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. Startups funded by rich uncles rarely think about productivity. Rethink or reframe the challenge.

Startup 164

Startup Resource Entrepreneur Competition 164

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 8, 2011

To give visibility to these companies to: Sources of funding (angels / VCs), business development partners, mentors who have themselves built successful companies, the press and potential employees to hire. One senior mentor to Launchpad LA recently said, “I got more out of Launchpad LA than I even put in. So we went ahead.

Venture Capital 287

Venture Capital Funding Startup GRP Partners 287

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 12, 2013

To learn more about how women are looking to change the investment climate--and get involved in investing themselves--we caught up with one of the Pipeline Fellowship''s local mentors, the CEO of Beyond Capital Fund (www.beyondcapitalfund.org), Eva Helene Yazhari , who is here in Los Angeles. What is the Pipeline Fellowship? READ MORE>>.

Angel 276

Angel Invest Mentor Technical Review 276

socalTECH

OCTOBER 14, 2019

Our online solution combines both scientific methodology, as well as highly produced, entertaining, professional development content around education and awareness of unconscious bias. It's education, measurement, analysis, and ongoing mitigation strategy. That's what we do over the course of our two year contract.

Content 150

Content Training Education Outsource Development 150

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 13, 2014

Operating experience (Helped run parts of CitySearch & UrbanSpoon, tons of product management experience, Board of Hatch Labs which helped spawn Tinder). Wonderful human being who is civically engaged, mother of 3, mentorer of younger founders, hard worker and arguer extraordinaire (so says her current Twitter bio).

Venture Capital 408

Venture Capital Startup Outsource Development CitySearch 408

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 17, 2021

When I started mentoring entrepreneurs and startups a few years ago, I anticipated that I would get mostly tough technical questions, but instead I more often hear things like “Where do I start?” Control in business requires teamwork, which occurs in successful companies when team members, products, and processes work in unison.

Entrepreneur 138

Entrepreneur Activity Guide Patents 138

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. Yet if you already have some early adopters, that's a good indication that real marketing and education will likely bring your product or service mass acceptance.

Startup 135

Startup Entrepreneur Statistics Course 135

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2022

Of course, the first requirement is to get the education and tools you need to feel confident that you are ready, and have the mindset to be a leader in every role. I find that even very smart and successful business leaders, like Bill Gates , still seek and use a mentor they can learn from, such as Warren Buffett.

Tips 123

Tips Tool Activity Startup 123

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 18, 2021

But privately, as a mentor to many entrepreneurs, I see mindsets and attributes that may be equally critical to success, but are not readily admitted, for fear of being too wacky. You need to listen to customers on how to tune existing products, but most existing customers actually fear change and avoid new technologies.

Entrepreneur 171

Entrepreneur Satisfaction Demand Customer 171

Tech.Co

APRIL 2, 2018

Whether it’s a partner, spouse, family, friend, mentor or mom, having a support system is key to any entrepreneur’s success. Once women have access to STEM education, they need resources to support them and open the door to high-demand careers. How did your focus on education impact your success? It isn’t always easy.

Education 70

Education Startup Mentor Entrepreneur 70

Tech.Co

JANUARY 10, 2018

Purchasing products from a brand you trust can be more of an emotional buy, and trust is one of the key factors to attracting the female shopper. If they know a product is good enough for their family and children, they will share that information with friends. This is especially true when providing a product/service to children.”

Tips 71

Tips Customer Custom Dollar Shave Club 71

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 22, 2013

According to the school, it has launched the The LMU CBA Business Incubator , a brand new startup incubator focused on companies in the technology and consumer products area. Choi--is launching with nine student and alumni companies, and provides space, advisors and mentors, and connections to startups.

Incubator 258

Incubator LMU West Los Angeles Startup 258

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

Bruce Huang: We are an educational, collaborative ecosystem, trying to bridge between the tech community and academics. I go to lots of events in Los Angeles, and there are many entrepreneurs who want to start companies, are bootstrapping, and everyone has a great idea and is figuring out how to launch their products and launch their startup.

UCLA 159

UCLA Education CIO Examples 159

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 15, 2020

As a business advisor, I have too often seen technical entrepreneurs get a product or service off the ground with ease, but then struggle mightily when their business reaches a couple of million in annual sales, or the employee count grows beyond a handful. Now the experiments are over, and high productivity is the objective.

Startup 125

Startup Training Entrepreneur Organization 125

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. Should I start out alone, or assemble a team first? What do you see as your legacy and exit strategy?

Startup 159

Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur Equity 159

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 7, 2012

That's funding our new product, FanMix, which is a a social media tool. The product right now is like basic Facebook, and we are updating it to a new format we think more people will want, sort of a hybrid between Pinterest and Reddit, so that you can have any combination of features between those two. We have some great mentors now.

Startup 242

Startup CTO Coach Blogging Social Media 242

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

This year Startup Weekend is branching out towards driving solutions to be created for the education industry with Startup Weekend EDU. While this is different than the traditional Startup Weekend events , it comes at no surprise as the education industry continues to push forward on advancing learning with technology.

Education 71

Education Entrepreneur Startup Mentor 71

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 21, 2023

One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” Here people make online pledges to your startup during a campaign, to pre-buy the product for later delivery, give donations, or qualify for a reward, such as a tee-shirt. Request a small business grant.

Startup 106

Startup Capital Equity Funding 106

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 20, 2014

According to a recent Forbes article , UC Santa Barbara''s Technology Management Program offers students a superior startup education over the University of Pennsylvania (home of Wharton), as well Harvard, Northwestern and even its acclaimed southern neighbor, the University of Southern California. All-Star Alumni. Am I biased?

Santa Barbara 258

Santa Barbara Technical Review Startup Venture Capital 258

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 21, 2021

Once you have learned, your top- priority task must be to educate others around you. In addition, he has often stated that his first priority is serving his employees and his extended business family, through coaching, mentoring, and effective communication. Lift: propagate your strength by teaching others.

Technical Review 123

Technical Review Coach Satisfaction Mentor 123

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 29, 2020

One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” Here people make online pledges to your startup during a campaign, to pre-buy the product for later delivery, give donations, or qualify for a reward, such as a tee-shirt. Request a small business grant.

Funding 174

Funding Startup Equity Examples 174

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 8, 2013

The program is based on a highly developed process created by entrepreneurial thought-leader and Ivy League educator Steve Blank , author of the book The Four Steps to the Epiphany. It is also for established businesses that are working on a new product launch and have hit some roadblocks they need to flesh out.

Class 98

Class Mentor Startup UCLA 98

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 18, 2020

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. Yet if you already have some early adopters, that's a good indication that real marketing and education will likely bring your product or service mass acceptance.

Entrepreneur 121

Entrepreneur Startup Statistics Course 121

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 30, 2011

You’ll get to network and meet new people, learn new skills, and build rocking products in a weekends’ time. Once you come down from the high, the great product you built slowly fades away or maybe its turned into a company that’s worked on when time is found for it. Disclaimer, I am a mentor for this event.

Startup 88

Startup Incubator Education Mentor 88

Tech.Co

JULY 12, 2017

This corporate partnership has proven well for these startups in helping them launch their products and services into another galaxy. Brit + Co is a digital media company that inspires, educates and entertains real women with a creative spirit. Epic Games.

Artificial Inteligence 109

Artificial Inteligence Startup Entertainment Press 109

Tech.Co

FEBRUARY 22, 2018

With the rise in startup activity around the country, more local organizations are emerging to help provide resources, training, education, and funding to support underserved communities and their dreams to build a business. With our programs,] we have mentors and resources from that community. Find the Bridge.

Resource 70

Resource Organization Mentor News 70

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 10, 2019

When I started mentoring entrepreneurs and startups a few years ago, I anticipated that I would get mostly tough technical questions, but instead I more often hear things like “Where do I start?” Control in business requires teamwork, which occurs in successful companies when team members, products, and processes work in unison.

Entrepreneur 92

Entrepreneur Activity Guide Patents 92

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2014

Yet if your service is consulting, for example, real travel is required to deliver the product. I’m talking about volunteering to be on industry panels for visibility, participating in startup weekends for education, and talking to groups of distributors or potential customers on technology trends. Brand building requires travel time.

Startup 100

Startup Tips Mentor Conference 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2017

In my own experience as an investor, I have concluded that success is more about the people than the product. Solutions that imply a paradigm shift always take longer to sell, and more money for marketing and education than expected. Develop the right mentoring relationships. Persistence and patience with timing mismatches.

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Startup Mentor Study 60

socalTECH

APRIL 11, 2013

The idea is that products have moved to the web in a big way. We had a general thesis that, at some point in the future, services will also move to the web, in the same way that products had moved to the web. Steve Cox: We''ve found that folks who have been educated to some degree--not necessarily a Ph.D., more) READ MORE>>.

Startup 260

Startup Education Study Ideas 260

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 19, 2016

Rather than focus on negatives, let me summarize key positive attributes that I look for in people to move ahead, from my own experience as a corporate executive, and many years mentoring entrepreneurs. A capacity for education at the next level. Also, build mentoring relationships at the next level.

Startup 60

Startup Mentor Education Journal 60

InfoChachkie

JULY 21, 2016

As noted in What’s Real About Shark Tank , the show can give consumer product companies a significant marketing and revenue boost, as it did for one of my former students, Jeff Overall, Founder of PolarPro. Consumer Centric - The show understandably focuses on consumer products that its viewers can relate to. Publicity cuts both ways.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Entertainment Technical Review Ideas 100

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2015

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. Startups funded by rich uncles rarely think about productivity. Rethink or reframe the challenge.

Resource 98

Resource Entrepreneur Competition Startup 98

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 21, 2020

Food production and distribution, group collaboration, remote training or education, sensor technology (tracking people movement, temperatures, etc), certain biotech deals. So I say that at Upfront we really look for three things: Product-Market Fit Founder-Market Fit Founder-Upfront Fit I discussed these extensively in the podcast.

Venture Capital 263

Venture Capital Marketing Startup Writing 263

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 2, 2017

You can find a mentor, a coach, a project, or experience, to help you prepare for the role you are looking for. A large bank started using us, with 18,000 employees in Australia, and the next thing we new we were delivering the product to the the U.S. With our product, we are hunting whales, and we are elephant hunting.

Help 100

Help Southern California Startup Technical Review 100

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 16, 2012

When I started mentoring entrepreneurs and startups a few years ago, I anticipated that I would get mostly tough technical questions, but instead I more often hear things like “Where do I start?” Control in business requires teamwork, which occurs in successful companies when team members, products, and processes work in unison.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Mentor Activity Guide 110

Tech.Co

MARCH 1, 2018

The event is open to tech enthusiasts who want to join an event filled with some of the top leaders, investors and mentors from tech industry to network, find mentors and build their companies. The company also educates people about their rights on capture data when interacting with law enforcement. AdWallet (Albuquerque, NM).

Startup 80

Startup Mentor Platform Help 80