Gust

APRIL 13, 2014

The feedback was good, but some readers asked me to be a bit more specific on attributes that might indicate an ideal startup partner. In this context, I’m broadening the definition of partner from co-founder to “business partner.” You may be too independent to be partner material. Does not need to be managed.

Partner 179

Partner Software Review CTO Hire Fractional CTO 179

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 11, 2011

The simple answer is to find a business partner, not an “implementer,” who already has the technical experience you need, and is willing and able to run that side of the business. If you are an entrepreneur, like Andrew Mason , CEO of Groupon, with a degree in music and no technical business partner to be found, your job is a bit harder.

Technical Review 236

Technical Review Partner Entrepreneur Dilution 236

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

DECEMBER 12, 2011

On the other hand, if during the interview she asks how often you do performance reviews, that means she doesn’t understand the startup culture. You already live by this Code of Turmoil because you’re the entrepreneur; you have no choice. Right, so it doesn’t matter with your first few employees either.

Hiring 282

Hiring Employee Ruby Java 282

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2019

The challenge is to recognize and recruit that ideal partner match early with minimal cost and risk. In fact, I would broaden the definition of partner from co-founder to “business partner.” The reason is that good attributes apply equally well to “external” partners, as they do to internal partners, like a co-founder or CTO.

Cofounder 221

Cofounder Software Review CTO Hire Founder 221

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

That should involve hiring dedicated staff to manage vendor risks, perform due diligence when taking on new vendors, document the vendor relationship, and even put together the necessary contractual language to, for example, obtain a certain level of data security, or put other measures in place to mitigate risk.

Software Review 264

Software Review Technical Review Due Diligence Management 264

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 16, 2017

The challenge is to recognize and recruit that ideal partner match early with minimal cost and risk. In fact, I would broaden the definition of partner from co-founder to “business partner.” The reason is that good attributes apply equally well to “external” partners, as they do to internal partners, like a co-founder or CTO.

Partner 140

Partner Software Review CTO Hire Cofounder 140

The Startup Magazine

JANUARY 5, 2025

Invest in Employee Development Your team is one of your most valuable assets. Investing in employee development is not only going to boost their morale but also enhance their skills and productivity at the same time. You should also get enterprise resource management software as well.

Software Review 147

Software Review Technical Review Retention Campaign 147

The Startup Magazine

DECEMBER 4, 2024

Use Contracts to Your Advantage Whether you’re hiring employees, working with vendors, or entering into agreements with partners, contracts are essential. For instance, non-disclosure agreements ( NDAs ) can protect confidential business information, and service agreements can clarify terms of service with clients or partners.

Intellectual Property 119

Intellectual Property Non-disclosure Agreement Entrepreneur Limited Liability Company 119

ReadWriteStart

NOVEMBER 3, 2023

The software outsourcing sector in India is flourishing, offering organizations low-cost solutions. In this article, we’ll look at the top 10 Indian software outsourcing firms of 2023. Businesses may benefit from India’s talent pool and technical advances by partnering with them.

India 130

India Software Review Software Technical Review 130

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 11, 2020

Starting something new is risky, no matter how many experts have reviewed it, or how much money you have. Most people don’t remember that Bill Gates first software venture, called Traf-O-Data , was a dismal failure. The best way to start is to enable employee decision making on customer satisfaction issues.

Entrepreneur 329

Entrepreneur Intellectual Property Stealth Angel Investor 329

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 16, 2022

Every young entrepreneur needs an experienced partner for credibility with investors, and as a trusted cohort for strategy and growth discussions. Software and hardware development architects and designers. Supportive co-founder and executive positions. All the learning from parenting pays big dividends here.

Advisory Board 368

Advisory Board Dividend Angel Investor Cofounder 368

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 26, 2019

For example, if you start a new business with a software product you developed, you really need to know the basics of marketing and finance, but you will probably never be the expert in marketing and finance you require. Partner with experts who share the risk. Most business partners I know take little or no salary in the early years.

Bandwidth 246

Bandwidth Software Review Salary Angel Investor 246

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2010

Moving on … My second post was directed at employees. If you’ve done it for a long time then I usually advise hiring managers to hire you as contractors and not full-time employees. No employees wanted to join startups – they were all looking for stable jobs. It’s a subjective topic.

Venture Capital 285

Venture Capital Hiring Software Review Stock Options 285

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 6, 2014

The functions of an early-stage board are pretty obvious and well understood: Providing introductions to customers, biz dev partners, recruits, the press, other investors, etc. Offering a sparring-partner function on strategic decisions. Reviewing financial & operational performance. Mentorship. And here’s the thing.

Technical Review 325

Technical Review Early Stage Software Review Los Angeles 325

View from Seed

JULY 31, 2014

Two weeks ago, my partners and I here at NextView Ventures announced our second fund. As my partner Rob Go has written , our goal is to invest half in consumer web and mobile and half in business-focused ventures. We average eight to 10 total new investments per year as a firm, so this frequency is a typical investment pace for us.

Seed Stage 272

Seed Stage B2C Technical Review Disintermediation 272

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 25, 2009

Many years ago I worked at Andersen Consulting, originally developing software for large corporations and then as a strategy consultant. One of the terms we coined there was a “seagull.&# We used it to describe certain of our partners (e.g. Seagulls were the partners who didn’t spend much actual time on your project.

Pakistan 297

Pakistan India Technical Review Software Review 297

View from Seed

JANUARY 27, 2021

Today, we have invested in over 100 high-growth companies, some of which have grown to be household names with thousands of employees making a huge impact in the everyday lives of everyday people. . We invest nationally across Consumer and B2B software, while most of our investments are based in NYC, SF/Bay Area, and Boston.

Operations 227

Operations Hiring Seed Stage Boston 227

YoungUpstarts

APRIL 28, 2015

One of the biggest mistakes a company routinely makes is waiting until a bill is past due to begin collection efforts. A good credit department reduces bad debt and past due accounts by getting proactive about debts collected, preferably before the due date. Here’s how to begin collection efforts before the due date: 1.

Software Review 100

Software Review Software Developers Software Development Software 100

Steve Blank

APRIL 16, 2020

Sheltering in place during the Covid-19 pandemic, my coffees with current and ex-students (entrepreneurs, as well as employees early in their careers) have gone virtual. News sources for Digital Health and Life Sciences are different from software/hardware blogs such as Hacker News, TechCrunch, etc. Fast Company and Forbes.

Software Review 335

Software Review Technical Review eCommerce Salary 335

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2020

Every young entrepreneur needs an experienced partner for credibility with investors, and as a trusted cohort for strategy and growth discussions. Software and hardware development architects and designers. Supportive co-founder and executive positions. All the learning from parenting pays big dividends here.

Advisory Board 312

Advisory Board Startup Dividend Angel Investor 312

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2012

The simple answer is to find a business partner, not an “implementer,” who already has the technical experience you need, and is willing and able to run that side of the business. If you are an entrepreneur, like Andrew Mason , CEO of Groupon, with a degree in music and no technical business partner to be found, your job is a bit harder.

Technical Review 230

Technical Review Technology Founder Management 230

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 17, 2018

You get to have interesting conversations with founders and review business plans and then see how these businesses evolve over the years. A firm like ours has almost 100 different investments across all the various partners so we get to see some businesses very intimately. There's never a perfect time - except now.

Founder 242

Founder Dilution Software Review Later Stage 242

The Startup Magazine

FEBRUARY 16, 2022

DataRails , the financial analysis and reporting software startup, has announced the hiring of David Rosenberg as the company’s new VP of customer success. Rosenberg comes fresh from managing the growth of Keyrus, a data consulting company, from 35 to 120 employees. DataRails has already raised $53.5

Hiring 171

Hiring Software Review Customer Israel 171

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 16, 2010

The VC industry grew dramatically as a result of the Internet bubble - Before the Internet bubble the people who invested in VC funds (called LPs or Limited Partners) put about $50 billion into the industry and by 2001 this had grown precipitously to around $250 billion. Partners leave the industry. Here’s my take: 1.

LP 311

LP Technical Review Early Stage Silicon Valley 311

SoCal CTO

NOVEMBER 1, 2010

And let’s be honest, most employees, advisors, etc. Most of the great software startups that I’ve been involved in have at least one technical co-founder (and many have more than one.) In a few cases it’s where I’m a co-founder of the business. who start with small equity percentages don’t end up making very much from startups.

Technical Cofounder 241

Technical Cofounder CTO Hire Equity Sweat Equity 241

The Startup Magazine

DECEMBER 12, 2024

Clear, effective business documentation creates clarity in the minds of employees, stakeholders, and external partners and eventually builds trust for seamless operation. Service businesses, meanwhile, should document customer interaction procedures so all employees provide uniform standards of service across their workforces.

Technical Review 158

Technical Review Software Review Operations Technology 158

Steve Blank

APRIL 11, 2013

The Torch program created Innovation Clusters by creating national Science and Technology Industrial Parks (STIPs), Software Parks, and Productivity Promotion Centers. In addition to the one in Beijing, China has set up 53 additional industrial parks and in them are ~60,000 companies with 8 million employees. Venture Guiding Fund.

Programming 287

Programming Technical Review SBIR China 287

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 1, 2017

This article first appeared on the Harvard Business Review blog. In his Harvard Business Review article summing up his tenure, Immelt recalls that the two things that influenced him most were Marc Andreessen’s 2011 Wall Street Journal article “ Why Software Is Eating the World, ” and Eric Ries’s book The Lean Startup.

Institutional Investors 271

Institutional Investors Dividend Stock Technical Review 271

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 1, 2014

Every young entrepreneur needs an experienced partner for credibility with investors, and as a trusted cohort for strategy and growth discussions. Software and hardware development architects and designers. Supportive co-founder and executive positions. All the learning from parenting pays big dividends here.

Entrepreneur 266

Entrepreneur Advisory Board Dividend Angel Investor 266

VC Cafe

FEBRUARY 6, 2025

With its overnight success, the conspiracy theories about data being shared with China, coupled with an alleged hack of Deepseek, raised security concerns with the Pentagon, who immediately moved to block government employees from using it. This review of the Chinese AI ecosystem by Spacecadet Ventures, goes deeper into each one.

China 97

China Artificial Inteligence ChatGPT Generative AI 97

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

Angels invest in one out of every forty deals they review (2.5%) versus the one out of 400 by VC’s (0.25%). They are professionals with full-time jobs, who often don’t have time for due diligence (and may not even know how to do it) and often make decisions through trusted referrals or based on gut feelings (more on gut feelings later).

Angel Investor 159

Angel Investor Technical Review Software Review Accredited Investor 159

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 23, 2014

Failing to understand the marketplace and proceeding to create a product/service based on “feeling” is going to be troublesome to market and promote due to fact that you do not completely understand who actually wants what you have to offer. Do this: Use your gut feeling and diligence when approached by third parties.

Software Review 154

Software Review Early Stage Audio Software 154

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 2, 2014

companies can no longer afford to provide group health insurance to their employees. And both employers and employees alike have tried to make the most of a bad situation. In fact, since 2000, more than 10 million Americans have filed personal bankruptcy due to their employers’ failed health insurance plan. We said it.

Software Review 224

Software Review Employee Retention Government 224

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 30, 2018

How Small-Scaled Companies Save Money with EHS Software. Every company or business has to be conscious in its dealings with its surroundings, employees and partners. Most corporations deploy EHS software that allows them to conveniently monitor and manage their Environment, Health and Safety.

Software Review 133

Software Review Software Government Operations 133

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2022

As a potential investor, I always think of the high rate of failure of disruptive technologies, due to the longer learning curve of customers, infrastructure change consistently required, and higher marketing costs. Before you act, shut up and listen to employees, customers, and futurists.

Technical Review 252

Technical Review Silicon Valley Software Review Metrics 252

Board Effect

OCTOBER 27, 2021

With so many important decisions to make, nonprofit board members must establish a code of ethics. A code of conduct outlines reflects your nonprofit’s values of honesty, transparency, integrity, confidentiality and equity. . We’ll explain what a code of conduct for your board members is and why it’s crucial to have one.

Software Review 90

Software Review Technical Review United States Equity 90

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 16, 2011

However, it is interesting to note that Cloud Computing in Asia will not evolve in the same way as the Western market due to the eagerness of Asia’s CIOs and business leaders to take the lead in adopting the latest IT innovations. Knowing how it will mesh is important, as is the readiness of your employees in embracing the cloud.

Asia 222

Asia Cloud Software Review China 222