Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2011

A while back I received a discouraging note from an entrepreneur with a patent and a medical software application who couldn’t find a dime of investment, and was grousing that seed funding just wasn’t available anymore. Too many people still believe the urban myth that you can sketch your idea on a napkin, and people will throw money at you.

Software Review 98

Software Review Funding Seed Funding Startup 98

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 11, 2022

I have often thought that creative endeavors where one has a quick turn-around between idea and realization of one’s work as one of the more fulfilling experiences in life. There were startups and a software industry but barely. Between 2006–2008 I sold both companies that I had started and became a VC. There was no money train.

Venture Capital 466

Venture Capital Startup Marketing Pricing 466

Tech.Co

MAY 25, 2018

The barriers to entry when it comes to launching a company require less tension and a lot less capital. In 2006, a passion to help startups grew into Tech Cocktail , a company whose mission was to showcased burgeoning companies in bars around the country. BlackTech Week (Miami, FL). The Case Foundation (Washington, DC).

Startup 141

Startup Technical Review Competition Software Review 141

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2022

I still have to tell some entrepreneurs that even with the best idea, they have to move to Silicon Valley to find the investors they need, or they need to move to the U.S. Having a great idea in the wrong place won’t get you the funding you need, the experienced domain experts you want, or the pilot market results you need for survival.

Technical Review 123

Technical Review Oracle Software Review Ideas 123

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2010

Yesterday I received a discouraging note from an entrepreneur with a patent and a medical software application who couldn’t find a dime of investment, and was grousing that seed funding just wasn’t available anymore. Too many people still believe the urban myth that you can sketch your idea on a napkin, and people will throw money at you.

Software Review 95

Software Review Startup Seed Funding Funding 95

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 29, 2009

My firm GRP Partners recently funded a young LA based company named Ad.Ly that is an “in-stream advertising&# company currently focused on monetizing Twitter. Traditional media companies published their stories on the web. If we continue our success we will have strong competition. was the “static&# web.

Ideas 286

Ideas Advertising Google Technical Review 286

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

DECEMBER 23, 2019

What was the biggest news for you/your company this year? We have invested in 13 companies out of our Fund 1 so far and are more bullish than ever on the amazing entrepreneurs we are meeting and the companies we are helping them build. A few of our portfolio companies are using AI (i.e. Since 2010, $6.3B

Capital 100

Capital Technical Review Truecar Venture Capital 100

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2010

Burstly, a Santa Monica based company, provides an open and free ad management platform that helps mobile application developers better monetize their inventory. As I naturally get asked all the time why we invested in Company A or Company B, I thought I’d just put forth my thesis in writing.

Mobile 282

Mobile Invest Company Companies 282

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

An alternate outcome that I also unfortunately observe in some cases are companies who had extreme early success with an initial product adoption but failed in key areas that limited the growth and therefore the ultimate financial outcomes. I see many companies that don’t make this transition well.

Startup 286

Startup Technical Review Customer Custom 286

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2019

I still have to tell some entrepreneurs that even with the best idea, they have to move to Silicon Valley to find the investors they need, or they need to move to the U.S. Having a great idea in the wrong place won’t get you the funding you need, the experienced domain experts you want, or the pilot market results you need for survival.

Startup 97

Startup Technical Review Oracle Software Review 97

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 1, 2009

The world has changed much since I started my first company in 1999. We spent time out in the marketplace talking with customers, looking at their solutions, comparing ourselves with our competition and then squirreling ourselves away in our offices designing our next set of features. What changed for us was Tim Barker arrived.

Organization 280

Organization Customer Custom Tips 280

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 1, 2012

Smart technology doesn’t work without clever software to make it useful. Do you need to wait until you have an idea that’s never been done before? Do you need to take the time to learn coding or should you search out a firm to help bring your idea into reality? What matters most is your execution of that idea.

Marketing 97

Marketing Startup Software Review Competition 97

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2011

Nobody really knows whether or not the idea is yet going to be big, so I believe in not over capitalizing too early. I believe that over capitalizing companies too early often favors the VC. If you’re creating truly innovative products, you often have no idea whether the proverbial dog will eat the dog food.

Development Team Review 374

Development Team Review Technical Review Startup Resource 374

Tech.Co

MARCH 8, 2018

Also at Startup Night will be 25 diverse and innovative startups showcasing their latest products, competing for prizes including: $1K from LaunchKC , Business Extra Points from American Airlines , and a fast tracked spot to the Startup of the Year semifinals competition at Innovate Celebrate 2018. Joanne Chen, Partner at Foundation Capital.

Technical Review 70

Technical Review Startup Software Review Entrepreneur 70

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

Exec Summary: Most companies (98+%) in the world (even tech startups) should be very profit focused. While Google and Facebook will buy “acquihires” (at least as of Dec 2011), many acquirers hate the idea of buying companies that aren’t profitable. Internet scale. ” But they want to do it with leverage.

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 16, 2015

I still have to tell some entrepreneurs that even with the best idea, they have to move to Silicon Valley to find the investors they need, or they need to move to the U.S. Having a great idea in the wrong place won’t get you the funding you need, the experienced domain experts you want, or the pilot market results you need for survival.

Startup 109

Startup Technical Review Oracle Software Review 109

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 6, 2011

Company : FindTheBest. Pull Quote: “If you are smart, competitive, hard working and passionate about what you do you will have the best experience of your life. For example, how Facebook evolved from other ideas and how 2 really simple concepts (exclusivity and relationship status) were fundamental to its success.

Entrepreneur 232

Entrepreneur Competition Software Review Course 232

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. What is one to do?

Software Review 150

Software Review Startup Venture Capital Invest 150

InfoChachkie

JUNE 20, 2011

Due to their lack of practical experience, this delegation/efficiency tradeoff is especially acute with respect to hiring Interns. Despite the fact that both companies were comprised of about 100 – 150 employees at the time, we routinely recruited 30 to 50 Interns each summer. Team Building Fun – It is summer after all, so keep it fun.

Startup 244

Startup Software Review Technical Review Class 244

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 28, 2012

I know that they really impacted an entire cohort of startups because every company that was coming to pitch me businesses was (is) saying, “I’m a ‘mobile first’ company.” I loved the idea of “mobile first” but something always bothered me. .” The power of a keyboard.

Web 334

Web Mobile Startup Software Review 334

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 16, 2016

People are even talking about “decacorns" -- investable companies with net worth now exceeding $10 billion -- like Dropbox and Pinterest. After viewing your slide deck, if investors are still interested in your startup, they will ask for a deep-dive meeting to drill in on any hard questions before commencing due diligence.

Startup 57

Startup Software Review Equity Invest 57

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 2, 2017

I still have to tell some entrepreneurs that even with the best idea, they have to move to Silicon Valley to find the investors they need, or they need to move to the U.S. Having a great idea in the wrong place won’t get you the funding you need, the experienced domain experts you want, or the pilot market results you need for survival.

Sites 59

Sites Startup Technical Review Oracle 59

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 7, 2013

I still have to tell some entrepreneurs that even with the best idea, they have to move to Silicon Valley to find the investors they need, or they need to move to the U.S. Having a great idea in the wrong place won’t get you the funding you need, the experienced domain experts you want, or the pilot market results you need for survival.

Startup 102

Startup Technical Review Oracle Entrepreneur 102

Tech Zulu Event

APRIL 18, 2014

It will change the ways in which people interact with the world, and that will force changes in the ways that companies do business. It’s only a matter of time before competition dictates that every crockpot come infused with a microprocessor. What Companies Are Doing to Protect IoT Users.

Technical Review 96

Technical Review Software Review Technology Examples 96

Tech Zulu Event

MAY 15, 2015

Give them all the tools they will need to succeed at your company. Workflow Software. You’ll be amazed at the results you can achieve with workflow software. This software helps you take important shortcuts to save time and make money. Business Process Management Software. Prioritize. Learn when to say no.

SEO 40

SEO Search Engine Optimization Tips Software Review 40

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2011

In my own view, the recovering economy is ripe for new startups, but successful startups are more about the right person, than the right idea or the right climate. It does mean you have a compelling new business idea, and a willingness to face risk. It means you'll be facing a lot less competition. What are you waiting for?

Startup 109

Startup Ideas Software Review Entrepreneur 109

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 24, 2011

We are now harnessing the ‘social’ aspect of the system where businesses and consumers begin to contribute to the data by adding or updating products listings as well as rate and review products.”. If you are smart, competitive, hard working and passionate about what you do, you will have the best experience of your life.

Blogging 219

Blogging Entrepreneur Software Review Course 219

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 25, 2016

It turns out that to build a successful company you ultimately need this strange thing called “revenue” that people don’t just hand you: You need to earn it. Most of this advice boils down to an argument in favor of basic planning before starting a company or raising money. MakeSpace provides physical storage.

Startup 150

Startup Marketing Study SEO 150

Tech Zulu Event

MAY 11, 2011

The best part about being a writer who covers startups is seeing revolutionary ideas take shape from their infancy. His idea and subsequent business plan won the Wharton Venture Award in 2009 and was a finalist for the Wharton Business Plan Competition. The best example the company uses is Mike’s real-life tale in college.

Conference 96

Conference Orange County Technical Review Software Review 96

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

After about a year and a half of working on ideas and how we can make DinnDinn successful, DinnDinn finally launched on August 28 th. When your company is just starting out there is a lot of work to do not to mention trying to grow your customer base, which in this case means gaining traction with users. Any Competition?

Startup 65

Startup Software Review Ideas Social Network 65

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2012

I tell them that if their idea or solution is technology intensive, they clearly need technology strength on the team. Most employers, due to fear of lawsuits, will only confirm employment data and give you positive feedback over the phone. Then the question becomes “How do I evaluate and attract the best technical talent?”

Technical Review 92

Technical Review Technology Startup Outsource Development 92

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 21, 2010

You have read all the stories of Google and Apple hitting on a great idea, beating the odds, and being worth millions in just a couple of years. You like the idea that most of the money you make will be yours, not just merged into corporate profits. It means you'll be facing a lot less competition. What are you waiting for?

Startup 90

Startup Entrepreneur Software Review Satisfaction 90

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 11, 2011

I tell them that if their idea or solution is technology intensive, they clearly need technology strength on the team. Most employers, due to fear of lawsuits, will only confirm employment data and give you positive feedback over the phone. Then the question becomes “How do I evaluate and attract the best technical talent?”

Technical Review 94

Technical Review Entrepreneur Outsource Development Outsource 94

socalTECH

MAY 18, 2010

As of the last four months, we've had about 200,000 plus downloads, a bunch of great write ups, and a lot of mom bloggers who have been reviewing the app and writing stories on it. How did you end up in the mobile market from last running an enterprise software firm? We built that and put it on the App Store on December 24 of 2009.

Mobile 168

Mobile .Net Pasadena Software Review 168

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2009

After my company was acquired by Salesforce.com I was asked to stop blogging and they took over my blog as an asset in the sale of the company. We have also been very busy with our next release, which is due out by December 11th (but I’ll save that for a different post). Consumer approach to software for business users.

Venture Capital 274

Venture Capital Blogging Startup Slides 274

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 1, 2014

It’s the company that evokes fear into more startups and venture capitalists looking to fund eCommerce businesses than any other potential competitor. He had an idea to make it better. We then riffed on the idea of, “That’s interesting. And could we then compete?” ” type questions.

Technical Review 380

Technical Review Software Review CTO Hire Startup 380