistakes when writing a business plan ? Here is my list of the ones to make sure you avoid. While including the necessary items in a business plan is important, you also want to make sure you don’t commit any of the following common business plan mistakes. 1.
YoungUpstarts
SEPTEMBER 4, 2018
Businesses spend a lot of time worrying about the front office. An integral cog in every company’s operations, the front office is where businesses meet with customers. Sales associates are in the front office, but there’s a lot that happens behind the scenes, too. Back office work, the work that you can’t see happening as a customer, is often the costliest.
Rembrandt Communications
SEPTEMBER 7, 2018
What is your small business really saying when it comes to public relations? When you think of small business PR, you probably think about distributing a press release. After all, you want to get your B2B message out to as many people as possible in a short amount of time. But, before you send out your press release, are you sure it engages media members and potential customers?
ReadWriteStart
SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
“Make a spinner and spin the wheel”. – Seth Godin That’s what influencers always mean, start what you like doing and stick to it. Don’t give up in the middle. However, you can only continue doing something when you start something in the first place. Most of us today are tired of living a 9-to-5 […]. The post 20 Exciting Business Ideas that you can Start for 10k or Less appeared first on ReadWrite.
Startup Lessons Learned
SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
We say we want to make the world a better place, so why does it seem like we’re working so hard just to stay in place? With Lean Impact , Ann Mei Chang takes us on her journey of trying to bring innovation and social good together. ANN MEI CHANG: I thought that my decades working at some of the most innovative Silicon Valley companies would prepare me to tackle the big problems that really matter.
YoungUpstarts
SEPTEMBER 4, 2018
The world of importing and exporting wine has proven to be one of the best decisions Michael Asimos has ever made. It reshaped the path of his career and has ultimately become a lucrative endeavor that he has passionately followed. Through his dedication to sharing wines from across the globes with neighborhoods far and wide, he now shares as much knowledge of the classic drink as he can.
Version One Ventures
SEPTEMBER 5, 2018
When I started Version One over six years ago , I started it as a single GP firm with no defined plan to ever add a partner and build a “franchise.” So it is with tremendous happiness that I can announce today that Version One now consists of two General Partners with Angela joining me in the partnership. Building VC partnerships is very hard. Though there are many examples of excellent partnerships, there are probably just as many examples of dysfunctional ones that simply don’t work.
Feld Thoughts
SEPTEMBER 5, 2018
One of my favorite public events is the CU Boulder Silicon Flatirons Entrepreneurs Unplugged series. I was the co-host for the first couple of years, sharing the interview job with another Brad (Bernthal) who now is generally on his own. On Thursday, 9/13/18 at 5:30pm, Bernthal will be interview David Cohen and David Brown, the co-CEOs of Techstars (who we often fondly refer at Foundry Group as the “the David(s).” The event will be held at the CU Boulder Law School.
Hearpreneur
SEPTEMBER 7, 2018
Being in love is great. Being in love with your business, when you’re an entrepreneur, is even better. Waking up each morning knowing you are getting to do exactly what you love is more than most people could ever say about any “job” they have had. Although there are days when tossing in your hat seems like a viable option, remembering how much you love your “job” can quickly snap an entrepreneur out of that mentality.
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