Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 7, 2021

Some pundits argue that the E-Myth principle is now outdated, due to the instant access to information via the Internet, pervasive networking via social media, and courses on entrepreneurship at all levels of education. Hence most fail. Perhaps an innate business savvy is no longer a requirement for starting a successful business.

Technical Review 136

Technical Review Startup Social Media Satisfaction 136

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 12, 2022

Of course, Jeff Bezos no longer needs investors, but he worked hard in his early days courting potential investors, building relationships and credibility that allowed him to get the money he needed to scale his company quickly. Quality of your technical and business teams. Proprietary technology with a high barrier to entry.

Technical Review 147

Technical Review Social Media Entrepreneur Startup 147

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2023

Some analysis and due diligence along the following lines should be performed on every idea, as a reality check, before committing your efforts and other people’s money to building a business: Look for places where competitors are few. Of course, existing patents don’t stop you from innovating, but charging ahead into a wall is no fun.

Ideas 106

Ideas Technical Review Patents Startup 106

Xconomy

JUNE 24, 2019

These can be positive attributes in an entrepreneur, but in a more rational world, technology investors wouldn’t overvalue them. In the real world, of course, proof is hard to come by. Risk capital would be allocated based mostly on evidence, data, progress towards milestones—in short, on proof.

Technical Review 107

Technical Review Course Capital Entrepreneur 107

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 5, 2014

The press around the raise & company was fantastic and the promise of their technology – wireless charging that works as easily as WiFi – would positively affect many of our lives. uBeam’s tech does work and I have safely seen it demo’d in the real life many times. Of course the naysayers are out again.

Technical Review 417

Technical Review Startup Software Review Course 417

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).

Class 194

Class Organization Technical Review Activity 194

TechCrunch LA

JANUARY 11, 2021

Healthvana , a health tech startup that began with a specific focus on providing patient information digitally for individuals living with HIV, is helping Los Angeles County roll out mobile vaccination records for COVID-19 using Apple’s Wallet technology. “We look and feel like Instagram.

Technical Review 201

Technical Review Software Review Startup Los Angeles 201

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. In terms of job creation, innovation, and productivity, entrepreneurs drive growth.

Technical Review 126

Technical Review Technical Support Entrepreneur Startup 126

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

Periodically we do portfolio reviews to evaluate whether we have enough diversified risk across the fund. We look at stage, geography and of course sector. One such theme was “water conservation” and we morphed it into a broader theme of agriculture technology or “ag tech” for short. 6SensorLabs.

Funding 362

Funding Technical Review Ideas Startup 362

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 26, 2010

I’ve been having discussions with several people recently about the role of the CTO (Chief Technology Officer) in very early stage companies. Of course, I have an advantage because I organize the LA CTO Forum. Of course, since you know those questions, you can just collect up the answers and provide them to your developers.

Fractional CTO 225

Fractional CTO CTO CTO Hire CTO Coach 225

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

JULY 22, 2016

Over the course of a month we put Enclave’s CineHome system to the test with dinosaurs, a few zombie games, and a touch of bass nectar. The subwoofer, though large, does pack a punch, but due to the factory tuning is limited in its abilities. Bluetooth is sort of a drunken technology. Personally I sort of hate it. out of 5.

Technical Review 70

Technical Review Design Startup Networking 70

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 17, 2013

We will have to build (or buy) technology in this area.” The thing is … what I see many sales execs do is burn up countless hours on mid-level campaigns that get torpedoed when the go up the organization due to lack of budget, a desire to own that core IP or other more pressing organization priorities.

Sales 375

Sales Technical Review Organization Case Study 375

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 17, 2013

As the end of the year approaches, it’s a good time for every startup to assess the metrics, technology, and platforms they’re using to manage the business. Of course, everyone is happy when the numbers keep going up, but the data needs to be mined constantly for deeper meanings and trends. Variable cost percentage.

Metrics 100

Metrics Technical Review Sales Customer 100

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 23, 2015

Of course you could start your own company. Of course I’m not suggesting people shouldn’t start a company. For some aspiring to be tech entrepreneurs, I often suggest a two-step process, as I argued in this post that “ The First Startup Founder You Need to Invest in Is You.” ” (Warren Buffett).

Technical Review 150

Technical Review Startup Venture Capital IP 150

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 21, 2011

Finally, we want it cheap (of course). Here’s the latest technology. Of course, you both need to have compatible smart phones with the software already downloaded. Several of these have good reviews, including PIMEX, Diasho, Enhilex, and Advanced Contact Manager. This is great and it’s free! CardScan Personal. Shareware.

Technical Review 83

Technical Review Technology Software Review Social Network 83

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 25, 2021

Every entrepreneur with a new technology tells me that his innovation will be industry-disrupting, meaning that it will render the existing technology obsolete, and create a new market. Pick a technology that somehow seems inferior to the major incumbents. So why would any investor ever believe any of these claims?

Technical Review 157

Technical Review Entrepreneur Marketing Customer 157

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 8, 2023

When I dig deeper, I find that many of you are easily excited by a great new idea, but fail to diligently follow a validation process to test the limits of your thinking, before proceeding to rollout. Start with a real problem, rather than a technology or solution looking for a problem.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Ideas Study Social Media 120

socalTECH

JANUARY 28, 2019

Those airport drone incursions shut down Gatwick over the course of three days, which caused major delays at Heathrow and Newark. However, there is already the technology out therefrom San Luis Obispo-based Whitefox Defense (www.whitefoxdefense.com)  to both detect, and neutralize those drones. Explain how your technology works?

Startup 187

Startup Technical Review Technology Competition 187

socalTECH

DECEMBER 28, 2012

For the last week of the year, we're featuring the thoughts and reflections of some of the movers and shakers of Southern California's high tech community. We asked the same four questions of a variety of top technology entrepreneurs, investors, and others, to hear what they're thinking about, and are sharing it here over the next week.

Southern California 215

Southern California Technical Review High Tech Venice 215

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 24, 2020

Of course, it could be your level of experience, or the quality of your team, but the difference is often more related to the lifecycle stage of the market you are trying to enter. Everyone knew these had potential, but had not demonstrated success to date due to infrastructure and support requirements, or cost constraints.

Marketing 174

Marketing Startup Artificial Inteligence Technical Review 174

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2022

On the other hand, if you are into solar technologies, there is probably an advantage to being in Arizona or a similar location. Of course, there are always exceptions, but how much added risk do you need for your startup? Of course, there are always exceptions, but how much added risk do you need for your startup?

Technical Review 123

Technical Review Oracle Software Review Ideas 123

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 19, 2018

Even if you can learn and do everything, time is a killer in this rapidly evolving world of business and technology. Of course, full trust must be earned, but it is critical to do some due diligence before hiring new team members, or establishing partnerships. You need to divide and conquer.

Technical Review 96

Technical Review Ideas Startup Entrepreneur 96

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

Many times they also pick up product and tech, too. Often times you find the CEO who really just likes to do product or tech. Similarly I talk to CEOs who can’t do a sales pipeline review with me. I once did due diligence on a potential investment where the CEO was projecting $9 million in sales for his next 12 months.

Startup 325

Startup Technical Review Sales Report 325

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 7, 2019

Partially due to the economy, 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 a USNews article, will likely dominate the labor market by 2024. In terms of job creation, innovation, and productivity, entrepreneurs drive growth.

Startup 119

Startup Technical Review Technical Support Entrepreneur 119

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 16, 2017

Every tech or major news journal in the country is preparing to write their Snap, Inc (creators of Snapchat, Spectacles, etc) stories and many of them seem to want a “How does it feel to have missed this investment story.” Of course that was a wrong narrative for both companies. Mostly kidding. Another firm funded them.

Snapchat 214

Snapchat Invest Technical Review Dollar Shave Club 214

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2014

Of course it’s much harder to identify “emerging managers” who it turns out have been some of the best performers over the past 5-7 years such as Union Square Ventures, Spark Capital, First Round Capital, True Ventures, Greycroft, Foundry Group, Thrive and Upfront Ventures. .” 2007 was the watershed year.

Venture Capital 398

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Seed Funding 398

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. It's been a tough year for many due to the pandemic; how have you or your company adapted to the business environment? What are you most looking forward to in the technology/startup world in 2021?

Venture Capital 124

Venture Capital Capital Technical Review Brentwood 124

socalTECH

DECEMBER 29, 2020

Every year, we feature the year end reflections of founders, CEOs, investors, and others in Southern California's high tech community. It's been a tough year for many due to the pandemic; how have you or your company adapted to the business environment?  We'll be posting these throughout the next two weeks.

Southern California 140

Southern California Technical Review Platform Organization 140

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 27, 2012

David encourages entrepreneurs to stay away from the big tech firms (such as Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple) because they are hard to compete with. I believe entrepreneurs should, in David’s words, “build big businesses on the outskirts” but I don’t believe that Silicon Valley tech giants will outmaneuver startups.

Technical Review 299

Technical Review Venture Capital Yammer Google 299

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

Some analysis and due diligence along the following lines should be performed on every idea, as a reality check, before committing your efforts and other people’s money to building a business: Look for places where competitors are few. Of course, existing patents don’t stop you from innovating, but charging ahead into a wall is no fun.

Ideas 83

Ideas Technical Review Patents Startup 83

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 13, 2020

Leading edge technology software and manufacturing require constant course corrections and iterative restarts. In any case, before you select a specific outsourcing or contract alternative, there is no substitute for doing thorough due diligence. Don’t count on contracts and non-disclosure agreements to save you.

Outsource Development 122

Outsource Development Outsource Software Review Technical Review 122

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 28, 2021

Of course, both are impressive, but still small compared to over $300 billion from VC investments annually. Nevertheless, according to Rose, both are poised for further growth due to online technology, and there is indeed plenty of opportunity. If you subscribe to truths one to five, startup investing can be lucrative.

Funding 144

Funding Startup .Net Invest 144

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2020

and of course a relentless pursuit of helping founders succeed. The core of the investing job of course is investing dollars into startup companies and helping as a mentor, advisor and board member on the companies in which you’ve invested. She had all of the skills and traits we sought?—?leadership, So What Does All This Mean?

Venture Capital 361

Venture Capital Startup Invest CitySearch 361

Tech Zulu Event

MAY 26, 2016

The automobile industry has seen a lot of changes in recent years when it comes to the technology that comes standard in vehicles. Here are some of best technological advancements in automobiles to occur in recent years. It makes sense due to their inexperience behind the wheel. Parental controls. That’s right.

High Tech 40

High Tech Technical Review Design Help 40

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

Of course, we all realize that this approach will take longer, and could jeopardize both roles if not managed effectively. This source is a major focus these days, due to government initiatives to incent research and development on alternative energy and other technologies. Set expectations accordingly.

Startup 136

Startup Technical Review Equity Incubator 136

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 26, 2022

For example, Bill Gates founded and grew Microsoft, and Michael Dell built a great technology company, both with no outside funding until they went successful enough to go public years later and sell shares to common stockholders. Of course, this can be positive if you really need the help and experience in making key decisions.

Funding 107

Funding Startup Satisfaction Venture Capital 107