socalTECH

AUGUST 29, 2013

Can tapping the power of the crowd not only help you find customers and help fund your project, but also help you shape your startup idea and find funding? A new, Los Angeles area startup, JumpStartFund (www.jumpstartfund.com) recently launched, offering up a combination of crowdfunding and crowd-advice for entrepreneurial ideas.

Ideas 178

Ideas Patents Funding Startup 178

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 5, 2023

Many of the start-ups my various angel funds have financed died a slow death , not because of poor concept but because of poor execution, wasting fixed overhead and draining the financial resources from the company coffers. So, the CEO comes back “to the well”, asking for more money from the investors to complete the project.

Venture Capital 296

Venture Capital Product Marketing Resource 296

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

Every new startup I know dreams of being funded by an angel investor. Yet according to the latest data from AngelSoft , only about 3 out of 100 companies who initiate the formal request process actually get funded. Remember the old adage that “investors fund people, not ideas.” Line up an experienced team.

Angel 89

Angel Funding Technical Review Startup 89

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 18, 2022

How an entrepreneur answers this question speaks volumes about their knowledge of business realities, customers, confidence, and their ability to handle investor funding. I like patents, trademarks, and trade secrets, so this answer is a better sustainable competitive advantage than the other five answers.

Competition 133

Competition Patents Resource Invest 133

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2023

Thus the real discussion must start with who will be doing the work, providing the funding, and delivering results. Key to required patents or trade secrets. In many cases, one of the cofounders may bring some work in progress that can be patented, trademarked, or copyrighted. Amount of venture funding provided.

Equity 99

Equity Patents CTO Hire Startup 99

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. According to the Angel Capital Association , at least 300,000 people have made angel investments in the last two years, totaling $24 billion in the U.S.

Angel 65

Angel Startup Technical Review Social Media 65

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 17, 2013

A while back I received a discouraging note from an entrepreneur with a patent and a medical software application who couldn’t find a dime of investment, and was grousing that seed funding just wasn’t available anymore. Fundraising is indeed brutally tough at all stages, and the seed funding is the hardest to find.

Software Review 106

Software Review Funding Startup Seed Funding 106

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. Most of these investors are members of Angel groups that have a rigorous filtering and screening process, to select the top 3% and most fundable proposals. Line up an experienced team.

Angel 104

Angel Screening Summary Startup 104

socalTECH

APRIL 8, 2014

Among those funds is TYLT Lab (www.tyltlab.com), which recently announced a new, $20M early stage investment fund specifically focused on companies here. We spoke with Rami Rostami and Gerard Casale , who are behind TYLT Labs, and who told us a bit about their new fund, its investment criteria, and where it sees the promise here.

Seed Funding 220

Seed Funding Santa Monica Funding Startup 220

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2020

Thus the real discussion must start with who will be doing the work, providing the funding, and delivering results. Key to required patents or trade secrets. In many cases, one of the co-founders may bring some work in progress that can be patented, trademarked, or copyrighted. Amount of venture funding provided.

Startup 174

Startup Equity Patents CTO Hire 174

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2014

Finally I realized that Venture Capital and Angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary. Registered patents and other intellectual property. Contrary to popular belief, most investors are not looking for entrepreneurs who are desperate for funding. Already set and achieved initial milestones.

Entrepreneur 107

Entrepreneur Angel Social Media Patents 107

socalTECH

DECEMBER 1, 2010

Los Angeles-based OnGreen , the online green business marketplace headed by Nikhil Jain, said Wednesday that it has snagged Erik Steeb as the firm's new Vice President of Business Development. Steeb was most recently the Regional Director for Cleantech Open, and had been active in outreach to the Los Angeles clean technology industry.

Patents 170

Patents Los Angeles Activity Technology 170

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 10, 2021

A while back I received a discouraging note from an entrepreneur with a patent and a medical software application who couldn’t find a dime of investment, and was grousing that seed funding just wasn’t available anymore. Fundraising is indeed brutally tough at all stages, and seed funding is the hardest to find.

Software Review 123

Software Review Seed Funding Funding Startup 123

TechCrunch LA

DECEMBER 11, 2018

Pitching app developers with a new way to convert app browsers into actual customers, AppOnboard has raised $15 million in a new round of funding, the company said. Company co-founder Jonathan Zweig has already had one hit as a Los Angeles-based entrepreneur. “The

Google 213

Google Los Angeles Southern California Platform 213

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

Every new startup I know dreams of being funded by an angel investor. Yet according to the latest data from Gust (formerly AngelSoft), only about 3 out of 100 companies who initiate the formal request process actually get funded. Remember the old adage that “investors fund people, not ideas.” Line up an experienced team.

Invest 99

Invest Angel Technical Review Summary 99

socalTECH

AUGUST 22, 2013

A new, Los Angeles area startup launched this morning, hoping to use the power of the crowd to help take ideas to launch. The site combines the crowd-voting aspect with crowd-funding elements, as well. READ MORE>>. jumpstartfund jumpstart girvan incubator crowdfunding crowd ideas research technology transfer idea advice'

Research 193

Research El Segundo Incubator Startup 193

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2023

Count on six months from beginning the funding process until a new check is cashed. Always add 20 percent to your best estimate of funding requirements when approaching investors. As a rule of thumb, your monthly burn rate should be less than 10 percent of your last funding raise or starting cash in the bank.

Search Engine Optimization 103

Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media Equity 103

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

The lesson of finding help, connections, and even funding where other people may never look is one that makes all the difference in the entrepreneur lifestyle. Most universities have a file of patents from project work that they are willing to license to any entrepreneur for business commercialization, with little or no cost up front.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Class Startup Resource 110

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. Non-credible funding request or unreasonable valuation. Naïve expectations on funding terms and process.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Invest Funding Patents 108

socalTECH

DECEMBER 31, 2018

Raising money as a first-time VC fund is hard.In Many of my friends who are VCs (and some friends who tried to raise a fund unsuccessfully) warned me that raising for a first-time fund would be very difficult. in 50+ companies through his angel and syndicate deals. What was the biggest lesson you learned this year?

Capital 113

Capital Venture Capital News Patents 113

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

Every investor expects to see some business traction, both before and after a funding event. If you have neither, and choose to approach an investor, you will get no attention, and probably never again get a shot at funding with that investor. Now investors will pay attention, since scale-up funding is less risky and has a time frame.

Funding 112

Funding Entrepreneur Startup CTO Hire 112

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 22, 2018

Los Angeles investor Mark Suster, a general partner with Upfront Ventures , has been beating the drum for Los Angeles as a new tech hub for a while — and billion dollar exits for Ring and Dollar Shave Club, in addition to the public offering for Snap, lend credence to his position.

Southern California 224

Southern California Dollar Shave Club SoCal Develop 224

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 10, 2012

A while back I received a discouraging note from an entrepreneur with a patent and a medical software application who couldn’t find a dime of investment, and was grousing that seed funding just wasn’t available anymore. Fundraising is indeed brutally tough at all stages, and the seed funding is the hardest to find.

Seed Funding 100

Seed Funding Software Review Entrepreneur Funding 100

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 22, 2019

With Naqzi on board, the company began filing patents for its unique process and the products it’s bringing to market, says Paiji. “E verything is proprietary everything is backed by patents,” she says.

Design 161

Design Patents Los Angeles Ideas 161

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 14, 2019

How an entrepreneur answers this question speaks volumes about their knowledge of business realities, customers, confidence, and their ability to handle investor funding. I like patents, trademarks, and trade secrets, so this answer is a better sustainable competitive advantage than the other five answers.

Competition 120

Competition Patents Resource Invest 120

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 27, 2010

The reality is that angel investors are humans, and personal traits often make or break the relationship, even before the investment is considered. On the top line, angel investors look to invest in entrepreneurs that have an almost unwavering passion and sense of urgency. In the business, this is commonly called “fire in the belly.”

Entrepreneur 96

Entrepreneur Angel Technical Review Course 96

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2022

Finally I realized that venture capital and angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary. Registered patents and other intellectual property. Contrary to popular belief, most investors are not looking for entrepreneurs who are desperate for funding. Already set and achieved initial milestones.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Social Media Patents Mentor 111

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2011

A while back I received a discouraging note from an entrepreneur with a patent and a medical software application who couldn’t find a dime of investment, and was grousing that seed funding just wasn’t available anymore. Fundraising is indeed brutally tough at all stages, and the seed funding is the hardest to find.

Software Review 98

Software Review Funding Seed Funding Startup 98

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. It costs very little to file a provisional patent to begin your protection. Poorly written or missing business plan. Revenue and profit projections are not credible. Minimize both.

Funding 57

Funding Social Media Startup Patents 57

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

Two founders have spent $200K of personal and family funds over a one year period to start the company, get a prototype site up and running, and have already generated some “buzz” in the Internet community. The value of patents and trademarks is not certifiable, especially if you are only at the provisional stage.

Funding 98

Funding Startup Patents Outsource Development 98

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2020

The lesson of finding help, connections, and even funding where other people may never look is one that makes all the difference in the entrepreneur lifestyle. Most universities have a file of patents from project work that they are willing to license to any entrepreneur for business commercialization, with little or no cost up front.

Class 124

Class Startup Resource Mentor 124

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2014

VCs and Angel investors like to see a startup that is running lean and mean, with no more than three or four of the conventional C-level or VP titles. If your business is managing contracts and patents, it makes sense, but the CLO for most startups is LegalZoom on the Internet. c-level entrepreneur funding startup titles'

CTO Hire 100

CTO Hire Funding Cloud Computing CIO 100

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 30, 2014

As I’ve written about recently, at Upfront Ventures we started talking a couple of years ago about wanting to fund stuff with more meaning. I think this is a combination of being realists as venture capitalists that outsized returns in our funds must come from taking on bigger, more impactful projects that can move markets.

Technical Review 418

Technical Review Software Review CTO Hire IP 418

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 28, 2013

Helping solicit new business ideas and patents from individuals, federal research labs, universities and other R&D organizations countrywide. Get feedback, collaborate and get funded. JumpStartFund aims to be the first to ask for feedback, collaboration and funding with both equity- and rewards-based crowdfunding from its members.

El Segundo 76

El Segundo Social Network Startup Patents 76

socalTECH

AUGUST 18, 2017

Last week, Pasadena-based Ocular Data Systems (www.oculardatasystems.com) announced a funding round from the Pasadena Angels, for its camera-based systems used by law enforcement to capture evidence in drunk or drugged driving cases. When did this become a business and when did the funding come about?

Pasadena Angels 100

Pasadena Angels Pasadena Technical Review Southern California 100

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2020

Count on six months from beginning the funding process until a new check is cashed. Always add 20 percent to your best estimate of funding requirements when approaching investors. As a rule of thumb, your monthly burn rate should be less than 10 percent of your last funding raise or starting cash in the bank.

Search Engine Optimization 124

Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media Equity 124

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 10, 2018

Thus the real discussion must start with who will be doing the work, providing the funding, and delivering results. Key to required patents or trade secrets. In many cases, one of the co-founders may bring some work in progress that can be patented, trademarked, or copyrighted. Amount of venture funding provided.

Equity 95

Equity Patents CTO Hire Startup 95