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. The most investable ventures stem from painful needs by customers who have money to spend.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Invest Funding Patents 108

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2010

While many of my friends bragged about their 5 condos in Florida I kept talking about how the real estate market was in a bubble – their gains an illusion. above inflation yet in many markets in the US & Europe prices were rising at 10-25% per year. Logic tells me the following: It is hard to make money angel investing.

Invest 299

Invest Angel Technical Review Venture Capital 299

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

I believe the rise in angel investing is here to stay and the professionalization of this class (aka “super angels&# or “micro VC&# ) is a good thing for the VC industry and for entrepreneurs. It got me thinking about how in poker and in investing there are usually a few pro’s at the table and many suckers.

Invest 306

Invest Angel Venture Capital Slides 306

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

I started in 2007 with a thesis that my primary investment decision would be about the team (70%) and only afterward about the market opportunity (30%). Angels have been prolific for years now and they, too, rely on downstream money to cover their bets. So that means 2-3 good investments a year and we are doing well.

Venture Capital 374

Venture Capital Invest Press Startup 374

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 19, 2010

article in a series on what it takes to be a great angel investor (and why this should matter to entrepreneurs). For most entrepreneurs it will be the first time and also will have such a profound impact on their future financial situation that it’s hard to objectively handle the exit process in the way a seasoned pro can.

Invest 280

Invest Angel Venture Capital Yahoo 280

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 16, 2010

This is the fourth article in a series on what it takes to be a great angel investor (and why this should matter to entrepreneurs). Markets like these are very kind to angel investors because you get taken out early and see a nice pop on your investment. Total disruption on the funding market? I doubt it.

Invest 283

Invest Angel Startup Marketing 283

socalTECH

OCTOBER 20, 2017

Los Angeles and San Diego are among the metro areas with the highest startup activity, based on a new report from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The index uses the rate of new entrepreneurs in the economy, "opportunity share" for new entrepreneurs, and startup density to rank companies in different metro areas for its rankings.

San Diego 113

San Diego Los Angeles Report Angel 113

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 23, 2019

Raising capital for a female-led startup can be very diffiult--which is what Justine Lassoff and Melinda Moore found out when they started their own company, LovingEco, in Los Angeles. Back then, there really weren't many networking events or groups for high power women in Los Angeles, so we really filled a need.

Help 224

Help Entrepreneur Capital Startup 224

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 20, 2020

As I was watching the investor show, Shark Tank , on TV the other night, I was struck by how quickly and how extensively the sharks focused on the background and character of the entrepreneurs, compared to time spent evaluating their products. Today’s world of business is highly driven by social issues and environmental concerns.

Entrepreneur 168

Entrepreneur Mentor Metrics Customer 168

TechCrunch LA

AUGUST 12, 2022

providing freshly packaged salads, heat-and-eat prepared meals and vegan overnight oats, raised $7 million in funding as it goes after the $34 billion fresh prepared foods market. At the time, Positive Food had its meals in 70 coffee shops around Los Angeles. Positive Food Co., Then the COVID pandemic hit.

Invest 175

Invest Los Angeles Startup Funding 175

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 12, 2021

Sometimes entrepreneurs are so focused on making change happen for customers that they forget that continually changing themselves and their company is equally important. Negative advice on an unknown is easy and safe to give, so every entrepreneur hears it over and over. In his classic book “ Invent, Reinvent, Thrive ,” Lloyd E.

Entrepreneur 167

Entrepreneur Technical Review Mentor Customer 167

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. In addition to locking in his leadership position in electric vehicles, he has also used his patents to negotiate faster growth in his market.

Entrepreneur 173

Entrepreneur Patents Startup Technical Review 173

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

This is the third article in a series on what it takes to be a great angel investor (and why this should matter to entrepreneurs). I’d rather be Roger Ehrenberg with a thesis around data-centric companies and base my investment decisions on my background. Either scenario requires angel deals to be funded further.

Invest 152

Invest Angel Venture Capital Startup 152

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

With the enormous changes to our economies and financial markets?—?how how on Earth could the venture capital market stand still? One of the most common questions I’m asked by people intrigued by but also scared by venture capital and technology markets is some variant of, “Aren’t technology markets way overvalued?

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

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. On the other hand, if the market is super-hot, many will be willing to jump in to make your case.

Marketing 174

Marketing Startup Artificial Inteligence Technical Review 174

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 22, 2021

Most entrepreneurs have learned that it’s almost always quicker and easier to get cash from someone you know, rather than angel investors or professional investors (VCs). In fact, most investors “require” that you already have some investment from friends and family before they will even step up to the plate. Don’t be one.

Invest 135

Invest Technical Review Startup Ideas 135

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 12, 2013

Venture and angel investing has long been considered a man''s world--with domination of the industry, executives, financiers, and others by men, with only a few exceptions. Eva Helene Yazhari: It''s a program for budding angel investors, and female angel investors. How does that investment process work?

Angel 276

Angel Invest Mentor Technical Review 276

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 29, 2014

This week I wrote about obsessive and competitive founders and how this forms the basis of what I look for when I invest. I had been thinking a lot about this recently because I’m often asked the question of “what I look for in an entrepreneur when I want to invest?” I had invested in myself for years.

Startup 409

Startup Invest Venture Capital Writing 409

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

Serious entrepreneurs know that, but too many “wannabes” still fall for that elusive get-rich-quick scheme with no risk. As an active angel investor, I still hear entrepreneurs asserting large opportunities with minimal risk and no competition. My conclusion either way is that they have no market, or haven’t looked.

Entrepreneur 107

Entrepreneur Marketing Customer Custom 107

socalTECH

JANUARY 29, 2020

This week, Los Angeles-based Crosscut Ventures announced a brand new effort to provide health and wellness to the founders of companies it invests in, helping those founders with well being, mental health, stress management, coaching, and leadership development. Tell us about this new program?

Invest 113

Invest Framework Coach Startup 113

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 27, 2021

The Alliance said it has launched its new SoCal Venture Pipeline program, to help bridge a key funding gap for Southern California entrepreneurs, by connecting them to relevant venture capital firms. The new program is being run in partnership with Silicon Valley Bank.

Southern California 197

Southern California SoCal Funding Startup 197

Berkonomics

APRIL 20, 2023

We have years of real data to call upon: data that impacts both investors and entrepreneurs. Fortune Magazine and Harvard studies Attempting to get to the number of real failures for all startups, not just those with angel group investments, Fortune Magazine published an article claiming that 90% of these startups do fail.

Statistics 156

Statistics Startup Study Invest 156

socalTECH

DECEMBER 31, 2018

Editor's note: As we head into the new year, we've been featuring reflections on 2018 from notable investors, entrepreneurs, and others from Southern California's technology community. Here's Alon Goren , founder of 805 Startups and the Crypto Invest Summit. We're proud to hold it twice a year in Los Angeles.

Invest 154

Invest Southern California Startup Incubator 154

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 8, 2014

If you want the full SlideShare deck with many slides not in either post it’s in this link –> The LA Tech Market. ” It’s the most common refrain I hear from investors and even entrepreneurs these days. Has it begun to mature or is it just better marketed than in was say 5 years ago? LA By The Numbers.

Entrepreneur 376

Entrepreneur Snapchat Startup Google 376

socalTECH

OCTOBER 9, 2019

There's a new opportunity in clean technology investments, according to venture capitalist Aaron Fyke , the head of a new, Pasadena-based venture capital investment fund, Thin Line Capital (www.thinlinecapital.com). Aaron Fyke: I believe we're in a second wave of clean tech investing. Talk about the new firm and the new fund?

Invest 113

Invest Capital Venture Capital Idealab 113

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2014

As a startup mentor, I’m always amazed that some entrepreneurs seem to be an immediate hit with investors, while others struggle to get any attention at all. Finally I realized that Venture Capital and Angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary. Exudes integrity, humility, and stability.

Entrepreneur 107

Entrepreneur Angel Social Media Patents 107

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? What does that mean to entrepreneurs? It''s more than money.

Pasadena Angels 162

Pasadena Angels Pasadena Angel Startup 162

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2020

As an angel investor in startups, I’m a believer that smart investors invest more in you as the entrepreneur than the next billion dollar solution you are pitching. Certainly, investors want to see a financially attractive opportunity and return projection, but also want entrepreneurs who can take it to the next level.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Startup Examples Metrics 124

Berkonomics

MAY 11, 2023

Checking with professional investors from angels to VC’s, the answer appears to be near unanimous: the quality of the proposed or actual management team comes in a strong first before the attractiveness of the business plan itself. None of this is to say that an inexperienced entrepreneur cannot lead a great new business.

Statistics 156

Statistics Startup Ideas Entrepreneur 156

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 14, 2011

In your opinion, are your angels more or less active this year? The debt market has pretty much shut down for people, though there is some money coming out of the SBAs that have been somewhat helpful. And, the equity markets are certainly a more challenging environment. Mike Napoli: Actually, we are seeing entrepreneurs.

Tech Coast Angels 231

Tech Coast Angels Technical Review Angel Southern California 231

Berkonomics

MARCH 25, 2012

For those of us who’ve invested in early stage companies, especially technology startups, we have confronted a universal problem. There are many ways to project the value of a company for purposes of pricing an investment, but all rely upon the revenue and profit projections of the entrepreneur as a starting point.

Invest 321

Invest Startup Email Competition 321

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 2, 2022

Serious entrepreneurs know that, but too many “wannabes” still fall for that elusive get-rich-quick scheme with no risk. As an active angel investor, I still hear entrepreneurs asserting large opportunities with minimal risk and no competition. My conclusion either way is that they have no market, or haven’t looked.

Entrepreneur 153

Entrepreneur Marketing Customer Custom 153

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

If you are one of the thousands of entrepreneurs who need equity funding to get your startup going (no loans to repay), you are probably overwhelmed at the prospect of finding, contacting and pitching to the huge number of qualified angels and investment groups around the country. Recruit a team with complementary skills.

Platform 94

Platform Equity Invest Technical Advisors 94

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 11, 2021

Venture capitalists sometimes make an error in directing their portfolio company CEOs to push resources to the limit and scale the business to immense size quickly, all to seize market share. It was true for Amazon and other visionary companies that grabbed market share during the early Internet era. But beware.

Venture Capital 156

Venture Capital Social Media Invest Marketing 156

InfoChachkie

MARCH 18, 2013

In order to extract value beyond your Angel investors' cash, you must first assess three important parameters: (i) the relative strength of their personal brand, (ii) their ability to add operational value, and (iii) the amount of care and feeding they will demand from you. Four Common Angel Archetypes.

Angel 217

Angel Technical Review RSS Entrepreneur 217

TechCrunch LA

SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

Launched by Karen Rodgers O’Neil, a longtime marketing executive, and Daniel Perrone, a serial entrepreneur and technology executive whose previous company, BroadMap, was acquired by Apple; The Shed hopes to take the rental model that Home Depot has turned into a billion dollar business line and take it to the masses.

Startup 285

Startup Product Demand Los Angeles 285

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2013

And I am often approached by entrepreneurs in cities which don’t have a vibrant VC community. It would be easier in terms of getting access to angels, VCs, the media, whatever. ” Most VCs view it as their responsibility to mentor, debate, cajole and generally assist with investments they make. I know local talent.

Venture Capital 365

Venture Capital Marketing Santa Barbara Startup 365