SoCal CTO

JANUARY 26, 2010

In December 2007, I described how I commonly take on an Acting CTO Role in a Start-up. However, I’ve now begun questioning how and what an early-stage / startup CTO should be. What worries me a bit is how often I read that startups should hire a developer / hands-on lead developer. Gap closed, right?

Fractional CTO 225

Fractional CTO CTO CTO Hire CTO Coach 225

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series called “ Start-up Lessons.&#. I came across this blog post about getting a computer science degree as the best degree for getting into venture capital or working at a VC-backed start up. I paid up for the diploma but can’t say that I saw better results.

Startup 337

Startup Venture Capital Study Course 337

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2020

In my opinion, real pain points for most people do not include a new user interface for Facebook, a new programming platform for app development, or a new size smart phone. Maybe we haven’t seen the results yet, but there are thousands of startup opportunities to offer new alternatives and services, to replace those destroyed by the crisis.

Custom 167

Custom Customer Startup Outsource Development 167

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2023

In my opinion, real pain points for most people do not include a new user interface for Facebook, a new programming platform for app development, or a new size smart phone. Maybe we haven’t seen the results yet, but there are thousands of startup opportunities to offer new alternatives and services, to replace those destroyed by the crisis.

Ideas 118

Ideas Outsource Development Outsource Course 118

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 29, 2022

Here are six results that you can achieve by building a prototype, which are really the reasons that investors and partners will give you a whole new level of credibility as they evaluate your startup for potential funding: Something you can touch and feel helps validate opportunity. As a startup, you need all the leverage you can get.

Outsource Development 110

Outsource Development Ideas Tool Outsource 110

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2020

I’m sure you have all seen entrepreneurs and startups with great ideas that never seem to live up to their potential, while others with more mundane solutions seem to take off quickly and never slow down. If you tell me that you have been working on your startup for two years, but can’t quite quantify the progress, I’m not impressed.

Startup 123

Startup Outsource Development Entrepreneur Outsource 123

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. A Biden presidency doesn’t need a Green New Deal to make progress on climate change.

Startup 229

Startup Technical Review Invest Research 229

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 20, 2010

I recently did a post for startups on understanding sales people. A few people have asked me to try and define the perfect startup organization chart. But I do have more insight into understanding your startup team. Often I’m asked by startup CEO’s about how to best build an engineering team.

CTO Hire 400

CTO Hire Fractional VPE Startup Outsource Development 400

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 2, 2020

Here are six results that you can achieve by building a prototype, which are really the reasons that investors and partners will give you a whole new level of credibility as they evaluate your startup for potential funding: Something you can touch and feel helps validate opportunity. As a startup, you need all the leverage you can get.

Outsource Development 124

Outsource Development Ideas Tool Outsource 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 20, 2020

Yet as I mentor entrepreneurs around the country, it still seems to be one of the least understood approaches to startup funding, with more myths than accredited angels and professional venture capital investors combined. With this model, a startup pre-sells their product early, at a cheaper price, in exchange for a pledge.

Entrepreneur 129

Entrepreneur Outsource Development Satisfaction Equity 129

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 23, 2015

Here are six results that you can achieve by building a prototype, which are really the reasons that investors and partners will give you a whole new level of credibility as they evaluate your startup for potential funding: Something you can touch and feel helps validate opportunity. As a startup, you need all the leverage you can get.

Ideas 107

Ideas Outsource Development Startup Tool 107

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2014

It wasn’t so many years ago that starting a new e-commerce business on the Internet was a complex custom development project, usually costing a million dollars or more. Almost anyone can start a company today on a shoestring budget, following these cost-cutting recommendations: Establish a solid legal structure for your business.

Entrepreneur 104

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media Commerce 104

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 19, 2013

The era of VCs investing in successful consumer Internet startups such as eBay led to a belief system that seemed to permeate many enterprise software startups that hiring sales or implementation people was a bad thing. If you’re an early-stage enterprise startup services revenue is exactly what you need. We like software.

Startup 403

Startup Sales Software Review Technical Review 403

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 16, 2014

Here are the key objectives that you can achieve by building a prototype, which are really the reasons that investors and partners will give you a whole new level of credibility as they evaluate your startup for potential funding: Something you can touch and feel helps validate opportunity.

Outsource Development 105

Outsource Development Startup Ideas Tool 105

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 13, 2013

Lack of understanding about your business costs is one of the biggest rookie mistakes—and, if you are a new entrepreneur, heading up a new venture, or attacking a new marketplace, you are indeed a rookie. In my experience, these are four proven strategies for plugging up your cash drain: 1. Cost Accounting. Set Your Budgeting Goals.

Outsource Development 91

Outsource Development Outsource Startup Marketing 91

InfoChachkie

MAY 19, 2011

This series describes how entrepreneurs can craft company-changing agreements with BDCs, while avoiding Kiss of Death contract provisions. Give up Branding. Serve up World-wide Distribution. A more complicated negotiating point involves IP that is created in the course of the parties’ collaboration. Deploy a Free Pilot.

Outsource Development 193

Outsource Development IP Technical Review Entrepreneur 193

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 15, 2009

Steve Gilison worked as a market researcher and product manager at a startup where my company, TechEmpower , did the software / web development. Of course, I immediately gave him the whole spiel on Visible Networking and Steve was totally game to make our networking visible. What keeps you up at night? I can see that.

Los Angeles 179

Los Angeles Product Angel Startup 179

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2011

I’m a very big proponent of the “lean startup movement&# as espoused by Steve Blank & Eric Ries. In the initial phases of any new market you’re developing a product (hopefully with a minimal set of features), getting feedback from customers, refining your product based on user feedback and then re-launching your product.

Development Team Review 374

Development Team Review Technical Review Startup Resource 374

socalTECH

APRIL 30, 2018

For this morning's interview, we caught up with Elizabeth Cholawsky , the new CEO of Santa Barbara-based HG Data (www.hgdata.com), which develops software which helps marketers and salespeople understand the "technology stack" of their potential customers and prospects. How'd you end up at HG Data? So, I cam on board.

Santa Barbara 113

Santa Barbara High Tech Outsource Development Startup 113

socalTECH

APRIL 21, 2017

Georg Richter: For the five years before I started the company in January of 2016, I was at Guthy Renker, which is one of the largest and biggest direct marketing companies in the world. It was a logical system to start offering up cloud-based systems like those we had developed. It's like a cliffhanger in a movie.

Startup 145

Startup Product Custom Customer 145

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2018

Here are six results that you can achieve by building a prototype, which are really the reasons that investors and partners will give you a whole new level of credibility as they evaluate your startup for potential funding: Something you can touch and feel helps validate opportunity. As a startup, you need all the leverage you can get.

Ideas 53

Ideas Outsource Development Tool Outsource 53

InfoChachkie

JULY 23, 2012

Serial entrepreneur, venture investor and startup accelerator pioneer Brad Feld has notoriously mocked traditional marketing throughout his career. For a long time, I had a line which was, ‘Whenever I hear the word marketing, it makes me throw up a little bit in my mouth.’”. This article originally appeared on Forbes HERE.

Marketing 233

Marketing Blogging Startup Venture Capital 233

socalTECH

MARCH 12, 2013

What is it about the content delivery network market which has enabled Santa Monica-based EdgeCast to go from startup to over $100M in revenues in only a few, short years? We caught up with James Segil , the firm's President, to hear the story behind that big growth at the company. Instead, they outsource to an expert like Edegcast.

CTO Hire 248

CTO Hire Content Networking Web 248

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2015

Yet as I mentor entrepreneurs around the country, it still seems to be one of the least understood approaches to startup funding, with more myths than accredited angels and professional venture capital investors combined. With this model, a startup pre-sells their product early, at a cheaper price, in exchange for a pledge.

Venture Capital 108

Venture Capital Angel Satisfaction Equity 108

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2010

In my opinion, real pain points for most people do not require a new user interface for Facebook, a new programming platform for app development, or even the Apple iPad. Maybe we haven’t seen the results yet, but there are thousands of startup opportunities to offer new products and services, to replace those in crisis. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 82

Startup Outsource Development Outsource Course 82

SoCal CTO

JUNE 26, 2012

I've done four Free CTO Consulting Sessions in the past month with startup founders who all had run into variations of the same problem. They didn't feel they had visibility into timelines and costs for development of their software. The teams involved didn't seem to be exhibiting many of the Symptoms of a Weak Development Team.

Outsource Development 254

Outsource Development Software Development Develop Development 254

Tech Zulu Event

JUNE 16, 2014

We recently sat down with Luc Berlin, co-founder of Miigle, a SoCal startup that has an aggressive global mission to bring entrepreneurs together from around the world. We followed up with Luc to see just how he’s been managing the entrepreneurial waters. The quintessential problem that every startup has is one of visibility.

SoCal 104

SoCal Southern California Startup Platform 104

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2013

The newest equity model was passed into law in early 2012 via the JOBS Act , and still has no scheduled date for availability in the USA, waiting for the rules to be defined by the SEC: Startup equity crowd funding. Of course, this might also lead to investors, partners, and licensing opportunities. Software crowd sourcing.

Funding 99

Funding Satisfaction Sites Outsource Development 99

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 13, 2009

In addition to all of them reaching the pinnacle of their chosen professions, they also all started their careers performing the same job. They also accounted for each paper and were often financially penalized for any papers which were lost , thereby developing strong internal controls. I’ll sell them at 20?

Web 2.0 222

Web 2.0 Web Sales Outsource Development 222

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2012

The newest model was passed into law recently via the JOBS Act , and won’t even be available until the end of this year or maybe mid-2013 in the USA, while waiting for the rules to be finalized: Startup equity crowd funding. This new model will allow large numbers of “regular” people to invest small amounts each online to fund early startups.

Funding 96

Funding Satisfaction Sites Outsource Development 96

SoCal CTO

JULY 23, 2012

I received a great question via LinkedIn: I'm the founding engineer and working hard to launch my startup. What can I do to best equip myself to step up when the need to officially fill this role arises? I've previously addressed the role of a CTO in early-stages in my post Startup CTO or Developer. Accounting?

CTO Coach 231

CTO Coach CTO Hire Outsource Development Develop 231

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 11, 2010

Taking other people’s money to fund your startup changes your life in ways you cannot predict. To someone laboring in a cash-strapped startup, money often seems to be the endgame. When I get funded,” the entrepreneur thinks, “I can build a prototype, hire a development team, go to market, scale more quickly, and beat my competition.”

Outsource Development 93

Outsource Development High Tech Outsource Startup 93

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 3, 2013

Let me start by saying that Clayton is one of the most influential people on my thoughts about markets that led to both the concept behind my first startup and my main theses in investing. Startup Grind was a truly awesome conference and Derek the consumate host. .” Who else does Clayton pray for?

Venture Capital 403

Venture Capital Education Offshore Outsource Development 403

Frank Addante

MAY 24, 2007

► February (1) Building and Developing an A++ Team ► 2008 (14) ► December (1) Develop a Culture Roadmap ► November (2) Green Week - Save the Environment and Your Cash Creating a Culture of Innovation: Cultural Values. Outsourcing ► April (1) GoogleClick - Who owns your cash register? Startup 3.0:

Advertising 40

Advertising Startup Venture Capital Outsource Development 40

Tech Zulu Event

JULY 19, 2015

Almost the instant the concept of the sharing economy was introduced, it has skyrocketed into hundreds of successful and established brands by offering everyone a chance to be their own boss, and others the ability to outsource needs saving time by providing convenience.

Resource 40

Resource Outsource Development Guide Research 40

InfoChachkie

DECEMBER 2, 2009

No one wakes up and says to themselves, “I need to buy that product I have never heard of before.” Affiliates invest the up-front marketing expenses required to attract customers. Given the breadth of the various online marketing mechanisms, it is typically difficult for startups to maximize each of them. It does not happen.

Custom 164

Custom Customer Advertising SEM 164

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 1, 2010

I continue to collect great content that is the intersection of startups, products, online and technology. Equity-Only CTO and Equity-Only Developers - SoCal CTO , November 1, 2010 I had a recent email dialog with the founder of a company looking for a CTO for their startup. Was it a Startup Founder Developer Gap ?

Technical Review 175

Technical Review Startup Product Technology 175