Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 16, 2018

The market is changing so fast these days, and if you are not planning a solution today for tomorrow’s customers, you may be setting yourself up for failure and don’t even realize it. Regularly follow reviews and influencers in your industry. Ask the right questions, and listen to your customers.

Customer 57

Customer Custom Technical Review Software Review 57

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 21, 2021

Of course there are people who are great at getting things done, but haven’t had an original idea in their life. I was with IBM in the early PC days when Bill worked with us to provide PC DOS and other software. For entrepreneurs, effective networking is required to find investors, partners, and customers. Customer retention.

Activity 133

Activity Startup Ideas Technical Review 133

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 20, 2010

Gemassmer Startups struggling for survival are not uncommon, due to economic changes, management problems, or product issues. If these challenges can’t be resolved by the existing team with “course corrections”, an investor will often bring in an experienced CEO to tackle the “turnaround” before or after bankruptcy. By Ernst H.

Course 48

Course Startup Software Review Customer 48

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 1, 2020

Communications that traditionally could only be broadcast to all can now be done on a customized person-to-person level, interactively. Soliciting user-generated online feedback and reviews. Nurture dedicated customer advocates and fans. Consider advocates to be a step up from customer engagement.

Tips 124

Tips Social Media Software Review Course 124

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 19, 2013

The era of VCs investing in successful consumer Internet startups such as eBay led to a belief system that seemed to permeate many enterprise software startups that hiring sales or implementation people was a bad thing. We only want software revenue.” How do you get referenceable customers? I believe it’s flawed.

Startup 403

Startup Sales Software Review Technical Review 403

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 26, 2016

Perhaps the most misused terms I see these days from entrepreneurs involve CAC (customer acquisition costs) and LTV (life time value) and a lack of understanding these critical components is driving many companies to premature failure. And even when calculated correctly often CAC’s are assumed to be constant but of course they’re not.

Metrics 150

Metrics Startup SaaS Course 150

InfoChachkie

DECEMBER 2, 2009

As noted in Pour and Stir Part I , the key to the successful execution of this strategy is managing the following equation: The cost to acquire a customer < lifetime value of a customer. Decreasing Your Customer Acquisition Costs. This is equivalent to being handed a free customer for every ten customers you acquire.

Customer 164

Customer Custom Advertising SEM 164

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Commit to a major customer. Set expectations accordingly. Get a loan or line-of-credit.

Startup 136

Startup Technical Review Equity Incubator 136

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 27, 2014

I never took a business course, never wrote a business plan, and never raised any outside capital. As I look back at insights I might share, I wade through the trite suggestions of ‘work hard’ and ‘treat the customer well.’ I had to be successful at my new software company. But there’s more. And it wasn’t easy.

Startup 204

Startup Software Review UCLA Sales 204

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 5, 2013

Finally, we want it cheap (of course). This smart phone app places all your contact information into a single QR code image. Anyone with one of the many QR code scanning apps on their phone can take a photo of your code to be taken directly to your contact information. Commercial software. Shareware.

Software Review 99

Software Review Social Network Email Google 99

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2022

Of course, there are always exceptions, but how much added risk do you need for your startup? Maxwell Wessel, in a classic article in the Harvard Business Review on this subject, points out the exception successes of Zappos in Las Vegas, Sendgrid’s massive growth in Colorado, and RightNow’s $1.5 The list goes on and on.

Technical Review 123

Technical Review Oracle Software Review Ideas 123

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2014

If you have a software development background like mine, Im sure you often get questions about when to outsource, versus building the solution in-house. If your software or your manufacturing process is your secret sauce, you need to keep the work in-house. The same applies to manufacturing and almost any process these days.

Outsource Development 95

Outsource Development Outsource Offshore Software Review 95

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 9, 2010

He also spearheaded a number of fundamental software breakthroughs, including creating the basic hardware / software architecture which resulted in the creation of the third-party personal computer (PC) software industry. Designed CD-ROM filing system and created Universal Software Bus.

IBM 124

IBM IBM Software Review Customer 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 14, 2014

Finally, we want it cheap (of course). This smartphone app places all your contact information into a single QR code image. Anyone with one of the many QR code scanning apps on their phone can take a photo of your code to be taken directly to your contact information. Commercial software. Shareware.

Tool 92

Tool Software Review Social Network Email 92

socalTECH

DECEMBER 29, 2020

Analytic process automation platforms are organizing what were once patchwork point solutions that cost customers time and resources, bringing streamlined processes and the human back to the center of problem solving. ADAPT, the newest pillar of our corporate social responsibility initiative, Alteryx for Good (AFG).

Southern California 140

Southern California Technical Review Platform Organization 140

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 28, 2018

Over the course of the first few months I saw a few people out on the street taking Birds and then a steady uptick in riders. Capital of course drives scale advantages and when you have “winner take most” markets it also has a way of scaring away some investors from investing in the 3–5th “me too” competitors.

Santa Monica 256

Santa Monica Funding Startup Course 256

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 26, 2019

For example, if you start a new business with a software product you developed, you really need to know the basics of marketing and finance, but you will probably never be the expert in marketing and finance you require. Of course, if you have a great idea AND a great execution, your company may well be the next unicorn.

Software Review 98

Software Review Ideas Outsource Development Entrepreneur 98

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2022

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Commit to a major customer. Set expectations accordingly. Solicit funds from friends and family.

Tips 104

Tips Startup Technical Review Equity 104

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 20, 2016

If you have a software development background like mine, I’m sure you often get questions about when to outsource, versus building the solution in-house. If your software or your manufacturing process is your “secret sauce,” you need to keep the work in-house. Customer-facing services, like call centers, should rarely be outsourced.

Outsource Development 53

Outsource Development Outsource Software Review Technical Review 53

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 20, 2018

This is true of any buying process where a customer has to make a large investment decision on your software or when an investor must decide whether to give you $5 million. Of course stringing out the process doesn’t lead to good outcomes. These are similar to the pipeline reviews I used to do with sales reps when I was a CEO.

Funding 189

Funding Software Review Entrepreneur Venture Capital 189

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 2, 2011

Gemassmer Startups struggling for survival are not uncommon, due to economic changes, management problems, or product issues. If these challenges can’t be resolved by the existing team with “course corrections” or “pivots,” an investor will often bring in an experienced CEO to tackle the turnaround before or after bankruptcy.

Course 88

Course Software Review Customer Custom 88

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2019

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Commit to a major customer. Set expectations accordingly. Get a loan or line-of-credit.

Startup 128

Startup Technical Review Equity Incubator 128

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 6, 2014

The functions of an early-stage board are pretty obvious and well understood: Providing introductions to customers, biz dev partners, recruits, the press, other investors, etc. Reviewing financial & operational performance. Offering a sparring-partner function on strategic decisions. Mentorship. As You Start to Mature.

Startup 325

Startup Sales Technical Review Software Review 325

socalTECH

OCTOBER 4, 2010

The company provides SAT, ACT, and other similar test preparation courses and related software. I had worked as a tutor for Princeton Review, and Jake for Kaplan. We thought, we could put out a better product than Kaplan or Princeton Review, which would be more compelling, and also would tie in a strong social mission.

Software Review 178

Software Review Technical Review Education Startup 178

socalTECH

JUNE 4, 2018

Those are all of the customers an early stage company might want. Is sounds like the companies you are looking for are more in the software, systems, and fintech areas as opposed to medical devices and pharmaceuticals? Jay Goss: We do invest in all of those facets of health care, anything there to improve different business processes.

Startup 113

Startup Technical Review Software Review Artificial Inteligence 113

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 26, 2012

Your IT Reviewer. They’ve had years of business-unit managers buying software solutions they didn’t need and that eventually become shelfware. Your business unit buyer isn’t used to negotiating software and if you won over the IT team with your prowess then you’re feeling pretty good. Not so much.

Development Team Review 293

Development Team Review Software Review Pricing Startup 293

socalTECH

MARCH 12, 2013

The company--which is in the business of operating a content delivery network (CDN) to accelerate the delivery of web graphics, multimedia, applications, and more to end users-- recently disclosed it more than doubled its revenues in 2012, and has grown to over 230 employees--all due to a huge amount of demand for CDN services by its customers.

CTO Hire 248

CTO Hire Content Networking Web 248

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 18, 2019

An Insider’s Perspective “Bird Zero” that are custom designed by the company There is a story arc of the electric scooter market that took the world by storm in 2018, was second-guessed late in the year and has quietly re-emerged as a powerful force of growth where few really appreciate the speed and scale of what has happened.

Santa Monica 250

Santa Monica Venice Competition Software Review 250

Tech Zulu Event

APRIL 1, 2014

On one end, entrepreneurs who have (at minimum) built something customers love and are willing to pay for, and the other hand, investors who are looking for the very companies who fit that profile. You’ve built a great business, your customers love you. Not that good old fashioned leg work isn’t still required of course.).

Invest 100

Invest Startup Technical Review Software Review 100

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 3, 2015

It’s true that we also fund more mundane stuff like B2B software aimed at productivity improvements but we want some big bets in every fund where we feel we can contribute to “making our own little dent in the universe” as the saying goes – by backing ambitious entrepreneurs with that same goal.

Technical Review 150

Technical Review Software Review Startup Ideas 150

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2015

Communications that traditionally could only be broadcast to all can now be done on a customized person-to-person level, interactively. Soliciting user-generated online feedback and reviews. Nurture dedicated customer advocates and fans. Consider advocates to be a step up from customer engagement.

Social Media 99

Social Media Software Review Entrepreneur Course 99

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 25, 2015

Or app companies that went viral due to spammy friend requests to download in an app store only to have a community backlash and subsequent crash. And of course it’s true in personal productivity apps, SMB apps, B2B software and so forth. “Hacking” growth is only sustainable with a truly great product.

Product 150

Product Startup Metrics Technical Review 150

SoCal CTO

MARCH 3, 2011

Many of the founders of these companies are surprised to learn that I'm willing to review what they are doing (maybe an hour) and get on the phone for an hour with them and provide free advice. Of course, I provide part-time CTO services. Who's the customer? Unfortunately, we are web, mobile, software, database guys.

CTO Hire 264

CTO Hire Startup Technical Review Development Team Review 264

socalTECH

OCTOBER 2, 2012

We are focused on the investment in and acquisition of software firms that are generating $2.5M These companies have built a leadership position in the market they serve, and they meet a mission critical need of their customer base. We know at a very granular level, by software sector, what a likely acquirer is going to pay.

Acquisition 168

Acquisition Software Review Technical Review Equity 168

SoCal CTO

MARCH 3, 2011

Many of the founders of these companies are surprised to learn that I'm willing to review what they are doing (maybe an hour) and get on the phone for an hour with them and provide free advice. Of course, I provide part-time CTO services. Who's the customer? Unfortunately, we are web, mobile, software, database guys.

CTO Hire 259

CTO Hire Startup Technical Review Development Team Review 259

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2019

Of course, there are always exceptions, but how much added risk do you need for your startup? Maxwell Wessel, in a classic article in the Harvard Business Review on this subject, points out the exception successes of Zappos in Las Vegas, Sendgrid’s massive growth in Colorado, and RightNow’s $1.5 The list goes on and on.

Startup 97

Startup Technical Review Oracle Software Review 97

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 17, 2014

Of course there are people who are great at getting things done, but haven’t had an original idea in their life. I was with IBM in the early PC days when Bill worked with us to provide PC DOS and other software. For entrepreneurs, effective networking is required to find investors, partners, and customers. Customer retention.

Ideas 108

Ideas Startup Technical Review Entrepreneur 108