socalTECH

DECEMBER 30, 2019

Every year, at the end of the year, we share some reflections on the past year from our readers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, sponsors, and others in the local technology community. Look for a number of important announcements from the Alliance on this front in 2020. We see a growing sense of regional collaboration.

SoCal 140

SoCal Southern California Startup Venture Capital 140

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 8, 2013

Partially due to the economy, but also due to longer, healthier lives and changes in job tenure, 60% of working Boomers are now expected to stay in the labor force, with real power and influence, for at least seven more years, to 2020. One new incentive is the falling transaction costs and barriers to entry for entrepreneurs of every age.

Entrepreneur 118

Entrepreneur Technical Review Startup Technical Support 118

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2020

For some reason, too many aspiring entrepreneurs I know seem to focus on “actions” rather than “results.” These are not the entrepreneurs that I want to support, since I’m well aware that running a startup is far more complex, albeit more satisfying, than most conventional roles in established enterprises.

Product 123

Product Startup Tips Entrepreneur 123

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2020

I’m sure you have all seen entrepreneurs and startups with great ideas that never seem to live up to their potential, while others with more mundane solutions seem to take off quickly and never slow down. Too many entrepreneurs I have known started their business without any strategy or plan to make it grow.

Startup 123

Startup Outsource Development Entrepreneur Outsource 123

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2020

As a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I often feel the frustration of someone trying to build a startup in the wrong place and time, and wrongly attributing their struggle to personal limitations. Of course, ultimately you must appeal to real customers to survive. Marty Zwilling First published on Inc.com on 08/07/2020.

Resource 131

Resource Startup Capital Mentor 131

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 24, 2020

As a frequent advisor to new entrepreneurs and startups, I often hear your frustration with being treated differently from other startups by investors, on expectations for valuation , traction, and market size. Of course, getting money doesn’t assure success. Marty Zwilling First published on Inc.com on 06/10/2020.

Marketing 174

Marketing Startup Artificial Inteligence Technical Review 174

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 6, 2020

It seems that most of you entrepreneurs I meet in my role as business advisor are convinced that starting a new business requires equity investors, exponential growth, and a plan to go public via IPO. If your passion is customers, you definitely will be happier as a lifestyle entrepreneur.

Statistics 124

Statistics Equity Satisfaction Entrepreneur 124

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

In my own business career, many years as a business advisor, and mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I have validated the following strategies to practice and guide you. Of course, this all has to start with you having the confidence and conviction that there is at least one solution to every problem, and that you can find it.

Satisfaction 152

Satisfaction Mentor Study Startup 152

TechCrunch LA

JUNE 3, 2022

After all, Glossier’s founder and CEO Emily Weiss is very, very far from the first entrepreneur to profit off of our desire to look good. She stepped down from that company in 2020. Despite the prevalence of the “girlboss” in pop culture, the reality on the ground for women entrepreneurs has played out much differently.

Startup 280

Startup Netflix Los Angeles Innocal 280

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2020

Of course, as you work with contract players, explore the potential for a long-term relationship, and wait until your organization matures to pursue career positions. Many entrepreneurs still believe they need a traditional multi-level organization to handle growth and scaling, so they start hiring career managers to populate it.

Competition 168

Competition Startup Demand Training 168

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 26, 2020

Unfortunately, many inventors I know are stuck at this stage, being great technologists, but not so great as entrepreneurs. I urge every inventor and entrepreneur to adopt the minimum viable product (MVP) strategy. Marty Zwilling First published on Inc.com on 08/12/2020. It also increases your marketing and support costs.

Customer 136

Customer Custom Examples .Net 136

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2021

I often think of the scope of this example in my role as mentor to a struggling entrepreneur who is quick to blame his problems on employee mistakes, or even changing customer expectations. Of course, talking and giving orders is no substitute for doing. Marty Zwilling First published on Inc.com on 12/15/2020.

Training 173

Training Examples Startup Social Media 173

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 6, 2020

If you want to join the ranks of entrepreneurs and businesses who have a reputation for being ahead of the pack, for being an initiator rather than a follower, such as Apple and Nike , here are five key strategies and skills to develop that I recommend and practice: Develop a mindset of constant change required to thrive.

Startup 124

Startup Customer Custom Statistics 124

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2020

Many entrepreneurs I have mentored make big mistakes in this area, by hiring low-cost friends and family, with minimal skills or training, and expecting them to have the same work ethic , passion, and business knowledge as the founder. Marty Zwilling First published on Inc.com on 02/07/2020.

Outsource 123

Outsource Startup Technical Review Training 123

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 4, 2020

As an entrepreneur, I understand your passion when pitching your solution to investors and customers, but passion alone won’t make one more technology pitch stand out above all the rest. Of course, it is possible to overuse stories to the point of undermining your credibility or wasting people’s time.

Startup 145

Startup Competition Customer Custom 145

Berkonomics

APRIL 8, 2021

From its start in 2015, the number of registered users has “suddenly” climbed from 45 million in 2017 to a reported 300 million by the end of 2020. It was as much in reaction to my getting blank stares from entrepreneurs when I asked the above question as it was for me to better understand the problem itself. Here is my list.

Sites 156

Sites Product Social Network Press 156

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2020

Elon Musk and Tesla made their battery patents available to anyone, to clear the path for market infrastructure growth and compatibility, which of course benefits Tesla. This one has been around for a long time, but I still see too many entrepreneurs trying to climb the mountain alone.

Marketing 170

Marketing Startup Examples Customer 170

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 13, 2020

For example, every investor I know can tell you about meeting a passionate entrepreneur who is pitching a great technology innovation, but has not done the financial homework on making it a good business. Thus the investor can’t visualize any return on investment (ROI), so the entrepreneur gets no money, and a good opportunity is lost to all.

Ideas 123

Ideas Statistics Invest Marketing 123

TechCrunch LA

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

She created and launched an overall brand and a swim collection , then came the book deal ( “This is Not a Fashion Story: Taking Chances, Breaking Rules, and Being a Boss in the Big City” is expected out May 2020). Naturally, the next step in Bernstein’s evolution from blogger to businesswoman was a technology startup.

Platform 170

Platform Marketing Tool Venture Capital 170

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2020

Of course, if a board is set up just to appease investors, or just for window dressing, the value may indeed be minimal or even negative. Be one of those highest performing entrepreneurs who know how to build the right board teams and relationships, as well as run and grow their company.

Startup 134

Startup Course Equity Organization 134

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 21, 2020

Of course I believe the market has slowed down massively. I spoke about that more in this deck that I wrote for the SaaStr conference in early March 2020. We of course need to understand markets and market dynamics but many people understand this from an analytical perspective. It’s hard being a VC right now. Yes, critical.

Venture Capital 263

Venture Capital Marketing Startup Writing 263

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2020

As a mentor to entrepreneurs over the years, I see many of you who don’t communicate enough, others who seem to do all the talking, and some that are hesitant to be direct and open. Examples of inquiry include asking questions to seeking the wisdom of the room, while advocacy means stating your view or urging a course of action.

Startup 124

Startup Ideas Examples Metrics 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2020

As an aspiring entrepreneur, one of the most important things you need is a memorable “ elevator pitch ,” to communicate your startup value proposition and leave a great first impression on friends, investors, employees, and future customers. Marty Zwilling First published on Inc.com on 01/13/2020.

Sample 127

Sample Summary Startup Slides 127

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 6, 2020

In my work with you as an entrepreneur or small business owner, I find that most understand the need try out new business models and product innovations, but trust their intuition rather than running a disciplined business experiment first. Marty Zwilling First published on Inc.com on 02/20/2020.

Sample 124

Sample Customer Custom Tool 124

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2012

Partially due to the economy, but also due to longer, healthier lives and changes in job tenure, 62% of working Boomers are now expected to stay in the labor force, with real power and influence, for at least nine more years, to 2020. One new incentive is the falling transaction costs and barriers to entry for entrepreneurs of every age.

Startup 112

Startup Technical Review Technical Support Study 112

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2011

Partially due to the economy, but also due to longer, healthier lives and changes in job tenure, 62% of working Boomers are now expected to stay in the labor force, with real power and influence, for at least nine more years, to 2020. One new incentive is the falling transaction costs and barriers to entry for entrepreneurs of every age.

Technical Review 94

Technical Review Technical Support Study Activity 94

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 31, 2021

over the course of 2020 (and their combined estimated price tag of nearly $100 billion), it’s not surprising that the Biden plan begins with a focus on resiliency. This increased competition is good for hardware vendors and ultimately could create new businesses for entrepreneurs who want to become ISPs of their own.

Startup 229

Startup Technical Review Invest Research 229

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2015

Fred has of course been a public mentor to us all with his market-defining terminology that he popularized including “freemium” and “mobile first.” My initial blogging inspiration was actually Brad Feld because as an entrepreneur I always wanted to work with Brad after reading his advice on term sheets and the like.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Startup Writing Blogging 150

Tech Zulu Event

DECEMBER 2, 2013

Splunk Fastpitch – Auto tech Entrepreneur pitch hour. How Entrepreneurs Will Change the Automotive Industry. We’d believe offering consumers as many options as possible is a benefit of course, but it’s worthy to consider just how far this gets us towards the reality of the connected car. Audi Press Conference.

Mobile 94

Mobile Google Startup Technology 94