Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2021

As a business advisor, I have to recommend even to established companies that they review and revamp their competitive strategy now, even if it appears to be working today. Simple metrics and your personal knowledge of the industry can’t keep up with all the relevant competitive forces. You need to be part of a larger ecosystem.

Competition 142

Competition Software Review Social Media Custom 142

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

Los Angeles-based Signal Sciences (www.signalsciences.com), which develops web application firewall software, just inked a big, $35M series C funding round a few weeks ago, and now has plans to dramatically expand its hiring in Los Angeles. Were really focused on funding go-to-market and scaling out our marketing efforts.

Startup 113

Startup Funding Technical Review Software Review 113

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2022

As a potential investor, I always think of the high rate of failure of disruptive technologies, due to the longer learning curve of customers, infrastructure change consistently required, and higher marketing costs. Define realistic metrics to keep track of progress. You need metrics to incentivize the right team behaviors.

Technical Review 101

Technical Review Metrics Resource Software Review 101

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

I know I must have pitched over 200 people trying to raise funding for the company, and although we had raised $1.7M in funding, we ultimately knew last year that the things we needed to prove investors was not going to happen in the time we had left. So, we decided to shut down the company.

Software Review 100

Software Review Startup Metrics Content 100

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2022

For example, if you are working on a great social networking idea to replace Facebook, and need funding, you probably won’t find any interested and focused VCs or angel investors in Arizona, where I live. Today, Silicon Valley is the consumer and enterprise software capital of the world. get the attention of the market they choose.

Technical Review 123

Technical Review Oracle Software Review Ideas 123

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2021

No matter how passionately you believe that everyone needs one, and positive feedback from friends and early adopters (false positives), before you invest in scaling the business, make sure you set and meet good metrics in cost of customer acquisition, recurring sales, and margin. Mergers and acquisitions also require new skills.

Technical Review 131

Technical Review Case Study Mentor Software Review 131

socalTECH

JULY 10, 2017

Tim Grace , who co-founded San Diego-based PointPredictive with Frank McKenna and Joe Jackson, is a startup veteran, who sold BasePoint Analytics to CoreLogic in 2009, and is a former executive from HNC Software. Tim Grace: We all get our started at HNC Software in San Diego. What is PointPredictive?

Artificial Inteligence 124

Artificial Inteligence Software Review San Diego .Net 124

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 26, 2010

Most often at the earliest point in the life of a startup, the dominant need is certainly to produce product to get something in the market, get funding, etc. I provided a whole set of questions that I go through with founders before Startup Software Development – Do Your Homework Before You Develop Anything. Accounting?

Fractional CTO 225

Fractional CTO CTO CTO Hire CTO Coach 225

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2019

For example, if you are working on a great social networking idea to replace Facebook, and need funding, you probably won’t find any interested and focused VCs or Angel investors in Arizona, where I live. Today, Silicon Valley is the consumer and enterprise software capital of the world. get the attention of the market they choose.

Startup 97

Startup Technical Review Oracle Software Review 97

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 20, 2010

My cofounder and I know how hard it is to get a company up and running, and funded, to keep your investors in the loop. It allows you to share private and confidential information about your company, and have a dialog with your investors, within a walled garden where you can put the documents you need for diligence. READ MORE>>.

Southern California 243

Southern California Entrepreneur Software Review Yammer 243

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 15, 2016

There is much talk these days that startup valuations have decreased and may continue to do so and that the amount of time it takes to fund raise may take longer. months for fund raising start to finish and make sure you have at least 6 month’s of cash if it takes longer.

Startup 150

Startup Capital Funding Invest 150

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 16, 2015

For example, if you are working on a great social networking idea to replace Facebook, and need funding, you probably won’t find any interested and focused VCs or Angel investors in Phoenix, Arizona, where I live. Today, Silicon Valley is the consumer and enterprise software capital of the world. The list goes on and on.

Startup 109

Startup Technical Review Oracle Software Review 109

socalTECH

JUNE 11, 2018

We've created a database that writers can optionally join into, to present their needs, their positive reviews across different organizations, all in one place so that the industry can discovery emerging talent. Scot Lawrie: I cut my teeth in Philadelphia, developing software in the big data and ad-tech areas.

Technical Review 100

Technical Review Hollywood Platform Competition 100

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 23, 2018

Luckily, I had always been a “hands-on” professional, and I had learned the pragmatics of people leadership, marketing, management tools, and funding. Adopt a project-based revenue model with metrics. Many consultants have been hard to contact between scheduled meetings, due to their use of formal communication processes.

Social Media 56

Social Media Software Review Custom Customer 56

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 2, 2017

For example, if you are working on a great social networking idea to replace Facebook, and need funding, you probably won’t find any interested and focused VCs or Angel investors in Arizona, where I live. Today, Silicon Valley is the consumer and enterprise software capital of the world. get the attention of the market they choose.

Sites 59

Sites Startup Technical Review Oracle 59

Steve Reich

JUNE 11, 2012

MindBodyOnline is a terrifically succesful SaaS company, based in San Luis Obispo, that provides scheduling and transactional software for Yoga studios, hair salons, and spas. Originally funded by the Pasadena Angels , the Company is now backed by “A” list VCs, and growing phenomenally, with tens of thousands of customers.

Custom 97

Custom Customer Software Review SaaS 97

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 7, 2013

For example, if you are working on a great social networking idea to replace Facebook, and need funding, you probably won’t find any interested and focused VCs or Angel investors in Phoenix, Arizona, where I live. Today, Silicon Valley is the consumer and enterprise software capital of the world. The list goes on and on.

Startup 102

Startup Technical Review Oracle Entrepreneur 102

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

To grow faster businesses need resources in today’s financial period to fund growth that may not come for 6 months to a year. You have to understand whether they’re likely to yield revenue growth in the near term OR whether you have access to cheap enough capital to fund your losses until your investments pay off.

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 25, 2009

Below is a quote about Gus from The Funded. Many years ago I worked at Andersen Consulting, originally developing software for large corporations and then as a strategy consultant. They’re easily impressed when you’re selected for TechCrunch50 but not easily engaged in a detailed discussion about your conversion metrics.

Venture Capital 297

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Entrepreneur 297

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). Sam did all this analysis before even deciding to build V1 of his software and before we put serious money behind him launching.

Startup 150

Startup Marketing Study SEO 150

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 17, 2018

You get to have interesting conversations with founders and review business plans and then see how these businesses evolve over the years. " Revenue doesn't pay your bills, GM does  —  @msuster 2/ Founders obsess with revenue as a vanity metric. Some even grow "bad" revenue just to show growth.

Software Review 242

Software Review Technical Review Pricing Metrics 242

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 27, 2019

Often board members themselves don’t do the work to say “what metrics would we like to see.” Any great board member should tell you, “please don’t create any performance metrics or materials that analyze the business that you’re not already creating for your own management’s use.” Sometimes they don’t even know.

Startup 226

Startup Slides Metrics News 226

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 23, 2012

There are obvious reasons the industry has had less-than-desirable returns, including: massive over-funding of the sector, huge increases in inexperienced venture capitalists that took a decade to peter out, and the massive correction in the value of the public stock markets that closed many exit opportunities for half a decade.

Venture Capital 347

Venture Capital Capital Technical Review Startup 347

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 22, 2023

Design the full stack, not just a new software element. With a singular focus on building unicorns, very rapid growth has been a key metric. Facebook’s market value tumbled many billions in 2018 due to users’ decreased confidence in the platform. In Silicon Valley’s classic model, startups must start “asset light.”

Capital 138

Capital Marketing Ideas Venture Capital 138

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2020

Design the full stack, not just a new software element. With a singular focus on building unicorns, very rapid growth has been a key metric. Facebook’s market value tumbled many billions in 2018 due to users’ decreased confidence in the platform. In Silicon Valley’s classic model, startups must start “asset light.”

Ideas 124

Ideas Venture Capital Software Review Technical Review 124

SoCal CTO

AUGUST 3, 2010

5 Lessons from 150 startup pitches - A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks , July 11, 2010 I just reviewed several hundred startup pitches for Capital Factory. How to raise money with no lead - Venture Hacks , July 31, 2010 Paul Graham says “The future [of funding] is no fixed amount, no fixed closing date, and no lead.”

Startup 217

Startup Venture Capital Blogging Software Review 217