Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2023

Serious investors, on the other hand, look for a professional business plan or summary first, and hardly ever look at the product plan. Here are the major elements of the best product plans: Market requirements section. These requirements must be based on market analysis, expert input, and existing customer feedback.

Product 112

Product Summary Activity Entrepreneur 112

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 15, 2020

When entrepreneurs introduce new products to the market, their passion and conviction often leads them to assume that every potential customer will see the immediate need and value, and will quickly adopt the solution. In today’s information overload, marketing is everything. Use every marketing channel available.

Case Study 174

Case Study Startup Customer Custom 174

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 19, 2011

Or read the quick, informative summary below the image! He is very hands-on and helpful – especially for any company looking into customer acquisition. Matt’s commitment to re-investing in tech startups is reminiscent to this great Fred Wilson post of “recycling capital. &#. That was a quick meeting!!

Acquisition 304

Acquisition Startup Customer Custom 304

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

If you are one of the thousands of entrepreneurs who need equity funding to get your startup going (no loans to repay), you are probably overwhelmed at the prospect of finding, contacting and pitching to the huge number of qualified angels and investment groups around the country. Collect target customer testimonials and advocacy.

Platform 94

Platform Equity Invest Technical Advisors 94

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 12, 2015

I get questions from startup founders about executive summaries all the time. I answered some of those questions in a previous post, Crafting Your Executive Summary , so I won’t rehash them here. Here’s what not to do when crafting your executive summary. They range from “what should I include?” to “how long should it be?”

Summary 40

Summary Outsource Development Writing Outsource 40

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 18, 2021

This is the last step of the process, where surprises in the evaluation of the management team, documentation, and personnel problems can derail the investment. If there are financial anomalies, or someone on the team doesn’t know the current strategy, or is unhappy with you or the company, the investment will be jeopardized.

Technical Review 152

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Summary 152

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2021

As a result, we shared in capturing a new high-end market, without major new marketing or development. All this was done without damaging anyone’s credibility, or stealing customers. Here is a summary of each: Complementary strengths allows extended market penetration. Simple referral fees can bring real growth.

Startup 173

Startup Outsource Development Examples Customer 173

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2021

Others schedule exhaustive training sessions for everyone on the team, including showcase customers, to make sure that everyone paints a consistent picture. Due diligence always involves on-site visits, informal discussions with any or all members of the team, vendors, and good customers as well as bad. Status of the solution.

Technical Review 151

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Invest 151

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 31, 2020

Serious investors, on the other hand, look for a professional business plan or summary first, and hardly ever look at the product plan. Here are the major elements of the best product plans: Market requirements section. These requirements must be based on market analysis, expert input, and existing customer feedback.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Startup Summary Product 124

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 12, 2014

But being best-in-class at online marketing is also a sine qua non to standout from your peer group. The starting point of product IS marketing, which is what a lot of young entrepreneurs that never studied business don’t realize. Link has a summary of his argument plus a great video). My argument is pretty simple.

Marketing 379

Marketing Startup SEM SEO 379

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2020

As an aspiring entrepreneur, one of the most important things you need is a memorable “ elevator pitch ,” to communicate your startup value proposition and leave a great first impression on friends, investors, employees, and future customers. Lead with your best marketing pitch and conviction. Highlight the solution more than the team.

Sample 127

Sample Summary Startup Slides 127

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2023

Based on my years of experience as a business executive and consultant, I am convinced that most companies gradually lose their ability to be creative as they mature, and over time are overcome by new competitors and market changes. Your people on the customer front lines have the input you need on institutional changes required.

Case Study 117

Case Study Outsource Development Outsource Customer 117

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2023

It’s equally easy to go online and incorporate your new entity, register some intellectual property and have some fun with social media for marketing and interacting with customers. Don’t rationalize a big investment in basic equipment with long-term requirements thinking. Barter services for access to required resources.

Equity 139

Equity Social Media Startup Summary 139

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 23, 2023

Your concept has to be understood by customers and investors in 30 seconds or less, and everyone needs to immediately see how awesome it would be, or that they would be nuts not to have it. I’m looking for the “hook” right up front, or I lose interest quickly, just like every customer and investor these days.

Startup 96

Startup Education Ideas Customer 96

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 14, 2018

I know all of this because every VC knows this because we’ve all either funded companies that have marketing technology or we’ve seen a pitch with a company that does this. Your pitch deck should really be your best marketing tool Your pitch deck shouldn’t contain your deepest, darkest secrets and plans. Many of my colleagues do, too.

Funding 239

Funding Venture Capital IP Email 239

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2021

I like the summary of the competitive reality in a new book, “ Rethinking Competitive Advantage: New Rules for the Digital Age ,” by Ram Charan, who relates a wealth of current experience from global clients: Customers expect a personalized experience. Features, availability, and brand are just the price of entry.

Competition 142

Competition Software Review Social Media Customer 142

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 17, 2019

Just as I was getting the swing of things the world shifted beneath my feet and the stock market went into a free fall and venture capital all but shut down for nearly a year. The advantage is that in many of our best deals we now have $50+ million invested so we can really support entrepreneurs as their businesses scale.

Venture Capital 223

Venture Capital IP Startup Google 223

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2018

controlling your psychology ) you no doubt have heard me say that raising capital is a sales & marketing process. Some firms are trickier since they artificially call everybody “partner” but they’re not all “investment partners.” Find a portfolio company or two that they’ve invested in. It’s super easy to suss all this out.

Venture Capital 314

Venture Capital Technical Review Invest Slides 314

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2021

Look at the world as today’s global market. With the advent of the internet, every opportunity is global, since every customer can see you from anywhere in the world. In this world of rapidly evolving technologies, as well as changing customer expectations, it is hard for anyone to keep up with all they need to know.

Startup 146

Startup Resource Summary Entrepreneur 146

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

There is nothing more pure than building a product, putting it out in the world and seeing paying customers using your product and in some cases loving it. As companies get this initial customer feedback on their product they start to have to ask harder questions about unit economics: How much does it cost us to acquire a new customer?

Startup 286

Startup Technical Review Customer Custom 286

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

A conundrum for many frustrated entrepreneurs is that they need money from investors to design and build a prototype product, yet most angel investors expect to see at least a prototype before they invest. Build an investor presentation and summary. Remember to aim the content of both of these at investors, not customers.

Invest 99

Invest Angel Technical Review Summary 99

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2018

I just finished a new book, “ Shortcut Your Startup ,” by the entrepreneur brothers Courtney and Carter Reum, and I like their summary of five critical changes in the market that every entrepreneur should capitalize on: Pervasive computer usage is now the great equalizer. Tools allow marketing in a much more targeted way.

Marketing 57

Marketing Startup Entrepreneur Social Media 57

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2020

Your concept has to be understood by customers and investors in 30 seconds or less, and everyone needs to immediately see how awesome it would be, or that they would be nuts not to have it. I’m looking for the “hook” right up front, or I lose interest quickly, just like every customer and investor these days.

Startup 166

Startup Education Ideas Customer 166

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 18, 2020

It’s equally easy to go online and incorporate your new entity, register some intellectual property and have some fun with social media for marketing and interacting with customers. Don’t rationalize a big investment in basic equipment with long-term requirements thinking. Barter services for access to required resources.

Social Media 169

Social Media Startup Equity Summary 169

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 22, 2015

Conventional wisdom says I shouldn’t tell you this because I invested in their main competitor, MakeSpace. Clutter is LA based and many of my friends invested. We will have two well-funded companies educating the market on why this market opportunity for the $24 billion US storage market is ripe for disruption.

Funding 150

Funding Competition Marketing Summary 150

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 18, 2016

When entrepreneurs introduce new products to the market, their passion and conviction often leads them to assume that every potential customer will see the immediate need and value, and will quickly adopt the solution. In today’s information overload, marketing is everything. Use every marketing channel available.

Product 95

Product Case Study Customer Custom 95

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 28, 2018

When a product is truly unique and demanded a retailer willingly promotes and sells it en masse in part because it does get margin on the good but also because it brings customers in the door who spend on other products. Ariel understood her customer?—?the So Why Does This Matter? the modern buyer of home products?—?better

Product 296

Product Course Customer Custom 296

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 19, 2015

We have made 5 online video investments in total – some we will talk about later this year. Content is a “hits driven business” and therefore you can only invest in platforms not media. You must invest in technology. YouTube is a distribution and marketing channel like any other. But think of this.

SEM 150

SEM Content Platform Acquisition 150

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2010

I’m very pleased today to announce that I invested, on behalf of GRP Partners, in Burstly alongside Rincon Venture Partners , an early stage VC in Southern California whith whom we love to work (and were our co-investors on RingRevenue ). Naturally I’m excited about this investment or I wouldn’t have done it.

Mobile 282

Mobile Invest Company Companies 282

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. If you don’t believe in your bones that you’re amazing then it’s no wonder you don’t want to sell them on making the investment.” an investment in your company.

Venture Capital 332

Venture Capital Funding Startup Sales 332

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2018

When you raise money from investors you produce information that you are told they want and care about: A fund-raising deck that articulates your company strategy, plans, team, market, competitors and so forth. These collective sets of documents form the basis of what somebody looking at investing would call “financial due diligence.”

Funding 336

Funding Venture Capital Startup Email 336

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 12, 2011

He’s thoughtful about markets, investors, products and is always very well reasoned in his arguments. I think you’ll really enjoy this video , but as always I have summary notes for those with less time. The firm focuses on early stage companies in the Northeast but occasionally invests in California startups.

Technical Review 281

Technical Review Venture Capital Startup Artificial Inteligence 281

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 1, 2015

when a technology startup, its investors or the market believe in robust growth rates writ large. “the ecommerce company gained fauxmentum by raising artificially high amounts of venture capital and spent lavishly on customer acquisition despite long payback periods and questionable LTV” __. __. faux·men·tum.

Startup 150

Startup Marketing Customer Custom 150

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 6, 2014

With small amounts of money invested (sub $3 million) the risks are reasonably low for most VCs and the consequences of bad decisions or decisions a VC has limited say in is tolerable. how to market our products and company. Offering a sparring-partner function on strategic decisions. Reviewing financial & operational performance.

Startup 325

Startup Sales Technical Review Software Review 325

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 22, 2015

What Cham rarely tells people – he’s both private and humble – is that he started making some small co-investments with me in tech firms starting with Maker Studios where he was one of the earliest investors. We started hanging out a bit and discussing technology and entrepreneurship. They make a great pair.

Conference 150

Conference Slides Social Media Summary 150

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

You have to understand whether they’re likely to yield revenue growth in the near term OR whether you have access to cheap enough capital to fund your losses until your investments pay off. Exec Summary: Most companies (98+%) in the world (even tech startups) should be very profit focused. If you don’t, somebody else WILL!”

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2022

Based on my own mentoring and investing experience, the best entrepreneurs are pragmatic problem solvers. Listen to your customers to arrive at acceptable and marketable solutions. Perhaps sparked by the recent pandemic, I’m seeing a new era of the entrepreneur, with startups springing up all around.

Startup 135

Startup Mentor Entrepreneur Technical Review 135