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. Join a startup incubator. It always reduces risk to plan your business first.

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Startup Technical Review Equity Incubator 136

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2023

Some entrepreneurs start polling venture capitalists for that multi-million-dollar investment before they even have a business plan. Every entrepreneur needs help and support along the way, from developing the initial idea, to selling off the successful business (exit strategy). Don’t waste your resources on the wrong ones.

Startup 122

Startup Funding Organization Incubator 122

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 6, 2019

Startup Boost Los Angeles has opened up applications for its Fall 2019 class, according to the group. The programs--which does not charge fees or take equity from companies in its program--says it is seeking nine early stage startups to take part in its eight-week program, designed to help early stage startups.

Los Angeles 154

Los Angeles Class Angel Startup 154

socalTECH

AUGUST 23, 2017

LA's technology startup industry has saw a surge in new companies and efforts from its serial entrepreneurs in the last few months. Here's a quick look at just a few of the new companies who are led by serial entrepreneurs from the LA ecosystem. Entering Startup image courtesy Mike @ flickr. Ground Control.

Entrepreneur 113

Entrepreneur Company Companies Technical Review 113

Berkonomics

AUGUST 3, 2023

Some businesses require very little capital and the founder can self-finance the enterprise and retain 100% of its ownership and control from ignition through liquidity event (startup through sale). Bootstrapping: This term describes your ability to start a business with little investment and grow it using internally generated funds.

Venture Capital 295

Venture Capital Startup Class Invest 295

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

I was reading Danielle Morrill’s blog post today on whether one’s “ Startup Burn Rate is Normal. I love how transparently Danielle lives her startup (& encourages other to join in) because it provides much needed transparency to other startups. But what IS the right amount of burn for a company?

Startup 383

Startup Company Companies .Net 383

Berkonomics

APRIL 20, 2023

Starting a company is HARD – in so many ways. Let’s start with a restaurant -not our thing. But… I read several years ago that the average startup restaurant lasts only about a year. Restaurant startups would not top my list. And this includes all businesses, not just startups. And risky too. And the U.S.

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Statistics Startup Study Invest 156

Tech.Co

MAY 18, 2017

While the Bay Area hold the title of most prolific startup ecosystem , there’s no denying that California is a veritable gold mine of entrepreneurial talent. Los Angeles, for one, is not only brimming with innovative ideas, it’s also home to a wide range of unique startups that are solving the problems of the world.

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Los Angeles Angel Startup Outsource Development 217

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2021

As a mentor to startups and new entrepreneurs, I continue to hear the refrain that business plans are no longer required for a new startup, since investors never read them anyway. There is no crowd of successful entrepreneurs. Successful startups are all about the right people with the right stuff.

Entrepreneur 156

Entrepreneur Tips Funding Startup 156

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2023

As a business advisor, I meet many business professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs who are anxious to be their own boss , or have an innovative idea to start or acquire a new business. Also, initiating a startup is quite different from taking over a thriving business, where the focus is on repeatable processes and quarterly profits.

Startup 94

Startup Ideas Metrics Entrepreneur 94

TechCrunch LA

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

Air Force, Lockheed Martin, Maxar Technologies, SAIC and the Israel Aerospace Industries company, Techstars and Starburst Aerospace are launching an accelerator focused on the space industry in Los Angeles. billion over the last year. We will help founders achieve two years of commercial traction in three months.

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Los Angeles Angel SpaceX Entrepreneur 275

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 21, 2023

One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” On the other hand, there are many additional creative options available for starting a business that you might not find for buying a car, home, or other major consumer item.

Startup 106

Startup Capital Equity Funding 106

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 14, 2018

Brian Norgard, who was Chief Product Officer at Los Angeles-based dating app developer Tinder , has left the company, and will be starting up a new company, Norgard said today. Norgard had been founder of messaging startup Chill, the maker of Tappy, which was acquired by Tinder in 2014. READ MORE>>.

Startup 113

Startup Product Los Angeles Entrepreneur 113

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 26, 2020

500 Startups is scrapping its cohort model for accelerating companies and moving to a rolling admissions process, the accelerator said during its latest demo day. One of the progenitors of the accelerator model in the US along with Techstars and Y Combinator , 500 has been a cornerstone of the early-stage company building platform.

Startup 177

Startup Los Angeles Invest Platform 177

socalTECH

OCTOBER 20, 2017

Los Angeles and San Diego are among the metro areas with the highest startup activity, based on a new report from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

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San Diego Los Angeles Report Angel 113

socalTECH

OCTOBER 11, 2018

Shopify , which develops software for merchants to set up e-commerce, mobile, social media sites, online marketplaces, bricks-and-mortar stores, and more, is setting up a space for entrepreneurs in Los Angeles, the company said this morning.

Entrepreneur 153

Entrepreneur Commerce Social Media Startup 153

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2022

Even if you ignore all the hype around crowdfunding, there can be no doubt that it is a real alternative for entrepreneurs to achieve visibility and funding today. With this model, a startup pre-sells their product early, at a cheaper price, in exchange for a pledge. Startup equity model. Product pre-order model. In the U.S.,

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Funding Startup Outsource Development Satisfaction 141

TechCrunch LA

NOVEMBER 12, 2020

The Los Angeles and New York-based venture firm M13 has managed to nab former Techstars LA managing director, Anna Barber, as its newest partner and the head of its internal venture studio, Launchpad. The starting gun for M13’s Launchpad program was in 2019 and the program currently has managed to spin up three startups.

Startup 178

Startup Incubator Los Angeles IP 178

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

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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Resource Startup Incubator Seed Funding 159

Berkonomics

MAY 11, 2023

But the most important ones for any size business, including start-ups, is: Do you believe it should be the quality of your management team, or the plan you execute so brilliantly toward your success? Here’s a test: Several weeks ago, we published statistics of start-up and company failures.

Statistics 156

Statistics Startup Ideas Entrepreneur 156

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2020

As an angel investor in startups, I’m a believer that smart investors invest more in you as the entrepreneur than the next billion dollar solution you are pitching. I’m not looking for words, but examples of how your habits and attributes have produced results, even before your startup.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Startup Examples Metrics 124

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2020

In my role as a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I find that most have the technical challenges well understood, but many are a bit short on some basic street smarts , or basic business realities. Thus I often recommend that before you kick off your own business, you join another startup or existing business to see how things really work.

Entrepreneur 173

Entrepreneur Patents Startup Technical Review 173

socalTECH

MARCH 21, 2014

In a world with a rash of startup incubators and accelerators, super angels, crowdfunding sites, and more, what''s the relevance of organized angel investments groups? First off, for those not familiar with the Pasadena Angels, talk about the group? He started the group because he wanted to help companies succeed.

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Pasadena Angels Pasadena Angel Startup 162

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 11, 2019

Startup Boost Los Angeles , the early stage startup program which is led in LA by Matt Stoddard, says it has opened up applications for its Spring 2019 program. According to Stoddard, it is looking for nine early stage startups to participate in its eight-week program. READ MORE>>.

Los Angeles 124

Los Angeles Angel Startup Venice 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2020

Luckily, not all investors are looking for the same thing, so it pays to know what type of investors are most interested in what your startup brings to the table. The key is understanding how potential investors see you, and especially how they view the maturity stage of your startup. Congratulations!

Startup 148

Startup Ideas Equity Invest 148

socalTECH

APRIL 13, 2021

For today's interview, we spoke to Dave Eastman, the Director of the Viterbi Startup Garage, a startup incubator that is run by the University of Southern California, out of its location in Marina Del Rey. What is Viterbi Startup Garage? The Startup Garage is located physically in Marina Del Rey, in the twin tower on Admiralty.

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Marina Del Rey Startup USC Incubator 150

socalTECH

MAY 2, 2014

In a bid to boost the Los Angeles economy and create new jobs in the city, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Friday that he has created a new "Entrepreneur-in-Residence" program, which will help the city in developing initiatives and policies aimed at growing, assisting and sustaining entrepreneurs in Los Angeles.

Entrepreneur 232

Entrepreneur USC Los Angeles Mentor 232

TechCrunch LA

AUGUST 8, 2020

Watt, who came to MoviePass as an entrepreneur in residence at True Ventures, previously founded the brand and product placement startup NextMedium and also spent time as a board partner at Upfront Ventures. Now, the serial entrepreneur and startup investor is combining his two career paths under the auspices of Share Ventures.

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Company Companies Idealab Tool 249

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 15, 2010

Last night I attended the inaugural Open Angel Forum event started by Jason Calacanis , a fellow LA resident. Jason started the Open Angel Forum in response to his frustration that entrepreneurs were being charged by some angel organizations to present at their events.

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Angel Startup Tech Coast Angels MyShape 254

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 27, 2021

A new program, run by the Alliance for Southern California Innovation, is looking to connect startups with Series A funding, according to the group. According to the two, the program recruits and selects top SoCal-based startups that have demonstrated clear market traction and provides introductions to leading venture funds.

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Southern California SoCal Funding Startup 197

TechCrunch LA

MAY 20, 2021

One startup that aims to help make the process simpler, cheaper and less stressful by helping people manage the home renovation process has raised $6 million to help it grow even faster. Construction tech startups are poised to shake up a $1.3-trillion-dollar Renovating a home is an exciting, yet often fraught-filled, endeavor.

Technical Review 185

Technical Review Startup Venture Capital Software Review 185

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 29, 2014

I had been thinking a lot about this recently because I’m often asked the question of “what I look for in an entrepreneur when I want to invest?” In the comments section a clever question popped up about whether I would have invested in myself before I became an investor. So I did, in fact, invest in myself.

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Startup Invest Venture Capital Writing 409

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2015

Entrepreneurs who require funding for their startup have long counted on self-accredited high net worth individuals (“angels”) to fill their needs, after friends and family, and before they qualify for institutional investments (“VCs”). Rose, according to his recent book, “ Angel Investing.” Neither does David S.

Startup 106

Startup Angel .Net Entrepreneur 106

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 4, 2020

One of the big questions that every entrepreneur struggles with is how much funding they should request from investors in the first round. Angels usually won’t consider requests above $1 million. If you have a good idea, but haven’t started yet, only friends, family and fools will likely be interested.

Startup 135

Startup Equity Invest Funding 135

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2020

Some entrepreneurs start polling venture capitalists for that multi-million dollar investment before they even have a business plan. Every entrepreneur needs help and support along the way, from developing the initial idea, to selling off the successful business (exit strategy). Don’t waste your resources on the wrong ones.

Resource 171

Resource Startup Organization Incubator 171

Tech.Co

OCTOBER 14, 2016

“This FREE course introduces the fundamentals of technology entrepreneurship, pioneered in Silicon Valley and now a large and growing part of the Los Angeles economy. You will learn the process technology entrepreneurs use to start companies.

Los Angeles 70

Los Angeles Entrepreneur Angel Startup 70

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2022

In the old days, every entrepreneur planned on taking their startup public, and making it big. Today the rate of startups going public (IPO – Initial Public Offering) is finally up from the dead zone of the last two decades, and is now double the rate back in 1999. Public companies are always at risk for takeovers.

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Startup Report IBM IBM 98