Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 28, 2018

My friend Michael Broukhim, founder & co-CEO of FabFitFun and I recently had a catch-up meeting for 3-miles on the Santa Monica “Bird Trail” No company has ever elicited so many questions by friends, colleagues, entrepreneurs, fellow VCs and journalists as has Bird, the company that pioneered the electronic scooter as a service market.

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Santa Monica Funding Startup Course 256

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2019

One of the things that founders have the most angst about is whom they should have on their board and at what stage of the business. Do you need a board when you first start you company? Of course it happens all the time?—?especially Bad board members can make business very unpleasant. If you get a smart person on the board?—?just

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Startup Venture Capital Tips Capital 236

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2021

I’m fully convinced that both inspiration and perspiration are always required in a startup. Aspiring entrepreneurs ask me why their great idea hasn’t sold; they talk about it endlessly, and they expect others to do the development, finance, and marketing work for them. Starting a business may be fun, but it’s not easy.

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SoCal CTO

APRIL 25, 2017

Here is the most recent version of an all too common email inquiry from a startup founder. I'm working on a start up idea in the XXX market with my partner and we are currently looking for full stack developer to join us as a technical co-founder. I've written before about having an Initial Conversation with a Potential CTO.

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Email Startup Develop Development 150

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 29, 2014

This week I wrote about obsessive and competitive founders and how this forms the basis of what I look for when I invest. I had been thinking a lot about this recently because I’m often asked the question of “what I look for in an entrepreneur when I want to invest?” I had invested in myself for years.

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Startup Invest Venture Capital Writing 409

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2020

leadership, mentorship, competitiveness, communications, relationship-building?—?and and of course a relentless pursuit of helping founders succeed. 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.

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Venture Capital Startup Invest CitySearch 361

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 26, 2010

Competition. And the reality is that if you have no competition it will likely be perceived as a negative, not positive. And the reality is that if you have no competition it will likely be perceived as a negative, not positive. where do you need to make investments to make up ground and therefore need capital?).

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Venture Capital Slides Competition Education 313

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2019

Most entrepreneurs are quick to assert to potential investors that their product or solution will kill the competition, but unfortunately your opinion alone is not enough to convince most experienced investors. Of course, we all know there are no guarantees, and we like your passion and commitment to future results.

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Competition Patents Startup Custom 86

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2013

For much of 2013 I watched the press write articles about how the YouTube “MCNs” (multi-channel networks) were doomed and tried to square that with the data I was watching at the one I invested in, Maker Studios, who has had one hell of a year. So can you successfully build a YouTube network? ” YouTube takes 45%.

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

But very quickly, it is becoming obvious to startups that the value and satisfaction exceeds the costs. To legally facilitate startups who want to give top priority to socially conscious solutions, thirty-five states, starting with Maryland way back in 2010, have passed legislation allowing incorporation as a Benefit Corporation (B-Corp).

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Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2021

In their passion and excitement about a new product or service, entrepreneurs tend to continually narrow the scope of potential competitors, and often claim to have no direct competitors. First to market, for example, is not normally a sustainable advantage for startups. Startup team with experience and connections is this domain.

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Competition Funding Startup Patents 166

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 10, 2013

TechCrunch interviewed me and asked me to talk about failure. So I spoke for 12 minutes about my own failures. As I’ve said before, all startups need to realize that every other company still has to see itself naked in the mirror in the morning. We all know that people who truly are crushing it rarely talk about it.

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Startup Press Course Entrepreneur 412

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. Most investors tend to think of startups without a plan as expensive hobbies. Marty Zwilling

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Startup Writing Mentor Sample 102

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 29, 2010

I started the series talking about what I consider the most important attribute of an entrepreneur : Tenacity. Competitiveness - One attribute that I believe most VCs look for in entrepreneurs is competitiveness. I replay things in my mind about why I lost and I try to correct my mistakes. I had to say it.

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Competition Entrepreneur Startup GRP Partners 296

socalTECH

OCTOBER 11, 2010

Last week, the University of Southern California 's Viterbi School of Engineering announced that it had established a new, business plan competition, the Maseeh Entrepreneurship Prize Competition ([link] specifically aimed at students in the engineering school. Why a business plan competition, and why in engineering school?

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Competition Southern California Mentor USC 154

Tech.Co

JUNE 5, 2024

Starting or growing a small business in 2024 is no easy feat, and one of the biggest obstacles you will face is securing funding. We round up seven grants that you should know about right now – including their eligibility criteria and funding amount. Learn more about the CO-100, and apply here 2.

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Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 25, 2019

Here are some observations I have from this exposure: If a company moves from strength-to-strength with predictable outcomes, easy financings, low staff turn-over, limited competitive threats then the composition of the board probably doesn’t matter as much. This is part of a series on a Board of Directors at a Startup.

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Startup Venture Capital Layoffs Resource 269

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 3, 2019

You will be pivoting your business in your lifetime, whether you are a new startup, or a mature company like Motorola or IBM. It happens on the front end for startups to get traction, and then again later for every company as the economy, competition, and culture changes around them. Carpenter, Gary F. Gebhardt, and John F.

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Course IBM IBM Social Media 85

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 3, 2020

This can be an advantage to startups who don’t have the resources and brand awareness of mature businesses, if they understand and position themselves to win in the decisive moments of the new customer buying process. Great startups manage to continually improve the relationship through outstanding follow-on support and service.

Custom 124

Custom Customer Startup Course 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 10, 2023

Most of the time, I’m all about providing encouragement and inspiration to entrepreneurs. A few years ago, I enjoyed one of Guy Kawasaki’s first books, “ Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition.” Of course, there is much more, but I think you get the idea.

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Entrepreneur Startup Sample Guide 99

Tech.Co

SEPTEMBER 3, 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 at our annual Tech.Co Among the participants that applied for the online competitions, only a progressed into the semi-finals. Celebrate Conference in October.

Competition 101

Competition Startup Ideas Conference 101

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 30, 2022

This can be an advantage to startups who don’t have the resources and brand awareness of mature businesses, if they understand and position themselves to win in the decisive moments of the new customer buying process. Great startups manage to continually improve the relationship through outstanding follow-on support and service.

Custom 146

Custom Customer Startup Course 146

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2014

In their passion and excitement about a new product or service, entrepreneurs tend to continually narrow the scope of potential competitors, and often claim to have no direct competitors. First to market, for example, is not normally a sustainable advantage for startups. Startup team with experience and connections is this domain.

Competition 93

Competition Startup Patents Slides 93

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

We have global opportunities from these trends but of course also big challenges. Of course we can’t. I’m over-paying for every check I write into the VC ecosystem and valuations are being pushed up to absurd levels and many of these valuations and companies won’t hold in the long term. Hot, Flat & Crowded.” By definition?—?I’m

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 11, 2023

As a business advisor and advocate for entrepreneurs, I find myself almost always talking and writing about change. Yet there are many things about business and work that haven’t changed for a long time, and don’t need to change anytime soon. Showing up still matters. This is not about clocking in to work.

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Startup Writing Entrepreneur Screening 106

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 26, 2013

Understanding “The Funding Angle” I sit at enough board meetings to hear conflicting advice given to entrepreneurs about how to handle PR and announcements at startups. But first you need to know about Reg D filings. I will add to this as I write more in the coming weeks on the topic.

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Startup Funding News Press 355

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 13, 2021

In my role as mentor to many of you aspiring entrepreneurs, I often find you convinced that all you need to start is a unique innovation or idea , and now you are ready to jump in with both feet and enjoy the ride. Remember that being an entrepreneur is all about starting and running a business, after the initial invention.

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Satisfaction Entrepreneur Startup Mentor 135

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 16, 2014

One of the vivid memories I have from being a startup CEO is the feeling that most people in your company have a look in their eyes that like they can do your job as well as you. But if you level up , raise capital and grow customers, revenue and staff – life changes. You course correct. Startup life. Engineering?

Entrepreneur 385

Entrepreneur CTO Hire Startup Sales 385

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2023

Always start with a formal proposal, limited in scope to a specific common objective or technology, for a limited amount of time, bounded by a two-way non-disclosure statement. Every startup has a core competency which should not be shared. Up-sell related products or cross endorsement. Think about the future.

Startup 105

Startup Outsource Competition Entrepreneur 105

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

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 29, 2014

I wrote about this in a blog post last year titled “ It’s Morning in VC ” but I never made the full deck available until now. This year an associate from Upfront Ventures – Glenn Poppe – helped me pull together more information about how our industry is changing. Startup Lessons'

Venture Capital 362

Venture Capital Capital Startup Writing 362

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

When Ethan was considering leaving Google we talked about it. He had an idea for a startup that would help consumers better book service jobs and would take on Service Magic, which he believed had a business model that could be disrupted. In the same year they won Business Insider’s Startup competition. Nice sweep!

CTO Coach 359

CTO Coach Google CTO Hire Yammer 359

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 28, 2021

Most entrepreneurs expect to face the “normal” challenges of starting a business, which include finding the right opportunity, building and executing a winning plan, and financing their venture. Yet before you start, you should think about what the impact might be on your psyche, and how to neutralize these challenges in your own plan.

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Startup Training Entrepreneur Course 152

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 12, 2014

Yesterday I wrote a post about “ growth hacking ” and why I thought it was wrong that people were hating on the term unnecessarily. If you’re a technology startup you need to excel at product, of course. The start of marketing is figuring out a market need and a way to solve that need better than anybody else.

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Marketing Startup SEM SEO 379

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2021

Startup founders are known for their passion for their startup idea, and for their passion to kill every competitor. Of course, this path involves some risk, but you never get anywhere unless you take a chance. Ability to up-sell customers with related products. We both often lost as a result.

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Startup Outsource Development Examples Custom 173

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 28, 2022

In the classic book by Christoph Lueneburger, “ A Culture Of Purpose ,” he details how to build this new culture, and why it is becoming more instrumental in bringing about success, as well as sustainability, in organizations as diverse as Unilever and Walmart. Customer loyalty and trust go up for companies with a purpose culture.

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Organization Startup Pricing Custom 143

InfoChachkie

JULY 29, 2013

Easy To Start, Hard To Control. His talk was entertaining and informative and contained a number of witty entrepreneurial insights, such as: "Startups are like high school. His talk was entertaining and informative and contained a number of witty entrepreneurial insights, such as: "Startups are like high school.

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Startup Course Entrepreneur Marketing 229