Capital Funding Networking Technical Advisors 
Startup Professionals Musings
JANUARY 30, 2023
In my own experience with technical startup founders, I still find it hard to name one who was also good, or even interested in financials or business operations. You need a dedicated team, gleaned from your network of informal connections between family members, friends, and individual relationships with other professionals.
Both Sides of the Table
JULY 23, 2013
I have long advised startup companies that if you don’t control your messaging somebody else will and your potential customers will form impressions of you shaped by somebody else or by nobody at all. It will affect your ability to get the right jobs and promotions as well as your ability to attract talent and capital.
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socalTECH
OCTOBER 24, 2011
Accelerator programs--like YCombinator in Silicon Valley, and TechStars in Colorado--have come to the forefront of the minds of entrepreneurs as a way to boost their ideas quickly into the market, find funding, and into existence. We're providing seed funding, office space, and put them through a three month, structured program.
Both Sides of the Table
AUGUST 17, 2009
Assuming normal valuations at fund raising rounds you’ll be down to 6-12% after you’ve created a stock-option pool and raised capital. If not, at least find someone really technical that you trust to help act as an adviser to you. It is hard enough to have a great financial outcome when you start with 100%.
Both Sides of the Table
NOVEMBER 4, 2009
If you never raise another round of venture capital (a big if) and if your company is sold for the normal venture exit ($50 million on average for 200 or so annually that get sold) then what is your stake? Now … these are stock options and not restricted stock so you’ll likely be taxed at a long-term capital gains rate.
Both Sides of the Table
NOVEMBER 19, 2009
I had a picture in the office of my first company with the logo above and the capital letters JFDI. (In I spent nearly a decade building software for large companies and then advising companies on the same. There’s a guy in Los Angeles that I met at several tech networking events. He was stuck on capital raising.
Both Sides of the Table
JUNE 27, 2011
Most people totally advise against stealth. I worked with an entrepreneur who was to appear at a startup networking event where he was to talk about his company’s plans. You always have too much technical debt, too many problems, staff members quitting, not enough capital, customer complaints, etc.
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