Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2016

Investors want to hear about customers with money who have a painful problem that you can solve now. Investors are looking for a concise description of your product or service without technical jargon or fuzzy marketing terms with value quantified in customer terms. How big is the funding request, and how much equity will you give?

Invest 108

Invest Startup Slides Equity 108

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2017

Since this document is outward facing, it is important to keep the terminology and tone consistent with that of your customer set, investors, and business partners. For example, “I just patented a new cell-phone technology that will double battery life for half the cost. Opportunity segmentation and competitive environment.

Startup 65

Startup Writing Patents Competition 65

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 16, 2015

That’s why all those so-called million dollar ideas I hear about as an investor don’t get me excited, and entrepreneurs find that working twenty hours a day often generates nothing more than sweat, instead of the desired sweat equity. Here are five key ones to celebrate: Enjoy the feedback from every satisfied customer.

Satisfaction 101

Satisfaction Entrepreneur Customer Custom 101

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 18, 2013

Those at the other extreme don’t look up from the grindstone long enough to notice whether all their work is producing sweat equity or just sweat. Truly satisfied customers are a joy to every business person. Love that sustainable competitive advantage. Starting a business may be fun, but it’s not easy.

Startup 100

Startup Patents Competition Social Network 100

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2012

Those at the other extreme don’t look up from the grindstone long enough to notice whether all their work is producing sweat equity or just sweat. Truly satisfied customers are a joy to every business person. Love that sustainable competitive advantage. Starting a business may be fun, but it’s not easy.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Patents Startup Ideas 102

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

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

APRIL 2, 2016

That’s why all those so-called million dollar ideas I hear about as an investor don’t get me excited, and entrepreneurs find that working twenty hours a day often generates nothing more than sweat, instead of the desired sweat equity. Here are five key ones to celebrate: Enjoy the feedback from every satisfied customer.

Satisfaction 61

Satisfaction Startup Customer Custom 61

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2012

Here is how and why it works, including a customer-centric quantification of the benefits. Describe your technology patents and “secret sauce”. Define the characteristics of the overall industry, market forces, market dynamics, and customer landscape. Explain how you will make money and who pays you (real customer).

Slides 99

Slides Competition Sample Sales 99

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2016

Most universities have a file of patents from project work that they are willing to license to any entrepreneur for business commercialization, with little or no cost up front. Every startup needs to start their funding search looking for grants, with no equity dilution, as well as contests and foundations.

Entrepreneur 55

Entrepreneur Capital Class Startup 55

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2010

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 92

Startup Competition IP Patents 92

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2012

Of course, the first one gets the patent. But patent disclosure requirements often make imitation easier, and smart technologists can work around most patents anyway. Market research is more meaningful if there is already a market and real customers. Learn from competitors and early adopters. Easier to find investors.

Patents 84

Patents Startup Statistics Course 84

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 12, 2010

Those at the other extreme don’t look up from the grindstone long enough to notice whether all their work is producing sweat equity or just sweat. Truly satisfied customers are a joy to every business person. Love that sustainable competitive advantage. Starting a business may be fun, but it’s not easy.

Startup 88

Startup Patents Competition Social Network 88

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 10, 2011

Here is how and why it works, including a customer-centric quantification of the benefits. Describe your technology patents and “secret sauce”. Define the characteristics of the overall industry, market forces, market dynamics, and customer landscape. Explain how you will make money and who pays you (real customer).

Slides 93

Slides Competition Sample Sales 93

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 26, 2011

Of course, the first one gets the patent. But patent disclosure requirements often make imitation easier, and smart technologists can work around most patents anyway. Market research is more meaningful if there is already a market and real customers. Learn from competitors and early adopters. Easier to find investors.

Startup 91

Startup Patents Statistics Course 91

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 11, 2016

Angels are most interested to help you scale the business, once you have real customer traction and ready to break out. If your solution and brand are really new and innovative, you need to protect them with a patent, trademark or trade secret. Assemble a team with the requisite expertise and experience.

Angel 65

Angel Startup Technical Review Social Media 65

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 19, 2010

Here is how and why it works, including a customer-centric quantification of the benefits. Describe your technology patents and “secret sauce”. Define the characteristics of the overall industry, market forces, market dynamics, and customer landscape. Explain how you will make money and who pays you (real customer).

Slides 94

Slides Competition Sample Sales 94

socalTECH

MARCH 31, 2014

We''re rolling it out to finance and Wall Street, monitoring thousands of sources of continuously changing information, such as news, social media, internal email systems, and analyzing specific, material conditions that our customers are looking for. To give you an overview, there are something like 6,000 equities in the U.S.

Orange County 245

Orange County Startup News IBM 245

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 16, 2013

The intent of this question is to determine the level of commitment of founders, both cash and “sweat equity,” and how much others have already invested into this plan. Who is a real customer that I can talk to? Real customers are ones who have paid full price for the product, have it installed and in use, and are still satisfied.

Startup 101

Startup Invest Patents Entrepreneur 101

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

For a business, you must define the absolute minimum features you need to satisfy the customer problem, and test it in the market. By using a laser focused approach for the first iteration, you may actually produce something and get a customer without funding. Get a real customer and real revenue. Show personal investment.

Funding 112

Funding Entrepreneur Startup CTO Hire 112

socalTECH

DECEMBER 7, 2016

I built my own company around marketing services, and have been around business development, marketing, custom service, and sales, and also on the consumer side of technology, a little bit a mix of the two. We worked on Beatshare at Chapman, where there was a business plan competition, which we won. How did you two connect?

Tech Coast Angels 100

Tech Coast Angels CTO Coach Startup Pasadena Angels 100

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 25, 2016

If you expect an equity investment from reputable investors for your new startup, you need to know the boundaries that often limit their interest. Secret sauce' or competitive advantage is not clear. It costs very little to file a provisional patent to begin your protection.

Funding 57

Funding Social Media Startup Patents 57

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2012

The intent of this question is to determine the level of commitment of founders, both cash and “sweat equity,” and how much others have already invested into this plan. Who is a real customer that I can talk to? Real customers are ones who have paid full price for the product, have it installed and in use, and are still satisfied.

Startup 97

Startup Invest Patents Customer 97

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 24, 2012

The corporate entity lends itself best to the concept of “sharing” equity required by investors, and unincorporated entities don’t get funding. File a patent and trademarks to show real intellectual property. Remember to aim the content of both of these at investors, not customers. Close at least one initial customer.

Angel 104

Angel Screening Summary Startup 104

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 2, 2016

Filing a provisional patent costs very little if you do it yourself, and it holds your place in line for a year. Give away more equity than required to drive the business. The fact that your business is “green,” or cures world hunger, does not guarantee you investors, or even customers. Late surprises lead to lawsuits.

Startup 62

Startup Patents Entrepreneur Writing 62

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2012

For a business, you must define the absolute minimum features you need to satisfy the customer problem, and test it in the market. By using a laser focused approach for the first iteration, you may actually produce something and get a customer without funding. Get a real customer and real revenue. Show personal investment.

Startup 104

Startup CTO Hire Press Customer 104

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

The intent of this question is to determine the level of commitment of founders, both cash and “sweat equity,” and how much others have already invested into this plan. Who is a real customer that I can talk to? Real customers are ones who have paid full price for the product, have it installed and in use, and are still satisfied.

Entrepreneur 95

Entrepreneur Startup Invest Patents 95

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. File a patent and trademarks to show real intellectual property. Remember to aim the content of both of these at investors, not customers. Close at least one initial customer.

Invest 99

Invest Angel Technical Review Summary 99

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 17, 2011

For a business, you must define the absolute minimum features you need to satisfy the customer problem, and test it in the market. By using a laser focused approach for the first iteration, you may actually produce something and get a customer without funding. Get a real customer and real revenue. Show personal investment.

Startup 101

Startup CTO Hire Press Customer 101

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 20, 2010

The intent of this question is to determine the level of commitment of founders, both cash and "sweat equity,” and how much others have already invested into this plan. Who is a real customer that I can talk to? Real customers are ones who have paid full price for the product, have it installed and in use, and are still satisfied.

Startup 91

Startup Invest Patents Entrepreneur 91

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

The corporate entity lends itself best to the concept of “sharing” equity required by investors, and unincorporated entities don’t get funding. File a patent and trademarks to show real intellectual property. Remember to aim the content of both of these at investors, not customers. Close at least one initial customer.

Angel 89

Angel Funding Technical Review Startup 89

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2010

For a business, you must define the absolute minimum features you need to satisfy the customer problem, and test it in the market. By using a laser focused approach for the first iteration, you may actually produce something and get a customer without funding. Get a real customer and real revenue. Show personal investment.

Tips 88

Tips Startup CTO Hire Press 88

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 26, 2021

But in addition I’ve always found it helpful to provide a simple checklist for new venture founders and new business owners to make sure they have covered all the key bases correctly, including the following: Define and focus on a single customer segment. Quantify your value proposition for customers.

Funding 132

Funding Template Resource Competition 132

InfoChachkie

JUNE 25, 2009

Some startup attorneys will accept a portion of their initial fees in the form of equity. When you hit the inevitable bumps in the road, a lawyer who has an equity stake in your business is more likely to be flexible with respect to payment terms and more willing to give you quick, off-the-clock feedback and guidance.

Technical Advisors 124

Technical Advisors Technical Review IP Patents 124

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 9, 2009

We brought together Peter Cowen of Groundwork Equity , Mark Suster of GRP Partners , Rick Smith of Crosscut Ventures , and Richard Yen of Saban Ventures -- all of who will be on the judging panel for the Tech Coast Angel's Fast Pitch on February 24th, to give us a their hints and tips about pitching to venture capitalists.

Tech Coast Angels 100

Tech Coast Angels Ideas Entrepreneur Invest 100