Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 1, 2021

Most business professionals I know will go to great lengths to take a neutral position on internal business conflicts, on the assumption that all conflict is bad for the company as well as their political future. Don’t let it be just a conflict over graphic design. Evaluate conflict win-lose versus win-win potential.

Activity 145

Activity Organization Examples Satisfaction 145

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 25, 2019

The new era of highly connected and interactive technology is changing not only how business employees interact with customers, but also how they interact with each other, and with their company. I am happy to see reports that young companies are leading the way in these trends, on both the customer and the employee side.

Competition 127

Competition Case Study Platform Yahoo 127

TechCrunch LA

SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

Two years after the Los Angeles-based fintech startup Dave launched with a suite of money management tools to save consumers from overdraft fees , the company is now worth $1 billion thanks to a nascent banking practice that had investors lining up. “We think the company is quite a bit more valuable than [$1 billion]. .

Company 262

Company Companies Startup Tips 262

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 29, 2010

Competitiveness - One attribute that I believe most VCs look for in entrepreneurs is competitiveness. If you stumble on to a really good idea believe me it will get competitive really quickly. I know that people who aren’t competitive always find competitive people slightly distasteful. I had to say it.

Competition 296

Competition Entrepreneur Startup GRP Partners 296

Tech.Co

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

From apps to hardware, to KickStarter successes and international startups, we’re inching closer to finding out who will take home the title of Startup of the Year competition at our annual Celebrate Conference in October. Co: What was the road like leading up to your initial pitch for the competition?

Competition 122

Competition Mobile Startup Technical Review 122

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 9, 2020

The CEO of the high-performance Italian motorcycle manufacturer offered that point of optimism, as her Modena based EV company remains closed by government decree. The company — that has has a California office and U.S. The venture is also one of the few e-motorcycle companies drawing engineering tips from competition.

Technical Review 277

Technical Review Competition Demand Sales 277

Berkonomics

SEPTEMBER 21, 2023

I internalized this phrase, recalling the many times I had partnered with customers to design new feature-functionality into my hotel computer system back when such systems were brand new to the industry. This week’s insight came from personal experience and from a good friend who advanced the notion of the “teacher-customer” years ago.

Customer 156

Customer Custom Design Conference 156

InfoChachkie

JUNE 20, 2011

Ryan Howard, the fictional Intern on the TV comedy, The Office. Michael Scott, the fictional head of Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton office, hires an Intern for all the wrong reasons. Due to their lack of practical experience, this delegation/efficiency tradeoff is especially acute with respect to hiring Interns.

Startup 244

Startup Software Review Technical Review Class 244

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

Actual financials for the privately held company were not announced. Saviynt says it has also expanded the number of employees at the company by 30%. The company attributed the growth to "product innovation, competitive customer wins, and key partnership additions." Saviynt is led by CEO Amit Saha. READ MORE>>.

Competition 113

Competition Software Development Los Angeles Tool 113

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2022

After many years in business, working in large companies as well as startups, I’m no longer surprised at why mature and successful companies struggle with introducing innovative new ventures as the market and environment changes. Commit a source of internal or external seed funding.

Incubator 143

Incubator Seed Funding Metrics Customer 143

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 6, 2022

Unfortunately, in mature companies, a larger and larger percentage of employees forget company survival and customers as the objectives, and focus only on their own personal gain. People in larger organizations move away from day-to-day contact with the end customer, and focus becomes company internal and isolated.

Satisfaction 147

Satisfaction Organization Customer Custom 147

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 7, 2020

International Trade Commission has taken up a complaint, filed by Santa Barbara-based Sonos , that Google has been importing and selling goods which Sonos says infringe upon its patents. READ MORE>>.

Google 113

Google Santa Barbara Patents Competition 113

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 11, 2012

Late last year we announced that local Southern California startup Caplinked was launching a worldwide pitch competition for entrepreneurs to present their business ideas to a panel of all-star judges from Idealab, Rincon, and Chris Yeh. Today is the day they make their final decision and you could be present and watch it all happen.

Competition 63

Competition Idealab Southern California Ideas 63

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 15, 2022

Facebook has created an environment where millions of people can hold billions of conversations with people and companies, transforming how people expect to interact with each other and the world. More and more company and personal services are being virtualized to the Cloud. Online gaming has moved from the geeks to the mainstream.

Startup 126

Startup Social Media Entertainment Metrics 126

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 8, 2023

Outsourcing is defined as contracting the work to another company, usually located in a developing country, like India, China, or Eastern Europe. Saving cost won’t help you if you can’t make the daily innovations required to stay competitive. Look at internal services versus external services.

Software Review 114

Software Review Technical Review Outsource Development Outsource 114

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2011

The international opportunity is large, as I related in an earlier article , but there are some major challenges as well. I was once asked by a top executive of a major software company why we were not selling more products in Finland. Companies became creative by selling and trading foreign exchange licenses.

Startup 90

Startup Technical Advisors Sales Examples 90

socalTECH

JULY 29, 2014

The deal is part of a competitive supply contract tender from Distribuidora de Electricidad del Sur, a local electricity distribution company in El Salvador. america latin international cleantech scale utility contract salvador solarreserve' Financial details of the win were not announced. READ MORE>>.

Outsource Development 147

Outsource Development Santa Monica Competition Develop 147

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2023

Michelli, with inspiring stories on how one well-known company, Mercedes-Benz, made the transition and is profiting as a result. Start with feedback from real customers, set measurable objectives, and make sure rewards and incentives are tempered by customer experiences, rather than only internal thresholds.

Customer 106

Customer Custom Startup Competition 106

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

San Diego-based Qualcomm has acquired European company Euvision , a developer of image recognition software, according to Euvision today. Euvision was one of the winners of Qualcomm''s annual QPrize competition. qualcomm euvision image recognition software merger acquisition europe international netherlands amsterdam'

San Diego 138

San Diego Competition Acquisition Content 138

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 19, 2011

CapLinked , the online platform for private investment funded by members of the “ PayPal Mafia “—announced that it is launching a worldwide pitch competition for entrepreneurs to present their business ideas to a panel of all-star judges from Idealab, Rincon, Rapidfire, and Actarus. says CapLinked CEO Eric M.

Competition 70

Competition Idealab Slides Startup 70

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 25, 2021

Here are five basic kinds of internal risks that a business faces over time. Competitors have a field day when hearing about cash problems at a company; and the rumors they pass on can reverberate for months or longer after the problem is solved. Fourth is competitive risk. That discussion is for a future time.

Competition 156

Competition Marketing Class Product 156

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2021

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. Building through internal development, or organic growth, makes the most sense when you have a core set of skilled internal resources.

Organization 132

Organization CTO Hire Outsource Development Startup 132

socalTECH

MAY 30, 2019

According to SimpliPhi Power, Lovins has provided consulting to such companies as International Finance Corporation, Unilever, Walmart, the United Nations and Royal Dutch Shell, along with Interface, Patagonia and Clif Bar.

Technical Review 113

Technical Review Competition Capital Develop 113

Berkonomics

JULY 27, 2017

I internalized this phrase, recalling the many times I had partnered with customers to design new feature-functionality into my hotel computer system back when such systems were brand new to the industry. This week’s insight came from personal experience and from a good friend who advanced the notion of the “teacher-customer” years ago.

Customer 243

Customer Custom Design Conference 243

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2010

Conventional wisdom in most companies is that “the competition is the enemy&# – it’s the rallying cry to dig deeper, get more features out the door, issue press releases citing differences and attack the competition’s weaknesses in sales presentations. You know, frenemies. When Enemies are Good.

Cloud Computing 320

Cloud Computing Competition Press Startup 320

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

Contractors and freelancers, like any other business, manage their own internal processes, but they can’t manage your business. Hire and train your own managers for internal and external work projects. Some entrepreneurs view their outsourced employees as temps, or as a cheap way to staff the company during its startup phase.

Outsource Development 138

Outsource Development Outsource Summary Training 138

Tech Zulu Event

APRIL 1, 2016

140,000 new startup companies are reportedly launched every day. What’s more, strategic locations can benefit from varying global legislation: influencing competitor clauses, user privacy data collection, and tax laws amongst other factors that can give a company a powerful competitive edge. Our key markets are the U.S.

Technical Review 40

Technical Review Startup Incubator Media 40

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2016

I suspect the exuberance for an IPO is still being driven by the highly visible successes of several companies a few years ago, including Facebook, Yelp, and Twitter. In fact, IPOs are down again this year, with just 31 companies going public in the U.S. These include the following: Taking a company public is an expensive process.

Company 55

Company Companies Acquisition Entrepreneur 55

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2023

According to the International Business Innovation Association ( InBIA ), there are over 2,000 of these locations worldwide, and new online versions springing up all over the place, like Founders Space in Silicon Valley. I believe their competitive advantage is their top on-site leadership, exclusivity, and connections to investors.

Organization 92

Organization Incubator Startup Resource 92

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

I believe this option will continue to spread to other companies, states and countries. Several good discussions take a whole chapter in the classic book “ Mind Your Business: Thoughts for Entrepreneurs ,” by international entrepreneur Toine Knipping: Investors favor startups that integrate social responsibility.

Startup 149

Startup Organization Customer Custom 149

Jason Nazar

JULY 1, 2016

Entrepreneurs often lament big companies, but most of us hope we’ll create just that. Add in public company demands, lawsuit targets, & millions of customers to continually satisfy, and you have to have great respect for those doing it well. Decisions that take entrepreneurs an hour, often take months at large companies.

Entrepreneur 55

Entrepreneur Company Companies Outsource Development 55

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 13, 2020

Michelli, with inspiring stories on how one well-known company, Mercedes-Benz, made the transition and is profiting as a result. Start with feedback from real customers, set measurable objectives, and make sure rewards and incentives are tempered by customer experiences, rather than only internal thresholds.

Customer 168

Customer Custom Services Startup 168

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 20, 2022

I find that many business leaders are “too busy” to focus on talent, so they hire interns, available family members, or the first candidate, without regard to talent, experience, or dedication. Foster collaboration rather than competition. Always maintain the very best talent for your team.

Product 109

Product Training Customer Custom 109

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 7, 2016

Creating the right company culture must be a top priority of every entrepreneur and business leader. You need to paint a compelling future for your company that they can all connect with. As they rack up – with your leadership – yet more and more positive reference points, they internalize the causes and consequences.

Company 59

Company Companies Organization Startup 59

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2021

For example, I once worked for a small software company selling a sophisticated enterprise workflow solution. As small companies, neither startup could afford to extend their product alone, but through creative leadership, we were able to negotiate a win-win strategic partnership for a joint product. We both often lost as a result.

Startup 173

Startup Outsource Development Examples Customer 173

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 20, 2020

More than ever before, people want to buy from, work for, and invest in companies that matter. Your company and team members have to be seen as going above and beyond to solve the problems of internal and external customers. Companies that matter focus beyond the buy/sell transaction view of the world.

Customer 167

Customer Custom Satisfaction Marketing 167

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

These often lead to angel investors and venture capital investments later, or connections to local company venture funds for selected focus and technology areas. These also get used for guest lectures in business classes, judges for business plan competition, and introductions to accredited investors.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Class Startup Resource 110