Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 6, 2023

With the advent and growth of crowdfunding over the past few years, many entrepreneurs have predicted the demise of angel investment groups and venture capital organizations. According to more recent statistics , fewer than a third of all crowdfunding operations end up being successful, and the rest have to return anything they do collect.

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 5, 2016

In my experience as an advisor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I often encounter the myth that an initial startup requires investors. Outside funding is not a startup entitlement. Outside funding is not a startup entitlement. You don’t have to fight for your equity, and no one can slow you down in decision making.

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Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 1, 2016

Having time to think about “leadership” at most startups feels like a luxury. The reality of most startups is about survival. It’s a new year – 2016. We want to invest in early-stage technology enabled startup businesses – upfront in the funding cycle.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 20, 2016

Thus the top priority of every entrepreneur who wants funding should be to build and highlight their “dream team” of co-founders, executives and advisers, to attract the biggest and best investors. Solo entrepreneurs rarely find an investor. Investors talk to each other and they love warm introductions to up-and-coming entrepreneurs.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2016

One of the reasons that now is the time to be an entrepreneur is the explosion of startup assistance organizations, usually called incubators or accelerators. Most of these are non-profits, set up by a university to commercialize new technologies, or a municipality to foster business development for the local economy.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2016

I find that this type offers the most value to new entrepreneurs or startups in the early idea stage. Here are some of the key parameters that will help you decide where you fit in this spectrum: Your commitment to the entrepreneur lifestyle. Most incubators start their program with some aptitude and business acumen tests.

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Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2016

I’d like to explain as best I can my opinion on what is going on because most of what I hear from entrepreneurs is not only wrong but is reminiscent of what I heard in 1997-2000. The Motive for Speaking Up. ” “Mark has a vested interest in talking down valuations of startups.” All of these are false.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2016

Most aspiring entrepreneurs look to their alma mater, or any university, as a source of classes that can help them, but neglect to think outside the box or take advantage of all the other resources to be found there. Access to entrepreneurs-in-residence, business mentors. Visibility to startup job opportunities and career guidance.

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Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2016

Despite a valiant effort, we only briefly succeeded in putting IBM in the personal computer business, but our efforts changed my view of entrepreneurs forever. No consideration can be given to experience running a startup, breadth of skills, or even thinking like an entrepreneur. Every such deal was an exception.

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SoCal Tech Calendar

AUGUST 4, 2016

Wednesday, August 10, 2016 -- Will Crowdfunding Be In Your Company’s Future? With the SEC approving recent rules for Crowdfunding, more startup companies are now being able to take advantage of this capital formation pathway. OC Tech Alliance. See [link] (more)

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2017

Investing in entrepreneurs and startups is a fun but different world from investing in conventional stocks, bonds, and commodities. First of all, it’s more of an investment in people than in a business, since the startup is usually an idea barely half-baked when they need your money. Start in a business domain you know well.

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Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2016

Entrepreneurs who are looking to attract investors need to develop and pitch a plan -- preferably written -- that answers every potential investor question about your startup before it is asked. Name the three top ones, and present your sustainable advantage as well as barriers to entry for new startups.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 2, 2016

Starting a new business is not an informal process, and should never be treated like a hobby between friends. Unfortunately, as a startup advisor and angel investor, I’ve seen too many ventures with great potential get destroyed or set back by legal and other shortcuts that should never have been allowed to happen.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 16, 2016

Whether you are talking to peers, competitors or investors, you as an active entrepreneur will be judged on your familiarity with today’s startup and funding jargon. In that context, I offer you my latest collection of popular investor-to-entrepreneur terms and concepts. Could your startup be the next one? Sweat equity.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 13, 2016

It’s very fashionable these days to declare yourself a social entrepreneur, working for the good of society, the environment and a better life. Most social entrepreneurs don’t like to talk about making money, but often they still ask for help finding investors. No equity investors for a non-profit. Innovation is hard to find.

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Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2016

After listening to hundreds of startup pitches, and reading even more business plans, most new venture investors develop their own favorite list of “red flags” that signal the beginning of the end of their interest. Even non-profits need money to scale, but their pitch should be to philanthropists, not equity investors.

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Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2016

As a business advisor and advocate for entrepreneurs, I find myself almost always talking and writing about change. I was reminded of a number of these by a recent book, “ The Thing About Work: Showing Up and Other Important Matters ,” by Richard A. Showing up still matters. This is not about clocking in to work.

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Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 23, 2016

Today is the new age of the entrepreneur, and I see an increasing number of new startups as the economy stabilizes. For new aspiring entrepreneurs, that’s the good news and the bad news, as it increases opportunities, but also increases the startup risk. Extend network through startup organizations.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 6, 2016

But in my experience as a startup advisor, too many entrepreneurs get stuck there, and always find excuses for not really exploring mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, and alliance alternatives. The organic solution is to hire more people, spend more money, and ramp up your focus. Investigate strategic alliance alternatives.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 8, 2016

One of the myths I often hear as an advisor to many entrepreneurs is that their lifestyle would somehow be better if they could more easily find other people’s money to build their startup. Most entrepreneurs never forget for a moment that having investors means owing money, even if they can legally argue that equity is not debt.

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Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 29, 2016

Most entrepreneurs I know are so passionate about their new idea that they are surprised when family and friends don’t line up to invest in their new venture. The reality is that investors, including myself, believe that the entrepreneur is more key to business success than the idea. Talking loudly is not enough.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2016

What every entrepreneur is asking me these days, is “How do I get to be a unicorn?” Based on some good estimates of how many new ventures have been started in the last five years, the statistical odds of any individual startup making it to this level are less than one in a million. Active interest by a multitude of investors.

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Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 6, 2016

If you really want to start a business your way without a boss or professional investor hovering over you, then just fund it yourself or through friends and family, and grow it organically. According to many experts , over 90 percent of successful businesses currently start this way. Practice living on a shoestring budget.

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Xconomy

NOVEMBER 15, 2016

In May of 2016, rules from the Securities and Exchange Commission went into effect that will democratize the process even further. These new rules will open the doors to more investors, but they also pose some significant challenges for entrepreneurs seeking to safely tap this expanded source of financing.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 11, 2016

Angel investors are still the lifeblood of early-stage startups, despite the surge of activity in crowdfunding and an increasing early interest from venture capitalists. If you are an inventor, for example, you need to line up the business side of your team before angels will be interested. Simplicity is preferred at this stage.

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Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 1, 2016

Many entrepreneurs are so focused on finalizing their innovative product or service that they procrastinate on the formalities of forming the requisite new company until later. for incorporation should provide you at least the key startup entity considerations you need to address in any business environment around the world.

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socalTECH

MARCH 4, 2021

How did you go from running a venture fund to starting Miso? This was in mid-2016, and the decreasing costs of robotics and computer vision made me think that the process of making a burger could be fully automated. So, with the last funds out of my fund, I started Miso Robotics. I recruited a team to run and build the business.

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Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2016

Every entrepreneur I know feels the pressure of the thousands of things that need to get done, all seemingly at the same time. Start each day with the highest priority task you need done that day, and leave the emails and phone calls till the end of the day, if you have time. There is just not enough time!

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Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 5, 2016

Too many entrepreneurs put their best creative thinking into the startup idea, and believe that the business implementation simply requires following tried and true business practices. In my experience as a startup advisor, nothing could be further from the truth. Start thinking outside the box.

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LATechDigest

MAY 16, 2016

Silicon Beach Startup 101 (-5/20). Startups in the Sky. Manager IRVING AZOFF to YouTube: Pay Up ( link ). COMPARABLY Adds Equity Calculator ( link ). Rhubarb Hosted Entrepreneur Journeys. Calvin Lee (@mayhemstudios) May 12, 2016. Startup Grind Hosted Jason Nazar. Monday May 16. LA Fintech. YoungStars.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 27, 2016

There is an old saying in the startup investor community, “Smart investors invest in the team, not the idea.” As an angel investor, I’ve learned to believe in this approach, since I have seen great ideas go astray, due to poor execution and I have seen apparently marginal ideas make millions, managed by a savvy entrepreneur.

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Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 24, 2015

That means specifically they’re not sure if this is a normal & slight correction or the start of a new cycle. If the next 30 days stays calm then investment will pick up. So plan your start date accordingly. Up to you – that’s how I would be thinking. If the markets fall this will become pervasive.

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 21, 2016

In the same way, great entrepreneurs and company leaders should no longer rely on faceless and nameless processes to drive business strategy and innovation to stay competitive. He speaks from a wealth of personal experience in private equity, as well as top executive positions at American Express, Sears, and Citigroup. by Steven D.

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Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 22, 2016

Based on my years of experience in both startups and large companies, trusted relationships are more the key to success than a great business model, how smart you are, or how much money you have. Good entrepreneurs recognize that strong competitors are smart people as well, and it pays to learn from competitors.

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Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 25, 2016

If you expect an equity investment from reputable investors for your new startup, you need to know the boundaries that often limit their interest. There are many other more mundane reasons that your startup might be deemed non-fundable, depending on your own circumstances, where you live, or the case you have put together.

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Xconomy

OCTOBER 25, 2016

Year-to-date annualized investment activity suggests that 2016 will see approximately $74 billion invested in just under 8,000 companies, which would still make it the second-most active year in the past decade, although with a marked deceleration. “Funding gap” with projected 2016 activity. The projected $43.2

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