The Next Web

SEPTEMBER 22, 2013

But have you ever had the opportunity to pick the brains of founders who created amazingly successful startups and companies like Envato , Backblaze , Simple , or Treehouse ? Few people like talking about their mistakes, but thankfully nine founders took some time to share some of their hard-earned knowledge with you. Find your niche.

Cofounder 164

Cofounder Founder Startup Bootstrapping 164

Steve Blank

JANUARY 17, 2023

But these look for founders who have a technical or business model insight and a team. Accelerators provide these teams with technical and business expertise and connect them to a network of other founders and advisors. Carlos stirred his coffee. Accelerators don’t sound like a fit for where I am at in my career,” he offered. “I

Technical Cofounder 368

Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 368

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 4, 2013

He published another MUST READ post about being careful not to confuse early revenue traction with product / market fit. One of the things I have observed over the years is that a hard charging sales oriented founder/CEO can often hide the defects in a product. The money quote.

Technical Review 401

Technical Review Startup Business Model Non-Compete 401

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

As the idea went from innovating on software & systems to launching a company to rolling it out in the field brought on Rahul Gandhi as his co-founder to physically launch the company. An example of the systems companies build are pricing & revenue management tools to best help to optimize yield.

Operations 286

Operations New York City Technical Review Startup 286

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

OCTOBER 17, 2011

As a preamble to the metrics, it’s useful to know what you’re measuring and why it’s vital. We had a spike in this metric in February at WP Engine when our Internet provider themselves had a datacenter-wide catastrophe which brought us down for twelve hours; of course not all spikes will have such obvious causes.

Business Model 245

Business Model Metrics Engineer Technical Review 245

Steve Blank

JANUARY 22, 2014

Today it’s dominated by capital efficient software, web and mobile startups whereas 10 years ago it was dominated by semiconductor and hardware startups that consumed huge amounts of capital before their first dollar in revenue. This is true whether the company is concept stage or ramping revenue. The Bend Experience. Lessons Learned.

Early Stage 295

Early Stage Silicon Valley Oregon Technical Review 295

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 14, 2012

So many tech startups begin the same way: One founder, one dream and a plan to make it happen. Learning the intricacies of how an industry works, building relevant relationships and understanding the right metrics can happen only over time. But to succeed, most startups need a much broader set of skills and experience.

Technical Review 159

Technical Review CTO Hire Software Review Startup 159

ConversionXL

APRIL 28, 2020

In that unannounced meeting, Brett Hurt, our CEO and co-founder, laid it out for us. To do that, we built a demand funnel that took us from nothing to 44X revenue growth in a single year. If you’re in SaaS, expansion revenue is critical to success and, according to Profitwell , can separate you from your competition.

Demand 101

Demand Revenue SQL B2B 101

Hunter Walker

NOVEMBER 16, 2020

So I recently re-shared a 2019 blog post where I’d basically advised founders who’ve raised seed capital to worry less about “how will I raise the next round” and more about “how will I execute my plan?” Has any pre-Series A company succeeded on every metric month after month? Is that a fair starting point? Kristen Anderson: Yes.

Founder 133

Founder Cofounder Metrics Technical Review 133

The Startup Magazine

FEBRUARY 2, 2023

As part of The Startup Magazine’s Female Founder Interview series , we interviewed Martha Razo, author of the book, Business Diva: Stories of Women Leading in Business. Martha: Business owners measure their growth by their numbers; revenues, profits, number of employees, the number of locations they own, etc.

Founder 167

Founder Technical Review Balance Sheet Analytics 167

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2023

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 261

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Angel Groups Social Media 261

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 16, 2020

This method branches off into two schools of thought: Past Earning Capitalization – this suggests that the expected revenue in the future can be predicted by a record of the company’s past earnings, once undue revenue or expenses are accounted for and multiplies the projected earnings by a capitalization factor.

Valuation 162

Valuation CPA Software Review .Net 162

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

AUGUST 29, 2011

We founders unwittingly focus on how to make the best customer experiences better , rather than making the worst experiences less worse , and sometimes this is a mistake. Another thing we can do is literally measure customer “happiness&# and intercede before it goes from bad to 32B. Even the one you turn away could become a fan.

Technical Review 236

Technical Review Software Review Reputation Sales Cycle 236

Duct Tape Marketing

MAY 11, 2022

Why Call Tracking Metrics Matter To Your Marketing Efforts written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing. Husband and wife co-founders, Todd and Laure Fisher founded CallTrackingMetrics in 2011 in their basement and together have grown it into an Inc. Marketing Podcast with Todd and Laure Fisher. This is John Jantsch.

Metrics 95

Metrics Marketing Software Review Cofounder 95

VC Cafe

NOVEMBER 2, 2019

One question that keeps coming up when speaking with early stage entrepreneurs when it comes to funding, is what metrics the company needs to hit to raise seed/series A/B etc: What’s a good conversion rate? Investors look beyond top line metrics to assess other important factors. What should our MRR growth be?

B2C 141

B2C Technical Review Startup Retention 141

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 6, 2010

Everyone has their own definition of momentum (user numbers, revenue, channel partners, biz dev deals, whatever). That might work for $50-100k but less likely for $3m unless you’re a seasoned entrepreneur, known to the VC, have some metrics that work in your favor or have built something the VC believes to be truly unique.

Early Stage 360

Early Stage Startup Venture Capital Seed Stage 360

Feld Thoughts

JULY 20, 2020

I recently was in an email thread where a Black founder had a powerful and clear response to the question from one of her corporate partners. Maybe we all need to start talking about grit instead of metrics that can only be achieved with money, and then make sure all entrepreneurs get the funding required to achieve equivalent metrics.

Entrepreneur 225

Entrepreneur Software Review Metrics Community 225

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2011

I’ve decided to take all of my private conversations and subjective points-of-view on the topic and make them public in a keynote speech at the Founder Showcase in San Francisco on June 15th. million post-money valuation with no revenue. I thought I’d post on one of the topics before hand. I raised my A round at a $31.5

Pre-Money Valuation 336

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Silicon Valley Stock 336

Duct Tape Marketing

JANUARY 4, 2024

Our deep dive into the world of email newsletters unveils tactical strategies for transforming subscribers into revenue-generating assets. As the founder of The Clikk, Russell has witnessed the evolving landscape of newsletters, recognizing them as a powerful intersection of content marketing and direct response promotion.

Revenue 96

Revenue Advertising Email ChatGPT 96

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 24, 2017

by Stefan Pretty, founder of Subbly. Subscription business brings recurring revenue. This allows you to enjoy a constant source of incoming revenue, as long as you’re keeping the subscribers satisfied (that is of course essential). The term itself sounds confusing, so should I even bother? SubCom offers ultimate flexibility.

Churn Rate 149

Churn Rate eCommerce Business Model Bootstrapping 149

VC Cafe

MARCH 1, 2024

Most startups equate the process of fundraising to dating – founders have to typically kiss a lot of frogs until the find the right fit. Digital Wallets – Digital wallets could grow select vertical software platforms’ revenues to $27-$50bn in 2030.

Artificial Inteligence 176

Artificial Inteligence Technical Review Software Review Generative AI 176

ConversionXL

JUNE 8, 2017

Quantitative research with digital analytics tools like Google Analytics , Mixpanel, Amplitude or RJ Metrics will inform you about where your users are coming from, what they are doing during their sessions and where they are dropping off from your conversion funnel or when they churn. Image Source. Behavioral segments. Here is the biggie.

Programming 97

Programming Revenue Analytics Software Review 97

View from Seed

OCTOBER 24, 2019

As seed rounds have atomized, it’s not uncommon for founders to raise 3 or even 4 rounds prior to a series A. The reality is that if a founder raised every one of these rounds, and lead investors always got their “target” ownership, the level of dilution would be ridiculous. Founders with limited experience. should be avoided.

Dilution 149

Dilution B2B Burn Rate Early Stage 149

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 31, 2017

by Robbie Kellman Baxter, author of “ The Membership Economy: Find Your Super Users, Master the Forever Transaction, and Build Recurring Revenue “ In today’s competitive market, customer engagement (or lack thereof) could determine whether your company sinks or swims. Customer Success goes beyond Customer Service.

Customer 171

Customer Retention Software Review Metrics 171

Haystack

NOVEMBER 25, 2018

2/ The Metrics-Momentum Signal: According to Forbes , Airtable’s revenues are slated to grow 4x this year to $20M annualized, with over 80,000 different companies using some part of the platform. 5/ The Enduring Allure Of Platform Potential: Revenue is important. Revenue acceleration is, too.

Technical Review 127

Technical Review Open Source Software Review Venture Capital 127

David Teten

AUGUST 19, 2019

A new wave of Revenue-Based Investors are emerging who are using creative investing structures with some of the upside of traditional VC, but some of the downside protection of debt. I believe that Revenue-Based Investing (“RBI”) VCs are on the forefront of what will become a major segment of the venture ecosystem.

Revenue 60

Revenue Term Sheet Founder Technical Review 60

ConversionXL

FEBRUARY 3, 2022

GrowthHackers founder and former Head of Growth at Dropbox, Sean Ellis , coined the term: “A growth hacker is a person whose true north is growth. In his course on Growth Mindset (part of CXL’s Growth Marketing Minidegree ), WeTheFuture.org founder John McBride describes three key components of a successful growth marketer: 1.

Retention 113

Retention Marketing Acquisition Channel 113

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

by Lu Zhang, founder and managing partner of Fusion Fund. Competition from other startups and established incumbents, constraints on time and capital, and limited access to talent and technology resources are just a few of the hurdles nearly every first-time founder faces while trying to build a business. Be ready when it counts.

Technical Review 140

Technical Review Due Diligence Early Stage Differentiation 140

VC Cafe

OCTOBER 23, 2022

The CEO shared the revenue target for the year at X, and the revenue target for next year at 3X. The discussion that ensued was insightful and I thought it would be worth sharing it here for founders who are dealing with a similar issue. One of the board members asked a simple question: “Why is revenue our North Star KPI?

Metrics 179

Metrics Revenue B2C Portfolio 179

Up and Running

MAY 15, 2014

As an entrepreneur raised in the era of analytics, I want to find metrics for everything. When I was going through the co-founder “dating” process, I’d found a potential partner through my network who seemed to be perfect. The problem is that this is harder to do than it sounds. Finding the right business partner for me.

Partner 113

Partner Cofounder Equity Metrics 113

Up and Running

OCTOBER 7, 2019

However, as a founder of a small business or startup, you’re juggling many things. You need to use your time and resources productively by focusing on the right metrics so you can use data to help you implement improvements that matter. The first step is to formulate a KPI strategy by selecting the right metrics to track.

Founder 71

Founder Retention Metrics Technical Review 71

ReadWriteStart

OCTOBER 20, 2023

With such daunting statistics, it’s clear that maintaining a startup becomes an uphill battle for founders without the right foundations. Meeting growth metrics, achieving profitability, and ensuring a substantial return on investment are now integral parts of the startup journey.

Technical Review 137

Technical Review Startup Silicon Valley Agile 137

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 21, 2013

Also among the new speakers is Keya Dannenbaum, founder and CEO of ElectNext. So we spent some time iterating--leanly, we thought--on the revenue model. He gave us a quick rundown on two major growth challenges he’s faced: Challenge #1: Vanity Metrics. Product team velocity is a great example. Challenge #2: Technical Debt.

Lean 152

Lean Startup Metrics Silicon Valley 152

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 1, 2019

In two of these three phases – the first and third – volumes of helpful information and numerous organizations are readily available to help guide and support founders of startups. These are the consultants and books that offer founders the tools and insights needed to “cross the chasm” ( as Geoffrey Moore put it ) and begin to scale.

Cleveland 150

Cleveland Framework Marketing Early Stage 150

ConversionXL

FEBRUARY 3, 2022

No changes were made to the customer journey, and it had nothing to do with revenue lift. It isn’t about finding quick hacks to boost short-term revenue. They work to improve top-of-funnel metrics like brand awareness and identify opportunities to improve customer activation, retention, and referral efforts.

Framework 102

Framework Marketing Acquisition Retention 102

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 10, 2018

After all, your clientele is what brings in the revenue and sets up the expenses, so they remain one of the most important elements of your company. Of course, the term ‘better’ is relative to the type of business and the industry in which it operates, but there are a couple of basic metrics that generally apply to customers in all fields.

Valuation 145

Valuation Technical Review Exit Strategy Metrics 145

The Startup Magazine

JULY 21, 2021

Kevin Wu, co-founder and CEO of job search optimization program Pathrise , says “Digital marketer roles are some of the most in-demand positions in the tech industry.” Digital marketers promote the company’s product or service to their target audience in order to maximize revenue. And he’s right. Is it any wonder they’re essential?

Technical Review 148

Technical Review PPC SEM Marketing 148