Both Sides of the Table

MAY 1, 2014

Today’s $24 billion storage market in the US has these same key disadvantages and that was the genesis of Sam Rosen’s initial idea for MakeSpace , which I initially funded 15 months ago. We worked out our pricing, our tipping policies, insurance, logistics, package management – the works. I’m long NY.

Technical Review 380

Technical Review Software Review CTO Hire Startup 380

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 12, 2014

If you’re a technology startup you need to excel at product, of course. But being best-in-class at online marketing is also a sine qua non to standout from your peer group. The starting point of product IS marketing, which is what a lot of young entrepreneurs that never studied business don’t realize.

Marketing 379

Marketing Startup SEM SEO 379

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2022

You can review all the specifics of this approach in the classic book by Nathan Furr and Paul Ahlstrom, appropriately titled “ Nail It then Scale It: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating and Managing Breakthrough Innovation ,” but I will net it out here. Nail the go-to-market strategy. Nail the business model.

Technical Review 143

Technical Review Customer Custom Entrepreneur 143

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 21, 2009

On the third Wednesday of every month I co-chair a meeting called the SoCal VCA (venture capital alliance), which represents participants from all of the top venture capital firms in Southern California as well as prominent members of the Tech Coast Angels (TCA). We feature a prominent speaker at every event.

Venture Capital 241

Venture Capital Technical Review Southern California Company 241

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 18, 2022

Customers today extrapolate their relationships not only from personal contact, but from every aspect of their interface with your company, including web site and social media interactions, access to peer reviews, as well as the actual services experience. Bolton, a distinguished Marketing Educator Award winner at the W.P.

Social Media 98

Social Media Technical Review Media Services 98

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

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2020

In the short term you need customers to find you at any price, and in the longer term you need revenue, profit, and return loyalty. Although his focus is naturally on bigger companies, I contend that his recommended strategies apply equally well to entrepreneurs and startups: Demand a mindset of deep thinking for the long term.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Layoffs Social Media Metrics 124

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 17, 2020

Customers today extrapolate their relationships not only from personal contact, but from every aspect of their interface with your company, including web site and social media interactions, access to peer reviews, as well as the actual services experience. Bolton, a distinguished Marketing Educator Award winner at the W.P.

Services 128

Services Social Media Technical Review Media 128

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

They rarely highlight their marketing and relationship skills , even though, in my experience, these are more often the key to success in business than product skills. In addition to listening, they spent much of their time communicating their vision and marketing themselves to everyone they encountered.

Startup 113

Startup Customer Custom Technical Review 113

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Nearly every successful tech startup I’ve observed over the past 20 years has gone through a similar growth pattern: Innovate, systematize then scale operations. What sized team can I afford in order to sell, market & provide service to these customers? and we were met with weak demand, slow growth and high costs.

Startup 286

Startup Technical Review Customer Custom 286

socalTECH

MAY 8, 2015

In a world awash with on-demand startups, Los Angeles-based Serviz (www.serviz.com) stands out--not because of the market segment it is tackling, but because it was founded by two, very experienced serial entrepreneurs-- Zorik Gordon and Michael Kline. Our vision is really to become the premier provider of on-demand home services.

Services 100

Services ReachLocal Demand Startup 100

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2011

2 preamble issues having read the comments on TC today: 1: I know that the prices of startup companies is much great in Silicon Valley than in smaller towns / less tech focused areas in the US and the US prices higher than many foreign markets. You can be pissed off, but I don’t set prices.

Startup 336

Startup Pricing Technical Review Marketing 336

Tech.Co

DECEMBER 7, 2015

Specifically, two high school seniors in LA, Dillon Rosenblatt and Tyler Makhani, recently built out an app called Tutors , a platform for on demand tutoring. “As a result of the immense growth and popularity of on-demand services in other major industries, it just makes sense that tutoring will follow the craze.”

Demand 126

Demand Technical Review Los Angeles Platform 126

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2021

Unfortunately, I see too many new entrepreneurs who let their passion for a new idea or invention blind them to the stark realities of customer need, opportunity size, or pricing and cost implications. Unless you have a co-founder or two with the business skills to complement your technical ones, you need a friendly Advisory Board.

Startup 142

Startup Technical Review Equity Entrepreneur 142

InfoChachkie

MARCH 18, 2013

In order to extract value beyond your Angel investors' cash, you must first assess three important parameters: (i) the relative strength of their personal brand, (ii) their ability to add operational value, and (iii) the amount of care and feeding they will demand from you. Painfully Diligent Investors.

Angel 217

Angel Technical Review RSS Entrepreneur 217

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 30, 2010

My original thinking from Oct ’09 was, while I didn’t (and still don’t) have a crystal ball I worried that: consumers were over-stretched with debt (and make up 77% of the economy), unemployment would continue to rise, which in turn would drive the stock market south and cut the rate of M&A activity and VC investment even further.

Entrepreneur 298

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Technical Review Startup 298

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 28, 2018

My friend Michael Broukhim, founder & co-CEO of FabFitFun and I recently had a catch-up meeting for 3-miles on the Santa Monica “Bird Trail” No company has ever elicited so many questions by friends, colleagues, entrepreneurs, fellow VCs and journalists as has Bird, the company that pioneered the electronic scooter as a service market.

Santa Monica 256

Santa Monica Funding Startup Course 256

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 22, 2018

Apparently with a physical storefront where it can convince customers of the wonders of on-demand mobility. Update: TechCrunch has confirmed Lime’s plans for the store, and that the deal to build it came through Lime’s investor Fifth Wall Ventures that arranges partnerships between tech companies and real estate developers.

Santa Monica 221

Santa Monica Startup Technical Review Education 221

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

Exec Summary: Most companies (98+%) in the world (even tech startups) should be very profit focused. When they look at buying your company they often think in terms of “how long will it take until I earn back the profits to pay for my acquisition price?” You may have leverage when you DO need to fund raise.

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

InfoChachkie

MAY 19, 2011

Agree to Bundling Without a Minimum Price. Although necessary, “stepping stone” approach of initially utilizing smaller VARs to enter new geographic markets can become problematic as your business grows, because large VARs often demand uncontested, broad, multi-country coverage. Serve up World-wide Distribution.

Outsource Development 193

Outsource Development IP Technical Review Entrepreneur 193

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2019

You can review all the specifics of this approach in the classic book by Nathan Furr and Paul Ahlstrom, appropriately titled “ Nail It then Scale It: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating and Managing Breakthrough Innovation ,” but I will net it out here. Nail the go-to-market strategy. Nail the business model.

Startup 98

Startup Technical Review Customer Custom 98

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 8, 2010

To say that the tech elite were cynical of Hulu’s launch would be an understatement , but by the time it launched just a few months later it was getting great reviews. The goal of any cartel is to control production, distribution & marketing of a set of goods with the goal of maintaining high prices.

Hulu 292

Hulu Technical Review Content Advertising 292

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 1, 2009

In the first post in this three part series I described why I believe the VC market froze between September 2008 – April 2009. It is also a result of pent-up demand. When the market run started in March people were relieved that “the world wasn’t ending” so they started spending again. So why the ’09 bounce?

Venture Capital 269

Venture Capital Startup Funding Technical Review 269

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 12, 2014

Prorata rights are one of the most important rights of a private market technology investors and yet are seldom fully understood. New investors sometimes want early investors to put in money to “prove” they have confidence in the new price. So the answer is: sometimes they take it, sometimes they don’t.

Guide 336

Guide Venture Capital Startup Writing 336

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 25, 2016

Many startup businesses – tech or otherwise – fail. Trying outrageous new things or even trying mundane things but in new ways but with extreme quality & innovation is what fuels the tech startup industry. Market Size. Marketing with long payback is precisely what requires venture capital.

Startup 150

Startup Marketing Study SEO 150

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 20, 2017

Today, the move to digital technology is driving marketplace change at a seemingly ever-increasing rate. Historically, many businesses profited from the time lags between supply and demand by exploiting geography, relationships, and buying habits. Access to more information is leveling the market playing field.

Demand 54

Demand Technical Review Pricing Customer 54

Tech Zulu Event

JULY 1, 2013

According to Groupon CEO Eric Lefkofsky the move is step to make Groupon a leading marketplace for online deals at best prices. “As As Groupon has evolved, we’ve seen growing demand from our customers for upscale offers and exclusive experiences.

Marketing 61

Marketing Entertainment Los Angeles Tool 61

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2019

Smart entrepreneurs are just now starting to look at this option again, due to its unpredictability and the challenges of running a public company. The reasons are a lot more complex than the meltdown of key investment banks in the US a few years ago, so don’t expect a big change in the numbers soon, even with recent stock market rallies.

Startup 84

Startup Technical Review Report IBM 84

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 28, 2018

There are many things a VC is looking for in reviewing your business plan but beyond things the like the quality of revenue, margins, OPEX and CAPEX there’s a really simple rule I call, “Cash In, Cash Out, Milestones Achieved.” Every VC wants to fund a deal that seems to have too much demand. Let me check my plan.”

Venture Capital 247

Venture Capital Capital Funding Demand 247

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 1, 2012

From the phone in your pocket to the television hanging on your wall, apps have penetrated technology and they aren’t going anywhere. Smart technology doesn’t work without clever software to make it useful. Or do you toss your hat into the ring with an already existing concept, making a clone in hopes to snatch away market share?

Marketing 97

Marketing Startup Software Review Competition 97

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

Thus, I’m more impressed with entrepreneurs who ask me to review their implementation plan, rather than listen again to their idea. I suggest you use social media, blogging, crowdfunding, or documented research to quantify a real demand from people who can afford it, and don’t have a better alternative already out there.

Ideas 94

Ideas Slides Technical Review Patents 94

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2017

Many are reluctant to really “market” themselves, and have trouble differentiating their offerings to clients, except by price. If your business card and website come across as just another advisor, consultant, or accountant, then don’t be surprised if price is the only focus. Set pricing to assure both revenue and profit.

Social Media 56

Social Media Pricing Technical Review Demand 56

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 5, 2011

Seattle should be the envy of any non Silicon Valley tech community in the country. awards dinner on Thursday night I started reflected on what it would take to “change the trajectory&# for Seattle or for any regional market, really. You need to have passionate tech entrepreneurs who want to build businesses locally.

Venture Capital 317

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Press 317

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2017

Smart entrepreneurs are just now starting to look at this option again, due to its unpredictability and the challenges of running a public company. Yet they still see warning lights in many geographies around the world, due to political uncertainties. Violent market swings usually hit public companies first.

Startup 87

Startup Technical Review Report Entrepreneur 87

socalTECH

JUNE 25, 2013

The online flower delivery market is now an old and established market. round changes things for us, and will let us invest in infrastructure, build our team, invest in media, and also invest in technology to better leverage our spend on media. There are lots of online flower delivery services, in a pretty established market.

Services 215

Services Technical Review Startup Pricing 215

socalTECH

AUGUST 8, 2018

Dave Fink: Postie is a building a technology platform with a mission of making direct mail marketing behave as easily and dynamically as your favorite, programmatic channels. However, there just hasn't been the underlying technology to make it possible to pull all of that together. What is Postie? What is a print cloud?

CTO Hire 100

CTO Hire Artificial Inteligence Technical Review Marketing 100

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2018

As a long-time advisor to entrepreneurs and business owners, I rarely find someone who doesn’t proclaim that the business world is changing rapidly, with new technology, new customer expectations, and new cultures. They have to be energized and able to adapt as the market and competitors demand.

Technical Review 84

Technical Review Customer Custom Startup 84