Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

Universities have the links you need to patent attorneys, prototyping companies, investment groups, as well as a wealth of peer talent to round out your team and share the work. Write a business plan and pitch deck for learning. Initiate networking to find peer partners and investors. Learning by doing is the only way to go.

Entrepreneur 157

Entrepreneur Mentor Class Resource 157

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 17, 2020

I believe the old adage that you don’t know what you don’t know until you try to write it down. The discipline of writing down your plan is the best way to make sure you understand how to transform your idea into a business, and how to communicate it. A business plan is for you first, not investors.

Startup 174

Startup Writing Entrepreneur Ideas 174

Berkonomics

MARCH 5, 2020

This risk can be mitigated by finding a customer willing to purchase as soon as a proven model is completed, and willing to state this in writing. Will the public respond in numbers to buy, license or rent your offering? And fifth: Competitive risk. .

Outsource Development 156

Outsource Development Ideas Resource Patents 156

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2022

Some entrepreneurs love to talk and produce videos, but hate to write anything down. Registered patents and other intellectual property. Early in the relationship, every investor instinctively looks for some key indicators of the ability to get results, like the following: Communicates well in every business medium.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Social Media Patents Mentor 111

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 22, 2018

As BCG writes in its report: The good news for SoCal and any region with tech ambitions is that the Bay Area has in some ways been too successful. Caltech generates more patents than any other university while UCLA boasts more startups founded by its graduate than any other school in the nation.

Southern California 224

Southern California Dollar Shave Club SoCal Develop 224

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 2, 2020

Then, he'll need to patent it and create a plan to show opportunity, competition, and financial projections. I have found that the process of writing down your idea, with a plan for implementation, and reviewing that plan with a business advisor, will force you to learn and acknowledge the real requirements for implementation.

Ideas 126

Ideas Writing Examples Outsource 126

Berkonomics

MARCH 14, 2019

This risk can be mitigated by finding a customer willing to purchase as soon as a proven model is completed, and willing to state this in writing. Will the public respond in numbers to buy, license or rent your offering? And fifth: Competitive risk. .

Outsource Development 120

Outsource Development Ideas Resource Patents 120

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2017

For example, “I just patented a new cell-phone technology that will double battery life for half the cost. List key competitors and alternatives, highlighting your sustainable competitive advantages, such as patents and trademarks. Use concrete terms to quantify value and pain. No more pain of phone shutdown in the middle of a call.”

Startup 65

Startup Writing Patents Competition 65

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 13, 2020

Some entrepreneurs love to talk and produce videos, but hate to write anything down. Registered patents and other intellectual property. Early in the relationship, every investor instinctively looks for some key indicators of the ability to get results, like the following: Communicates well in every business medium.

Entrepreneur 126

Entrepreneur Social Media Patents Mentor 126

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 30, 2014

It’s true the some VCs have started writing so many checks that they resemble stock pickers but the majority of us still have less than 10 board seats at any time and tend to go pretty deep so the result is that we care deeply about where we commit our time. Did anybody hold patents that would prevent us from using this technology?

Technical Review 418

Technical Review Software Review CTO Hire IP 418

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 13, 2020

Despite some recent advances, there are still some cultures which have less regard for patents and other intellectual property. It’s hard to write a detailed specification on an evolving new service, process, or product that embodies your core competency. Keep intellectual property keys in-house.

Outsource Development 122

Outsource Development Outsource Software Review Technical Review 122

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

Writing down key parameters will force you solidify the specifics, and mentally commit to them. Any startup with no patents, trade secrets, or other secret sauce is very high risk today. Some dreams sound great, but may not yet be viable or proven with today’s technology.

Ideas 94

Ideas Slides Technical Review Patents 94

Berkonomics

MARCH 15, 2012

This risk can be mitigated by finding a customer willing to purchase as soon as a proven model is completed, and willing to state this in writing. Will the public respond in numbers to buy, license or rent your offering? And fifth: Competitive risk.

Outsource Development 200

Outsource Development Ideas Resource Patents 200

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 2, 2018

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. Capture your “secret sauce.” Start with a service you know and love.

Services 72

Services Startup Training Writing 72

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

Patents and Trademarks. Who do I write the check to and where do I send it? What does your pain reliever look like, how is it implemented by the customer and what future products do you expect to roll out? Distribution and Sales. How do you profitably get the pain reliever to the consumers experiencing the pain? Competition.

Venture Capital 211

Venture Capital Summary Technical Review Template 211

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 27, 2014

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. Capture your “secret sauce.” Start with a service you know and love.

Services 105

Services Startup Training Writing 105

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 5, 2014

There is a battle between entrepreneurs who try to change the world and solve a meaningful problem and those who write take-down pieces with no apparent personal benefit other than attention. We checked patents. What about competing patents. . “A lie travels around the globe while the truth is putting on its shoes.”

Technical Review 417

Technical Review Startup Software Review Course 417

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 1, 2015

I believe the old adage that you don’t know what you don’t know until you try to write it down. The discipline of writing down your plan is the best way to make sure you understand how to transform your idea into a business, and how to communicate it. A business plan is for you first, not investors.

Startup 105

Startup Entrepreneur Writing Ideas 105

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 3, 2011

Brad and Jason have been exposing venture capitalists’ secrets since 2005, when they began writing a blog series on Term Sheets at AskTheVC. For instance, in a section describing the ramifications of a No-Shop clause, Matt writes, “Insist on spelling out key terms prior to a signed term sheet if it has a no-shop clause in it.

Venture Capital 205

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Writing Guide 205

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2017

I have been meaning to write this for a while as I’ve noticed that much of my board time is involved in trying to be an independent referee for founders who themselves are trying to resolve their own conflicts. Often we are asked to get involved in executive-level recruiting. What prompted this post?

Startup 217

Startup Technical Review Equity Report 217

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. Capture your “secret sauce.” Start with a service you know and love.

Services 61

Services Startup Training Writing 61

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

"The best way to prepare [to be a programmer] is to write programs, and to study great programs that other people have written. Unless your venture is focused on researching potential scientific breakthroughs, it is likely that your technology can be easily copied and your patents circumvented. " [Tweet this quote].

Tips 275

Tips Startup IP Santa Barbara 275

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2014

Some entrepreneurs love to talk and produce videos, but hate to write anything down. Registered patents and other intellectual property. Early in the relationship, every investor instinctively looks for some key indicators of the ability to get results, like the following: Communicates well in every business medium.

Entrepreneur 107

Entrepreneur Angel Social Media Patents 107

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2010

When Nivi published the series he titled it “the top 10 things I look for before I write a check.&# As a result I felt compelled to add this final attribute because it matters a lot to me. We were super excited by their offering – they had patented technology in a field that we believe will continue to grow massively.

Technical Review 284

Technical Review Entrepreneur Startup Funding 284

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 12, 2015

Most men in the 1940's and 50's did not know how to use a keyboard and thus could not write code. According to the National Center for Women & Information Technology, mixed-gender teams produce patents that are cited up to 42% more often.

Company 100

Company Companies Santa Barbara Education 100

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2013

Here are some key ones they look for: Talks and writes well. Convincingly presents a patent, trademark, or other “secret sauce” that can create equity value, not just current cash flow for the owners. Values intellectual property. This has value now, and is critical for maximum value in a merger or acquisition.

Technical Review 109

Technical Review Entrepreneur Course Patents 109

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 3, 2016

I believe the old adage that you don’t know what you don’t know until you try to write it down. The discipline of writing down your plan is the best way to make sure you understand how to transform your idea into a business, and how to communicate it. A business plan is for you first, not investors.

Startup 57

Startup Entrepreneur Writing Ideas 57

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2012

Here are some key ones they look for: Talks and writes well. Convincingly presents a patent, trademark, or other “secret sauce” that can create equity value, not just current cash flow for the owners. Values intellectual property. This has value now, and is critical for maximum value in a merger or acquisition.

Entrepreneur 117

Entrepreneur Technical Review Course Patents 117

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2016

Dean Kamen, while still struggling with the Segway Human Transporter, holds 440 other device patents. Bill Gates of Microsoft, even late in his career, wasn’t afraid to jump in and write some code to illustrate a point. Learn to anticipate change, bounce back stronger, and teach others to do the same.

Examples 76

Examples Startup Coach Patents 76

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2014

Despite some recent advances, there are still some cultures which have less regard for patents and other intellectual property. Its hard to write a detailed specification on an evolving new service, process, or product that embodies your core competency. Keep intellectual property keys in-house.

Outsource Development 95

Outsource Development Outsource Offshore Software Review 95

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2009

I had seen many cycles and decided that since I was going to do it all over again I should write about it. I decided to write about my experience and to be blunt. It became a huge kerfuffle with many VC partners writing to thank me for the post, which exposed those that gave their industry a bad name. And covered we did.

Venture Capital 274

Venture Capital Blogging Startup Slides 274

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

Forcing yourself to write down a plan is actually the only way to make sure you actually have a plan. File a provisional patent, register a trademark, and reserve your company domain names. If you have a product description, that’s necessary, but not sufficient. Register some intellectual property.

Funding 112

Funding Entrepreneur Startup CTO Hire 112

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 2, 2016

Filing a provisional patent costs very little if you do it yourself, and it holds your place in line for a year. Clarify up front the potential for a conflict of interest or violation of a non-compete clause, and confirm the answer in writing. Reveal “secret sauce” before filing intellectual property. Late surprises lead to lawsuits.

Startup 62

Startup Patents Entrepreneur Writing 62

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 10, 2010

Patents held by startups generally have a limited ability to reduce competition. The average time required to obtain a patent is 36-to-40 months, during which there is no guarantee your adVenture will ultimately receive patent protection. Even if you are granted a patent, the scope of your claims may be significantly denuded.

IP 256

IP Patents Company Companies 256

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 21, 2012

One of the big things about Telesign, and if you go back to the founders, and the things they did well before I got here, is they spent lots of time and effort around writing patents and protecting their IP. In 2011, we had two of our patents approved. One was for our PhoneID product, which is extremely important to us.

Marina Del Rey 238

Marina Del Rey Startup IP Examples 238

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 30, 2013

Dean Kamen, while still struggling with the Segway Human Transporter, holds 440 other device patents. Bill Gates of Microsoft, even late in his career, wasn’t afraid to jump in and write some code to illustrate a point. Learn to anticipate change, bounce back stronger, and teach others to do the same.

Entrepreneur 104

Entrepreneur Startup Examples Ideas 104

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 27, 2010

Here are some key ones they look for: Talks and writes well. Convincingly presents a patent, trademark, or other “secret sauce” that can create equity value, not just current cash flow for the owners. Values intellectual property. This has value now, and is critical for maximum value in a merger or acquisition.

Entrepreneur 96

Entrepreneur Angel Technical Review Course 96