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. Investors want to hear about customers with money who have a painful problem that you can solve now. It’s really not that difficult.

Invest 108

Invest Startup Slides Equity 108

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2016

Getting investors to trust you with their money is always a challenge, and it’s even more difficult in the early stages, where you don’t have a significant revenue stream, a few customers, or maybe even a product yet. Here is my list of shortcomings that cause many investors to look elsewhere: No well-defined need or viable customer set.

Entrepreneur 57

Entrepreneur Invest Funding Patents 57

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2016

Assume you already know what your customers need and want. Just because you love a new solution doesn’t mean your customers will love it. Before spending any money, make sure you interact directly with potential customers, industry experts and investors. You need patents and trademarks as a barrier to entry.

Startup 59

Startup Training Entrepreneur Customer 59

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2016

If your new venture is still in the idea or development stages, don’t even think about a high valuation. If you don’t yet have a hundred investors knocking on your door, it’s time to put more focus on viral marketing, closing customers, and exponential growth. Marty Zwilling First published on Inc.com on 09/29/2016.

Company 100

Company Companies Startup Statistics 100

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 1, 2016

If you wait to incorporate the business until you have a product and customers, which normally has no taxable value until liquidity, it will be taxed at issuance at the current value. Patents issued to you before you incorporate the business will not be considered part of the business valuation by investors.

Company 61

Company Companies Startup Equity 61

socalTECH

AUGUST 4, 2015

Santa Barbara-based Ice Energy (www.ice-energy.com) has quietly been working away at developing energy storage systems to help smooth out the demand for energy on the nation's power grid. We have thirteen patents associated with the Ice bear. Our customer is not the building owner or tenant, it's the utility.

Southern California 100

Southern California Technical Review Demand Outsource Development 100