Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 11, 2022

How might our next phase of the journey seem brighter, even with more uncertain days for startups and capital markets? And then in the late 90’s money crept in, swept in to town by public markets, instant wealth and an absurd sky-rocketing of valuations based on no reasonable metrics. What happened? People were building.

Valuation 466

Valuation San Francisco Ratchet Liquidation Preference 466

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 7, 2023

He illustrated his talk with regulatory horror stories in the telecom market , electronic health records , and Covid antigen tests. Unfortunately, for startups entering a regulated market following this advice this might not be the optimum path. It’s the antithesis of how founders want to build a business. In the U.S.

Washington 319

Washington Government Marketing Silicon Valley 319

View from Seed

APRIL 14, 2020

For the last several years, the early stage investing market was driven largely by the F ear O f M issing O ut, AKA FOMO. VCs are always founder focused no matter the market environment. But the risk to founders is that these investors may not be very committed partners and might quickly disengage if things go sideways.

Early Stage 374

Early Stage Software Review Technical Review Due Diligence 374

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 26, 2022

I recommend that you look for new or emerging opportunities in new markets. Successful businesses are built around solutions that work, have a market, and are scalable. If an opportunity has been around for a long time, then it has probably been tackled many times, with bad results.

Founder 262

Founder Intellectual Property Social Media Business Plan 262

Steve Blank

JANUARY 17, 2023

Three types of organizations – Incubators, Accelerators and Venture Studios – have emerged to reduce the risk of early-stage startup failure by helping teams find product/market fit and raise initial capital. But these look for founders who have a technical or business model insight and a team. Carlos stirred his coffee.

Technical Cofounder 368

Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 368

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2021

If you are a young startup founder, how do you find that CEO or other executive for your “dream team” to close on funding or complement your skills to kick start your company? The CEO is the check and balance on the constant parallel pushes for more development, more marketing, and more growth. Most founders are product guys.

Exit Strategy 407

Exit Strategy Leadership Founder Networking 407

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2023

These days, building a new business is all about visibility and marketing, no matter how great or innovative a solution you bring to the table. In fact, having one marketing guru on the team alone won’t get you very far. Mobilize the total power of your team to not only build the product, but also build the market. Give credit.

Founder 239

Founder Architecture Startup Public Relations 239

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 30, 2021

That’s why investors acknowledge that two co-founders are often better than one -- with one focusing on the technical solution, and the other focusing on defining and building the business model. The founder had simply not done the work to validate a price and customer segment. Match with competitor prices and market demographics.

Technical Review 399

Technical Review Product Advisory Board Business Model 399

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 16, 2022

They couldn’t possibly understand the new social media culture, new technologies, or have the determination to beat their younger counterparts in the market. Pew says the Boomer demographic is the largest mainstream pool of experienced talent in the market today, and will be for the foreseeable future. Member of the Advisory Board.

Advisory Board 368

Advisory Board Dividend Angel Investor Cofounder 368

View from Seed

JANUARY 13, 2021

But in the grand scheme of things, 10 years is a blip, and one that had a continuous bull market in tech. The objection goes something like this: “yes, I can see rookie founders turning to you for a seed round. But won’t all good founders go to established firms that raise series A’s out of the gate?”. There are a few reasons.

Dilution 399

Dilution Later Stage Portfolio Technical Review 399

View from Seed

APRIL 6, 2021

You have 4-6 years of professional experience as a technology operator, founder, or investor in New York. You have a deep desire to learn the venture capital business and are ready to hustle to meet the next great founder. Who Are We Looking For. You are a native of NYC tech with a strong network. You act as an “ invited guest.”.

Technical Review 317

Technical Review Software Review Seed Stage Cofounder 317

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 28, 2020

But for founders who do their homework, the cost of entry is lower and the opportunity is higher than ever. Excellent detailed resources are everywhere, including a classic book, “ The Startup Checklist ,” by serial entrepreneur and founder of the New York Angels, David S. Incorporating a business entity early through online services.

Intellectual Property 404

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Groups Social Media 404

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 25, 2022

Business partners can be co-founders in a startup, multiple owners of an existing business, or a joint venture. As a former startup investor, I was often involved with due diligence on founders, and I felt that founders should do the same on co-founders, as well as investors. Their skills and interests complement yours.

Technical Review 313

Technical Review Due Diligence Partner Cofounder 313

TechEmpower

AUGUST 7, 2023

Getting something to market and getting funding override any other concerns. But be careful, and mind the gap – the Founder-Developer Gap, that is! But hiring a lead developer, or even a VP of Engineering, can create a gap between the founders and the developers. It’s understandable - a hands-on developer can produce a product.

CTO Hire 260

CTO Hire Fractional CTO Fractional VPE Developer 260

Hunter Walker

OCTOBER 14, 2024

The order is important because I fell in love with the product before I even knew about the company, and the hustle of its founder/CEO Sandro Roco. I would go into specialty and natural food stores in New York City and look at the other independently owned and smaller brands and just cold-Instagram DM or cold-LinkedIn message the founders.

New York City 110

New York City Hockey Stick Distribution Angel Investor 110

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 26, 2021

As an entrepreneur mentor, my mission is to foster the attributes in you as a startup founder that I believe will lead to success. Idea people must surround themselves with people who build momentum and get things done, including production, marketing, finance, and sales. Paul Allen was the idea visionary. Start today.

Entrepreneur 341

Entrepreneur Angel Investor Partner Software Development 341

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2021

If you are the hot-shot technical innovator that invented your solution, make sure you have an equally adept business and marketing expert to complement your skills. “If Pivot early, as required, to tune your features and marketing to meet the market and technical realities. The market is unpredictable and changes fast.

Technical Review 329

Technical Review Merger Software Review Acquisition 329

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2021

The Founder needs to remember that meetings up to this point have been primarily off-site, with staged demos, and managed personally by the CEO or a small team. A smart investor will take an independent final reading in the market on barriers to entry, active competition, demographics, and price sensitivity.

Technical Review 379

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Bankruptcy 379

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 8, 2023

Internal services, like marketing and accounting, are more manageable and have less customer visibility. If you are a typical startup operation, consisting of an unpaid founder and co-founder, both working part-time, outsourcing is not likely the solution to your resource constraints.

Software Review 285

Software Review Technical Review Due Diligence Intellectual Property 285

View from Seed

NOVEMBER 18, 2020

Sales and marketing has been 30%+ basically forever, though undoubtedly Airbnb has enough brand recognition and loyal customers that if you turned off marketing spend then revenue would drop but not to zero. Source: Airbnb S-1. Airbnb’s Secret Sauce. So Where Does Airbnb They Go From Here?

North America 401

North America IPO Prospectus Europe 401

TechEmpower

JULY 24, 2023

At TechEmpower, we frequently talk to startup founders, CEOs, product leaders, and other innovators about their next big tech initiative. Do you have legal (Founder Agreement, IP, etc.) Are there other founders, business leaders, partners, or administrators? How will you be taking this to market? Ads, Viral/Social, SEO)?

Developer 520

Developer Technical Review CTO Hire Fractional CTO 520

TechEmpower

AUGUST 14, 2023

Startup founders make decisions on a daily basis – significant decisions that will have lasting impact on their business. CTO Founder – Do they really still need a technical advisor? No good innovator turns down advice! Why do this without the right technical advisor? Would you create contracts without an attorney?

Technical Review 260

Technical Review CTO Hire Fractional CTO Software Review 260

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 21, 2021

Serious investors expect founders to have their homework done before the first interaction – documented executive summary, business plan, and financial model. Effective marketing. Guerrilla marketing preaches the importance of prospect follow-up if you even hope to succeed in business. Investor negotiations.

Technical Review 333

Technical Review Startup Software Review Retention 333

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 11, 2020

Based on my experience, most startup failures occur simply because the founder gives up too soon, without exploring creative alternatives. For example, renowned TOMS shoe company founder Blake Mycoskie continually made it clear that his most important goal was making life better for the less fortunate.

Entrepreneur 329

Entrepreneur Intellectual Property Stealth Angel Investor 329

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2022

I have personally used this approach in leading startups as well as large organizations, in highly technical roles as well as business development and marketing. For one-on-one coaching from the startup founder, I call this approach five-minute mentoring. Everyone learns best from failures, so failure should never be a feared option.

Elevator Pitch 386

Elevator Pitch Technical Review Dividend Leadership 386

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2022

Success demands testing the solution early and quickly in the market, then iterating to get it right. Nail the go-to-market strategy. These areas include market, process, and team transitions. Money allows entrepreneurs to execute a flawed business plan far too long, rather than stay focused on the market and adapt.

Angel Investor 359

Angel Investor Technical Review Incubator Business Model 359

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 14, 2021

By focusing your marketing activities on key individuals known to wield influence in your target customer market, you can deliver a more "authentic" message. These perceived authoritative sources create a community who follow their lead, based on psychology. Play to exclusivity, uniqueness, and personalization.

Customer 432

Customer Social Media Dividend Technical Review 432

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2022

The key elements of leadership in a company, both individual and organizational, are less tangible, but very critical in setting a market value for investment, acquisition, or going public. For startups, the entrepreneur and founder is almost always the face of the company. Leadership brand development.

Technical Review 323

Technical Review Due Diligence Valuation Leadership 323

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2020

Quantify the market opportunity in business terms. For example, “Nielsen projects that the market for smart phones will double every year for the next five years.” Include marketing, sales, and customer rollout plans. This summary if often extracted as marketing collateral, with text and graphics for pitch handouts.

Business Plan 423

Business Plan Product Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch 423

Duct Tape Marketing

JANUARY 10, 2025

Solving the Marketing Leadership Gap for Small Business (Marketing Leadership as a Service) written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing Small business marketing can feel like an endless checklist: create content , run Google Ads, post on social media, and optimize for SEO.

Leadership 43

Leadership Small Business Marketing Social Media 43

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 21, 2023

The biggest complaint I hear from fellow investors is that startup founders often talk way too long, and neglect to cover the most relevant points. More importantly, investors want to see and hear the top guy – typically the founder or CEO. The average length of a funding pitch to angel investors is ten minutes.

Technical Review 369

Technical Review Elevator Pitch Angel Investor Matching 369

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2020

and of course a relentless pursuit of helping founders succeed. So mostly we just had to listen to customer feedback from founders, VCs and LPs. She made the right decisions not joining back then because that founder empathy is the “++” that makes a difference in this business. So why now? And all the platform stuff.

Partner 361

Partner Management Cofounder San Francisco 361

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2022

A sales fanatic on the founder team helps to contain that risk. The combination of technical insight, founder authority, and sales experience is a hard-to-beat advantage in a competitive market. Young high-tech startups are at constant risk of forgetting that they actually need to sell the wonderful technology they invented.

Technical Cofounder 309

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Startup 309

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2021

Unless you have a co-founder or two with the business skills to complement your technical ones, you need a friendly Advisory Board. The cost of a co-founder is usually fifty percent of your equity. In today’s rapidly changing business environment, you need every advantage to stay one step ahead of the market, and your competitors.

Advisory Board 356

Advisory Board Bandwidth Cofounder Technical Review 356

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2022

That’s a tall order, especially when your business culture has to fit into the myriad of international and local cultures that are part of every market these days. A particularly critical moment is when the founders hand over the leadership to a more managerial regime. Geographic expansion. Efficiency and scale.

Dilution 355

Dilution Startup Merger Flash 355

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2021

More and more entrepreneurs are hearing about the successful graduates and investors queued behind a few well-known startup incubators, including Y Combinator, TechStars, and the Founder Institute. They dream of appearing at the door, with their idea on the back of a napkin, and popping out a few months later with investor money to burn.

Incubator 366

Incubator Technical Review Due Diligence Venture Capital 366

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 16, 2021

This is a statement that they are willing and able (and successful) at projecting market and technology turns, not just straight-line innovations. They have the courage to make bold decisions, often contrary to conventional market research. For real entrepreneurs, crazy is a compliment, and the new market may be just around the corner.

Marketing 393

Marketing Founder Design Entrepreneur 393