Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 22, 2020

One of the biggest myths I have found in the entrepreneur community is that every startup needs one or more outside investors for credibility and success, and perhaps is even entitled to at least one. Draw up a list of the best prospects, and put together your best story for follow-up. But don’t wait for them to contact you.

Funding 173

Funding Tips Startup Statistics 173

socalTECH

JUNE 28, 2021

Portal Schools and consumer electronics giant Belkin International said on Monday that the two are partnering to launch an on-campus, combined high school and college degree at Belkin International's office headquarters in Los Angeles, starting in August. The two are launching with a ninth grade class.

Belkin 100

Belkin Los Angeles Class Mentor 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2023

One of the reasons that now is the time to be an entrepreneur is the explosion of startup assistance organizations, usually called incubators or accelerators. Most of these are non-profits, set up by a university to commercialize new technologies, or a municipality to foster business development for the local economy.

Organization 92

Organization Incubator Startup Resource 92

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2020

Hopefully, between the two of us, more of you with big business dreams will follow the leads and generate more successful business results: Start by getting your hands dirty. The business world doesn’t thrive with yet another social media or dating site – it’s begging for paradigm shifts in the technology or business model.

Startup 117

Startup Entrepreneur Social Media Coach 117

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 29, 2020

One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” On the other hand, there are many additional creative options available for starting a business that you might not find for buying a car, home, or other major consumer item. Solicit venture capital investors.

Funding 174

Funding Startup Equity Examples 174

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 1, 2022

Every entrepreneur I know is dismayed by the number of friends who approach them with a line such as “I have an even better idea that will change the world, and one of these days I’m going to get around to starting my own business.” Others are debilitated by their fear, avoid risk at all costs, and never start.

Entrepreneur 153

Entrepreneur Startup Ideas Knowledge Base 153

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2020

In my role as a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I find that most have the technical challenges well understood, but many are a bit short on some basic street smarts , or basic business realities. Thus I often recommend that before you kick off your own business, you join another startup or existing business to see how things really work.

Entrepreneur 173

Entrepreneur Patents Startup Technical Review 173

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2020

Due to the pervasive Internet, the scope of most successful startup teams today has become global. According to recent reports , these come from all the way up and down the age and experience spectrum, including up to ninety percent of the current Baby Boomers, as well as Millennials.

Competition 168

Competition Startup Demand Training 168

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

Tracy DiNunzio isn’t your typical Silicon Valley startup founder. She did her first tech startup after the age of 30. And she didn’t start her company in Northern California. She leveraged herself and even sold many of her possessions to get started. She started her business from a personal need.

Startup 363

Startup Entrepreneur SEO Venture Capital 363

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2016

One of the reasons that now is the time to be an entrepreneur is the explosion of startup assistance organizations, usually called incubators or accelerators. Most of these are non-profits, set up by a university to commercialize new technologies, or a municipality to foster business development for the local economy.

Incubator 106

Incubator Startup Help Resource 106

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 23, 2012

1) Get A Mentor. "I "I started the site when I was 19. "When you give everyone a voice and give people power, the system usually ends up in a really good place. " Creating and sustain a successful startups is beyond difficult. Note: This is an installment in the Iconic Advice series.

Startup 268

Startup Tips CTO Coach Technical Review 268

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 7, 2023

Anyone can build a new web site, or publish a smartphone app for a few thousand dollars, but getting market penetration requires a lot more. Those who proactively seek knowledge and learn fast build knowledge pools and tap into the wisdom of mentors and industry leaders to raise their game.

Entrepreneur 118

Entrepreneur Startup Social Network SpaceX 118

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

A continuing question I hear from young entrepreneurs is whether a university degree is important to startup success, or just a distraction in achieving their purpose in the world. Take advantage of free startup programs and mentors. Initiate networking to find peer partners and investors.

Entrepreneur 157

Entrepreneur Mentor Class Resource 157

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 13, 2020

Today's interview is with Jo Webber , the CEO and founder of Pod.io , a startup which has developed an app to help people connect with others over shared interests. Jo Webber: Why we created Pod, was we've look at sites like Facebook, which has really taken off with friends and family, and helped them communicate online.

Mentor 157

Mentor Southern California Startup Networking 157

socalTECH

JUNE 6, 2011

Although Los Angeles has become a hub for the high tech startup world, Surprisingly, one of the things which hasn't happened in the Los Angeles area is any huge, successful venture acceleration programs. Dan Dato: The quickest way to describe it is it's a Techstars-like, YCombinator-like startup accelerator. What is Upstart.la?

Startup 221

Startup Mentor Southern California Incubator 221

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2014

One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” On the other hand, there are many additional creative options available for starting a business that you might not find for buying a car, home, or other major consumer item. Solicit venture capital investors.

Startup 113

Startup Entrepreneur Funding Equity 113

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 10, 2022

In my own experience as a startup advisor and mentor, I find that entrepreneurs who can’t attract and maintain a highly motivated team rarely even get off the ground. Thus if you want to change the world with your new business, you need to follow the example of startups like Zappos , which hires according to cultural fit first.

Examples 145

Examples Mentor Activity Product 145

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2015

When starting a new business, an entrepreneur has to take a “hands-on” role. Thus I don’t see many startups run in absentia or by big company executives. Startup founders need to see, touch and feel all the key elements of a new business as it evolves, much like an artist renders a new painting or sculpture.

Startup 102

Startup Technical Review Paramount Entrepreneur 102

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 22, 2015

The good news is that recent big company financial woes and layoffs have generated a flood of candidates with real experience seeking positions at startups. They are not the ones you need in the few key team positions to drive your startup. Practice an “up or out” growth policy to prevent role stagnation.

Startup 99

Startup Mentor Layoffs News 99

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2023

One of the biggest myths I have found in the entrepreneur community is that every startup needs one or more outside investors for credibility and success, and perhaps is even entitled to at least one. Draw up a list of the best prospects, and put together your best story for follow-up. But don’t wait for them to contact you.

Statistics 98

Statistics Entrepreneur Funding Social Media 98

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2014

One of the reasons that now is the time to be an entrepreneur is the explosion of startup assistance organizations, usually called incubators or accelerators. Most of these are non-profits, set up by a university to commercialize new technologies, or a municipality to foster business development for the local economy.

Incubator 98

Incubator Startup Help Resource 98

socalTECH

JUNE 1, 2012

That's what Los Angeles-based MergeLocal (www.mergelocal.com) is looking to find out, by offering up points which can be converted to real cash, when users check into local businesses. What's your background, and how did you decide to start the company? There's an awful lot of check-in sites out there.

CTO Coach 223

CTO Coach Startup Mobile Artificial Inteligence 223

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 20, 2020

Yet as I mentor entrepreneurs around the country, it still seems to be one of the least understood approaches to startup funding, with more myths than accredited angels and professional venture capital investors combined. With this model, a startup pre-sells their product early, at a cheaper price, in exchange for a pledge.

Entrepreneur 129

Entrepreneur Outsource Development Satisfaction Equity 129

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 28, 2021

Just because you are an entrepreneur, or work in a startup, you can’t ignore the rules of building and maintaining relationships. From my experience and hers, here are ten top relationship strategies, as practiced by Richard Branson and other well-known startup leaders: Create a favorable first impression. Jan Yager, Ph.D.,

Startup 127

Startup Social Network Mentor Networking 127

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 15, 2011

Are you an entrepreneur hoping to startup a company in the Los Angeles area? The latest to enter the scene is Los Angeles accelerator Start Engine (www.startengine.com), which was created by Howard Marks and Paul Kessler. Howard Marks: We're a startup accelerator, which will help entrepreneurs become successful in 90 days.

CTO Coach 194

CTO Coach Startup Mentor Activision 194

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 28, 2019

Every entrepreneur I know is dismayed by the number of friends who approach them with a line such as “I have an even better idea that will change the world, and one of these days I’m going to get around to starting my own business.” Others are debilitated by their fear, avoid risk at all costs, and never start.

Startup 126

Startup Ideas Entrepreneur Knowledge Base 126

socalTECH

JUNE 20, 2012

There is a large menu of startup accelerators in the Los Angeles, but one of more established efforts in the area is LaunchpadLA ([link] The effort actually started as an informal mentoring program, but has grown and expanded to follow the accelerator model. For readers, LaunchpadLA is all about?

Class 261

Class Mentor Startup Santa Monica 261

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 17, 2014

Just because you are an entrepreneur, or work in a startup, you can’t ignore the rules of building and maintaining relationships. From my experience and hers, here are ten top relationship strategies, as practiced by Richard Branson and other well-known startup leaders: Create a favorable first impression. Jan Yager, Ph.D.,

Startup 102

Startup Social Network Entrepreneur Mentor 102

socalTECH

MAY 25, 2012

If you were a student in college, working on a startup idea, what would spur you to drop your education plans, and go full time on your startup? We understand you were in school when you started this? I started playing around with a similar idea in my freshman year. Both have been great mentors ever since.

Startup 239

Startup CTO Coach Content Web 239

socalTECH

JULY 11, 2016

The Walt Disney Company has named its next class of startup participating in the Disney Accelerator , the startup accelerator and mentoring company held on the company's Burbank campus. READ MORE>>.

Class 100

Class Burbank Commerce Mentor 100

Tech Zulu Event

JULY 16, 2013

Today’s startup innovators come from about six hours south of Silicon Valley. Fun Fact: One of the most prominent figures from their firm, Mark Suster t, runs a blog startups follow religiously. By bringing startup companies together with modern facilities and tools, Amplify LA is the engine that powers the cutting edge.

Startup 111

Startup Snapchat Venice Social Media 111

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2022

Start small and move quickly to test new approaches that can be scaled up later, with an understanding that some will fail. That means making sure you are utilizing coaching and mentoring, as well as training to keep up with changes in technology and the marketplace. Initiate regular iterative change experiments.

Competition 148

Competition Metrics Demand Customer 148

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 10, 2018

One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” On the other hand, there are many additional creative options available for starting a business that you might not find for buying a car, home, or other major consumer item. Solicit venture capital investors.

Entrepreneur 96

Entrepreneur Startup Equity Funding 96

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 5, 2012

Huddlewoo a live video platform set to launch early 2013 to give people the ability to access extraordinary people for one-on-one conversations and mentoring. We caught up with the CEO William Zell. Our revenue stream will come from huddles that are paid for on the site. What do you do and Why? What is your business model?

Mentor 94

Mentor Platform Social Network Chief Technology Officer 94

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2018

One of the reasons that now is the time to be an entrepreneur is the explosion of startup assistance organizations, usually called incubators or accelerators. Most of these are non-profits, set up by a university to commercialize new technologies, or a municipality to foster business development for the local economy.

Incubator 87

Incubator Startup Resource Seed Funding 87

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 26, 2010

The San Diego arm of the Founder Institute , the entrepreneurship mentoring effort started by Adeo Ressi, said Friday that it has graduated 12 companies from its Fall 2009 San Diego semester. Tags: founder institute entrepreneurship mentoring entrepreneur startup adeo ressi diego.

San Diego 157

San Diego Mentor Platform Sites 157

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2012

TechStars has several excellent mentors on staff, led by founder and CEO David Cohen. Both provide excellent networking to investors, and on-site technical leadership, which I believe sets them apart. A few are still trying to make money doing it, but it is hard to make money off startups.

Entrepreneur 86

Entrepreneur Incubator Startup Seed Funding 86