Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2016

One of the reasons that now is the time to be an entrepreneur is the explosion of startup assistance organizations, usually called incubators or accelerators. Most of these are non-profits, set up by a university to commercialize new technologies, or a municipality to foster business development for the local economy.

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Incubator Startup Help Resource 106

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. Most are sitting on large portfolios of private companies that are raising money now or will need to do so in the future and they know that they’re up against some headwinds.

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Startup Company Companies Venture Capital 150

TechCrunch LA

JUNE 3, 2022

On Lafayette Street in SoHo, young, fashionable women lined up around the block to enter a minimalist, millennial oasis, the most perfect Instagram feed brought to life. billion company in the brutally competitive beauty industry, especially one with such broad appeal. allocate 98% of their funding to startups helmed by men.

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TechCrunch LA

AUGUST 9, 2022

They were early to that idea: Danna describes it as “creator tools for YouTube before YouTube built them itself,” and he said they came up with the idea for Boulevard out of a joke between them. “We started obsessing about this,” Danna went on. Things then took an investigative, plainclothes turn.

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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.

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Invest Startup Slides Equity 108

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 22, 2016

May 21st 2016. I told you — jokingly of course — that we should go and rough him up. You walked up to the boy with me and when we got really close you looked at him and started barking. You love to crack jokes, be the class clown or come up with witty or sarcastic responses. You’re always up for trying new things.

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Course Startup Competition Class 231

Tech.Co

APRIL 24, 2018

But if you’re a startup founder, you too have the chance to find your own moment in the spotlight. Over the past decade, startups that have been part of the Startup of the Year programs have made new partnerships, grown into household names, and collectively raised billions of dollars in funding. A Strong Alumni Network.

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Tech.Co

OCTOBER 14, 2016

The free Explorer ticket gets you access to the hiring fair, the LAUNCH startup competition, the EXPO, and day-time technology knowledge workshops. “ Explorer. Suitable for students, tech enthusiasts, and aspiring entrepreneurs. Entrepreneur .

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Los Angeles Angel Entrepreneur Competition 70

socalTECH

AUGUST 3, 2016

Los Angeles-based pet sitting marketplace DogVacay has announced its first, DogVacay Scholarship, a $3500 award which was open to any, entrepreneurial student either entering as a freshman to college in the Fall of 2016, or a student currently enrolled at a university. The company says it plans on another scholarship competition next year.

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GRP Partners Conference Venture Capital Ideas 100

socalTECH

APRIL 21, 2017

Georg Richter: For the five years before I started the company in January of 2016, I was at Guthy Renker, which is one of the largest and biggest direct marketing companies in the world. It was a logical system to start offering up cloud-based systems like those we had developed. It's like a cliffhanger in a movie.

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Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 20, 2016

As an advisor to many startups, I often see business principles espoused that may make sense for a large and established business trying to foster innovation but won’t work for a new startup. Startups don’t typically find any funding from investors until they prove they can execute, have a proven model and are ready to scale.

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Startup Resource Entrepreneur Ideas 58

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 12, 2016

As a startup advisor, I see too many entrepreneurs get distracted by technology or their favorite cause, and then wonder why they can’t find an investor, attract customers, or build a long-term business. These principles include the following: Free and ultra-low cost may no longer be competitive.

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Customer Custom Competition Netflix 101

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 24, 2016

million in funding on TechCrunch led by Harmony Partners and Upfront Ventures to double its footprint of 3 cities (New York, Chicago & Washington DC) to 6 in 2016. Incumbents became increasingly annoyed with our successes in the country’s largest market – NYC – that they started even taking out ads against us.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2016

I find that this type offers the most value to new entrepreneurs or startups in the early idea stage. Most incubators start their program with some aptitude and business acumen tests. The best ones also charge an up-front participation fee for services provided. The process is often competitive and very difficult.

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 26, 2016

The biggest challenge for every entrepreneur and every startup today is to get noticed and remembered in today’s information overload. The number of entrepreneurs worldwide is huge, starting an estimated 50 million new businesses in the past year, or 137,000 per day. It’s even acceptable to make up a place with a “what if.”

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Tech Zulu Event

DECEMBER 31, 2015

The good news is we know what attributes successful startups tend to have in common: they produce a product or service that meets a specific need, they thrive on the uncertainly of startup culture, and they don’t run out of cash. Sharing space with other businesses offers your startup a number of benefits. Transfer debt balance.

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Startup Cloud Computing Tool Pricing 40

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2016

In my experience in large businesses as well as years of advising startups, I see far too much focus on product skills, and too little on people and process skills. Storytelling and projecting a vision are foundational skills that are required from the first moment in starting a business. It’s up to you to clear the way.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 2, 2016

Starting a new business is not an informal process, and should never be treated like a hobby between friends. Unfortunately, as a startup advisor and angel investor, I’ve seen too many ventures with great potential get destroyed or set back by legal and other shortcuts that should never have been allowed to happen.

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Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 5, 2016

Too many entrepreneurs put their best creative thinking into the startup idea, and believe that the business implementation simply requires following tried and true business practices. In my experience as a startup advisor, nothing could be further from the truth. Offer incentives or competition. Start thinking outside the box.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 20, 2016

Building a startup business is not the same as corporate executive experience, so prior titles in a big business may actually be seen as a negative. On the other hand, having failed in an earlier startup may be an advantage, if positioned properly, and some learning is evident. Focus on prior results, not titles.

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Startup Entrepreneur Software Review Technical Review 60

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 3, 2016

Nearly every startup I have spoken to over the years – including some where I’m a co-investor – talks positively about the support they’ve gotten from A16Z. As a starting point you have to realize that investment firms (which a VC is) have management needs.

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Venture Capital Platform Startup Resource 150

Xconomy

JANUARY 31, 2018

In another setback for Google’s Internet business, the tech giant has decided to wind down the Boston-area operations of Webpass, a wireless Internet service provider Google Fiber acquired in June 2016. A statement e-mailed by a Google spokeswoman didn’t give a reason for the decision.

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Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2016

I was reminded of a number of these by a recent book, “ The Thing About Work: Showing Up and Other Important Matters ,” by Richard A. With a bit of humor, he provides some serious guidelines for struggling career professionals looking to move up, and new entrepreneurs looking to build a company. Showing up still matters.

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Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 22, 2016

How can your company best benefit from social networking ads in 2016? The way to get ahead of the competition is to look at what they’re doing right and do it better. In addition, make use of as much automation as you can in 2016 to reduce manpower costs and put the money towards other more important matters.

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Marketing Social Media Social Network Technical Review 40

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2016

In my role as an advisory board member for several startups, I’m always excited to see that initial surge of revenue from a great rollout campaign. At the startup entry level, most entrepreneurs find little need for Profit and Loss statements and Income statements – they know all the key transactions.

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Startup Training Entrepreneur Customer 57

InfoChachkie

MARCH 24, 2016

Unlike sites of the past that were deemed illegal, the current crop of election sites appear to well positioned to exploit the unprecedented focus Americans are applying to the 2016 election cycle. As discussed in Mini-ventures Build Entrepreneurial Muscle , I am an advocate of students starting side businesses while in college.

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Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2016

After reviewing her day-by-day recommendations to improve productivity in a single week, I have extrapolated her guidance to ten productivity tips specifically for entrepreneurs to regain that competitive edge: Focus on managing yourself rather than managing others. Marty Zwilling First published on Inc.com on 10/31/2016.

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Tips Activity Startup Product 100

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. How did you start the company? Even when I had babies, I started a company making baby clothing with designers for a few years. What is Fuel50?

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Help Southern California Startup Technical Review 100

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2016

Why ADD Might Actually Benefit Startup Entrepreneurs. From the stresses of being a startup founder I began to have pain in my chest that I became worried was heart trouble. My brain ends up on the roof, bouncing around and my concentration goes from 100 to 0. I’ve written about Attention Deficit Disorder a couple of times.

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Tips Startup Help Mobile 150

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2016

In my own experience as a startup advisor and mentor, I find that entrepreneurs who can’t attract and maintain a highly motivated team rarely even get off the ground. Thus if you want to change the world with your new business, you need to follow the example of startups like Zappos , which hires according to cultural fit first.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2016

It all starts with setting the right company strategy, including these elements: Inspirational statement of purpose and direction. It starts with understanding the drivers of customer excitement in advocating your solution, and ways to strengthen relationships. Competitive and leadership leverage.

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Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

I believe that the resourcefulness to turn constraints into competitive differentiators and new opportunities is a trait that separates the great entrepreneurs from the “wannabes.” Startups funded by large venture-capital investments rarely think about productivity. Marty Zwilling First published on Entrepreneur.com on 02/19/2016.

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Startup Resource Entrepreneur Outsource 57

socalTECH

JANUARY 14, 2016

For one�according to Los Angeles startup mPulse Mobile (www.mpulsemobile.com), you can help remind people about their appointments, and make sure they take their prescriptions�along with many other use cases. It's a highly competitive market. We're not bumping anybody out, and there's no competition sitting in that space today.

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Mobile Southern California Startup Marketing 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2016

In fact, investors recognize that founders usually learn more from mistakes than from success, so a well-explained startup failure can improve their odds of funding the next time around. As an active angel investor and startup advisor, I’ve seen many of the same stumbling blocks repeated all too many times.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 16, 2016

Whether you are talking to peers, competitors or investors, you as an active entrepreneur will be judged on your familiarity with today’s startup and funding jargon. This term is currently applied to recent startups who profess a current valuation which exceeds $1 billion. Could your startup be the next one? Sweat equity.

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Startup Software Review Equity Invest 57

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 11, 2016

Angel investors are still the lifeblood of early-stage startups, despite the surge of activity in crowdfunding and an increasing early interest from venture capitalists. If you are an inventor, for example, you need to line up the business side of your team before angels will be interested. Simplicity is preferred at this stage.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 6, 2016

But in my experience as a startup advisor, too many entrepreneurs get stuck there, and always find excuses for not really exploring mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, and alliance alternatives. The organic solution is to hire more people, spend more money, and ramp up your focus. That’s called organic growth , and everybody does it.

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