Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 5, 2011

Most technology startups seem to be funded by product people or business people. Specifically what is often not in the DNA of founders are sales skills. The result is a lack of knowledge of the process and of sales people themselves. We focused together on improving our sales methodology, our training and our comp plans.

Sales 316

Sales Startup Pricing Customer 316

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 2, 2010

This is part of a series on sales & marketing. I previously covered how early phase sales teams should be “evangelical&# and consultative in nature. As a tech startup grows it needs to develop more process & management if it is to scale. More experienced sales leaders seldom compete on price.

Sales 289

Sales Startup Training Pricing 289

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 12, 2010

A while back I wrote a bunch of posts on Sales & Marketing and have been meaning to get back to that theme for a while. Even if you don’t have “direct&# sales I would tell you that “everything is a sale&# including fund raising, hiring, getting press and doing business development.

Sales 346

Sales Startup Technical Review Customer 346

socalTECH

JANUARY 14, 2016

San Diego-based MindTouch , a developer of software-as-a-service tools to help companies create self-service, customer support sites, has raised $12M in a Series A funding. The funding came from PeakSpan Capital, along with SK Ventures and SAP SE. READ MORE>>.

Customer 100

Customer Custom Software Services 100

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 6, 2018

Fund raising. But it’s critical for your business, for you as a leader and people who excel at fund raising have an extreme advantage over those who do not. As a VC I also have to fund raise every three years and these posts 100% apply to VCs raising money, too. It definitely has a “d” in it, as in it’s really not fun, raising.

Funding 236

Funding Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur 236

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

socalTECH

APRIL 25, 2018

CampusLogic, which develops software tools to help streamline the management of student financial aid for schools, said Wednesday morning that it had raised $55M in a funding round from JMI Equity. CampusLogic said it will use the new investment for product development, customer success, and sales and marketing.

Equity 100

Equity Funding Tool Sales 100

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

San Diego-based Tiled, which develops "no code" software to allow sales, marketing, creative, and HR teams to create interactive content without software development, has raised $13.7M in a Series A funding round. The company sid it will use the funding to scale its produt. The company is led by CEO Darrell Swain.

Content 113

Content Software San Diego Sales 113

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 27, 2020

The Los Angeles-based operations and security management software service, Replicated has raised $25 million to ramp up its staffing and scale its sales and marketing efforts. The funding, which was led by Two Sigma Ventures and included existing investors like Plexo Capital, Amplify, and BoldStart values the company at over $100 million.

Software 224

Software Tool SaaS Los Angeles 224

TechCrunch LA

DECEMBER 8, 2020

Today, a startup that is doing this in the specific area of distressed property is announcing a round of growth funding to ramp up its team and expand its business. The funding is being led by QED Investors; Founders Fund, Susa Ventures, Navitas Capital, and Prudence Holdings also participated.

Sales 282

Sales Demand San Diego Funding 282

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

Vonjour (www.vonjour.com), a Los Angeles startup, has developed a cloud-based customer support and phone system which, in addition to handling all of a company''s usual enterprise phone needs--also lets employers harness employee smartphones to deal with customer support issues, make calls, and interact with customers directly from a mobile app.

Customer 133

Customer Custom Startup Mobile 133

TechCrunch LA

AUGUST 11, 2021

Linktree has been around since 2016 and has more funding than its up-and-coming competitors. So, in February 2020, with little to no funding left, the company completely pivoted to its current link-in-bio business. Now, Snipfeed enters the ring with its own $5.5 Image Credits: Snipfeed. With its $5.5

Platform 286

Platform Commerce Startup Tool 286

socalTECH

APRIL 3, 2013

San Diego-based Tealium , the developer of tag management software headed by Ali Behnam, has raised $15.6M in a new, Series C funding, the company said this morning. According to Tealium, the new funding comes from Tenaya Capital, Battery Ventures and Presidio Ventures.

Funding 164

Funding San Diego Commerce Entertainment 164

socalTECH

MARCH 19, 2014

Sales tax compliance is not a typical sexy startup area. So, it was a surprise when a number of smart, insider angels -- including Roy Rubin (founder of Magento, which he sold to eBay), and Dan Rose (VP of Partnerships at Facebook)--put their money behind TaxJar (www.taxjar.com), a San Diego startup developing sales tax compliance software.

Sales 149

Sales Software Startup Commerce 149

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 20, 2018

Every entrepreneur wants to hear “yes” during the fund-raising process but I would argue that being too risk averse and not pushing hard enough and be willing to hear a “no” is what holds back many people from “yes.” These are similar to the pipeline reviews I used to do with sales reps when I was a CEO. however hard to hear?—?resonated.

Funding 189

Funding Software Review Entrepreneur Venture Capital 189

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 24, 2021

Los Angeles-based startup Emotive, which develops conversational text messaging software, said this morning that it has raised $50M in its Series B funding round. The funding was led by CRV, and also included Mucker Capital, TenOneTen Ventures, plus new investors, Stripes and Vulcan Capital.

Chief Technology Officer 113

Chief Technology Officer SpaceX Commerce Los Angeles 113

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 10, 2023

As a startup investor, I often see business proposals looking for funding that really look like expensive hobbies looking for donations. I still see entrepreneurs who spend money and time for months on a new business idea without any separation of personal and business funds, and any formal accounting system for their new business.

Outsource Development 115

Outsource Development Startup Competition Ideas 115

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. Solicit funds from friends and family. Use crowd funding to build reserves.

Startup 136

Startup Technical Review Equity Incubator 136

socalTECH

JUNE 30, 2021

Los Angeles-based ServiceTitan, which provides software used by contractors and the trades to manage their business, has acquired another company, Aspire Software, which develops software for the commercial landscaping business. The Series G funding values ServiceTitan at $9.5 The Series G funding values ServiceTitan at $9.5

Acquisition 113

Acquisition Equity Los Angeles Software 113

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 3, 2020

Los Angeles-based Allset , a startup which develops an app that lets diners "pre-order" food at sit down restaurants, says it has linked with digital food ordering company Olo. Allset said takeout and dine-in orders placed by customers on the Allset app and website will flow directly into Olo restaurant partner's point-of-sale systems (POS).

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Los Angeles Platform Sales 100

socalTECH

AUGUST 4, 2020

Qualified , a startup developing conversational marketing software for companies that use Salesforce, said on Tuesday that it has raised $12M in its Series A funding. Scott Beechuk, a partner at Norwest Venture Partners, joins the company's baord of directors. Sikola previously served at ExpenseCloud and TriNet Cloud in Los Angeles.

Redpoint 113

Redpoint Los Angeles Software Sales 113

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 7, 2022

Some make big mistakes, such as Webvan expanding too fast with a huge infrastructure, and Pets.com , trying to grow the business with a negative margin, under the mistaken assumption that winning customers is more important than making a profit. Ask every employee to focus on sales. Aggressively enter new markets and sales channels.

Startup 134

Startup Search Engine Optimization Social Media Metrics 134

socalTECH

MAY 29, 2020

San Diego-based Ascus Biosciences , a developer of feed supplements for animal health and nutrition, said this week that it has raised $46M in a Series B funding round. THe funding was led by Temasek Holdings, and also included Anterra Capital, Formation 8, and Cavallo Ventures (venture capital arm of Wilbur-Ellis), as well as angels.

San Diego 124

San Diego Venture Capital Platform Capital 124

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 26, 2010

Social proof is defined as “looking for others to guide our decisions&# and is also one of the most important techniques in acquiring customers in your company. You need to give them advance notice of your product development or better yet let them help influence your direction. Sure, they need a little social proof.

Marketing 294

Marketing Customer Custom Technical Review 294

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2017

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. Solicit funds from friends and family. Use crowd funding. Set expectations accordingly.

Develop 70

Develop Development Product Startup 70

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 1, 2009

As organizations we have become more open and I believe this is great for businesses and their customers. 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.

Organization 280

Organization Customer Custom Tips 280

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 23, 2021

Some investors seem to focus wholly on the strengths of the management team, or a sustainable competitive advantage, and in reality these are the core attributes for every funding equation. While these may be necessary for funding, they may not be sufficient to make your startup the great success embodied in your vision.

Education 151

Education Customer Custom Sales 151

TechCrunch LA

JUNE 9, 2021

Even as NFT sales dip below their most speculative highs, startups aiming to tap into their potential are still scoring big funding rounds from investors who believe there’s much more to crypto collectibles than the past few months of hype. The round was led by WestCap. The startup has raised a whopping $120 million to date.

Platform 308

Platform Framework Los Angeles Design 308

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 2, 2021

“ We were targeted to a small number of very premier customers. Existing investors like SeventySix Capital, The Strand Partners, Stadia Ventures, Hersh Interactive Group, and Transcend Fund, as well as early Zoom employees Richard Gatchalian and Aaron Lewis, also participated. . Sales, Sony Music Entertainment, in a statement. .

Tool 315

Tool Commerce .Net Entertainment 315

socalTECH

MAY 16, 2019

San Diego-based Tealium , which develops tag management software used data integration, has raised $55M more in a Series F funding round, according to the company. The funding was led by Silver Lake Waterman, and also included ABN AMRO Digital Impact Fund, Declaration Partners, Parkwood and existing investors.

Silver Lake 113

Silver Lake San Diego Activity Mobile 113

TechCrunch LA

NOVEMBER 5, 2021

The total funds include backing from a Republic campaign, pre-seed investors and capital from the co-founders. Ultimately 1,000 customers signed up, and The Kelp Burger is now the “hero product,” Boyd Myers said. Boyd Myers explained that there are sales and repeat customers, but it was too early to discuss growth metrics.

Startup 191

Startup Los Angeles Sample Funding 191

socalTECH

JULY 8, 2016

Carlsbad-based Zingle , a startup developing messaging tools that allows businesses to connect to consumers via messaging and texting, has raised $3M in a Series A funding round. The funding came from Rincon Ventures and Crosscut Ventures. Zingle was founded by Ford Blakely. READ MORE>>.

Customer 145

Customer Custom Tool Sales 145

socalTECH

MAY 9, 2019

Los Angeles-based online ordering software developer ChowNow has raised $21M more in funding, in its Series C funding, according to the company. The funding came from 3L Capital and Catalyst Investors, and brings the company's total raised to $60M. Chowow is led by co-founder and CEO Chris Webb.

Los Angeles 113

Los Angeles Funding Software Development Capital 113

socalTECH

AUGUST 26, 2010

San Diego-based IntraStage , a developer of quality management software for companies who design and manufacture electronic products, including statistical process control (SPC) and other testing and data analytics tools, has raised a round of angel funding. IntraStage's customers include Motorola, Panasonic and Northrop Grumman.

Angel 140

Angel Tech Coast Angels Funding CIO 140

socalTECH

AUGUST 23, 2018

Los Angeles-based Appetize , which develops modern, tablet-based and other point of sale (POS) systems, said this morning that it has linked with SIDEARM Sports , a provider of mobile apps for the collegiate athletic market. The two companies said that Sidearm's customer base includes more than 1,100 college campuses nationwide.

Sales 100

Sales Equity Los Angeles Mobile 100

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 23, 2017

Santa Monica-based MomentFeed , which develops software that helps multi-location, retailers and brands better understand and interact with customers, has raised $16.3M in new funding, the company said this morning. The funding was led by Level Equity, and also included Signia Venture Partners, Draper Nexus and DFJ Frontier.

Draper 113

Draper Santa Monica Equity Sales 113

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

And as a result of this there are now very robust secondary markets where founders and seed-funds alike are selling down their ownership long before an ultimate exit. If we wanted to we could have sold > 2x the fund easily in the secondary markets with significant upside remaining. of the fund.

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471