Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 18, 2014

Most technical entrepreneurs I know demand the discipline of a product specification or plan, and then assume that their great product will drive a great business. Is it any wonder why so few entrepreneurs ever find the professional investors they seek? Each of these activities should have associated costs and resource requirements.

Product 101

Product Entrepreneur Summary Activity 101

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 26, 2021

As a long-time advisor to entrepreneurs and occasional angel investor, I often see and hear innovative product pitches that sound exciting, but are missing one or more of the key business elements that investors deem critical for funding consideration. Patents are a good place for you to start. Outline your key activities to win.

Funding 132

Funding Template Resource Competition 132

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 14, 2020

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. For seed stage funding, entrepreneurs should be looking to friends and family, crowd funding, and relevant institutions.

Funding 123

Funding Startup Entrepreneur Invest 123

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 13, 2016

As I thought about the characteristics that comprise a great program, I identified five criteria that a prospective entrepreneurial student can use to evaluate the efficacy of a collegiate entrepreneur curriculum. Ask: What percentage of the startup-oriented classes are taught by accomplished entrepreneurs?

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Technical Review Class Patents 100

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 9, 2018

Every entrepreneur has an idea for transforming a market with innovative new technology, or transforming society with a new process. Entrepreneurs who have been really transformative, like Steve Jobs and Walt Disney, seemed to know how to deal with all the right elements. Seek innovation that begets invention. Failure is an option.

Guide 95

Guide Startup Ideas Entrepreneur 95

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 10, 2010

Patents held by startups generally have a limited ability to reduce competition. The average time required to obtain a patent is 36-to-40 months, during which there is no guarantee your adVenture will ultimately receive patent protection. Thus, if a startup team asks, “What is this patent worth to us?”,

IP 256

IP Patents Company Companies 256

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 5, 2016

Every entrepreneur has an idea for transforming a market with innovative new technology, or transforming society with a new process. Entrepreneurs who have been really transformative, like Steve Jobs and Walt Disney, seemed to know how to deal with all the right elements. Seek innovation that begets invention. Failure is an option.

Startup 103

Startup Ideas Entrepreneur Competition 103

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2016

As a startup investor in this age of the entrepreneur, I see many more startups, but innovation is still hard to find. The most common proposals I hear are for yet another social networking site ( over 200 active ), or another dating site (over 2500 in the US alone). An entrepreneur looking for a sure thing will never innovate.

Coach 64

Coach Metrics Competition Ideas 64

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 14, 2013

Every entrepreneur has an idea for transforming a market with innovative new technology, or transforming society with a new process. Entrepreneurs who have been really transformative, like Steve Jobs and Walt Disney, seemed to know how to deal with all the right elements. Seek innovation that begets invention. Failure is an option.

Startup 105

Startup Ideas Entrepreneur Competition 105

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 8, 2016

Most technical entrepreneurs I know demand the discipline of a product specification or plan, and then assume that their great product will drive a great business. Is it any wonder why so few entrepreneurs ever find the professional investors they seek? Each of these activities should have associated costs and resource requirements.

Product 55

Product Startup Summary Entrepreneur 55

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. In the interest of getting you off on the right foot, here is my priority list of recommended preparation activities. Simplicity is preferred at this stage.

Angel 65

Angel Startup Technical Review Social Media 65

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2012

If you are an entrepreneur starting a business for the first time, I recommend that you find a product concept that is already accepted and improve on it, rather than tackling that ultimate disruptive technology. Of course, the first one gets the patent. Evidence of success using this approach is all around us.

Patents 84

Patents Startup Statistics Course 84

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2018

Many customers now actively seek out new technologies, rather than wait for many others to try it first. Bold entrepreneurs now can credibly talk about entirely new markets, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), genetic modifications, and privatized space travel. New markets don’t have to be disruptive.

Marketing 92

Marketing Demand Examples Social Media 92

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 26, 2011

If you are an entrepreneur starting a business for the first time, I recommend that you find a product concept that is already accepted and improve on it, rather than tackling that ultimate disruptive technology. Of course, the first one gets the patent. Evidence of success using this approach is all around us.

Startup 91

Startup Patents Statistics Course 91

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 30, 2012

Every entrepreneur has an idea for transforming a market with innovative new technology, or transforming society with a new process. Entrepreneurs who have been really transformative, like Steve Jobs and Walt Disney, seemed to know how to deal with all the right elements. Seek innovation that begets invention. Failure is an option.

Entrepreneur 94

Entrepreneur Startup Ideas Competition 94

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2016

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. For seed stage funding, entrepreneurs should be looking to friends and family, crowd funding, and relevant institutions.

Entrepreneur 57

Entrepreneur Invest Funding Patents 57

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 24, 2012

Every new startup I know dreams of being funded early by one of the 318,000 active Angel investors in the USA alone. File a patent and trademarks to show real intellectual property. Every entrepreneur needs a professional business plan for their own use, whether they intend to seek investor funding or not.

Angel 104

Angel Screening Summary Startup 104

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2016

The good news is that everyone expects entrepreneurs to make mistakes, since founders explore uncharted territory. As an active angel investor and startup advisor, I’ve seen many of the same stumbling blocks repeated all too many times. Some entrepreneurs believe that being first to market will keep them ahead of competitors.

Startup 59

Startup Training Entrepreneur Customer 59

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 26, 2012

Many entrepreneurs stumble at this point, losing the deal or most of their ownership, by having no answer, saying “make me an offer,” or quoting an exorbitant number. The value of patents and trademarks is not certifiable, especially if you are only at the provisional stage. Early customers and contracts in progress add value.

Startup 108

Startup Invest Patents Outsource Development 108

socalTECH

MARCH 31, 2014

Bitvore is based in Irvine, and is backed by serial entrepreneur Yuri Pikover, as well as other angels. Whether that''s for competitive analysis or market analysis, our product is basically able to monitor--on a very large scale--things that are important to your particular company. It''s designed for business people.

Orange County 245

Orange County Startup News IBM 245

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 25, 2016

As an active angel investor, here are some key ones I have seen, with some guidance on how to improve your odds. On the other hand, if you are a new entrepreneur, a well-written and complete business plan demonstrates that you understand the issues and have a real plan for execution. Secret sauce' or competitive advantage is not clear.

Funding 57

Funding Social Media Startup Patents 57

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2017

I hear it all the time as an angel investor, but I also see that same naïve or cavalier attitude come back to haunt entrepreneurs once they really get out in the marketplace. A strong work ethic is great, but patents and intellectual property are critical. You need quantified value for customers to see, feel, and pay for.

Metrics 58

Metrics Resource Startup Training 58

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

File a patent and trademarks to show real intellectual property. Having a defensible competitive advantage or “barrier to entry” is another critical step to funding, and another common stumbling block during all phases of the funding process. Reserve the company name on social networks to protect it. Define some intellectual property.

Invest 99

Invest Angel Technical Review Summary 99

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

Many entrepreneurs stumble at this point, losing the deal or most of their ownership, by having no answer, saying “make me an offer,” or quoting an exorbitant number. The value of patents and trademarks is not certifiable, especially if you are only at the provisional stage. Early customers and contracts in progress add value.

Funding 98

Funding Startup Patents Outsource Development 98

SoCal CTO

JUNE 9, 2010

Why Lawyers Don’t Run Startups - Steve Blank , May 27, 2010 Startups need to have a great lawyer, accountant, patent attorney, etc. Why Entrepreneurs Hate Lawyers. prefer instead to divide it according to the mindset of users: whether or not they are actively looking to purchase something (i.e. It's a great talk.

Startup 248

Startup Venture Capital Conference Social Media 248

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 19, 2018

He saw that the industry was being disrupted globally, and actually started with the idea of building a new company that could be scalable, and flexible, and offer delivery of that content at competitive pricing. 3 very active, 3 have been deployed. Who are your core customers? Kanaan Jemili:We have about six areas we focus on.

Content 113

Content Startup Mobile Platform 113

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

File a patent and trademarks to show real intellectual property. Having a defensible competitive advantage or “barrier to entry” is another critical step to funding, and another common stumbling block during all phases of the funding process. Tags: entrepreneur startup funding angel investors. Define some intellectual property.

Angel 89

Angel Funding Technical Review Startup 89

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2010

Many entrepreneurs stumble at this point, losing the deal or most of their ownership, by having no answer, playing coy, or quoting an exorbitant number. The value of patents and trademarks is not certifiable, especially if you are only at the provisional stage. Tags: valuation entrepreneur startup business. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 93

Startup Patents Outsource Development Web 93

socalTECH

AUGUST 18, 2009

We've got active polymers, an N-type and P-type polymer, which, when mixed together, absorbs sunlight and turns it into electricity. About a year later, we recognized that it was very important to also have the patent, and Dina joined us. That makes solar panels as a product not competitive at all, if you removed government subsidies.

UCLA 159

UCLA Technical Review El Monte Startup 159

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 25, 2010

Here are a few of the reasons, from a business perspective: Direct competition is huge. It’s hard to invent and patent more “scientific” methods on how to match people. Online dating is an extension of existing online social activities – just like real life. Tags: online dating entrepreneurs failure business.

Sites 49

Sites Social Network Statistics Patents 49

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 9, 2009

One thing I like to look for is some barrier to entry, whether that is technology, or partners, or great entrepreneurs who understand the space. What we are looking for, first and foremost, is the right entrepreneur. We often hear from entrepreneurs who say--I'll hire a great team, as soon as I get funded.

Tech Coast Angels 100

Tech Coast Angels Ideas Entrepreneur Invest 100

Frank Addante

OCTOBER 19, 2006

► August (1) Invest in Transparency & Active Communication ► July (1) The Fear of Success ► May (2) Optimized for Speed = 30% Waste Happy 1st Birthday Rubicon Project! They are afraid of their competition finding out about the idea, a bigger company trying to steal it or some other entrepreneur doing it first.

Startup 40

Startup Ideas Venture Capital Competition 40

Frank Addante

MAY 15, 2006

► August (1) Invest in Transparency & Active Communication ► July (1) The Fear of Success ► May (2) Optimized for Speed = 30% Waste Happy 1st Birthday Rubicon Project! Patent Lawsuit 6. We didn’t hire resumes and experience, we hired smart, good people who wanted to be entrepreneurs. Bootstrap 2.

Advertising 40

Advertising Startup Chief Technology Officer Technical Review 40

Frank Addante

JUNE 4, 2006

► August (1) Invest in Transparency & Active Communication ► July (1) The Fear of Success ► May (2) Optimized for Speed = 30% Waste Happy 1st Birthday Rubicon Project! of the product, file patents, hire a small sales team and launch a marketing program to take StrongMail to market. ► October (1) New Video!

Startup 40

Startup Venture Capital Email CTO Hire 40