Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2023

Don’t waste your resources on the wrong ones. The first step toward a business with any idea is to write it down, and build a business plan around it. Separately at this stage, you may look for small funding amounts from angel investors , called seed investments.

Startup 122

Startup Funding Organization Incubator 122

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2012

A few angel investors have slipped or fallen from their lofty perch, so entrepreneurs must take great care to validate the character and reputation of every prospective investor. As long as somebody recognizes their million dollar idea and writes them a check, the source really doesn't matter. Litigious angels. Superior angels.

Angel 112

Angel Entrepreneur Writing Invest 112

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 26, 2013

A few angel investors have slipped or fallen from their lofty perch, so entrepreneurs must take great care to validate the character and reputation of every prospective investor. As long as somebody recognizes their million dollar idea and writes them a check, the source really doesn''t matter. Litigious angels. Tutorial angels.

Angel 105

Angel Writing Startup Invest 105

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021

In fact, they are probably in such a hurry to give you money that they don’t want you to waste time writing anything down and passing it along to new investors. Most VCs and Angel investors don’t read unsolicited proposals, unless they have met you first, or have a glowing recommendation from another investor or acquaintance.

Technical Review 126

Technical Review Writing Entrepreneur Slides 126

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 12, 2023

These things outside your control do happen, but based on my years of experience as a startup advisor and angel investor, I still see too many strategies leading to failure that are inside the entrepreneur decision realm. I believe the old adage that you don’t know what you don’t know until you try to write it down.

Startup 124

Startup Writing Entrepreneur Ideas 124

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 3, 2010

A few angel investors have slipped or fallen from their lofty perch, so entrepreneurs must take great care to validate the character and reputation of every prospective investor. As long as somebody recognizes their million dollar idea and writes them a check, the source really doesn't matter. Litigious angels. Superior angels.

Angel 97

Angel Writing Invest Startup 97

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 16, 2019

The organization, active in the Bay Area and New York City, is announcing new chapters in Los Angeles and Boston this week, as well as a new director of engagement, Domonique Fines, formerly of Y Combinator, and a new chief of staff, Jack Dorsey’s former chief of staff at Square, Alicia Burt. “We

Venture Capital 184

Venture Capital Ideas Los Angeles Tool 184

Berkonomics

JUNE 29, 2017

A small venture firm and a few more angels rounded out the total investment. The other investors are probably in the unhappy never land of not being able to see liquidity after a decade and unable to write off the investment as a loss for tax purposes. So how does the statement above fit into this sandwich of alternatives?

Invest 243

Invest Entrepreneur Sales Startup 243

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 27, 2022

In my role as an angel investor to startups, I’m struck by the broad variety of advisor strategies I see in investor presentations and business plans that cross my desk. As you add a member to your advisory board, you should give them an agreement in writing on what is expected in terms of time, responsibilities and term of office.

Startup 123

Startup Entrepreneur Ideas Writing 123

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 17, 2020

These things outside your control do happen, but based on my years of experience as a startup advisor and angel investor, I still see too many strategies leading to failure that are inside the entrepreneur decision realm. I believe the old adage that you don’t know what you don’t know until you try to write it down.

Startup 174

Startup Writing Entrepreneur Ideas 174

socalTECH

JANUARY 18, 2011

What that did, is it helped us to expand the service to help publishers do the following: identify what content to write, how to distribute that content to various mediums, and how to monetize that content. Journalists are notorious for not wanting to write based on revenues or commercial intersts, or having anyone tell them what to write.

Marketing 232

Marketing Funding Content Writing 232

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 10, 2014

If you’re an early investor like I am that often means writing the first $2-3 million check into a business that previously had either survived on fumes or on a $500,000 angel round. I have seen many companies raise their first $3 million and still act like a company that has no resources at all.

Startup 381

Startup Resource Venture Capital Activity 381

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 14, 2022

First you have to be clear on who you are, and who you can co-exist with, what complementary skills and resources you need, and what decisions in the business you are willing to relegate. In all cases, once you have decided that it’s time to seal the deal, be sure to establish in writing your working agreement, as well as ownership shares.

Startup 140

Startup Satisfaction Writing Entrepreneur 140

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 4, 2016

Nowhere is this more apparent than working in a startup where you are definitionally under-resourced and trying to make big accomplishments in compressed periods of time. Or an angel investor starts emailing the CEO of a company with all the people they want him or her to meet. That’s why focus is critical.

Innocal 255

Innocal Conference Help Study 255

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 28, 2018

Don’t waste your resources on the wrong ones. The first step toward a business with any idea is to write it down, and build a business plan around it. Separately at this stage, you may look for small funding amounts from angel investors , called seed investments.

Funding 94

Funding Startup Organization Incubator 94

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. Technology experts tend to have a very deep level of knowledge, but not very wide.

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. Technology experts tend to have a very deep level of knowledge, but not very wide.

Entrepreneur 70

Entrepreneur Startup Activity Ideas 70

socalTECH

OCTOBER 16, 2008

Los Angeles-based You2Gov, an online social networking startup focused on politics, said this week that it has added new technology to allow its users to directly contact members of Congress. The firm's site now allows users to email, write, or make calls via Skype and Jaxtr to their political representatives. READ MORE>>

Sites 100

Sites Social Network Writing Resource 100

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 25, 2016

Looking for an entrance into a VC, an angel group, a bank, a CxO for a sales opportunity, or any other entity? After all, you have a paying relationship with these resources, and asking for help is not considered a daunting request. Do you have any contacts or friends within the target company?

Ideas 120

Ideas Sales Competition Venture Capital 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 15, 2013

Don’t waste your resources on the wrong ones. The first step toward a business with any idea is to write it down, and build a business plan around it. Separately at this stage, you may look for small funding amounts from Angel investors , called seed investments. Do it right and enjoy real progress in each step of the journey.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Funding Incubator Startup 102

Eric Greenspan

APRIL 11, 2019

Part of that is luck, genes, and the rest is related to access to resources, and then it’s just their willingness to work and achieve. Mine is writing this blog post, indirectly. Added after posting… My son Jacob just called me while I was writing this post. Only the absolute best make it. What’s yours?

Writing 179

Writing Ideas Startup Coach 179

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 29, 2020

In my role as an angel investor to startups, I’m struck by the broad variety of advisor strategies I see in investor presentations and business plans that cross my desk. As you add a member to your advisory board, you should give them an agreement in writing on what is expected in terms of time, responsibilities and term of office.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Startup Ideas Writing 124

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 27, 2016

Don’t waste your resources on the wrong ones. The first step toward a business with any idea is to write it down, and build a business plan around it. Separately at this stage, you may look for small funding amounts from Angel investors , called seed investments.

Organization 93

Organization Startup Incubator Ideas 93

socalTECH

MARCH 16, 2017

Earlier this week, Derek Norton , a long time advisor to the media, Internet, and technology industry in Los Angeles, announced a brand new venture capital fund called Watertower Ventures (www.watertowerventures.com). Derek Norton: We're investing in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and New York. Tell us about the new fund?

Invest 145

Invest Funding Capital Startup 145

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2020

The solution here is to never stop the fundraising cycle, moving quickly from friends and family, to angels, to venture capitalists. Keep control by writing every check personally, and manage receivable and payables tightly. You need your best people and real resources dedicated to early marketing and branding.

Startup 131

Startup Entrepreneur Examples Customer 131

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2015

We talk a lot about his schooling, his early jobs as a developer and then as a VC and we talk about his decision to spend winters in Los Angeles. There are some firms that pull resources from deals that aren’t quite working and put all of their time into their mega hits. I remember writing about online video nearly 5 years ago.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Startup Writing Blogging 150

SoCal Delicious

MAY 6, 2012

63 Los Angeles Entrepreneurs To Be Proud Of By mario on May 2, 2012 in Features , grid. Features like this, as well as our daily interviews wouldn’t be possible without the amazing support of our sponsor eMinutes – a law firm here in Los Angeles that focuses on helping entrepreneurs structure their companies. Subscribe to RSS.

Los Angeles 78

Los Angeles Entrepreneur Angel Fractional CTO 78

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 31, 2021

Most relevant to startups is the push to fund initiatives and technologies that can help prevent or protect against extreme wildfires; rising sea levels and hurricanes; new agriculture resource management; and “climate-smart” technologies. Wander is one-such service providing high speed wireless internet in Los Angeles.

Startup 229

Startup Technical Review Invest Research 229

socalTECH

MAY 14, 2013

That one thing, in the case of Los Angeles-based FamousBirthdays.com , is creating an online resource all about--you guessed it--famous birthdays. If you look at Google Panda, they want you to be the best possible resource for a specific thing. That might be good if you''re writing a book report, but people love quick facts.

Google 236

Google Sites Startup Web 236

socalTECH

OCTOBER 30, 2008

We're always interested in how technology is influencing the business of Hollywood, and recently ran across Los Angeles-based Scripped. to the business of script writing, and is looking to combine a free online tool for writing scripts with matching those scripts with content producers. Sunil Rajaraman: That's a good question.

Content 138

Content Writing Software Review Hollywood 138

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 1, 2015

These things outside your control do happen, but based on my years of experience as a startup advisor and Angel investor, I still see too many common failure causes that are inside the entrepreneur decision realm. I believe the old adage that you don’t know what you don’t know until you try to write it down.

Startup 105

Startup Entrepreneur Writing Ideas 105

socalTECH

OCTOBER 4, 2012

Los Angeles-based CreatorUp (www.creatorup.com) wants to help aspiring online video producers with an online web education series. An example is Melissa Rundle, who was been writing for the industry doing FunnyOrDie type comedies. He's been working Hollywood, too, and is a real Cinderella story. What's your background?

Web 187

Web Content Startup Education 187

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2018

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. Technology experts tend to have a very deep level of knowledge, but not very wide.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Startup Activity Ideas 100

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2013

It’s a hard topic to write about because it’s almost an accepted norm that total transparency is good. They told you, “Yeah, man, I’ll gladly write the first $250,000. You’ve got to convince your buddies to part with their hard-earned savings to back you as angels. CEO transparency. Of course not.

Startup 417

Startup Course Venture Capital Writing 417

SoCal CTO

MARCH 12, 2012

I promised I would write this post with some thoughts and ideas on the topic. The bad news is that Finding Developers is Tough Here in Los Angeles and even people willing to pay have a hard time finding Web Development in Los Angeles. They often can help a lot in navigating to expertise and to possible resources.

CTO Hire 211

CTO Hire CTO Coach Startup Equity 211

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2019

First you have to be clear on who you are, and who you can co-exist with, what complementary skills and resources you need, and what decisions in the business you are willing to relegate. In all cases, once you have decided that it’s time to seal the deal, be sure to establish in writing your working agreement, as well as ownership shares.

Startup 70

Startup Satisfaction Writing Entrepreneur 70

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

Los Angeles-based Super Hi-Fi (www.superhifi.com) has created what co-founder and CEO Zach Zalon says is an artificial intelligence driven service which brings a sense of personalization and connection to those services, to help them retain and attract customers. We ended up building a lot of digital music platforms.

Startup 113

Startup Artificial Inteligence Content Platform 113