Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2017

In my experience working with startups, the best approach these days is to find and use a good mentor (been there, done that). Of course, mentoring is not new – it’s been the favored way to learn arts and crafts since way back in the middle ages. But I assert that mentoring in business is making a comeback.

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Mentor Technical Review LAMP Coach 61

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

I’m super excited to announce that GRP Partners led the investment in Ethan Anderson’s new company MyTime (link has LA-based merchants but will give you a good feel for the product). BuildOnline (the company I founded) has just announcement plans to be more aggressive in growing in the US. Let me not bury the lede.

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CTO Coach Google CTO Hire Yammer 359

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 19, 2015

Yesterday I saw two biopic films: “ Amy ” about the life of Jazz sensation Amy Winehouse who died of alcohol poisoning at the age of 27 and “ Montage of Heck ” about the life of Kurt Cobain , the grunge-rock generational voice who died of an overdose of heroin and valium at the age of … 27.

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Press Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur 150

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 16, 2020

In my role as a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I find that many of you have your most creative ideas for your company’s first big bang , but often get bogged down with details as the company grows. You rely on your team for the continuing creativity required to thrive in a today’s rapidly changing business landscape.

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Company Companies Ideas Mentor 148

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2016

I’ve spoken before about our desire at Upfront Ventures to fund really big ideas that solve hard problems, are science led and if successful will both have a positive effect on people’s lives as well as make great financial returns. We’re not Pollyannaish about this. In short, we’re after venture returns.

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Company Companies CTO Coach Funding 207

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 26, 2016

I recently sat down with Troy Carter to talk about what he does and why he believes it is applicable to venture capital. And whom you know is really just about who is willing to go to bat for you, break through filters, and vouch for the quality of your product and of you. Same with Gaga. “It was a series of inflection points.

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Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2020

I called an (ex) LP to tell him about her and my goals for her. Kara said “no” because she wanted to start her own company, which she did and I backed. Leadership is about recognizing your next generation of talent and helping lift them up. Or, maybe it’s just about getting out of the way and watching what they can achieve.

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Venture Capital Startup Invest CitySearch 361

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 18, 2017

This has worked out tremendously well for us as I still have my mentor guiding the firm and he gets to look for deals that can have a massive impact on society and on returns for our LPs. He did what every LP did, looked at returns, talked to portfolio companies, talked with our competitors and so forth. Maybe that’s USV, too.

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Venture Capital Funding Capital Startup 161

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2019

Most of you aspiring entrepreneurs have no idea how dramatically your own role has to evolve as you develop a solution, start a business, and expect it to scale into a successful self-managed company. Thus my job as a small business advisor really is really more about getting you developed than perfecting the business.

Company 99

Company Companies Technical Review Startup 99

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 13, 2020

is necessary, how it's different, and how the company is approaching a launch during a global pandemic. What's your background and how did you start the company? This is the fifth company I've run as a CEO, and I've always thought that technology is about making complex problems simpler. How is the company funded?

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Mentor Southern California Startup Networking 157

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 11, 2022

I started my first company in 1999 and was admittedly swept up in all of this: Magazine covers, fancy conferences, artificial valuations and easy money. Nobody cared about our valuations any more. If they didn’t care about him they certainly didn’t care about me or Jason Lemkin or Jason Calacanis or any of us.

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Venture Capital Startup Marketing Pricing 466

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 3, 2021

As a long-time mentor to new entrepreneurs and business owners, I have noticed that many no longer associate more fulfillment and satisfaction with more money, power, and success. It seems that fulfillment to these new entrepreneurs is all about changing the world and legacy. Mentor others to share what you have learned.

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Satisfaction Mentor Coach Entrepreneur 173

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 20, 2014

Many entrepreneurs forget that their success is more about helping other people than about personally becoming famous, or overcoming the odds and getting rich. This is a fictional story about how an aggressive young M&A executive comes to realize that his aggressive style is actually making it harder to reach his goals.

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Entrepreneur Customer Custom Mentor 103

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 21, 2011

Many entrepreneurs forget that their success is more about helping other people than about personally becoming famous, or overcoming the odds and getting rich. How and why this is true was brought home to me in a new book, “ It's Not About You: A Little Story About What Matters Most in Business ,” by Bob Burg and John David Mann.

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Entrepreneur Customer Custom Mentor 102

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 11, 2018

We’ve known each other for nearly a decade and he’s been a friend, a co-investor in startups and a mentor to many startups with whom I’ve worked. I would put him high on the list of startup founders who have a deep knowledge of the users they serve, what is unique about their app and how to build a product for scale.

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Startup Mentor Course Screening 206

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 17, 2010

By Jim Flowers A few months ago, Marty invited me to comment on business incubation and what a startup company ought to expect from an incubator. There is a growing fellowship of special-case start-up programs operated by closely-knit, permanent groups of angel-mentors. What’s special about these operations?

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Incubator Mentor Capital Startup 80

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2023

Establishing and maintaining the right company culture is a major key to success in any business these days, especially with the growth of the millennial generation of workers. It has a huge impact on productivity, as well as morale and loyalty to the company. Share more information about the business.

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Claremont Mentor Study Startup 101

InfoChachkie

MAY 12, 2016

If you are a recent college graduate, mentor college students. Ask yourself, “If we hired an entrepreneur, what would they change about the way we do business?” Don’t worry, you can apologize after the fact, when you point to the positive impact your initiative had on your company. Refine Your Personal Pitch. Share and Enjoy.

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Company Companies Startup Mentor 80

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2013

Workship - Mentor. Unlike the mentor, who is a coach and teacher, the advocate inspires you to be the best that you can be. Unlike the mentor, who is a coach and teacher, the advocate inspires you to be the best that you can be. Workship - Advocate. Workship - Trailblazer.

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Startup Mentor Entrepreneur Competition 99

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 20, 2016

Have you ever wondered what professional startup investors think about all this? Board seats can’t be negotiated, and even informal mentoring in decision and governance processes is unlikely. This can hurt the company, and jeopardize all investors. Anticipation is high, but it’s obviously too early to see any results.

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Equity Platform Entrepreneur Demand 54

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 26, 2017

As a mentor for aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs, I talk to a fair number who may have a great vision and a strong engineering background, but have a negative interest in the role of public speaking in business. The implications to you and your company are also large, so be prepared.

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Company Companies Entrepreneur Customer 97

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 5, 2012

Huddlewoo a live video platform set to launch early 2013 to give people the ability to access extraordinary people for one-on-one conversations and mentoring. His main company Providence Holdings has invested in real estate and several small businesses. Based in Columbus, Ohio and community management in Washington, D.C,

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Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 29, 2022

One of the things I’ve learned over my years as a business mentor and investor is that life isn’t fair when it comes to succeeding in business. Street smarts are largely about people skills, which require emotional insights. Use friends and mentors with extensive experience to gauge both. Focus on business as an expertise.

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Help Mentor Paramount Technical Review 130

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2023

If you sold your last startup for $800 million, you probably already know how to build a business, and even conservative investors won’t worry about the quality of your next business plan. An entrepreneur who can’t manage a plan, probably won’t be able to manage the new business.

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Startup Writing Mentor Sample 102

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2021

Every entrepreneur and every business I meet in my consulting and mentoring role has great intentions of bringing real innovation to the market, yet I find that most ideas are merely small extensions to existing solutions. Inventors are always talking about what they can do with technology, before sizing the need and the market.

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Startup Mentor Entrepreneur Ideas 146

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2020

Establishing and maintaining the right company culture is a major key to success in any business these days, especially with the growth of the millennial generation of workers. It has a huge impact on productivity, as well as morale and loyalty to the company. Share more information about the business.

Claremont 172

Claremont Mentor Study Startup 172

Tech.Co

DECEMBER 4, 2020

It’s with profound sadness we mourn the loss of a true visionary, author, mentor, thought-leader, investor, and friend, Tony Hsieh. has a history with Tony, as he became an investor in the company in 2013, and built a lasting friendship with us as the Tech.co These videos may offer a glimpse into who Tony was and what he was all about.

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Commerce Statistics Customer Custom 206

socalTECH

JUNE 6, 2011

Those programs--epitomized by YCombinator in the Bay Area, and TechStars in Boulder, Colorado--attract newly minted entrepreneurs with a mixture of cash and mentoring, and a program which rapidly takes ideas and turns them into viable, executing businesses. Those mentors are not just Bruce and I, although we are full time on this.

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Startup Mentor Southern California Incubator 221

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2022

During my many years of mentoring professionals and entrepreneurs in business, I more often see people focusing on how to get their ideas heard , than how to promote themselves. Take full advantage of every mentoring and coaching opportunity, and network with peers both inside and outside the company.

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Tips Social Media Mentor Technical Review 121

Tech.Co

JANUARY 29, 2018

Following the unveiling of his company at Eureka Park 2017, they have been a TechCo Startup of the Year semifinalist, nominated for the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, featured on CBS Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation, landed a deal from Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary, and more. Add Mentors to Your Roster.

Startup 87

Startup Mentor Artificial Inteligence Research 87

socalTECH

APRIL 10, 2018

We recently sat down with Matt Stodder , Co-Director of Startup Boost/Los Angeles, and Blake Caldwell , Global Director of Startup Boost, to learn more about the program, what it offers up to startups. It's a term to help people understand that we're here to help companies get ready to scale. Explain what Startup Boost is?

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Startup Seed Funding Mentor Ideas 172

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 1, 2020

In our business lives we’re having to deal with decisions that could have lasting impacts on our companies without any compass to guide us in the direction we’re heading . It goes without saying that if you find yourself in a really negative headspace PLEASE reach out to any trusted mentor, friend or family member. To say it simply ….

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Demand Guide Customer Custom 215

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2017

Yet if you don’t spend some resources preparing for the changes in the marketplace we already know about, there may be no tomorrow for your business. In my years of mentoring and advising business leaders, I find that real planning for the future always gets the short shrift. Company culture drives decision making and process.

Company 55

Company Companies Artificial Inteligence Technical Review 55

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 21, 2020

Topics we covered: B2B Companies You haven’t seen the full extent to how the correction is going to affect you. We talked about what startup CEOs should do in these situations and how to think about these renegotiations. A seed company hasn’t ramped up its cost base. Harry posed these questions. That may happen.

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Venture Capital Marketing Startup Writing 263

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2020

In my role as a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I find that most have the technical challenges well understood, but many are a bit short on some basic street smarts , or basic business realities. It starts with documenting and communicating a real purpose and mission in terms everyone can get excited about.

Entrepreneur 173

Entrepreneur Patents Startup Technical Review 173

Berkonomics

MAY 23, 2019

I have a friend in the music business who worked hard to gain introductions to, and become mentored by, several known names in the business. One well known informal mentor called him the “Stevie Wonder of Hip Hop.” If you are the quirkiest of suppliers in your niche, you could create a campaign around your company’s counterculture.

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Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 22, 2021

I’m not talking about someone who has an occasional bad day, but rather people who when asked, “How are things?” will proceed to give you a 20-minute dissertation on their latest health symptoms, the latest company problem, and the sad state of the world in general. Ask a mentor for support. Then listen to the recommendations.

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Startup Mentor Satisfaction Writing 129