Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse due diligence on the investors. Taking on equity investors to fund your company is much like getting married – it is a long-term relationship that has to work at all levels. It’s no fun for either side. Marty Zwilling.

Technical Review 103

Technical Review Innocal Offshore Entrepreneur 103

Tech.Co

JULY 13, 2023

Despite a packed schedule of obnoxious tweeting, lawsuits, and organizing a cage match with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk has found time to launch a new AI company called xAI. Due to the number of applications we receive, we don't have the capacity to respond to every individual application” the form reads. “If

Artificial Inteligence 115

Artificial Inteligence ChatGPT Generative AI Technical Review 115

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 18, 2022

The alternative protein space is hot, hot, hot as evidenced by both the number of companies developing products and the venture capital going into the space. The latest company to attract venture capital is Nowadays , a company founded in San Francisco in 2020 as a Public Benefit Corporation by Max Elder and Dominik Grabinski.

Software Review 187

Software Review Metrics Startup Technical Review 187

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 30, 2014

The practical uses for uBeam technology is limitless. Was there consumer demand? Did anybody hold patents that would prevent us from using this technology? I seldom hire patent attorneys during due diligence but this was too important. We hired IP specialists to review prior art. Was it safe? No brainer.

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Technical Review Software Review CTO Hire IP 418

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 27, 2016

Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse due diligence on the investors. Taking on equity investors to fund your company is much like getting married – it is a long-term relationship that has to work at all levels. It’s no fun for either side.

Technical Review 63

Technical Review Innocal Offshore Entrepreneur 63

Tech.Co

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

As inflation rates spiral and consumer demand takes a hit, business owners are forced to be more mindful of their bottom lines than ever. FedEx Small Business Grant For: Small businesses Amount: Up to $50,000 Grantor: FedEx FedEx's Small Business Grant is a grant contest run by delivery company FedEx. You can unsubscribe at any time.

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TechCrunch LA

MARCH 31, 2021

The sweeping infrastructure package put forward today by President Joe Biden comes with a price tag of roughly $2 trillion (and hefty tax hikes) but gives startups and the broader tech industry about $1 trillion worth of reasons to support it. ” Climate resiliency . Fables of the reconstruction.

Startup 229

Startup Technical Review Invest Research 229

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 12, 2018

seems like an unlikely place to grow one of the next billion-dollar startups in the booming Los Angeles tech ecosystem. The company is ServiceTitan, and its market… is air conditioners. The city of Glendale, Calif. “Silicon Beach” this ain’t.

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Glendale Los Angeles Startup Technical Review 271

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 20, 2017

million in capital to build out its operations in 4 cities: New York City , Los Angeles , Chicago and Washington D.C. So how did a company that provides storage grow so fast (we’ll exit 2017 with 10’s of millions in recurring revenue), why is it so defensible and is it really a tech startup?

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Technical Review Funding Software Review Artificial Inteligence 268

Xconomy

MARCH 20, 2018

Mythic , which last year unveiled its novel computer chip designed for artificial intelligence, announced today that it has raised $40 million in a Series B fundraising round led by the venture capital arm of Japanese telecom and tech giant SoftBank.

Artificial Inteligence 77

Artificial Inteligence Technical Review Venture Capital Software Review 77

Xconomy

DECEMBER 18, 2018

The Bristol, UK-based startup, founded in 2016, has now secured a total of more than $300 million in financing from venture capital firms and other investors including Microsoft and the corporate venture arms of BMW and Dell Technologies.

Technical Review 65

Technical Review Product Venture Capital Software Review 65

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 29, 2010

We received so much positive feedback from our This Week in Venture Capital show walking through valuation calculations & term sheets that we decided to do a Q&A show this week to address topics that entrepreneurs want to learn about. I explain in the video what happened in my first company (e.g. Bad behavior but prevalent.

Venture Capital 282

Venture Capital Capital Startup Pricing 282

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 2, 2015

For today''s Insights and Opinions section, where we feature contributions from our readers and others in the community, we have Peter Cowen , a veteran of the technology and venture capital industry at Clear Capital Advisors. peter cowen insights opinions subscription essay review economy' READ MORE>>.

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Software Review Technical Review Conference Venture Capital 100

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

Venture Capital is a tricky industry. When the early teams: angels, lowercase capital & first round capital funded Uber they had no idea it would be one of the most revolutionary ideas of our time. Periodically we do portfolio reviews to evaluate whether we have enough diversified risk across the fund. Far from it.

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Funding Technical Review Ideas Startup 362

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 20, 2020

For starters Uber itself has had to lay off 27% of its workforce due to the pandemic and has been severely impacted financially from the crisis with no immediate respite in sight. Even more likely is eventual technology disruption where drones deliver foods and make it hard for existing car delivery services to compete.

SaaS 242

SaaS Custom Customer Technical Review 242

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 19, 2015

Philz Coffee , the Silicon Valley coffee chain which has a single outpost outside of the Bay Area--in Santa Monica has raised $15M to expand its footprint, the company said Wednesday. expansion valley silicon coffee retail capital venture philz' Photo: Philz Coffee at last year''s Oasis Conference in Santa Monica READ MORE>>.

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Santa Monica Southern California Venice Technical Review 100

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 28, 2018

My friend Michael Broukhim, founder & co-CEO of FabFitFun and I recently had a catch-up meeting for 3-miles on the Santa Monica “Bird Trail” No company has ever elicited so many questions by friends, colleagues, entrepreneurs, fellow VCs and journalists as has Bird, the company that pioneered the electronic scooter as a service market.

Santa Monica 256

Santa Monica Funding Startup Course 256

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2011

The part of the movement that resonates the most with me (in my words) is that entrepreneurs should keep their capital expenditures really low while they’re experimenting with their product and determining whether there is a large market for what they do. I believe that over capitalizing companies too early often favors the VC.

Development Team Review 374

Development Team Review Technical Review Startup Resource 374

Tech Zulu Event

APRIL 1, 2016

140,000 new startup companies are reportedly launched every day. While the epicenter of tech innovation is undeniably Silicon Valley, a tide of new hubs emerging across the globe are gaining recognition. There are so many startups, and a great demand for talent as a result of this. Our key markets are the U.S.

Technical Review 40

Technical Review Startup Incubator Media 40

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 28, 2018

There are many things a VC is looking for in reviewing your business plan but beyond things the like the quality of revenue, margins, OPEX and CAPEX there’s a really simple rule I call, “Cash In, Cash Out, Milestones Achieved.” Let me check my plan.” Yes, I see plans this pedestrian.

Venture Capital 247

Venture Capital Capital Funding Demand 247

socalTECH

JULY 29, 2010

We've dug through our database of high tech companies, web sites, and startups and found four Southern California companies and web sites looking to cater to that adventure traveler in you. . AdventureLink is backed by Allegis Capital, Anthem Ventures, and the Mailroom Fund, and is run by adventurer Jeff Dossett.

Sites 153

Sites Southern California Technical Review Allegis 153

SoCal CTO

NOVEMBER 1, 2010

I had a recent email dialog with the founder of a company looking for a CTO for their startup. And do I fit as a Part-Time CTO , Technology Advisor , CTO Founder , Acting CTO ? And he was still in the process of raising additional capital, so it was equity only. Go to tech (or other relevant industry) events.

CTO Hire 241

CTO Hire CTO Coach Equity Develop 241

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 6, 2013

Companies like DogVacay solve a real need in the market. They can read reviews, see pictures and even talk to the family before confirming. I then clicked on reviews, looked at pictures and read the owners descriptions of what they were looking for. I told her the story of Aaron, the company, the reviews, etc.

Venture Capital 344

Venture Capital Technical Review Software Review San Diego 344

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. Painfully Diligent Investors.

Angel 217

Angel Technical Review RSS Entrepreneur 217

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 27, 2014

However, such alignment is missing at most tech startups, and thus there is little causality between a celeb’s investment and their ability to drive meaningful product adoption. Celebrity investors aside, I am a fan of high net worth individuals who are willing to allocate some of their risk capital to foster a startup''s success.

Entrepreneur 193

Entrepreneur Technical Review Hollywood Southern California 193

SoCal Tech Calendar

JUNE 5, 2019

Due to the overwhelming demand to pitch at our last event in San Diego, we're throwing an exclusive PitchFest speed dating event where you will be pitching to over 20 investors one-on-one! All of the Investors will get your company description and contact info! We're doing it again! The cost to participate will be $350.

San Diego 100

San Diego Venture Capital Angel Summary 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

During my time in Silicon Valley, I was struck by the fact that most successful entrepreneurs seemed to personally know and regularly hear from all the “movers and shakers” who had the investment capital and leadership they needed. Relationships are key to finding opportunities, building trust, and continuous learning.

Startup 113

Startup Custom Customer Technical Review 113

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

You have to understand whether they’re likely to yield revenue growth in the near term OR whether you have access to cheap enough capital to fund your losses until your investments pay off. Exec Summary: Most companies (98+%) in the world (even tech startups) should be very profit focused. Internet scale.

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 29, 2017

They seem shocked to learn that most professional investors and advisors, myself included, routinely decline such requests, due to costly litigation and administrative nightmares. Potential investors don’t need this data, except perhaps as part of a final due diligence after an initial signed agreement.

Technical Review 61

Technical Review Patents Ideas Social Media 61

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Nearly every successful tech startup I’ve observed over the past 20 years has gone through a similar growth pattern: Innovate, systematize then scale operations. Understanding how your company will change as you move through these phases is critical if you hope to scale to a large business one day.

Startup 286

Startup Technical Review Custom Customer 286

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 12, 2014

Prorata rights are one of the most important rights of a private market technology investors and yet are seldom fully understood. Prorata investments rights given investors the right to invest in your future fund-raising rounds and maintain their ownership % in your company as your company grows and raises more capital.

Guide 336

Guide Venture Capital Startup Writing 336

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 1, 2009

It is also a result of pent-up demand. Consumer spending is 70% of the economy and will continue to be stretched – We can look all we want at tech innovation, VC funding cycles and hot M&A deals, but ultimately growth and therefore investment must be underpinned by revenue. but the truer number of underemployed is a whopping 16.8%!

Venture Capital 269

Venture Capital Startup Funding Technical Review 269

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2019

For example, when John Mackey of Whole Foods made it clear to employees that his larger purpose was helping people live a healthier life, his team and his customers found a new excitement beyond groceries, resulting in growth and profitability that easily outpaced the industry, as well as awards as one of the best companies to work for.

Coach 95

Coach Technical Review Satisfaction Examples 95

socalTECH

JULY 12, 2013

Many companies would love to be able to get the benefits of cloud--easy configurability, low cost, scaling, and more--but, due to various reasons, can''t take advantage of public cloud services like Amazon. The company announced a funding round from Canaan Partners, Storm Ventures, and AME Cloud a couple of weeks ago.

CIO 207

CIO Southern California Technical Review Software Review 207

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2019

The platform must capitalize on user-generated content and other people’s work. Senior leaders need to be personally involved in defining the tests and reviewing results and implications. Amazon targets the new machine learning technology to leverage his focus on customers. Create and practice an obsession over customers.

Commerce 89

Commerce Artificial Inteligence Cloud Computing Platform 89

socalTECH

MAY 14, 2010

A lot of people had asked me why I was taking the job, since I was a commercial guy, had been a commercial general manager, and had been running companies for my whole career. Clearly, 2009 was not a good year, from the perspective of the technology innovation ecosystem. Thanks for the time this morning. How has your first year been?

OCTANE 174

OCTANE Orange County Technical Review Southern California 174

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2019

Smart entrepreneurs are just now starting to look at this option again, due to its unpredictability and the challenges of running a public company. Today around 90 percent of successful startups are still acquired by bigger companies, as the safer and preferred method of growth and funding. Increased liability risk exposure.

Startup 84

Startup Technical Review Report IBM 84