Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2016

He succinctly outlines the key behaviors that I believe every business leader must focus on, to drive innovation without waiting for the next competitive crisis: Avoid the assumption that current gifts will keep on giving. They need to regularly listen to a few mavericks and outsiders who routinely generate nonlinear ideas and trends.

Framework 59

Framework Competition Ideas IBM 59

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

Success in any business these days requires a constant flow of new and innovative solutions, to keep up with changes in the market, competition, and to attract new customers. Here is my summary of the ten top creativity mistakes we both still see too often: Criticize any new idea or employee suggestion.

Ideas 94

Ideas Framework Summary Organization 94

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 12, 2014

It’s building a product that is substantially differentiated, and, as Bill Gross, one of the most prolific tech entrepreneurs of our era says, “ It needs to be 10x better than the competition ” (because if you shoot for that then in competitive markets you might achieve 3x. Rebelling is simply a form of snobbery.

Marketing 379

Marketing Startup SEM SEO 379

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 24, 2019

Every startup needs a sustainable competitive advantage. With no competitive advantage, startups with new ideas gaining traction are never feared, and are usually eaten for lunch as sleeping giants wake up. Talent – Every startup needs talents to give the company value. If you want to be feared.

Startup 94

Startup News Framework Outsource 94

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 17, 2016

It is a hugely compelling show because Zakaria covers world issues that will affect all of us in ways that are accessible and with frameworks for processing disparate information. ” The idea is that teams that allow everybody to speak, allow dissent, encourage safe discussions where it’s ok to be wrong – succeed more.

Coach 150

Coach Technical Review Framework Google 150

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 17, 2011

I thought I’d try to offer a framework for thinking about the topic. This conversation seems to come up very frequently these days both with portfolio companies and with entrepreneurs just looking for mentorship. So here’s my framework. Only … ONLY … if there’s a sense of competition on the deal.

Help 303

Help Startup Competition Framework 303

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 19, 2017

Success in any business these days requires a constant flow of new and innovative solutions, to keep up with changes in the market, competition, and to attract new customers. Here is my summary of the ten top creativity mistakes we both still see too often: Criticize any new idea or employee suggestion.

Ideas 56

Ideas Framework Summary Organization 56

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 16, 2014

Every startup needs a sustainable competitive advantage. With no competitive advantage, startups with new ideas gaining traction are never feared, and are usually eaten for lunch as sleeping giants wake up. Talent – Every startup needs talents to give the company value. If you want to be feared.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Startup News Framework 105

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 28, 2012

A while back, I wrote about the value of Michael Porter’s Five Forces framework for analyzing the competitive environment, and using every opportunity to highlight and emphasize your relative advantages, whether they be price, features, or bargaining power. The advantage today has shifted to companies whose customer focus is superior.

Customer 104

Customer Custom Startup Organization 104

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2013

The opportunity for change is huge, with everyone taking a new look at the world after the recession, but the competition is also huge, since the cost of entry is at an all-time low. Every startup needs a sustainable competitive advantage. Talent – Every startup needs talents to give the company value. If you want to be feared.

Startup 99

Startup Competition News Framework 99

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 23, 2017

Every startup needs a sustainable competitive advantage. With no competitive advantage, startups with new ideas gaining traction are never feared, and are usually eaten for lunch as sleeping giants wake up. Talent – Every startup needs talents to give the company value. If you want to be feared.

Startup 57

Startup News Framework Entrepreneur 57

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 29, 2017

Most business leaders today realize that smart management of scarce resources is the key to competitive success. Like most investors in startups, I rank the credentials of the team well above the value of an idea in deciding where to put my money. That’s why they manage money so carefully.

Product 58

Product Startup Guide Framework 58

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2013

Many entrepreneurs are paranoid about the partnership approach, and think that M&A is only an alternative for large companies who are flush with cash. In every startup, as well as in mature companies, there is no substitute for constantly maintaining a pipeline of alternatives. Both of these qualms are wrong and shortsighted.

Acquisition 88

Acquisition CTO Hire Startup Outsource Development 88

SoCal CTO

JUNE 9, 2010

Guide to Evaluating Startup Ideas - Tony Wright dot com , May 27, 2010 A great developer I once worked with was kvetching at lunch one day. He’d been working at a well-funded startup for about a year and had come to terms with the fact that the startup was really a pretty dumb idea. We get it! I Be specific. Tesla is not. Stay Tuned.

Startup 248

Startup Venture Capital Conference Social Media 248

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

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

Many entrepreneurs are paranoid about the partnership approach, and think that M&A is only an alternative for large companies who are flush with cash. In every startup, as well as in mature companies, there is no substitute for constantly maintaining a pipeline of alternatives. Both of these qualms are wrong and shortsighted.

CTO Hire 91

CTO Hire Startup Outsource Development Resource 91

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 26, 2013

Competition abounds, mostly in the form of Lyft , another Bay Area-based purveyor of ride-shares. The overarching idea is based upon the well-known problems facing the economy and the environment – a constraint of resources. The A round allowed SideCar to expand well beyond their launch city of San Francisco.

Google 92

Google Technical Review Santa Monica Framework 92

SoCal Delicious

JANUARY 9, 2014

Too often people dive straight into their shiny solution ideas without thinking about why they’re doing what they’re doing or considering the change they want to see in the world. I recently developed a more human framework for early-stage startups to define their startup DNA and lay some foundations for a sustainable business.

Startup 78

Startup Design Customer Custom 78

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 26, 2016

We caught up with Asher Hunt , CEO of the company, to learn more about how the startup wants to make finding a room while traveling more like Uber and less like traditional hotel booking. It's quite a different framework from an Airbnb or HomeAway. How did the idea come about for Overnight?

Startup 100

Startup Los Angeles Mobile Pricing 100

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 20, 2022

“Design thinking” is a methodology used to solve complex challenges, such as the ones faced by every business in today’s rapidly changing and highly competitive environment. Using design thinking as a framework not only increases your ability to listen, but also develops your inquiry and conflict resolution skills.

Design 106

Design Coach Ideas Organization 106

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 13, 2019

“Design thinking” is a methodology used to solve complex challenges, such as the ones faced by every business in today’s rapidly changing and highly competitive environment. Using design thinking as a framework not only increases your ability to listen, but also develops your inquiry and conflict resolution skills.

Design 97

Design Coach Ideas Organization 97

TechCrunch LA

FEBRUARY 20, 2019

Capitalism is fundamentally about timing, since market competition is about finding opportunities before others. When should you start a company? What company should you start? When should you join a company? Start writing down predictions about people, companies, and markets. When should a VC invest?

Venture Capital 202

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Invest 202

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 3, 2015

A company presents. The rest of our partners, principles, associates and EIRs can weigh in with commentary on their views of the quality of the entrepreneur, the market, the product, competition and so forth. If it’s such an obvious deal then won’t 10 other companies being doing this? The same is true at startups.

Startup 150

Startup Venture Capital Invest Framework 150

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

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 4, 2017

“Design thinking” is a methodology used to solve complex challenges, such as the ones faced by every business in today’s rapidly changing and highly competitive environment. Using design thinking as a framework not only increases your ability to listen, but also develops your inquiry and conflict resolution skills.

Design 62

Design Coach Organization Ideas 62

SoCal CTO

JULY 23, 2012

This leads to a set of questions: What is the role of a CTO in the early stages of a company, and does that role change later on as both the company and that individual matures? It specifically answers the first questions about role and how it changes as the company matures. How will I know when the need has arisen?

CTO Coach 231

CTO Coach CTO Hire Outsource Development Develop 231

socalTECH

MARCH 2, 2020

The idea is pretty simple. In the real world, the idea that what you see is what I see is a central aspect of our experience. I ended up going to Lockheed Martin as Chief Innovation Officer, doing AR and VR work, creating a virtual framework used for training by the defense department. Are Android and iOS then your competition?

Platform 168

Platform Startup Examples Web 168

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 22, 2011

This always makes me chuckle because in my first company we had 5 investors in our first round and we picked up 5 more before we finally sold the company. In my second company I had only 1 investor. Most companies hit a bump in the road at some point. You are then a “stranded&# portfolio company. I love that.

Venture Capital 314

Venture Capital Startup Invest Pricing 314

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 3, 2020

This is counter to the traditional business premise of “control,” so many companies are still pushing back. I share her view of the ten key elements of the basic framework and vocabulary of open information sharing and open decision making: Explaining: creating buy-in. Updating: capturing knowledge and actions.

Framework 159

Framework Social Media Software Review Social Network 159

Xconomy

SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

Each company is investing untold billions of dollars in developing AI technologies, betting on a future defined by computer systems that can perceive, reason, advise, and decide. As the technology has advanced, so has the competitive landscape. He does see the opportunity for some broadly applicable frameworks though.

Artificial Inteligence 40

Artificial Inteligence Technical Review Technical Advisors Research 40

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 28, 2023

This is counter to the traditional business premise of “control,” so many companies are still pushing back. I share her view of the ten key elements of the basic framework and vocabulary of open information sharing and open decision making: Explaining: creating buy-in. Updating: capturing knowledge and actions.

Social Media 112

Social Media Media Software Review Social Network 112

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 22, 2018

This is counter to the traditional business premise of “control,” so many companies are still pushing back. I share her view of the ten key elements of the basic framework and vocabulary of open information sharing and open decision making: Explaining: creating buy-in. Updating: capturing knowledge and actions.

Software Review 92

Software Review Social Media Social Network Technical Review 92

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 23, 2016

This is counter to the traditional business premise of “control,” so many companies are still pushing back. I share her view of the ten key elements of the basic framework and vocabulary of open information sharing and open decision making: Explaining: creating buy-in. Updating: capturing knowledge and actions.

Software Review 90

Software Review Social Media Social Network Technical Review 90

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 19, 2013

This is counter to the traditional business premise of “control,” so many companies are still pushing back. I support her ten elements of the basic framework and vocabulary of open information sharing and open decision making: Explaining: creating buy-in. Updating: capturing knowledge and actions.

Social Media 102

Social Media Entrepreneur Software Review Social Network 102

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2012

This is counter to the traditional business premise of “control,” so many companies are still pushing back. She outlines her ten elements of the basic framework and vocabulary of open information sharing and open decision making: Explaining: creating buy-in. Updating: capturing knowledge and actions.

Entrepreneur 97

Entrepreneur Social Network Software Review Social Media 97

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2010

This is counter to the traditional business premise of “control,” so many companies are still pushing back. She outlines her ten elements of the basic framework and vocabulary of open information sharing and open decision making: Explaining: creating buy-in. Updating: capturing knowledge and actions.

Social Media 89

Social Media Startup Software Review Social Network 89

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 17, 2017

My goal is to lay out a basic framework for anybody unsure whom to listen to as a way of helping you think about a way to orient your own views. This market structure in which the few, large players use their market position to eliminate competition is inevitable. It’s Hobbesian economics 101. Enter the decentralized Internet.

Course 280

Course Startup Framework Marketing 280