Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2020

Time is too precious to waste trying to close a deal with the wrong investors at the wrong time. On the other hand, if you are a new entrepreneur, still in the idea stage, professional investors will only tell you to come back later when you have traction (customers and revenue). Don’t sign up for one, expecting the other.

Startup 148

Startup Ideas Equity Invest 148

socalTECH

JANUARY 22, 2019

This morning's interview is with Kevin O'Connor , a longtime investor and serial entrepreneur, who is now running venture capital investment firm ScOp Venture Capital. Kevin sold his last company, Santa Barbara-based Graphiq, in July of 2017 to Amazon, but has a long history of successful companies, including founding DoubleClick.

Venture Capital 145

Venture Capital Startup Invest Capital 145

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 6, 2023

With the advent and growth of crowdfunding over the past few years, many entrepreneurs have predicted the demise of angel investment groups and venture capital organizations. Board seats can’t be negotiated, and even informal mentoring in decision and governance processes is unlikely. billion to USD 3.62 Risk is increased.

Equity 80

Equity Platform Entrepreneur Statistics 80

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

I was having dinner with a friend last night and we were chatting about venture capital and a bit about what I’ve learned. I was telling him that it was much easier when I started because there were fewer deals, life was less public and somehow the world seemed to be spinning more slowly. You have to deal with CEOs who resign.

Venture Capital 374

Venture Capital Invest Press Startup 374

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2023

That leaves only about fifteen percent that actually get their funding from investors, through crowdfunding, banks, angels, and venture capitalists. There is a good chance that business advisors and mentors also have access to investment capital, or know someone who does. Ask your business advisors for warm introductions.

Statistics 98

Statistics Entrepreneur Funding Social Media 98

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 25, 2020

With the advent and growth of crowdfunding over the past few years, many entrepreneurs have predicted the demise of those demanding angel investment groups and venture capital organizations. Board seats can’t be negotiated, and even informal mentoring in decision and governance processes is unlikely. Risk is increased.

Equity 164

Equity Statistics Platform Entrepreneur 164

socalTECH

APRIL 12, 2013

There''s been a lot of activity over the past two years in the Southern California accelerator/incubator market, with numerous groups (Amplify, EvoNexus, K5, LaunchpadLA, MediaCamp, Science, StartEngine, and many, many others) looking to help entrepreneurs start and fund their companies. companies in the last year. Our analysis.

Southern California 222

Southern California Incubator Report Startup 222

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 22, 2020

That leaves only about fifteen percent that actually get their funding from investors, through crowdfunding, banks, angels, and venture capitalists. There is a good chance that business advisors and mentors also have access to investment capital, or know someone who does. Ask your business advisors for warm introductions.

Funding 173

Funding Tips Startup Statistics 173

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 29, 2021

Obviously, both are required for a company to stay healthy and growing. As a long-time business advisor and mentor to entrepreneurs, I consistently find that the most thriving businesses are people-centric, and those team members create the best processes, rather than the other way around.

Satisfaction 154

Satisfaction Demand Resource Competition 154

From the Venture Trenches

APRIL 11, 2013

Experience has shown that a strong emotional tie to a deal will help more than any other factor when raising venture funding. However, it is the emotional bond an entrepreneur cultivates with their potential investor that helps close a deal. In fact, at most shops it is only the relationship deals that get properly vetted.

Venture Capital 45

Venture Capital Capital Startup Invest 45

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2018

The idea is simple enough: several female VC partners at top funds will hold 1-hour meetings with 40 promising female entrepreneurs looking to get advice on their business and pitch in a friendly, non-judgmental, safe environment. I think these deals are less exciting than the ones you proactive seek out.

Venture Capital 256

Venture Capital Examples Screening Help 256

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2013

You can build a meaningful company just about wherever these days. Just ask the people of Portland, Seattle, Boulder, Iowa, Princeton, Dallas or countless other cities that don’t have enough venture capital. If you don’t live in a major VC zone, I have some tips for how to make it easier to raise Venture Capital.

Venture Capital 365

Venture Capital Marketing Santa Barbara Startup 365

From the Venture Trenches

APRIL 11, 2013

Experience has shown that a strong emotional tie to a deal will help more than any other factor when raising venture funding. However, it is the emotional bond an entrepreneur cultivates with their potential investor that helps close a deal. In fact, at most shops it is only the relationship deals that get properly vetted.

Venture Capital 40

Venture Capital Capital Startup Invest 40

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2019

In the entrepreneur world, it’s still a popular misconception that the “idea” is everything. Even though investors, like myself, have long made it clear that we invest in people, not ideas, new venture owners insist on talking about their latest “ million dollar idea ,” rather than their “ million dollar team.”

IBM 87

IBM IBM Ideas Technical Review 87

socalTECH

JUNE 20, 2012

There is a large menu of startup accelerators in the Los Angeles, but one of more established efforts in the area is LaunchpadLA ([link] The effort actually started as an informal mentoring program, but has grown and expanded to follow the accelerator model. Then, it turned out, all of those companies did really well.

Class 261

Class Mentor Startup Santa Monica 261

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 14, 2011

Interestingly enough--despite what seems like a frothy environment in Silicon Valley-- Mike tells us that the deal environment his group is seeing is not nearly as robust. Our members are always looking for good deals, but I think we're a bit more discerning these days. That being said, the money is there for good deals.

Tech Coast Angels 231

Tech Coast Angels Technical Review Angel Southern California 231

socalTECH

APRIL 13, 2021

Those are faculty members who have a commercialization idea and want help with that. Those companies tend to be around for longer than one year, because of course our faculty are not working on those things full time, they're continuing to teach classes. Companies talk to one another, and there's a lot of back and forth.

Marina Del Rey 150

Marina Del Rey Startup USC Incubator 150

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 30, 2012

Months of submissions and the amazing help from our judges , the Spotlight is shinning down on awesome companies that were born right out of Southern California. The evening will consist of a series of live stage demonstrations guaranteed to impress and inspire new ideas among all in attendance. The time has finally arrived!

CalTech 91

CalTech Company Companies Idealab 91

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 19, 2011

He tells the story of how he was out of cash, stressed out, nobody in LA or Silicon Valley would give him money, he had finally found an investor in Minneapolis but his venture bank was going to shut him down for breaking a “covenant&# in their agreement by not having enough cash in the bank. The answer? Something so simple.

Acquisition 304

Acquisition Startup Custom Customer 304

Tech Zulu Event

JULY 8, 2011

The Spotlight is shining down these amazing LA companies! The evening will consist of a series of live stage demonstrations guaranteed to impress and inspire new ideas among all in attendance. And now without further ado I present the Spotlight: LA Tech Summer Winners: Spotlight Companies. What: Spotlight Series Event.

CalTech 100

CalTech Technical Review Company Companies 100

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 3, 2015

I am often asked how we make decisions on investments at Upfront Ventures. A company presents. The sponsoring partner makes the case why they are in favor of the deal. Sometimes this feedback is sufficient to start to erode his confidence in pursuing the deal. But being wrong on some deals for the right reasons is ok.

Startup 150

Startup Venture Capital Invest Framework 150

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 13, 2012

A couple of weeks ago, twelve companies moved into the new downtown San Diego, EvoNexus incubator--which is run by CommNexus. When companies come into our incubator, we take no equity, we take no stake in the company, it's completely free for the participant. That's through the generosity of the Irvine Company.

Incubator 212

Incubator San Diego Technical Review Development Team Review 212

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 3, 2015

In 2006 when I was a budding entrepreneur building my second startup I ran into a young (ish) enthusiastic founder of an electronic signature company called EchoSign. I was building a document management company and he was building a document signature company. Jason sold his company to Adobe. Maybe I could be SoCal guy?

SaaS 150

SaaS Venture Capital Conference Technical Review 150

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2018

Time is too precious to waste trying to close a deal with the wrong investors at the wrong time. On the other hand, if you are a new entrepreneur, still in the idea stage, professional investors will only tell you to come back later when you have traction (customers and revenue). Don’t sign up for one, expecting the other.

Startup 73

Startup Ideas Equity Invest 73

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 13, 2011

Yeah, that was when I changed for me…” “…there was so much positive feedback on demystifying this one element of venture capital. The value of Pitch Decks; Brad’s personal preferences on deal presentation; and Brad’s practice of accepting cold approaches via email. see deal evaluations the Foundry way)”. was starting.

Venture Capital 288

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Software Review 288

Tech.Co

JULY 19, 2017

“We have being working on the idea of ​​an accelerator since 2015,” Sonya says. We were looking for something more fascinating, like America’s Got Talent but for creative ventures. Sonya Romanovsky, VP of Projects at the WelkerMedia Foundation, explained how the accelerator ties into Welkermedia’s core business.

Mentor 71

Mentor Media Activity Competition 71

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. And And after 30 years of Venture investing we still have a hard time articulating why. knew he would bring immense value to me and the company.

Startup 191

Startup Product Technology Venture Capital 191

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 20, 2011

After months of submissions and the amazing help from our judges , the Spotlight is shinning down on awesome companies that were born right out of Southern California. The evening will consist of a series of live stage demonstrations guaranteed to impress and inspire new ideas among all in attendance. View Larger Map. Diamond Sponsor.

UCLA 102

UCLA Company Companies Idealab 102

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 18, 2015

One would think entrepreneurs would never want less available cash – until such time as their competitors ridiculously and unnecessarily all raise $50 million in the name of a “land grab” thus making it much harder for your totally reasonable company to attract investors. For investors life is no different.

Software Review 150

Software Review Startup Venture Capital Invest 150

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 16, 2010

Mike Wolf is a mentor of mine, and a role model for many technology entrepreneurs and investors in the Phoenix, Arizona, area. He is a 26-year software veteran who has survived both startups and big companies. More recently, he has invested in numerous local startups, while mentoring and advising hundreds of young entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneur 84

Entrepreneur Angel Startup Mentor 84

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2015

Even if you work every day in the world of new-venture funding, as I do, the options are confusing, and their meanings seem to change on a regular basis. Remember, you have only one chance to make a great first impression, so it helps to know the lingo when dealing with investors. A micro venture capital firm.

Funding 104

Funding Venture Capital Startup Seed Funding 104

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2016

Time is too precious to waste trying to close a deal with the wrong investors at the wrong time. On the other hand, if you are a new entrepreneur, still in the idea stage, professional investors will only tell you to come back later when you have traction (customers and revenue). Don’t sign up for one, expecting the other.

Startup 67

Startup Ideas Equity Invest 67

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 4, 2014

Time is too precious to waste trying to close a deal with the wrong investors at the wrong time. On the other hand, if you are a new entrepreneur, still in the idea stage, professional investors will only tell you to come back later when you have traction (customers and revenue). Don’t sign up for one, expecting the other.

Startup 93

Startup Funding Venture Capital Ideas 93

InfoChachkie

JULY 21, 2016

As noted in What’s Real About Shark Tank , the show can give consumer product companies a significant marketing and revenue boost, as it did for one of my former students, Jeff Overall, Founder of PolarPro. In reality, ideas are worthless. The Shark Tank panel often has little industry expertise in the deals they are pitched.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Entertainment Technical Review Ideas 100

Xconomy

NOVEMBER 13, 2016

View the Slideshow A little more than a year ago, amid a resurgence in San Diego’s software sector, Xconomy identified a baker’s dozen of local tech companies to watch in 2016. The idea was to feature early stage companies in the region that have not attracted much attention or raised a substantial amount of startup capital.

San Diego 40

San Diego Technical Review Artificial Inteligence Startup 40

socalTECH

OCTOBER 14, 2010

What is the idea behind the Tech CEO Network? John Morris: The whole idea is to help inventors, particularly but not limited to inventors at local universities, recruit qualified CEOs to their team. We're looking for inventors interested in commercializing and spinning out their technology into a company.

Networking 215

Networking Research Startup USC 215

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. They become obsessed with why the problem exists and they start chipping away at ideas for solving the problem. Or whatever seemingly hair-brained idea that would make a Tiger Mom panic and wonder how it had all come to this.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Course Guide Entrepreneur 150