Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 11, 2013

I “second the message” that chaos never subsides, from a couple of successful entrepreneurs, Clate Mask and Scott Martineau, in their book “ Conquer the Chaos.” Technology keeps improving at a rapid rate, so you fall behind in technology, driving costs up, and you become non-competitive. Your income drops. System strategies.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Slides IP Technology 105

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 13, 2011

Bijan Sabet – investor & board member in some small companies you might have heard of like Twitter, Tumblr, Boxee & OMGPOP – took issue with the whole notion that you even need a Powerpoint deck anymore. First, if it’s an early stage company, I don’t need to see a powerpoint deck. I funded them 8 weeks later.

Venture Capital 299

Venture Capital Slides Technical Advisors Startup 299

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2011

I second the message that chaos never subsides, from a couple of successful entrepreneurs, Clate Mask and Scott Martineau, in their book “ Conquer the Chaos.” Technology keeps improving at a rapid rate, so you fall behind in technology, driving costs up, and you become non-competitive. Your income drops. System strategies.

Entrepreneur 95

Entrepreneur Slides IP Technology 95

socalTECH

OCTOBER 11, 2016

We take a really friendly, Shark Tank approach that promotes young entrepreneurs, and lets them pitch to a group of seasoned investors and venture capitalists on a panel, and where they not only get an actual investment, but also go through a retail challenge, to get consumer feedback. You want to make sure to capitalize on that.

Startup 100

Startup Entrepreneur Invest Competition 100

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2015

When pitching to investors, entrepreneurs always seem to start with a customer pitch, then add a slide or two about the business. In reality, they need a separate pitch about the business, carrying over only a slide or two about the solution. Competitor positioning and sustainable competitive advantage.

Product 103

Product Slides Customer Custom 103

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 11, 2009

I also recently wrote a post about a company that came in for a presentation and never even got the slides out or presented a demo. Tell them about your personal background but also tell the story about how the idea for the company came about and talk about the early days. They’re partially right. It’s a fine line.

Venture Capital 238

Venture Capital Slides Startup Sales 238

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 5, 2011

A major disadvantage of a public Big Dumb Company (BDC), as well as one that works closely with governmental agencies, is the degree to which they are forced to publicly disclose otherwise confidential information. As noted in Competitive Sleuthing , some partners routinely share information about the companies with whom they are working. .

Startup 216

Startup Slides Resource Organization 216

socalTECH

APRIL 26, 2017

One, is an upright, traditional looking microscopes, where you look at glass slides. How did you start the company? Eugene Cho: I saw this market opportunity when I realized that the larger microscope companies, like Nikon, Olympus, and so on were really only focusing their efforts on high end systems, which cost $200,000 plus.

Tech Coast Angels 124

Tech Coast Angels Startup Sales Slides 124

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2017

Unless you are a serial entrepreneur with a string of successes behind you, you need a business plan to convince investors that you can build a business out of the dream that has been driving your passion to change the world. Opportunity segmentation and competitive environment. No mention usually means no plan and not competitive.

Startup 65

Startup Writing Patents Competition 65

socalTECH

APRIL 26, 2017

One, is an upright, traditional looking microscopes, where you look at glass slides. How did you start the company? Eugene Cho: I saw this market opportunity when I realized that the larger microscope companies, like Nikon, Olympus, and so on were really only focusing their efforts on high end systems, which cost $200,000 plus.

Tech Coast Angels 100

Tech Coast Angels Startup Sales Slides 100

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2018

Now is the time to be an entrepreneur and create a business from your passion. On the other hand, everyone is doing it, so that means more competition, and the market and technology are changing faster than ever before. Advisors and investors need to see your whole story in as few as ten slides.

Funding 73

Funding Social Media Slides Platform 73

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 10, 2011

A perfect round number is ten slides, with the right content, that can be covered in ten minutes. Here are the ten slides you need: Problem and market need. Competition and sustainable advantage. List and position your competition, or alternatives available to the customer. What is the current valuation of the company?

Slides 93

Slides Competition Sample Sales 93

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 21, 2014

For what ever reason we’re wired to have amnesia during the run up and prescient memories of how we ‘knew it all along’ as soon as the slide begins. And as I always assert, “Great companies are built in downturns. And it’s when mediocre companies get pulverized.”

Marketing 354

Marketing Case Study Metrics Sales 354

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2016

Entrepreneurs who are looking to attract investors need to develop and pitch a plan -- preferably written -- that answers every potential investor question about your startup before it is asked. This is also the place to first mention patents and any other differentiators that put you ahead of competition.

Invest 108

Invest Startup Slides Equity 108

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 23, 2014

I “second the message” that chaos never subsides, from a couple of successful entrepreneurs, Clate Mask and Scott Martineau, in their book “ Conquer the Chaos.” Technology keeps improving at a rapid rate, so you fall behind in technology, driving costs up, and you become non-competitive. Your income drops. System strategies.

Startup 100

Startup Slides Entrepreneur IP 100

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2009

After my company was acquired by Salesforce.com I was asked to stop blogging and they took over my blog as an asset in the sale of the company. So far at the company I have raised seed funds of $500,000 of which $470,000 is still in the bank so I’m in pretty good shape. Slides, please.” My blog was wiped out.

Venture Capital 274

Venture Capital Blogging Startup Slides 274

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2018

I’m still amazed at how many technical entrepreneurs don’t have a business pitch, and offer me their product pitch or product spec instead. Certainly a slide or two needs to carry over describing the product and features at a high level. Solo entrepreneurs have a hard time finding an investor. But it’s critical to have one.

Product 58

Product Slides Entrepreneur Invest 58

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2014

The VC market has right-sized (returned back to mid 90′s levels & less competition). Lower costs to start a business (95% reduction), many more companies created & funded by angels / seed. And as long as private-market capital is available these companies would rather remain private for longer before going public.

Venture Capital 398

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Seed Funding 398

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2015

Every entrepreneur needs a value proposition statement for his or her startup that can hook potential investors and partners in less than a minute -- the short time you might join them in an elevator on the way to their offices. Your second sentence should acknowledge competition, but highlight your added value.

Startup 104

Startup Summary Patents Examples 104

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

You’ll learn about competitive products that exist or are being built. This is going to be fairly specific to the company. I also will point out that in the The 15 Mistakes of First Time Entrepreneurs : 9. Someone Stole My Startup Idea – Part 2: They Raised Money With My Slides?! You’ll get suggestions for improvements.

Startup 211

Startup IP Ideas Patents 211

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 12, 2010

Then competition. You put some update slides on things like key hires or biz dev deals being negotiated and you didn’t plan to talk about them. But they were in a slide and people asked you questions so it ended up chewing up 30 minutes. Tags: Entrepreneur Advice Start-up Advice Startup Advice. People can read.

Startup 331

Startup Slides Guide Writing 331

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. Yet as obvious as it is to create messaging for your company, many people don’t consider their personal brands.

Technical Advisors 385

Technical Advisors Marketing Startup Venture Capital 385

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

You’ll learn about competitive products that exist or are being built. This is going to be fairly specific to the company. I also will point out that in the The 15 Mistakes of First Time Entrepreneurs : 9. Someone Stole My Startup Idea – Part 2: They Raised Money With My Slides?! You’ll get suggestions for improvements.

Startup 198

Startup IP Ideas Patents 198

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 24, 2012

But many entrepreneurs don’t realize that Angels are also extremely discerning in the projects that they will invest in, rejecting approximately 97% of the proposals submitted to them, according to the California Investment Network. In today’s world, if you don’t have a web site up and running, you will not be perceived as a real company.

Angel 104

Angel Screening Summary Startup 104

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 16, 2016

Whether you are talking to peers, competitors or investors, you as an active entrepreneur will be judged on your familiarity with today’s startup and funding jargon. In that context, I offer you my latest collection of popular investor-to-entrepreneur terms and concepts. Frothy is good for entrepreneurs. Seed-round investment.

Startup 57

Startup Software Review Equity Invest 57

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

Yet according to the latest data from Gust (formerly AngelSoft), only about 3 out of 100 companies who initiate the formal request process actually get funded. The Gust Deal Funnel from the last 12 months indicates is that 70% of the interested companies never make it past the initial screening process. Build a prototype product.

Invest 99

Invest Angel Technical Review Summary 99

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 3, 2010

There is a transition in every company from a “seat of the pants&# kind of entrepreneurial company to a “process driven&# mechanized one. Frankly, I’m much more of the former kind of guy and I tire of the routine process & politics required to succeed in a big company. This seldom works.

Sales 296

Sales Pricing Startup Customer 296

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 19, 2010

I second the message from a couple of successful entrepreneurs, Clate Mask and Scott Martineau, in their book “ Conquer the Chaos ” that chaos never subsides. Technology keeps improving at a rapid rate, so you fall behind in technology, driving costs up, and you become non-competitive. Your income drops. System strategies.

Startup 57

Startup Slides Entrepreneur IP 57

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

Yet according to the latest data from AngelSoft , only about 3 out of 100 companies who initiate the formal request process actually get funded. The AngelSoft Deal Funnel from the last 12 months indicates is that 70% of the interested companies never make it past the initial screening process. are eliminated during due diligence.

Angel 89

Angel Funding Technical Review Startup 89

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 6, 2010

We set our sites on our IPO price and then worked back to our current valuation and showed potential employees what we thought they could earn (with all legal caveats) if the company was successful. But it’s critical to get this right: “Join our company if you think you’ll learn from being here. I think you will.

Startup 294

Startup Sales Venture Capital Slides 294

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 28, 2012

From LA Demo Day to Silicon Beach Fest to Crowdstart LA to hackathons to Startup Weekends, companies and entrepreneurs alike have joined forces to feed the startup ecosystem. Startup Weekend is a 54-hour frenzy in which a group of strangers can come together to form a company and compete for prizes.

Startup 100

Startup Ideas San Diego Mentor 100

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 26, 2016

We caught up with Asher Hunt , CEO of the company, to learn more about how the startup wants to make finding a room while traveling more like Uber and less like traditional hotel booking. Most recently, I was leading product design for a company called Learnist in San Francisco, which was why I was going back and forth so often.

Startup 100

Startup Los Angeles Mobile Pricing 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2020

As an advisor to new hardware entrepreneurs, I often hear the myth that a business plan is no longer required to find an investor, if your idea is good enough. What you don’t realize is these famous investors only deal with entrepreneurs who sold their last company for a $100M dollars or more. and trademarks.

Product 169

Product Summary Startup Examples 169

SoCal CTO

JULY 13, 2010

Just because a product has a patent, deep complexity and an obvious competitive advantage does not mean that it can fly by itself into the market. How-to learn about angel/vc term sheets - Gabriel Weinberg , June 28, 2010 I think every startup entrepreneur (and angel investor) should have a good understanding of financing term sheets.

Startup 175

Startup Venture Capital Slides Blogging 175

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2019

In my work with new and aspiring entrepreneurs, I find that most struggle with putting together a written business plan, often pointing out that someone they know started a business without anything written down. Make sure you can cover all the material in as little as ten minutes – investors are easily bored.

Ideas 126

Ideas Slides Sample Examples 126

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 19, 2010

Sometimes a company presents at a partners’ meeting that has been well vetted and thoroughly discussed prior to the meeting so all partners know a great deal about the presenting company. Either way, don’t assume that the entire room is up to speed on your company. tip: write it down when asked / parked).

Venture Capital 318

Venture Capital Startup Sales Writing 318

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 1, 2010

Equity-Only CTO and Equity-Only Developers - SoCal CTO , November 1, 2010 I had a recent email dialog with the founder of a company looking for a CTO for their startup. Who better to answer than the company's engineering lead. think his slides are great (and by far much easier on the eye then mine.). But I don’t think so.

Technical Review 175

Technical Review Startup Product Technology 175