Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2020

Every startup and every new business needs a unique selling proposition (USP) to get people’s attention these days, and make it stand out in the information overload we all see. I’m looking for the “hook” right up front, or I lose interest quickly, just like every customer and investor these days. Is the opportunity large and growing?

Startup 166

Startup Education Ideas Customer 166

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2023

It’s still popular these days for startup founders to operate in stealth mode, meaning no details about the idea or progress are shared with anyone until the big reveal and rollout. Pivots and corrections are inevitable for startups in this age of rapid change, and the earlier you make them, the quicker you get to success.

Marketing 105

Marketing Startup Search Engine Optimization Ideas 105

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 2, 2010

Azusa-based Contour Energy Systems , the Caltech battery technology startup headed by Joe Fisher, said today that it has been awarded a new, U.S. According to the firm, the new patent covers its production process and fluorinated multi-layered carbon nanomaterials, which are used in its batteries. READ MORE>>.

Patents 150

Patents Azusa CalTech Research 150

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2023

In my experience, consummate entrepreneurs tend come up with more startup ideas than they can ever implement, and some of the ideas may not even make business sense. Passion, optimism, and determination are necessary but not sufficient to assure a successful startup. Check for intellectual property barriers in your way.

Ideas 106

Ideas Technical Review Patents Startup 106

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2020

It may not be as sexy, but starting a new business which builds on an existing technology or business model is usually less risky than introducing that ultimate new disruptive technology. Many of the major business successes started this way. Many of the major business successes started this way.

Startup 157

Startup Social Media Study Research 157

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2020

The new paradigm, driven by disruptive technologies, cloud-served supercomputing, and the new generation of young adults with global empathy, is partnering and giving something now for a competitive advantage in the future. A partnership was announced with the City of New York, to connect and grow NYC's startup ecosystem.

Startup 124

Startup IBM IBM Examples 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2016

For a software startup, a patent can be the intellectual property providing the key competitive advantage, or it can be an expensive non-defensible bureaucratic nightmare -- or both. Some argue to simply eliminate software patents, while others put their hopes in U.S. There is no such thing as a world-wide patent.

Patents 53

Patents Software Review Software Technical Advisors 53

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 27, 2014

I always advise software startups to file patents to protect their “secret sauce” from competitors, and to increase their valuation. This patent holding company has charged infringement and demanded royalties from every app developer for the iPhone and Android, for a feature most agree has been in apps for many years.

Patents 100

Patents Software Review Software Technical Advisors 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2023

I always tell entrepreneurs that two heads are better than one, so the first task in many startups is finding a cofounder or two. You need to find the skills or experience you don’t have in business, technology, or money. The value in a startup is all about tangible results, so I see no equity value in the idea alone.

Equity 99

Equity Patents CTO Hire Startup 99

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 21, 2013

Are you the 19-year old founder of a startup? Cyborg Industries said yesterday that it has launched a "revolutionary, patented data transfer technology" called the Spectrocable, developed by 14-year old high school sophomore Nicolas Dupont. cyborg industries techweek angeles startup high school' You''re over the hill.

Startup 214

Startup Patents Los Angeles Conference 214

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 7, 2023

Young entrepreneurs often are so excited by new technology or their latest invention that they forget to translate it into a value proposition that their customers or potential investors can understand and relate to. Every business leader knows how difficult it is to keep up with a changing market. Customer data integrity and security.

Social Network 108

Social Network Training Startup Technology 108

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2020

In my experience, consummate entrepreneurs tend come up with more startup ideas than they can ever implement, and some of the ideas may not even make business sense. Passion, optimism, and determination are necessary but not sufficient to assure a successful startup. Check for intellectual property barriers in your way.

Technical Review 173

Technical Review Ideas Patents Startup 173

socalTECH

AUGUST 22, 2013

A new, Los Angeles area startup launched this morning, hoping to use the power of the crowd to help take ideas to launch. The startup--headed by Dirk Ahlborn--has created a system which lets the crowd provide feedback, ideas, and even crowdfunding to take ideas and research to market. READ MORE>>.

Research 193

Research El Segundo Incubator Startup 193

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2020

Every startup founder loves to prompt for questions from investors and potential key team members about their vision, and the huge opportunity that can be had with their disruptive technology. Early stage burn rates over $50K per month, or a runway of less than six months may indicate an inefficient or desperate startup.

Technical Review 174

Technical Review Startup Invest Patents 174

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 17, 2021

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 162

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media Outsource Development 162

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

As a startup advisor and investor, living in an area with several local universities, I’m continually surprised by how little many entrepreneurs know about the resources available from these institutions. Other project and research reports in their library are a rich source of new ideas, if you are still looking for a place to start.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Class Startup Resource 110

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2022

The new paradigm, driven by disruptive technologies, cloud-served supercomputing, and the new generation of young adults with global empathy, is partnering and giving something now for a competitive advantage in the future. A partnership was announced a while back with the City of New York, to connect and grow NYC's startup ecosystem.

IBM 131

IBM IBM Startup Examples 131

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 18, 2023

Every startup founder loves to prompt for questions from investors and potential key team members about their vision, and the huge opportunity that can be had with their disruptive technology. Early stage burn rates over $50K per month, or a runway of less than six months may indicate an inefficient or desperate startup.

Startup 83

Startup Technical Review Invest Patents 83

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2020

The biggest complaint I hear from fellow investors is that startup founders often talk way too long, and neglect to cover the most relevant points. If you start by pitching your extended life story, that’s the wrong point. Equally bad is a full tutorial on your new disruptive technology. Start with the problem and your solution.

Startup 118

Startup Slides Technical Review Research 118

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2023

Thus, based on my experience as an entrepreneur as well as a startup investor, there are indeed situations where a non-disclosure is highly recommended, and others where the potential good far outweighs the risk. Disclosures relative to patents. Product details in the public domain can never be patented. Sharing trade secrets.

Technical Review 101

Technical Review Patents Ideas Sample 101

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2020

If you want to make a great first impression on a startup investor or an advisor like me, don’t try to convince me or show me how busy you are. I’m sure you all know someone who always seems to be overworked, but often comes up short on the delivery side. Use technology and tools, but don’t let them sink you.

Product 123

Product Startup Tips Entrepreneur 123

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 10, 2010

Intellectual Property (IP) is an ugly thing at a startup. However, to a Big Dumb Company (BDC), a startup’s IP is a thing of beauty. How can IP be worthless to a startup yet very worthwhile to a BDC? Patents held by startups generally have a limited ability to reduce competition. The second reason is more subtle.

IP 256

IP Patents Company Companies 256

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2021

This raises a big red flag with potential investors, who conclude that no competitors means no market, or you haven’t looked, and the new startup is likely not investable. First to market, for example, is not normally a sustainable advantage for startups. Here are some of the key ones: Patent protection in place as a barrier to entry.

Competition 166

Competition Funding Startup Patents 166

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 12, 2009

Los Angeles-based Stamps.com , which operates an Internet-based postage service, has scored a new patent, covering the firm's cryptography systems. The patent, number 7,490,065, was granted to Craig L. The patent was granted Tuesday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, according to the patent filing.

Patents 100

Patents Los Angeles Software Services 100

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 30, 2016

conversation literally every week with startups. It is a truism that with more capital you will hire people more quickly and spend more liberally whether it’s on external contractors, PR firms, attending events, doing legal work (trademarks, patents) or whatever. million and in my second company we raised only $500,000 by choice.

Startup 292

Startup Software Review Pricing Entrepreneur 292

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

Every entrepreneur has an idea for transforming a market with innovative new technology, or transforming society with a new process. 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.

Startup 171

Startup Ideas Entrepreneur Competition 171

Berkonomics

JULY 16, 2015

Several times a month, I’d have lunch with one of my CEOs, and each time we’d find ourselves digging into the intellectual property developed by the company over the years, just to refresh ourselves about what the intended use was back then, and whether new developments or technologies might make these older ideas and patents relevant again.

Patents 120

Patents Screening Startup Email 120

socalTECH

JULY 26, 2021

A new, Los Angeles-based startup, SPINN, developing a fully automated, mobile- or voice-controlled coffee maker which grinds beans, heats water, and brews coffee for users, said on Monday that it has raised $20M in a funding round. The funding was led by Spark Capital, and also included Amazon's Alexa Fund, Bar 9 Ventures and others.

Patents 113

Patents Los Angeles Mobile Funding 113

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 21, 2023

The biggest complaint I hear from fellow investors is that startup founders often talk way too long, and neglect to cover the most relevant points. If you start by pitching your extended life story, that’s the wrong point. Equally bad is a full tutorial on your new disruptive technology. Start with the problem and your solution.

Slides 147

Slides Funding Technical Review Startup 147

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 22, 2018

Recognizing the tens of billions of dollars that the Southern Californian region leaves on the table, because it hasn’t taken its rightful place in the American technology industry, a new group called the Alliance for Southern California Innovation has just released a report to analyze how SoCal can work to assume its pole position.

Southern California 224

Southern California Dollar Shave Club SoCal Develop 224

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

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. In the technology sector where I most often play, extended unplanned software development cycles account for the majority of these corporate failures. The financial pain of unplanned delays.

Venture Capital 296

Venture Capital Product Marketing Resource 296

Tech.Co

DECEMBER 6, 2017

What’s your role in the Coachella Valley area startup ecosystem? The iHub is a California state initiative that selected six locations in the state to serve as specific technology development hubs. Wherever water is consumed we can ensure that it is used efficiently through our technology.

Startup 119

Startup Technical Review Patents Services 119

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 5, 2012

Music Prodigy , a Los Angeles based music education technology firm serious on improving the way people learn, play and interact with music beat over 70 startups with their app Rock Prodigy to win the Silicon Beach Awards. Beat 70 Start-ups. it’s like a video game! Winning Not By Sheer Luck.

Education 106

Education Startup Technology Patents 106

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 19, 2023

Every entrepreneur has an idea for transforming a market with innovative new technology, or transforming society with a new process. 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.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Startup Ideas Competition 101

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2016

It may not be as sexy, but starting a new business which builds on an existing technology or business model is usually less risky than introducing that ultimate new disruptive technology. Many of the major business successes started this way. Many of the major business successes started this way.

Technology 57

Technology Startup Study Research 57

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 30, 2014

Young entrepreneurs often are so excited by new technology or their latest invention that they forget to translate it into a value proposition that their customers or potential investors can understand. Every business leader knows how difficult it is to keep up with a changing market. Customer data integrity and security.

Customer 98

Customer Custom Technology Startup 98