Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 22, 2021

In fact, most investors “require” that you already have some investment from friends and family before they will even step up to the plate. You see, investors invest in people, before they invest in ideas or products. If they won’t do it, they why would I as stranger invest in you? Be upbeat and respectful.

Invest 135

Invest Technical Review Startup Ideas 135

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2010

I’m very pleased today to announce that I invested, on behalf of GRP Partners, in Burstly alongside Rincon Venture Partners , an early stage VC in Southern California whith whom we love to work (and were our co-investors on RingRevenue ). Naturally I’m excited about this investment or I wouldn’t have done it.

Mobile 282

Mobile Invest Company Companies 282

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

I cannot tell you how many times I have seen executive summaries of business plans in which the entrepreneur seeks $5,000,000 to build the business. There are so many resources for early money to validate an idea, turn it into a product and increase the value of the company before professional investors come into the picture.

Resource 180

Resource Invest Summary Startup 180

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 23, 2012

In case you don’t know, they are one of the biggest media companies in the world. And they invest n select VC funds. I asked Andrew how companies can best work with Condé Nast and he gave the answers in the episode. Here’s the summary and on YouTube the links to skip right to these moments is below the actual video.

Media 285

Media Company Companies Venture Capital 285

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 27, 2020

My experience personally reviewing over three hundred executive summaries each year, all sent to me unsolicited, seems to bear out the truth in Tyson’s statement. I can’t recall any of my companies hanging onto its original plan after some level of market feedback. Mike Tyson: brilliant business savant.

Summary 156

Summary Metrics Class Email 156

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 16, 2010

The first three skills I espoused were: access to the highest-quality deal-flow, domain knowledge of the topic area in which you’re investing and access to VCs to help fund the next stages of development. Markets like these are very kind to angel investors because you get taken out early and see a nice pop on your investment.

Invest 283

Invest Angel Startup Marketing 283

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

Executive Summary. I believe the rise in angel investing is here to stay and the professionalization of this class (aka “super angels&# or “micro VC&# ) is a good thing for the VC industry and for entrepreneurs. Here’s Lewis on gambling vs. investing: “The line between gambling and investing is artificial and thin ….

Invest 306

Invest Angel Venture Capital Slides 306

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 6, 2023

If there are conflicts within the team, or differing views of the strategy, or evidence of missing processes and tools, the investment process will likely be terminated. Make yourself available to answer any questions, show your enthusiasm, and explain both the positives and negatives of the external investment process.

Technical Review 118

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Invest 118

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2018

You company is the product and you’re selling an equity ownership in your company but much more broadly you’re selling trust & confidence that you’re going to build something enormously valuable and that you’re going to be enjoyable to work hand-in-hand with over the coming decade of each other’s lives.

Venture Capital 314

Venture Capital Technical Review Invest Slides 314

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

Yet according to the latest data from Gust (formerly AngelSoft), only about 3 out of 100 companies who initiate the formal request process actually get funded. The Gust Deal Funnel from the last 12 months indicates is that 70% of the interested companies never make it past the initial screening process. Marty Zwilling.

Invest 99

Invest Angel Technical Review Summary 99

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 17, 2010

I was recently interviewed for an article that appeared in Fast Company titled, “ Why you should start a business in LA.&# If you’re interested in the topic it’s worth a read, but I thought I’d elaborate on the topic since it comes up all the time. But we have a great city for building technology companies.

Company 290

Company Companies Technology Startup 290

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 21, 2009

This morning we heard from Jamie Montgomery, CEO of the venerable Montgomery & Co investment bank who is at the heart of what is going on in M&A for venture backed companies. the people who buy companies) in Q2 of this year of technology & media companies. 2009 has been the worst year for M&A in a decade.

Venture Capital 241

Venture Capital Technical Review Southern California Company 241

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 20, 2014

My experience personally reviewing over three hundred executive summaries each year, all sent to me unsolicited, seems to bear out the truth in Tyson’s statement. I can’t recall any of my companies hanging onto its original plan after some level of consumer feedback. Anyone can build a good – or great – plan.

Startup 245

Startup Summary Metrics Class 245

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2022

As a summary, crowdfunding today can mean any one of the following five quite different models: Rewards model. Many platforms, such as IndieGoGo , allow startups to solicit funding commitments from non-professional investors in exchange for a pre-defined reward or perk, such as a T-shirt or other recognition, but no ownership in the company.

Funding 141

Funding Startup Outsource Development Satisfaction 141

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2023

I saw a good summary of the most effective ways to source prospective investors in a classic book, “ The Art of Startup Fundraising ,” by Alejandro Cremades, who has been there and done that, both as an entrepreneur and an investor. Industry leaders are a prime source of leads to companies and individuals that may invest.

Statistics 98

Statistics Entrepreneur Funding Social Media 98

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

I was impressed with his summary of the top ten outsourcing mistakes made by entrepreneurs, followed by real guidance on how they can and should be avoided. You will need to invest more in training your own team, and increase your capital budget for new hardware and software. How many hours a day are you working on your company?

Outsource Development 138

Outsource Development Outsource Summary Training 138

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2023

Serious investors, on the other hand, look for a professional business plan or summary first, and hardly ever look at the product plan. It does need to include a high-level summary of the components in the product plan, with key additional sections as follows: Definition of customer problem, followed by your solution. Marty Zwilling

Product 112

Product Summary Activity Entrepreneur 112

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 6, 2019

If you want the whole deck you can find it on SlideShare but I’ve written up a short summary with commentary below. If you fast forward one generation of tech companies it’s a completely different story. Companies are raising billions of dollars in the private markets and the valuations are enormous PRIOR to the IPO.

Venture Capital 292

Venture Capital Capital Startup Funding 292

TechEmpower

AUGUST 21, 2023

At TechEmpower, we’ve conducted more than 50 technical reviews for companies of all sizes, industries, and technical stacks. Other common scenarios that we’ve seen: Scaling and new markets: Your company and product are established, and now you’re scaling or going after new markets.

Technical Review 260

Technical Review Development Team Review Software Review TechEmpower 260

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 18, 2021

This is the last step of the process, where surprises in the evaluation of the management team, documentation, and personnel problems can derail the investment. If there are financial anomalies, or someone on the team doesn’t know the current strategy, or is unhappy with you or the company, the investment will be jeopardized.

Technical Review 152

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Summary 152

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 14, 2019

My answer always varies as I examine each deal, sometimes deferring and passing on an investment because of an uneasy feeling about the entrepreneur, even if the business plan seems able to capture the market. And great management can morph a company to adopt without destroying the culture of the company in the process.

Venture Capital 120

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Ideas Summary 120

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 14, 2019

My answer always varies as I examine each deal, sometimes deferring and passing on an investment because of an uneasy feeling about the entrepreneur, even if the business plan seems able to capture the market. And great management can morph a company to adopt without destroying the culture of the company in the process.

Venture Capital 120

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Ideas Summary 120

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 22, 2020

I saw a good summary of the most effective ways to source prospective investors in a classic book, “ The Art of Startup Fundraising ,” by Alejandro Cremades, who has been there and done that, both as an entrepreneur and an investor. Industry leaders are a prime source of leads to companies and individuals that may invest.

Funding 173

Funding Tips Startup Statistics 173

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 17, 2010

Amazon is not the only company looking to make a business out of online film submissions: We dug up some of the other local competition in this space, mined from our database of startups , with brief details below: Amazon Studios. Summary: Amazon.com's own entry into the online movie contest business, Amazon Studios said it will award $2.7

Sites 217

Sites Hollywood Summary USC 217

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 1, 2016

Scott Kupor of A16Z responded with a comprehensive overview of valuation methodology in a post that while accurate feels more targeted at sophisticated Limited Partners (LPs) who invest in funds. billion (and their stake worth $237 million not $3 billion) — the reported value at which they invested in the last round. We can’t know.

Venture Capital 264

Venture Capital Invest Funding Competition 264

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2023

Based on my years of experience as a business executive and consultant, I am convinced that most companies gradually lose their ability to be creative as they mature, and over time are overcome by new competitors and market changes. Your people on the customer front lines have the input you need on institutional changes required.

Case Study 117

Case Study Outsource Development Outsource Customer 117

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2021

If there are conflicts within the team, or differing views of the strategy, or evidence of missing processes and tools, the investment process will likely be terminated. Make yourself available to answer any questions, show your enthusiasm, and explain both the positives and negatives of the external investment process.

Technical Review 151

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Invest 151

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2023

Here is a summary of their key observations, with our joint specifics on what to expect, and how to overcome these obstacles: Customers don’t buy what they don’t know and understand. In these cases, you need testimonials, usage details, and return-on-investment examples. In today’s information overload, marketing is everything.

Case Study 89

Case Study Customer Custom Study 89

SoCal Tech Calendar

JUNE 5, 2019

The panels of seasoned and newer investors will focus on Early-Stage Venture Investing: How to meet investors, pitch them, and what it really takes to get them to write you a check! As an additional benefit, entrepreneur 1/4 page summaries will be given to the investor speakers and attendees. The cost to participate will be $350.

San Diego 100

San Diego Venture Capital Angel Summary 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 20, 2020

Indeed, while the rules and technologies for lead generation have changed, Forrester and other experts still see it as the most effective way for businesses with limited budgets to maximize their return on marketing investment (ROMI). One of these experts, David T. Cold calling.

Customer 146

Customer Custom Marketing Startup 146

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2023

You will be in good company with the many legends who used this approach. Don’t rationalize a big investment in basic equipment with long-term requirements thinking. Operate small, but show a big-company image. Barter services for access to required resources.

Equity 139

Equity Social Media Startup Summary 139

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 15, 2020

Here is a summary of their key observations, with our joint specifics on what to expect, and how to overcome these obstacles: Customers don’t buy what they don’t know and understand. In these cases, you need testimonials, usage details, and return-on-investment examples. In today’s information overload, marketing is everything.

Case Study 174

Case Study Startup Customer Custom 174

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 17, 2019

The first check I wrote was just over 10 years ago into a company called Invoca who just announced a new $56 million in funding led by Scott Hilleboe at HIG Growth Partners. Ownership Matters At Upfront we focus our energy on fewer companies where we take meaningful ownership and we continue to invest throughout the lifecycle of the company.

Venture Capital 223

Venture Capital IP Startup Google 223

SoCal Tech Calendar

JUNE 7, 2019

The panels of seasoned and newer investors will focus on Early-Stage Venture Investing: How to meet investors, pitch them, and what it really takes to get them to write you a check! As an additional benefit, entrepreneur 1/4 page summaries will be given to the investor speakers and attendees. The cost to participate will be $350.

Orange County 100

Orange County Venture Capital Angel Tech Coast Angels 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2022

A reverse merger is the acquisition of an already public company (usually a dormant shell) to avoid the Initial Public Offering (IPO) process and cost, to quickly get your startup on a public exchange for fund raising through visibility and selling stock. Being a public company isn’t cheap or easy. Yet reverse mergers are not all bad.

Funding 104

Funding Summary Entrepreneur Acquisition 104

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 10, 2012

And great management is able to morph a company to adopt without destroying the culture of the company in the process. What if you were the investor and someone walked into your office handing you a business plan executive summary that floored you with its brilliance?

Venture Capital 240

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Summary Incubator 240

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 14, 2018

I know all of this because every VC knows this because we’ve all either funded companies that have marketing technology or we’ve seen a pitch with a company that does this. Your deck should be so good that a VC asks you for permission to show it to his or her portfolio companies. Many of my colleagues do, too.

Funding 239

Funding Venture Capital IP Email 239