socalTECH

OCTOBER 7, 2010

The University of Southern California and wealthy engineer Fariborz Maseeh , now a hedge fund manager in Newport Beach, is announcing this week a $1M endowment, which will fund an annual, $50,000 prize for a business plan competition for the school's engineering students. affiliated event focused on spreading innovative ideas. READ MORE>>.

USC 214

USC Southern California SoCalTech Competition 214

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 29, 2014

It’s not hard to find people willing to write the narrative that “venture capital is not an asset class” or “venture capital has performed terribly.” Of course the concentration of capital in growth firms and the intense competition to fund the best deals leads to some risks.

Venture Capital 362

Venture Capital Capital Startup Writing 362

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 12, 2014

If you’re a technology startup you need to excel at product, of course. But being best-in-class at online marketing is also a sine qua non to standout from your peer group. Of course once submitted you could send out links to your friends and ask them to upvote your content and that would help. Underbelly.

Marketing 379

Marketing Startup SEM SEO 379

Berkonomics

APRIL 14, 2012

When a company accepts an investment from professional or organized investment groups – such as angel groups, venture capitalists or corporations, there is usually a document signed called an “investors rights agreement” that calls out additional financial and narrative reporting requirements due to that class of shareholder.

Class 202

Class Report Competition .Net 202

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 19, 2020

A major chunk of this activity is provided by the newer class of “super angels,” who often look more like micro-VCs, except that they are investing their own money. Of course, every new direction has some challenges, so the super angel model isn’t perfect. Super angels have greater scope to match talent with a startup.

Funding 125

Funding Venture Capital Startup Class 125

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 31, 2012

Here is a sample of the reading list for the course that gives you a flavor for just how modern and practical this course is. Jeff (also an HBS alum) co-teaches the LTV course with Professor Eisenmann about a student of theirs who had written a blog post about sales taking on some of my previous assertions.

Startup 319

Startup Sales Course Competition 319

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

Of course, you need to show how your business will make money and provide an impressive investor return, but that should be only the beginning. You need to show you have a “Plan B,” and a never-give-up mindset, in handling any competitive threat or customer reaction.

Ideas 140

Ideas Entrepreneur Equity Resource 140

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 22, 2016

You may have much book learning in school to do and of course you’ll learn about friendship, love and responsibility but the person you’ll one day become when your own children stand at the bimah is already — you. I told you — jokingly of course — that we should go and rough him up. Much of your personality and your character are set.

Course 231

Course Startup Competition Class 231

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2022

Of course, some balance is required. A primary focus on process leads to highly structured training classes, leaving little room for personal career development. Mentoring and coaching tend to improve commitment, motivation, decision making, and creative talents, which are required for a competitive business and career.

Coach 128

Coach Organization Mentor Startup 128

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 28, 2018

Many of us learned about substitute products in undergrad economics courses. Of course branding is many things and this post doesn’t attempt a master class. We of course all instinctively know when we see a brand that is well established what it stands for?—?Warby Here are some ideas of what I believe matters.

Product 296

Product Course Customer Custom 296

Berkonomics

JULY 23, 2011

There are five major classes or niches a company should examine and make its own in calculating positioning in the marketplace. They are: Price. Innovation. Companies that compete on price rarely compete against others who emphasize service or quality.

Pricing 197

Pricing Examples Class Course 197

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2014

We’ve been dying to tell you all for a while that we had raised a new venture capital fund and of course given SEC filing requirements the story was somewhat already scooped by the always-in-the-know Dan Primack a few weeks ago. Or perhaps VCs like to carefully guard who has bankrolled them so as not to attract competition?

Venture Capital 396

Venture Capital Funding Technical Review Startup 396

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2019

Of course it happens all the time?—?especially This is the norm and unless you have a hugely competitive round it’s not worth fighting. This is not true in the majority of cases but rather when you have competition in your round and feel confident in using your leverage. What happens at the A-round of venture capital?

Startup 236

Startup Venture Capital Tips Capital 236

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2014

The poor performance of the asset class (this analysis has largely been wrong as I pointed out here –> most analyses were clumsy rear-view mirror looks at the data). The VC market has right-sized (returned back to mid 90′s levels & less competition). Of course strongest industry players don’t stand still.

Venture Capital 398

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Seed Funding 398

Berkonomics

JUNE 18, 2015

Of course, there are external risks that cannot be controlled or predicted, but can be planned for as well –. Of course, there are external risks that cannot be controlled or predicted, but can be planned for as well –. Is there a market for your class of product at all? That discussion is for a future time.

Competition 120

Competition Marketing Class Product 120

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 20, 2014

The TMP began in the late 1990''s as a single class inside the Engineering College. Although the classes are open to students of all disciplines, the Program''s primary focus in on educating "techpreneurs.". This allowed the curriculum to efficiently find its product / market fit. All-Star Alumni. Am I biased?

Santa Barbara 258

Santa Barbara Technical Review Startup Venture Capital 258

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 1, 2016

And that’s real cash that LPs can’t put to work in other asset classes. With valuations rising fastest in late-stage venture and the competition that is well-known from corporate VCs, mutual funds, hedge funds (and even LPs), it is unsurprising that LPs are most concerned about late-stage VC.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Capital Marketing Seed Funding 150

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 27, 2014

A major chunk of this activity is provided by the new class of Super Angels, who may look more like micro-VCs, except that they are investing their own money. Because of their high visibility and huge portfolios, this new class of investors can match the right talent to the right startup quickly and efficiently with introductions and mergers.

Angel 104

Angel Funding Startup Venture Capital 104

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2019

Of course, some balance is required. A primary focus on process leads to highly structured training classes, leaving little room for personal career development. Mentoring and coaching tend to improve commitment, motivation, decision making, and creative talents, which are required for a competitive business and career.

Coach 94

Coach Organization Mentor Startup 94

Tech Zulu Event

APRIL 1, 2013

Learning experience includes: on-demand online video tutorial courses, live video-conference workshops, as well as individual online consultations, live workshops, and group programs. Creators can take any course of interest on-demand by purchasing it through our website. How does it work? Take us through your features?

Web 93

Web USC Course Guide 93

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 5, 2012

Rock Prodigy is an intelligent iOS app and offers definitive, interactive, fun beginner guitar course of 150+ lessons/practice exercises with video tutorials through 49-day calendar that you can follow at your own pace. How It Works. it’s like a video game! Winning the USC’s Silicon Beach Awards however is not their only accomplishment.

Education 106

Education Startup Technology Patents 106

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2014

It’s insanely competitive to get into our industry so most have degrees from institutions like Stanford, Harvard, Wharton and University of Chicago (blatant plug ;-). Of course it is super helpful if a VC can drop you in to important people for business development, recruiting, PR, sales and eventually M&A. Connections?

Venture Capital 364

Venture Capital Coach Writing SaaS 364

socalTECH

OCTOBER 4, 2010

The company provides SAT, ACT, and other similar test preparation courses and related software. The reason we were able to offer our course at that price point, and why we have our scholarship policy, is because our internal systems allow us to run the business very efficiently, and consistently, with a minimum number of internal staff.

Software Review 178

Software Review Technical Review Education Startup 178

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 21, 2017

Of course, some balance is required. A primary focus on process leads to highly structured training classes, leaving little room for personal career development. Mentoring and coaching tend to improve commitment, motivation, decision making, and creative talents, which are required for a competitive business and career.

Entrepreneur 78

Entrepreneur Coach Organization Mentor 78

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 16, 2017

Of course, a company still needs to make a profit to survive, but supporting a worthy cause can be the most profitable brand building you can do. Social contribution and sustainability are features that appeal to a whole new class of customers for any solution. Is seen by customers as a competitive edge.

Customer 64

Customer Custom Statistics Pricing 64

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 3, 2014

Obviously to understand a “class” of people you have to make broad generalizations. Sure, you need to be competitive on price. Of course that’s not true. Sales people will always tell you how far ahead the competition is. Here are mine. Sales people: Are motivated by cash. Founders think in options.

Sales 382

Sales Help Startup Pricing 382

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 15, 2016

They offer classes in personal responsibility and accountability, they teach men to forgive themselves and to forgive the people who perpetrated them as children because they all grew up surrounded by bad influences. Defy Ventures runs business plan competitions and has people like us who attend and give business advice and feedback.

Writing 150

Writing Startup Design Training 150

socalTECH

MAY 2, 2013

We have a lot of world class universities here. Of course, if you can get a referral through a person I know, it''s much more helpful because I can get that person''s opinion as well. Although they might have more people in the field up in the Bay Area, there''s more competition for those people.

Invest 159

Invest Technology Startup Venture Capital 159

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 17, 2010

With modest variations on Paul’s pattern, this new class of mentors-plus-capital programs has grown to include TechStars operating in Boston, Boulder, and Seattle, Austin Capital Factory , deep in the heart of Texas, LaunchBox in the DC area, and a number of others. Paul Graham built the mold at Y Combinator , which he founded back in 2005.

Incubator 80

Incubator Mentor Capital Startup 80

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 20, 2010

Trying to work without this person is like wanting to build a world class sky scraper but not having a great lead architect and civil engineer. Of course I’m generalizing. new features need to go into the sale people’s slides so that they know the latest and greatest about how to differentiate from the competition.

CTO Hire 400

CTO Hire Fractional VPE Startup Outsource Development 400

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 16, 2010

So even within the “alternative class&# our LPs are looking at other asset investment choices such as distressed buyout funds, private equity or hedge funds. And of course Foundry Group, Union Square and a whole host of other firms including my own. I’m not anti competition – to the contrary.

Venture Capital 311

Venture Capital Startup Seed Funding Rustic Canyon 311

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 18, 2014

That is, once you invest in a company, you''re a shareholder, and you help that company for the course of its life. Although we will do roughly one class a year, that''s 10 or so companies under the accelerator, seed stage model -- but we don''t really limit to three months in-and-out. That''s why we work really closely with them.

Incubator 187

Incubator Southern California Startup Ideas 187

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 24, 2016

Of course we always knew the market would want furniture and we knew that 50% of the market wouldn’t store with us unless we had furniture. 80% of our software was “below the surface” and not apparent to the market or competition. Growing our Product Lines. We realized two things in our product-line extension.

Startup 150

Startup Pricing Marketing Product 150

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 5, 2011

Obviously to understand a “class&# of people you have to make broad generalizations. Sure, you need to be competitive on price. Of course that’s not true. Sales people will always tell you how far ahead the competition is. Here are mine. Sales people: Are motivated by cash. They buy on perceived value.

Sales 316

Sales Startup Pricing Customer 316

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 27, 2010

Of course I don’t believe this argument. There is of course much nurture and culture weaved in. You’re not born into being a world-class software developer. Of course you don’t have do be great at all 12 skills. But you can take data to say whatever you want to say by using it out of context.

Startup 289

Startup Statistics Entrepreneur Study 289

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 10, 2011

In the course of my recent interview with Guy Kawasaki , author and former Apple Evangelist, Guy describes Steve Jobs as: “… the world’s greatest CEO, ever. He overheard me talking about Steve Jobs in conjunction with the entrepreneurship class that I teach at UC Santa Barbara. Note: This is an installment in the Iconic Advice series.

Tips 279

Tips Startup Santa Barbara Entrepreneur 279

InfoChachkie

APRIL 3, 2012

Maybe you spoke with the Class President voted ‘Most Likely to Succeed’ or the nerd who preferred video games over interpersonal relationships. Did you play any team or individual sports competitively? What do/did your parents do as a vocation? Did they enjoy their jobs? What were their dreams? Do you still compete? Do you still play?

Entrepreneur 219

Entrepreneur Startup Equity Journal 219