Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 7, 2023

Customers have come to expect disruptive change, so yet another social network is not the way to get traction. Mauri offers some practical, actionable advice for entrepreneurs who want to develop a leader’s mindset, on how to spread the right message to potential customers, as well as investors. Take a hard look at SpaceX or HyperLoop.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2020

In my work with new startups, I often find people who believe that the terms “ entrepreneur ” and “ inventor ” are interchangeable. Yet I find a big difference between “starting a new business” and “creating a new product.” In fact, many customers have an inherent fear of new technology and the complexity it often brings.

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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. Along with the funding, the company said it has named two executives, naming Adam Waid as Chief Customer Officer and Oleg Pylnev as Chief Technology Officer.

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Chief Technology Officer SpaceX Commerce Los Angeles 113

TechCrunch LA

JANUARY 25, 2022

Now it’s picking up some funding along with an endorsement Europe to further its growth. The startup has received €50 million (just under $57 million at today’s rates) from the European Investment Bank, the funding arm of the European Union. People order Starship deliveries via the startup’s iOS and Android apps.

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socalTECH

MARCH 4, 2009

Hawthorne-based SpaceX , the space launch vehicle startup funded by PayPal founder Elon Musk, said Wednesday afternoon that it has hired on a new Vice President of Business Development. According to SpaceX, it has appointed Rob Peckham, former President and General Manager of Sea Launch, to the position. READ MORE>>.

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L.A. Business Journal

JUNE 28, 2017

Mobile game hardware startup Wonder raises $14 million, SpaceX to launch final Falcon 9 upgrade this year and Snapchat users can create custom filters in the app.

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Mobile Snapchat SpaceX Develop 100

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

I’m over-paying for every check I write into the VC ecosystem and valuations are being pushed up to absurd levels and many of these valuations and companies won’t hold in the long term. Today you have funders focused exclusively on “Day 0” startups or ones that aren’t even created yet. By definition?—?I’m two founders in a garage?—?(HP

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Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 16, 2021

Elon Musk with Tesla and SpaceX may be the most current example of this phenomenon, but others often mentioned include Richard Branson (Virgin Group), Joe Costello (Cadence Design), and Howard Schultz (Starbucks). Joe Costello was known to dress up as Frankenstein and the Riddler for company functions, and wasn’t afraid to laugh at himself.

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2023

Whether you are a business professional in a big company, or an entrepreneur with a startup, innovation is a key strategy. You will see that I believe innovation is only one of many factors that ultimately determine your position with customers and your own legacy: Ideas are everywhere – success is all about execution.

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socalTECH

MAY 30, 2012

In another, big step this week for Southern California's startup space vehicle industry, Virgin Galactic , the Sir Richard Branson-backed effort to commercialize sub-orbital flight vehicles for space tourism, said Wednesday that it has been granted an experimental launch permit from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Thursday morning.

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Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 18, 2022

As an angel investor in startups, I always look for this self-confidence, no matter how innovative the solution. You must always stick up for yourself, just like you would for your best friend. Use acceptance, forgiveness, and compassion, to keep up your confidence. Always be your own best (and most honest) friend.

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Startup Entrepreneur Satisfaction Ideas 141

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 26, 2020

Startups across the nation and around the world are looking for ways to relieve shortages of much-needed personal protective equipment and sanitizers used to halt the spread of COVID-19. ” Against this backdrop local startups and maker spaces are stepping up to do what they can to fill the gap.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2020

Although most people believe that being a successful entrepreneur is all about having the right idea, I’m convinced from my years of experience as a startup advisor and investor that’s it’s more about you as a person. So how do you develop that reputation such that everyone believes in you, and customers jump to try your solution first?

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Entrepreneur Examples Blogging Customer 129

socalTECH

DECEMBER 31, 2012

in the company's efforts to start a commercial space tourism industry. generation of startups. BetterWorks--headed by prolific angel investor Paige Craig--apparently was not able to sustain a large enough market, relative to its high costs of customer acquisition. venture capital exits in. We have no idea. companies.

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Southern California Thousand Oaks Incubator SpaceX 211

socalTECH

JULY 22, 2019

This morning's interview is with Matt Kozlov , the Managing Director of the new Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator , which just got started in Los Angeles. It used to be that investors just wouldn't look at a space startup. If you look at SpaceX, they recently put 63 satellites into orbit on one rocket, which is a new record.

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Southern California Startup Entrepreneur Los Angeles 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2022

Today more than ever, the evidence is clear that business people need to find and communicate a purpose that goes beyond making a profit, in order to ensure customer engagement, as well as your own, and drive results in the marketplace. As you grow, so will your team and customers. Driven to reduce personal hardship and suffering.

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Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 28, 2018

My friend Michael Broukhim, founder & co-CEO of FabFitFun and I recently had a catch-up meeting for 3-miles on the Santa Monica “Bird Trail” No company has ever elicited so many questions by friends, colleagues, entrepreneurs, fellow VCs and journalists as has Bird, the company that pioneered the electronic scooter as a service market.

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TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 1, 2019

Using its proprietary printing technology, Relativity says it can slash the time it takes to develop a rocket from design to launch by up to two years. Relativity Space signs the satellite transportation company Momentus as a new customer. “We’re really really truly focused on the rockets for now,” says Ellis.

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2019

Uber and Airbnb are examples of startups that started the sharing movement, but quickly grew to challenge large conglomerates. Elon Musk , for example, not only runs Tesla and SpaceX, but has several seemingly unrelated other initiatives, including OpenAI, Neuralink, and The Boring Company.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 30, 2022

I’m sure you will agree that not all business leaders are created equal, starting from the CEO on down. Leaders with this “be bold” mindset are willing and able to take radically unique direction-setting actions in the face of today’s pace of change and customer demands. Every business leader needs good “ managing up ” skills.

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socalTECH

DECEMBER 21, 2010

Today, we share the thoughts of Scott Painter the CEO and founder of TrueCar , as well as a number of other successful firms and startups in Southern California. Between what he's doing between Tesla and SpaceX is pretty remarkable. They want to start growing and showing margin growth over time. Don't hire brilliant jerks.

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Truecar Southern California High Tech Startup 203

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2022

Every business owner and entrepreneur I meet in my consulting rounds dreams of finding that “ disruptive ” innovation that will supercharge their business and move it into the ranks of business unicorns (billion-dollar valuations), such as SpaceX and Apple. Before you act, shut up and listen to employees, customers, and futurists.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2016

In reality, that’s the definition of a successful startup these days, so every aspiring entrepreneur should take note, as well as every existing corporate executive. Elon Musk has done it with SpaceX and Tesla, and Steve Jobs did it on a regular basis at Apple. Entrepreneurs who prefer to work alone have a hard road ahead.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 21, 2019

Then you need creative problem solving to come up with a solution, and the ability to persuade others of the viability and value, and to join you on the journey. They nurture connections to other innovators and entrepreneurs, financial benefactors, organizational leaders, and potential customers. The cycle repeats.

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Tech.Co

JULY 24, 2017

Especially in the early days of your startup, when you’re often only months from running out of money, hiring the wrong person can be disastrous. And if, like us, you spend the first six months of your startup under a rock, your social capital may begin to dry up. I suggest to customize your pitch for them.

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Networking Startup Software Review Conference 82

SoCal Tech Calendar

JUNE 14, 2016

In the corporate world, events are more than just an event�they are opportunity to connect with your customers and turn potential customers into buyers. Our clients are large, Fortune 1000 companies, like Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Nike, JP Morgan, Lamborghini, and SpaceX. How did you start the company?

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Sales Santa Monica Startup Orange County 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2020

Customers have come to expect disruptive change, so yet another social network is not the way to get traction. Mauri offers some practical, actionable advice for entrepreneurs who want to develop a leader’s mindset, on how to spread the right message to potential customers, as well as investors. Take a hard look at SpaceX or HyperLoop.

Entrepreneur 143

Entrepreneur Social Network SpaceX Ideas 143

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2015

Most technologists have little interest in the mechanics of starting and building a business. Thus it’s a waste of time for most entrepreneurs to be looking for investors until they have a product and some customer revenue. Business efforts should start only after the product is right.

Technical Review 101

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 3, 2016

As a small business and startup advisor, I find that entrepreneurs often love to talk about their latest idea, but not their execution. For example, Elon Musk is recognized as a visionary entrepreneur, but his fortune and his impact has come from the great companies he has built, including SpaceX, Tesla Motors, and PayPal.

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur Satisfaction Metrics Ideas 106

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 31, 2018

As a small business advisor, I always recommend that being “self-sustaining” requires taking frequent and aggressive measures to step out ahead of the pack, including yourself, before you start feeling the pain of change and new competitors around you. He entertains no sense of a static business. Redefine your product to reach a new category.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 30, 2019

I’m convinced this is happening because most companies don’t have the courage to keep up with the escalating rate of change in the market today. From my years of experience in big companies, as well as startups, I can attest that the courage to promote change is not something often seen, or even encouraged, in most employees or executives.

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Ideas Training Examples Organization 89

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 29, 2016

Have you noticed that the really big startup wins in the last couple of decades have come from creating and dominating new market categories, more than just new solutions? Bold entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk now routinely attack undefined markets, like privatized space travel with SpaceX, and high performance electric cars with Tesla Motors.

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Entrepreneur Marketing Design SpaceX 61

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 10, 2019

Steve Jobs at Apple may have been the most visible example of this ability to “see around the corner,” but others often mentioned include Richard Branson (Virgin Group), and Elon Musk (SpaceX). With collaboration, differences add up to more than the sum of the parts. Borrow prior and current brilliance (mash-up).

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Summary Organization SpaceX Ideas 95

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2018

Customers have come to expect disruptive change, so yet another social network is not the way to get traction. Mauri offers some practical, actionable advice for entrepreneurs who want to develop a leader’s mindset, on how to spread the right message to potential customers, as well as investors. Take a hard look at SpaceX or HyperLoop.

Entrepreneur 86

Entrepreneur Social Network SpaceX Ideas 86

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2016

Customers have come to expect disruptive change, so yet another social network is not the way to get traction. Mauri offers some practical, actionable advice for entrepreneurs who want to develop a leader’s mindset, on how to spread the right message to potential customers, as well as investors. Take a hard look at SpaceX or HyperLoop.

Entrepreneur 103

Entrepreneur Social Network SpaceX Ideas 103

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 21, 2019

Rather than punish them, it may pay you to nurture and manage their outside-the-box thinking, and capitalize on their innovations that help your customers and keep you ahead of the competition. Sometime employees on your front lines have a better handle on what customers need next than external entrepreneurs.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 21, 2016

Elon Musk seems to be highest on this list these days, with his record-setting order rate on the new Tesla Model 3 all-electric car, and well as groundbreaking progress on SpaceX and SolarCity. Maintaining that balance between doing good and doing business is a key to success that investors and customers watch carefully.

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Entrepreneur Marketing Design Satisfaction 56