Both Sides of the Table

MAY 21, 2019

Managing Your Startup Board?—?A My talk was about “ managing your startup board ” and the full deck is on that SlideShare link and embedded below. I also wrote an entire series on the topic of Startup Boards if you want to do any more reading that link has several articles you can dig into. link] Managing Your Startup Board?—?A

Startup 234

Startup Slides Venture Capital Course 234

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 5, 2023

Fixed overhead for salaries, rent, equipment leases and more make up the majority of the “burn rate” (monthly expenses) for most companies. Since this number is budgeted and pre-authorized, managers tend to focus upon other things such as sales, marketing and product development issues. The financial pain of unplanned delays.

Venture Capital 296

Venture Capital Product Marketing Resource 296

SoCal CTO

APRIL 2, 2013

What's Going to Go Wrong A lot of founders don't really understand Lean Startup principles. They look at the following high level definition of Lean: and they interpret that as write up an executive summary with your ideas and hand it to developers to build. Correct your course quickly. What's going to go wrong?

CTO Coach 219

CTO Coach Metrics Framework Software Development 219

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 14, 2011

Sunday, November 20, 2011 -- Startup Weekend Orange County. Startup Weekend is an intense 54 hour event which focuses on building a web or mobile application which could form the basis of a credible business over the course of a weekend.

Orange County 100

Orange County Startup Course Software Development 100

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 14, 2011

Saturday, November 19, 2011 -- Startup Weekend Orange County. Startup Weekend is an intense 54 hour event which focuses on building a web or mobile application which could form the basis of a credible business over the course of a weekend.

Orange County 100

Orange County Startup Course Software Development 100

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 14, 2011

Friday, November 18, 2011 -- Startup Weekend Orange County. Startup Weekend is an intense 54 hour event which focuses on building a web or mobile application which could form the basis of a credible business over the course of a weekend.

Orange County 100

Orange County Startup Course Software Development 100

SoCal CTO

JUNE 13, 2011

We had an interesting presentation at the LA CTO Forum by the CTO of a startup who chose Groovy / Grails as the framework for their startup. t prompted a good discussion around how CTOs go about choosing the programming language and framework for their startup. Of course, I'm not sure that anyone chooses Java alone.

Framework 330

Framework Startup Java PHP 330

SoCal CTO

APRIL 28, 2014

I guess it should not be a surprise that Founders have lots of challenges working with developers. So I promised that I would provide a follow-up after the session. This is that follow-up and hopefully it’s useful to people outside of the session as well. Do keep in mind that this is hard work for a developer.

Develop 280

Develop Development CTO Coach CTO Hire 280

SoCal CTO

MARCH 12, 2012

I've recently received several emails from people looking for a technical cofounder for their startup. "I'm looking for a partner / cofounder who can not only head the technical aspects and build a working model of the site, but someone with the connections to put a great development team together when we need it.

CTO Hire 211

CTO Hire CTO Coach Startup Equity 211

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 8, 2023

If you have a software development background like mine, I’m sure you often get questions about when to outsource, versus building the solution in-house. Outsourcing is defined as contracting the work to another company, usually located in a developing country, like India, China, or Eastern Europe.

Software Review 114

Software Review Technical Review Outsource Development Outsource 114

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

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2023

Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Yet it always amazes me that I can find two different startups, seemingly working on the same problem, with one having a burn rate several times higher than the other. They understand startup realities. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young.

Search Engine Optimization 103

Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media Equity 103

SoCal CTO

AUGUST 4, 2011

Almost every day I'm talking to early stage startup founders (see Free Startup CTO Consulting Sessions ) about what they plan to do. Many of these founders have talked with several developers or development firms about their plans. Of course, it's way more complex than just these questions. SEO for Startups )?

Develop 396

Develop Development Startup SEO 396

SoCal CTO

AUGUST 4, 2011

Almost every day I'm talking to early stage startup founders (see Free Startup CTO Consulting Sessions ) about what they plan to do. Many of these founders have talked with several developers or development firms about their plans. Of course, it's way more complex than just these questions. SEO for Startups )?

Develop 384

Develop Development Startup SEO 384

SoCal CTO

MARCH 11, 2010

If you’re a Web-based startup, for example, show me how many unique visitors you think you can get in the beginning, and what you’re using for an estimated conversion rate (buyers to browsers). And it’s surprising how few startup founders think in those terms. Part of those questions are around Startup Metrics.

Metrics 159

Metrics Search Engine Optimization Startup Ideas 159

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 13, 2020

If you have a software development background like mine, I’m sure you often get questions about when to outsource, versus building the solution in-house. Outsourcing is defined as contracting the work to another company, usually located in a developing country, like India, China, or Eastern Europe.

Outsource Development 122

Outsource Development Outsource Software Review Technical Review 122

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Yet it always amazes me that I can find two different startups, seemingly working on the same problem, with one having a burn rate several times higher than the other. They understand startup realities. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young.

Startup 89

Startup Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media 89

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 15, 2015

As a mentor to startups, I see more and more startups that are really an individual professional, marketing themselves as a consultant or freelancer. Of course, entrepreneurs delivering services have existed for some time, including business consultant, independent contractor, and freelancer titles. Staffing Professional.

Entrepreneur 99

Entrepreneur Startup Mentor Social Media 99

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Yet it always amazes me that I can find two different startups, seemingly working on the same problem, with one having a burn rate several times higher than the other. They understand startup realities. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young.

Startup 108

Startup Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media 108

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

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 27, 2011

There are very few people in Silicon Valley who have such a precise grasp on what defines success of early-stage startup companies than Eric Ries. Importantly we also discussed: should startups raise small amounts of money or large? how should you organize teams in a startup? And make sure to pick up a copy of his book.

Social Media 301

Social Media Startup Metrics Media 301

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2020

Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Yet it always amazes me that I can find two different startups, seemingly working on the same problem, with one having a burn rate several times higher than the other. They understand startup realities. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young.

Search Engine Optimization 124

Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media Equity 124

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2016

As a mentor to startups, I see more and more startups that are really an individual professional, marketing themselves as a consultant or freelancer. Of course, entrepreneurs delivering services have existed for some time, including business consultant, independent contractor, and freelancer titles. Staffing Professional.

Entrepreneur 56

Entrepreneur Services Startup Social Media 56

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 18, 2011

I received an inquiry from a reader of my blog and thought I would provide some thoughts, but would definitely welcome input: I am an unpaid CTO of a small startup. Of course, that doesn’t help here. Actually, I should start by saying – I’m not a lawyer and you might want to get someone who can help you understand your position here.

CTO 167

CTO CTO Hire CTO Coach Equity 167

socalTECH

MARCH 14, 2014

How do you bring an outside perspective and a startup''s nimble perspective to your products, if you''re a big, established company? Are developers willing to invest their time and energy in building solutions around your products, company, or organization? Tell me a little bit about your hackathons, what they are all about?

Edmunds 172

Edmunds Southern California Ideas Startup 172

Berkonomics

AUGUST 10, 2017

Fixed overhead for salaries, rent, equipment leases and more make up the majority of the “burn rate” (monthly expenses) for most companies. Since this number is budgeted and pre-authorized, managers tend to focus upon other things such as sales, marketing and product development issues.

Venture Capital 243

Venture Capital Product Resource Marketing 243

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 18, 2011

I received an inquiry from a reader of my blog and thought I would provide some thoughts, but would definitely welcome input: I am an unpaid CTO of a small startup. Of course, that doesn’t help here. Actually, I should start by saying – I’m not a lawyer and you might want to get someone who can help you understand your position here.

CTO 150

CTO CTO Hire CTO Coach Equity 150

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 27, 2010

I grew up believing that human behavior was 20% nature, 80% nurture. of all data is made up. OK, not literally made up. Of course I don’t believe this argument. There is of course much nurture and culture weaved in. So going into a startup scenario you bring these innate skills or you don’t.

Startup 289

Startup Statistics Entrepreneur Study 289

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2012

Cash is the fuel of every startup. It continually amazes me how two startups, seemingly comparable in stage and objective, can be so far apart in their burn rate. Here are some recommendations on how to keep the rate low, and help your startup to prosper at the same time: Measure it and manage it. Which would you bet on?

Startup 92

Startup Outsource Development Development Team Review Equity 92

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 28, 2011

Cash is the fuel of every startup. It continually amazes me how two startups, seemingly comparable in stage and objective, can be so far apart in their burn rate. Investors assume it will only go up with more funding. Investors assume it will only go up with more funding. Which would you bet on? Great strategy.

Startup 92

Startup Outsource Development Development Team Review Equity 92

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

Are you a non-technical startup founder who’s about to go have a conversation with a Chief Technical Officer (CTO) or Technical advisory type person? Maybe you are going for a reality check on your current situation - wondering if you have a Weak Development Team or a Startup Founder Developer Gap. It’s not warming us up.

CTO Coach 211

CTO Coach Startup Web Guide 211

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 29, 2009

15desks.com), a new startup focused on the education market. We talked with him on why he decided to head up this startup, and what 15desks is all about. It's started with managing courses and grades, on to a whole array of other services. When you are in college, there's a whole array of things that open up.

Education 124

Education Startup Course Tool 124

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2014

If you have a software development background like mine, Im sure you often get questions about when to outsource, versus building the solution in-house. Outsourcing is defined as contracting the work to another company, usually located in a developing country, like India, China, or Eastern Europe.

Outsource Development 95

Outsource Development Outsource Offshore Software Review 95

SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 20, 2007

Ive personally been involved in the start-up world in Los Angeles for about 15 years, and have had the opportunity to work on many early-stage companies (e.g., Of course, thats probably even more true in Silicon Valley. He has been the CTO for several start-ups, most notably eHarmony. eHarmongy) as an acting CTO.

CTO Coach 150

CTO Coach Southern California CTO Hire Social Media 150

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 10, 2013

Something from a motivational panel, discussing Biz Dev strategies or maybe how to launch a lean start up. And of course, product managers relay the abstract to the engineering teams to ensure the delivered product is, what it was planned to be. Her description starts off with a standup meeting with her product team.

Product 87

Product Fandango Design Startup 87

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 18, 2015

No one likes to talk about it, but the odds of an individual startup making it are pretty daunting. Startup Killers. This might be tough to stomach, but founders themselves pose the greatest threats to the viability of their startups. And of course you’ll have payroll tax and other obligations. Playing “Who’s on first?”

Technical Review 40

Technical Review Software Review Startup IP 40

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 22, 2010

Last night I co-hosted a dinner at Soho House in Los Angeles with some of the most senior people in the media industry with executives from Disney, Fox, Warner, media agencies and many promising tech & media startup CEO’s. He started selling the mixtapes out of his trunk and even gave away some of his music. He was riveting.

Entrepreneur 356

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Startup Email 356