Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 7, 2023

As an entrepreneur mentor and startup investor, I see with sadness the 50 to 90 percent that fail. This fallacy, often called historical myopia, essentially involves extrapolating only from recent positive events, and ignoring the reality that markets saturate or evaporate. Relying on an old formula for success.

Entrepreneur 125

Entrepreneur Netflix Social Media Startup 125

socalTECH

MAY 2, 2014

In a bid to boost the Los Angeles economy and create new jobs in the city, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Friday that he has created a new "Entrepreneur-in-Residence" program, which will help the city in developing initiatives and policies aimed at growing, assisting and sustaining entrepreneurs in Los Angeles. READ MORE>>.

Entrepreneur 232

Entrepreneur USC Los Angeles Mentor 232

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2023

Even though the color of their money is always green, all startup investors are not the same. Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse due diligence on the investors. Personally visit another startup funded by this investor. It’s no fun for either side.

Technical Review 138

Technical Review Startup Innocal Offshore 138

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 8, 2013

I met fellow hustler Brian Curliss about 2 years ago at a Startup Weekend event that I was covering. It came as no surprise whatsoever when I found out that his new company MailLift was called up to the big leagues to join the 500 Startups accelerator. So what is so special about 500 Startups you ask?

Startup 86

Startup CTO Coach Mentor Class 86

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

Tracy DiNunzio isn’t your typical Silicon Valley startup founder. She did her first tech startup after the age of 30. And she didn’t start her company in Northern California. She leveraged herself and even sold many of her possessions to get started. She actually IS the prototypical entrepreneur.

Startup 363

Startup Entrepreneur SEO Venture Capital 363

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 26, 2020

Almost every entrepreneur starts their journey by developing a solution, based on their idea of a new technology or required service. One answer is for the developer to find a partner, like Steve Jobs, who is a leader to build and run the business, and two heads in a startup are almost always better than one.

Startup 124

Startup Entrepreneur Ideas Summary 124

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 18, 2023

Once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur. Although many won’t admit it, true entrepreneurs can’t wait to exit their current startup, and build a new and better one with their next great idea. For these reasons, I always look for an overt exit strategy in every startup I might consider for an angel investment.

Startup 99

Startup Entrepreneur Metrics Acquisition 99

SoCal Tech Calendar

JANUARY 29, 2009

Wednesday, February 4, 2009 -- Entrepreneur Mentoring Session. Nitro will help strengthen the region's eco-system for successful entrepreneurship by providing startup entrepreneurs with access to powerful mentoring and executive in residence (EIR) resources. See [link] (more).

Mentor 100

Mentor Entrepreneur Research Resource 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 4, 2019

It really is possible for an introvert to succeed as an entrepreneur, even though you can’t expect to start and build a business alone. Every entrepreneur, especially an introvert, can benefit from the perspective of another business person, ideally one who has prior experience in the domain you are about to enter.

Entrepreneur 104

Entrepreneur Mentor Activity Startup 104

SoCal Tech Calendar

OCTOBER 30, 2017

Sunday, November 5, 2017 -- Startup Weekend Conejo Valley - Sports Focused. Calling all startup junkies, makers, inventors, coders, and sports enthusiast! Startup Weekend is a 54 hour event, where attendees pitch ideas, form teams and launch companies/products. See [link].

Startup 100

Startup Mentor Ideas Entrepreneur 100

SoCal Tech Calendar

OCTOBER 29, 2017

Saturday, November 4, 2017 -- Startup Weekend Conejo Valley - Sports Focused. Calling all startup junkies, makers, inventors, coders, and sports enthusiast! Startup Weekend is a 54 hour event, where attendees pitch ideas, form teams and launch companies/products. See [link].

Startup 100

Startup Mentor Ideas Entrepreneur 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 22, 2020

One of the biggest myths I have found in the entrepreneur community is that every startup needs one or more outside investors for credibility and success, and perhaps is even entitled to at least one. Searching LinkedIn, for example, is a must for contemporary entrepreneurs. Talk to thought leaders at relevant industry events.

Funding 173

Funding Tips Startup Statistics 173

SoCal Tech Calendar

OCTOBER 28, 2017

Friday, November 3, 2017 -- Startup Weekend Conejo Valley - Sports Focused. Calling all startup junkies, makers, inventors, coders, and sports enthusiast! Startup Weekend is a 54 hour event, where attendees pitch ideas, form teams and launch companies/products. See [link].

Startup 100

Startup Mentor Ideas Entrepreneur 100

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 11, 2023

Many experts are certain that successful entrepreneurs are the ones with the most inspiration (passion and dream), while others will assert that it’s about more perspiration (working harder). Overcoming obstacles and learning is one of the biggest inspiration for most entrepreneurs. Celebrate the ability to pay yourself a salary.

Startup 118

Startup Satisfaction Customer Custom 118

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 9, 2021

Once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur. Although many won’t admit it, true entrepreneurs can’t wait to exit their current startup, and build a new and better one with their next great idea. For these reasons, I always look for an overt exit strategy in every startup I might consider for an angel investment.

Startup 173

Startup Entrepreneur Metrics Acquisition 173

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 15, 2023

Almost every entrepreneur starts their journey by developing a solution, based on their idea of a new technology or required service. One answer is for the developer to find a partner, like Steve Jobs, who is a leader to build and run the business, and two heads in a startup are almost always better than one.

Develop 110

Develop Development Startup Entrepreneur 110

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 5, 2016

Friday, November 11, 2016 -- Startup Weekend Conejo Valley. Launch a Startup in 54 hours! Entrepreneurs will be able to pitch their business ideas, from apps, to games or even events, that will have a significant positive impact on the society. No Talk All Action. See [link] (more)

Startup 100

Startup Mentor Ideas Entrepreneur 100

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 3, 2020

One obvious alternative is to become an entrepreneur. As a mentor to many aspiring entrepreneurs, I’m often asked what it takes to switch and get real satisfaction from this lifestyle. In fact, Mehta focuses on a special class of entrepreneurs that he calls disruptors. Be prepared to experiment.

Entrepreneur 123

Entrepreneur Satisfaction Writing Startup 123

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 27, 2022

If an entrepreneur doesn’t find themselves in over their head at least 20% of the time, they are probably not pushing the limits, not taking enough risk, and probably not working on an idea that’s worth doing. Unfortunately, too many entrepreneurs I know are terrible at finding and accepting help. You start playing the blame game.

Help 131

Help Startup Entrepreneur Mentor 131

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 21, 2019

If an entrepreneur doesn’t find themselves in over their head at least 20% of the time, they are probably not pushing the limits, not taking enough risk, and probably not working on an idea that’s worth doing. Unfortunately, too many entrepreneurs I know are terrible at finding and accepting help. You start playing the blame game.

Entrepreneur 99

Entrepreneur Startup Help Mentor 99

socalTECH

JANUARY 31, 2013

It was standing room only at StartEngine 's Demo Day Wednesday afternoon, held at Santa Monica's Cross Campus , as the startup accelerator launched eight of its latest startups into the world, after a 90 day process of mentoring, honing their business model, and heads down development. Standing room only crowd at StartEngine).

Startup 256

Startup Commerce Santa Monica Mentor 256

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2012

The dictionary definition of a mentor is “an experienced and trusted advisor,” or “leader, tutor or coach.” The big difference, of course, is that a mentor looks ahead to help you, while a critic looks backward to tell you what you did wrong. One of the key characteristics of a successful mentor relationship is trust.

Mentor 96

Mentor Entrepreneur Tips Coach 96

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2020

Kara said “no” because she wanted to start her own company, which she did and I backed. In any job you either find leadership opportunities for your best people BEFORE they ask or other people start asking them to become leaders somewhere else. Leadership is about recognizing your next generation of talent and helping lift them up.

Venture Capital 361

Venture Capital Startup Invest CitySearch 361

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 22, 2022

I recommend a proactive approach to get you thinking and acting like a leader today, starting with a focus on these key strategies: Push back on your fear of taking a leadership position. Start now in building a vision of your future self as a leader, rather than a follower. Actively broaden your business network to new domains.

Startup 114

Startup Mentor Conference Networking 114

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2011

I made every textbook mistake at my first startup, which is why I believe I was much more effective at my second one. The following are some lessons I learned about early-stage startup marketing. I actually like finding entrepreneurs who are more circumspect, less braggadocios and generally more planned about their actions.

Marketing 380

Marketing Startup Press Technical Advisors 380

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 12, 2020

As an entrepreneur mentor and startup investor, I see with sadness the 50 to 90 percent that fail. This fallacy, often called historical myopia, essentially involves extrapolating only from recent positive events, and ignoring the reality that markets saturate or evaporate. Relying on an old formula for success.

Startup 124

Startup Netflix Social Media Customer 124

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 8, 2014

” It’s the most common refrain I hear from investors and even entrepreneurs these days. Let me start with the obvious baseline that most people probably know instinctively: Los Angeles is the 3rd largest technology startup ecosystem in the US. “There’s something going on in LA.” LA By The Numbers.

Entrepreneur 376

Entrepreneur Snapchat Startup Google 376

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 26, 2022

One alternative is to become an entrepreneur. As a mentor to many aspiring entrepreneurs, I’m often asked what it takes to get satisfaction from this lifestyle. In fact, Mehta focuses on a special class of entrepreneurs that he calls disruptors. Be prepared to experiment. Build the courage to “think different.”

Satisfaction 153

Satisfaction Entrepreneur Writing Startup 153

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 14, 2011

A group of Southern California businesses are attending the Entrepreneurs Festival taking place in Tech City UK , looking to potentially set up shop and foster business partnerships in London. Today marks the start the festival, an effort to establish a center of technology entrepreneurship in England.

Southern California 180

Southern California Entrepreneur Mentor Mobile 180

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 31, 2023

These haven’t changed much over the years, but still seem to be often overlooked by business professionals and leaders in their haste to keep up with peers, competitors, and customers in today’s volatile environment. The reality is that starting a business, as well is working an existing business, has always required perseverance.

Startup 121

Startup Satisfaction Technical Review Ideas 121

InfoChachkie

DECEMBER 8, 2014

It is common sense that entrepreneurs should cultivate friends outside of work. However, too often, entrepreneurs allow their non-work friendships to wither, as they struggle to maintain a healthy relationship with their family while nurturing their startups. Healthy adult friendships have an element of mutual mentoring.

Mentor 220

Mentor Study Entrepreneur Startup 220

InfoChachkie

MARCH 5, 2012

Expansion League Teams In The Startup World. In the past year, the number of startup accelerators and incubators across the US has grown faster than expansion league baseball. If you use the mentor-driven model that we pioneered at TechStars, you get entrepreneurs who are deeply connected with the broader entrepreneurial landscape.

Startup 270

Startup Incubator Doc Mentor 270

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2023

One of the biggest myths I have found in the entrepreneur community is that every startup needs one or more outside investors for credibility and success, and perhaps is even entitled to at least one. Searching LinkedIn, for example, is a must for contemporary entrepreneurs. Talk to thought leaders at relevant industry events.

Statistics 98

Statistics Entrepreneur Funding Social Media 98

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2015

Almost every entrepreneur starts their journey by developing a solution, based on their knowledge of a new technology or required service. One answer is for the developer to find a partner who is a leader to build and run the business, and two heads in a startup are almost always better than one. Manage the stepping up process.

Develop 101

Develop Development Entrepreneur Startup 101

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 30, 2015

You can’t win as an entrepreneur working alone. I hope all this seems obvious to you, but I still get a good number of notes from “entrepreneurs” who have been busy inventing things all their life, but can’t find a partner to start their first business, and others trying to find an executive, an investor, or a lawyer.

Startup 108

Startup Social Network Mentor Entrepreneur 108

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 8, 2011

Launchpad LA today announces it will accept applications for its third class of Los Angeles-based tech startups. We have significant VC commitments (listed below) – every entering company will get $50,000 in funding, mentorship from top VCs and successful entrepreneurs plus free office space. So What is Different for Class Three?

Venture Capital 287

Venture Capital Funding Startup GRP Partners 287

socalTECH

JANUARY 16, 2013

MuckerLab , the Los Angeles startup accelerator headed by Erik Rannala, is presenting its newest startup class today in a Demo Day. MuckerLab's prior class included such hot Los Angeles startups as SurfAir, Retention Science, Wallaby, and InstaCanvas. READ MORE>>.

Class 159

Class Startup Incubator Los Angeles 159