Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 1, 2022

Every entrepreneur I know is dismayed by the number of friends who approach them with a line such as “I have an even better idea that will change the world, and one of these days I’m going to get around to starting my own business.” Focus” is the key to success as an entrepreneur. Irrational fear of failure or embarrassment.

Entrepreneur 153

Entrepreneur Startup Ideas Knowledge Base 153

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 3, 2008

Saturday, November 8, 2008 -- Venture Capital 3.0. Breakfast with Adeo Ressi, Founding Member of TheFunded.com, an online community of entrepreneurs to research, rate, and review funding sources worldwide. See [link] (more).

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Venture Capital Capital Research Entrepreneur 100

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 14, 2010

They had received a term sheet from a VC and were wondering whether to work with this firm. I often tell people that raising venture capital is more difficult than getting married. Not so in venture capital. You’re tied at the hip to your VC. But what was the VC like when the chips were down?

Venture Capital 298

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Capital Help 298

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 8, 2010

This is part of my ongoing series on Raising Venture Capital. Not so in venture capital. You’re tied at the hip to your VC. You’re tied at the hip to your VC. Get to know VCs over a long period of time so that when you’re ready to get engaged you feel you know their character.

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Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur Capital 288

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

I was having dinner with a friend last night and we were chatting about venture capital and a bit about what I’ve learned. Of course these are great places to network with other investors, meet great entrepreneurs and keep your connections strong with senior execs at larger companies like Yahoo!, Oh, the conferences.

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Venture Capital Invest Press Startup 374

socalTECH

AUGUST 19, 2019

Our video interview today--where we interview the startup entrepreneurs, investors, and others in the technology industry across Southern California--is with Alice Cheng , an Associate at Upfront Ventures (www.upfront.com), a Los Angeles-based venture capital investment firm.

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Southern California Venture Capital Research Los Angeles 113

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 20, 2011

If you read this blog often you'll know that I'm a huge fan of First Round Capital. They have totally changed the way you run a VC firm, investing heavily in systems & events for their founders that are pushing the boundaries of the way our industry works. Through his research he helped bring ARPANET to Philadelphia in 1973.

Capital 284

Capital Venture Capital Technical Review Startup 284

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 2, 2010

This is part of my series on Understanding Venture Capital. I’m writing this series because if you better understand how VC firms work you can better target which firms make sense for you to speak with. It in not uncommon to see a VC talk about “total assets under management&# as in “We have $1.5

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2022

Based on the best evidence I can find, the genesis of this trend and the advantages come from several evolutionary changes in the startup investment industry, and some innovations driven by the recession several years ago and the recent pandemic: Venture capital funds are regaining momentum.

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Guide Venture Capital Funding Class 136

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2021

These resources are definitely not limited to students, since every university seeks out and needs the real world exposure and experience of entrepreneurs who already are active in the real world marketplace. Product research and prototype development. Business plan assistance. Early-stage funding. Legal guidance.

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Incubator Mentor Class Resource 172

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2023

Most entrepreneurs have found by now one or more of the many popular crowdfunding sites , and have the name and contact information for at least one of the big venture capital firms. Each has met legal securities minimums for net worth and professionalism, to reduce the risk to entrepreneurs. Marty Zwilling

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Venture Capital Angel Seed Funding Invest 106

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 6, 2023

Many entrepreneurs are so enamored with their product vision that they believe their own hype and are convinced that the market for their solution is so huge that no one will ask them for independent market research data. Conduct your own customized market research. Modern libraries are still worth a visit.

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Statistics Research Report Newsletter 120

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2023

Angel investors and venture capitalists are looking for startups with real products and a proven business model, ready to scale. Yet I still get too many business plans that clearly are looking for money to do research and development (R&D) on a new and unproven technology. Technology pilots. Commercial product prototypes.

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Resource Ideas Funding Research 102

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2018

Many entrepreneurs are so enamored with their product vision that they believe their own hype, and are convinced that the market for their solution is so huge that no one will ask them for independent market research data. Conduct your own customized market research. Modern libraries are still worth a visit.

Research 87

Research Marketing Statistics Report 87

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 22, 2018

Founded by Steve Poizner last year to accelerate the growth of a startup entrepreneurial ecosystem in Southern California, The Alliance is building a network of investors, entrepreneurs and universities to provide ballast in the south to the dominance of the Northern California tech industry.

Southern California 224

Southern California Dollar Shave Club SoCal Develop 224

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 10, 2010

This episode of This Week in Venture Capital featured Michael Montgomery, president of Montgomery & Co. For entrepreneurs who want to learn about how to work with investment banks, how to position yourself to be acquired and what the IPO markets look like this is the episode to watch. This is often in the 5-7% range.

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Venture Capital Mission Ventures Capital Help 242

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 1, 2009

In my previous post, The VC Ice Age is Thawing (for now) I wrote about the reasons why the VC market came to a screeching halt in September 2008 and remained largely shut until at least April 2009. There are now signs the VC market has gathered pace meaning it’s a great time to be fund raising.

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Venture Capital Marketing Startup Social Network 255

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 11, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series “ Pitching a VC.&#. The “Triple Play&# of VC Presentations. A large part of my series has been outlining what the typical VC PowerPoint presentation should look like. You want to build a dialogue where you get to know the VC with whom you’re meeting. It happens.

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Venture Capital Slides Startup Sales 238

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

MBA’s are an easy target for entrepreneurs’ scorn. I too have taken shots at MBA’s, describing why they are not typically well suited for startup life in Why Entrepreneurs Hate (Most) MBAs. Ventures In Which An MBA Education Is A Plus. My contrarian nature sparked, I began researching MBA led startups. “When M.B.A.’s

Entrepreneur 113

Entrepreneur Allegis Startup Competition 113

Xconomy

JANUARY 25, 2019

Three decades later, I’m a successful biomedical researcher and serial entrepreneur with more than 120 patents to my name, and eight successful businesses under my belt.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Patents Research Venture Capital 110

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 17, 2016

The reality is that most venture capitalists are not very venturesome. Thus, it is incumbent on entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into viable businesses before seeking venture funding. Entrepreneurs Are Never Stuck. Wiley entrepreneurs pre-sell their products and get customers to fund their businesses. I’m stuck.”.

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Entrepreneur Ideas Seed Funding Capital 100

socalTECH

OCTOBER 19, 2017

There's a tightness which is squeezing the lifeblood from the entrepreneurs, even as it remains an amazing place. We have every major research university in Southern California in the Alliance now, and that was extremely hard to do. There's not much of a track record of universities and research institutions working together.

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Southern California Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur 170

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 1, 2010

In today’s post I want to talk about the concept of a VC flightpath. This is my description of a VC process, not one I’ve heard from other VCs so don’t expect it to be accepted nomenclature. I have no idea why, but that’s always how it always felt to me when I was an entrepreneur raising money.

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Venture Capital Entrepreneur Capital Ideas 275

SoCal Tech Calendar

JUNE 22, 2017

Join us at Cal State Los Angeles for a full day of innovations and technologies presented by the region's finest researchers and inventors! This technology preview is geared for Serial Entrepreneurs, Angel Investors, and Venture Capital Investors.

LAVA 100

LAVA UCI CalTech USC 100

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2020

Many entrepreneurs are so enamored with their product vision that they believe their own hype, and are convinced that the market for their solution is so huge that no one will ask them for independent market research data. Conduct your own customized market research. Modern libraries are still worth a visit.

Marketing 157

Marketing Statistics Research Report 157

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 19, 2020

Based on the best evidence I can find, the genesis of this trend and the advantages come from several evolutionary changes in the startup investment industry, and some innovations driven by the recession several years ago: Venture capital funds are still regaining momentum. Some VC firms are bogged down by their own weight.

Funding 125

Funding Venture Capital Startup Class 125

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2016

Most aspiring entrepreneurs look to their alma mater, or any university, as a source of classes that can help them, but neglect to think outside the box or take advantage of all the other resources to be found there. Access to intellectual property and current research. Access to entrepreneurs-in-residence, business mentors.

Entrepreneur 55

Entrepreneur Capital Class Startup 55

socalTECH

APRIL 30, 2012

The equity round was led by BASF Venture Capital GmbH, Total Energy Ventures International and Keytone Ventures, and also included Khosla Ventures, Oak Investment Partners, CalPERS Clean Energy & Technology Fund represented by Capital Dynamics and PCG Clean Energy & Technology Fund. READ MORE>>.

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El Segundo Funding UCLA Equity 237

SoCal Tech Calendar

JUNE 22, 2017

Join us at Cal State Los Angeles for a full day of innovations and technologies presented by the region's finest researchers and inventors! This technology preview is geared for Serial Entrepreneurs, Angel Investors, and Venture Capital Investors. See [link] (more)

LAVA 100

LAVA UCI CalTech UCLA 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2021

Angel investors and venture capitalists are looking for startups with real products and a proven business model, ready to scale. Yet I still get too many business plans that clearly are looking for money to do research and development (R&D) on a new and unproven technology. Technology pilots. Commercial product prototypes.

Help 165

Help Research Startup Funding 165

socalTECH

JUNE 21, 2018

How do you take the energy of such successes as Dollar Shave Club, Ring, Cornerstone Ondemand, and the many other local successes from the startup energy, and tap into the resources of local universities and research institutions?

Southern California 113

Southern California SoCal Dollar Shave Club Cornerstone OnDemand 113

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2023

Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse due diligence on the investors. Reverse due diligence on the investor is a comparable process whereby the entrepreneur seeks to validate the track record, operating style, and motivation of every potential partner.

Technical Review 138

Technical Review Startup Innocal Offshore 138

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 6, 2018

The best entrepreneurs in our industry focus on it year-round as opposed to just once every 18 months. As a VC I also have to fund raise every three years and these posts 100% apply to VCs raising money, too. Below is the outline Upfront. Lemons ripen early The hardest thing about fund raising is how dispiriting it can be.

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Funding Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur 236

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

According to a well-researched Motly Fool report, the challenge is very real, since around half of all businesses fail in the first five years. The problem is that professional investors (angels and venture capital) want a proven business model before they invest, ready to scale, rather than early projections and product development.

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Startup Technical Review Equity Incubator 136

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2021

Most entrepreneurs have found by now one or more of the many popular crowdfunding sites , and have the name and contact information for at least one of the big venture capital firms. Each has met legal securities minimums for net worth and professionalism, to reduce the risk to entrepreneurs. Marty Zwilling.

Angel 126

Angel Funding Venture Capital Seed Funding 126

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 14, 2016

years at Upfront has been both a pleasure and also has taught me a lot about venture capital. We generally look for associates who are deeply quantitative, have great research & analytical skills and often have the tool kit for framing and making complex decisions. Watching him develop over the past 4.5

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Startup Invest Course 150

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 8, 2013

Ask yourself these key questions to prepare for a raise—because if you don’t ask yourself these questions, you can be sure that the VC on the other side of the table will…and you better be ready: 1. Do your research. Every successful—and unsuccessful—entrepreneur knows that a good idea isn’t enough. Images Via Shutterstock.

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Invest Capital Startup Venture Capital 95