Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2019

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Consider licensing your product or intellectual property, and “white labeling.”

Finance 320

Finance Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 320

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2023

Check for intellectual property barriers in your way. Even good social causes need to bring in revenue to continue their worthy efforts. If you find more than a dozen solutions that loosely match your idea, it may be time to skip that one and try another. Ask domain experts to quantify value for you.

Technical Review 267

Technical Review Due Diligence Intellectual Property Internet 267

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 18, 2023

If the company has been around for more than a couple of years, and still has no product or revenue flow, there better be a good explanation. Are any lawsuits and challenges to intellectual property pending? Look for examples of similar companies and revenue multiples achieved from acquirers.

Sweat Equity 207

Sweat Equity Burn Rate Technical Review Intellectual Property 207

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2020

Check for intellectual property barriers in your way. Even good social causes need to bring in revenue to continue their worthy efforts. If you find more than a dozen solutions that loosely match your idea, it may be time to skip that one and try another. Ask domain experts to quantify value for you.

Technical Review 434

Technical Review Due Diligence Intellectual Property Internet 434

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 28, 2020

Before you bring on partners, develop intellectual property, raise capital, or generate revenues, you need to establish an official business entity. Minimum viable products (MVPs) are recommended for validating the market, with iterative enhancement to quickly meet market feedback.

Intellectual Property 404

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Groups Social Media 404

Steve Blank

JUNE 26, 2014

Next we teach Distribution Channels (how are you going to sell the product) and Customer Relationships (how do you Get/Keep/Grow customers) and Revenue Streams (what’s the Revenue Model strategy and pricing tactics.) You get an introduction to reimbursement early here, while the details are described later in the “Revenue” lecture.).

Intellectual Property 290

Intellectual Property Lean IP Open Source 290

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 30, 2015

Google is focused on expanding its already broad reach into the advertising market by increasing the span and coverage of its digital and mobile platforms, and the company’s 4Q14 results highlight how the company’s efforts to buttress its core services is paying off: Google’s revenue and gross profit climbed 15.3% billion and generated $4.1

Advertising 100

Advertising Revenue Mobile Intellectual Property 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2020

All startups, including non-profits, need revenue to thrive, such as such as from subscriptions, retail, online, licensing, or services. They want to see revenue to share in the return. Here I recommend a 5-year projection of revenues, expenses, and funding requirements. Provide specifics on the customer business model.

Business Plan 423

Business Plan Product Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch 423

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 30, 2019

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Consider licensing your product or intellectual property, and “white labeling.”

Intellectual Property 219

Intellectual Property Technical Review Startup Incubator 219

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 9, 2021

Lots of work and millions of revenue in return. Intellectual property is the principal asset of must every technology company. The post Is there gold in your old intellectual property? Digging through your IP closet for gold…. The CEO directed the Company to begin what turned out to. Don’t get me wrong though.

Intellectual Property 62

Intellectual Property IP Internet Technology 62

Up and Running

JULY 28, 2022

Small Business Administration , an organization is considered to be a small business if their: Firm revenue ranges from $1 million to $40 million Number of employees is between 100 and 1,500. Secure your intellectual property. Generally, the size is based on the number of employees and annual receipts for a given period.

Small Business 167

Small Business Intellectual Property Cofounder Software Review 167

Steve Blank

APRIL 23, 2014

If they decide to buy, large companies can: license/acquire intellectual property. buy out an entire company for its revenue and profits. These include the product itself, the customer, the distribution channel, revenue model, how to get, keep and grow customers, resources and activities needed to build the business and costs.).

Acquisition 334

Acquisition Intellectual Property Silicon Valley Startup 334

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 16, 2014

Activities define the unique expertise your company needs to deliver the value proposition, customers, channels, customer relationships and/or revenue. (If For medical devices it might be mechanical engineering, clinical trials, regulatory approval, freedom to operate (intellectual property) and figuring out a reimbursement strategy.

Cofounder 335

Cofounder Founder Intellectual Property Business Model 335

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

Don’t expect them to believe your $100M revenue projection, if you are still waiting for the first revenue dollar. Get a real customer and real revenue. Funding for pre-revenue startups used to be the domain of angel investors, but they have moved up-stage. Register some intellectual property.

Intellectual Property 281

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Sweat Equity CTO Hire 281

Steve Blank

DECEMBER 10, 2009

Early on in my career I took a “we’re moving too fast to deal with lawyers” attitude to patents and Intellectual Property (IP.) At one of my entrepreneurship classes at Stanford, Dan Dorosin , of Fenwick & West LLP guest lectures about startups and Intellectual Property. Intellectual Property.

Intellectual Property 234

Intellectual Property IP Software Review Non-disclosure Agreement 234

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 14, 2014

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Consider licensing your product or intellectual property, and “white labeling.”

Entrepreneur 283

Entrepreneur Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 283

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2017

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Consider licensing your product or intellectual property, and “white labeling.”

Product Development 177

Product Development Cost Developer Product 177

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2012

Don’t expect them to believe your $100M revenue projection, if you are still waiting for the first revenue dollar. Get a real customer and real revenue. Funding for pre-revenue startups used to be the domain of angel investors, but they have moved up-stage. Register some intellectual property.

Intellectual Property 260

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 260

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 19, 2020

Does it have a niche or intellectual property? Generally, companies sell for either a percentage of revenues or a multiple of EBITDA. She is a leading authority on buying, selling, and improving businesses, as well as increasing business revenue streams. Is your product thriving or dying?

Exit Strategy 246

Exit Strategy Intellectual Property Valuation Metrics 246

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2013

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Consider licensing your product or intellectual property, and “white labeling.”

Intellectual Property 309

Intellectual Property Technical Review Venture Capital Startup 309

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 12, 2018

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Consider licensing your product or intellectual property, and “white labeling.”

Intellectual Property 134

Intellectual Property Technical Review Startup Incubator 134

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2018

These days you can create a C-corp or LLC online quickly at a low cost, to serve you well in signing partners, intellectual property, investors, and revenue. In addition, global scaling will likely require additional investors, who will demand to see real revenue and customer demand.

Technical Cofounder 184

Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property Silicon Valley LLC 184

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

Check for intellectual property barriers in your way. Even good social causes need to bring in revenue to continue their worthy efforts. If you find more than a dozen solutions that loosely match your idea, it may be time to skip that one and try another. Ask domain experts to quantify value for you.

Technical Review 208

Technical Review Due Diligence Intellectual Property Internet 208

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 17, 2011

Don’t expect them to believe your $100M revenue projection, if you are still waiting for the first revenue dollar. Get a real customer and real revenue. Funding for pre-revenue startups used to be the domain of angel investors, but they have moved up-stage. Register some intellectual property.

Intellectual Property 253

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 253

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 14, 2016

Watch out for complex areas such as accounting for revenue, inventory, contingencies, equity instruments and consolidation. Any intellectual property should be properly documented in order to avoid question of ownership. Books and records. Employees and contractors. Protect your intangibles.

Acquisition 100

Acquisition Intellectual Property Technical Review Due Diligence 100

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2016

Premium ventures need real traction, such as 100 million users, 10 million in revenue, or brand recognition around the world. Strong intellectual property and defensibility. Patents and other intellectual property are a necessary initial “barrier to entry,” but these are just the beginning.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Valuation Merger Exit Strategy 120

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 18, 2022

Facebook spent over $150 million before revenue. Intellectual property as barrier to entry. Perhaps you intend to collect money from advertisers, but this requires a large investment to get the audience you need before monetization can work.

Intellectual Property 334

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Matching Founder 334

Up and Running

NOVEMBER 19, 2015

Nearly all businesses, whether they are small or large, are comprised of intellectual property (IP) and trade secrets, which can serve as the foundation for commercial success. The World Intellectual Property Organization defines IP as, “creations of the mind,” which, depending on the business, can take many forms.

Intellectual Property 60

Intellectual Property Business Plan IP Early Stage 60

Women Entrepreneurs Can

MARCH 27, 2024

Diversify Revenue Streams Relying heavily on a single revenue stream can be dangerous as it exposes your business to significant risk. To avoid going bankrupt, diversify revenue sources by expanding product lines, targeting new markets, or offering complementary services.

Intellectual Property 52

Intellectual Property Software Review Revenue Security 52

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2023

It’s equally easy to go online and incorporate your new entity, register some intellectual property and have some fun with social media for marketing and interacting with customers. Most new teams are geographically dispersed these days anyway, so paying rent for an office should be differed to later stages when revenue is plentiful.

Equity 349

Equity Hockey Stick Bootstrapping Sweat Equity 349

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 21, 2013

I think it’s important for enterprise startups to layer in professional services into your revenue stream. deliver profitable revenue that while on gross margins of 50% vs. software at 85-95% it is still profits to help you cover fixed costs. Protect Your Intellectual Property. rollout support. configuration.

Software Review 321

Software Review Software IP Technical Review 321

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2022

This means building a revenue stream, and tuning your business model to produce margins in the 50 percent range or above. In the jungle, it might be the strongest jaws, but in startups it’s more likely the strongest intellectual property. I don’t believe in greed, but we all need to make enough money to eat. If you want to mate.

Intellectual Property 281

Intellectual Property Startup Early Stage Venture Capital 281

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2016

Investors read this as an excuse for no real intellectual property or innovation. Declare a $10 million valuation with no revenue or customers. Annual revenue projections exceed $100 million before fifth year. Annual revenue projections exceed $100 million before fifth year.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Valuation Technical Review Equity 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 11, 2022

Every business needs revenue to provide investor returns and offset costs. Free” is not an attractive revenue model to investors. Popular revenue models today include recurring subscription charges, licensing, as well the traditional sale or lease model.

Business Model 334

Business Model Intellectual Property Angel Investor Channel 334

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2023

For example, if you have a proven product, real revenue, a big potential market, and are ready to scale up the business, every investor will be interested. On the other hand, if you are a new entrepreneur, still in the idea stage, professional investors will only tell you to come back later when you have traction (customers and revenue).

Angel Investor 313

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 313

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2010

Don’t expect them to believe your $100M revenue projection, if you are still waiting for the first revenue dollar. Get a real customer and real revenue. Funding for pre-revenue startups used to be the domain of angel investors, but they have moved up-stage. Register some intellectual property.

Intellectual Property 222

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 222

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2017

They come at the early stage while a startup has no revenue or valuation, so professional investors are hard to find. It won’t cost you the many thousands of dollars to outsource your prototype to China, and risk losing the intellectual property, and it will hook you up to peers and investors who can help you make your dream a reality.

Technical Cofounder 153

Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property Wiki Cofounder 153