Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 16, 2023

Projecting financials is a natural extension of the homework every entrepreneur needs to do on customer opportunity size, product costs, pricing, competition and customer value. Calculate investment amounts and timing. Project your cash burn rate to keep at least 18 months between venture capital or angel investments.

Startup 116

Startup Pricing Sales Statistics 116

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 19, 2011

He is very hands-on and helpful – especially for any company looking into customer acquisition. Matt’s commitment to re-investing in tech startups is reminiscent to this great Fred Wilson post of “recycling capital. &#. Backstopping is when banks feel they are protected by VC’s investing in the company.

Acquisition 304

Acquisition Startup Customer Custom 304

Berkonomics

JUNE 17, 2011

Even small community service-providers can be sold to buyers hungry to get into a business already in revenue with a steady customer base. Is your value proposition for an eventual buyer that you have some secret sauce that allows you to compete more effectively against competition? What creates value in a business?

Equity 209

Equity Class Email Competition 209

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2023

Taking on equity investors to fund your company is much like getting married – it is a long-term relationship that has to work at all levels. Investor due diligence on a startup is not a mysterious black art, but is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of your business model, team, product, customers, and plan.

Technical Review 138

Technical Review Startup Innocal Offshore 138

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

On the one hand, you’re over paying for every investment and valuations aren’t rational. That used to be called A-round investing. The biggest change for us in early-stage investing is that we now need to commit earlier. However, to be a great VC you have to hold two conflicting ideas in your head at the same time. of the fund.

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 21, 2019

Often, we joke together as managers of companies or of people that our goal is “world domination” or “to crush the competition.” But that is a number in a vacuum without at least two other measures: return on investment (ROI) and percentage of net profit to revenue. The three measures of progress.

Company 156

Company Companies .Net Google 156

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2021

Others schedule exhaustive training sessions for everyone on the team, including showcase customers, to make sure that everyone paints a consistent picture. Due diligence always involves on-site visits, informal discussions with any or all members of the team, vendors, and good customers as well as bad. Status of the solution.

Technical Review 151

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Invest 151

TechCrunch LA

SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

The firm’s portfolio includes Detroit’s direct-to-consumer plant startup Bloomscape , Chicago-based Paro , which provides a network of on-demand finance professionals, DC’s custom framing business Framebridge , Milwaukee-based monthly wine club Bright Cellars and New York insurtech company Policygenius. Revolution co-founder Tige Savage.

Venture Capital 211

Venture Capital Funding Seed Funding Activity 211

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

You need to work just as hard to convince investors that you are the best person to take your idea from a dream to a successful business, and provide an impressive return on their investment at the same time. Offer an attractive and viable investment equation.

Ideas 140

Ideas Entrepreneur Equity Resource 140

Berkonomics

JUNE 8, 2017

Email readers, continue here…] Bootstrapping: This term describes your ability to start a business with little investment and grow it using internally-generated funds. Strategic partner” investors: If you can find a strategic partner willing to invest in your enterprise, consider it a blessing.

Venture Capital 266

Venture Capital Class Invest Equity 266

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 15, 2023

Investors invest in people, more than ideas. Skip the background story and customer pitch, which every investor has heard all too often. Smart Shark Tank presenters have done their homework on each investor, and customize their sample product or anecdote for each. Grab investor attention in the first couple of minutes.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Sample Ideas Customer 111

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

Every startup needs to start their funding search looking for grants, with no equity dilution, as well as contests and foundations. These often lead to angel investors and venture capital investments later, or connections to local company venture funds for selected focus and technology areas.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Class Startup Resource 110

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2021

If you don’t have a destination, don’t waste your money trying to get there, and don’t expect anyone to support you along the way Projecting financials is a natural extension of the homework every entrepreneur needs to do on customer opportunity size, product costs, pricing, competition and customer value. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 147

Startup Pricing Sales Statistics 147

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2018

You company is the product and you’re selling an equity ownership in your company but much more broadly you’re selling trust & confidence that you’re going to build something enormously valuable and that you’re going to be enjoyable to work hand-in-hand with over the coming decade of each other’s lives.

Venture Capital 314

Venture Capital Technical Review Invest Slides 314

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 28, 2020

The investment firms and executive teams behind the Los Angeles-based delivery liquor delivery company, Saucey , along with Inception Companies, the backer of marijuana distribution company, Emjay , have formed Pacific Consolidated to merge their two companies and build what’s likely the largest “vice” company in the world. .”

Company 188

Company Companies Los Angeles San Diego 188

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 11, 2020

Taking on equity investors to fund your company is much like getting married – it is a long-term relationship that has to work at all levels. Investor due diligence on a startup is not a mysterious black art, but is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of your business model, team, product, customers, and plan.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Funding Innocal Offshore 124

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2021

For example, if you have ever watched the Shark Tank show on TV, they always ask about the cost of customer acquisition. It still amazes me that some entrepreneurs seem totally at a loss on this question, or customer retention rate, or even margin expectations. Postulate competitive reactions and your responses.

Entrepreneur 162

Entrepreneur Social Media Examples Metrics 162

InfoChachkie

JULY 11, 2011

The nature of the company’s business model requires it to fund certain costs before it is paid by its customers. By combining our equity investment with a tranche of venture debt, the company has avoided a larger equity round, which would have significantly diluted the Founders’ ownership share. Enter venture debt.

Equity 235

Equity Startup Invest Funding 235

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 9, 2019

To refresh your memory, angel investors are typically high net worth individuals, accredited by the SEC and willing to invest their own money in a high-potential startup for a share of the ownership. If your target customer is a business, rather than a consumer, I recommend you skip crowdfunding as poorly applicable.

Funding 119

Funding Startup Platform Examples 119

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 14, 2020

Investors invest in people, more than ideas. Skip the background story and customer pitch, which every investor has heard all too often. Smart Shark Tank presenters have done their homework on each investor, and customize their sample product or anecdote for each. Grab investor attention in the first couple of minutes.

Entrepreneur 127

Entrepreneur Sample Ideas Customer 127

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

The corporate entity lends itself best to the concept of “sharing” equity required by investors, and unincorporated entities don’t get funding. Having a defensible competitive advantage or “barrier to entry” is another critical step to funding, and another common stumbling block during all phases of the funding process.

Invest 99

Invest Angel Technical Review Summary 99

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2020

Every startup needs to start their funding search looking for grants, with no equity dilution, as well as contests and foundations. These often lead to angel investors and venture capital investments later, or connections to local company venture funds for selected focus and technology areas.

Class 124

Class Startup Resource Mentor 124

TechCrunch LA

MAY 20, 2021

Eano, she said, offers competitive and transparent pricing so that homeowners aren’t surprised as a remodeling project goes on. We’re also helping these individual contractors increase the brand, and helping them with the administration and customer support side with our software.”. Image Credits: Eano CEO and founder Stella Wu / Eano.

Technical Review 185

Technical Review Startup Venture Capital Software Review 185

Berkonomics

JANUARY 26, 2017

The most striking example was the one hundred–million–dollar purchase of one of my companies by a New York private equity investor using only five million of its cash. Just think of the second tool, terms, you can use creatively to bridge that gap, whether driven by seller’s ego or competitive necessity. It’s an easy rule to remember.

Pricing 120

Pricing Sales Tool Equity 120

Berkonomics

AUGUST 27, 2015

They financed their companies, to the extent possible, in a manner minimizing the cost of capital, planning for organic growth in the number of customers served and in associated revenues. Being one or the other is neither good nor bad, but the needs and investment considerations are very different.

Entrepreneur 120

Entrepreneur Equity Competition Pricing 120

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 5, 2016

To win, you need to think outside the box to deliver a better customer experience, business model, and new positioning. It takes extra effort and focus on some special techniques, including the following, to get the edge you need over your competitors in customer attraction and retention: Set order-of-magnitude goals.

Ideas 103

Ideas Competition Customer Custom 103

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2010

Things that make it investment-grade for outside investors will also benefit you, since you are the ultimate investor. Terms like “every customer needs this” and “next generation platform” are far too soft, and should be avoided. Clearly define the customer, channel, and revenue model associated with this solution.

Invest 74

Invest Tips Competition Metrics 74

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2015

A popular myth these days is that successful entrepreneurs must attract investors to get their businesses going, when the reality has been that more than 80 percent of new businesses are started and grown with no outside investment at all. The first question from most investors is the size of your own investment.

Startup 101

Startup Entrepreneur Equity Summary 101

socalTECH

DECEMBER 12, 2013

We''re very much a global footprint company, and we have customers from all over the world who fit that type of description. Right now, we have around 380,000 customers, with about a third of those outside the United States. The investment was made to give some liquidity to one of the four founders.

Software Review 238

Software Review Cloud Computing Technical Review Platform 238

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2018

Unfortunately, customers look for value in solving their problem, and new technologies alone scare them, so these solutions don’t get bought by customers, or funded. Attracting business investors is as tough as attracting customers, but it’s a different challenge. Intellectual property and sustainable competitive advantage.

Product 58

Product Slides Entrepreneur Invest 58

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2015

Image via Pixabay.com Startups are usually so focused on selling more of their branded product or service to their own customer base (organic growth) that they don’t consider the more indirect methods (non-organic growth) of increasing revenue and market share. Fresh customer base. Even mergers and acquisitions (M&A) came quickly.

Organization 100

Organization Startup Competition IBM 100

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 31, 2012

Many MBA programs still cater too much to the needs of large, corporate management jobs or prepare students to enter big consulting companies or investments banks. My list of excuses includes: product, pricing, competition and lack of sales support. This resonates strongly with me because I have almost no ability to follow a process.

Startup 319

Startup Sales Course Competition 319

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2015

When pitching to investors, entrepreneurs always seem to start with a customer pitch, then add a slide or two about the business. In every case, the relevant pitch needs to start by highlighting a real customer problem, then outlining a new solution, with all the features and disruptive technology.

Product 103

Product Slides Customer Custom 103

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 30, 2012

This is the origin of the “solution looking for a problem” and “if we build it, they will come” syndromes, which result in surprise and frustration waiting for funding, and waiting for customers that don’t materialize. Business strategy allows you to change customer perceptions and responses to your product or service offerings.

Startup 99

Startup Competition IP Patents 99

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2015

I see too many executive summaries that are simply heavy-duty customer pitches, or lightweight visions of the future. " Investors want to buy into an entrepreneur with a startup that can provide evidence of an ability to double customer productivity, at half the cost, with patented technology.

Summary 101

Summary Patents Technical Review Competition 101

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2012

Things that make it investment-grade for outside investors will also benefit you, since you are the ultimate investor. Terms like “every customer needs this” and “next generation platform” are far too soft, and should be avoided. Clearly define the customer, channel, and revenue model associated with this solution.

Competition 113

Competition Metrics Startup Invest 113

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 14, 2019

That makes it difficult to figure out what it costs to acquire a customer, and what a customer is worth. Dan LeBlanc: I used to run customer analytics for a brand called ProFlowers. Their customers are starting brands, and using their e-commerce platform to really accelerate and grow.

Startup 113

Startup Platform Commerce San Diego 113