Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2023

I believe their competitive advantage is their top on-site leadership, exclusivity, and connections to investors. Mentoring and technical assistance from volunteer or paid experts. Direct seed funding, for a share of the equity, and introductions to investors. Health, life, and other insurance at group rates.

Organization 92

Organization Incubator Startup Resource 92

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

I believe their competitive advantage is their top on-site leadership, exclusivity, and connections to investors. Mentoring and technical assistance from volunteer or paid experts. Direct seed funding, for a share of the equity, and introductions to investors. Health, life, and other insurance at group rates.

Resource 159

Resource Startup Incubator Seed Funding 159

socalTECH

JUNE 20, 2012

There is a large menu of startup accelerators in the Los Angeles, but one of more established efforts in the area is LaunchpadLA ([link] The effort actually started as an informal mentoring program, but has grown and expanded to follow the accelerator model. We were founded in 2009 by Mark Suster from GRP Partners.

Class 261

Class Mentor Startup Santa Monica 261

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 14, 2011

And, the equity markets are certainly a more challenging environment. 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. For example, our LA network is having the Fast Pitch on the 24th at UCLA.

Tech Coast Angels 231

Tech Coast Angels Technical Review Angel Southern California 231

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 18, 2013

Those at the other extreme don’t look up from the grindstone long enough to notice whether all their work is producing sweat equity or just sweat. There is nothing more inspiring than seeing the results of your mentoring and leadership. Love that sustainable competitive advantage. Both are networks.

Startup 100

Startup Patents Competition Social Network 100

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2012

Those at the other extreme don’t look up from the grindstone long enough to notice whether all their work is producing sweat equity or just sweat. There is nothing more inspiring than seeing the results of your mentoring and leadership. Love that sustainable competitive advantage. Both are networks.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Patents Startup Ideas 102

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2016

Every startup needs to start their funding search looking for grants, with no equity dilution, as well as contests and foundations. They have connections to industry associations and entrepreneur organizations that can kick-start your networking efforts, both locally and globally. Access to entrepreneurs-in-residence, business mentors.

Entrepreneur 55

Entrepreneur Capital Class Startup 55

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

Taking on equity investors to fund your company is much like getting married – it is a long-term relationship that has to work at all levels. Of course you need to discount any investor competitive positioning, but local investment group leaders will quickly tell you the strengths and terms of active investors in your area.

Technical Review 103

Technical Review Innocal Offshore Entrepreneur 103

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2018

I believe their competitive advantage is their top on-site leadership, exclusivity, and connections to investors. Mentoring and technical assistance from volunteer or paid experts. Direct seed funding, for a share of the equity, and introductions to investors. Health, life, and other insurance at group rates.

Incubator 87

Incubator Startup Resource Seed Funding 87

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2016

I believe their competitive advantage is their top on-site leadership, exclusivity, and connections to investors. Mentoring and technical assistance from volunteer or paid experts. Direct seed funding, for a share of the equity, and introductions to investors. Health, life, and other insurance at group rates.

Incubator 106

Incubator Startup Help Resource 106

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 27, 2016

Taking on equity investors to fund your company is much like getting married – it is a long-term relationship that has to work at all levels. Of course you need to discount any investor competitive positioning, but local investment group leaders will quickly tell you the strengths and terms of active investors in your area.

Technical Review 63

Technical Review Innocal Offshore Entrepreneur 63

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 12, 2010

Those at the other extreme don’t look up from the grindstone long enough to notice whether all their work is producing sweat equity or just sweat. There is nothing more inspiring than seeing the results of your mentoring and leadership. Love that sustainable competitive advantage. Both are networks.

Startup 88

Startup Patents Competition Social Network 88

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 7, 2013

We also want to create more capital for women entrepreneurs to increase the chances of being funded and connected to a bigger network. We have three main components: education, mentoring, and practice. The women in the program commit $5,000 and invest as a group of woman in a social venture in exchange for equity.

Mentor 84

Mentor Invest Entrepreneur Startup 84

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2014

I believe their competitive advantage is their top on-site leadership, exclusivity, and connections to investors. Mentoring and technical assistance from volunteer or paid experts. Direct seed funding, for a share of the equity, and introductions to investors. Health, life, and other insurance at group rates.

Incubator 98

Incubator Startup Help Resource 98

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 2, 2013

It’s always painful when a startup fails, but as a mentor to founders, I would hope that you can learn from these failings and not stumble on the same issues. Just because you included all the features of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn in your new social networking product, doesn’t mean everyone will love it.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Startup Social Network IBM 111

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

It’s always painful when a startup fails, but as a mentor to founders I would hope that you can learn from these failings and not stumble on the same issues: “Business plans are for dummies.” That’s probably the soft way of saying, we don’t have a patent or any “secret sauce” for a competitive advantage. We have no competitors.”

Startup 95

Startup Social Network IBM IBM 95

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2011

It’s always painful when a startup fails, but as a mentor to founders, I would hope that you can learn from these failings and not stumble on the same issues. Just because you included all the features of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and LinkedIn in your new social networking product, doesn’t mean everyone will love it.

Startup 98

Startup Social Network IBM IBM 98

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

Often board members give entrepreneurs two bits of advice regarding scale: Get a mentor. equity debate. As most, if not all, of the games on social networks use the freemium business model (i.e. There is no competition. If you want to build an important company, then at some point you have to scale. 10 cents per DAU.

Startup 191

Startup Venture Capital Blogging CTO Hire 191

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2010

It’s always painful when a startup fails, but as a mentor to founders I would hope that you can learn from these failings and not stumble on the same issues: “Business plans are for dummies.” That’s probably the soft way of saying, we don’t have a patent or any “secret sauce” for a competitive advantage. We have no competitors.”

Startup 52

Startup Social Network IBM IBM 52