Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 16, 2020

I was reminded of a number of these by a classic book, “ The Thing About Work: Showing Up and Other Important Matters ,” by Richard A. With a bit of humor, he provides some serious guidelines for struggling career professionals looking to move up, and new entrepreneurs looking to build a company. Showing up still matters.

Startup 153

Startup Writing Entrepreneur Screening 153

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 3, 2016

Santa Monica-based Super League Gaming , the startup which takes over movie theaters and allows video gamers to participate in head-to-head competitions on the big screen, said it is launching a new League of Legends competition to movie theaters across the United States.

Riot Games 100

Riot Games Santa Monica Competition Screening 100

socalTECH

MARCH 12, 2009

Irvine-based startup YouMail has just gotten a new competitor: search engine giant Google, which launched a significantly comparable service to YouMail's voice mail services. However, Alex Quilici, the firm's CEO, told socalTECH that he actually sees something good from the competition.

Google 100

Google Competition Tech Coast Angels Technical Review 100

SoCal CTO

JUNE 9, 2010

Continuing my series of posts that I’ve been collecting that live at the intersection of Startups and being a Startup CTO : Startup CTO Top 30 Posts for April 16 Great Startup Posts from March here are the top posts from May 2010. It is to out friend. Enjoyed this post? Disruptive. We get it! I Be specific.

Startup 248

Startup Venture Capital Conference Social Media 248

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 20, 2013

Pixicle, a photo sharing device that makes it easy for users to view photos with their friends and family on the big screen instead of the frustrating smartphone screen passed around the room has raised $10K of its $38K Indiegogo goal to make photo viewing less strenuous. TechZulu caught up with CEO Norman Lai. Any competition?

Screening 86

Screening Startup Platform Software Development 86

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 6, 2022

Everyone on the startup team knows there is no buffer, and no personal isolation from impact based on your job description that can save you. Risks to the business drift off their radar screen, resulting in poor business decisions, as well as less job satisfaction and declining professional success. Yet nothing stands still.

Satisfaction 147

Satisfaction Organization Customer Custom 147

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2011

These are not valid reasons to start a business. But if you're focused on solving a real problem, believe you can do it better than anyone else, and confident in wearing many hats, you have the right start-up mindset. When you start your own business, you are no longer in control. Add up your responsibilities.

Screening 99

Screening Startup Statistics Guide 99

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 28, 2022

Hiring in any new venture needs to be a structured and high priority task, not the ad hoc informal process I see in many startups that are struggling to grow: Crisis mode hiring rather than planned team growth. I’m not suggesting executive search firms for every startup position, but national recruiting organizations will get better results.

Organization 104

Organization Satisfaction Entrepreneur Screening 104

Tech Zulu Event

MAY 7, 2014

On the bottom right hand corner of the screen, an ominous button reads ADD MORE STRESS? . To me, there’s been no conversation or scenario that has encompassed the feel of a startup accelerator quite like that. ” Thursday: 500 Startups’ Batch 8 Demo Day… And we’ll be right there to cover all the action!

Startup 74

Startup Case Study Study Screening 74

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2020

It’s no wonder that 45 percent of startups fail in the first five years, and an even smaller percentage ever see a return for their years of effort. Trying to save costs by seeking resumes on the Internet will result in poor quality candidates, more time required for screening and interviews, and high turnover. Marty Zwilling.

Organization 135

Organization Satisfaction Entrepreneur Screening 135

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 23, 2015

Software products and apps can be quickly wireframed with free tools such as MockFlow , or even Microsoft Powerpoint to lay out the key screens. Time is money, and may be your primary competitive advantage. As a startup, you need all the leverage you can get. Support early negotiation with vendors and distribution channels.

Ideas 107

Ideas Outsource Development Startup Tool 107

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 29, 2022

Software products and apps can be quickly wire-framed with free tools such as MockFlow , or even Microsoft Powerpoint to lay out the key screens. Time is money, and may be your primary competitive advantage. As a startup, you need all the leverage you can get. Support early negotiation with vendors and distribution channels.

Outsource Development 110

Outsource Development Ideas Tool Outsource 110

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 16, 2014

Software products and apps can be quickly wireframed with free tools like MockFlow , or even Microsoft Powerpoint to lay out the key screens. Time is money, and may be your primary competitive advantage. As a startup, you need all the leverage you can get. Support early negotiation with vendors and distribution channels.

Outsource Development 105

Outsource Development Startup Ideas Tool 105

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 24, 2012

Every new startup I know dreams of being funded early by one of the 318,000 active Angel investors in the USA alone. Most of these investors are members of Angel groups that have a rigorous filtering and screening process, to select the top 3% and most fundable proposals. Line up an experienced team. Build a prototype product.

Angel 104

Angel Screening Summary Startup 104

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 28, 2012

Fred Wilson wrote two posts in 2010 that were very influential with the startup community. I know that they really impacted an entire cohort of startups because every company that was coming to pitch me businesses was (is) saying, “I’m a ‘mobile first’ company.” The power of large screen real estate.

Web 334

Web Mobile Startup Software Review 334

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2018

If you truly believe that you, your company and your products are exceptional and your company will be valuable then you’re actually doing them a FAVOR by helping them invest in your startup. In my post “ Measure twice, cut once ” I’ve outlined how to plan before you start raising. Should You Start with Your “Safety Schools?”

Venture Capital 332

Venture Capital Funding Startup Sales 332

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2020

Everyone on the startup team knows there is no buffer, and no personal isolation from impact based on your job description that can save you. Risks to the business drift off their radar screen, resulting in poor business decisions, as well as less job satisfaction and declining professional success. Yet nothing stands still.

Satisfaction 124

Satisfaction Organization Customer Custom 124

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 20, 2009

The promised to follow up with: calls, using your product, talking to customers or “noodle on things.&# Will they? Despite best intentions they probably won’t follow up on their actions. Why don’t VC’s follow up? Start with a very short thank you email the day after your pitch.

Venture Capital 277

Venture Capital Startup Email News 277

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 2, 2020

Software products and apps can be quickly wire-framed with free tools such as MockFlow , or even Microsoft Powerpoint to lay out the key screens. Time is money, and may be your primary competitive advantage. As a startup, you need all the leverage you can get. Support early negotiation with vendors and distribution channels.

Outsource Development 124

Outsource Development Ideas Tool Outsource 124

InfoChachkie

APRIL 14, 2014

However, far less attention has been applied to entrepreneurial philanthropy, in which a startup mindset and accountability is applied to issuing non-profit grants. Even the organization''s lexicon reinforces its startup mindset. The convergence of startup principles and the world of philanthropy makes total sense.

Organization 199

Organization Startup Technical Review Invest 199

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 3, 2013

and there was certainly less competition from everybody pitching local merchant solutions. If you want to get a quick sense of the app there’s a short screen cast here that make it obvious what it does. Startup Advice' That is what we set out to solve at MyTime. I’d be delighted if you gave it a try.

Development Team Review 324

Development Team Review Course Mobile Writing 324

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2016

I was reminded of a number of these by a recent book, “ The Thing About Work: Showing Up and Other Important Matters ,” by Richard A. With a bit of humor, he provides some serious guidelines for struggling career professionals looking to move up, and new entrepreneurs looking to build a company. Showing up still matters.

Startup 93

Startup Writing Entrepreneur Screening 93

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 8, 2014

Deal screening. Associates often shadow partners at board meetings so that they can help follow up with the company on important initiatives between board meetings. 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.

Help 365

Help Invest Venture Capital Technical Review 365

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 17, 2010

By Jim Flowers A few months ago, Marty invited me to comment on business incubation and what a startup company ought to expect from an incubator. At VT KnowledgeWorks we screen prospective clients for their Market opportunity, for the Magic that they offer to their prospective customers, and for the Moxie displayed by the start-up team.

Incubator 80

Incubator Mentor Capital Startup 80

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 12, 2013

Many entrepreneurs I know don’t realize that the language they learned in the corporate world, or even their recent MBA class, won’t get them ahead in the startup world today. Even if you have heard some of the new terms, but can’t explain how, when, and why they are relevant to your startup, you may be in jeopardy. Startup pivot.

Entrepreneur 109

Entrepreneur Startup Web Equity 109

Tech.Co

MAY 22, 2018

I’ve had many startup founders tell me that their startup literally has no competition,” said Frank Gruber, Cofounder of Tech.Co, Startup of the Year , and Established. “In What startup teams don’t realize is that having competition is good. In most cases, that’s not true. Prepare for Q&A.

Tips 70

Tips Help Slides Technical Review 70

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 27, 2015

Following up on our first week impressions of Meerkat , we jumped in the water with Periscope (the official Twitter app) to see what the secret hype was all about. With competition innovating fast, is Periscope the Meerkat killer at launch? The first night with the app installed kept this reviewer up all hours with notifications.

Guide 40

Guide Competition Screening Mobile 40

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 5, 2015

In his premier film appearance in the blaxploitation send-up “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka,” Chris Rock inadvertently addresses a key pricing challenge faced by most entrepreneurs. A recurring entrepreneurial challenge is to determine the optimal price of a new product, especially absent a directly competitive alternative. Share and Enjoy.

Pricing 100

Pricing Product Startup Customer 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2011

One of the hot new approaches I have seen around the country for assisting startups looking for funding has been “crowd-sourcing” sites ( Kickstarter ) or “crowd-pitching” events ( Funding Universe ). These are variations on a “crowd-funding” theme to raise money for a startup through social networks and voting at public events.

Funding 92

Funding Startup Social Media Sample 92

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2016

After listening to hundreds of startup pitches, and reading even more business plans, most new venture investors develop their own favorite list of “red flags” that signal the beginning of the end of their interest. Every startup needs focus, due to limited resources, so setting irrational goals implies overall poor business acumen.

Funding 98

Funding Startup Innocal Entrepreneur 98

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

Every new startup I know dreams of being funded by an angel investor. The Gust Deal Funnel from the last 12 months indicates is that 70% of the interested companies never make it past the initial screening process. Line up an experienced team. Start early on this one, or you will lose the opportunity.

Invest 99

Invest Angel Technical Review Summary 99

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2010

Another topic we debated early in the program was “lean startup” vs. “ fat startup ” where we both took the obvious hedge and said “it depends.” But truthfully both Dana and I are more aligned with the lean startup principles and believe you only go FAT when you’ve really proved out your product / market fit. Founded in 2007.

Venture Capital 240

Venture Capital Startup Platform Technical Review 240

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2016

I was speaking recently to the team at NuOrder , an LA-based company we’re an investor in about “realism in startups” — an impromptu talk I have given to any of our portfolio companies who ask. I prefer to compete more with other startups than with giants. Mission driven, commercially focused.

Invest 254

Invest Writing Pricing Metrics 254

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

Every new startup I know dreams of being funded by an angel investor. The AngelSoft Deal Funnel from the last 12 months indicates is that 70% of the interested companies never make it past the initial screening process. Line up an experienced team. Start early on this one, or you will lose the opportunity.

Angel 89

Angel Funding Technical Review Startup 89

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 5, 2012

That means that the site now allows users to sign-up and have their content personalized based on their interests. You can sign-up via the "Personalize Your Content" button on the right side of the interface shown to the right of the red arrow below.

CTO Hire 175

CTO Hire Newsletter Content Sites 175

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 20, 2012

Rapidly and repeatedly hiring star employees is a competitive advantage. No matter how rapidly a startup is growing, it can never afford to sacrifice employee quality as a means of achieving its hiring goals. HootSuite recently faced this common startup predicament: how to quickly hire quality candidates in large quantities.

SaaS 209

SaaS Tool Startup Screening 209

socalTECH

AUGUST 24, 2009

One of the startup areas where we've been seeing renewed activity in the last few months is in the enterprise software space--specifically, in software-as-a-service applications targeted at corporate customers. We spoke with the firm's CEO and co-founder, John Hanna : How'd you end up starting the company, and what is FunnelSource all about?

Oracle 145

Oracle Sales Startup Screening 145