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?

Competition 154

Competition Southern California Mentor USC 154

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2011

Nobody really knows whether or not the idea is yet going to be big, so I believe in not over capitalizing too early. If you’re creating truly innovative products, you often have no idea whether the proverbial dog will eat the dog food. We technology leaders also make this mistake. Rinse & repeat. You have a hunch.

Development Team Review 374

Development Team Review Technical Review Startup Resource 374

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 6, 2023

This is the mysterious and dreaded due diligence process, which can kill the whole deal. Some entrepreneurs do very little to prepare for due diligence, assuming all the talking has already been done, and the business plan and results to-date tell the right story. My best advice is to stick to the middle ground.

Technical Review 118

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Invest 118

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2023

In my experience, consummate entrepreneurs tend come up with more startup ideas than they can ever implement, and some of the ideas may not even make business sense. But how does any entrepreneur know which ideas to implement, and which ones are best left behind? Separate nice-to-have ideas from ones solving painful problems.

Ideas 106

Ideas Technical Review Patents Startup 106

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 26, 2013

His ideas to date hadn’t totally resonated and of course ideas matter, too. His message was that he realized he needed to move his girlfriend’s stuff into a storage facility due to apartment flooding. He had ideas. Within a few weeks he was an EIR in our offices in LA working on the idea. I felt bad.

UCSD 340

UCSD Startup Ideas Course 340

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 8, 2014

Industry reviews. So the “VC associate” is largely a launching pad job for exceedingly bright and hard-working young tech professionals. a really wide angle view of the tech industry since you see so many concepts / so many pitches and REAL data points on how startups perform financially. Deal screening.

Help 365

Help Invest Venture Capital Technical Review 365

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 11, 2011

I often hear the qualms of business-smart but non-technical entrepreneurs, wondering if they really have a chance in this high-technology marketplace. I tell them that if their idea or solution is technology intensive, they clearly need technology strength on the team. Outsource your technical requirements.

Technical Review 94

Technical Review Entrepreneur Outsource Development Outsource 94

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 12, 2014

If you’re a technology startup you need to excel at product, of course. While many tech startups do this intuitively (say, SnapChat thinking it would be much better if our photos out partying disappeared) it still happens. And you thought the Internet was a meritocracy where the best ideas win? But it wasn’t to be.

Marketing 379

Marketing Startup SEM SEO 379

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2010

If I’m interested I get to spend more time with them, if I’m not I don’t have to – A few companies per month come in that have fascinating business ideas that warrant my spending more time trying to understand their people, company, technology and market. Tags: Tech Market Analysis VC Industry.

Venture Capital 312

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Entrepreneur 312

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 4, 2014

I think as a tech industry we have bred a culture that places more emphasis on product excellence than managing human behavior. But I would posit that in order to sustainably build great products in an intensely competitive industry with skills shortages – people management is one of the most critical soft skills organizations need.

Startup 340

Startup Technical Review Course Press 340

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 5, 2011

Seattle should be the envy of any non Silicon Valley tech community in the country. It really wouldn’t take much to turn a great technology ecosystem into a truly electric one. He listed all of the product releases that were up coming, the customers that were in the pipeline and where he saw his competition moving.

Venture Capital 317

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Press 317

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 4, 2013

The idea of “going deep” with customers has always shaped how I think. But when you create a product for a large segment of users who previously couldn’t afford products due to price or complexity and if that product can work at “Internet scale” you have the chance to do something truly amazing.

Startup 401

Startup Customer Custom Technical Review 401

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 1, 2009

We spent time out in the marketplace talking with customers, looking at their solutions, comparing ourselves with our competition and then squirreling ourselves away in our offices designing our next set of features. some came from our customer service, some were to improve performance / scalability from tech ops, some were bug fixes, etc.)

Organization 280

Organization Customer Custom Tips 280

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 10, 2010

Patents held by startups generally have a limited ability to reduce competition. One is obvious, without protection, such IP might prove to be of little worth, as other companies can mimic the technology without recourse. PTO examiners consider a very narrow set of criteria which does not include the commercial efficacy of an idea.

IP 256

IP Patents Company Companies 256

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2012

I often hear the qualms of business-smart but non-technical entrepreneurs, wondering if they really have a chance in this high-technology marketplace. I tell them that if their idea or solution is technology intensive, they clearly need technology strength on the team. Outsource your technical requirements.

Technical Review 92

Technical Review Technology Startup Outsource Development 92

InfoChachkie

JUNE 4, 2012

Attempt To License An Idea. Rationale: My idea is so mind-blowingly fantastic, I can sit back and collect licensing fees while someone else does all the work required to turn my idea into a successful business. Fallacy: Ideas are worthless, while skillful execution is priceless.

Entrepreneur 272

Entrepreneur Outsource Ideas Technical Review 272

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

Exec Summary: Most companies (98+%) in the world (even tech startups) should be very profit focused. While Google and Facebook will buy “acquihires” (at least as of Dec 2011), many acquirers hate the idea of buying companies that aren’t profitable. You may have leverage when you DO need to fund raise. Internet scale.

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 8, 2010

The idea was that if you could put up a consumer site that was seen as the best place to consume content then people wouldn’t go to lower-quality or free sites to get it. Because they are anti-competitive most countries ban cartels. NBC will merge with Comcast, owner of “Fancast,&# which would be a competitive offering to Hulu.

Hulu 292

Hulu Technical Review Content Advertising 292

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 23, 2012

I have been close to the tech & startup sectors for more than 20 years and I can’t think of a period in which I felt more optimistic about the innovation and value creation I see in front of us. A decade ago the idea of even watching video online would have been laughable. Just how transformative is broadband? THAT is disruption.

Venture Capital 347

Venture Capital Capital Technical Review Startup 347

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 5, 2014

You can have the best technology, but if customers don’t know you exist, or they don’t know how your technology solves a real problem for them, your startup will fail. Yet I see many technology entrepreneurs that focus on the basics of marketing too little and too late. Marketing is everything these days. Marty Zwilling.

Technical Review 103

Technical Review Tips Marketing Entrepreneur 103

socalTECH

DECEMBER 20, 2017

In the meantime, we’ll continue publishing thoughts and ideas we’ve learned from great product managers here. It means competition is more fierce because formidable new competitors can arrive overnight. At long last, product managers could collect feature ideas from users at scale. Read on for our top posts from 2017! ??

Technical Review 100

Technical Review Metrics Ideas Product 100

Tech.Co

MAY 25, 2018

If you’re an early-stage entrepreneur, technology has served you well. In 2006, a passion to help startups grew into Tech Cocktail , a company whose mission was to showcased burgeoning companies in bars around the country. The Case Foundation invests in people and ideas that can change the world.

Startup 137

Startup Technical Review Competition Software Review 137

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 19, 2010

Due in large part to the current economy and an ultra-competitive job market, a Gen-Y entrepreneurial tsunami is already upon us. For a startup or small business executive serving as mentor, the proverbial “win-win” is created as they benefit from an injection of essential bandwidth, youthful energy, and technical expertise.

Competition 96

Competition Startup Technical Review IBM 96

Tech.Co

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

Small Business Grants to Apply For Today If your business doesn't have enough capital to take on future debts or has a unique specialism or back story that could catch the eye of grantors, it might be a good idea to apply for a grant. It's competitive though – last year 18,000 applicants competed for only 12 slots.

Technical Review 184

Technical Review Software Review Startup Competition 184

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

AngelList 101 : As you know, AngelList is a platform where angels can invest in semi-screened tech deals. I know the populist sentiment about VCs is that many want to believe that taking one’s time to make investments is due to 8-week’s holiday every summer and not working past 5pm. Up to a point. AngelList does this.

Venture Capital 356

Venture Capital Invest Course Technical Review 356

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Nearly every successful tech startup I’ve observed over the past 20 years has gone through a similar growth pattern: Innovate, systematize then scale operations. Many companies don’t reach the next phase either because their leadership doesn’t adapt as an organization or because they don’t design processes that lead to scaled outcomes.

Startup 286

Startup Technical Review Customer Custom 286

InfoChachkie

DECEMBER 5, 2011

Through diligent preparation and dogged perseverance, entrepreneurs avoid foolhardy risks. "I don’t really have new ideas, but I manage to combine information in ways most people hadn’t considered." Ideas are worthless, unless they are coupled with effective execution. EVERYONE has ideas.

Tips 274

Tips Startup Entrepreneur Ideas 274

Tech.Co

AUGUST 22, 2017

Adams developed Levium following his experiences founding several tech companies. How have your experiences with anxiety affected your career in tech? During my time as a tech founder I experienced this profoundly at a personal level and also saw it far too frequently in others whose lives were essentially taken over by anxiety.

Technical Review 45

Technical Review Competition Startup Tool 45

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 4, 2011

Only one guy in the room knew – their tech lead. Once you churn a user due to stability or performance problems it can be hard to get them back. You’ll have no idea when you’re off course. Most people under estimate the challenge of winning “share of mind” the least understood concept with tech entrepreneurs. In 6 months?

Metrics 346

Metrics Startup SEO Customer 346

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. Intellectual property is required for a competitive edge. Even the best college degree is not a substitute. Neither is good.

Entrepreneur 173

Entrepreneur Patents Startup Technical Review 173

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 26, 2023

Every one of you business owners I know periodically introduces new products and services to sustain growth, fight off competitors, or take advantage of new technologies. Target audience may be limited or new due to price. Don’t count on these as short-term solutions to a growth problem. Incent these early.

Product 141

Product Services Technical Review Artificial Inteligence 141

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 3, 2021

Starting an entrepreneurial business, or maintaining the competitiveness of a mature business, requires innovation. Some innovations are clearly implementations of visionary ideas, but anyone at the operational level can think outside the box, individually or as a team, to suggest and implement innovations.

Organization 172

Organization Ideas Technical Review Research 172

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 3, 2020

Charlene Li, in her classic book “ Open Leadership ,” shows leaders how to tap into the power of the social technology revolution and use social media to be “open” while still maintaining control. When done well, an organization’s online community can become a competitive advantage. Updating: capturing knowledge and actions.

Framework 159

Framework Social Media Software Review Social Network 159

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 19, 2010

Other times the partner wants to test whether there is support before sinking in tons of due diligence time. Sometimes I find myself really interested in the technical details of a companies product and after a few questions on the topic I look around and find my partners disinterested in this line of questions.

Venture Capital 318

Venture Capital Startup Sales Writing 318

InfoChachkie

JUNE 20, 2011

Due to their lack of practical experience, this delegation/efficiency tradeoff is especially acute with respect to hiring Interns. However, many of the characteristics of our Intern Programs were also applicable to non-technical positions, as follows: Meaningful Work – Treat your Interns as adults and magical things will happen.

Startup 244

Startup Software Review Technical Review Class 244

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2022

According to a classic survey conducted by Dimensional Research for Zendesk , 90 percent of respondents asserted that positive online reviews influenced buying decisions, and 86 percent admitted buying decisions were influenced by negative online reviews. Let your continuous innovation become your sustainable competitive advantage.

Technical Review 151

Technical Review Organization Social Media Entrepreneur 151

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 6, 2011

Pull Quote: “If you are smart, competitive, hard working and passionate about what you do you will have the best experience of your life. We are now harnessing the ‘social’ aspect of the system where businesses and consumers begin to contribute to the data by adding or updating products listings as well as rate and review products.”.

Entrepreneur 232

Entrepreneur Competition Software Review Course 232