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. You have no shelf life, so you can’t make money while you sleep.

Startup 111

Startup Training Services Writing 111

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

According to an MIT study a while back, only about 10% of patents granted in the United States have any meaningful commercial importance and less than one percent are of seminal importance. Nearly all new businesses aspiring to reach meaningful scale require some sort of outside funding to finance a competitive growth trajectory.

Startup 171

Startup Ideas Entrepreneur Competition 171

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 2, 2015

Don’t bash the competition. Every investor knows how vulnerable a new startup is to competitors, so investors always ask about your sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. That says you are competitive today, have a real barrier to entry, and the potential to remain ahead of the competition for a long time.

Startup 118

Startup Competition Patents Resource 118

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2020

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. You have no shelf life, so you can’t make money while you sleep.

Startup 174

Startup Training Services Writing 174

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2014

Don’t bash the competition. Every investor knows how vulnerable a new startup is to competitors, so investors always ask about your sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. That says you are competitive today, have a real barrier to entry, and the potential to remain ahead of the competition for a long time.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Competition Patents Resource 110

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 30, 2014

As I’ve written about recently, at Upfront Ventures we started talking a couple of years ago about wanting to fund stuff with more meaning. I think this is a combination of being realists as venture capitalists that outsized returns in our funds must come from taking on bigger, more impactful projects that can move markets.

Technical Review 418

Technical Review Software Review CTO Hire IP 418

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

Every investor expects to see some business traction, both before and after a funding event. If you have neither, and choose to approach an investor, you will get no attention, and probably never again get a shot at funding with that investor. Now investors will pay attention, since scale-up funding is less risky and has a time frame.

Funding 112

Funding Entrepreneur Startup CTO Hire 112

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2015

" Investors want to buy into an entrepreneur with a startup that can provide evidence of an ability to double customer productivity, at half the cost, with patented technology. Include your sustainable competitive advantage. Quantify all the key elements of the equation, including price, margin and volume.

Summary 101

Summary Patents Technical Review Competition 101

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 2, 2020

His challenge is to focus on one market, with a specific design, cost, and price. Then, he'll need to patent it and create a plan to show opportunity, competition, and financial projections. I have tried to convince him the general idea alone does not make a business. Yes, there are a lot of bridges to cross.

Ideas 126

Ideas Writing Examples Outsource 126

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2018

Don’t bash the competition. Every investor knows how vulnerable a new startup is to competitors, so investors always ask about your sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. That says you are competitive today, have a real barrier to entry, and the potential to remain ahead of the competition for a long time.

Competition 51

Competition Patents Resource Entrepreneur 51

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2021

Find out if something very similar is already selling, and who your competition would be if you proceed. Ask some potential customers to see if there is real interest, and start thinking about price versus cost. File at least a provisional patent and one or more trademarks. Look hard at the technology for feasibility and risk.

Ideas 136

Ideas Entrepreneur Mentor Resource 136

SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 25, 2009

Fantastic post by Christian Gammill - Startup Delta Force… From a competitive perspective (e.g. Now, given our current economic crisis and VC ‘challenges’, the barriers to funding have gone up significantly as well.

Startup 150

Startup SEM IP SEO 150

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 9, 2018

According to an MIT study a while back, only about 10% of patents granted in the United States have any meaningful commercial importance and less than one percent are of seminal importance. Nearly all new businesses aspiring to reach meaningful scale require some sort of outside funding to finance a competitive growth trajectory.

Guide 95

Guide Startup Ideas Entrepreneur 95

socalTECH

APRIL 29, 2014

A number of teams have recently been looking to turn that vision into reality, as a result of the Qualcomm Tricorder Prize , a $10M competition being run by the X Prize Foundation to create a real life Tricorder. That''s essentially how the Tricoder competition was formed--it''s time for this to happen. It was announced in the 90''s.

Startup 262

Startup Competition Software Review UCLA 262

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 5, 2016

According to an MIT study a while back, only about 10% of patents granted in the United States have any meaningful commercial importance and less than one percent are of seminal importance. Nearly all new businesses aspiring to reach meaningful scale require some sort of outside funding to finance a competitive growth trajectory.

Startup 103

Startup Ideas Entrepreneur Competition 103

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2016

This is also the place to first mention patents and any other differentiators that put you ahead of competition. Every new offering has competition and alternatives, so it’s not credible to claim no competitors. How big is the funding request, and how much equity will you give?

Invest 108

Invest Startup Slides Equity 108

Xconomy

JUNE 3, 2016

Merck also saw some expected fruits of its 2014 big-ticket acquisition of Cubist Pharmaceuticals wither away this week, as the Supreme Court wouldn’t reverse a decision that shaved years off the patent life of the top-selling antibiotic daptomyicin (Cubicin). ” The project leaders are seeking $100 million in funding.

San Diego 62

San Diego Patents Acquisition News 62

socalTECH

JUNE 23, 2009

Semiconductor startups seem to be quite rare in today's environment, with few companies being funded or launched, due both to the difficulty of bringing products to market, lack of investment capital, as well as lots of established, large companies in the industry. We're now funded by a bunch of angels. Mike Neshat: I'm broke now.

Patents 100

Patents Sample Technical Review Pricing 100

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 1, 2013

Experienced entrepreneurs will tell you that the initial idea is the easy part, and it’s the later implementation, and the competitive business marketing that are the real creative challenges. I find that startups looking for funding often never even think of asking strategic partners, rather than just venture capitalists.

Startup 100

Startup Ideas Patents Training 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 2, 2018

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. You have no shelf life, so you can’t make money while you sleep.

Services 72

Services Startup Training Writing 72

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 9, 2010

(www.pitchtheangels.com) Join Tech Coast Angels members and other start up investors at the 5th Annual Los Angeles Fast Pitch Competition. and international patent and trademark procurement - IP Litigation - IP Licenses and Agreements: distribution, development, joint venture - Intellectual property aspects of mergers and acquisitions.

Southern California 113

Southern California Tech Coast Angels IP Orange County 113

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 26, 2012

Experienced entrepreneurs will tell you that the initial idea is the easy part, and it’s the later implementation, and the competitive business marketing that are the real creative challenges. I find that startups looking for funding often never even think of asking strategic partners, rather than just venture capitalists.

Ideas 109

Ideas Entrepreneur Patents Training 109

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 12, 2012

Both conclusions will kill your credibility, and usually preclude any further funding interest. For example, “Compared to product x, my solution will get the job done in half the time, and at half the price.” Being first to offer something is often used to cover the fact that you have no patent or intellectual property.

Startup 100

Startup Competition Patents Training 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 27, 2014

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. You have no shelf life, so you can’t make money while you sleep.

Services 105

Services Startup Training Writing 105

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 14, 2013

According to a recent MIT study , only about 10% of patents granted in the United States have any meaningful commercial importance and less than one percent are of seminal importance. Nearly all new businesses aspiring to reach meaningful scale require some sort of outside funding to finance a competitive growth trajectory.

Startup 105

Startup Ideas Entrepreneur Competition 105

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 2, 2011

Both conclusions will kill your credibility, and usually preclude any further funding interest. For example, “Compared to product x, my solution will get the job done in half the time, and at half the price.” Being first to offer something is often used to cover the fact that you have no patent or intellectual property.

Startup 102

Startup Competition Patents Training 102

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2016

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. You have no shelf life, so you can’t make money while you sleep.

Services 61

Services Startup Training Writing 61

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2018

Unfortunately, customers look for value in solving their problem, and new technologies alone scare them, so these solutions don’t get bought by customers, or funded. Business model showing costs, pricing, and margins. Intellectual property and sustainable competitive advantage.

Product 58

Product Slides Entrepreneur Invest 58

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 30, 2012

According to a recent MIT study , only about 10% of patents granted in the United States have any meaningful commercial importance and less than one percent are of seminal importance. Nearly all new businesses aspiring to reach meaningful scale require some sort of outside funding to finance a competitive growth trajectory.

Entrepreneur 94

Entrepreneur Startup Ideas Competition 94

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2015

Find out if something very similar is already selling, and who your competition would be if you proceed. Ask some potential customers to see if there is real interest, and start thinking about price versus cost. File at least a provisional patent and one or more trademarks. Look hard at the technology for feasibility and risk.

Ideas 104

Ideas Mentor Resource Entrepreneur 104

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2016

It’s like trying to sell a home still being built at next year’s dream market price. Patents filed, even provisional, as well as trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets count as barriers to entry and sustainable competitive advantages. Relate your startup to similar startups funded with a higher valuation.

Startup 71

Startup Patents Invest Blogging 71

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2010

Both conclusions will kill your credibility, and usually preclude any further funding interest. For example, “Compared to product x, my solution will get the job done in half the time, and at half the price.” Being first to offer something is often used to cover the fact that you have no patent or intellectual property.

Startup 89

Startup Competition Patents Entrepreneur 89

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2014

Find out if something very similar is already selling, and who your competition would be if you proceed. Ask some potential customers to see if there is real interest, and start thinking about price versus cost. File at least a provisional patent and one or more trademarks. Look hard at the technology for feasibility and risk.

Ideas 107

Ideas Mentor Entrepreneur Resource 107

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2013

Competitive risk. Even in an open space, you need intellectual property, like patents, to keep potential competitors from overrunning you. The selection of an inappropriate pricing, marketing, or distribution strategy is a large potential risk. Think seriously about the number and clout of your competitors. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 104

Startup Examples Entrepreneur Social Network 104

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 17, 2017

Find out if something very similar is already selling, and who your competition would be if you proceed. Ask some potential customers to see if there is real interest, and start thinking about price versus cost. File at least a provisional patent and one or more trademarks. Look hard at the technology for feasibility and risk.

Ideas 56

Ideas Mentor Resource Product 56

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 25, 2012

Competitive risk. Even in an open space, you need intellectual property, like patents, to keep potential competitors from overrunning you. The selection of an inappropriate pricing, marketing, or distribution strategy is a large potential risk. Think seriously about the number and clout of your competitors. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Examples Social Network Marketing 108

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2012

Every investor expects to see some business traction, both before and after a funding event. If you have neither, and choose to approach an investor, you will get no attention, and probably never again get a shot at funding with that investor. Now investors will pay attention, since scale-up funding is less risky and has a time frame.

Startup 104

Startup CTO Hire Press Customer 104