Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 19, 2010

A perfect round number is ten slides, with the right content, that can be covered in ten minutes. Most advisors will tell you to write the business plan first (20-30 pages), then distill the key points into a set of Microsoft PowerPoint slides for standup presentations to potential investors. Funding requirements and use of funds.

Slides 94

Slides Competition Sample Sales 94

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 19, 2009

This is part of my new series on what makes an entrepreneur successful. I originally posted it on VentureHacks , one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs. I started the series talking about what I consider the most important attribute of an entrepreneur : Tenacity. Many entrepreneurs struggle with their setbacks.

Entrepreneur 288

Entrepreneur Startup Slides Seed Funding 288

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 12, 2020

Jeff Bezos is one of the world’s most admired entrepreneurs, primarily because of his humble style and his growth from a regular person background to a current net worth in the neighborhood of $200 billion dollars. Avoid PowerPoint and graphic slide presentations. Focus on the big decisions that are irrevocable.

Slides 137

Slides Customer Custom Satisfaction 137

Berkonomics

APRIL 11, 2019

An entrepreneur pitches using a deck with no slide for competition. Professional investors laugh when they hear an entrepreneur come out with that one. It is a failed litmus test for the entrepreneur, even if the plan is for a totally new device or service that could take the world by storm. We have no competition.”.

Competition 120

Competition Slides Research Sales 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2020

If you have ten minutes, that means no more than ten slides. I’ve seen several presentations that never moved past the first slide before running out of time. Some entrepreneurs seem to think that their product pitch is also their investor pitch. Skip the acronyms, history of the company, and the colorful autobiography.

Startup 118

Startup Slides Technical Review Research 118

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2011

.&# It was my investment philosophy that observing teams’ performance over time was far more insightful than reacting to how good of a product demo they do, how good they present Powerpoint slides or how great tech blogs say they are. I felt the exact same way when I was an entrepreneur. Lines vs. Dots is all about people.

Entrepreneur 330

Entrepreneur Marketing Venture Capital Hulu 330

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 28, 2015

Most entrepreneurs believe they are “different,” but they can’t quite understand how. The classic book, “ Hunting in a Farmer's World: Celebrating the Mind of an Entrepreneur ,” by serial entrepreneur and business coach John F. Dini makes the case that entrepreneurs are hunters, while the rest of us (large majority) are farmers.

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur News Slides Startup 106

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2014

Most entrepreneurs believe they are “different,” but they can’t quite understand how. A recent book, “ Hunting in a Farmer''s World: Celebrating the Mind of an Entrepreneur ,” by serial entrepreneur and business coach John F. Dini makes the case that entrepreneurs are hunters, while the rest of us (large majority) are farmers.

Entrepreneur 109

Entrepreneur Startup News Slides 109

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 18, 2014

As a mentor to startups and new entrepreneurs, I continue to hear the refrain that business plans are no longer required for a new startup, since investors never read them anyway. For aspiring entrepreneurs, or if your last startup failed, it’s all about standing out above the crowd of others like you. Written business plan.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Startup Writing Slides 108

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2009

This is part of my new series on what makes an entrepreneur successful. I originally posted it on VentureHacks , one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs. I don’t think it takes book smart people to build great companies – sometimes it’s a hindrance. If you haven’t spent time over there you should.

Entrepreneur 306

Entrepreneur Startup Outsource Development Customer 306

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 31, 2017

Most entrepreneurs believe they are “different,” but they can’t quite understand how. The classic book, “ Hunting in a Farmer's World: Celebrating the Mind of an Entrepreneur ,” by serial entrepreneur and business coach John F. Dini makes the case that entrepreneurs are hunters, while the rest of us (large majority) are farmers.

Entrepreneur 54

Entrepreneur News Slides Startup 54

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2022

If you are like most entrepreneurs I know, there just aren’t enough hours in a day to get all your own work done, as well as run the many one-hour meetings each team member seems to demand for decisions and mentoring. Long meetings behind closed doors are draining for you and not productive for the company toward these objectives.

Mentor 154

Mentor Technical Review Coach Slides 154

Xconomy

OCTOBER 16, 2017

Entrepreneur-turned-venture capitalist Vinod Khosla made big headlines almost six years ago when he wrote a blog post called “Do We Need Doctors or Algorithms?” Along the way, Khosla has invested in a range of startup companies—including several tackling radiology, cardiology, and mental health (see slide and list at bottom)—that are.

Artificial Inteligence 98

Artificial Inteligence Slides Blogging Entrepreneur 98

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.” Even great entrepreneurs are amazed at how fast this can lead to a non-recoverable situation. Do you have what it takes to achieve the real entrepreneur lifestyle?

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Slides IP Technology 105

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 24, 2023

Companies like Airbnb, Uber, Zappos, and Whole Foods are setting the example, and leading the way in profitability and purpose. Companies that offer value beyond their product or service, for social and environmental good, are seen as leading the way forward to a shared future abundance. Good stories make us think and make us feel.

Commerce 109

Commerce Slides Customer Custom 109

socalTECH

MARCH 18, 2009

Andrew has recently been interviewing interesting entrepreneurs and thought leaders, and recently interviewed Brian Johnson , the founder of eteamz, Zaadz, and Philospher's Notes. But it turns out that parents who used the site only wanted basic features, like the ability to see a picture of their kids sliding into third base.

Mixergy 113

Mixergy Slides Company Companies 113

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

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2010

Understand Personality Types – One of the benefits of working for a big company (Accenture) was that we had lots of speakers come in and train us in topics like leadership, creativity, presentations, strategy, etc. Don’t dwell on this slide for ever. I’ll usually tolerate this for 2-3 slides or 5-7 minutes.

Slides 358

Slides Venture Capital Startup Summary 358

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 14, 2013

On a regular basis, I am approached by entrepreneurs who assert that business plans are a waste of time. They cite sources like a recent BusinessWeek story, “ Real Entrepreneurs Don’t Write Business Plans ” and this NY Times article. For the rest of you entrepreneurs, consider the value of a business plan when it is not required.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Technical Review Writing Slides 100

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 15, 2011

. - A tale of two pitches (I eventually invested in the first company that pitched). It’s any meeting where you are in a small room and are being called on to present on some form of overhead slides. The worst behaved will literally never be on the slide you’re presenting. In slides, less is almost always more.

Tips 392

Tips Screening Slides Venture Capital 392

InfoChachkie

APRIL 18, 2011

The attributes that must be present in order to conduct an effective 360-review include: Impartial Data Arbiter – The facilitator must have no preconceptions, other than providing information that will augment the reviewed party’s self-awareness and help the company seek the truth. Know thyself.”. Socrates, Ancient Greek Philosopher.

Entrepreneur 217

Entrepreneur Startup Slides Examples 217

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. Entrepreneurs often proclaim that they will work harder and more efficiently than competitors, thus reducing costs and improving productivity.

Competition 166

Competition Funding Startup Patents 166

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 19, 2015

If you have ten minutes, that means no more than ten slides. I’ve seen several presentations that never moved past the first slide before running out of time. Some entrepreneurs seem to think that their product pitch is also their investor pitch. Skip the acronyms, history of the company, and the colorful autobiography.

Slides 105

Slides Technical Review Startup Research 105

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 12, 2010

We led off with a discussion about Slide being acquired by Google, which was breaking news in the time slot where we filmed this episode. Specifically we talked about Slide having gotten a $550 million valuation before being sold to Google for $182 million. Not as many entrepreneurs are aspiring to do it any more.

Venture Capital 232

Venture Capital Slides Seed Funding Google 232

Tech Zulu Event

MAY 19, 2016

Hardly a week goes by without hearing about a scandal or faux pas made by a company on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. To help you avoid this, take a look at the five biggest mistakes that entrepreneurs often make on social media. It’s possible to take a blog post and turn it into a slide show, infographic and video, for example.

Social Media 56

Social Media Media Entrepreneur Content 56

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.” Even great entrepreneurs are amazed at how fast this can lead to a non-recoverable situation. Do you have what it takes to achieve the real entrepreneur lifestyle?

Entrepreneur 95

Entrepreneur Slides IP Technology 95

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2021

Most entrepreneurs don’t even know how to keep track of what people are saying about them on the web, much less how to respond or remove it. With the right focus on search engine optimization, or the help of companies like ReputationDefender , you can usually push negative links out of sight into the swamp of the Internet.

Search Engine Optimization 163

Search Engine Optimization Content Social Network Google 163

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

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 13, 2013

His studies show that companies at this stage show five key characteristics, which I believe every startup should strive to achieve from the very beginning: Decision making. The ability to readily make and consistently implement decisions. As a startup, you need to walk before you can run.

Entrepreneur 97

Entrepreneur Slides Framework Resource 97

Berkonomics

APRIL 19, 2012

Professional investors laugh when they hear an entrepreneur state, “We have no competition.” It is a failed litmus test for the entrepreneur, even if the plan is for a totally new device or service that could take the world by storm. If you are raising funds, list “do nothing” as a viable competitor in your slide deck.

Competition 189

Competition Slides Sales Ideas 189

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Most entrepreneurs believe they are “different,” but they can’t quite understand how. The classic book, “ Hunting in a Farmer's World: Celebrating the Mind of an Entrepreneur ,” by serial entrepreneur and business coach John F. Dini makes the case that entrepreneurs are hunters, while the rest of us (large majority) are farmers.

Entrepreneur 95

Entrepreneur News Slides Startup 95

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 10, 2021

Companies like Airbnb, Uber, Zappos, and Whole Foods are setting the example, and leading the way in profitability and purpose. Companies that offer value beyond their product or service, for social and environmental good, are seen as leading the way forward to a shared future abundance. Good stories make us think and make us feel.

Customer 140

Customer Custom Slides Commerce 140

InfoChachkie

JULY 7, 2016

The entrepreneur cannot wait to show me their product via a demo. Most entrepreneurs seem confused by my reaction and often say something like: “VCs love demos. Note: I invest almost exclusively in b-to-b software companies. GUI Fever – Entrepreneurs are often justifiably proud of their clever, clean user interfaces.

Venture Capital 176

Venture Capital Product Software Review Technical Review 176

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2013

If you have ten minutes, that means no more than ten slides. I’ve seen several presentations that never moved past the first slide before running out of time. Some entrepreneurs seem to think that their product pitch is also their investor pitch. Skip the acronyms, history of the company, and the colorful autobiography.

Angel 102

Angel Funding Slides Technical Review 102

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 27, 2012

. “In order to create a successful new company, you have to find an idea that. (1) 1) has escaped the attention of the major Internet companies, which are better run than ever before; (2) is capable of being launched and proven out for ~$5M, the typical seed plus series A investment; and. (3) Where David is Totally Right.

Technical Review 299

Technical Review Venture Capital Yammer Google 299

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

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. A great entrepreneur has both, with the ability to tell the difference.

Product 103

Product Slides Customer Custom 103