Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2023

The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. Start with a service you know and love. Capture your “secret sauce.”

Startup 111

Startup Training Services Writing 111

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 5, 2023

Fixed overhead for salaries, rent, equipment leases and more make up the majority of the “burn rate” (monthly expenses) for most companies. And professional investors often penalize the company with lower-priced down rounds or expensive loans as a result.

Venture Capital 296

Venture Capital Product Marketing Resource 296

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 18, 2022

Every investor knows how vulnerable a new startup is to competitors, so investors always ask about your sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. Neither speaks well for you or your startup. The problem is that startups have limited resources to keep them ahead of big companies. Don’t bash the competition.

Competition 133

Competition Patents Resource Invest 133

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 19, 2023

According to an MIT study a while back, only about 10% of patents granted in the United States have any meaningful commercial importance and less than one percent are of seminal importance. First-movers have an initial advantage, but this position is fraught with risk, and often comes with a high price. Failure is an option.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Startup Ideas Competition 101

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 10, 2021

There is a tough balance here to achieve, since a large portion of starting and running a business requires analytical, logical thinking. I find that startups looking for funding often never even think of asking strategic partners, rather than just venture capitalists. Stereotyped notions block clear vision and crowd out imagination.

Ideas 171

Ideas Patents Training Entrepreneur 171

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 22, 2018

Founded by Steve Poizner last year to accelerate the growth of a startup entrepreneurial ecosystem in Southern California, The Alliance is building a network of investors, entrepreneurs and universities to provide ballast in the south to the dominance of the Northern California tech industry.

Southern California 224

Southern California Dollar Shave Club SoCal Develop 224

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

According to an MIT study a while back, only about 10% of patents granted in the United States have any meaningful commercial importance and less than one percent are of seminal importance. First-movers have an initial advantage, but this position is fraught with risk, and often comes with a high price. Failure is an option.

Startup 171

Startup Ideas Entrepreneur Competition 171

SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 25, 2009

Fantastic post by Christian Gammill - Startup Delta Force… From a competitive perspective (e.g. Now, given our current economic crisis and VC ‘challenges’, the barriers to funding have gone up significantly as well.

Startup 150

Startup SEM IP SEO 150

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2020

The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. Start with a service you know and love. Capture your “secret sauce.”

Startup 174

Startup Training Services Writing 174

Xconomy

DECEMBER 14, 2018

Pharmaceutical industry critics lament the cost of rare disease drugs, but some of the steepest price hikes have come on widely used insulin. The patent holder, the University of Toronto, gave companies the right to manufacture insulin. to offer competitive pricing pressure. to offer competitive pricing pressure.

Patents 77

Patents Pricing Competition San Diego 77

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 2, 2022

You can’t succeed in business without an operational model that delivers value to customers at a reasonable price, with an underlying cost that allows you to make a profit. A target market is the group of customers that the startup plans to attract through marketing and sales their product or service. Target market. Sales/Marketing.

Sales 102

Sales Customer Custom Outsource 102

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 2, 2015

Every investor knows how vulnerable a new startup is to competitors, so investors always ask about your sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. Neither speaks well for you or your startup. The problem is that startups have limited resources to keep them ahead of big companies. Don’t bash the competition.

Startup 118

Startup Competition Patents Resource 118

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 18, 2013

I’m fully convinced that both inspiration and perspiration are always required in a startup. Those at the other extreme don’t look up from the grindstone long enough to notice whether all their work is producing sweat equity or just sweat. Starting a business may be fun, but it’s not easy. Start even before the product is ready.

Startup 100

Startup Patents Competition Social Network 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2020

As an angel investor, I see plenty of startups focusing on building an innovative product, but I’m looking for the few who are also leading with an exponential growth strategy, to put them in the category of the next Amazon or Google. These can easily start new trends, or capitalize on existing ones.

Marketing 170

Marketing Startup Examples Customer 170

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 26, 2011

If you are an entrepreneur starting a business for the first time, I recommend that you find a product concept that is already accepted and improve on it, rather than tackling that ultimate disruptive technology. It seems to me that in the startup world, imitation gets a bad rap. Of course, the first one gets the patent.

Startup 91

Startup Patents Statistics Course 91

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 3, 2016

These things outside your control do happen, but based on my years of experience as a startup advisor and angel investor, I still see too many shortcuts leading to failure that are inside the entrepreneur decision realm. I certainly agree that starting a business is fraught with risk, and none of us get it all right the first time.

Startup 57

Startup Entrepreneur Writing Ideas 57

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 14, 2019

Every investor knows how vulnerable a new startup is to competitors, so investors always ask about your sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. Neither speaks well for you or your startup. The problem is that startups have limited resources to keep them ahead of big companies. Don’t bash the competition.

Competition 120

Competition Patents Resource Invest 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2013

Scan the Internet for existing patents and some “credible unbiased third party” data that confirms there is really a market for a solution resulting from your idea. It’s not hard to come up with the idea that a cure for cancer would make a great business, but some things are harder than they look. Start your search for key resources.

Ideas 106

Ideas Startup Summary CalTech 106

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 30, 2014

As I’ve written about recently, at Upfront Ventures we started talking a couple of years ago about wanting to fund stuff with more meaning. If electricity could be transferred like WiFi but as safe as a soundwave we use on pregnant women’s bellies and at a price-point that was attractive this is a multi-billion market.

Technical Review 418

Technical Review Software Review CTO Hire IP 418

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2016

The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. Start with a service you know and love. Capture your “secret sauce.”

Services 61

Services Startup Training Writing 61

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2016

As an entrepreneur looking for professional investors, one of the quickest ways to lose credibility and get rejected is to start with a ridiculously high pre-money valuation. It’s like trying to sell a home still being built at next year’s dream market price. You look like a chump, and probably won’t like their low-ball response.

Startup 71

Startup Patents Invest Blogging 71

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 1, 2013

There is a tough balance here to achieve, since a large portion of starting and running a business requires analytical, logical thinking. I find that startups looking for funding often never even think of asking strategic partners, rather than just venture capitalists. Stereotyped notions block clear vision and crowd out imagination.

Startup 100

Startup Ideas Patents Training 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 14, 2013

According to a recent MIT study , only about 10% of patents granted in the United States have any meaningful commercial importance and less than one percent are of seminal importance. First-movers have an initial advantage, but this position is fraught with risk, and often comes with a high price. Seek innovation that begets invention.

Startup 105

Startup Ideas Entrepreneur Competition 105

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2016

Entrepreneurs who are looking to attract investors need to develop and pitch a plan -- preferably written -- that answers every potential investor question about your startup before it is asked. This is also the place to first mention patents and any other differentiators that put you ahead of competition.

Invest 108

Invest Startup Slides Equity 108

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2019

They want quantifiable facts and figures on how your offering compares to recognized key players in your domain, and quotes from recognized third-party experts to back you up. Secondly, they want to see your competitive analysis of how you stack up to the top players in the space, by name, with quantitative comparisons and customer value.

Competition 86

Competition Patents Startup Customer 86

Tech.Co

MARCH 1, 2018

And while that cliché has been said about everything in the Lone Star state for years, it rings particularly true for the hottest startups showcasing their big innovations at SXSW Startup Night 2018 presented by the Kauffman Foundation and TechCo. Beast Mode is taking on a new meaning in the startup world. Price: $1.99

Startup 79

Startup Mentor Platform Help 79

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 1, 2015

These things outside your control do happen, but based on my years of experience as a startup advisor and Angel investor, I still see too many common failure causes that are inside the entrepreneur decision realm. I certainly agree that starting a business is fraught with risk, and none of us get it all right the first time.

Startup 105

Startup Entrepreneur Writing Ideas 105

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 22, 2019

So the former venture capital investor from the consumer startup brand studio Launch set out to create one. The answer she came up with is Blueland, a new line of cleaning products that launches today. Blueland also wasn’t Paiji’s first choice for a new startup idea. Blueland refills/Image courtesy of Blueland.

Design 161

Design Patents Los Angeles Ideas 161

socalTECH

OCTOBER 14, 2013

There''s been a revolution in the last few years with the dropping price and increasing accessibility of 3D printers--those devices which let you print practically anything using just your own personal computer, 3D software, and a special printer. Erik Adams: I actually started in the dry cleaning business. What is Deka Sounds?

Startup 241

Startup Slides Orange County Design 241

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 9, 2018

According to an MIT study a while back, only about 10% of patents granted in the United States have any meaningful commercial importance and less than one percent are of seminal importance. First-movers have an initial advantage, but this position is fraught with risk, and often comes with a high price. Failure is an option.

Guide 95

Guide Startup Ideas Entrepreneur 95

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2014

It wasn’t so many years ago that starting a new e-commerce business on the Internet was a complex custom development project, usually costing a million dollars or more. Almost anyone can start a company today on a shoestring budget, following these cost-cutting recommendations: Establish a solid legal structure for your business.

Entrepreneur 104

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media Commerce 104

Berkonomics

MARCH 5, 2020

If there are high barriers to entry with such protections as patents, long development time already spent or contracts with the major potential customers, then the risk of a competitor with more resources jumping into the frothy pool and taking advantage of the demand created by the company is minimized. And fifth: Competitive risk. .

Outsource Development 156

Outsource Development Ideas Resource Patents 156

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2012

If you are an entrepreneur starting a business for the first time, I recommend that you find a product concept that is already accepted and improve on it, rather than tackling that ultimate disruptive technology. It seems to me that in the startup world, imitation gets a bad rap. Of course, the first one gets the patent.

Patents 84

Patents Startup Statistics Course 84

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 17, 2022

It might be a patented technology, but it could also be the creativity of employees or logistic competencies of the company. This could be the utilization rate of a plant, the price premium of the brand, or the service offered or products sold. It is about identifying a core competence which others cannot match.

Organization 118

Organization Course Patents Entrepreneur 118

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2017

As a starting point the board is intended to have legal and financial responsibilities to a few key constituencies: shareholders, debt holders, creditors, employees, government and major parties with whom the business operates. ICOs certainly have a place in startup financing.

Startup 217

Startup Technical Review Equity Report 217

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2012

I hear a lot of entrepreneurs contemplating their great “idea” for several years with little discernable progress, and looking for money to start. A great business often starts with one person, but it doesn’t end there. Now investors will pay attention, since scale-up funding is less risky and has a time frame.

Startup 104

Startup CTO Hire Press Customer 104

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 5, 2016

According to an MIT study a while back, only about 10% of patents granted in the United States have any meaningful commercial importance and less than one percent are of seminal importance. First-movers have an initial advantage, but this position is fraught with risk, and often comes with a high price. Failure is an option.

Startup 103

Startup Ideas Entrepreneur Competition 103