Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2016

I believe their competitive advantage is their top on-site leadership, exclusivity, and connections to investors. Direct seed funding, for a share of the equity, and introductions to investors. Mentoring and technical assistance from volunteer or paid experts. Peer-to-peer networking with other startups and founders in the same stage.

Incubator 106

Incubator Startup Help Resource 106

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2015

Competitor positioning and sustainable competitive advantage. No investor pitch should end without asking for a specific amount of money, providing some details on how that money will be used and what equity in the company you are offering in return. Marty Zwilling First published on Entrepreneur.com on 7/29/2015.

Product 103

Product Slides Customer Custom 103

socalTECH

DECEMBER 7, 2016

We worked on Beatshare at Chapman, where there was a business plan competition, which we won. From there, we went on to a national competition, California Dreamin, which had over 200 entrants from multiple universities, with undergrad, graduate, and postgraduates from all around the country for three days, and we got second place.

Tech Coast Angels 100

Tech Coast Angels CTO Coach Startup Pasadena Angels 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2015

A smart investor will take an independent final reading in the market on barriers to entry, active competition, demographics, and price sensitivity. Startup equity investments imply a long-term business relationship, lasting an average of five years. Marty Zwilling First published on Entrepreneur.com on 1/9/2015.

Technical Review 108

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur 108

Xconomy

JUNE 3, 2016

The only remaining daptomycin patent will expire in June, clearing the way for generic competition years earlier than expected. AstraZeneca got the drug when it bought ZS Pharma in late 2015 for $2.7 —The FDA also made regulatory decisions that cast a pall on recent buyouts.

San Diego 62

San Diego Patents Acquisition News 62

socalTECH

MARCH 6, 2017

After I sold my last company, Shift, in May of 2015, I took some time off to look for the next thing to do. It seem that now, versus a few years ago, it's a lot more competitive to try to get out and acquire a user profitably for an app. What was appealing to you about the mobile app area? Instead, you can really focus on executing.

Media 153

Media Mobile Startup Acquisition 153

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 1, 2016

You don’t have unlimited equity to dole out. She can anticipate reactions to price increases or product changes by customers and she can sustain competitive challenges because she knows the customer will stick by her. This got him more power and with that power he executed on his belief system and had a lousy 2015 season.

Startup 150

Startup Coach Course Invest 150

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2016

Valuing any company can be difficult because it requires a degree of forecasting future growth & competition and ultimately the profits of the organization. In 2015 in the US there were $77 billion written into startup tech companies. Median valuations went up 3x in just 2 years, followed by a precipitous drop in Q4 of 2015.

Startup 150

Startup Company Companies Venture Capital 150

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2023

Many successful crowdfunding campaigns, just like many startups funded by angels and VCs, fail miserably due to normal business challenges, including inventory buildup, marketing, competition, and customer support. Thus crowdfunding is clearly not the panacea for funding and success that many entrepreneurs envision.

Startup 100

Startup Equity Entrepreneur Demand 100

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 26, 2020

Many successful crowdfunding campaigns, just like many startups funded by angels and VCs, fail miserably due to normal business challenges, including inventory buildup, marketing, competition, and customer support. Thus crowdfunding is clearly not the panacea for funding and success that many entrepreneurs envision.

Startup 151

Startup Equity Funding Demand 151

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 16, 2015

In reality, crowdfunding has become a major startup funding vehicle, with an estimated contribution of $30 billion in 2015, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. The latest surge in expectations is just now occurring, as the SEC has finally “ democratized ” everyday citizens (non-accredited investors) to participate in equity crowdfunding.

Startup 53

Startup Equity Entrepreneur Demand 53