Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 16, 2020

As an angel investor and a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I’m always disappointed to see founders who seem stressed out most of the time, and more annoyed than energized by the abundance of challenges they see in building their startup. Don’t demand or expect immediate gratification. Viewed by others as a successful problem solver.

Startup 171

Startup Entrepreneur Activity Ideas 171

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 23, 2020

There’s also a relatively modest request (of only $4 billion) for funding devoted to pilot projects, startup companies, and public clean technology investment initiatives (like LACI). The goal, is to get local, shovel-ready projects the financing they’d need to start the process of hiring workers immediately.

Southern California 261

Southern California Los Angeles Rosemead Incubator 261

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 17, 2017

There are certain topics that even some of the smartest people I talk with who aren’t startup oriented can’t fully grok. It’s common cocktail party chatter to hear people confidently pronounce that some well known startup is sure to blow up because, “How could they succeed when they’re not even profitable!”

Startup 227

Startup Venture Capital Sales Course 227

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2021

Most entrepreneurs avoid setting up a board of directors for their new business unless or until they sign up an investor who demands a seat on the board. High-performing startups today are the ones that use every resource at their disposal. I recommend three or five members to start (an uneven number prevents tie votes).

Startup 145

Startup Entrepreneur Mentor Writing 145

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 25, 2013

On my most important ones I spend as much time figuring out what to cut out as I do putting into the writing of it. State your most important ask up front. Many people write email without a “call to action” or reason they’re writing the email. Write to one person at a time. RSVP this week.

Email 415

Email Writing Software Review Startup 415

socalTECH

JANUARY 14, 2019

Santa Monica-based on-demand scooter rental startup Bird has backed off on legal threats against a local, LA journalist, Cory Doctorow, after widespread outroar over what was perceived as a censorship threat , saying that the company's legal team "overreached" in issuing a takedown letter.

Santa Monica 133

Santa Monica Demand Writing Media 133

TechCrunch LA

JULY 2, 2020

From larger fund investors like Mark Suster and Kara Nortman at Upfront Ventures to Dana Settle at Greycroft Partners; to early-stage investors like Will Hsu at Mucker Capital; TX Zhuo at Fika Ventures, the responses were generally upbeat about the future opportunities for Los Angeles startups.

Los Angeles 277

Los Angeles Venture Capital Capital Invest 277

socalTECH

OCTOBER 11, 2016

The WD Blue offers capacities of 250GB, 500GB, and 1TB, and are performance driven, with 545MB/s and 525MB/s sequential read and write speeds. The drives start at $79.00. Western Digital said the branded drives come due to "significant demand" from its resellers and consumers for flash-based storage. READ MORE>>.

Writing 100

Writing Startup Demand Pricing 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2022

In these changing times, if you already have a startup, with no plan, maybe it’s time to think ahead for a change. Usually that means writing something down, since it’s hard to maintain something, or track yourself against it, if it’s not written down. Assess customer demand. Can you start where you are and relocate later?

Startup 115

Startup Resource Training Ideas 115

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 6, 2016

I even prefer to fund entrepreneurs who have experience some level of set-backs in their careers or startups because I think it brings a humility to decision-making that I find healthy. You also ran the risk that if you hired employees quickly and then demand wasn’t as strong as expected it was incredibility hard to fire people.

Startup 261

Startup Press Blogging .Net 261

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2023

Over my years in business, I have accumulated a list of recommended strategies for keeping cool and calm in the face of increasing demands at work. Here is my prioritized list of work management strategies I recommend to all business professionals and entrepreneurs: Avoid reliance on multi-tasking to keep up with requests.

Demand 103

Demand Activity Email Mentor 103

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 19, 2022

One of the most common complaints I hear from entrepreneurs is that they are overwhelmed by the workload and stress of starting their company. Then there are the additional challenges of balancing the demands of family and friends. Write it down, but even then, keep it to the top ten priority items or less.

Startup 123

Startup Tips Entrepreneur Mentor 123

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

I find it amusing when a journalist writes an article about a prominent startup (either privately held or preparing for an IPO) and decries that, “They’re not even profitable!” Exec Summary: Most companies (98+%) in the world (even tech startups) should be very profit focused. What makes up revenue?

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 27, 2016

Some entrepreneurs start polling venture capitalists for that multi-million dollar investment before they even have a business plan. It’s helpful to think of startups as proceeding through several stages, which I have defined some time ago from a funding perspective. Don’t waste your resources on the wrong ones. Growth and exit stage.

Organization 93

Organization Startup Incubator Ideas 93

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 31, 2021

The sweeping infrastructure package put forward today by President Joe Biden comes with a price tag of roughly $2 trillion (and hefty tax hikes) but gives startups and the broader tech industry about $1 trillion worth of reasons to support it. The vast majority of those are nowhere up to modern codes. ” Climate resiliency .

Startup 229

Startup Technical Review Invest Research 229

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 21, 2020

if you listen you’ll pick up much more than my quick notes below). We talked about what startup CEOs should do in these situations and how to think about these renegotiations. Other companies have only seen a slight decline and may be expecting demand to return to normalcy later in the year. That may happen. But I doubt it.

Venture Capital 263

Venture Capital Marketing Startup Writing 263

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 25, 2016

Many startup businesses – tech or otherwise – fail. Trying outrageous new things or even trying mundane things but in new ways but with extreme quality & innovation is what fuels the tech startup industry. But today I want to give you advice on how to decrease your odds of failure in a startup. Market Size.

Startup 150

Startup Marketing Study SEO 150

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2015

Most entrepreneurs avoid setting up a board of directors for their new business unless or until they sign up an investor who demands a seat on the board. High-performing startups today are the ones that use every resource at their disposal. I recommend three or five members to start (an uneven number prevents tie votes).

Startup 103

Startup Entrepreneur Mentor Writing 103

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 1, 2020

Just two weeks into it we are just starting to come to grips with what will no doubt wreak big financial, emotional and obviously dire health consequences and suffering for many. He showed industries where demand was likely to hold strong and he outlined a case for how he could protect as many jobs as possible. you should do it.

Demand 215

Demand Guide Customer Custom 215

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2023

As an angel investor and a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I’m always disappointed to see founders who seem stressed out most of the time, and more annoyed than energized by the abundance of challenges they see in building their startup. Don’t demand or expect immediate gratification. Viewed by others as a successful problem solver.

Entrepreneur 70

Entrepreneur Startup Activity Ideas 70

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 18, 2010

As a startup entrepreneur you’ll have many demands for your time. Especially if you start to have a degree of success or build a high public profile. “Thank you for writing to me – it’s nice to hear from you (or meet you) via email. Everyone will want you to speak at conferences.

Startup 305

Startup Venture Capital Writing Conference 305

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 12, 2014

would you want to give up the right to invest in subsequent rounds? Do investors always take up their prorata rights in later rounds? The simple answer is “No, investors don’t always take up their prorata rights.” Finally, some early investors specifically like NOT taking up their prorata.

Guide 336

Guide Venture Capital Startup Writing 336

InfoChachkie

MARCH 4, 2013

Business Lessons From The Dark Side Of The Moon. • Obtain Customer Feedback Before You Release Your Product - Musicians spend their entire youth writing songs and performing them in front of live audiences, which ensures that their initial album is validated by their fans before they enter the recording studio. Any time will do."

Startup 269

Startup Cloud Computing RSS Writing 269

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2011

2 preamble issues having read the comments on TC today: 1: I know that the prices of startup companies is much great in Silicon Valley than in smaller towns / less tech focused areas in the US and the US prices higher than many foreign markets. I said both in the article but felt compelled to provide a statement up front for the skimmers.

Startup 336

Startup Pricing Technical Review Marketing 336

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021

As a startup mentor and investor, I am approached regularly by aspiring entrepreneurs who assert that business plans take too much time, are inaccurate, and rarely add value. You’ve built a successful startup before, and plan to use the same investors. From my perspective, much of this advice is urban legend and just plain wrong.

Technical Review 126

Technical Review Writing Entrepreneur Slides 126

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 7, 2014

” Here’s how all the drama started for me. A rounds back then seemed to be anywhere from $2-3 million (LA or NYC) or up to $5 million in Silicon Valley. $5 So VCs started writing some smaller A-rounds. If you want a great primer on how the VC and startup funding scene changed here’s a great primer.

Seed Funding 399

Seed Funding Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur 399

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2015

One of the most common complaints I hear from entrepreneurs is that they are overwhelmed by the workload and stress of starting their company. Then there are the additional challenges of balancing the demands of family and friends. Write it down, but even then, keep it to the top ten priority items or less. Marty Zwilling.

Tips 107

Tips Entrepreneur Startup Mentor 107

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2018

No great startup has been built without getting one’s knuckles bloody at times. This is especially true because incumbents now know how much is at stake when they let a startup get a huge head start in a market. I like to tell people … “If somebody has wronged you AND you let it eat you up then YOU LOSE TWICE.”

Startup 199

Startup Writing Demand Equity 199

socalTECH

JANUARY 18, 2011

We caught up with Julie Schoenfeld , the firm's CEO, to hear about how the firm's offerings have evolved, an interesting comparison of the firm's software to what Demand Media is doing, and what this new funding will go towards. The first thing we do, is we start with great content. So, we start with that.

Marketing 232

Marketing Funding Content Writing 232

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 30, 2018

I thought I’d write a post about how to talk about valuation at a startup and give you some sense of what might be on the mind of the person considering funding you. Of course, unlike cars there is no direct comparison across each startup so these are just some general guidelines to try and even the information field.

Venture Capital 324

Venture Capital Pricing Startup Invest 324

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 21, 2018

Some started asking him for very specific analyses to be completed on his data and wanted his company to crunch the numbers. I told the founder, “No associate in his or her right mind would want to tell a partner that Sequoia funded this deal and the reason we didn’t see it is because I set up a call instead of an in-person meeting.”

Funding 217

Funding Newsletter Venture Capital Email 217

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

One of the most common complaints I hear from entrepreneurs is that they are overwhelmed by the workload and stress of starting their company. Then there are the additional challenges of balancing the demands of family and friends. Write it down, but even then, keep it to the top ten priority items or less.

Startup 59

Startup Entrepreneur Tips Mentor 59

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 2, 2016

Starting a new business is not an informal process, and should never be treated like a hobby between friends. Unfortunately, as a startup advisor and angel investor, I’ve seen too many ventures with great potential get destroyed or set back by legal and other shortcuts that should never have been allowed to happen.

Startup 62

Startup Patents Entrepreneur Writing 62

InfoChachkie

MAY 16, 2011

As an entrepreneur and startup investor, I have helped create companies which achieved two IPOs which collectively raised over $100 million, as well as two acquisitions which totaled $385 million. Fallacy: AdVentures tend to evolve once you begin speaking with pesky customers and demanding partners. “Learn from the mistakes of others.

Startup 242

Startup Outsource Development Outsource Sales 242

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 16, 2019

All Raise chief executive officer Pam Kostka, who joined the business earlier this year, says demand for an All Raise presence in local geographies continues to increase: “Women are hungry for the support and guidance we provide,” Kostka tells TechCrunch. “I Scaling a nonprofit, startup style.

Venture Capital 184

Venture Capital Ideas Los Angeles Tool 184

socalTECH

MARCH 29, 2012

In yet more money for the subscription e-commerce sector in Los Angeles, Quarterly , a startup which delivers monthly, curated gifts from cultural influencers via subscription, has raised $1.25M in a funding round. The funding was first disclosed in a regulatory filing this week. The funding included True Ventures and Collaborative Fund.

Commerce 166

Commerce Writing Demand Los Angeles 166

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 28, 2018

Some entrepreneurs start polling venture capitalists for that multi-million dollar investment before they even have a business plan. It’s helpful to think of startups as proceeding through several stages, which I have defined some time ago from a funding perspective. Don’t waste your resources on the wrong ones. Growth and exit stage.

Funding 94

Funding Startup Organization Incubator 94