Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 2, 2022

You can’t succeed in business without an operational model that delivers value to customers at a reasonable price, with an underlying cost that allows you to make a profit. A target market is the group of customers that the startup plans to attract through marketing and sales their product or service. Target market. Sales/Marketing.

Sales 102

Sales Customer Custom Outsource 102

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2020

Value factors include your related product breadth and depth, relationships with thought leaders, key vendors, and large potential customers. Key to required patents or trade secrets. In many cases, one of the co-founders may bring some work in progress that can be patented, trademarked, or copyrighted.

Startup 174

Startup Equity Patents CTO Hire 174

SoCal CTO

JUNE 9, 2010

Kathy Sierra at Business of Software 2009 - Business of Software Blog , May 4, 2010 "In the old days, getting customers was easy. Putting customers first. Legendary customer support. Draw Your Ideas - A VC : Venture Capital and Technology , May 16, 2010 I saw Jack Dorsey give this talk at The 99% Conference last month.

Startup 248

Startup Venture Capital Conference Social Media 248

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 21, 2023

Even if you have booked an hour with a VC, you should plan to talk only for the first fifteen minutes. Remember you are pitching to investors, not customers. Investors don’t need to know the implementation details of your patent or customer support plan. Don’t forget to ask for the order.

Slides 147

Slides Funding Technical Review Startup 147

SoCal CTO

MAY 18, 2010

Some good ones already from May: "Authentic" is dead - A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks , May 3, 2010 Phrases that should be retired include - “Putting customers first” You Actually Did This? Software Patent Absurdity - Feld Thoughts , May 6, 2010 Feld on the problems with software patents. Thanks Steve!

Startup 150

Startup SaaS Metrics Patents 150

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2022

Finally I realized that venture capital and angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary. Message delivery must be customized for each investor. Registered patents and other intellectual property. As with most business and personal interactions, first impressions tend to become lasting ones.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Social Media Patents Mentor 111

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 13, 2016

Additionally, independent organizations, such as Pitchbook, compile annual lists of the number of VC-backed companies launched at US Universities. Note: due to the founders’ relative lack of experience, most student enterprises do not qualify for venture capital. What is the process required to create a custom degree?

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Technical Review Class Patents 100

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

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 22, 2019

So the former venture capital investor from the consumer startup brand studio Launch set out to create one. Blueland’s cleaners — a bathroom cleaner, glass cleaner, and multi-purpose cleaner — are sold as tablets that customers add to the cleaning containers the company provides.

Design 161

Design Patents Los Angeles Ideas 161

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

Most universities have a file of patents from project work that they are willing to license to any entrepreneur for business commercialization, with little or no cost up front. These often lead to angel investors and venture capital investments later, or connections to local company venture funds for selected focus and technology areas.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Class Startup Resource 110

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 13, 2020

Finally I realized that venture capital and angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary. Message delivery must be customized for each investor. Registered patents and other intellectual property. As with most business and personal interactions, first impressions tend to become lasting ones.

Entrepreneur 126

Entrepreneur Social Media Patents Mentor 126

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2015

If you are approaching a recognized venture capital group, or even an accredited angel investor, a non-disclosure agreement is counter-productive. Disclosures relative to patents. Entrepreneurs should never disclose the details of a planned or current patent application to any outsiders, even with a CDA in place.

Ideas 106

Ideas Technical Review Patents Entrepreneur 106

SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 25, 2009

Now, given our current economic crisis and VC ‘challenges’, the barriers to funding have gone up significantly as well. Fantastic post by Christian Gammill - Startup Delta Force… From a competitive perspective (e.g. all the other folks out there that will try to enter the same market) the barriers have been dropping over the last few years.

Startup 150

Startup SEM IP SEO 150

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2020

Even if you have booked an hour with a VC, you should plan to talk only for the first fifteen minutes. Remember you are pitching to investors, not customers. Investors don’t need to know the implementation details of your patent or customer support plan. Don’t forget to ask for the order.

Startup 118

Startup Slides Technical Review Research 118

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2020

Most universities have a file of patents from project work that they are willing to license to any entrepreneur for business commercialization, with little or no cost up front. These often lead to angel investors and venture capital investments later, or connections to local company venture funds for selected focus and technology areas.

Class 124

Class Startup Resource Mentor 124

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 10, 2018

Value factors include your related product breadth and depth, relationships with thought leaders, key vendors, and large potential customers. Key to required patents or trade secrets. In many cases, one of the co-founders may bring some work in progress that can be patented, trademarked, or copyrighted.

Equity 95

Equity Patents CTO Hire Startup 95

socalTECH

JULY 31, 2013

The firm recently raised a $15M series C funding, and we caught up with Kevin to learn more about why its customers, and investors, are interested in its technology. What''s the gap in the market which would make your technology important to your customers? What does OnRamp Wireless do? Kevin Hell: That''s a great question.

Technical Review 213

Technical Review Software Review Networking Technology 213

socalTECH

APRIL 8, 2014

There seems to a perpetual shortage of local venture capital investors in the region, despite the huge growth in startup activity here, particularly along Silicon Beach. But, can you really get out there and get customers, and get those customers to repeat orders? READ MORE>>.

Seed Funding 220

Seed Funding Santa Monica Funding Startup 220

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2012

Many writers have outlined the critical success factors for product companies, like sell every unit at a profit, patent the design, and continuous product improvement. Obviously we can find many critical success factors, like finding and retaining high-value customers, which apply to companies that are product centric or services centric.

Satisfaction 91

Satisfaction Patents Outsource Development Services 91

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2014

Value factors include your related product breadth and depth, relationships with thought leaders, key vendors and large potential customers. Key to required patents or trade secrets. In many cases, one of the co-founders may bring some work in progress that can be patented, trademarked or copyrighted.

Equity 104

Equity Patents Startup CTO Hire 104

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 24, 2016

Value factors include your related product breadth and depth, relationships with thought leaders, key vendors, and large potential customers. Key to required patents or trade secrets. In many cases, one of the co-founders may bring some work in progress that can be patented, trademarked, or copyrighted.

Equity 62

Equity Startup Patents CTO Hire 62

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 20, 2010

Many writers have outlined the critical success factors for product companies, like sell every unit at a profit, patent the design, and continuous product improvement. Obviously we can find many critical success factors, like finding and retaining high-value customers, which apply to companies that are product centric or services centric.

Product 91

Product Services Satisfaction Patents 91

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2014

Finally I realized that Venture Capital and Angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary. Message delivery must be customized for each investor. Registered patents and other intellectual property. As with most business and personal interactions, first impressions tend to become lasting ones.

Entrepreneur 107

Entrepreneur Angel Social Media Patents 107

Tech.Co

DECEMBER 6, 2017

Hank: I am the CEO and founder of Seco Sys, which is a platform that allows water agencies, customers, and water related services to concurrently engage in water conservation at all water use endpoints. Finally, we do not have a venture capital firm. Hank McCarrick, CEO and founder of Seco Sys.

Startup 105

Startup Technical Review Patents Services 105

Tech.Co

DECEMBER 6, 2017

Hank: I am the CEO and founder of Seco Sys , which is a platform that allows water agencies, customers, and water related services to concurrently engage in water conservation at all water use endpoints. Finally, we do not have a venture capital firm. Hank McCarrick, CEO and founder of Seco Sys.

Startup 119

Startup Technical Review Patents Services 119

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2016

Most universities have a file of patents from project work that they are willing to license to any entrepreneur for business commercialization, with little or no cost up front. These often lead to angel investors and venture capital investments later, or connections to local company venture funds for selected focus and technology areas.

Entrepreneur 55

Entrepreneur Capital Class Startup 55

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 11, 2016

Angels are most interested to help you scale the business, once you have real customer traction and ready to break out. If your solution and brand are really new and innovative, you need to protect them with a patent, trademark or trade secret. Assemble a team with the requisite expertise and experience.

Angel 65

Angel Startup Technical Review Social Media 65

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 17, 2009

Custom Insurance Programs for Technology Companies. and international patent and trademark procurement - IP Litigation - IP Licenses and Agreements: distribution, development, joint venture - Intellectual property aspects of mergers and acquisitions. We Create Demand for California's Technology Companies. Think Glendale.

Orange County 113

Orange County Southern California IP Glendale 113

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 19, 2015

Even if you have booked an hour with a VC, you should plan to talk only for the first fifteen minutes. Remember you are pitching to investors, not customers. Investors don’t need to know the implementation details of your patent or customer support plan. Don’t forget to ask for the order.

Slides 105

Slides Technical Review Startup Research 105

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2016

Based on some good estimates of how many new ventures have been started in the last five years, the statistical odds of any individual startup making it to this level are less than one in a million. Patents and other intellectual property are a necessary initial “barrier to entry,” but these are just the beginning.

Company 100

Company Companies Startup Statistics 100

socalTECH

MARCH 16, 2010

Joe Fisher: Back about three years ago, Caltech took some of the intellectual property involved with this to an event, where once a year they invite venture capital groups to come in. The different professors present to the VC community, about new things and opportunities for new businesses. READ MORE>>.

CalTech 168

CalTech Technical Review Azusa Venture Capital 168

Tech Zulu Event

JULY 16, 2012

CallFire’s business model focuses on providing complete application solutions to businesses, while its open API enables applications to be customized in virtually any fashion. Company founders, led by Ravishanker, made the strategic choice early on to bypass venture capital.

Venture Capital 89

Venture Capital Cloud Computing Class Education 89

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2013

Even if you have booked an hour with a VC, you should plan to talk only for the first fifteen minutes. Remember you are pitching to investors, not customers. Investors don’t need to know the implementation details of your patent or customer support plan. Don’t forget to ask for the order.

Angel 102

Angel Funding Slides Technical Review 102

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 16, 2016

Even if you have booked an hour with a VC, you should plan to talk only for the first fifteen minutes. Remember you are pitching to investors, not customers. Investors don’t need to know the implementation details of your patent or customer support plan. Don’t forget to ask for the order.

Startup 64

Startup Slides Technical Review Research 64

socalTECH

MARCH 31, 2014

We''re rolling it out to finance and Wall Street, monitoring thousands of sources of continuously changing information, such as news, social media, internal email systems, and analyzing specific, material conditions that our customers are looking for. Alan Chaney is our Chief Architect, and ran Olivetti Resaerch in the UK.

Orange County 245

Orange County Startup News IBM 245

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 22, 2012

Even if you have booked an hour with a VC, you should plan to talk only for the first fifteen minutes. Remember you are pitching to investors, not customers. Investors don’t need to know the implementation details of your patent or customer support plan. Don’t forget to ask for the order.

Tips 97

Tips Slides Technical Review Startup 97

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2016

First priority is real revenue, customers and contracts. Patents filed, even provisional, as well as trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets count as barriers to entry and sustainable competitive advantages. This factor is more relevant to venture capital investors who come in at a later stage and expect more traction to qualify.

Startup 71

Startup Patents Invest Blogging 71