Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2015

In every case, the relevant pitch needs to start by highlighting a real customer problem, then outlining a new solution, with all the features and disruptive technology. Your solution may be a technological marvel, but if it is vulnerable to competitors, potential investors will likely walk away.

Product 120

Product Intellectual Property Liquidity Event Burn Rate 120

Berkonomics

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

And because there was consideration paid to you in the sale, that clause is binding upon you and is effective almost everywhere. And there are gray areas for former key employees who signed a non-compete with a limited life as part of the sale but remained on with the buyer for some time thereafter.

Non-Compete 62

Non-Compete Bankruptcy Sales Employee 62

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2012

Many entrepreneurs scare away potential investors by claiming that their technology represents “truly disruptive technology.” Marketing, sales, and partners. Describe your market penetration strategy, sales channels, pricing, and strategic partnerships. Here is also a good place for a rollout timeline with key milestones.

Business Plan 283

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 283

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2016

Just because your technology is exciting and potentially disruptive doesn’t mean you are ready to build a business. What are your specific marketing and sales plans? You need to identify pricing details, sales channels, strategic partners and a customized marketing plan consistent with your industry and target segment.

Sweat Equity 120

Sweat Equity Advisory Board Liquidity Event Startup 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2011

Many entrepreneurs scare away potential investors by claiming that their technology represents “truly disruptive technology.” Marketing, sales, and partners. Describe your market penetration strategy, sales channels, pricing, and strategic partnerships. Here is also a good place for a rollout timeline with key milestones.

Business Plan 290

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 290

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 1, 2018

Some companies, especially those financed by angel or VC investors, have good, formal stock option plans with properly priced options set to reward all employees and managers in the event of a corporate sale. I found myself in such a situation upon a sale of my computer software company. And a lack of plans for others.

Stock Options 192

Stock Options Stock Distribution Programming 192

Steve Blank

APRIL 10, 2019

One other thing to note is that all employees – founders, early employees and later ones – all had the same vesting deal – four years – and no one made money on stock options until a “liquidity event ” (a fancy word to mean when the company went public or got sold.) Who leads that process best? Today that’s less true.

Stock Options 335

Stock Options Stock Vesting Common Stock 335

Gust

AUGUST 5, 2012

Many entrepreneurs scare away potential investors by claiming that their technology represents “truly disruptive technology.” Marketing, sales, and partners. Describe your market penetration strategy, sales channels, pricing, and strategic partnerships. Here is also a good place for a rollout timeline with key milestones.

Business Plan 182

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 182

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 17, 2020

In most cases, these applicants for equity funding must be rooted in technology to apply to this limited discussion. There is a rather new term for those large, individual investors who are usually former entrepreneurs made rich through sale of their previous ventures. Friends and family investors. Individual super angel investors.

Equity 62

Equity Finance Liquidity Event Angel Groups 62

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2010

Many entrepreneurs scare away potential investors by claiming that their technology represents “truly disruptive technology.” Marketing, sales, and partners. Describe your market penetration strategy, sales channels, pricing, and strategic partnerships. Here is also a good place for a rollout timeline with key milestones.

Business Plan 186

Business Plan Exit Strategy Sweat Equity Intellectual Property 186

BeyondVC

MAY 5, 2005

I had lunch with a friend of mine yesterday who is an officer with a public technology company. One of his sales reps was hosting a client meeting and bought $15 worth of donuts. The accountants said that the rep needed to get 2 signatures, one from the VP Sales and one from the CFO. Here is the short story. Why did they fail?

Liquidity Event 60

Liquidity Event Technical Review New York Hosting 60

Growthink Blog

MAY 13, 2012

But, when one of these factors are "out of whack," it can be a much tougher sale to make. And they'll want to invest if they believe your company has great potential to achieve a liquidity event, and one that enables them to earn a significant return on their investment. Getting funding from angel investors is the same way.

Angel Investor 93

Angel Investor Exit Strategy Liquidity Event Angel Groups 93

The Next Web

OCTOBER 7, 2013

They were referring to non-founder engineers, most commonly the first hire for technology businesses. What you need to consider: - x : percent ownership upon a liquidity event. Again this is somewhat simplified as the liquidity event (sale or IPO) may come as cash, stock, or a combination of the two.

Engineer 129

Engineer Dilution Option Pool Vesting 129

Berkonomics

JANUARY 31, 2019

And because there was consideration paid to you in the sale, that clause is binding upon you and is effective almost everywhere. And there are gray areas for former key employees who signed a non-compete with a limited life as part of the sale but remained on with the buyer for some time thereafter.

Non-Compete 48

Non-Compete Bankruptcy Sales Employee 48

Berkonomics

JANUARY 31, 2019

And because there was consideration paid to you in the sale, that clause is binding upon you and is effective almost everywhere. And there are gray areas for former key employees who signed a non-compete with a limited life as part of the sale but remained on with the buyer for some time thereafter.

Non-Compete 48

Non-Compete Bankruptcy Sales Employee 48

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 13, 2020

For example, every investor I know can tell you about meeting a passionate entrepreneur who is pitching a great technology innovation, but has not done the financial homework on making it a good business. If you insist on projecting $100 million in sales the first year, smart investors will likely run for the nearest exit.

Liquidity Event 308

Liquidity Event Forecast Exit Strategy Bootstrapping 308

Berkonomics

AUGUST 27, 2015

Keepers are financed differently than Flippers, which are started with a plan to be acquired in a few years, once the value of the technology or business model is demonstrable. Creating brand is or should be a major focus for companies in industries where positive and immediate customer prospect recognition results in sales.

Intellectual Property 48

Intellectual Property Balance Sheet Stock Options Valuation 48

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 3, 2013

He talked about how for centuries education had “no technological core” (meaning it was bound by physical locations) and thus disruption was very difficult. Internationalization of Technology. We spoke about what succeeds early in technology market evolutions. If you have some time I highly recommend watching it.

Bankruptcy 403

Bankruptcy Offshore Liquidation Preference Balance Sheet 403

Berkonomics

SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

Most investment bankers will coach you into helping them find you a strategic buyer, knowing that such sales are quicker, often less focused upon the small warts of a business, and yield higher prices than financial sales. The price negotiated is not at all the critical factor in the emotional sale. And the emotional buyer.

Intellectual Property 240

Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Acquisition Forecast 240

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 24, 2013

Next week, we begin again with new insights from startup through liquidity event, including guest postings by some of the nation’s best known angel investors and entrepreneurs. That is a comfortable place to be, and it is one experienced by more and more people, especially in technology-based businesses. Just saying….

Liquidity Event 70

Liquidity Event Entrepreneur Stock Options Angel Investor 70

Seeing Both Sides

SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

Decades ago, the thesis of Yossi Vardi , a prolific technology entrepreneur who has invested in 75 Israeli startups, was that Israeli entrepreneurs should seek quick exit opportunities through global corporations interested in buying a window into Israeli talent and technology. We think so. Today, this thesis is less relevant.

Cofounder 20

Cofounder Technical Review United States 20

www.quora.com

JANUARY 16, 2011

How many things on this list require technology? What did you take from idea on the back of a napkin to liquidity event? Shawn Jackson , President, WaveTech Digital Technolog. A MVP's purpose is to prove the idea, not the technology. When I say viable, I mean something that can generate sales.

Developer 42

Developer Technical Review Cofounder Technical Cofounder 42

abovethecrowd.com

APRIL 20, 2016

In late 2015, many public technology companies saw a significant retrenchment in their share prices primarily as a result of a reduction in valuation multiples. If 1999 was a wet (read liquid) bubble, 2015 was a particularly dry one. In Q1 of 2016 there were zero VC-backed technology IPOs.

IPO 40

IPO Term Sheet Silicon Valley Valuation 40

Berkonomics

SEPTEMBER 2, 2011

Most investment bankers will coach you into helping them find you a strategic buyer, knowing that such sales are quicker, often less focused upon the small warts of a business, and yield higher prices than financial sales. The price negotiated is not at all the critical factor in the emotional sale.

Intellectual Property 88

Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Acquisition Forecast 88

www.vccafe.com

MARCH 11, 2013

Every startup faces multiple choices and decisions when it comes to technology. Ad Serving Technology. turn customer feedback into sales and relationships. SaaS Sales Team Compensation â?? Technology & Marketing Law Blog. Hundreds of startups featured since 2005, will yours be next? Preloaders.net. Zendesk â??

Software Review 53

Software Review Technical Review Startup 53

Software By Rob

SEPTEMBER 22, 2009

The Startup Lottery I need to stop here and say this: with a “hot idea&# startup the odds are overwhelmingly against ever getting funding, much less having a liquidity event that puts money in your pocket. For example, you are leaving technology factor out of consideration. 6 comments ↓ #1 Anton on 09.22.09

Marketing 50

Marketing Software Review Technical Review Startup 50