Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 16, 2009

What metrics do we use to see if we learned enough in Customer Discovery ? I gave my boilerplate answer, “I’m a product guy and I tend to invest and look at deals that have measurable revenue metrics. Dave McClure has some great metrics…” It was an honest but vaguely unsatisfying answer. It’s an impressive portfolio.

Customer Development 228

Customer Development Web Developer Customer 228

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024

the Joint Strike Fighter) or for an entire portfolio of similar programs (e.g., And which have converted to portfolio management, which have tried OTA contracts, as well as highlighting those who are doing something novel with metrics or outcomes. A Program Executive Office may be responsible for a specific program (e.g.,

Programming 249

Programming Customer Portfolio Government 249

The Equity Kicker

MAY 3, 2018

Let me start by saying that I’m a massive believer in the power of metrics. However, it’s also true that metrics are not a panacea, with difficulties typically arising when a focus on metrics eclipses the big picture. Over focus on metrics at the expense of meaning, culture and innovation.

Metrics 87

Metrics CPA Early Stage Retention 87

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 6, 2010

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. And make sure you have some metrics or some way of demonstrating why you believe this is going to be a really big market.

Early Stage 360

Early Stage Startup Venture Capital Seed Stage 360

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

VCs crave the ability to help portfolio companies. By being so metrics driven we can have a lot more quantifiable and objective discussions at board meetings and at mid-point reviews. . ” and this morning, “Mark, I sent intro to [redacted], she is in LA. Please meet her while she’s there.” Further Reading.

Advisory Board 365

Advisory Board CTO Hire Fractional CTO Los Angeles 365

SoCal CTO

JUNE 9, 2010

When I do a quick mental query of headcount across our entire portfolio of ~30 companies, I think at least 50% and maybe as much as 60% of the entire headcount of our portfolio is in either product or engineering. it’s about measuring online influence and I’m big on metrics as a key element of business planning; 2.)

Fractional CTO 248

Fractional CTO Startup Venture Capital Cofounder 248

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 15, 2020

The only way we’re really going to change is by trying to create more and more pockets in the defense portfolio and programs that are open to real competition. We need pockets of marketplace-type behavior where actual systems are competed out based on outcome-oriented metrics. And we buy new things more regularly.

Technical Review 399

Technical Review Artificial Inteligence Technology United States 399

Steve Blank

JANUARY 22, 2014

With a portfolio of at least 20 investments, or you are at risk of the adverse selection problem.) This learning and the measurements and metrics that surround it is what evidence based entrepreneurship is all about and what makes it a powerful tool for entrepreneurs, investors and accelerators.

Early Stage 295

Early Stage Silicon Valley Oregon Technical Review 295

The Startup Magazine

JANUARY 14, 2020

The authorities and regulators charged with overseeing the implementation of sustainable plans of actions often evaluate progress on the said metrics by reviewing company’s environmental disclosures and other statements. The plan can then be used in making future business and investment decisions, investment appraisals and portfolio strategy.

Green 175

Green California Government Valuation 175

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

Tech IPO prices exploded and subsequent trading prices rose to dizzying heights as the stock prices became disconnected from the traditional metrics of revenue and profits. Massive liquidity awaited the first movers to the IPO’s, and that’s how they managed their portfolios.

Lean 335

Lean Burn Rate Startup IPO 335

The Startup Magazine

FEBRUARY 11, 2022

Through these applications including its core product CareBook, DataLink helps healthcare payors and providers by resolving gaps in patient care while also improving quality performance metrics. As leader of Hauser Private Equity, Mark Hauser has played an instrumental role in developing the firm’s portfolio within the industrial sector.

Private Equity 165

Private Equity Equity Technical Review Software Review 165

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 23, 2012

In an over-funding environment companies are encouraged to eschew revenues in a land grab to acquire eyeballs, clicks, page views or whatever other vanity metrics give VCs the false comfort that they’re sitting on a gold mine. They compete on features, price and execution.

Venture Capital 347

Venture Capital Technical Review LP Mobile 347

YoungUpstarts

APRIL 22, 2019

A report that can be filtered and aggregated by data points like team, portfolio, or customer, also acts as a KPI that allows teams to identify which projects need attention, which are profiting, and which are facing losses. How are team members performing and interacting?

Artificial Inteligence 168

Artificial Inteligence Software Review Management Software Development 168

Occam's Razor

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

We'll start with digital at the highest strategic level, which leads us into content marketing, from there it is a quick hop over to the challenge of metrics and silos, followed by a recommendation to optimize for the global maxima, and we end with the last two visuals that cover social investment and social content strategy.

Analytics 156

Analytics Marketing Social Media Technical Review 156

The Startup Magazine

OCTOBER 22, 2020

Manage Product Portfolios: Businesses often own several different products that they sell to other targeted consumers. Data analysis helps keep a detailed product portfolio whereby you can assess your products on several different metrics. Each product has a diverse customer base and demand trends.

Analytics 174

Analytics Portfolio Advertising Technical Review 174

David Teten

MAY 20, 2016

As one of the lead engineers at ff Venture Capital , I spend most of my day building custom software solutions that enhance our firm’s process–tools that range from portfolio investment management to co-investor and cap table tracking and more. We posted on our site a more in-depth overview of ff’s Tech Platform.

Private Equity 113

Private Equity Equity Cap Table Venture Capital 113

Hunter Walker

NOVEMBER 16, 2020

I think that there’s nuance, but the thing that stuck with me is the idea that “kicking ass” is some sort of metric that is universally agreed upon. Has any pre-Series A company succeeded on every metric month after month? Are their metrics infallible and would every single person in the world agree that they’ve cracked the code?

Founder 133

Founder Cofounder Metrics Technical Review 133

crowdSPRING Blog

OCTOBER 4, 2013

Great post on the most important internet metric of them all – CONVERSION – crowdspring.co/18u6N8Y. Great post on the most important internet metric of them all – CONVERSION – crowdspring.co/18u6N8Y. Great post on the most important internet metric of them all – CONVERSION – crowdspring.co/18u6N8Y.

Social Media 100

Social Media Small Business Design Media 100

The Startup Magazine

APRIL 1, 2018

Understand which one is right for you by learning about their reputation, taking a look at their website and examining their portfolio. If there’s a business in their portfolio that could be a direct competitor to your product, you’ll be better off avoiding them. Many VCs see a long winded and complicated pitch as a red flag.

Startup 117

Startup Portfolio Software Review Technical Review 117

VC Cafe

SEPTEMBER 2, 2022

What most improved your primary metric? Most of these can sound like common sense, but you’d be surprised how many founders skip this initial research. Weeks to launch? Users/prospective users talked to in the last week? what have you learned from them? On a scale of 1-10, what’s your morale? Biggest obstacle?

Technical Review 166

Technical Review Early Stage Cofounder Portfolio 166

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 14, 2009

Over the same 30 years, Venture Capital firms have honed their skills and strategies to match Wall Streets needs to achieve liquidity for their portfolio companies. My own metric is that you need experience >= 1.5 What Do VC’s Do? Warning sign? Say 40 years = 20 years real direct experience. At best. ~ Is 20 years enough?

Silicon Valley 237

Silicon Valley IPO Technical Review Venture Capital 237

Occam's Razor

JULY 22, 2013

My solution to these problems was to create a simple framework we can use to put our customers first, evaluate our marketing programs, and right-align our view of success (metrics). I believe it has to do with choosing the wrong success metrics. Because the consideration stage matches your marketing, which in turn matches the metric.

Framework 164

Framework Marketing Metrics Audience 164

crowdSPRING Blog

JANUARY 11, 2013

The Most Important Marketing Metrics – Duct Tape Marketing – [link]. The Most Important Marketing Metrics – Duct Tape Marketing – [link]. 25 Beautiful Portfolio Website Designs | Vandelay Design Blog – [link]. Hard Lessons Learned. | Ben Milne – [link]. . | Ben Milne – [link].

Social Media 101

Social Media Small Business Design Media 101

The Startup Magazine

JULY 21, 2021

Not only do SEO and CMS skills stand out on a resume, but they can also be demonstrated in a portfolio to further impress recruiters. Tools like Google Analytics and Optimizely reveal key metrics to track campaigns and run A/B tests. How do marketers promote a company’s content? This is where paid advertising comes in.

Technical Review 148

Technical Review PPC SEM Marketing 148

VC Adventure

AUGUST 31, 2017

If you read my blog regularly you know I love (LOVE) metrics. They took the 92 public SaaS companies and analyzed their key operating metrics. The valuation metrics show this clearly. And as a rule of thumb for businesses in our portfolio we target payback periods of 12 months or less. The methodology here was great.

IPO 113

IPO Vertical Balance Sheet Valuation 113

Genuine VC

JULY 19, 2010

Portfolio construction favors early-round capital allocation vs. company life-cycle allocation. These results are based on actual usage of product by early users, with resulting operating metrics which more than just validate a hypothesis. Initial investment in a company is among the first non-founder capital raised.

Seed Stage 175

Seed Stage Technical Review Dilution Offshore 175

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

If the companies in their portfolio don’t have much in common with yours, it’s usually better to look elsewhere. You’ll certainly want to be clear about your unique differentiators, but VCs also want to see numbers and metrics, along with well-thought-out plans for how you’ll meet those metrics. Tailor your pitch deck.

Technical Review 140

Technical Review Due Diligence Early Stage Differentiation 140

The Equity Kicker

FEBRUARY 8, 2012

With earlier stage companies investors generally don’t have the luxury of being able to rely on hard metrics and instead have to rely on gut feel – i.e. ‘direct’ evaluation. VCs often use executives in relevant portfolio companies to do this expert review. supply chain management, marketing), but not a good product.

Technical Review 123

Technical Review Product Venture Capital Valuation 123

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 11, 2022

The playbook describes the three pillars of corporate innovation: Innovation Portfolios, Innovation Programs and a Culture of Innovation. Innovation Portfolio: what are your company’s portfolio of innovation projects? This may include new processes, metrics, incentive systems, or changing organizational structures.

Portfolio 378

Portfolio Business Model Metrics Programming 378

VC Cafe

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024

According to Pitchbook, “The median return of emerging fund portfolios narrowly exceeded that of their established counterparts, while the top-quartile figure delivered by emerging managers significantly outperformed.” Hunger : A strong drive to prove themselves and help their portfolio succeed.

Management 103

Management Technical Review Venture Capital Generative AI 103

David Teten

DECEMBER 3, 2019

However, in private markets, there is more room to optimize across all 11 steps of the investing process: firm management , marketing, fundraising , origination , manage relationships, due diligence, negotiation, monitoring, portfolio acceleration , reporting, and.

Technical Review 78

Technical Review Software Review Analytics Private Equity 78

ReadWriteStart

OCTOBER 20, 2023

Meeting growth metrics, achieving profitability, and ensuring a substantial return on investment are now integral parts of the startup journey. With a diverse portfolio of projects and services, the company is committed to delivering cutting-edge solutions tailored for brands, tech enthusiasts, investors, and business owners worldwide.

Technical Review 137

Technical Review Startup Silicon Valley Agile 137

Up and Running

MAY 10, 2021

Simply research the company with its portfolio. What metrics are you tracking? Your development team is the key to your success. Today, there are thousands of development teams all over the world. How can you choose the right one? Successful teams normally have successful apps behind their back. What does your monthly user count.

Artificial Inteligence 150

Artificial Inteligence Developer Development Team Review United Kingdom 150

Occam's Razor

AUGUST 12, 2013

The outcome in either scenario is a restructuring of the organization that is exquisitely geared towards taking advantage of portfolio optimization. You can even get great first-step guidance about how to rebalance your portfolio from that last column. Related implications of what you want to do in-house vs. out source to an Agency.

Channel 162

Channel Analytics Campaign Conversion 162

Hearpreneur

JANUARY 19, 2022

11- Paying attention to metrics. Metrics do not lie, and metrics over a longer time period are much more useful to study. Although your company's analytics are vital, simply investigating your own metrics is insufficient. Instead, you should monitor metrics for the whole sector. Photo Credit: Shiv Gupta.

Entrepreneur 127

Entrepreneur Metrics Technical Review North America 127

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 30, 2015

Google’s average cost per click (CPC), the metric that calculates the price paid each time a website visitor clicks on a search ad displayed on that site, has been declining incrementally, if not steadily, over the last two years.

Advertising 100

Advertising Revenue Mobile Intellectual Property 100

ConversionXL

JANUARY 9, 2019

Is it higher usability metrics, like task completion and conversions, or something beyond analytics, like revenue? Test each iteration of your design and compare the results to the baseline metrics you established on your first run. Important usability metrics include: Completion Rate. A portfolio of UX work. Task Time.

Design 131

Design Software Review Audio Technical Review 131