Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 26, 2012

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. Collaborative efforts with local companies, like Siemens Venture Capital, are available for certain technology and focus areas.

Entrepreneur 92

Entrepreneur Incubator Mentor Research 92

socalTECH

DECEMBER 5, 2012

Companies like Airbnb have been super successful. About three and a half years ago, I got my Master in Financial Engineering at UCLA, and did a double-MBA at Loyola Marymount, focused on finance strategy. I founded my first company in 2010, building a daily deals site based on a mobile platform around a fraternity, Alpha Kai.

Platform 247

Platform Mobile UCLA Sites 247

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 25, 2013

She was leaving IAC to start a company. Stanford MBA. In the most perfect sense of the definition. Note: if you’re a parent please check out their website. Kara called me on a Tuesday. “Tasha, clear some space on my calendar tomorrow. ” “I want you in my offices tomorrow, Kara. Does that work for you?”

Startup 398

Startup Design Downey Activity 398

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 19, 2014

We caught up with Rachel recently to hear more about the company. What''s the story behind the company? How is your company funded, and where are you now? However, I definitely see value in video discovery beyond what''s already been built. That''s why I decided to start my next new company here. What is FEM?

Google 233

Google Content Startup Venice 233

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 16, 2009

Nearly all of the mistakes I made at my first company I fixed by the time of my second company. This is the only mistake I repeated twice and it is a mistake that I see many, many companies make. When you start your company the very first question you need to ask yourself is which kind of customers do you want to serve.

Startup 389

Startup Customer Custom Resource 389

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 13, 2010

We did big, boring but necessary implementations for large companies. I next moved into system design where I designed computer systems to deal with large industrial natural gas customers and telecommunication companies. Post MBA I went into strategy consulting where my job was to problem solve for clients.

Entrepreneur 372

Entrepreneur Startup Design Framework 372

socalTECH

DECEMBER 19, 2012

We spoke with Ryan Hudson, one of the co-founders of the Pasadena company, to learn more about the tool. Ryan Hudson: Honey is a new company here in Southern California, based in Pasadena. I did my undergraduate at Cornell, focused on operations research in Computer Science, and later got my MBA at MIT.

Google 233

Google Pasadena Commerce Southern California 233

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 24, 2010

These resources are definitely are not limited to students, since every university wants and needs the real world exposure and experience of entrepreneurs who already have credibility in the marketplace. Collaborative efforts with companies, like Siemens Venture Capital, are available for certain technology and focus areas.

Help 94

Help Startup Mentor Incubator 94

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2010

But for my sins I got an MBA and did “strategy&# consulting. It’s strange to me to think that customers with years of experience would ever listen to twenty-something smarties from great MBA’s who have never worked in your industry before – but that’s a different story. Numbers are important.

Statistics 415

Statistics Startup Report Research 415

socalTECH

JUNE 13, 2011

We had a team of five MBA students working very hard on the product, and worked to hire a design shop, Siteplex, who helped us with the design, and the people on the did all sorts of things--from operational integration, to outlining the market strategy, to basically everything else. But, I realized it wasn't for me.

UCLA 256

UCLA Startup Ideas Help 256

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

I’m no great scholar on bubbles – I have more interesting things to spend my time worrying about than the exact definition , but having been around a few I have at least given them intellectual consideration. The fact that today’s Internet bubble does not represent all companies does not disprove its existence.

Pricing 309

Pricing Marketing Startup Venture Capital 309

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 12, 2010

I’m an investor at [Big Name, Large Fund VC] and recently came across [Your Company]. It looks as though you’ve built a very interesting business, and I’d love to spend some time getting a better understanding of your future plans for the company and if there is an opportunity to partner with [My Firm].

Venture Capital 294

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Email Equity 294

Xconomy

JULY 10, 2016

Bock, who died last Wednesday at 56, was a life sciences entrepreneur and investor who helped start or finance dozens of companies that have a combined market value estimated today at roughly $70 billion. After completing his MBA in 1985, Bock joined a now-defunct venture firm in Costa Mesa, CA. He had great fun doing his companies.

San Diego 40

San Diego Startup Avalon Venture Capital 40

socalTECH

JUNE 25, 2013

What was it that you were doing which attracted investors to your company? John Tabis: It was definitely a conscious strategy when we were looking at the market. He got his MBA here, and went back to help start this company. Closing this $1.1M John Tabis: It varied by investor, but came down to two things we''re doing.

Services 215

Services Technical Review Startup Pricing 215

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 28, 2012

Founded in 2001 by 3 German MBA students, Carpooling connects people in over 40 countries and is available in English , French , German , Greek , Italian , Polish and Spanish. Carpooling.com was launched by three MBA students; Stefan Weber, Matthias Siedler and Michael Reinicke. Company fast facts can be accessed here.

Training 82

Training Marketing Competition Platform 82

socalTECH

JULY 20, 2011

She also has served at DoubleClick, had a stint as an investment banker at JPMorgan, been a venture capitalist at Bertelsmann Ventures, and started with an Electrical Engineering degree before her MBA. However, 18-34 year olds have been in high demand by marketers, TV advertisers, and consumer companies as an audience.

News 173

News Entertainment Startup Bertelsmann 173

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 22, 2011

.&# And we’re here with Dan Martell , who like any great startup founder is wearing his company t-shirt for Flowtown. On the other hand, 10 years ago when we all felt like this last time the total market size for any company was at maximum 100 million potential users. You should read this.

Ideas 294

Ideas Startup Marketing Pricing 294

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 14, 2010

One of my favorite ones is “what you’re a hammer everything looks like a nail.&# The definition is kind of obvious. This was shown to a group of MBA students at the University of Chicago. We’re all biased by our backgrounds and tend to put forward solutions that our backgrounds suggest to us.

Startup 343

Startup Examples Summary Venture Capital 343

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 18, 2014

Yet along with “authenticity” they are two of the key attributes I look for when I meet with companies I may consider funding one day. Passion is also the featured heavily in nearly every presentation I give to entrepreneurs or on college campuses or in talks with MBA students.

Startup 419

Startup Entrepreneur Design Funding 419

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 9, 2013

" Here are some key attributes of CFOs who fit the dream team definition, based on a definitive article by Mark Macleod : “It’s all in the details” - A professional accounting designation (CA, CPA) is the foundation. A few years ago it was all the rage to have MBAs in the top finance role. Running a company can be lonely.

Startup 95

Startup Report Equity Resource 95

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 1, 2015

I was recently contacted by an entrepreneur who was consider a few different business models for his company. Note: before you jump down my throat this founder is no longer with the company after making a mistake and apologizing to Jcal he decided to move on.) You want to do that early in your company’s existing?

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Course Guide Entrepreneur 150

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 29, 2014

" Here are some key attributes of CFOs who fit the dream team definition, based on an old article by Mark Macleod from StartupCFO: “It’s all in the details” - A professional accounting designation (CA, CPA) is the foundation. A few years ago it was all the rage to have MBAs in the top finance role. Running a company can be lonely.

Startup 99

Startup Report Equity Resource 99

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 7, 2011

" Here are some key attributes of CFOs who fit the dream team definition, based on a definitive article by Mark Macleod : “It’s all in the details” - A professional accounting designation (CA, CPA) is the foundation. A few years ago it was all the rage to have MBAs in the top finance role. Running a company can be lonely.

Startup 93

Startup Report Equity Resource 93

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 23, 2010

No advice I give will ever apply to 100% of companies, 100% of startups or even 100% of tech startups. I just want to state that up front because while I believe that this post will apply to most startup technology companies out there, I’m sure there will be exceptions. Imagine this. You decide to go out and hire a sales rep.

Startup 293

Startup Sales Marketing Product 293

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 31, 2010

This was evident at the Twiistup pre-event company pitch last week at UCLA. Francisco Dao came up with the idea of letting 10 companies that weren’t selected for Twiistup to do a presentation the night before to a group of people and let the audience pick one company to win the final slot at Twiistup. I was the judge.

Startup 362

Startup Twiistup Slides Screening 362

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 5, 2010

I applied to hundreds of jobs: low-level VC roles, startups jobs, even to big tech companies. Big companies rejected me outright or gave me a courtesy interview before rejecting me. Here’s one possible explanation – Job titles in a startup mean something different than titles in a large company. Kanye West. Carpe Diem.

Startup 191

Startup Product Technology Venture Capital 191

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 6, 2016

I love both of my parents equally but my mom was definitely the go-getter who took charge, challenged others, started businesses, restarted her career post kids by becoming a pharmaceutical sales leader and did public service. Kara went to the top high school in Los Angeles, went to Princeton and then Stanford for her MBA.

Startup 150

Startup Los Angeles Help Screening 150