View from Seed

NOVEMBER 6, 2014

Isaac Cambron is co-founder and CTO of Zensight.co , whose pre-launch product enables sales reps to find and use their best content to close more deals. Below, he answers questions about developing products from scratch, as well as the difficult technology choices and tradeoffs CTOs must make.

Technology 334

Technology Ruby Startup Engineer 334

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 12, 2019

Some of the best and brightest wanted to work for defense contractors or corporate research and development labs. And the best startups spun out of Stanford were building components for weapon systems. Indeed, Silicon Valley was born as a center for weapon systems development and its software and silicon helped end the Cold War.

Government 316

Government Artificial Inteligence Silicon Valley North Korea 316

View from Seed

NOVEMBER 18, 2020

One of the most highly anticipated startup IPOs of recent years, we now get a peek inside Airbnb’s business. Sales and marketing has been 30%+ basically forever, though undoubtedly Airbnb has enough brand recognition and loyal customers that if you turned off marketing spend then revenue would drop but not to zero.

North America 401

North America IPO Prospectus Europe 401

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 10, 2013

Assessing the upcoming expenditure and determining your startup budget will be essential for the smooth and problem-free start of business activities. To estimate the startup costs for a new business, you will have to take a look at several different categories of expenditure. Product Development and Marketing.

Cost 183

Cost Startup Web Development Finance 183

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 20, 2011

There are unknowns at every turn, leading product development, attracting customers, managing cash, and dealing with human resources and office politics. Probably 80% of the startups I know have found human resource issues to be the most treacherous. Stretch” goals in early-stage are not advised. Too slow or too fast to change.

Advisory Board 232

Advisory Board Startup Forecast Early Stage 232

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

AUGUST 30, 2010

Rob Walling generously allowed me to reprint this excerpt from his new book, "Start Small, Stay Small: A Developer's Guide to Launching a Startup" available in paperback and Kindle from Amazon and in PDF and ePub from StartupBook.net. Why Should My Startup Use a Virtual Assistant? It's a mix of shock and excitement. The Lesson.

Software Review 284

Software Review Startup Technical Review Hosting 284

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 10, 2020

This is especially true for startups, which operate on the basis of customer traction to solidify expectations with investors or lending institutions. sales to product development), the problems will continue to exist. Invest time and thought into your sales processes and structures.

Customer 347

Customer Development Team Review Advisory Board Private Equity 347

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 15, 2009

Steve Gilison worked as a market researcher and product manager at a startup where my company, TechEmpower , did the software / web development. I have about 11 years in the technology sector including roles doing market research, sales and product development. Most people think they can do product design.

Los Angeles 179

Los Angeles Southern California Management Product 179

YoungUpstarts

APRIL 21, 2013

Creators of new products in environments of extreme uncertainty, startups face enormous risks. Insufficient capital, over investment, and low sales are just some of the reasons leading to this sobering statistic. As a startup owner, what can you do to improve your chances? Key ideas from the book include the following: 1.

Lean 193

Lean Technical Review North America Startup 193

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 1, 2009

This is part of my ongoing posts on Startup Advice. Our sales guys were on the front line and heard what they needed to win deals. They communicated this to product management who looked at all of the internal requirements we had generated (e.g. and product management worked with me to decide what to build & when.

Customer 280

Customer Technical Review Software Review Mexico 280

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2010

I never implied that startups are all great and job hoppers are all at fault. Most of what I learned about operating startups I learned from the really tough years at my first company from 2001-2003. That is when no customers wanted to work with Internet startups because we as an industry had burned so many customers.

Venture Capital 285

Venture Capital Hiring Software Review Stock Options 285

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 16, 2013

I can think of several related aspects of starting and running a business where follow-up, or lack of it, can make or break your startup. Product development. For a great idea person, the product details keep changing for the better, but nothing ever gets finished. That’s the bar you should aspire to. Customer retention.

Entrepreneur 275

Entrepreneur Technical Review Software Review Retention 275

Gust

APRIL 27, 2014

Software Development Process via Wikipedia. Even when your startup is a one-man show and lots of fun, a “business” needs some discipline and controls to keep it from being defined as a hobby by investors, and assure some financial return. Product development process.

Startup 187

Startup Institutional Investors Angel Investor Bootstrapping 187

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2012

Product development is stuck at that 90% mark, a key person leaves, and customers are talking but not buying. I challenge any startup to show me they have avoided all of these: One of the founders isn’t delivering. Sales aren’t meeting projections. But all too soon, reality sets in. The team is not getting along.

Software Developers 229

Software Developers Software Development Business Model Product Development 229

Steve Blank

AUGUST 17, 2012

E.piphany was an 11-month-old startup with 31 people and on fire. Joe Dinucci, our VP of Sales, was hot on the trail of our next big order. He had just demo’d our product to his friend, the CFO of Autodesk. At the time Autodesk’s sales organization was frustrated with their IT department. Customer Validation.

Forecast 299

Forecast Sales Matching Customer Development 299

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 15, 2010

I can think of several related aspects of starting and running a business where follow-up, or lack of it, can make or break your startup. Product development. For a great idea person, the product details keep changing for the better, but nothing ever gets finished. That’s the bar you should aspire to. Customer retention.

Entrepreneur 237

Entrepreneur Technical Review Software Review Retention 237

Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 29, 2013

This post was written by Sarah Milstein, co-host of The Lean Startup Conference. We’re looking for speakers for the 2013 Lean Startup Conference. If you’re a Lean Startup veteran, feel free to skim the beginning, as this is mostly stuff you already know. Last week, we announced that our short application form was live.

Lean 165

Lean Technical Review Startup Software Review 165

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2009

Well obviously that’s meaningless if your startup idea sucks. He was at a startup that was in a super hot sector. They realized that they were selling a bunch of cool products but none that had enough economic value. I just knew that our sales sucked wind and we were burning through tons of cash.

Entrepreneur 306

Entrepreneur Burn Rate Cofounder Sales 306

YoungUpstarts

FEBRUARY 28, 2018

by Steve Owens, Founder and CTO of Finish Line Product Development Services. The reasons for startup failures are well documented in numerous sources. Startups are hard – much harder than running an existing business. There is no product, processes or history to guide decisions. Ran out of Cash – 29%.

Startup 133

Startup Product Development Revenue Distribution 133

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2012

There are unknowns at every turn, leading product development, attracting customers, managing cash, and dealing with human resources and office politics. Probably 80% of the startups I know have found human resource issues to be the most treacherous. Stretch” goals in early-stage are not advised. Too slow or too fast to change.

Advisory Board 240

Advisory Board Forecast Early Stage Product Development 240

ReadWriteStart

MAY 8, 2012

Have you thought about joining a startup, but have no idea what you could possibly offer? Perhaps you are looking forward to graduation and want to pick some skills that will help you work for a startup when you leave school. Perhaps it is time to look into Startup School. Startups are not easy. Startups are businesses.

Boston 124

Boston Massachusetts Startup Ruby 124

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 13, 2012

The Japanese edition of The Startup Owner’s Manual hit the bookstores in Japan this week. I asked Tsutsumi-san to write a guest post for my blog to describe his experience with Customer Development in Japan. I asked Tsutsumi-san to write a guest post for my blog to describe his experience with Customer Development in Japan.

Japan 305

Japan Customer Development Developer Customer 305

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 8, 2009

Traction can simply mean showing that you’re making progress with customers, product development, channel partners, initial revenue as a proof point, attracting well-known angel investors, winning industry awards / recognition. Tags: Pitching VCs Start-up Advice startup technology vc venture capital. Neither is the norm.

Technical Review 309

Technical Review Term Sheet Venture Capital Revenue 309

Startup Lessons Learned

AUGUST 6, 2013

Guest post by Lisa Regan On August 20, Eric will sit down with developer and Hut8Labs co-founder Dan Milstein for a webcast you can join to discuss “Getting Engineers Into the Lean Startup Cycle.” This conversation will be a great opportunity for engineers and engineering managers to learn more about implementing Lean Startup ideas.

Lean 167

Lean Engineer Startup Cofounder 167

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 20, 2024

When it comes to B2B startups, effective marketing can make or break a company’s early growth trajectory. With limited resources and high stakes, startups must be strategic about every decision, particularly when it comes to marketing. One increasingly popular strategy is to hire a fractional chief marketing officer (CMO).

B2B 148

B2B Hiring Salary Early Stage 148

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 2, 2014

These cycles are particularly pronounced in the technology industry, where rapid innovation leads to rapid product releases, and often to rapid failures. The startup community prides itself on supporting risk-taking and embracing failure. Innovation involves risk. Don’t Make the Same Mistakes. Brands are fueled by competition.

Product 222

Product Technical Review Software Review Green 222

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

In the last decade, SaaS (Software as a Service) has become a very popular model for new software product development. The largest cost component of establishing a SaaS company is product development costs. This includes the design, development, launch, and enhancement of the SaaS application. .

Cost 158

Cost Developer Azure Churn Rate 158

Steve Blank

MAY 9, 2017

I’ve spent my life in innovation, eight startups in 21 years, and the last 15 years in academia teaching it. the wave of semiconductor startups in the 1960’s/70’s, the emergence of Venture Capital as a professional industry, the personal computer revolution in 1980’s, the rise of the Internet in the 1990’s and finally.

Restful 249

Restful Silicon Valley San Jose Puerto Rico 249

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 26, 2010

So the early part of a technology company is about finding your hard core group of early adopters and making them passionate about your products. You need to give them advance notice of your product development or better yet let them help influence your direction. You need to give them “back stage&# passes to your company.

Customer 294

Customer Marketing Technical Review Iowa 294

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

In this period (less than 2 years) he has brought on incredibly talented senior execs is sales, marketing, product management, client services, finance, vp engineering and more. Startup Advice' Growth like this, this early in a company’s lifecycle rarely happens. In his spare time he raised nearly $30 million.

Advisory Board 365

Advisory Board CTO Hire Fractional CTO Los Angeles 365

The Startup Magazine

FEBRUARY 16, 2022

DataRails , the financial analysis and reporting software startup, has announced the hiring of David Rosenberg as the company’s new VP of customer success. Others in that cohort included Zviki Shimon (CFO), Yair Areli (senior VP of global sales), Nir Mandel (VP of product management), and Aviv Canaani (VP of marketing).

Hiring 172

Hiring Software Review Customer Israel 172

Version One Ventures

SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

Sell to few”: Traditional enterprise sales. Selling into this market requires the traditional enterprise sales approach, comprised of a large ‘boots on the ground’ field sales team that works with key decision makers (e.g. These are long sales cycles, often with multiple departments and stakeholders involved.

Fractional CTO 154

Fractional CTO Software Review Viral Sales Cycle 154

Business Plan Blog

OCTOBER 4, 2013

Aligning the Startup Team Strategy with the Capitalization Strategy. The single most important factor to raising capital for any tech startup is the management team. Furthermore, a startup works differently than a large corporation. Below are some tips for aligning the startup team with the capitalization strategy.

Part-Time VPE 79

Part-Time VPE Fractional VPE Cofounder CTO Hire 79

Steve Blank

JUNE 25, 2009

Twenty eight years ago I was the bright, young, eager product marketing manager called out to the field to support sales by explaining the technical details of Convergent Technologies products to potential customers. So their management teams were insisting that they OEM (buy from someone else) these products.

Technology 145

Technology Silicon Valley Fractional VPE Part-Time VPE 145

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 12, 2010

There are unknowns at every turn, leading product development, attracting customers, managing cash, and dealing with human resources and office politics. Probably 80% of the startups I know have found human resource issues to be the most treacherous. Tags: entrepreneur startup worst case survival. Marty Zwilling.

Advisory Board 125

Advisory Board Startup Forecast Early Stage 125

Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 14, 2009

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Tuesday, April 14, 2009 Validated learning about customers Would you rather have $30,000 or $1 million in revenues for your startup? In an early-stage startup especially, revenue is not an important goal in and of itself. Let’s start with a simple question: why do early-stage startups want revenue?

Customer 167

Customer San Francisco Lean Hockey Stick 167

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 4, 2010

In my experience, there are many considerations which are critical to the productivity and success of this effort. Even though it usually makes sense from a marketing perspective for a startup to stage software rollout to various locales, it makes no sense to design and implement your application that way. Prior experience is critical.

Software 200

Software Distribution Europe Database 200