TechEmpower

MARCH 4, 2024

AI empowers businesses to craft more impactful marketing campaigns by utilizing data analytics for content personalization and market trend forecasting, thereby significantly enhancing campaign relevance and effectiveness. It also facilitates rapid prototyping, allowing for quicker iterations and thus shorter development cycles.

Generative AI 295

Generative AI CTO Hire Fractional CTO Software Review 295

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. He had a track record of taking small teams and growing them into successful product lines.

Technical Cofounder 368

Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 368

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 3, 2021

As a starting point, I like the Wikipedia simple definition of innovation as “the application of better solutions to meet new requirements or market needs.” Many product innovations come from quality improvement focuses, like the Japanese Kaizen initiative. Solution innovations need to be perfected before going to market.

Technical Review 431

Technical Review Leadership Operations Networking 431

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 25, 2021

Every entrepreneur with a new technology tells me that his innovation will be industry-disrupting, meaning that it will render the existing technology obsolete, and create a new market. Entrepreneurs tend to look for big changes and big markets when seeking disruptive opportunities, when the opposite may be more effective.

Non-Compete 394

Non-Compete Technical Review Forecast Social Media 394

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 30, 2022

In fact, it’s all about the “focus” required to get early stage technology products across the deadly chasm from early adopters to mainstream customers. Missions and products that are too broad confuse your team, your customers, and potential investors. Product development chasm. Marketing and sales chasm.

Technical Review 375

Technical Review Startup Dilution Early Stage 375

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2021

According to an old Harvard Business Review article, many people in history, famous for their inventions, like Thomas Edison, were entrepreneurs who only later were remembered as inventors of the products they commercialized. Technology limited to a single product is seldom enough for a business. Early adopters are not a big market.

Technical Review 391

Technical Review Intellectual Property Early Stage Global 391

TechEmpower

JULY 24, 2023

At TechEmpower, we frequently talk to startup founders, CEOs, product leaders, and other innovators about their next big tech initiative. Background Questions Let’s start with some background questions about the business and product. How will you be taking this to market? What problem is your product trying to solve?

Developer 520

Developer Technical Review Fractional CTO CTO Hire 520

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2022

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. Success demands testing the solution early and quickly in the market, then iterating to get it right. Nail the go-to-market strategy.

Angel Investor 359

Angel Investor Technical Review Incubator Business Model 359

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 18, 2020

This distrust for the scripted message has led to a new demand for unfiltered marketing, and the emergence of business credibility heroes, like Elon Musk, with his bold statements about space travel, and sometime villains, such as Mark Zuckerberg defending Facebook privacy practices. Real-time in-process updates vs after-the-fact stories.

Customer 433

Customer B2C Technical Review Social Media 433

The Startup Magazine

DECEMBER 19, 2024

Success often hinges on careful strategic planning and adapting to market shifts. Entrepreneurs need to define their market niche and craft effective competitive strategies to counteract competitive pressures. This strategy not only cuts costs but also helps in planning for the future, keeping your startup ahead in competitive markets.

Technical Review 135

Technical Review Startup Differentiation Social Media 135

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 14, 2021

For example, my dictate that entrepreneurs need to find a “ painful ” problem to solve (such as high cost, low productivity) to attract customers, doesn’t really account for many successful startup businesses today, including top social media platforms, dating sites, and new fashions. Play to exclusivity, uniqueness, and personalization.

Customer 432

Customer Social Media Dividend Technical Review 432

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2022

I have found it to be more productive and effective to lead with the model that no meetings will take an hour, and may be done in as little as five minutes. 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. Marty Zwilling.

Elevator Pitch 386

Elevator Pitch Technical Review Dividend Leadership 386

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

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 341

Intellectual Property Technical Review Startup Incubator 341

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2022

By definition, most startups begin as a result of some innovation in product, process, or service. The problem is that innovations in most business areas are coming so fast these days that yours can be overrun while still being scaled up across geographies and other products. Product-line expansion. Geographic expansion.

Dilution 355

Dilution Startup Merger Flash 355

TechEmpower

AUGUST 21, 2023

Other common scenarios that we’ve seen: Scaling and new markets: Your company and product are established, and now you’re scaling or going after new markets. Keeping up with the competition: You’re a market leader in a fast-growing field. We then review the answers with the technical and product teams.

Technical Review 260

Technical Review Development Team Review Software Review Architecture 260

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2022

With social media and smart phone apps, real product information spreads at astounding speeds. It is required today for new innovation strategies, analyzing markets for new opportunities, and organizational changes. For a business, volatile markets are a source of great opportunities, as well as great risks.

Agile 379

Agile Technical Review Leadership Social Media 379

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 1, 2021

First of all, I will admit that there is some risk involved with talking to any potential investors, even with an agreement, just as there is risk in all the elements of your plan, product and market opportunity. Product details in the public domain can never be patented. Unsolicited proposals or requests for information.

Non-disclosure Agreement 399

Non-disclosure Agreement Technical Review Due Diligence Angel Investor 399

TechEmpower

AUGUST 7, 2023

Here’s a graphic from Socal CTO that illustrates the roles as they change over time: In its earliest days, a startup’s top need is often to produce a product. Getting something to market and getting funding override any other concerns. It’s understandable - a hands-on developer can produce a product.

CTO Hire 260

CTO Hire Fractional CTO Fractional VPE Developer 260

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 14, 2022

Market your solution and user benefits, not the mysterious technology behind it. There seems to be an insatiable demand from consumers for a better shopping experience, meaning they will pay a premium to a company that can present them a better match in products to their interests, without jeopardizing their good name.

Technical Review 342

Technical Review Customer Social Network Software Review 342

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2020

You may think that patents and copyrights are not required, since your products are so innovative, but you will find that competitors are quick to copy your idea if you don’t protect it. In addition to locking in his leadership position in electric vehicles, he has also used his patents to negotiate faster growth in his market.

Intellectual Property 432

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Technical Review Angel Investor 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. Every business and brand has unique requirements to fit into their market environment. Leadership brand development.

Technical Review 323

Technical Review Due Diligence Valuation Leadership 323

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 16, 2021

Some of us are proud to be technologists, while others love marketing or team building. Everyone sees your energy applied more productively, and has the urge to help. It allows you to change and learn as the market evolves, and your business needs change. Prioritize your passions in improving competence.

Leadership 435

Leadership Marketing Developer Entrepreneur 435

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

Labor rates are lower in some countries, but culture and language match are the real keys to productivity. But trying to use it on call centers, affiliate marketing, or even data entry probably won’t be effective. Hire and train your own managers for internal and external work projects. Be flexible.

Cost 346

Cost Philippines Bandwidth Cofounder 346

TechEmpower

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

Product descriptions and listings require tedious editing to make them engaging - especially after the fortieth one. Are you a founder or CEO or head of product? Go through your product right now and look for empty text boxes. Each one represents a great opportunity to make your users more productive and happier.

Generative AI 295

Generative AI Artificial Inteligence Houston America 295

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 12, 2023

Viral marketing costs real money, and your support staff and hosting systems cost even more. There is no substitute for market research to confirm that your passion matches a real need in the market. Finish the product before marketing begins. Marketing should start before product development.

Intellectual Property 312

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Investor Viral 312

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2021

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. They need an operational CEO who knows the market and the marketing game. Craft an operational plan and make it work.

Exit Strategy 407

Exit Strategy Leadership Founder Networking 407

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 11, 2023

In reality, based on my experience as a startup advisor and investor, these constraints lead the best entrepreneurs to the most innovative solutions and new markets otherwise overlooked by their peers and competitors. In fact, that feeling of autonomy makes everyone more productive, more loyal, and feel valued.

Technical Review 277

Technical Review Partner Matching Channel 277

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 12, 2021

In my view, the increasing consumer demand for personal marketing and personal assistants will soon overcome paranoia, and reasonable boundaries will emerge. In some ways, these aren't that different from the old Amazon.com "recommendation engine," which suggests new products based on your surfing and buying habits, but they go much further.

Web 380

Web Search Semantic Software Review 380

Steve Blank

JUNE 1, 2021

His job was to find new commercial markets for this bacteria at scale. And he wanted to chat about how to best enter a new market. His market research found that the concrete industry contributes between 5 and 10% of the world’s carbon emissions. Your product is not someone’s problem. There was silence for a moment.

Product 433

Product Advisory Board Green Customer 433

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2022

If the customer need is obvious and large, the calculated risk is in the quality of your solution, your team, and marketing. Plan to deliver a family of products, rather than a one-trick pony. Even a great initial product, with no follow-on, won’t keep you ahead of competitors very long. Implement a modern real business model.

Forecast 304

Forecast Stock Options Technical Review Metrics 304

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 6, 2023

Here investors are looking for feature problems or quality issues on the current product. A hard look will be taken at the technology maturity, the current development progress, and customer satisfaction with early product shipments. Status of the solution. In addition, manufacturing and inventory levels will be reviewed.

Technical Review 296

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Bankruptcy 296

Steve Blank

APRIL 20, 2021

Shawn immediately said the name I had given the four steps was confusing – I had called it market development – he suggested that I call it Customer Development – and the name stuck. Many of them get hung up on understanding how to select the right minimal viable product. Your mission is your baby.

Product 436

Product Viral Channel San Francisco 436

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 16, 2022

Yet I find, as a mentor and outside consultant, that many of you focus only on working conditions and compensation as the key factors determining team engagement , health, and productivity. In my experience, a healthy team is a prerequisite for a thriving business, innovation to meet market needs, and high customer loyalty.

Technical Review 353

Technical Review Cofounder Employee Global 353

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 13, 2022

In these days of global competition via multiple channels, you need continuous marketing to find more customers. Influencers are recognized experts and pseudo celebrities who can pick favorite products or start new trends. Produce marketing events to get visibility and attention. They won’t find you.

Technical Review 355

Technical Review Social Media Channel Flash 355

TechEmpower

JULY 31, 2023

Start by building just enough of your product to get early CAC and CLV signals (they won’t be perfect). Another thing that Dave has done well is to look at the value of different marketing channels: There’s a lot of value in this presentation. cto , infotech , innovation , product , project , saas

Metrics 260

Metrics Startup Retention Acquisition 260

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 23, 2022

Every startup lucky enough to get some traction gets to the point where they decide to hire some “regular employees” for sales, marketing, and administrative tasks. Then they are surprised to see productivity and creativity take a big dip. Employees will lose focus on their work.” Sales will be the organization’s sole focus.”

Startup 337

Startup Technical Review Employee Hiring 337

TechEmpower

AUGUST 14, 2023

Specifically, they should know about, and help with: Asking and answering the 53 Questions Developers Should Ask Innovators Knowing when and how to bring on development talent ( Hiring Developers Before Product/Market Fit? , Then, a month later, the product is still 90% done. And six weeks later – 90% again!

Technical Review 260

Technical Review CTO Hire Fractional CTO Software Review 260