Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 29, 2013

You had a new plan. You got to keep the name of the new company – ecomom. We didn’t do so well in that category in the past. I don’t think we can fund in that category, Jody. I didn’t so much want to see a baby products company make money as I wanted to see you succeed. You came back.

Venture Capital 406

Venture Capital Study Writing News 406

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2016

After listening to hundreds of startup pitches, and reading even more business plans, most new venture investors develop their own favorite list of “red flags” that signal the beginning of the end of their interest. They know it’s especially hard to provide a financial return with a free business model.

Funding 98

Funding Startup Innocal Entrepreneur 98

TechCrunch LA

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

A company like Moe will help legitimize the industry,” Bernstein tells TechCrunch. “I Founders and investors circling the space suspect a wave of Silicon Valley interest is coming, however, and that it will alter the category entirely. We are in phase three of the influencer economy. Bain Capital Ventures' Jamison Hill.

Platform 170

Platform Marketing Tool Venture Capital 170

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 13, 2018

As a VC and former entrepreneur let me offer you some advice. The mistake entrepreneurs make is either writing a lengthy email (everybody has too much email so it will get skimmed / not digested) or not having a deck which means the VC can’t quickly determine his or her fit as a potential investor. The key is WHAT you send.

Venture Capital 261

Venture Capital Slides Email Startup 261

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 28, 2013

Most entrepreneurs struggle with financial projections, not wanting to commit to numbers they can’t deliver, and having no clue what investors might consider reasonable. I recommend a simple set of guidelines, which work for at least 80% of the business plans I see. Gross margins greater than 50%.

Startup 97

Startup Equity Entrepreneur Venture Capital 97

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2019

After working in business at all levels, and consulting to entrepreneurs for years, I’m still surprised to see so many situations where things that should be easy are painful to customers, and lead to customers hating your business. For example, I recently picked up my phone to call a well-advertised local company for a TV repair.

Customer 83

Customer Custom Demand Examples 83

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 7, 2015

One of the big questions that every entrepreneur struggles with is how much funding they should request from investors in the first round. If your financial model projects a negative cash flow in this period of $400,000, you should buffer this amount by 25 percent, and ask for $500,000. Be prepared to explain your business model.

Help 104

Help Startup Equity Entrepreneur 104

socalTECH

MAY 17, 2019

Loo--who was the very first employee at ServiceNow--explains what that means, and why companies use the startup's software. The company is all about data solutions which combine meaningful application frameworks together. I have been in IT service management for over 30 years, at companies even before ServiceNow.

SaaS 113

SaaS Startup Customer Custom 113

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 27, 2010

We caught up with Mickie Rosen , the firm's CEO, about the company, its links to Best Buy, and how it was incubated out of Fuse Capital. One of the concepts we came up with, and bounced around with Best Buy, was a whole new, independent company to help consumers with technology. Mickie Rosen: The link really is financial.

Incubator 239

Incubator Startup Web Technical Review 239

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2014

Most entrepreneurs struggle with financial projections, not wanting to commit to numbers they can’t deliver, and having no clue what investors might consider reasonable. Most entrepreneurs, with no experience, believe that they can make good money with lower margins than competitors. Gross margins greater than 50%.

Equity 99

Equity Venture Capital Invest Pricing 99

socalTECH

AUGUST 27, 2014

In the Los Angeles startup world, there are lots of high profile, buzzy companies which have lots of attention and funding--but which haven''t earned a dime of revenue. However, this town is also full of very profitable, growing, and revenue generating companies-- which have for the most part been below the radar.

Startup 239

Startup El Segundo Marketing Media 239

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2013

You have probably heard plenty of times that being an entrepreneur is a risky business, and investors talk all the time about reducing the risk. Here is my own priority list of key risk drivers that every entrepreneur and every investor should evaluate and minimize in starting a business: Team experience and depth risk. Financial risk.

Startup 104

Startup Examples Entrepreneur Social Network 104

socalTECH

JANUARY 17, 2017

In emerging markets and the developing world, access to banking, capital, and financial resources is fare more difficult than here in the U.S., due to a less developed financial system, lack of credit tracking, and oftentimes and informal economy. Shivani Siroya: Tala is a data company that is working in emerging markets.

Startup 100

Startup Santa Monica Customer Custom 100

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

Every new business owner looks forward to the day when their business becomes self-sustaining, and settles into a long-term growth curve that will assure financial success, as well as a lasting legacy. For example, Swatch defined their new category of watches as fashion accessories, rather than timepieces.

Examples 67

Examples Customer Custom Product 67

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 15, 2010

By Akira Hirai The thought of preparing a business plan for the first time can be very intimidating. The task becomes much easier if you think of your plan in terms of four essential cornerstones that serve as the foundation of all business plans: Opportunity, Solution, Execution, and Outcomes. How will you make money?

Startup 91

Startup Oracle Entrepreneur Ideas 91

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2010

You have probably heard plenty of times that being an entrepreneur is a risky business, and investors talk all the time about reducing the risk. Here is my own priority list of key risk sources that every entrepreneur and every investor should evaluate and minimize in starting a business: Team experience and depth risk. Financial risk.

Startup 89

Startup Examples Entrepreneur Social Network 89

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2018

You look forward to the day when your business becomes self-sustaining, and settles into a long-term growth curve, ensuring financial success. As the Global Customer Growth Evangelist at Salesforce, with implementation roles at many other companies, she makes a host of relevant observations for every business owner.

Examples 67

Examples Customer Custom Software Review 67

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

” I mention journalists here because they perpetuate the myth that focusing on profits is ALWAYS the right answer and then I hear many entrepreneurs (and certainly many “normals”) repeating the same mantra. Exec Summary: Most companies (98+%) in the world (even tech startups) should be very profit focused.

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 14, 2012

What I want to talk about today is one of the insider baseball discussions of our industry this past week: The odd fact of the $500 million financing round completed just before the company sold for a B. ” In this week’s discussion with entrepreneurs I think the word impending wasn’t used often enough. Let me explain.

Venture Capital 316

Venture Capital Pricing Social Network Acquisition 316

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 6, 2012

If you are in this category, first know that you are not alone, but then you need to take a look at the advice given by Patricia Sigmon in her book “ Six Steps to Creating Profit: A Guide for Small and Mid-Sized Service-Based Businesses.” Reward employees who make an extra effort to represent the company inside and outside of work.

Startup 94

Startup Outsource Development Sales Social Media 94

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 28, 2011

If you are in this category, first know that you are not alone, but then you need to take a look at the advice given by Patricia Sigmon in her new book “ Six Steps to Creating Profit: A Guide for Small and Mid-Sized Service-Based Businesses.” Reward employees who make an extra effort to represent the company inside and outside of work.

Tips 92

Tips Startup Services Outsource Development 92

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 1, 2011

I’ve been thinking a lot about this over the past two years and bending the ears of any entrepreneur who will humor me to hear what I think the solution needs to look like. A few years ago I planned an outing to Santa Barbara for my Dad’s 70th birthday. Why can’t I have it? She’s the GRP food ninja.

Help 309

Help Santa Barbara Technical Review Orange County 309

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2010

In business, one important measure is the value of the company. That’s because a company’s value is a composite of all of the quantitative and qualitative factors that comprise a company: revenues, expenses, risks, growth prospects, quality of the management team, competitive advantages, strength of the intellectual property, and so forth.

.Net 89

.Net Metrics Competition Template 89

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 13, 2020

If you need to attract investors to your startup, your financial projections have to be as attractive as the idea. The problem is that these business financials are future projections, while the idea is “now,” so you believe the idea can do most of the selling. Project growth equal to or better than current premium startups.

Ideas 123

Ideas Statistics Invest Marketing 123

SoCal Delicious

FEBRUARY 24, 2010

Home About Press IA Capital Partners Archives After 17 years in M&A, Derivatives and Trading, Im spending my time with young entrepreneurs in and around financial technology and digital media. Main February 23, 2010 Advice for CTO Founders: Dont Let Business Kill the Business Founding a technology company is an amazing thing.

CTO Coach 28

CTO Coach CTO Hire Outsource Development Mentor 28

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 22, 2011

This always makes me chuckle because in my first company we had 5 investors in our first round and we picked up 5 more before we finally sold the company. In my second company I had only 1 investor. Most companies hit a bump in the road at some point. And I always encourage entrepreneurs to do reference checking.

Venture Capital 314

Venture Capital Startup Invest Pricing 314

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 30, 2010

My advice to entrepreneurs was and is “ when the hors d’oeuvres tray is being passed take two ” (e.g. So I agreed to offer my current thinking on the economy and what it portends for the VC industry & fund raising for entrepreneurs. raise money now to weather any storms). I doubt they will ever catch up.&#. Sound familiar?

Entrepreneur 298

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Technical Review Startup 298

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2015

Every entrepreneur should do the same due diligence on a potential investor that smart investors do on their startups. While the majority of investors are looking for a win-win deal, there are investors who like to prey on entrepreneurs who have little financial experience, don’t read the term sheet or are simply desperate for a deal.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Coach Invest Sample 108