Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 17, 2021

With the appearance of do-it-yourself services on the Internet, entrepreneur curriculums at every university, and a wealth of new books on the subject, the need for expensive consultants and business advisors has also been mitigated. The same is true for filing patents, registering trademarks, and filing copyrights.

Entrepreneur 162

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media Outsource Development 162

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 27, 2014

I always advise software startups to file patents to protect their “secret sauce” from competitors, and to increase their valuation. The good news is that a patent can scare off or at least delay competitors, and as a “rule of thumb” patents can add up to $1M to your startup valuation for investors or M&A exits (merger and acquisition).

Patents 100

Patents Software Review Software Technical Advisors 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 31, 2020

Most technical entrepreneurs I know demand the discipline of a product specification or plan, and then assume that their great product will drive a great business. Is it any wonder why so few entrepreneurs ever find the professional investors they seek? Technology, architecture, and feature descriptions. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Startup Summary Product 124

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 18, 2011

Dressed in suits with questions and passports in hand, a delegation of over 15 US entrepreneurs and investors--including a number from Southern California--entered the seat of the British government at 10 Downing Street Thursday. That we, as a company from the US, got to sit in 10 Downing Street; I doubt that would happen at the White House."

Entrepreneur 170

Entrepreneur Southern California Beverly Hills Patents 170

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 10, 2010

However, to a Big Dumb Company (BDC), a startup’s IP is a thing of beauty. Patents held by startups generally have a limited ability to reduce competition. The average time required to obtain a patent is 36-to-40 months, during which there is no guarantee your adVenture will ultimately receive patent protection.

IP 256

IP Patents Company Companies 256

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 13, 2012

I always advise software startups to file patents to protect their “secret sauce” from competitors, and to increase their valuation. This patent holding company has charged infringement and demanded royalties from every app developer for the iPhone and Android, for a feature most agree has been in apps for many years.

Patents 93

Patents Software Technical Advisors Startup 93

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 1, 2021

Most entrepreneurs I meet are reluctant to disclose anything about their idea to investors before getting a signed confidential disclosure agreement (CDA). Yet I can assure you that people who are paranoid, or want to avoid all risks, won’t be happy as entrepreneurs, so it’s all about balancing the risk-reward scale.

Ideas 159

Ideas Tips Technical Review Patents 159

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2016

For a software startup, a patent can be the intellectual property providing the key competitive advantage, or it can be an expensive non-defensible bureaucratic nightmare -- or both. Some argue to simply eliminate software patents, while others put their hopes in U.S. Every business is global, but patent rules differ around the world.

Patents 53

Patents Software Review Software Technical Advisors 53

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 7, 2023

Young entrepreneurs often are so excited by new technology or their latest invention that they forget to translate it into a value proposition that their customers or potential investors can understand and relate to. This priority applies to big companies, as well as startups. Customer data integrity and security.

Social Network 108

Social Network Training Startup Technology 108

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 8, 2014

” It’s the most common refrain I hear from investors and even entrepreneurs these days. Let me start with the obvious baseline that most people probably know instinctively: Los Angeles is the 3rd largest technology startup ecosystem in the US. “There’s something going on in LA.” But even this is changing.

Entrepreneur 376

Entrepreneur Snapchat Startup Google 376

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 18, 2022

How an entrepreneur answers this question speaks volumes about their knowledge of business realities, customers, confidence, and their ability to handle investor funding. The problem is that startups have limited resources to keep them ahead of big companies. Don’t bash the competition. Proclaim your solution as a paradigm shift.

Competition 133

Competition Patents Resource Invest 133

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 7, 2011

I always advise software startups to file patents to protect their “secret sauce” from competitors, and to increase their valuation. The bad news is that patent trolls can squeeze the lifeblood out of innocent and unsuspecting entrepreneurs, as exemplified by the current mess around Lodsys patent No.

Patents 91

Patents Software Technical Advisors Innocal 91

socalTECH

DECEMBER 13, 2018

Venice, California-based startup Vyng , which develops software which turns calls from friends into cute "video ringtones" that show up on your lock screen when a friend calls, has raised $4M in a funding round, the company said on Thursday.

Venice 133

Venice Screening Patents Software 133

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2014

How an entrepreneur answers this question speaks volumes about their knowledge of business realities, customers, confidence, and their ability to handle investor funding. The problem is that startups have limited resources to keep them ahead of big companies. bashing competition entrepreneur investor startup' Martin Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Competition Patents Resource 110

Berkonomics

APRIL 13, 2017

Conversely, a fast-growing industry lifts most all good participants, making excellent companies excel even more and grow even faster, like a small plane flying at 150 knots with a 75-knot tailwind. A core patent or “thicket” of patents protecting your offering? How large a total market? Are margins high enough?

Patents 291

Patents Pricing Ideas Marketing 291

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 30, 2014

Young entrepreneurs often are so excited by new technology or their latest invention that they forget to translate it into a value proposition that their customers or potential investors can understand. This priority applies to big companies, as well as startups. Customer data integrity and security. Personal-privacy assurances.

Customer 98

Customer Custom Technology Startup 98

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2015

As a startup investor in this age of the entrepreneur, I see many more startups, but innovation is still hard to find. In my experience, finding real innovation in existing company environments is even tougher. An entrepreneur looking for a sure thing will never innovate. Followers and linear thinkers need not apply.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Startup Coach Metrics 101

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 21, 2023

As a startup advisor in this age of the entrepreneur, I see many more startups, but innovation is still hard to find. In my experience, finding real innovation in existing company environments is even tougher. An entrepreneur looking for a sure thing will never innovate. Followers and linear thinkers need not apply.

Coach 137

Coach Metrics Competition Ideas 137

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2010

Back in November I agreed with Nivi over at VentureHacks to do a series on the ten most important attributes of a successful entrepreneur. Unfortunately, I don’t believe it is perfectly correlated with what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. If we’ve seen a company present where we feel that the CEO is shady.

Technical Review 284

Technical Review Entrepreneur Startup Funding 284

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 6, 2014

An invalidated patent or one deemed to infringe the rights of another party can devastate a startup. Defensible Claims - Some companies take pride in the number of patents they own. However, there is not a direct correlation between a patent portfolio’s value and the number of patents which comprise the portfolio.

IP 210

IP Patents Journal Equity 210

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2023

I always tell entrepreneurs that two heads are better than one, so the first task in many startups is finding a cofounder or two. You need to find the skills or experience you don’t have in business, technology, or money. So, the first question I usually get is what percent of the company or equity is that person worth?

Equity 99

Equity Patents CTO Hire Startup 99

socalTECH

AUGUST 29, 2013

We spoke with Dirk Ahlborn , the companies CEO and founder, to learn more on how JumpStartFund wants to not only help companies raise money for their projects, but also tap into the crowd to help shape its ideas and business plan. At JumpStart, we are taking a new, for-profit approach, to disrupt the way companies are being created.

Ideas 178

Ideas Patents Funding Startup 178

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2023

Whether you are a business professional in a big company, or an entrepreneur with a startup, innovation is a key strategy. More success has been logged with companies like Amazon, which lightly funds many business model experiments each year, and is not hesitant to pivot or learn from failures.

Artificial Inteligence 114

Artificial Inteligence Ideas Satisfaction Customer 114

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2022

Business partnerships have traditionally been agreements to drive more transactions than either company could do alone. The new paradigm, driven by disruptive technologies, cloud-served supercomputing, and the new generation of young adults with global empathy, is partnering and giving something now for a competitive advantage in the future.

IBM 131

IBM IBM Startup Examples 131

Berkonomics

JANUARY 31, 2019

The estate of the bankrupt company retains and can resell those rights into the infinite future. As long as you did not use patented processes or trade secret material from your previous company, you should be protected, but you might be prepared for a fight. That does not change their purchased rights to it.

Patents 120

Patents Sales Product Email 120

Berkonomics

JANUARY 31, 2019

The estate of the bankrupt company retains and can resell those rights into the infinite future. As long as you did not use patented processes or trade secret material from your previous company, you should be protected, but you might be prepared for a fight. That does not change their purchased rights to it.

Patents 120

Patents Sales Product Email 120

TechCrunch LA

DECEMBER 11, 2018

Pitching app developers with a new way to convert app browsers into actual customers, AppOnboard has raised $15 million in a new round of funding, the company said. Company co-founder Jonathan Zweig has already had one hit as a Los Angeles-based entrepreneur. “Google has been a great partner for us,” Zweig says.

Google 213

Google Los Angeles Southern California Platform 213

Berkonomics

JUNE 1, 2023

Leaders and companies that innovate new products, services and methods of delivery are the ones that stand out in a crowded business world, especially when attempting to gain recognition among the throngs of competitors visible on the web. Commissioner of Patents in 1899. Innovation does not always equal invention. That was Charles H.

Artificial Inteligence 156

Artificial Inteligence UCLA Web Patents 156

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 23, 2013

There is so much written these days about how to attract investors that most entrepreneurs “assume” they need funding, and don’t even consider a plan for “bootstrapping,” or self-financing their startup. In fact, most of the rich entrepreneurs you know actively turned away early equity proposals. Your company has outgrown you.

Startup 100

Startup Entrepreneur Technical Review Equity 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2023

Most technical entrepreneurs I know demand the discipline of a product specification or plan, and then assume that their great product will drive a great business. Is it any wonder why so few entrepreneurs ever find the professional investors they seek? Technology, architecture, and feature descriptions. Marty Zwilling

Product 112

Product Summary Activity Entrepreneur 112

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2020

I always tell entrepreneurs that two heads are better than one, so the first task in many startups is finding a co-founder or two. You need to find the skills or experience you don’t have in business, technology, or money. So the first question I usually get is what percent of the company or equity is that person worth?

Startup 174

Startup Equity Patents CTO Hire 174

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 18, 2014

Most technical entrepreneurs I know demand the discipline of a product specification or plan, and then assume that their great product will drive a great business. Is it any wonder why so few entrepreneurs ever find the professional investors they seek? Technology, architecture, and feature descriptions. Marty Zwilling.

Product 101

Product Entrepreneur Summary Activity 101

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2021

In their passion and excitement about a new product or service, entrepreneurs tend to continually narrow the scope of potential competitors, and often claim to have no direct competitors. Here are some of the key ones: Patent protection in place as a barrier to entry. No investor wants to be tied to a “one-trick pony.”

Competition 166

Competition Funding Startup Patents 166

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 18, 2018

As a startup investor in this age of the entrepreneur, I see many more startups, but innovation is still hard to find. In my experience, finding real innovation in existing company environments is even tougher. An entrepreneur looking for a sure thing will never innovate. Followers and linear thinkers need not apply.

Entrepreneur 64

Entrepreneur Coach Metrics Competition 64

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 14, 2019

How an entrepreneur answers this question speaks volumes about their knowledge of business realities, customers, confidence, and their ability to handle investor funding. The problem is that startups have limited resources to keep them ahead of big companies. Don’t bash the competition. Proclaim your solution as a paradigm shift.

Competition 120

Competition Patents Resource Invest 120

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 24, 2011

There has recently been a common theme among the entrepreneurs I have interviewed and the conferences I have attended: despite the relatively weak state of the world economy, now is a great time to create a high-tech startup. As Guy Kawasaki pointed out in our recent conversation , “…it is cheaper than ever to start a company.

Company 257

Company Companies Startup Study 257

socalTECH

DECEMBER 31, 2018

Editor's note: As we head into the new year, we've been featuring reflections on 2018 from notable investors, entrepreneurs, and others from Southern California's technology community. fact, turns out it is much, much harder than raising money for an early stage company. You'll be able to browse all of those contributions here.

Capital 113

Capital Venture Capital News Patents 113