Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

In my last post I pointed out that many of the media commentators who have criticized the YouTube video network companies as not having strong businesses were mistaken. The best “MCNs” are in fact building strong technology businesses with rapid growth and strong, defensible assets. Not so fast.

Company 339

Company Companies Technical Review Content 339

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 14, 2011

So do you think the environment still tough for startups? Investors are very focused on diligence, on business models that make sense, and those companies that have a definite competitive advantage and defensibility to what they're doing. Mike Napoli: We've revised the way we review companies at the prescreening stage.

Tech Coast Angels 231

Tech Coast Angels Technical Review Angel Southern California 231

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.

Marina Del Rey 150

Marina Del Rey Startup USC Incubator 150

SoCal CTO

MARCH 9, 2010

In my post, Technology Roles in Startups , I described some of the different ways I engage with startup companies such as CTO Founder , CTO , Part-Time CTO , Acting CTO , Consultant, Advisor and Advisory Board Member. Now, most often technical advisors are part of a broader advisory board.

CTO Coach 150

CTO Coach Technical Review Technology CTO Hire 150

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2014

The critical skill is not just your immediate network but the network beyond that you can tap into if you’ve earned the right through nurturing your 1-degree relationships. I spent an hour across two phone calls with him telling him why I believe MakeSpace will be a billion dollar company (which I do). How did I get here?

Networking 366

Networking Startup CTO Coach Email 366

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 21, 2009

On the third Wednesday of every month I co-chair a meeting called the SoCal VCA (venture capital alliance), which represents participants from all of the top venture capital firms in Southern California as well as prominent members of the Tech Coast Angels (TCA). We feature a prominent speaker at every event.

Venture Capital 241

Venture Capital Technical Review Southern California Company 241

socalTECH

MAY 21, 2013

One of the largest concentrations of technical talent in Los Angeles is in Glendale, at YP -- staffed with a surprising number of Los Angeles startup vets. What''s your background and how did you end up at YP? Our whole product and technology team is about 500 people. Talk about the technology behind your operations here?

Technical Review 223

Technical Review Glendale Advertising Google 223

Tech.Co

MAY 31, 2022

The buy now, pay later service Affirm has just landed a new partnership with popular payments company Stripe. Just this month, the payment network deepened a partnership with WooCommerce (and the ecommerce service's 3.7 Just this month, the payment network deepened a partnership with WooCommerce (and the ecommerce service's 3.7

Services 120

Services Technical Review Startup News 120

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

Round sizes of > $100 million or more now account for 47% of all VC dollars (62% if you count rounds > $50 million) This has made venture capital significantly more valuable for VCs and LPs who invest in the best companies As part of our study we noticed a trend many have spotted but few have explained?—?why

Venture Capital 328

Venture Capital Invest Seed Funding Startup 328

socalTECH

OCTOBER 22, 2020

Earlier this week, Good Growth Capital (www.goodgrowthvc.com) announced it has started looking at investments in Southern California, adding Krisztina Holly as West Coast Venture Partner for the firm. Krisztina Holly: We are an early stage fund, known for our ability to discovery and cultivate very complex science and technology deals.

Southern California 124

Southern California Capital Technical Review Startup 124

socalTECH

MAY 21, 2013

One of the largest concentrations of technical talent in Los Angeles is in Glendale, at YP (www.yp.com) -- staffed with a surprising number of Los Angeles startup vets. What''s your background and how did you end up at YP.com? Our whole product and technology team is about 500 people. Louis and Atlanta.

Technical Review 211

Technical Review Glendale Advertising Google 211

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 31, 2021

The sweeping infrastructure package put forward today by President Joe Biden comes with a price tag of roughly $2 trillion (and hefty tax hikes) but gives startups and the broader tech industry about $1 trillion worth of reasons to support it. ” Climate resiliency . Given the steady drumbeat of climate disasters that hit the U.S.

Startup 229

Startup Technical Review Invest Research 229

Tech.Co

MAY 25, 2018

If you’re an early-stage entrepreneur, technology has served you well. The barriers to entry when it comes to launching a company require less tension and a lot less capital. Fortunately, the Startup of the Year program aims to make it easier for founders to connect with resources. The Case Foundation (Washington, DC).

Startup 140

Startup Technical Review Competition Software Review 140

socalTECH

MAY 18, 2010

Anyone looking for signs that the economy is turning around, might want to look at what appears to be happening in Southern California's technology jobs market. Mangers said that it appears that for companies that have survived the storm of 2009 and the economy, things are looking up. At that time, he said he was able to.

Southern California 246

Southern California Technical Review Playa Del Rey Technology 246

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 1, 2021

Professional investors and advisors, on the other hand, usually refuse to sign these agreements today due to the risk of litigation and administrative workload, and will walk away. The same is true for people who may approach you at networking events or industry conferences. How can you make this a win-win opportunity?

Ideas 159

Ideas Tips Technical Review Patents 159

Tech.Co

MARCH 8, 2018

Getting face time with VCs or people of influence is an ongoing challenge for startup founders, and it may take layers of introductions to get to the right person. Lisha works tirelessly to build a platform of advocacy around issues such as tech inclusion, diversity, and education. Joanne Chen, Partner at Foundation Capital.

Technical Review 70

Technical Review Startup Software Review Entrepreneur 70

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 7, 2019

In fact, according to the latest Index of Startup Activity by the Kauffman Foundation and recent press reports , these Baby Boomers are actually driving a new entrepreneurship boom. In the Kauffman Foundation Survey of nearly 5,000 companies that began in 2004, nearly two-thirds of the founders are now between the ages of 35 and 54.

Startup 119

Startup Technical Review Technical Support Entrepreneur 119

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 3, 2023

He was able to identify ten lessons from the common threads to survival in the winning explorer teams, which I believe apply equally well to the survival and success of business startup teams today: Never lose sight of long-term goals, but focus real energy on short-term objectives. Teamwork is the hallmark of high-performing startups.

Technical Review 107

Technical Review Startup Entrepreneur Examples 107

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

What's the best way to reach out and recruit diverse candidates for your technology company? we spoke with co-founder Chuka Ikokwu to learn more about the startup and how it's helping companies to recruit more diverse workers. is an HR tech platform that makes it very easy for companies to source diverse talent.

Technical Review 140

Technical Review Startup Platform Resource 140

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Of course, the response depends upon lots of variables, including whether the company is in a fund-raising mode (in which case the CEO may be spending up to 80% of their time on this alone). 15% might be spent networking with those in the CEO’s relationship circle, including the roundtable organizations.

Class 194

Class Organization Technical Review Activity 194

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 20, 2014

According to a recent Forbes article , UC Santa Barbara''s Technology Management Program offers students a superior startup education over the University of Pennsylvania (home of Wharton), as well Harvard, Northwestern and even its acclaimed southern neighbor, the University of Southern California. Don''t go to Wharton or Harvard.

Santa Barbara 258

Santa Barbara Technical Review Startup Venture Capital 258

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 15, 2010

They “don’t care what people ate for lunch.&# They’re fine on their existing social networks, which these days mostly means they’re happy with Facebook. Traditional social networks are more restricted to people whom I already know and information and updates are less discoverable. Great life story.

Social Network 347

Social Network Networking Blogging RSS 347

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

Even though the color of their money is always green, all startup investors are not the same. Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse due diligence on the investors. Personally visit another startup funded by this investor. It’s no fun for either side.

Technical Review 103

Technical Review Innocal Offshore Entrepreneur 103

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2021

In my experience as an angel investor for new startups, I’m always surprised by how many entrepreneurs are looking for funding without outside advisors. An experienced Board can give them credibility, as well as advice on the many pitfalls of starting a new company. Key board members multiply your networking efforts.

Startup 142

Startup Technical Review Equity Entrepreneur 142

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2019

Most of you aspiring entrepreneurs have no idea how dramatically your own role has to evolve as you develop a solution, start a business, and expect it to scale into a successful self-managed company. For example, I knew Bill Gates back in the early startup days of Microsoft. The team must handle daily tasks.

Company 99

Company Companies Technical Review Startup 99

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 23, 2015

Of course you could start your own company. As I talked about in “ Is it Time to Learn or Time to Earn ” – overwhelmingly the best economics go to those that start successful companies. But not everybody has the right skills to build a highly successful and valuable startup from scratch.

Technical Review 150

Technical Review Startup Venture Capital IP 150

socalTECH

DECEMBER 23, 2020

Every year, we feature the year end reflections of founders, CEOs, investors, and others in Southern California's high tech community. What was the biggest news for you/your company this year? It's been a tough year for many due to the pandemic; how have you or your company adapted to the business environment?

Southern California 113

Southern California Technical Review SoCal High Tech 113

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 23, 2022

Every startup lucky enough to get some traction gets to the point where they decide to hire some “regular employees” for sales, marketing, and administrative tasks. This is the platitude of an obsolete corporate culture where you had to “pay your dues” in menial jobs before adding creativity or making decisions. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 134

Startup Training Sales Entrepreneur 134

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 25, 2021

Partially due to the pandemic, but also due to longer, healthier lives and changes in job tenure, Boomers are now expected to stay in the labor force longer, and according to projections , could actually dominate the labor market by 2024.

Technical Review 126

Technical Review Technical Support Entrepreneur Startup 126

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 22, 2021

In fact, most investors “require” that you already have some investment from friends and family before they will even step up to the plate. If you set around quietly waiting for someone you know to offer you money to fund a startup, you will probably have a long wait. Practice your “elevator pitch,” and end it by asking for the order.

Invest 135

Invest Technical Review Startup Ideas 135

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2023

Professional investors and advisors, on the other hand, usually refuse to sign these agreements today due to the risk of litigation and administrative workload, and will walk away. The same is true for people who may approach you at networking events or industry conferences. How can you make this a win-win opportunity?

Technical Review 101

Technical Review Patents Ideas Sample 101

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 17, 2021

Then every startup has to learn to pivot, because their first understanding of the real problem is usually not quite right. That mentality has to be part of the culture of every startup team member from the start. Having a snappy presentation on your solution or startup is great, but it’s only half the battle.

Sales 139

Sales Training Startup Customer 139

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

I find it amusing when a journalist writes an article about a prominent startup (either privately held or preparing for an IPO) and decries that, “They’re not even profitable!” Exec Summary: Most companies (98+%) in the world (even tech startups) should be very profit focused. ” Harsh, but reality.

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2014

Lower costs to start a business (95% reduction), many more companies created & funded by angels / seed. Seed funds now represent 67% of all funds being created now, which is up 100% from 6 years ago. And as long as private-market capital is available these companies would rather remain private for longer before going public.

Venture Capital 398

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Seed Funding 398

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 27, 2016

Even though the color of their money is always green, all startup investors are not the same. Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse due diligence on the investors. Personally visit another startup funded by this investor. It’s no fun for either side.

Technical Review 63

Technical Review Innocal Offshore Entrepreneur 63

socalTECH

JANUARY 7, 2013

LaunchpadLA Opens Up Spring Applications. Solarflare ($22M, San Diego, high speed networking). How to find a startup mentor. Southern California's Most Popular Tech Stories. Broadcom Powering New Mac Wireless. Surf Air Gets First Aircraft. Ignyta ($6M, San Diego, personalized medicine).

Southern California 168

Southern California Technical Review SoCal San Diego 168

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 2, 2022

Many entrepreneurs think that adapting to the new technologies, like smart phones and Internet commerce, are the key to attracting new customers. High-technology product startups, without customers, don’t make a business. When these do not line up in the decision-making cycle, consumers feel true psychological discomfort.

Customer 122

Customer Custom Social Media Technical Review 122