Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2020

As an angel investor, I see plenty of startups focusing on building an innovative product, but I’m looking for the few who are also leading with an exponential growth strategy, to put them in the category of the next Amazon or Google. Let your highly motivated customers be your best marketing advocates for new customers.

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Marketing Startup Examples Customer 170

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 12, 2022

Many of you don’t like to think of it this way, but penetrating a target market with your startup is a lot like a military invasion. I’ve learned over the years that you need to start with specific goals, a focused strategy , and a motivated and prepared team in order to penetrate competitive defenses.

Marketing 125

Marketing Technical Review Startup Resource 125

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2019

Most entrepreneurs are quick to assert to potential investors that their product or solution will kill the competition, but unfortunately your opinion alone is not enough to convince most experienced investors. First of all, you need some convincing market research that your solution addresses a real and growing problem.

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Competition Patents Startup Customer 86

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2021

While you all recognize that reacting to weak market signals is critical to staying in business and staying competitive, I find that many don’t have the skills and focus to trigger change decisions on a timely basis. Scan for unmet needs to match new products. Don’t dismiss any new thing as a “flash in the pan.”

Marketing 162

Marketing Social Media Metrics Customer 162

TechCrunch LA

FEBRUARY 3, 2021

And while the grocery delivery market has become increasingly competitive, Hall argued that Good Eggs stands out thanks to the quality and breadth of its products — 70% of its products are locally sourced, and it often delivers them within 48 hours of harvesting. Image Credits: Good Eggs. Glade Brook’s J.P.

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Southern California Orange County San Diego Commerce 318

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 20, 2022

Many leaders do this today by supporting and promoting a higher-level purpose, beyond profits, such as helping the disadvantaged, sustaining the environment, or Conscious Capitalism. Foster collaboration rather than competition. Relationships are key to happiness and productivity.

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Product Training Customer Custom 109

socalTECH

JANUARY 22, 2019

This morning's interview is with Kevin O'Connor , a longtime investor and serial entrepreneur, who is now running venture capital investment firm ScOp Venture Capital. Congrats on the new name for your venture capital firm. It's always hard with venture capital. Tell us a little bit about the firm?

Venture Capital 145

Venture Capital Startup Invest Capital 145

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

With the enormous changes to our economies and financial markets?—?how how on Earth could the venture capital market stand still? One of the most common questions I’m asked by people intrigued by but also scared by venture capital and technology markets is some variant of, “Aren’t technology markets way overvalued?

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

socalTECH

JANUARY 10, 2013

It looks like competition is heating up in the smart parking market--and for local parking technology firm Parkme , which is based in Santa Monica--as yet another company announced Thursday more funding for giving consumers real-time information about available parking spaces. READ MORE>>.

Competition 187

Competition Santa Monica Funding Marketing 187

InfoChachkie

JULY 23, 2012

Serial entrepreneur, venture investor and startup accelerator pioneer Brad Feld has notoriously mocked traditional marketing throughout his career. companies should… focus on building amazing products. If you have amazing products, the marketing of those products is trivial. Trada – Guerilla Marketing In Action.

Marketing 233

Marketing Blogging Startup Venture Capital 233

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 30, 2011

This is the final part of a 3-part series on the major changes in the structure of the software & the venture capital industries. With more competition in early-stage many VCs are investing smaller amounts at earlier stages. But … Downsizing Venture Capital. The series started here if you want to read from the start.

Venture Capital 289

Venture Capital Capital Cloud Computing Marketing 289

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 28, 2011

In this three-part series I will explore the ways that the Venture Capital industry has changed over the past 5 years that I would argue are a direct result of changes in the software industry, not the other way around. million in team costs to code, launch, manage, market & sell our software. These are very different.

Venture Capital 334

Venture Capital Software Capital Startup 334

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 20, 2018

These are your candidates, because they are companies already absorbing much or all the marketing expense necessary to make sales of your invention. They will be more willing to pay a royalty fee if your product gets them to market earlier or is protected by patent to create a barrier to their competition.

IP 136

IP Product Equity Tool 136

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 2, 2022

The most common failures are solutions looking for a problem, lack of a defined market, or an inadequate revenue model. Target market. A target market is the group of customers that the startup plans to attract through marketing and sales their product or service. Sales/Marketing. Production.

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Sales Customer Custom Outsource 102

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 20, 2018

These are your candidates, because they are companies already absorbing much or all the marketing expense necessary to make sales of your invention. They will be more willing to pay a royalty fee if your product gets them to market earlier or is protected by patent to create a barrier to their competition.

IP 120

IP Product Equity Tool 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2023

Expand the market for both. Typically, there are market opportunities that neither of your core competencies can win alone. Up-sell related products or cross endorsement. If your customers would benefit by having products from both companies, you might negotiate the opportunity to include the other’s product as an add-on.

Startup 105

Startup Outsource Competition Entrepreneur 105

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2021

As small companies, neither startup could afford to extend their product alone, but through creative leadership, we were able to negotiate a win-win strategic partnership for a joint product. As a result, we shared in capturing a new high-end market, without major new marketing or development. You can do the same.

Startup 173

Startup Outsource Development Examples Customer 173

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 11, 2015

They don’t realize that knocking competitors is assessed as a weakness and denying that you have any competition suggests there is no market for your solution. Position your solution as broadening the market, not killing a competitor. Quantify your value over current market alternatives.

Capital 63

Capital Competition Case Study Patents 63

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 22, 2015

announced they raised $9 million from Sequoia , arguably the best venture capital firm that exists. But the bigger truth is the competition is important. We will have two well-funded companies educating the market on why this market opportunity for the $24 billion US storage market is ripe for disruption.

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Funding Competition Marketing Summary 150

Berkonomics

MARCH 5, 2020

First: Product risk. . Is the product or service possible to produce at all, let alone economically enough to. One way to mitigate this is by using early money to create a prototype, to perform market research, to complete the first generation of the product, or to deliver the service to a satisfied customer.

Outsource Development 156

Outsource Development Ideas Resource Patents 156

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 25, 2012

Porter proposed his Five Forces framework for analyzing the competitive environment which I think makes even more sense today. Every existing business, as well as every startup, needs to reassess their product or service in the context of these five forces: Intensity of competitive rivalry. Way back in 1979, Michael E.

Competition 94

Competition Startup Pricing Framework 94

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2018

Since I am a techie at heart, I always get excited when founders pitch their new innovation as “disruptive,” meaning that it is so unique that it will create a new market and disrupt the existing value network, displacing established products and markets. Find a way to highlight elements of social responsibility.

Marketing 89

Marketing Technology Customer Custom 89

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

As an investor in startups, I most often see entrepreneurs who are technologists, or at least have a real passion for a specific product. They rarely highlight their marketing and relationship skills , even though, in my experience, these are more often the key to success in business than product skills.

Startup 113

Startup Customer Custom Technical Review 113

TechCrunch LA

SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

“What was cool about our financial management product was that we were trying to use Dave as a replacement for their current bank,” says Jason Wilk, Dave’s co-founder and chief executive. Dave’s products and services have a few advantages for customers that are just getting started on the path to financial security.

Company 262

Company Companies Startup Tips 262

socalTECH

JANUARY 24, 2019

The startup, which offers up dockless, electric bicycles to customers, said the funding round came from Tenaya Capital, Bullpen Capital, Crosscut Capital, 3L Capital, Naval Ravikant, and a number of strategic investors from the entertainment and sports communities.

San Diego 113

San Diego Southern California Entertainment Competition 113

TechCrunch LA

NOVEMBER 24, 2020

million in new financing, HMBradley is making moves as the Los Angeles-based entrant into the challenger bank competition. With climbing numbers on the back of limited marketing, Bruhnke said raising the company’s latest round of financing was a breeze. . With $90 million in deposits and $18.25

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Los Angeles Venture Capital Capital Customer 237

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 18, 2023

For a new business, you can provide unique ingredients, but the preparation steps in your business plan must follow a tried and true recipe for startup success: Identify a market with a real need. If you can’t identify customer interest, it doesn’t matter how good your product is. time-to-market is critical) Viable financial model.

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Startup Coach Metrics Marketing 112

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2013

It is simply the most important way to proactively control your career development and how the market perceives you. It will affect your ability to get the right jobs and promotions as well as your ability to attract talent and capital. That was fine with me – the market is the market. That was the market.

Technical Advisors 385

Technical Advisors Marketing Startup Venture Capital 385

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2023

Of course, that’s both the good news and the bad news for aspiring entrepreneurs, since it means more competition, and the business landscape is changing faster than ever. Building a minimum viable product, with customer validation. Who would not want to join the unicorns (recent startups with a current valuation of over $1 billion)?

Entrepreneur 104

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media News 104

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 3, 2020

Most innovations come from responding to a customer’s needs, or finding a niche where products need improvement or extension. Imagine the room in which several graduate business school student groups have gathered, tasked with coming up with an idea for a business plan competition. A thought exercise. Then remove it.

Startup 156

Startup Ideas Customer Custom 156

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2023

The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. Low cost and low margin products can be winners, if the volume is high enough.

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Startup Training Services Writing 111

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 31, 2022

After many years in business, I’m convinced that none of us has the strengths and interest in all the areas needed for success, including solution changes, finance, marketing, and operations. Trying to do everything is a sure way to maximize stress, lower job satisfaction, and minimize productivity.

Activity 108

Activity Satisfaction Metrics Startup 108

socalTECH

MARCH 24, 2016

Santa Barbara-based HG Data has raised $12M in a Series B funding, the company announced today, for it market analytics and intelligence information. The startup said the funding was led by Updata Partners, and also included Rincon Venture Partners and Epic Ventures. HG Data is led by Craig Harris.

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Santa Barbara Marketing Tool Funding 100

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 28, 2020

.” Both Vaughn and his Saucey co-founder Daniel Leeb will take management positions at PCH, and Blumberg Capital and Bullpen will have a large equity stake in the newly formed holding company, Vaughn said. What we’ve seen is a more exploratory customer than the industry recognizes, ready to try new form factors, products and categories.

Company 188

Company Companies Los Angeles San Diego 188

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 2, 2021

The challenge of a creating a new product or service is tough enough, without insisting on a new supply chain, and a new distribution channel. Do your homework on minimal capital requirements. Running out of capital in midstream is a brick wall that can derail even the best plans. Offer customized products or services.

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Startup Study Journal Sample 170

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 26, 2015

One of the least understood parts of the venture capital industry and venture capital firms is how investment decisions actually get made. I want to fail because I backed an extraordinary entrepreneur with a super-ambitious project and we were just wrong about market timing, customer adoption, competition, regulation or similar.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Capital Startup Invest 150

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 2, 2022

As an active angel investor, I still hear entrepreneurs asserting large opportunities with minimal risk and no competition. My conclusion either way is that they have no market, or haven’t looked. Both risks and opportunities in this area can arise from many aspects of your startup, before and after product development.

Entrepreneur 153

Entrepreneur Marketing Customer Custom 153