Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 16, 2020

As an angel investor and a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I’m always disappointed to see founders who seem stressed out most of the time, and more annoyed than energized by the abundance of challenges they see in building their startup. Investors and strategic partners look for entrepreneurs who can execute.

Startup 171

Startup Entrepreneur Activity Ideas 171

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2023

As an angel investor and a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I’m always disappointed to see founders who seem stressed out most of the time, and more annoyed than energized by the abundance of challenges they see in building their startup. Investors and strategic partners look for entrepreneurs who can execute.

Entrepreneur 70

Entrepreneur Startup Activity Ideas 70

socalTECH

DECEMBER 27, 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. The continued growth of startup communities in Los Angeles. I am excited for the big moves being made in Los Angeles.

Startup 196

Startup Thousand Oaks Mentor Ventura 196

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 28, 2020

In my view, starting a new business has never been easier, and according to reports from the Kauffman Foundation , the numbers are here to show it. The rate of new entrepreneurs increased between 2013 and 2019, from 280 out of 100,000 to 310 out of 100,000 of the adult population. Establishing your brand with interactive social media.

Tips 161

Tips Startup Social Media News 161

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2020

In my role as a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I find that most have the technical challenges well understood, but many are a bit short on some basic street smarts , or basic business realities. Thus I often recommend that before you kick off your own business, you join another startup or existing business to see how things really work.

Entrepreneur 173

Entrepreneur Patents Startup Technical Review 173

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 15, 2023

As an advisor to entrepreneurs and active angel investor, I often get questions about the realism of the Shark Tank TV series, compared to professional investor negotiations. Yet the process is eerily realistic, and every entrepreneur can glean some important lessons. There is no substitute for knowing your business.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Sample Ideas Customer 111

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 11, 2022

After many years of working with angel investors seriously trying to find new ventures worthy of their hard-earned money, I find their frustration often exceeds that of entrepreneurs sincerely looking for financial help. Smart entrepreneurs pre-disclose any possible due diligence issues, with full and open explanations and no excuses.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Invest Funding Patents 108

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 12, 2012

Sunday, November 18, 2012 -- Startup Weekend Los Angeles. Ever wondered what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Startup Weekend is a global grassroots movement of active and empowered entrepreneurs who are learning the basics of founding startups and launching successful ventures. See [link].

Los Angeles 124

Los Angeles Angel Startup Activity 124

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

Saturday, November 17, 2012 -- Startup Weekend Los Angeles. Ever wondered what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Startup Weekend is a global grassroots movement of active and empowered entrepreneurs who are learning the basics of founding startups and launching successful ventures. See [link].

Los Angeles 124

Los Angeles Angel Startup Activity 124

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 10, 2012

Friday, November 16, 2012 -- Startup Weekend Los Angeles. Ever wondered what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Startup Weekend is a global grassroots movement of active and empowered entrepreneurs who are learning the basics of founding startups and launching successful ventures. See [link].

Los Angeles 124

Los Angeles Angel Startup Activity 124

socalTECH

JULY 23, 2012

There's been a surge in startup accelerator activity in Los Angeles in the last year, as interest in starting a company in the region has grown, and a wide range of experienced entrepreneurs and investors have pitched in to help companies get to the next level.

Los Angeles 234

Los Angeles Angel Report Startup 234

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2021

Most entrepreneurs have found by now one or more of the many popular crowdfunding sites , and have the name and contact information for at least one of the big venture capital firms. But many have no insight or connections to the ethereal angel investment community, which In the U.S. Angels prefer strong teams to big ideas.

Angel 126

Angel Funding Venture Capital Seed Funding 126

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2015

Entrepreneurs who require funding for their startup have long counted on self-accredited high net worth individuals (“angels”) to fill their needs, after friends and family, and before they qualify for institutional investments (“VCs”). Rose, according to his recent book, “ Angel Investing.” Neither does David S.

Startup 106

Startup Angel .Net Entrepreneur 106

socalTECH

MARCH 8, 2011

A new study released by the Kauffman Foundation this week shows that the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) has the highest number of entrepreneurs per 100,000 people, of the top fifteen largest MSAs. The report covers all business entrepreneurs, not just those in the high tech industry.

Entrepreneur 246

Entrepreneur Report Long Beach Statistics 246

socalTECH

MARCH 21, 2014

In a world with a rash of startup incubators and accelerators, super angels, crowdfunding sites, and more, what''s the relevance of organized angel investments groups? First off, for those not familiar with the Pasadena Angels, talk about the group? He started the group because he wanted to help companies succeed.

Pasadena Angels 162

Pasadena Angels Pasadena Angel Startup 162

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 16, 2017

Entrepreneurs who require funding for their startup have long counted on self-accredited high net worth individuals (“angels”) to fill their needs, after friends and family, and before they qualify for institutional investments (“VCs”). Rose, according to his latest book, “ Angel Investing.” Neither does David S.

Startup 76

Startup Angel Funding .Net 76

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2022

In the old days, every entrepreneur planned on taking their startup public, and making it big. Today the rate of startups going public (IPO – Initial Public Offering) is finally up from the dead zone of the last two decades, and is now double the rate back in 1999. Startup founders don’t fit in a public company.

Startup 98

Startup Report IBM IBM 98

socalTECH

JULY 30, 2018

Galvanize, which is based out of denver but has locations in Austin, Boulder, Denver, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Seattle, said the acquisition and funding will add Los Angeles to its "innovation hubs" technology students, alumni, entrepreneurs, startups and established companies.

Los Angeles 100

Los Angeles Angel Software Engineering Activity 100

socalTECH

APRIL 8, 2013

A few weeks ago, the University of Southern California announced a new startup incubator, the Viterbi Startup Garage ([link] backed by such notable investors as Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and the United Talent Agency. What''s the mission behind the new startup incubator? How did the incubator come about?

Incubator 233

Incubator USC Startup Artificial Inteligence 233

socalTECH

AUGUST 23, 2017

LA's technology startup industry has saw a surge in new companies and efforts from its serial entrepreneurs in the last few months. Here's a quick look at just a few of the new companies who are led by serial entrepreneurs from the LA ecosystem. Entering Startup image courtesy Mike @ flickr. Ground Control. AppOnboard.

Entrepreneur 113

Entrepreneur Company Companies Technical Review 113

socalTECH

AUGUST 24, 2012

A list of the top ten cities for startups was released by USA Today and the National Venture Capital Association today, naming both Los Angeles and San Diego among the best cities for startup companies. READ MORE>>.

San Diego 188

San Diego Los Angeles Break.com CitySearch 188

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 4, 2021

An entrepreneur lifestyle that continues to gain in popularity these days is being a “social entrepreneur.” Whether the objective is to generate profits or social capital, the common element for all entrepreneurs is the recognition that there is a problem which needs solving, or there is an opportunity to improve the status quo.

Entrepreneur 138

Entrepreneur Funding Invest Activity 138

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 4, 2019

It really is possible for an introvert to succeed as an entrepreneur, even though you can’t expect to start and build a business alone. Every entrepreneur, especially an introvert, can benefit from the perspective of another business person, ideally one who has prior experience in the domain you are about to enter.

Entrepreneur 104

Entrepreneur Mentor Activity Startup 104

socalTECH

JULY 30, 2019

Startup accelerator operator Techstars --which has a big presence in Los Angeles--has raised a big, $42M funding round, led by SVB Financial Group (the holding company of Silicon Valley Bank), and which also included Foundry Group and its other existing investors.

Startup 113

Startup SoCalTech Los Angeles Class 113

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 28, 2014

Local angel investment group Maverick Angels is merging its membership base into the much larger Tech Coast Angels , according to members of the groups. In recent years, the Maverick Angels had mostly been focused on running coaching programs and seminars for entrepreneurs. READ MORE>>.

Tech Coast Angels 173

Tech Coast Angels Angel Press Coach 173

SoCal Tech Calendar

APRIL 23, 2018

Sunday, April 29, 2018 -- Tech Coast Angels: EXTREME Coaching. Perfect your 60-second pitch with valuable coaching from Tech Coast Angels investors and startup experts. Incredible networking and exposure to media and active investors of Orange County.

Tech Coast Angels 100

Tech Coast Angels Coach Orange County Angel 100

SoCal Tech Calendar

APRIL 23, 2018

Saturday, April 28, 2018 -- Tech Coast Angels: EXTREME Coaching. Perfect your 60-second pitch with valuable coaching from Tech Coast Angels investors and startup experts. Incredible networking and exposure to media and active investors of Orange County.

Tech Coast Angels 100

Tech Coast Angels Coach Orange County Angel 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 28, 2021

Entrepreneurs who require funding for their startup have long counted on self-accredited high net worth individuals (“angels”) to fill their needs, after friends and family, and before they qualify for institutional investments (“VCs”). Rose, according to his classic book, “ Angel Investing.” Neither does David S.

Funding 144

Funding Startup .Net Invest 144

socalTECH

JULY 16, 2014

For the last few years, startup accelerator MuckerLab has been helping very early stage companies define and grow their businesses, using the accelerator model and small investments to get companies to the next stage. What we''ve done now is ramp up the size of our seed investments, and started to do more of them.

Startup 206

Startup Capital Incubator Invest 206

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2020

I always tell entrepreneurs that two heads are better than one, so the first task in many startups is finding a co-founder or two. The default answer, to keep peace in the family, is to split everything equally, but that’s a terrible answer, since now no one is in control, and startups need a clear leader.

Startup 174

Startup Equity Patents CTO Hire 174

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 6, 2023

For the elite startups and entrepreneurs who manage to attract the investor they dream of, and survive the term sheet negotiation, there is still one more hurdle before the money is in the bank. Make sure everyone accurately posts their role with your startup on social media profiles, resumes, and references.

Technical Review 118

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Invest 118

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 19, 2009

This is part of my new series on what makes an entrepreneur successful. I originally posted it on VentureHacks , one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs. I started the series talking about what I consider the most important attribute of an entrepreneur : Tenacity. Many entrepreneurs struggle with their setbacks.

Entrepreneur 288

Entrepreneur Startup Slides Seed Funding 288

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 21, 2009

This is part of my new series on what makes an entrepreneur successful. I originally posted it on VentureHacks , one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs. I started the series talking about what I consider the most important attribute of an entrepreneur : Tenacity. We get the same criticism in Los Angeles.

Entrepreneur 290

Entrepreneur Startup Venture Capital Ideas 290

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2020

If you want to make a great first impression on a startup investor or an advisor like me, don’t try to convince me or show me how busy you are. For some reason, too many aspiring entrepreneurs I know seem to focus on “actions” rather than “results.” As an entrepreneur starting a new business, you have a lot to learn.

Product 123

Product Startup Tips Entrepreneur 123

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 8, 2014

” It’s the most common refrain I hear from investors and even entrepreneurs these days. Let me start with the obvious baseline that most people probably know instinctively: Los Angeles is the 3rd largest technology startup ecosystem in the US. “There’s something going on in LA.”

Entrepreneur 376

Entrepreneur Snapchat Startup Google 376

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 16, 2015

Most entrepreneurs have found by now one or more of the many popular crowdfunding sites , and have the name and contact information for at least one of the big venture capital firms. Here are eight key insights that will help you find a productive match: Angels want equity ownership, not causes. Angels prefer strong teams to big ideas.

Angel 106

Angel Startup Venture Capital Seed Funding 106

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 1, 2018

Hamet Watt , a Partner at Upfront Ventures, and the co-founder of bLife, MoviePass, and NextMedium, is reportingly launching a new startup studio in Los Angeles. Details on the new startup studio--which came to light at Upfront's annual conference, the Upfront Summit--have yet to be formally announced. READ MORE>>.

Southern California 113

Southern California Startup Conference Los Angeles 113