Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 11, 2022

Something happened in the past 7 years in the startup and venture capital world that I hadn’t experienced since the late 90’s — we all began praying to the God of Valuation. How might our next phase of the journey seem brighter, even with more uncertain days for startups and capital markets? Nobody cared about our valuations any more.

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Venture Capital Startup Marketing Pricing 466

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 31, 2021

The sweeping infrastructure package put forward today by President Joe Biden comes with a price tag of roughly $2 trillion (and hefty tax hikes) but gives startups and the broader tech industry about $1 trillion worth of reasons to support it. ” Climate resiliency . Given the steady drumbeat of climate disasters that hit the U.S.

Startup 229

Startup Technical Review Invest Research 229

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 23, 2019

Raising capital for a female-led startup can be very diffiult--which is what Justine Lassoff and Melinda Moore found out when they started their own company, LovingEco, in Los Angeles. We actually started the organization in 2013. What is the most difficult challenge that women entrepreneurs face?

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Help Entrepreneur Capital Startup 224

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 20, 2021

I’ve always said that startups are all about execution. Sometimes I encounter self-proclaimed entrepreneurs who have been “thinking” about a concept for many years, and haven’t started yet. Some of these may be visionaries, but none are real entrepreneurs - yet. It’s the things we know that just ain’t so.”

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Startup Examples SpaceX Entrepreneur 152

Berkonomics

MARCH 9, 2017

Starting a company is HARD – in so many ways. I read several years ago, that the average startup restaurant lasts only about a year. Here I am a professional investor in early stage companies, and I attempt to find those with the greatest chance of success and growth in value over time. And risky too. And, the U.S.

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Startup Statistics Tech Coast Angels Study 266

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 8, 2022

With the cost of entry at an all-time low, and the odds of success equally low, more and more entrepreneurs are starting multiple companies concurrently. Other prolific entrepreneurs, like Richard Branson and Elon Musk , simply have several startups on the table at any given moment.

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Entrepreneur Startup Resource Course 145

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 17, 2023

I know that dates me a good bit, but it also shows that I have been hanging around startups and big companies for a long time. The honest truth is that I worked directly with him in the early days of Microsoft from my “safe” perch in big IBM, during the startup of the IBM PC. We all start out as regular guys. by Louis V.

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IBM IBM Company Companies 82

TechCrunch LA

AUGUST 12, 2022

In 2018, co-founders Schuyler Deerman and James Chan started selling healthy meals at WeWork offices around Los Angeles out of giant Yeti coolers, standing around the kitchens during lunch time. “At In January 2020, the company was in discussions with Whole Foods about launching a pilot of its meals in a few stores.

Invest 175

Invest Los Angeles Startup Funding 175

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 18, 2023

How many entrepreneurs do you know that “almost” made it big? Startups are very risky, and most fail. Surveys show that entrepreneurs are among the happiest people in the world, despite the challenges. Yet it would pay real dividends to know at the start what separates the “also-rans” from the winners.

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Entrepreneur Startup Custom Customer 95

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

Most aspiring entrepreneurs look to their alma mater, or any university, as a source of classes that can help them, but neglect to think outside the box or take advantage of all the other resources to be found there. Access to entrepreneurs-in-residence, business mentors. Visibility to startup job opportunities and career guidance.

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Entrepreneur Class Startup Resource 110

socalTECH

MAY 1, 2019

Brian Liu , the co-founder and CEO of a new startup, BizCounsel , was the co-founder of LegalZoom, and thinks there can be a new way that every business owner can get access to dedicated business attorneys for legal work. We caught up with Brian to hear more about the startup. What you are up to with this new company?

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Berkonomics

MARCH 24, 2016

Dave’s note: This week we welcome guest author, David Friedman, to tell us about his favorite startup CEO, and his take after interviewing her – asking for her list of attributes for startup success. . I met Kirsten Mangers several years ago after she successfully sold her startup, Webvisible. Culture Maven.

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Startup Ideas Incubator Mentor 120

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 17, 2021

It wasn’t so many years ago that starting a new e-commerce business on the Internet was a complex custom development project, usually costing a million dollars or more. Almost anyone can start a company today on a shoestring budget, following these cost-cutting recommendations: Establish a solid legal structure for your business.

Entrepreneur 162

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media Outsource Development 162

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

I was reading Danielle Morrill’s blog post today on whether one’s “ Startup Burn Rate is Normal. I love how transparently Danielle lives her startup (& encourages other to join in) because it provides much needed transparency to other startups. But what IS the right amount of burn for a company?

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Startup Company Companies .Net 383

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 5, 2023

Technology is so key to every business these days that experienced business-smart but non-tech entrepreneurs are feeling deeper and deeper in the hole. Startups succeed most often when the founding partners know how to build and run a business, rather than how to build and run technology.

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Entrepreneur Technology High Tech Startup 104

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2021

As a mentor to startups and new entrepreneurs, I continue to hear the refrain that business plans are no longer required for a new startup, since investors never read them anyway. There is no crowd of successful entrepreneurs. Successful startups are all about the right people with the right stuff.

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Entrepreneur Tips Funding Startup 156

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

Tracy DiNunzio isn’t your typical Silicon Valley startup founder. She did her first tech startup after the age of 30. And she didn’t start her company in Northern California. Tracy built her company, Recycled Media , out of necessity. She actually IS the prototypical entrepreneur.

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Startup Entrepreneur SEO Venture Capital 363

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Join a startup incubator. It always reduces risk to plan your business first.

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Startup Technical Review Equity Incubator 136

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 30, 2021

Making the decision to start your own business is a major commitment, with huge implications for skills and lifestyle. These are not valid reasons to start a business. But if you're focused on solving a real problem, believe you can do it better than anyone else, and confident in wearing many hats, you have the right start-up mindset.

Entrepreneur 169

Entrepreneur Startup Statistics Guide 169

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2021

Innovation is the key to long-term business success, both in startups as well as established organizations. Yet every business and every entrepreneur I know struggles with this challenge, focused on hiring the right people and implementing the right process. Pick an impossible target and get mad about it.

Entrepreneur 158

Entrepreneur Startup Outsource Development Design 158

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 31, 2011

One of the most common questions that entrepreneurs who meet me for the first time like to ask is, “Do you miss being an entrepreneur? If you’ve taken the roller coaster ride that is a startup – you know what I’m talking about. On Being an Entrepreneur. This post originally appeared on TechCrunch. Long hours.

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Entrepreneur Startup Venture Capital Ideas 384

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 21, 2023

One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” On the other hand, there are many additional creative options available for starting a business that you might not find for buying a car, home, or other major consumer item. Solicit venture capital investors.

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Startup Capital Equity Funding 106

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 11, 2020

As a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I’m always surprised by the fact that some never seem to be able to that first startup going, while many others never seem to stop, starting their second or third initiative before the first one is fully hatched. You can’t win a race that you never start.

Entrepreneur 131

Entrepreneur Startup Ideas Software Review 131

Berkonomics

APRIL 20, 2023

Starting a company is HARD – in so many ways. Let’s start with a restaurant -not our thing. But… I read several years ago that the average startup restaurant lasts only about a year. Restaurant startups would not top my list. And this includes all businesses, not just startups. And risky too.

Statistics 156

Statistics Startup Study Invest 156

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2023

As a business advisor, I meet many business professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs who are anxious to be their own boss , or have an innovative idea to start or acquire a new business. Also, initiating a startup is quite different from taking over a thriving business, where the focus is on repeatable processes and quarterly profits.

Startup 94

Startup Ideas Metrics Entrepreneur 94

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 9, 2013

Don Charlton’s heroic journey began with him growing up on government assistance and culminated in his founding The Resumator , one of America''s fastest growing startups. Don began by explaining that his impoverished childhood drove him to a life as an entrepreneur. ". I grew up ridiculously poor. Growing up.

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Startup Entrepreneur Design Santa Barbara 250

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 23, 2020

Entrepreneurs who experience success with their first startup are often amazed to realize that the risks and fears of doing it right the second time go up, rather than down. Encores are tough, especially in the high-risk world of startups, yet every entrepreneur I know can’t wait to start over and do it again.

Entrepreneur 129

Entrepreneur Startup Technical Review Ideas 129

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 8, 2013

I met fellow hustler Brian Curliss about 2 years ago at a Startup Weekend event that I was covering. It came as no surprise whatsoever when I found out that his new company MailLift was called up to the big leagues to join the 500 Startups accelerator. So what is so special about 500 Startups you ask?

Startup 86

Startup CTO Coach Mentor Class 86

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. Thus I often recommend that before you kick off your own business, you join another startup or existing business to see how things really work.

Entrepreneur 173

Entrepreneur Patents Startup Technical Review 173

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2020

As an angel investor in startups, I’m a believer that smart investors invest more in you as the entrepreneur than the next billion dollar solution you are pitching. I’m not looking for words, but examples of how your habits and attributes have produced results, even before your startup.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Startup Examples Metrics 124

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 26, 2020

500 Startups is scrapping its cohort model for accelerating companies and moving to a rolling admissions process, the accelerator said during its latest demo day. One of the progenitors of the accelerator model in the US along with Techstars and Y Combinator , 500 has been a cornerstone of the early-stage company building platform.

Startup 177

Startup Los Angeles Invest Platform 177

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 3, 2023

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.

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Company Companies Custom Customer 116

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2021

Most entrepreneurs start their company with the highest of ideals, and wouldn’t dream of building one with a culture of indifference or downright unethical behavior. How does a Founder recognize the warning signs, let alone know what to do about it? Misunderstood pivots.

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Startup Social Media Organization Entrepreneur 128

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

One of the reasons that now is the time to be an entrepreneur is the explosion of startup assistance organizations, usually called incubators or accelerators. Most of these are non-profits, set up by a university to commercialize new technologies, or a municipality to foster business development for the local economy.

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Resource Startup Incubator Seed Funding 159

socalTECH

MARCH 28, 2019

Earlier this month, the annual Montgomery Summit conference was held in Santa Monica, including a special portion of the conference dedicated to the Rise of the Female Entrepreneur. I got started in investment banking, focused on helping medical companies buy technology companies, and then later in the enterprise space and in the cloud.

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Capital Entrepreneur Invest Artificial Inteligence 162

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 26, 2020

Almost every entrepreneur starts their journey by developing a solution, based on their idea of a new technology or required service. One answer is for the developer to find a partner, like Steve Jobs, who is a leader to build and run the business, and two heads in a startup are almost always better than one.

Startup 124

Startup Entrepreneur Ideas Summary 124

Tech Coast Venture Network

AUGUST 11, 2015

In my youth I read a Jack London tale about a scruffy teen who hung around the wharf in Oakland. Ultimately Billy quit his night job and became a legitimate businessman hauling cargo out and back from ships that could not tie-up at the busy docks. Or maybe Billy’s story is the same story as so many start-ups.

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Startup Blogging Activity Entrepreneur 100