Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 25, 2012

You have probably heard plenty of times that being an entrepreneur is a risky business, and investors talk all the time about reducing the risk. Here is my own priority list of key risk drivers that every entrepreneur and every investor should evaluate and minimize in starting a business: Team experience and depth risk. Financial risk.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Examples Social Network Marketing 108

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2015

Many new entrepreneurs are so excited by their latest idea that they can’t resist contacting every investor they know, assuming the investor will be equally excited and want to contribute immediately. Others will work hard on a business plan, and then mail it indiscriminately to every potential investor they can find on the Internet.

Technical Review 109

Technical Review Entrepreneur Startup Statistics 109

Tech.Co

MAY 31, 2023

Launching and growing a startup is one of the biggest missions an entrepreneur can undertake. The free accounting platform can be used to create invoices and quotes, produce financial reports, view unpaid invoices, apply discounts and refunds, and encrypt your data. Zoom's free plan has a meeting cap of 40 minutes, however.

Tool 131

Tool Startup Software Review Technical Review 131

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 8, 2011

As your child matures, games which involve; luck, strategy, probabilities and financial wagering reinforce a child’s ability to take calculated risks. You must invest your ante at the start of each hand with no guarantee you will get it back. In business, such players are analogous to serial entrepreneurs.

Startup 207

Startup Entrepreneur Competition Guide 207

TechCrunch LA

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

We are in phase three of the influencer economy,” Bain Capital Ventures senior principal Jamison Hill, who led the firm’s investment in the influencer shoutout marketplace Cameo , tells TechCrunch. 2020 will be a watershed year for investment in businesses around the creator economy,” Neil Robertson tells TechCrunch.

Platform 170

Platform Marketing Tool Venture Capital 170

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 5, 2018

Many new entrepreneurs are so excited by their latest idea that they can’t resist contacting every investor they know, assuming the investor will be equally excited and want to contribute immediately. Others will work hard on a business plan, and then mail it indiscriminately to every potential investor they can find on the Internet.

Funding 62

Funding Technical Review Entrepreneur Startup 62

socalTECH

JUNE 27, 2013

We caught up with Mark Suster , one of Upfront''s General Partners and a well known blogger and technology personality, the new fund, and how his blogging is now driving the firm''s investment activity. As you probably know, two thirds of our investments go into Los Angeles. Those are all categories we know well.

Funding 196

Funding Venture Capital Los Angeles Social Media 196

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2016

After listening to hundreds of startup pitches, and reading even more business plans, most new venture investors develop their own favorite list of “red flags” that signal the beginning of the end of their interest. They know it’s especially hard to provide a financial return with a free business model.

Funding 98

Funding Startup Innocal Entrepreneur 98

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 31, 2014

Entrepreneurs looking for investor funding often fail to realize that all money comes with strings. For example, if you have watched the Shark Tank TV series, you probably noticed that the Sharks always ask the entrepreneurs for their intended “use of funds.” Make your focus and priorities clear.

Startup 114

Startup Funding Entrepreneur Invest 114

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 7, 2015

One of the big questions that every entrepreneur struggles with is how much funding they should request from investors in the first round. If your financial model projects a negative cash flow in this period of $400,000, you should buffer this amount by 25 percent, and ask for $500,000. Are you flexible on the terms of the investment?

Help 104

Help Startup Equity Entrepreneur 104

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 28, 2013

Most entrepreneurs struggle with financial projections, not wanting to commit to numbers they can’t deliver, and having no clue what investors might consider reasonable. I recommend a simple set of guidelines, which work for at least 80% of the business plans I see. Aggressive revenue projections and growth rate.

Startup 97

Startup Equity Entrepreneur Venture Capital 97

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2014

Most entrepreneurs struggle with financial projections, not wanting to commit to numbers they can’t deliver, and having no clue what investors might consider reasonable. According to a recent Dow Jones VentureSource report, the average time to liquidity of an equity investment in a startup is now about five years.

Equity 99

Equity Venture Capital Invest Pricing 99

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

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2018

Entrepreneurs looking for investor funding often fail to realize that all money comes with strings. For example, if you have watched the Shark Tank TV series, you probably noticed that the Sharks always ask the entrepreneurs for their intended “use of funds.” Make your focus and priorities clear.

Startup 55

Startup Funding Invest Social Media 55

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2016

Entrepreneurs looking for investor funding often fail to realize that all money comes with strings. For example, if you have watched the Shark Tank TV series, you probably noticed that the Sharks always ask the entrepreneurs for their intended “use of funds.” Make your focus and priorities clear.

Funding 67

Funding Startup Invest Entrepreneur 67

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 27, 2010

We set up a digital media fund, which had the goal of investing in new digital media properties, ideas, and concepts. Mickie Rosen: The link really is financial. We meet with a lot of talented entrepreneurs, with fantastic startup ideas. Finally, what's the plan for the next few months? READ MORE>>.

Incubator 239

Incubator Startup Web Technical Review 239

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 13, 2018

As a VC and former entrepreneur let me offer you some advice. The mistake entrepreneurs make is either writing a lengthy email (everybody has too much email so it will get skimmed / not digested) or not having a deck which means the VC can’t quickly determine his or her fit as a potential investor. whether they invest or not.

Venture Capital 261

Venture Capital Slides Email Startup 261

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2013

You have probably heard plenty of times that being an entrepreneur is a risky business, and investors talk all the time about reducing the risk. Here is my own priority list of key risk drivers that every entrepreneur and every investor should evaluate and minimize in starting a business: Team experience and depth risk. Financial risk.

Startup 104

Startup Examples Entrepreneur Social Network 104

socalTECH

MAY 17, 2019

The CFO requires financial acumen driven from metrics, which can be had from sales and operational information, however, they're often locked into these silo'ed application stacks. What's your biggest lesson you've learned as an entrepreneur? What are the biggest challenges today for your company?

SaaS 113

SaaS Startup Customer Custom 113

socalTECH

JANUARY 17, 2017

In emerging markets and the developing world, access to banking, capital, and financial resources is fare more difficult than here in the U.S., due to a less developed financial system, lack of credit tracking, and oftentimes and informal economy. It really goes into two categories, around capacity and affordability.

Startup 100

Startup Santa Monica Customer Custom 100

socalTECH

AUGUST 27, 2014

We spoke with one of those companies-- El Segundo-based ConsumerTrack (www.consumertrack.com)--which is a $30M, bootstrapped an online marketing company which is driving millions of customers to big name, financial customers. We have been smart about how to make investments in our business, and when we jump into a new category or vertical.

Startup 239

Startup El Segundo Marketing Media 239

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 15, 2010

By Akira Hirai The thought of preparing a business plan for the first time can be very intimidating. The task becomes much easier if you think of your plan in terms of four essential cornerstones that serve as the foundation of all business plans: Opportunity, Solution, Execution, and Outcomes. Now, start brainstorming.

Startup 91

Startup Oracle Entrepreneur Ideas 91

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

” I mention journalists here because they perpetuate the myth that focusing on profits is ALWAYS the right answer and then I hear many entrepreneurs (and certainly many “normals”) repeating the same mantra. If you have a market lead then raising capital and making investments now will help you as others enter the market.

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2010

You have probably heard plenty of times that being an entrepreneur is a risky business, and investors talk all the time about reducing the risk. Here is my own priority list of key risk sources that every entrepreneur and every investor should evaluate and minimize in starting a business: Team experience and depth risk. Financial risk.

Startup 89

Startup Examples Entrepreneur Social Network 89

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 14, 2012

“it’s smart to use an impending investment valuation to drive a higher acquisition valuation” I would like to amend her statement slightly to read, “it’s smart to use an impending investment valuation to drive an higher acquisition.” We plan to double-down and build the huge company we know we can.”

Venture Capital 316

Venture Capital Pricing Social Network Acquisition 316

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2010

Items that paint a big picture include revenue by major product area, cost of goods, and operating expenses by category. These assets include things like cash (say, from a pending investment), facilities, inventory, and other property. Part of your Venture Value Scorecard should be devoted to summarizing your income statement.

.Net 89

.Net Metrics Competition Template 89

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 13, 2020

If you need to attract investors to your startup, your financial projections have to be as attractive as the idea. The problem is that these business financials are future projections, while the idea is “now,” so you believe the idea can do most of the selling. Prepare an itemization of your intended use of investment money.

Ideas 123

Ideas Statistics Invest Marketing 123

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 22, 2011

Either that or there is something other than a financial motivator involved – NO VC is looking to build a business off of 5% ownership in startups. So why else would they invest if not as an option to re-up in the next round? These are all dumb reason to invest – of course. But it happens.

Venture Capital 314

Venture Capital Startup Invest Pricing 314

SoCal Delicious

FEBRUARY 24, 2010

Home About Press IA Capital Partners Archives After 17 years in M&A, Derivatives and Trading, Im spending my time with young entrepreneurs in and around financial technology and digital media. So why do inexperienced (as entrepreneurs), ultra-skilled CTOs fall into the trap of engaging a business partner too early? Camaraderie?

CTO Coach 28

CTO Coach CTO Hire Outsource Development Mentor 28

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 11, 2011

New entrepreneurs often seem to confuse viability with fundability. In my experience, here are the most common issues that cause funding requests for viable businesses to be rejected, in priority order: Inadequate business plan. Other entrepreneurs skip just some of the elements in Ten Keys to an Investment-Grade Business Plan.

Startup 97

Startup IBM IBM Entrepreneur 97

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 23, 2010

New entrepreneurs often seem to confuse viability with fundability. In my experience, here are the most common issues that cause funding requests for viable businesses to be rejected, in priority order: Inadequate business plan. Other entrepreneurs skip just some of the elements in Ten Keys to an Investment Grade Business Plan.

Startup 49

Startup Venture Capital IBM IBM 49

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 30, 2010

My advice to entrepreneurs was and is “ when the hors d’oeuvres tray is being passed take two ” (e.g. So I agreed to offer my current thinking on the economy and what it portends for the VC industry & fund raising for entrepreneurs. raise money now to weather any storms). It’s obvious that consumers need to cut back spending.

Entrepreneur 298

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Technical Review Startup 298

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2015

Every entrepreneur should do the same due diligence on a potential investor that smart investors do on their startups. Here is a summary of some key investor stereotypes that generally need to be avoided: Investment sharks. Be wary if the term sheet is a document longer than your business plan. Legal eagle investors.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Coach Invest Sample 108