TechCrunch LA

JULY 19, 2022

Ghost is not alone in developing technology focused on inventory. to develop some sweet inventory-planning software. She went on to write, “Dee and Josh are the exact right team to tackle it. Last week, Syrup Tech raised $6.3 Syrup Tech bags $6.3M

Product 191

Product Funding Technical Review Equity 191

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

InfoChachkie

DECEMBER 2, 2009

As noted in Pour and Stir Part I , the key to the successful execution of this strategy is managing the following equation: The cost to acquire a customer < lifetime value of a customer. Decreasing Your Customer Acquisition Costs. This is equivalent to being handed a free customer for every ten customers you acquire.

Customer 164

Customer Custom Advertising SEM 164

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 17, 2013

In my first enterprise software company we developed a methodology for sales that we called PUCCKA. Customers sometimes buy things spontaneously without thinking through what their actual need is. The goal is to get the customer speaking about their organization. These references make for great discussions with customers.

Sales 367

Sales Slides Startup Customer 367

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 20, 2016

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 53

Outsource Development Outsource Software Review Technical Review 53

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 14, 2015

The instigators are all well-intentioned – executives talk to potential customers who “must have” a few more things; or the technical team edicts some “technically elegant” options that they can’t resist adding before release. Define milestones for cost review and sign-off. Implement and enforce a change process.

Technical Review 104

Technical Review Product Software Review High Tech 104

SoCal CTO

MARCH 3, 2011

Many of the founders of these companies are surprised to learn that I'm willing to review what they are doing (maybe an hour) and get on the phone for an hour with them and provide free advice. Maybe you are wondering if you have a Weak Development Team ? Do you have a Startup Founder Developer Gap ? Who's the customer?

CTO Hire 264

CTO Hire Startup Technical Review Development Team Review 264

SoCal CTO

MARCH 3, 2011

Many of the founders of these companies are surprised to learn that I'm willing to review what they are doing (maybe an hour) and get on the phone for an hour with them and provide free advice. Maybe you are wondering if you have a Weak Development Team ? Do you have a Startup Founder Developer Gap ? Who's the customer?

CTO Hire 259

CTO Hire Startup Technical Review Development Team Review 259

socalTECH

JUNE 8, 2011

We actually built that about a year and a half ago, and are bringing that back due to overwhelming demand. But, with the economy turning south in 2008, lots of those customers went out of business. In the meantime, Groupon came along, and our media customers started to lose advertising. How do clients license your software?

Platform 263

Platform Training Software Review Advertising 263

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2013

The instigators are all well-intentioned – executives talk to potential customers who “must have” a few more things; or the technical team edicts some “technically elegant” options that they can’t resist adding before release. Define milestones for cost review and sign-off. Implement and enforce a change process.

Technical Review 110

Technical Review Startup Software Review High Tech 110

socalTECH

JULY 22, 2016

For our interview today, we have an interview with Gabe Grifoni , CEO and founder of Rufus Labs (www.getrufus.com), which has has developed an Android-based, wearable device which is aimed at use in the enterprise, warehouses, and factories. Plus, they don't collect data, and use really old, limited software. That's a huge step.

Technical Review 100

Technical Review Startup Software Review CTO Hire 100

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 23, 2015

Tech Diligence - Consider The Source. Rather, we value entrepreneurs' time and thus our diligence generally includes introducing them to potential customers and partners. The difference is that VoiceXML does not leverage customers' knowledge of web development. John Greathouse <john *@ *.com>

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Technical Review Software Review Southern California 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 6, 2011

The instigators are all well-intentioned – executives talk to potential customers who “must have” a few more things; or the technical team edicts some “technically elegant” options that they can’t resist adding before release. Define milestones for cost review and sign-off. Implement and enforce a change process.

Technical Review 96

Technical Review Startup Software Review High Tech 96

socalTECH

OCTOBER 4, 2010

The company provides SAT, ACT, and other similar test preparation courses and related software. I had worked as a tutor for Princeton Review, and Jake for Kaplan. We thought, we could put out a better product than Kaplan or Princeton Review, which would be more compelling, and also would tie in a strong social mission.

Software Review 178

Software Review Technical Review Education Startup 178

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2012

The instigators are all well-intentioned – executives talk to potential customers who “must have” a few more things; or the technical team edicts some “technically elegant” options that they can’t resist adding before release. Define milestones for cost review and sign-off. Implement and enforce a change process.

Technical Review 75

Technical Review Startup Software Review High Tech 75

socalTECH

OCTOBER 30, 2008

to the business of script writing, and is looking to combine a free online tool for writing scripts with matching those scripts with content producers. Sunil Rajaraman: We provide free, web-based screenwriting software to aspiring writers and professionals in the community. What's Scripped? That is the way to attract writers.

Content 138

Content Writing Software Review Hollywood 138

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

Ask your customer why you lost. Write things down. They were looking for a collaboration tool to manage all of their large water development projects. We helped the write out their requirements for a system. They hired a consultant to help them with the review. Make sure you learn your lessons from losses.

Outsource Development 333

Outsource Development Software Review Technical Review News 333

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

Ask your customer why you lost. Write things down. They were looking for a collaboration tool to manage all of their large water development projects. We helped the write out their requirements for a system. They hired a consultant to help them with the review. Make sure you learn your lessons from losses.

Outsource Development 328

Outsource Development Software Review Technical Review News 328

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2009

I had seen many cycles and decided that since I was going to do it all over again I should write about it. It included one firm who I asked not to call Salesforce.com as a reference (they were our largest pilot customer) and in their kindness they called Marc Benioff (the CEO) and asked his opinion. That changed very quickly.

Venture Capital 274

Venture Capital Blogging Startup Slides 274

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 8, 2009

Traction can simply mean showing that you’re making progress with customers, product development, channel partners, initial revenue as a proof point, attracting well-known angel investors, winning industry awards / recognition. Funding is about developing a relationship over time. They hire key staff. They make progress.

Venture Capital 309

Venture Capital Guide Startup Technical Review 309

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

I find it amusing when a journalist writes an article about a prominent startup (either privately held or preparing for an IPO) and decries that, “They’re not even profitable!” If you had huge customer growth but just didn’t focus on revenue that’s a different story. One of them is profitability.

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 15, 2009

They were looking for a collaboration tool to manage all of their large water development projects. We helped the write out their requirements for a system. Two weeks after winning the deal and well into implementation planning we released a new version of our software. They hired a consultant to help them with the review.

Startup 151

Startup Outsource Development Software Review Technical Review 151

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 19, 2012

The industry had seen unprecedented growth in the past decade due to a combination of factors, one of which was the United States’ economic recession. Due to the combination of these factors, marketers began to more heavily fund digital platforms. A study conducted by Rice University’s Jesse H. Getting Mobile-Ready.

Mobile 85

Mobile Software Review Statistics Technical Review 85

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2010

There’s one attribute (coming soon) that I need to have in order to write a check but I don’t believe is vital for success. When I first met the team in San Diego they had only been working on their software for 5 months. The exact same team had worked on 2 previous customer service startups (and 1 non-CS product).

Entrepreneur 267

Entrepreneur Startup SaaS San Diego 267

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 1, 2010

The instigators are all well-intentioned – executives talk to potential customers who “must have” a few more things; or the technical team edicts some “technically elegant” options that they can’t resist adding before release. Define milestones for cost review and sign-off. Implement and enforce a change process.

Technical Review 51

Technical Review Software Review High Tech Writing 51

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 25, 2016

It says that selling an airplane ticket for $500 and getting paid a $5 fees by the airlines (1% gross margin) is not the same thing as selling $500 of software that you built (>90% gross margin). The questions that a VC mulls before writing a check are precisely the questions you should be asking yourself. Market Size.

Startup 150

Startup Marketing Study SEO 150

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 11, 2012

The multi-tiered platform allows for money to be transferred between Facebook friends, the ability to click and purchase any item that you see on Facebook and through the published API’s, developers can integrate and write their own applications on top of the ZunguZ platform. Why the name? The name just stuck!

Software Review 92

Software Review Social Network Platform Technical Review 92

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2010

Burstly, a Santa Monica based company, provides an open and free ad management platform that helps mobile application developers better monetize their inventory. As I naturally get asked all the time why we invested in Company A or Company B, I thought I’d just put forth my thesis in writing. I’ll explain in detail below.

Mobile 282

Mobile Invest Company Companies 282

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 29, 2009

For parents, if you're interested in how your kids are doing, you can find out what their schedule is like, what homework is due when, what their grades are, and how they are progressing, plus you can communicate with their teachers. They have developed this from a need. Talk about your background? How is the company funded?

Education 124

Education Startup Course Tool 124

SoCal CTO

MARCH 22, 2007

I am in the middle of writing up some of my thoughts on this and will post about it and let you know. We have been using LinkedIn for both sourcing recruits and reviewing backgrounds for recruits. Technology Advisor Technology Roles in Startups Pricing Customer Acquisition Sunk Costs and More -.

Blogging 150

Blogging CTO Coach CTO Hire Southern California 150

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2009

I’m a software guy so I’m sure there are cases where building isn’t feasible. release out the door and get some customers using it, or friendly people piloting it then at least there is some validation to the product and some people to speak to about their experiences. But for most businesses it is.

Angel 291

Angel Funding Venture Capital Startup 291

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 1, 2010

aka: An Open Letter to the Next Big Social Network) - 500 Hats , November 1, 2010 I've held off writing this post for a long time, because I couldn't quite get my head around all the issues. The United States is now a debtor nation to China and that the bill is about to come due. Was it a Startup Founder Developer Gap ?

Technical Review 175

Technical Review Startup Product Technology 175

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

I will write more about this in the next 2 weeks. It’s like people arguing that there’s a beautiful beach house in 2006 that represents great long-term value due to scarcity of similar property. customers who paid for services often get burned. I believe that. It is great for entrepreneurs and great for VCs.

Pricing 309

Pricing Marketing Startup Venture Capital 309

socalTECH

MAY 11, 2010

Our customers tend to be mostly moms, but also some dads who support their families, uncles, aunts, and their friends, but primarily moms. So we did a merger, and developed a new site and infrastructure, so we could integrate more content and communications features, and relaunched this week. What EcoMom is all about?

Software Review 200

Software Review Commerce Startup Sites 200

Tech Zulu Event

DECEMBER 1, 2011

We were invited to play with double Grammy winners Arrested Development and got great reviews, but when it came to marketing our shows and our album, we found that the tools out there for artists were a disaster. He also produces and writes for a number of Los Angeles-based artists and he handles all things Rock and Pop.

Startup 80

Startup Design Advertising Search Engine Optimization 80

socalTECH

MARCH 12, 2013

The company--which is in the business of operating a content delivery network (CDN) to accelerate the delivery of web graphics, multimedia, applications, and more to end users-- recently disclosed it more than doubled its revenues in 2012, and has grown to over 230 employees--all due to a huge amount of demand for CDN services by its customers.

CTO Hire 248

CTO Hire Content Networking Web 248

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 27, 2019

Board meeting gets scheduled Nobody thinks too much about it until a week or two before Management team has a last-minute scramble to pull materials together Management is super focused on its daily work of … winning customers, signing biz dev, shipping product … so this prep is a last minute “fire drill” and is seen as a slight distraction.

Startup 226

Startup Slides Metrics News 226