Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 9, 2020

Yet every entrepreneur I meet wants to talk about the idea, and rarely mentions the team. Being the leader doesn’t mean more equity, nor does it mean the leader will necessarily be CEO. The sales professional. A sales fanatic on the founder team helps to contain that risk. The industry veteran.

Technical Advisors 123

Technical Advisors Outsource Development Startup High Tech 123

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

We operate at scale and speed unprecedented in human history.” * I first wrote about the changes to the Venture Capital ecosystem 10 years ago and this still serves as a good primer of how we arrived at 2011, a decade on from the Web 1.0 So in our earliest stages we’re about 70% seed and 30% pre-seed. dot-com bonanza.

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 28, 2020

As the co-founder of Saucey and now chief executive of PCH, Chris Vaughn, said: “Everyone in the liquor industry is thinking about the marijuana business and everyone in marijuana is looking at liquor.” Its sales growth has expanded 200% year-over-year even as the company maintains its profitability, according to a statement.

Company 188

Company Companies Los Angeles San Diego 188

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2018

The most important advice I could give you before you set out in fund raising mode is to understand that fund-raising a sales & marketing process and needs to be managed. Somehow many first-time founders equate “sales” with something that is beneath them. In sales there are also three rules: Qualify, qualify, qualify.

Venture Capital 332

Venture Capital Funding Startup Sales 332

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. And how about a product purchase where you cannot come to a successful negotiated price with your supplier? Offering too little in an acquisition to satisfy the seller?

Pricing 120

Pricing Sales Tool Equity 120

Berkonomics

JUNE 8, 2017

Some businesses require very little capital and the founder can self-finance the enterprise and retain 100% of its ownership and control from ignition through liquidity event (startup through sale). There is a lot to say about retaining control. Venture, private equity and more: Here we lump a large number investor classes into one.

Venture Capital 266

Venture Capital Class Invest Equity 266

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. I often hear about efforts that have been stalled for several years, pending more funding, economic change, or other priorities. Postulate competitive reactions and your responses.

Entrepreneur 162

Entrepreneur Social Media Examples Metrics 162

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 8, 2022

Don’t wait for the harsh reality of the demanding business world to start thinking about these tradeoffs. You have very little money, and you don’t want to give away your equity. Giving equity is realistic, but base it on contribution and role, with vesting after time and milestones. The right investors and right time dilemma.

Startup 130

Startup USC Entrepreneur Statistics 130

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 4, 2015

For example, there are the private company valuation figures that get bandied about: think the numbers people reference for Uber and AirBnB for example. The industry’s competitive dynamics. Do you see the overlap with the factors that come into play for equity valuations? Recent equity sales i.e., comparables.

IP 40

IP Equity Examples Guide 40

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2013

A while back I talked about how and where to find a co-founder in “ For a Startup, Two Heads are Always Better Than One.” Look at the big picture first of development, finance, and marketing/sales. The passion has to be in the business context – meaning results oriented, customer oriented, and sensitive to competition.

Software Review 103

Software Review Equity CTO Hire Outsource Development 103

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2016

Entrepreneurs who are looking to attract investors need to develop and pitch a plan -- preferably written -- that answers every potential investor question about your startup before it is asked. Investors want to hear about customers with money who have a painful problem that you can solve now.

Invest 108

Invest Startup Slides Equity 108

InfoChachkie

JULY 11, 2011

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. Dollar Blend – Many venture debt lenders require that their funds be accompanied by an equity investment, generally from legitimate venture capitalists.

Equity 235

Equity Startup Invest Funding 235

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 11, 2014

For instance, a team comprised solely of engineers is greatly handicapped, as is a team exclusively made up of sales and marketing executives. Competitive Rivalry - Constructive internal competition that does not derail a startup from achieving its strategic goals will enhance your teams overall performance. Share and Enjoy.

Startup 257

Startup Santa Barbara Competition Journal 257

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2018

controlling your psychology ) you no doubt have heard me say that raising capital is a sales & marketing process. Think about it … if you have 6 investment partners and a whole supporting cast of influencers and you have only met with one partner and then you appear in front of a committee of deciders who have never met you before?—?that’s

Venture Capital 314

Venture Capital Technical Review Invest Slides 314

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 4, 2014

Yesterday I wrote a post about “ the politics of startups ” in which I asserted that all companies have politics, which in its purest sense is just about understanding human psychology. – while the other might want a quick sale and pocket some bucks while the tech market is hot. Equity for the future?

Startup 340

Startup Technical Review Course Press 340

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2015

Yet every entrepreneur I meet wants to talk about the idea, and rarely mentions the team. Being the leader doesn’t mean more equity, nor does it mean the leader will necessarily be CEO. The sales professional. A sales fanatic on the founder team helps to contain that risk. The industry veteran.

Technical Advisors 105

Technical Advisors Outsource Development Startup High Tech 105

Berkonomics

AUGUST 27, 2015

In the case of technology and Internet-related companies, competitive advantage will have only a relatively short lifespan and that therefore the window of opportunity is not infinite. The Flipper’s executives usually have significant equity holdings, either actually owned or reflected in stock options.

Entrepreneur 120

Entrepreneur Equity Competition Pricing 120

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 18, 2018

Yet every entrepreneur I meet wants to talk about the idea, and rarely mentions the team. Being the leader doesn’t mean more equity, nor does it mean the leader will necessarily be CEO. The sales professional. A sales fanatic on the founder team helps to contain that risk. The industry veteran.

Technical Advisors 57

Technical Advisors Startup Outsource Development High Tech 57

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 11, 2014

Yet every entrepreneur I meet wants to talk about the idea, and rarely mentions the team. Being the leader doesn’t mean more equity, nor does it mean the leader will necessarily be CEO. The sales professional. A sales fanatic on the founder team helps to contain that risk. The industry veteran.

Technical Advisors 98

Technical Advisors Startup Outsource Development High Tech 98

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 reality, they need a separate pitch about the business, carrying over only a slide or two about the solution. Competitor positioning and sustainable competitive advantage.

Product 103

Product Slides Customer Custom 103

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2012

Pick a specific solution that you have built or prototyped, rather than rambling about all the possible things that could be done with your idea. It always amazes me how an entrepreneur can define his market opportunity so broadly, and then assess his competition so narrowly in the next breath. Competition and sustainable advantage.

Competition 113

Competition Metrics Startup Invest 113

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 10, 2019

Don’t wait for the harsh reality of the demanding business world to start thinking about these tradeoffs. You have very little money, and you don’t want to give away your equity. Giving equity is realistic, but base it on contribution and role, with vesting after time and milestones. The right investors and right time dilemma.

Startup 97

Startup USC Entrepreneur Statistics 97

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

Danielle goes through some commentary from Bill Gurley, Fred Wilson and Marc Andreessen about burn rate and then goes on to discuss her own burn rate and others publicly weigh in. if you have a good use for it and we’re excited about your company – fine. But what IS the right amount of burn for a company?

Startup 383

Startup Company Companies .Net 383

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2012

In this section, you need to be passionate about recurring revenue, profit margin, and volume growth. Competition and sustainable advantage. List and position your competition, or alternatives available to the customer. Highlight your sustainable competitive advantages, and barriers to entry. Executive team.

Slides 99

Slides Competition Sample Sales 99

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2018

I’m a technologist, so I always love to learn about the product, but every investor needs to make sure you have a business, as well as a product. Potential investors love to see gross margins in the fifty percent range or greater, with recurring revenue through subscriptions, follow-on sales, or services.

Product 58

Product Slides Entrepreneur Invest 58

socalTECH

DECEMBER 7, 2016

We talked with Eli Aizenstat , the founder and CEO of Beatshare�and still a student--as well as President and longtime technology vet Barry Lieberman about the startup. Barry Lieberman: My backgruond is about 35 years in technology, business development, and sales and marketing. What is Beatshare? That's how Barry came in.

Tech Coast Angels 100

Tech Coast Angels CTO Coach Startup Pasadena Angels 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2011

Pick a specific solution that you have built or prototyped, rather than rambling about all the possible things that could be done with your idea. It always amazes me how an entrepreneur can define his market opportunity so broadly, and then assess his competition so narrowly in the next breath. Competition and sustainable advantage.

Competition 116

Competition Metrics Startup Sales 116

InfoChachkie

MAY 16, 2011

1) Expect Independent Channel Sales Reps To Perform Missionary Sales. Rationale: I cannot afford to hire a direct sales force. Fallacy: Third-party, OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturing) representatives succeed once the sales process is defined, proven and documented. Public relations at a startup is a sales process.

Startup 242

Startup Outsource Development Outsource Sales 242

InfoChachkie

JUNE 4, 2012

As an entrepreneur, I helped create companies which achieved two IPOs and two trade sales totaling $385 million. Public relations at a startup is a sales process. Evaluate their sincerity by asking them to accept equity in exchange for all or a portion of their overall compensation. Over-promise And Under-deliver.

Entrepreneur 272

Entrepreneur Outsource Ideas Technical Review 272

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 30, 2012

I’ve talked about the solution part several times, so this article will focus on the value of a strategy. Although their book is written for businesses of all sizes, I believe the principles apply especially to startups as follows: Increase return on equity invested. It is to earn more bottom-line profit-ability than a random walk.

Startup 99

Startup Competition IP Patents 99

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 26, 2014

The most successful entrepreneurs are the ones who think creatively, not only about their offering, but also about how to acquire cash, and never say never. These commitments should always be positioned in writing as promissory notes, or so-called bridge-loans, which convert to equity at a rate determined by later investors.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Capital Startup Funding 101

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 23, 2010

a loan) that is later converted to equity at the time of the next financing. If no financing happened then this “note&# may not be converted and thus would be senior to the equity of the company in the case of a bankruptcy or asset sale. He had raised about $500,000 in seed funding that lasted a long time.

Startup 290

Startup Funding Venture Capital Pricing 290

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2017

Now let’s talk about the bases that need to be covered. Opportunity segmentation and competitive environment. List key competitors and alternatives, highlighting your sustainable competitive advantages, such as patents and trademarks. Marketing, sales, and customer experience. The details can be added later.

Startup 65

Startup Writing Patents Competition 65

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 10, 2011

In this section, you need to be passionate about recurring revenue, profit margin, and volume growth. Competition and sustainable advantage. List and position your competition, or alternatives available to the customer. Highlight your sustainable competitive advantages, and barriers to entry. Executive team.

Slides 93

Slides Competition Sample Sales 93

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2016

They expect to hear about founders and team member’s prior experience in building a startup, and knowledge in the relevant solution domain. Even non-profits need money to scale, but their pitch should be to philanthropists, not equity investors. Sales projections are less than one percent market penetration.

Funding 98

Funding Startup Innocal Entrepreneur 98

socalTECH

MAY 23, 2012

Bauckhage talks about the firm's recent funding from DFJ Espirit, T-Venture, Grazia Equity, and others, and how the company has been helping studios like Twentieth Century Fox, Universal, Disney and Paramount market their upcoming releases. We started about four or five years ago. What is the idea behind Moviepilot?

Startup 164

Startup Paramount Netflix Entertainment 164

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2010

I always start my answer to this question with, “you’d have to be a pretty big baby to complain about being a VC.&# One of the things that I’m loving about this side of the people is that it really satisfies my intellectual curiosity. We have debates about how the industries will change / evolve.

Venture Capital 312

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Entrepreneur 312