Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2020

Kara said “no” because she wanted to start her own company, which she did and I backed. In any job you either find leadership opportunities for your best people BEFORE they ask or other people start asking them to become leaders somewhere else. Leadership is about recognizing your next generation of talent and helping lift them up.

Venture Capital 361

Venture Capital Startup Invest CitySearch 361

Xconomy

NOVEMBER 13, 2016

View the Slideshow A little more than a year ago, amid a resurgence in San Diego’s software sector, Xconomy identified a baker’s dozen of local tech companies to watch in 2016. The idea was to feature early stage companies in the region that have not attracted much attention or raised a substantial amount of startup capital.

San Diego 40

San Diego Technical Review Artificial Inteligence Startup 40

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

JULY 19, 2015

Since the recession, and at least partially sparked by it, I’m seeing a real resurgence of entrepreneurial spirit, and more startup activity than ever before. The rate of new entrepreneurs increased about 10 percent, from 280 out of 100,000 adults in the 2014 Startup Activity Index, to 310 out of 100,000 adults in the 2015 Index.

Startup 108

Startup Social Media Entrepreneur Satisfaction 108

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 20, 2015

As an advisor to startups, I often get asked what to look for in an ideal co-founder or business partner. Many of the entrepreneurs I meet prefer to focus on the technology, so they desperately need a people-oriented partner for balance. As a startup, your key team members' image is your brand. High integrity and commitment.

Technical Review 103

Technical Review Startup Examples Google 103

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 6, 2014

When you first start your company and raise initial venture capital your board probably consists of 1-3 founders and 1-2 VCs. Most experienced VCs won’t push you to give up founder control at this stage of the business nor should they. Reviewing financial & operational performance. As You Start to Mature.

Startup 325

Startup Sales Technical Review Software Review 325

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2015

Most technologists have little interest in the mechanics of starting and building a business. I usually envision a 50-50 ownership split for their efforts, but every engineer believes the technology side deserves the majority share. Fabulous solutions require great technology. New technology is so exciting it sells itself.

Technical Review 101

Technical Review Patents Entrepreneur Customer 101

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

Now, the technology is being installed in most new automobiles in order to track driving, which would help people lower their insurance costs exponentially. If you are under the age of 25, black boxes might be a very beneficial technology for you to take advantage of. Drivers over the age of 50 have seen their insurance jump up 8.6%.

Technical Review 40

Technical Review Help Technology Startup 40

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 14, 2015

Image via Flickr by Side Wages Some entrepreneurs forget that they need an innovative business model along with an innovative solution to have a successful startup. That’s why I say “two heads are better than one” in a startup. In fact, both customers and investors often avoid the perceived high risk of innovative technology pitches.

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Startup Social Media Competition 60

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 2, 2017

We caught up with Fuel50 founder and CEO Anne Fulton to learn more about the startup. Anne Fulton: Fuel50 is a career pathing startup, part of the HR technology landscape. We're a disruptor, the third wave in human resources technology. How did you start the company? So how did you end up here in California?

Help 100

Help Southern California Startup Technical Review 100

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

Our interview today is with Andrew Schydlowsky , the CEO and founder of Santa Barbara-based TrackStreet (www.trackstreet.com), a startup which is backed by Okapi Capital, The Cove Fund, Early Light Ventures, SaaS Venture Capital, and Stage Venture Partners. It allows us to start peeling the onion. How did you start the business?

Artificial Inteligence 140

Artificial Inteligence Startup Commerce Sales 140

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 7, 2016

Every startup begins with an idea, but from that point forward, it’s all about execution. As a result, Google has become a verb, and the company is a tech giant with record growth rates and a revenue of $74.5 billion in 2015. Targets are benchmarked against competitors, customer reviews and industry expert expectations.

Ideas 59

Ideas Technical Review Google Startup 59

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 7, 2015

Most technical entrepreneurs focus hard on building an innovative product, but forget that an elegant solution doesn’t automatically translate into a successful business. Defining the right business model requires the same diligence as designing the right product, but the approach and skills required are different.

Technical Review 108

Technical Review Pricing Startup Software Review 108

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2015

I have personally used this approach in leading startups as well as large organizations, in highly technical roles as well as business development and marketing. For one-on-one coaching from the startup founder, I call this approach five-minute mentoring. Marty Zwilling First published on Entrepreneur.com on 4/17/2015.

Product 99

Product Mentor Startup Technical Review 99

InfoChachkie

JUNE 9, 2015

Good news: a quick review of TechCrunch’s March 2015 List of Top 20 U.S. Note: for purposes of this article, I am using the term “accelerator” to include incubators, startup labs and all other organizations geared to facilitating a startup’s early maturation. Adopt A “Whatever It Takes” Mentality.

Startup 100

Startup Class LAMP Santa Barbara 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 19, 2015

The biggest complaint I hear from investors is that startup founders often talk way too long, and neglect to cover the most relevant points. Or they get sidetracked by a technical glitch due to poor preparation. If you start by pitching your extended life story, that’s the wrong point. Don’t forget to ask for the order.

Slides 105

Slides Technical Review Startup Research 105

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 26, 2015

Great technology leads to innovative solutions that are possible, but not necessarily great businesses. Yet, due largely to non-technology business considerations, including pricing, safety concerns and support infrastructure, there are none that most people can name.

Technical Review 54

Technical Review Product Activity Technology 54

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2015

Professional investors and advisors, on the other hand, usually refuse to sign these agreements today due to the risk of litigation and administrative workload, and will walk away. Potential investors don’t need this data, except perhaps as part of a final due diligence after agreement on terms. Sharing trade secrets.

Ideas 106

Ideas Technical Review Patents Entrepreneur 106

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2013

The biggest complaint I hear from investors is that startup founders often talk way too long, and neglect to cover the most relevant points. Or they get sidetracked by a technical glitch due to poor preparation. If you start by pitching your extended life story, that’s the wrong point. Don’t forget to ask for the order.

Angel 102

Angel Funding Slides Technical Review 102

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 23, 2015

If an entrepreneur can’t build a culture of excitement and commitment at a startup, the chances of long-term success are negligible. That’s why they insist on spending a day with your team as part of the due diligence process. Technology can be used to facilitate customer support and sales, as well as enhance your product.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Technical Review Mentor Training 102

TechCrunch LA

JANUARY 29, 2020

The firm, which underwent a significant restructuring over the last two years, went on an investment tear over the course of 2019 as new partners went out to build up a new portfolio for the firm — almost of a whole cloth. Kleiner Perkins gets back to early-stage with its $600M 18th fund.

IBM 164

IBM IBM Venture Capital Invest 164

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

Case in point: The ability to use voice authentication technology in our homes. The home security giant is reported to have started “strategizing like a start-up” after 140 years in the industry. And in seeing that, one financial advisor said he expects the two to join forces in February 2015.

Technical Review 78

Technical Review Software Review Startup Google 78

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 1, 2016

We All Know That Dollars into Venture Have Gone Up … As a starting point, we know that the dollars into venture have steadily rebounded to pre great-recession levels, with just under $30 billion committed to US technology venture capital in 2015. That’s money that fuels our startup ecosystems.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Capital Marketing Seed Funding 150

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 23, 2015

Twilio has now raised around $235 million, including a July 2015 round totaling $130 million. In the startup world, the former happens when a VC makes a bad investment, and the latter occurs when they miss a great opportunity. Tech Diligence - Consider The Source. Unicornless.

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Technical Review Software Review Southern California 100

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 29, 2015

Today’s customers ignore these sites in favor of ones with dynamic daily specials, promotions and positive reviews easily accessible on their mobile devices. Interaction with customers is usually started by responding dynamically to customer-service requests, but must be extended to online chats, comments and social media.

Customer 103

Customer Custom Marketing Social Media 103

socalTECH

OCTOBER 29, 2015

Brett and I both grew up in Southern California. I grew up in Thousand Oaks, went to USC, and we met each other way back in the 90's. The easiest way to look at it, from the tech perspective, is that we are very similar to LendingClub. How did you guys start the company? There's lot of great stuff happening here.

Southern California 100

Southern California Google Technical Review Manhattan Beach 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 22, 2012

The biggest complaint I hear from investors is that startup founders often talk way too long, and neglect to cover the most relevant points. Or they get sidetracked by a technical glitch due to poor preparation. If you start by pitching your extended life story, that’s the wrong point. Don’t forget to ask for the order.

Tips 97

Tips Slides Technical Review Startup 97

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

Aspiring entrepreneurs often ask me what to do first when starting a business. The date of incorporation is the official start date for your business, so progress from this point will be scrutinized by investors. Start with the simplest legal entity, to minimize liability and taxes.

Entrepreneur 59

Entrepreneur Startup Technical Review Ideas 59

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 26, 2016

In 2015 an additional 237 thousand joined the online community. As online viewership and behaviors grew in 2015 – the average U.S. In 2015, issues of online security and data privacy consumed headlines. One of the stars of 2015 was undoubtedly Slack. The global online audience currently stands at some 3.2

Commerce 40

Commerce Mobile Technical Review Google 40

socalTECH

JULY 27, 2015

There's been a huge debate over the future of Adobe's Flash raging over the last month, as both Google and Mozilla disabled Flash due to security holes and other issues. All of digital advertising today uses Flash as a foundation technology. I started a company, Neoganda, in the digital advertising area in 2005.

Hollywood 100

Hollywood HTML Software Review Advertising 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2016

For example, I have known several sincere technology entrepreneurs who were so busy adding and updating features for their product to satisfy early adopter requests, that they ended up with a bloated, hard to use, late to market and expensive solution which really satisfied no one in their primary market demographic.

Customer 65

Customer Custom Startup Satisfaction 65

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 12, 2015

Every investor in your startup, even friends and family, normally expects a share of your company (equity), which means your return for all your effort goes down quickly. After months of preparation, you should expect another six to nine months for reviews and funding cycles. In the U.S. Turnaround cycles are excruciatingly slow.

Pricing 100

Pricing Equity Technical Review Research 100

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2011

The biggest complaint I hear from investors is that startup founders often talk way too long, and neglect to cover the most relevant points. Or they get sidetracked by a technical glitch due to poor preparation. If you start by pitching your extended life story, that’s the wrong point. Don’t forget to ask for the order.

Slides 95

Slides Technical Review Startup Research 95

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

Too many entrepreneurs look for that one magic bullet -- an exciting new technology, perhaps, or their own determination to make the world a better place -- to override any shortcomings in their startup model. Such failures ignore the essential business elements investors look for before committing to a startup.

Pricing 100

Pricing Technical Review Entrepreneur Startup 100

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 22, 2016

billion in 2015 alone. Costs for advertising on Facebook are increasing, due to high demand, and their profits continue to soar. You could wake up and find your Facebook profile hacked or a social media mobile app providing access to sensitive data on your server. According to emarketer.com , Facebook earns 65.5 That was $15.5

Marketing 40

Marketing Social Media Social Network Technical Review 40

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2015

Skip the fuzzy marketing terms, such as "easier to use," "lower cost" and "disruptive technology." " Investors want to buy into an entrepreneur with a startup that can provide evidence of an ability to double customer productivity, at half the cost, with patented technology.

Summary 101

Summary Patents Technical Review Competition 101

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2015

Successful entrepreneurs start with a customer problem, and develop a solution, rather than the other way around. They build a startup culture of working for customers rather than pushing a product. A mindset of simplicity is what it takes to overcome a customer’s natural fear of change and new technology. Anyone can.

Startup 55

Startup Entrepreneur Technical Review Customer 55