Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 27, 2020

That’s why angel and equity investors are so sought after by entrepreneurs. Here are some tips and rules of thumb to improve your odds and help you understand when a bank loan or line of credit is possible, and how to get it: Write a good business plan first. Bankers, like investors, fund people rather than ideas.

Startup 172

Startup Equity Sites Tips 172

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2020

Every entrepreneur needs help and support along the way, from developing the initial idea, to selling off the successful business (exit strategy). Let’s take a look here some similar stages from a support perspective: Idea stage. The first step toward a business with any idea is to write it down, and build a business plan around it.

Resource 171

Resource Startup Organization Incubator 171

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2010

One of the first tough decisions that startup founders have to make is how to allocate or split the equity among co-founders. Another common “failure to start” situation I see is one where the “idea person” insists that the idea is 90% of the value (and 90% of the equity). Pre-existing intellectual property.

Equity 91

Equity Startup CTO Hire CTO Coach 91

TechCrunch LA

FEBRUARY 6, 2022

The Facebook parent-company saw its stock price get bludgeoned after a bad earnings report showcased that Apple’s ad-blocking changes are shaving billions off its books and the company’s crown jewel — the Facebook platform — has stopped growing and actually shrank this quarter.

Marketing 246

Marketing Newsletter Technical Review News 246

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2020

Even if you passionately believe that your idea is a winner, it’s smart to remind friends of the historical facts with startups. That means writing down and signing the terms of the agreement, after making sure everyone understands them. Loans are a safer option than equity. Be professional about it.

Funding 123

Funding Startup Equity Venture Capital 123

SoCal CTO

MARCH 12, 2012

I promised I would write this post with some thoughts and ideas on the topic. Here are some ideas: In your company or other companies. Find the developers in your current company and other companies that you can get inside. Ask around for ideas on where they hang out. Find out who is good.

CTO Hire 211

CTO Hire CTO Coach Startup Equity 211

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 24, 2019

It can start 2–1 founders to investors and then sometimes moves to 3–2 but sometime around the A, B or C round the idea of “independent” directors comes up. Founders on the other hand recognize that over time they are likely not to have complete control of the board of directors of the company they founded.

Startup 187

Startup Writing Venture Capital Oracle 187

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

This time by the efforts of Adeo Ressi to introduce a new kind of structure called “ convertible equity.” My initial reaction to Adeo when we spoke was that while it may have solved some issues (debt versus equity) it didn’t solve the ones that I’ve been warning entrepreneurs about most loudly.

Startup 354

Startup Pricing Equity Venture Capital 354

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 23, 2012

One of the first tough decisions that startup founders have to make is how to allocate or split the equity among co-founders. Another common “failure to start” situation I see is one where the “idea person” insists that the idea is 90% of the value (and 90% of the equity). Pre-existing intellectual property.

Startup 101

Startup Entrepreneur Equity CTO Hire 101

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 28, 2018

Every entrepreneur needs help and support along the way, from developing the initial idea, to selling off the successful business (exit strategy). Let’s take a look here some similar stages from a support perspective: Idea stage. The first step toward a business with any idea is to write it down, and build a business plan around it.

Funding 94

Funding Startup Organization Incubator 94

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 1, 2018

That’s why angel and equity investors are so sought after by entrepreneurs. Here are some tips and rules of thumb to improve your odds and help you understand when a bank loan or line of credit is possible, and how to get it: Write a good business plan first. Bankers, like investors, fund people rather than ideas.

Funding 84

Funding Startup Equity Sites 84

Tech Zulu Event

DECEMBER 2, 2014

As the capital needed to start a small business continues to fall, the number of software companies being started is exploding. There’s a lot of uncertainty in startup companies. Now, you’re handling payroll and doing writing as well. You may even discover that you enjoy writing more than crunching numbers.

Startup 102

Startup Social Media Writing Google 102

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 5, 2011

500 Hats , January 10, 2010 Developing new startup ideas - Chris Dixon , March 14, 2010 Batch Processing Millions and Millions of Images - Code as Craft , July 9, 2010 jQuery Plugin: Give Your Characters a NobleCount - The Product Guy , March 23, 2010 How do the sample Series Seed financing documents differ from typical Series A financing documents?

Startup 378

Startup Venture Capital Blogging CTO Coach 378

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 12, 2015

Every investor in your startup, even friends and family, normally expects a share of your company (equity), which means your return for all your effort goes down quickly. Your visionary one-page idea description won’t work here. Otherwise find an inexpensive class on grant writing. They don’t ask for equity either.

Pricing 100

Pricing Equity Technical Review Research 100

InfoChachkie

JUNE 4, 2012

As an entrepreneur, I helped create companies which achieved two IPOs and two trade sales totaling $385 million. Attempt To License An Idea. Rationale: My idea is so mind-blowingly fantastic, I can sit back and collect licensing fees while someone else does all the work required to turn my idea into a successful business.

Entrepreneur 272

Entrepreneur Outsource Ideas Technical Review 272

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2015

Even if you passionately believe that your idea is a winner, it’s smart to remind friends of the historical facts with startups. That means writing down and signing the terms of the agreement, after making sure everyone understands them. Loans are a safer option than equity. Be professional about it.

Startup 97

Startup Equity Entrepreneur Venture Capital 97

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 27, 2016

Every entrepreneur needs help and support along the way, from developing the initial idea, to selling off the successful business (exit strategy). Let’s take a look here some similar stages from a support perspective: Idea stage. The first step toward a business with any idea is to write it down, and build a business plan around it.

Organization 93

Organization Startup Incubator Ideas 93

InfoChachkie

MAY 16, 2011

As an entrepreneur and startup investor, I have helped create companies which achieved two IPOs which collectively raised over $100 million, as well as two acquisitions which totaled $385 million. 3) Attempt To License An Idea. Fallacy: As discussed in Spilling The Beans , ideas are worthless, while skillful execution is priceless.

Startup 242

Startup Outsource Development Outsource Sales 242

TechCrunch LA

FEBRUARY 20, 2019

When should you start a company? What company should you start? When should you join a company? Anyone who has worked in a large company further knows that timing a product launch or a new marketing strategy has more to do with internal politics than reading market forces. When should a VC invest?

Venture Capital 202

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Invest 202

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 9, 2018

Even if you passionately believe that your idea is a winner, it’s smart to remind friends of the historical facts with startups. That means writing down and signing the terms of the agreement, after making sure everyone understands them. Loans are a safer option than equity. Be professional about it.

Funding 59

Funding Startup Equity Entrepreneur 59

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 10, 2014

Even if you passionately believe that your idea is a winner, it’s smart to remind friends of the historical facts with startups. That means writing down and signing the terms of the agreement, after making sure everyone understands them. Loans are a safer option than equity. Be professional about it.

Funding 101

Funding Startup Equity Entrepreneur 101

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 29, 2011

Amazon in turn led to the formation of an earlier stage of venture capital now led by what I call “micro VCs&# who typically invest $250-500k in companies rather than the $5-7 million that VCs used to invest. And of course hedge funds and growth-equity funds can’t resist trying to get earlier-stage exposure again.

Venture Capital 296

Venture Capital Capital Software Startup 296

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 5, 2010

Why Every Entrepreneur Should Write and 9 Tips To Get Started - OnStartups , September 27, 2010 "The best part of blogging is the people you will meet"- Hugh MacLeod repeating wisdom from Loic Lemeur to me at the Big Pink at 2 am in South Beach after the Future of Web Apps 2008. Why You Should Write. Why You Should Write.

Startup 191

Startup Product Technology Venture Capital 191

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 12, 2016

There are some persistent truths which are rarely challenged due to their successful track record in successful companies. There are three things we know about startup business plans: one, you will write one eventually. Two, you will come to rely on your business plan, no matter when or why you write one. You Need Capital.

Startup 40

Startup Writing Ideas Capital 40

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

If you know, VCs end up writing sizable checks into their own funds, which is important in better aligning interests. M&A discussions (where your company is buying or being bought). Therefore of course they need to be more selection when writing checks and can’t spread their bets across 75 deals. founder fighting.

Venture Capital 356

Venture Capital Invest Course Technical Review 356

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2017

Don’t believe that Silicon Valley myth that all you have to do is sketch your idea on the back of a napkin, and investors will line up to give you money. When sizing your funding request, be aware of the value of your startup today, since most investors expect an equity share for their contributions.

Startup 65

Startup Writing Patents Competition 65

socalTECH

AUGUST 4, 2011

Jeff Zwelling is the co-founder of Convertro (www.convertro.com), a Los Angeles company focused on helping companies track how their marketing efforts are leading to sales conversions. Locally, those are companies like LegalZoom, GameFly, TrueCar, and ShoeDazzle. There are lots of e-commerce companies. Jeff Zwelling.

Startup 210

Startup Marketing Custom Customer 210

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 31, 2016

Here are some tips and rules of thumb to improve your odds and help you understand when a bank loan or line of credit is possible, and how to get it: Write a good business plan first. Bankers, like investors, fund people rather than ideas. I’m told that 21 companies on the Inc 500 list started with bank loans, so you can do it too.

Startup 92

Startup Funding Sites Tips 92

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 16, 2012

Every entrepreneur needs help and support along the way, from developing the initial idea, to selling off the successful business (exit strategy). Let’s take a look here some similar stages from a support perspective: Idea stage. The first step toward a business with any idea is to write it down, and build a business plan around it.

Resource 94

Resource Startup Organization Incubator 94

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 15, 2013

Every entrepreneur needs help and support along the way, from developing the initial idea, to selling off the successful business (exit strategy). Let’s take a look here some similar stages from a support perspective: Idea stage. The first step toward a business with any idea is to write it down, and build a business plan around it.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Funding Incubator Startup 102

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2013

Even if you passionately believe that your idea is a winner, it’s smart to remind friends of the historical facts with startups. That means writing down and signing the terms of the agreement, after making sure everyone understands them. Loans are easier than equity. Be professional about it.

Startup 92

Startup Equity Entrepreneur Venture Capital 92

InfoChachkie

JUNE 11, 2012

Mark Zuckerberg – “The dynamic of managing people and being CEO in a company is a lot different than being college roommates with someone.”. Although it may be comfortable to start a company with your friends, it is a mistake, unless your friend(s) happens to be ideally suited to their role in your venture.

Tips 279

Tips Startup Education Entrepreneur 279

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2010

If I’m interested I get to spend more time with them, if I’m not I don’t have to – A few companies per month come in that have fascinating business ideas that warrant my spending more time trying to understand their people, company, technology and market. I will obviously be judged on my performance.

Venture Capital 312

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Entrepreneur 312

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 16, 2018

Without taking a dime of outside capital, the company has achieved impressive success in a competitive, SaaS market segment, landing companies such as Nike, Intuit, NASA, AutoDesk and PBS. What makes their story more remarkable, in the age of 20-something billionaires, is that both of the company’s founders are in their 50’s.

Venture Capital 115

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Santa Barbara SaaS 115

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 3, 2013

In many ways I think general purpose writing & thinking skills are as valuable as math skills. But “on capital employed” encourages companies to push more off balance sheet and thus into offshore & outsourced situations. New company in Boston with a model called “royalty capital.”

Venture Capital 403

Venture Capital Education Offshore Outsource Development 403

Berkonomics

JANUARY 16, 2014

Example: salary, equity, joint venture, etc… Can the business afford it? Review long term company debt, goals, objectives and financial projections. All agreements should be in writing and signed by all parties involved. Compensation: What are compensation expectations? What is the understanding if things go downhill/uphill?

Technical Review 204

Technical Review Startup Examples Metrics 204

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 26, 2014

These are people who should believe in you, without waiting to see if your idea works, or waiting until you have real customers, revenue, and hard assets. These commitments should always be positioned in writing as promissory notes, or so-called bridge-loans, which convert to equity at a rate determined by later investors.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Capital Startup Funding 101