Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2020

As an angel investor, I see plenty of startups focusing on building an innovative product, but I’m looking for the few who are also leading with an exponential growth strategy, to put them in the category of the next Amazon or Google. Let your highly motivated customers be your best marketing advocates for new customers.

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Marketing Startup Examples Customer 170

TechCrunch LA

AUGUST 19, 2019

The startup has raised $1 million in seed funding from RXBAR founders Peter Rahal and Jared Smith, CXT Investments, and Lean Luxe founder M. Mullenax told me he became interested in this market after working as a finance and operations analyst at Bonobos, where he “fell in love with the [direct-to-consumer] model.”

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Startup Seed Funding Los Angeles Competition 217

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 21, 2020

Harry was gracious enough to invite me back so this past week we recorded an episode discussing the current market environment. 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.

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Venture Capital Marketing Startup Writing 263

socalTECH

APRIL 18, 2013

Jones--who lives in Bel Air--is behind Playground Sessions , which is hoping to make music education available to anyone willing to sign up for a monthly membership. The startup--which is based in New York--charges $9.99 The startup also leverages USB and MIDI keyboards to connect users with those lessons. READ MORE>>.

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Education Southern California Content Web 203

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 16, 2021

This is a statement that they are willing and able (and successful) at projecting market and technology turns, not just straight-line innovations. They have the courage to make bold decisions, often contrary to conventional market research. For real entrepreneurs, crazy is a compliment, and the new market may be just around the corner.

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Marketing Design Entrepreneur Ideas 157

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 21, 2022

The power and influence of paid media advertising, including print ads, TV commercials, radio, and even online digital campaigns is waning, in favor of unpaid earned and owned messaging from your website, social media, key market influencers, and existing customer word-of-mouth. Real customers. Long-term sales.

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Marketing Framework Social Media Media 127

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2020

Every startup and every new business needs a unique selling proposition (USP) to get people’s attention these days, and make it stand out in the information overload we all see. I’m looking for the “hook” right up front, or I lose interest quickly, just like every customer and investor these days.

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Startup Education Ideas Customer 166

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

Los Angeles- and Santa Monica-based REME , a new startup offering up on-demand massage, stretch, and IV therapy services to the health and wellness community, said today that it has officially launched it services. The company said it also provides educational programs and has its own community aspect to its service.

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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. They are devastated when their business growth never starts or stalls, and they have no idea how to get it moving again.

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Case Study Startup Customer Custom 174

TechEmpower

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

As part of the onboarding process, the app asks both job seekers and employers what they’re looking for - in a text box - while providing a few suggestions in a pop-up. This isn’t just our opinion - our startup metrics prove it! Even with the pop-up suggestions, we saw significant drop-off during user onboarding.

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Generative AI Artificial Inteligence TechEmpower Tips 295

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2021

Ironically, as a startup investor and mentor, I have seen too many failures caused by just the opposite – too much money spent too soon, taking time to get product perfection, and assuming customers will wait. How many times have you actually made up work to keep an idle person busy? Rethink or reframe the challenge. Marty Zwilling.

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Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 4, 2012

I recently wrote about the 12 tips to building successful startup communities. I lived in London from 1997-2005 and for 6 of those years ran my startup based out of London. It was a strange contrast for me having grown up in Northern California where failure seemed to be a badge of honor. I remember this lesson well.

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Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 18, 2022

How many times have investors heard startups start their pitch by touting that their technology is “disruptive?” What entrepreneurs forget or don’t realize is that most customers are wary of all technology, educating the market on new technology is expensive, takes a long time, and people buy problem solutions rather than technology.

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Startup Technical Review Technology Social Media 89

socalTECH

JUNE 10, 2013

Pharmaceutical companies spent $20 billion a year marketing their products to medical offices. We spoke with Dan Gilman , President and co-founder of the company, to learn more about the company, it''s market, and why healthcare information technology is such an interesting area for investors. How did you start the company?

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Marketing Software Education Startup 231

TechCrunch LA

JULY 23, 2019

Now the five-year-old firm, with newly found significant capital in the bank , is attempting to replicate its success in international markets. On Tuesday, Haptik announced it has acqui-hired Convrg, a Los Angeles-based startup that develops chatbots, to serve customers in North America. 60% of all software is bought in the U.S.,

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Los Angeles Angel Startup Google 209

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 14, 2023

When I heard a friend and business mentor say, “Your startup won’t fail if you don’t quit,” I realized that every entrepreneur should adopt “never give up” as their mantra. Either could improve the statistic that half of startups fail within the first five years. So why do most startups fail?

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Startup Entrepreneur Statistics Course 135

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 3, 2017

The power and influence of paid media advertising, including print ads, TV commercials, radio, and even online digital campaigns is waning, in favor of unpaid earned and owned messaging from your website, social media, key market influencers, and existing customer word-of-mouth. Real customers. Long-term sales.

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Advertising Marketing Startup Framework 66

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 19, 2020

Technical entrepreneurs love their technology, and often are driven to launch a startup on the assumption that everyone will buy any solution which highlights this technology. Instead, they need to validate a customer problem and real market need first. Your passion isn’t enough to create a market. Neither is positive.

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Technology Marketing Social Media Customer 127

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 19, 2019

Image via Flickr by jardenberg Your marketing launch is the most important element of startup success these days, to get customer attention in this world of information overload. Even great products need great marketing “content” to fuel the ascent of their online message. Educational. Easy to digest. Visually appealing.

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Customer Custom Marketing Tips 93

InfoChachkie

JULY 23, 2012

Serial entrepreneur, venture investor and startup accelerator pioneer Brad Feld has notoriously mocked traditional marketing throughout his career. If you have amazing products, the marketing of those products is trivial. If you have $hitty products, the marketing is impossible. Trada – Guerilla Marketing In Action.

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Marketing Blogging Startup Venture Capital 233

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 5, 2012

Music Prodigy , a Los Angeles based music education technology firm serious on improving the way people learn, play and interact with music beat over 70 startups with their app Rock Prodigy to win the Silicon Beach Awards. Beat 70 Start-ups. it’s like a video game! Winning Not By Sheer Luck. Winning Combination.

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Education Startup Technology Patents 106

socalTECH

MAY 23, 2016

The Green Screen Institute , a startup accelerator which is looking to create innovation in the virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) areas, says that it is getting close to closing applications for its first, startup accelerator program.

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Fandango Startup Screening Venture Capital 174

socalTECH

OCTOBER 3, 2019

Last week, the company finally embraced the dystopian origins of the name with a brilliant, tongue-in-cheek marketing campaign introducing its new Soylent Green Mint Chocolate line complete with a spoof animation of the famous last scene of the Heston Soylent Green film. We ended up developing that for our launch in September.

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Marketing Startup Social Media Product 100

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2022

If both of you are experts at software development, even though one loves design and the other loves coding, that still won’t get the marketing done. Look at the big picture first of development, finance, and marketing/sales. Thus you should do the same or more due diligence on educational background, previous work, and references.

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Software Review CTO Hire Outsource Development Startup 154

socalTECH

AUGUST 3, 2018

Venice, California-based WeeCare , a new startup which is creating a marketplace to help people start and manage their own home daycare, has raised $4.2M The company claims its providers can earn up to $90,000 a year operating their businesses. in a seed funding, the company disclosed on Friday. READ MORE>>.

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Seed Funding Venice Startup Education 100

StartUp Beat

MARCH 10, 2020

spurse announced the pre-launch of its Social Reward platform at the Influencer Marketing Conference & Expo 2020 (IMCX 2020) that took place the 25th February in Los Angeles. Attendees of this year’s networking and educational event included senior-level marketing decision-makers […].

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Conference Platform Marketing Education 59

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 20, 2022

Your marketing launch is the most important element of startup success these days, to get customer attention in this world of information overload. Even great products need great marketing “content” to fuel the ascent of their online message. Educational. People won’t flock to marketing materials. Easy to digest.

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Content Newsletter Competition Writing 146

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 23, 2023

Every startup and every new business needs a unique selling proposition (USP) to get people’s attention these days, and make it stand out in the information overload we all see. I’m looking for the “hook” right up front, or I lose interest quickly, just like every customer and investor these days.

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Startup Education Ideas Customer 96

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 23, 2021

Thus, in my role as mentor to young entrepreneurs, I always recommend that you first take a hard look at your own values and priorities, before jumping into any new startup, as the founder, or even as a side hustle. Timing is critical for every startup. Of course, if you wait for the perfect time, you may never start.

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Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur Equity 159

socalTECH

OCTOBER 11, 2017

Techstars LA , one of three, Los Angeles area startup accelerator programs run by Techstars , launched the first class of startups at its first Demo Day on Tuesday at the El Rey Theater. READ MORE>>.

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Class Startup Mentor Education 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 17, 2023

I believe these principles, paraphrased here, should be adopted by every entrepreneur struggling to accomplish innovation in a startup in any market: Innovation can come from anywhere in the organization. Startup leadership and survival is all about execution. Let new technical insights drive innovative products.

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Artificial Inteligence Google Startup Organization 114

socalTECH

AUGUST 18, 2014

In our Insights and Opinions section this morning, Dave Berkus , an angel investor and private equity investor, asks startup--do you really want to be first to market? Read the rest of Dave''s essay, Do you really want to be the first to market? insights opinions features dave berkus market' READ MORE>>.

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Marketing Education Equity Resource 153

Tech Zulu Event

JUNE 25, 2012

As we continue this monumental year in the startup realm, we welcome a newcomer – Boston Startup School. Last week Boston Startup School officially launched and began with their inaugural class. ” -says Shaun Johnson, Co-Founder and COO of Boston Startup School. great jobs.

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Education Startup Software Review Technical Review 86

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2013

You took the risk to start your company. ” Your peer group is envious of your finally doing what they’ve always wanted to do but found it too hard to give up the golden paycheck and predictable future. So as a startup CEO you constantly have to suspend disbelief. A $1 trillion global market. “What?

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Startup Course Venture Capital Writing 417

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 13, 2021

In my role as mentor to many of you aspiring entrepreneurs, I often find you convinced that all you need to start is a unique innovation or idea , and now you are ready to jump in with both feet and enjoy the ride. Remember that being an entrepreneur is all about starting and running a business, after the initial invention.

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Satisfaction Entrepreneur Startup Mentor 135

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2021

Elon Musk and Tesla are prime examples of this approach, when the market for all-electric vehicles was new. Digital products also allow users to be advocates for you and help each other, thus reducing your support and marketing costs. Often online consumers will provide information such as birth dates, education levels and occupations.

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Pricing Startup Competition Examples 145

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 6, 2020

One of the simplest questions I get from aspiring entrepreneurs, and ironically one of the hardest, is “How do I start?” I want to tell them to just start anywhere, but I realize that most have no idea where anywhere is. The wealth of online education offerings is a great start, but is not enough.

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Entrepreneur Tips Startup Education 137