Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Workship - Mentor. Unlike the mentor, who is a coach and teacher, the advocate inspires you to be the best that you can be. The trailblazer is not overly competitive, but always is a few steps ahead and enjoys setting an example that you are inspired by, or motivated to follow. Workship - Advocate. Workship - Trailblazer.

Mentor 91

Mentor Competition Summary Coach 91

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. Strategic planning is a required ongoing investment. Neither is good.

Entrepreneur 173

Entrepreneur Patents Startup Technical Review 173

socalTECH

MAY 2, 2013

Explain what kinds of investments TenOneTen makes or hopes to make? David Waxman: We''ve been making investments since the beginning of the year. Our investments include companies in the search technology space, such as SRCH2, which is one of our early investments. David Waxman: Right now, it''s just us. READ MORE>>.

Invest 159

Invest Technology Startup Venture Capital 159

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

Take advantage of free startup programs and mentors. They provide peer group organizations, usually called incubators, with free resources, practice environments, and outside mentoring that can help you learn and pivot with minimal cost. Initiate networking to find peer partners and investors.

Entrepreneur 157

Entrepreneur Mentor Class Resource 157

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 17, 2010

Then we do our very best to make sure that they build a broad set of relationships that will be continuing sources of interpreted information, that they have a full complement of Mentors to assist them as they make tough decisions Well, here’s an important follow-on story. The strong get money and live to fight another day.

Incubator 80

Incubator Mentor Capital Startup 80

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 13, 2014

Competitive (Athlete: skier & rowed at Princeton, hates losing at everything she does). Investment experience (5 years a VC at Battery Ventures). Wonderful human being who is civically engaged, mother of 3, mentorer of younger founders, hard worker and arguer extraordinaire (so says her current Twitter bio). billion).

Venture Capital 408

Venture Capital Startup Outsource Development CitySearch 408

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2023

Of course you need to discount any investor competitive positioning, but local investment group leaders will quickly tell you the strengths and terms of active investors in your area. Investor agreements should always be reviewed by an attorney who is familiar with startup equity investment deals.

Technical Review 138

Technical Review Startup Innocal Offshore 138

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

During my time in Silicon Valley, I was struck by the fact that most successful entrepreneurs seemed to personally know and regularly hear from all the “movers and shakers” who had the investment capital and leadership they needed. They mentor each other, and seek out experts in domains outside their current expertise and experience.

Startup 113

Startup Customer Custom Technical Review 113

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 21, 2020

Workship - Mentor. Unlike the mentor, who is a coach and teacher, the advocate inspires you to be the best that you can be. The trailblazer is not overly competitive, but always is a few steps ahead and enjoys setting an example that you are inspired by, or motivated to follow. Workship - Advocate. Workship - Trailblazer.

Mentor 135

Mentor Competition Summary Activity 135

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2020

These often lead to angel investors and venture capital investments later, or connections to local company venture funds for selected focus and technology areas. Access to entrepreneurs-in-residence, business mentors. Most schools have a rich pipeline of real-world executive volunteers available for mentoring.

Class 124

Class Startup Resource Mentor 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 9, 2023

For example, if you are an entrepreneur seeking investment or a cofounder, there is no substitute for networking at industry and startup conferences in your area. Effective networking can also lead you to great coaches and mentors, as well as business and customer connections.

Networking 104

Networking Mentor Conference Summary 104

socalTECH

OCTOBER 3, 2011

Department of Energy to help foster student entrepreneurs via a business plan competition run by the group called First Look West. The new effort, led by Caltech's Resnick Institute, is hoping to tap into OnGreen's network to find mentors to guide student groups and clean energy projects. READ MORE>>.

CalTech 165

CalTech UCLA Southern California Pasadena 165

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 30, 2021

Most investors will readily admit that they invest in entrepreneur leadership, more so than innovative ideas, but they often find it difficult to separate aspiring leaders from those that are clearly extraordinary. The most effective leaders marshal existing resources and incent people to create innovative yet competitive solutions.

Coach 162

Coach Startup Resource Competition 162

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 11, 2020

In my own experience as a startup advisor and mentor, I find that entrepreneurs who can’t attract and maintain a highly motivated team rarely even get off the ground. Investors have long agreed that you invest in the team, more than the product. Good hiring, training, and mentoring are the best motivators. Start today.

Product 129

Product Examples Mentor Activity 129

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2021

As a business mentor, I sometimes feel besieged by people begging for my view and support of their latest idea. There are lots of resources available for that question, including the Internet and mentors like me. Find out if something very similar is already selling, and who your competition would be if you proceed.

Ideas 136

Ideas Entrepreneur Mentor Resource 136

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2018

In my role as a mentor to business professionals and entrepreneurs over the years, I have found that it’s important to take a hard look at the relationships around you on a regular basis. But, like most other skills, you can learn from these priorities: Everyone benefits from active mentoring.

Tips 95

Tips Mentor Coach Activity 95

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 14, 2011

Investors are very focused on diligence, on business models that make sense, and those companies that have a definite competitive advantage and defensibility to what they're doing. That has allowed us to be more focused earlier with these companies, and we can come to a decision much sooner to go ahead or not go ahead with an investment.

Tech Coast Angels 231

Tech Coast Angels Technical Review Angel Southern California 231

Tech.Co

MAY 25, 2018

BlackTech Week was created in 2014, and in four short years, they’ve gained over 2700 participants, 150 speakers, and 3 pitch competitions. The Case Foundation invests in people and ideas that can change the world. While winning pitch competitions is great, it’s not the most important thing about Startup of the Year. “All

Startup 141

Startup Technical Review Competition Software Review 141

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2022

As a startup mentor, I’m always amazed that some entrepreneurs seem to be an immediate hit with investors, while others struggle to get any attention at all. From an investor perspective, understanding and acting early to establish a sustainable competitive advantage, and barrier to entry, is the best assurance of a financial return.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Social Media Patents Mentor 111

socalTECH

JUNE 20, 2012

There is a large menu of startup accelerators in the Los Angeles, but one of more established efforts in the area is LaunchpadLA ([link] The effort actually started as an informal mentoring program, but has grown and expanded to follow the accelerator model. We're not investing in ideas and trying to turn them into companies.

Class 261

Class Mentor Startup Santa Monica 261

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2022

Even after many years mentoring entrepreneurs and advising businesses, I continue to be surprised by the primary focus on products and processes, and the often incidental attention to hiring and nurturing the right people. Bigger organizations should invest in the new “big data” tools. These should not be seen as two separate efforts.

Tool 121

Tool Statistics Entrepreneur Metrics 121

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 11, 2020

Of course you need to discount any investor competitive positioning, but local investment group leaders will quickly tell you the strengths and terms of active investors in your area. Investor agreements should always be reviewed by an attorney who is familiar with startup equity investment deals.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Funding Innocal Offshore 124

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2022

For example, many investors I know tell me they look for business plans that allocate the largest portion of a requested investment to marketing, but most often see the top “ use of funds ” to be further product or service development. The smart ones were already working on new features, and able to counter competition quickly.

Marketing 133

Marketing Custom Customer Outsource Development 133

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 25, 2022

After many years working in business and investing in startups, I’m convinced that the primary reason for new business and career failures is NOT a lack of skill or money, but people giving up too quickly on their dreams and goals. The business world today is very competitive, and customers are more and more demanding.

Startup 122

Startup Satisfaction Summary Coach 122

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. For very competitive environments and disruptive products, you may want to limit your visibility before a high-profile rollout.

Funding 119

Funding Startup Platform Examples 119

Tech.Co

APRIL 24, 2018

Not to mention there’s a chance at a possible investment from the Established Investment Community. Being a part of the SOTY alumni lasts well beyond the pitch competition. One of our advisors heard about the Startup of the Year competition and thought we should consider pitching. A Strong Alumni Network. APPLY HERE.

Startup 70

Startup Competition Google Capital 70

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 15, 2014

Local mentors matter. I figured if we couldn’t fund every company locally we should at least embrace them as a community and show that we’re willing to mentor them whether they raise their money in town or not. No – I’m not worried about the competition. Local capital matters. So what can a community do?

Company 369

Company Companies Startup Snapchat 369

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 11, 2021

In fact, they usually invest because they have extensive experience in your business domain, often have strong convictions on what it takes to succeed, and probably would like you to do it their way. Also, these peers are now your competition in a portfolio ranking, so you need to know to stay ahead of them in the pack.

Funding 173

Funding Startup Entrepreneur Report 173

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2021

Their value will be well worth the investment. An advisory board is a small group of mentors that have specific industry knowledge and connections and bring their consultative expertise to the CEO in much the same way as a formal board, but without any formal roles or associated liabilities. Less than three is not a board.

Startup 145

Startup Entrepreneur Mentor Writing 145

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2014

He’s an incredibly smart investor and somebody that I actually consider to be a mentor to myself. For all the things he’s likely known for, he probably hasn’t yet built a strong relationship as an early stage venture investor (he invests often in later-stage deals where he is very respected). Competition is fierce.

Venture Capital 333

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Email 333

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2013

” Most VCs view it as their responsibility to mentor, debate, cajole and generally assist with investments they make. Tomorrow I’m meeting with a senior exec who is considering joining a company in which we’ve invested. Thus, a desire to invest more locally where I think I have a competitive advantage.

Venture Capital 365

Venture Capital Marketing Santa Barbara Startup 365

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 11, 2022

Most investors admit that they invest primarily in people, not ideas, and they inherently believe that they can sense this leadership ability needed to get the rapid growth and 10x return we all strive for. If you are an investor, you need to recognize and mentor entrepreneurs to extraordinary leadership.

Coach 114

Coach Framework Entrepreneur Tool 114

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 3, 2015

I am often asked how we make decisions on investments at Upfront Ventures. A typical investment discussion is not a bed of roses. The rest of our partners, principles, associates and EIRs can weigh in with commentary on their views of the quality of the entrepreneur, the market, the product, competition and so forth.

Startup 150

Startup Venture Capital Framework Invest 150

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 7, 2020

Thus, as an initial step in my mentoring efforts to young or older aspiring entrepreneurs alike, I always recommend ways of dipping your toes in the water, before risking all your life savings, some important personal relationships, and your own well-being for a long time to come. Test your entrepreneur instincts through crowdfunding.

Sample 126

Sample Entrepreneur Ideas Startup 126

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 13, 2020

As a startup mentor, I’m always amazed that some entrepreneurs seem to be an immediate hit with investors, while others struggle to get any attention at all. From an investor perspective, understanding and acting early to establish a sustainable competitive advantage, and barrier to entry, is the best assurance of a financial return.

Entrepreneur 126

Entrepreneur Social Media Patents Mentor 126

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 10, 2016

In a world that is hyper competitive – even amongst VCs – I can honestly say that not only is the media recognition accurate but it is amongst the proudest days I’ve had in developing Upfront Ventures and our future. Build out our junior staff including pulling through some younger professionals into the investment ranks.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Journal Invest Santa Monica 150

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 7, 2013

Men have dominated the world of investment. There were only 22% women who invested in 2012. Natalia Oberti Noguera is on a mission to help change the demographic of investment with her Pipeline Fellowship. TechZulu speaks with Natalia about Pipeline Foundation and her goals to change the face of business and investment.

Mentor 84

Mentor Invest Entrepreneur Startup 84