Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 18, 2020

As a long-time business executive and adviser to entrepreneurs, I see a definitive shift away from customer trust in traditional business messages, and the executives who deliver them. I summarize the key elements of the transformation as follows: Customers are seeking control in a run-away world. Take your first step today.

Customer 173

Customer Custom Social Media Technical Review 173

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2020

For the rest of us, we need a business plan, as well as a product plan. Some of you may be convinced that your product specification communicates the product message even better than a business plan, so why be redundant? Use non-fuzzy terms to quantify customer value. Provide specifics on the customer business model.

Product 169

Product Summary Startup Examples 169

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. How do you make your product go viral? What are the elements needed to focus upon in making the attempt to take a product viral? Intrigued by the thought, I recently made a list.

Sites 156

Sites Product Social Network Press 156

TechCrunch LA

SEPTEMBER 21, 2021

Los Angeles-based Just says it uses telematics “to reward safe drivers and reduce insurer bias” by looking at factors such as how, when and where customers drive, rather than factors such as ZIP code or marital status as most traditional insurers do. For its part, MetroMile charges customers a base rate plus a per mile rate.

Startup 203

Startup Customer Custom Los Angeles 203

socalTECH

JULY 2, 2020

Los Angeles-based, low-cost e-commerce products site Hollar is no more, and will be swallowed up by new owner Five Below , six months after the acquisition of Hollar by Five Below. Five Below--which runs a chain of "dollar store" style retail stores--acquired select assets of Hollar back in January of 2020.

Sites 203

Sites Commerce Los Angeles Email 203

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 24, 2020

Polestar has started production of its all-electric Polestar 2 vehicle at a plant in China amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has upended the automotive industry and triggered a wave of factory closures throughout the world. Most automakers have suspended production in Europe and North America.

Product 103

Product Google Startup Los Angeles 103

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2020

Many of the entrepreneurs I advise or invest with spend considerable time on the Internet, keeping up with technology, customers, and competitors, but very few feel the need for an early personal presence. In fact, some totally avoid it, assuming their product or solution will speak for itself later.

Product 127

Product Entrepreneur Technical Advisors Technical Review 127

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2020

Yet if that leaves you with no documented business plan or unclear strategy, most investors and even customers will walk away. Remember the concept of minimum viable product (MVP), which is designed to test viability and interest before you burn through too much of your energy and resources. The reality is often the opposite.

Product 123

Product Startup Tips Entrepreneur 123

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 14, 2019

Customers can already place an order for the Tesla Model Y, a mid-sized crossover SUV that won’t go into production until 2020. A disclaimer on the order form states that “production is expected to begin late next year.” To get the 7-seater configuration, customers have to pay an additional $3,000.

Startup 237

Startup Los Angeles Pricing Design 237

Tech.Co

DECEMBER 29, 2023

Bobbie One startup that's proved to have the formula for success this year is Bobbie – the first infant formula to be certified as organic by the USDA, and the fastest-growing product of its kind to enter the US market since the 1980s. Organic milk formula product Bobbie. million it generated in 2020. Gumroad homepage.

Startup 213

Startup Generative AI Newsletter Tool 213

Tech.Co

JUNE 22, 2021

For publishers, it offers a potentially lucrative revenue stream — especially if the publishers can manage to refer potential customers at scale on relatively big-ticket items. Consumer tech, for example, is a perfect fit for affiliate marketing with 60% of consumers buying electronics on Prime Day 2020.

Marketing 179

Marketing Buzzfeed Guide Platform 179

socalTECH

AUGUST 1, 2019

Glendale-based ServiceTitan has acquired CUC Software , a developer of business software products aimed at the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning industry, the company said this week. According to ServiceTitan, CUC Software's customers were largely based in Canada. Financial details of the buy were not announced.

Software 113

Software Glendale Customer Custom 113

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

Los Angeles-based cloud identity management software developer Saviynt says it saw record growth during the first half of 2020--despite the pandemic--saying it saw a 48 percent growth in recurring revenue. The company attributed the growth to "product innovation, competitive customer wins, and key partnership additions."

Competition 113

Competition Software Development Los Angeles Tool 113

TechCrunch LA

MAY 15, 2022

The new programs are a part of a range of new products Uber is launching across its ride-hail and delivery platforms, which are being announced on Monday at the company’s Global Product Event. Customers will be charged for deliveries with both Serve and Motional, including the cost of food, according to Uber.

West Hollywood 232

West Hollywood Los Angeles Santa Monica Customer 232

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 19, 2021

Locale, based in San Francisco, enables customers to order from dozens of businesses, including bakeries and restaurants, and get them delivered in one box for just a $5 delivery fee. When you move around a city, you often end up farther away from some of your favorite restaurants and bakeries.

Help 192

Help Startup Los Angeles Customer 192

SoCal Tech Calendar

JULY 30, 2020

Monday, August 3, 2020 -- Fixing the Top Fundraising Mistakes Startup Entrepreneurs Make. Join JJ Richa in a fireside chat with Scott Fox, CEO of the OC Startup Council, for a discussion of the top mistakes that early stage entrepreneurs make when pitching their startups for funding. See [link] (more)

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Slides Startup Venture Capital 100

TechCrunch LA

AUGUST 9, 2022

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but when it comes to getting ahold of an appointment for your hair or another treatment…that’s a different story: The bespoke nature of a lot of the work has meant that a large swathe of the professionals providing these services have stayed offline when it comes to interfacing with customers.

Help 195

Help Startup UCLA Tool 195

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 9, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has forced Energica to hit the brakes on production of its battery powered machines that can reach top speeds of 168 mph. general manager ( Stefano Benatti ) — filled more orders in the first two months of 2020 than all its sales for 2019, according to Cevolini. In the U.S., ” Image Credits: Energica.

Technical Review 277

Technical Review Competition Demand Sales 277

TechCrunch LA

FEBRUARY 11, 2020

” The PBV, which Hyundai showcased last month at CES 2020, is a pod-like vehicle that the company says can be used for various functions in transit, such as a restaurant or clinic. The platform will be used for future Hyundai and Kia electric vehicles as well as the automaker group’s so-called “purpose built vehicles.”

Startup 310

Startup Develop Development Platform 310

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2021

Every new business I know dreams of building momentum in their business, where growth continues to increase, customers become your best advocates, and employee motivation is high. Unfortunately, with limited resources, this isn’t possible, and it frustrates customers and the team. Focus first on finding more of the right customers.

Technical Review 160

Technical Review Technical Advisors Startup Mentor 160

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 29, 2020

In total, Google now offers its customers the option to host their applications in 23 regions globally; with the opening of this new region, it now has seven U.S. Earlier this year, Google also announced that it would open its regions in Jakarta, Seoul and Warsaw over the course of 2020. The Dalles, Ore.

Google 155

Google CIO Outsource Development Demand 155

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 24, 2020

According to studies , the alternative of acquiring new customers still costs you five to seven times more than retaining existing ones. But customers today are fickle, instantly aware of every new alternative, due to the Internet and social media, and not afraid to change. Appeal to all your customer senses all of the time.

Customer 136

Customer Custom Social Media Startup 136

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2020

As an angel investor, I see plenty of startups focusing on building an innovative product, but I’m looking for the few who are also leading with an exponential growth strategy, to put them in the category of the next Amazon or Google. Let your highly motivated customers be your best marketing advocates for new customers.

Marketing 170

Marketing Startup Examples Customer 170

TechCrunch LA

AUGUST 2, 2022

Among its fastest-growing challengers is Cider, which, like Shein, relies on China’s responsive clothing manufacturers to sell affordable, trend-led pieces to customers around the world. But keep in mind Cider was only founded in 2020 while Shein started out over a decade ago. Cider has racked up roughly 7.4

Startup 217

Startup Los Angeles Social Media Venture Capital 217

socalTECH

JANUARY 2, 2020

Two companies stand out: 17Hats, a leader in the freelance CRM space made painful but critical choices and now are very well poised for meaningful 2020 growth. Leaseville, the pioneer in the virtual lease-to-own (LTO) space demonstrated strong metrics on its new product this year and is now poised to scale significantly.

Capital 100

Capital SoCal Southern California SaaS 100

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 28, 2020

Corporate environments are looking for depth of technical skills and experience, while small businesses need everyone to be customer-centric , with a broad range of perspectives and experiences, in addition to the specific skill requested. Everyone has to take some risks, make a decision, or solve the customer problem.

Startup 164

Startup Customer Custom Competition 164

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2020

It’s clear things have changed for good and the need for managing remote communities of employees, customers and partners has become ever more important. In marketing materials founders often refer to their customer base as a “community”, but there’s a huge gap between having customers and creating a community.

Software 234

Software Startup Tool Platform 234

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 30, 2020

I suggest looking for painful problems to solve, rather than “easier to use” or “nice to have” solutions, for customers with money. Customers line up to believe and buy from people who are viewed as leaders or experts relative to a specific solution. Collaborate with customers to tune your solution.

Outsource Development 154

Outsource Development Social Media Software Review Customer 154

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 13, 2021

Yet even I have been known to recommend that approach, in cases where you have a highly innovative product, speed is of the essence, and no clear existing market is available. There is no substitute for talking to customers, analyzing your competition, and honing your solution to meet a target market segment.

Marketing 138

Marketing Demand IBM IBM 138

socalTECH

JUNE 22, 2018

According to the contract award, SpaceX will receive $130,000 to deliver the Air Force Space Command-52 satellite, including launch vehicle production and mission, as well as integration, launch operations and spaceflight worthiness activities.

SpaceX 100

SpaceX Hawthorne Pricing Activity 100

Tech.Co

MAY 31, 2022

Starting today, customers using the Stripe payments system to buy their items at a retailer will have Affirm's “Adaptive Checkout” feature available to them. For purchases between $50 and $30,000, any eligible customer will be able to split their costs over multiple payment installments on either biweekly or monthly schedules.

Services 122

Services Technical Review Startup News 122

socalTECH

DECEMBER 30, 2019

The Alliance is following the classic start-up trajectory: transition from the big idea to your beachhead product offering. Look for a number of important announcements from the Alliance on this front in 2020. What are you most looking forward to in the technology/startup world in 2020?

SoCal 140

SoCal Southern California Startup Venture Capital 140

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 11, 2020

“In a world where gaming studios have long used third-party engines to power their front-end development, it makes no sense for the same studios to spend millions of dollars to build their own custom back-end,” said Kevin Zhang, partner at Upfront Ventures and board member at Pragma, in a statement.

Riot Games 135

Riot Games Develop Development Company 135

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 7, 2020

Every entrepreneur and startup loves you, but too many forget that every potential customer is not like you. If you are a technical entrepreneur, you can count on early adopters to be first in line for your product, and they are quick to provide feedback on quality, and suggest even more features. Usability is often an afterthought.

Startup 141

Startup Customer Custom Design 141

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2020

Yet I find a big difference between “starting a new business” and “creating a new product.” In my experience, most successful entrepreneurs have indeed created a new product, but most people who claim to be inventors have a hard time starting a business. Ability to raise money, manage it, and think in financial terms.

Startup 124

Startup Entrepreneur Customer Custom 124

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2020

What I don’t see often are new solutions that force me to rethink how we work together, or really use AI to make the collaboration process more productive. But we all know that these are not solutions by themselves, but require integration into an innovative framework to solve real customer problems. Be forever curious and optimistic.

Startup 134

Startup Artificial Inteligence Ideas Entrepreneur 134

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 26, 2020

You see, inventing a business is about attracting money from investors and customers, rather than spending money on a challenging dream. Many inventors like to work alone, and are convinced that if their solution is amazing enough, investors and customers will come. Target a higher customer need and ability to pay.

Customer 136

Customer Custom Examples .Net 136