Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2018

the most counter-intuitive fund-raising advice you’ll ever get I’m about to offer you some fund-raising advice that flies directly in the face of what most conventional wisdom will tell you. Let me start out with my premise: “Data rooms are where fund-raising processes go to die.” I have to back up and give you more context.

Funding 336

Funding Venture Capital Startup Email 336

Xconomy

MAY 24, 2017

Zesty.io, a San Diego Web development firm, has raised $1.3 million in seed funding to spin out its consulting business, and focus instead on providing its core Web content management technology as a subscription-based software-as-a-service. The company, which now has nine full-time.

Web 71

Web San Diego Seed Funding Web Development 71

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

.” * I first wrote about the changes to the Venture Capital ecosystem 10 years ago and this still serves as a good primer of how we arrived at 2011, a decade on from the Web 1.0 And the truth is that several entrepreneurs prefer it this way. 1 billion fund and therefore a $20 million is still just 2–2.5% of the fund.

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2018

The most important advice I could give you before you set out in fund raising mode is to understand that fund-raising a sales & marketing process and needs to be managed. One of the most important aims of a fund-raising process is to keep similar firms at the same stage of your process. Why 8–10 and not just 3–4?

Venture Capital 332

Venture Capital Funding Startup Sales 332

socalTECH

MAY 19, 2017

In today's world of web application development, speed is everything. Venice Beach-based Signal Sciences (www.signalsciences.com) has created sofdtware designed for those application developers to help protect those web applications. Let's talk about your funding. How are you backed and funded? What is Signal Sciences?

Web 138

Web Startup Southern California Software 138

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 19, 2020

Venture capitalists (VCs) have long been seen as the top of the pyramid for startup funding sources, but in fact angel investors now fund over twice as many companies, according the Crunchbase. Mobile and web software apps may cost even less. The cost of entry for tech startups continues to go down.

Funding 125

Funding Venture Capital Startup Class 125

socalTECH

JUNE 7, 2011

Los Angeles billionaire entrepreneur Patrick Soon Shiong has made an investment in a healthcare technology firm Net.Orange , Net.Orange said today. The Texas firm provides a suite of web-based applications for the healthcare industry. READ MORE>>.

Funding 187

Funding Develop Development Equity 187

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2020

Many of the entrepreneurs I advise or invest with spend considerable time on the Internet, keeping up with technology, customers, and competitors, but very few feel the need for an early personal presence. Every future entrepreneur should start by networking. A positive personal brand will give your product instant credibility.

Product 127

Product Entrepreneur Technical Advisors Technical Review 127

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 4, 2010

But there are a lot of things that become norms in the VC industry that always drove me crazy from entrepreneur’s side of the table. Translation for any first time entrepreneurs can mean one of: a. As an entrepreneur you’re used to being optimistic and finding a way to make things work despite the odds. I get that.

Entrepreneur 297

Entrepreneur Startup Venture Capital Java 297

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 8, 2014

” It’s the most common refrain I hear from investors and even entrepreneurs these days. Over the past 4 years LA’s tech fundings have growing at a 30% compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) which is > 4 times the US average VC CAGR (7%). “There’s something going on in LA.” Success begets success.

Entrepreneur 376

Entrepreneur Snapchat Startup Google 376

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 31, 2011

One of the most common questions that entrepreneurs who meet me for the first time like to ask is, “Do you miss being an entrepreneur? I thought I’d talk a bit about the differences I’ve experienced between being an entrepreneur & a VC – you know, from “both sides of the table.&#. On Being an Entrepreneur.

Entrepreneur 384

Entrepreneur Startup Venture Capital Ideas 384

socalTECH

AUGUST 15, 2014

Keith Bonnici: We have created a platform that lets standard web publishers tap into the growing pool of money being spent by app developers to market their products. That parlayed into an introduction to TenOneTen, a currently Scopely investor, and Lowercase Capital found us when they heard we were raising funding. What is Kixer?

Mobile 124

Mobile Web Artificial Inteligence Technical Review 124

InfoChachkie

MAY 6, 2013

I was in a board meeting recently at Connexity when Dave Gross, the company''s Co-Founder and CEO, made an insightful observation regarding the shortage of Series A funds. The other primary factor contributing to the Series A shortfall is the concentration of venture capital funds in the hands of a shrinking number of large firms.

Entrepreneur 246

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Technical Review Capital 246

socalTECH

MAY 25, 2016

Santa Monica-based March Capital Partners (www.marchcp.com) has just announced a brand new, $240M venture investment fund, led by longtime venture investing veterans Jim Armstrong, Sumant Mandal, Gregory Milken and Jamie Montgomery. What is the investment focus for this fund? It's all about the entrepreneur.

Southern California 113

Southern California Capital Funding Invest 113

Tech.Co

DECEMBER 29, 2023

While the market isn't short of spritely, innovative entrepreneurs, harsh economic headwinds combined with a pullback in investor spending have made it harder than ever for budding businesses to break through. Source: runwayml.com In June, Runway raised $141 million in funding, nudging its market valuation to an envy-inducing $1.5

Startup 210

Startup Generative AI Newsletter Tool 210

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 26, 2010

This is part of my series on what makes an entrepreneur successful. I originally posted it on VentureHacks , one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs. I started the series talking about what I consider the most important attribute of an entrepreneur : Tenacity. The best entrepreneurs focus on details.

Entrepreneur 286

Entrepreneur Startup CTO Hire Sales 286

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

My first advice for new entrepreneurs is to pick a domain, such as online web sites and smart phone apps, that doesn’t have the sky-high up-front development costs. Self-funding or bootstrapping is still the most common and safest approach for startups Keep your day job until real revenue flows. Commit to a major customer.

Startup 136

Startup Technical Review Equity Incubator 136

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2009

Very few people fund individuals. In most cases if you can’t get a prototype done you’re probably not an entrepreneur. Professional angels / former entrepreneurs / seed funds – In Silicon Valley there are people like Ron Conway, Jeff Clavier, Mike Maples and many more. Team: You need a team.

Angel 291

Angel Funding Venture Capital Startup 291

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

Los Angeles-based Signal Sciences (www.signalsciences.com), which develops web application firewall software, just inked a big, $35M series C funding round a few weeks ago, and now has plans to dramatically expand its hiring in Los Angeles. Were really focused on funding go-to-market and scaling out our marketing efforts.

Startup 113

Startup Funding Technical Review Software Review 113

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2015

My first advice for new entrepreneurs is to pick a domain, such as online web sites and smart phone apps, that doesn’t have the sky-high up-front development costs. Self-funding or bootstrapping is still the most common and safest approach for startups Keep your day job until real revenue flows. Commit to a major customer.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Startup Technical Review Equity 105

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 27, 2014

Venture capitalists (VCs) have long been seen as the top of the pyramid for startup funding sources, but in fact angel investors now fund over 60 times as many companies, according the Center for Venture Research. Mobile and web software apps may cost even less. The cost of entry for tech startups continues to go down.

Angel 104

Angel Funding Startup Venture Capital 104

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 2, 2012

I’ve noticed that most young entrepreneurs are more socially conscious today than ever before, which is a great trend. You can find a dozen more on the Conscious Capitalism web site. Entrepreneurs and startups are all about innovation, in business principles as well as in products and services.

Capital 99

Capital Entrepreneur Guide Startup 99

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 27, 2023

I’ve noticed that most young entrepreneurs are more socially conscious today than ever before, which is a great trend. You can find dozens more on the Conscious Capitalism web site. Entrepreneurs and startups are all about innovation, in business principles as well as in products and services.

Startup 92

Startup Capital Guide Entrepreneur 92

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 16, 2012

A while back I heard a talk by Dave McClure, a long-time angel investor, who also proclaims to be one of the “new breed” of venture capitalists in Silicon Valley, as CEO of 500Startups , which is either a micro-VC seed fund, or a startup incubator, or both. He is going gangbusters, and is now targeting a $50M second round of funding.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Startup Seed Funding Incubator 101

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 7, 2023

Young entrepreneurs often are so excited by new technology or their latest invention that they forget to translate it into a value proposition that their customers or potential investors can understand and relate to. Entrepreneurs who make this case effectively will get the decision they want, no matter how esoteric their technology.

Social Network 108

Social Network Training Startup Technology 108

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2011

One of the most common questions that entrepreneurs who meet me for the first time like to ask is, “Do you miss being an entrepreneur? I thought I’d talk a bit about the differences I’ve experienced between being an entrepreneur & a VC – you know, from “both sides of the table.&#. On Being an Entrepreneur.

Entrepreneur 176

Entrepreneur Startup Venture Capital Ideas 176

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 27, 2011

As of today, I will have published an article here for entrepreneurs and startups every day for the last 1001 days, since I started Startup Professionals Musings near the close of 2008. Here are ten key messages that I would like to leave you with: I continue to gain respect for entrepreneurs. I’m sure you know what I mean.

Entrepreneur 96

Entrepreneur Startup Blogging Social Media 96

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 9, 2018

This is a very common scenario when entrepreneurs pitch VCs and frankly is a very common scenario when VCs try to raise money from LPs. At night I had a group dinner where I met 6 new entrepreneurs and hung out with some old friends from law firms, banks and other VC funds. What do I do now? New York, Chicago, Boston, etc.

Software Review 381

Software Review Startup Email Conference 381

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2012

Now they are coming back, and the best even provide networking, technical leadership, and seed funding, as well as investors waving money at graduates. The incubation period is very short and intense, usually intending to drive entrepreneurs from ideas to marketable products in a matter of months.

Entrepreneur 86

Entrepreneur Incubator Startup Seed Funding 86

socalTECH

MAY 1, 2013

The startup--the brainchild of Evan Britton--has been ramping up its efforts recently, having just launched a brand new responsive web design which optimizes the site for mobile phones and tablets, in addition to desktop web browsers. The design just went live in the last couple of weeks. READ MORE>>.

Web Design 182

Web Design Santa Monica Statistics Web 182

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 10, 2014

First movers in a new space need users more than revenue to maintain market share, so investment pitches need to highlight this priority in requests for funding resources. Unfortunately, the Internet and heavily-funded startups have nurtured a customer expectation of free web services and smartphone apps.

Entrepreneur 98

Entrepreneur Organization Invest Customer 98

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 28, 2020

I’ve noticed that most young entrepreneurs are more socially conscious today than ever before, which is a great trend. You can find dozens more on the Conscious Capitalism web site. Entrepreneurs and startups are all about innovation, in business principles as well as in products and services.

Guide 128

Guide Capital Entrepreneur Course 128

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 14, 2012

Last fall, Mingly released their first product last fall to help users manage their endless webs of connections. After an initial round of seed funding of $500k led by Pasadena’s Idealab, Mingly saw great success as they built up their Gmail user base. Finally, some solid relief.

Web 74

Web Social Network Email Networking 74

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2023

One of the reasons that now is the time to be an entrepreneur is the explosion of startup assistance organizations, usually called incubators or accelerators. Direct seed funding, for a share of the equity, and introductions to investors. Mentoring and technical assistance from volunteer or paid experts.

Organization 92

Organization Incubator Startup Resource 92

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2022

My first advice for new entrepreneurs is to pick a domain that doesn’t have the sky-high up-front development costs, like online web sites and smart phone apps. Self-funding or bootstrapping is still the most common and safest approach for startups Keep your day job until revenue starts to flow. Use crowd funding.

Tips 104

Tips Startup Technical Review Equity 104

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2023

In the aftermath of the recent pandemic, which caused many businesses to close, a new raft of business workers and entrepreneurs are deciding to pursue their own dreams of being a new business owner, and controlling your own destiny. The remainder use outside funding, including crowdfunding, friends and family, banks, and investors.

Social Media 98

Social Media Metrics Media Tool 98

socalTECH

MAY 31, 2012

Earthlink founder and Southern California entrepreneur Sky Dayton is leading an angel investment in a new startup out of Stanford, which is developing a service which allows developers to track changes and extract information out of web pages. READ MORE>>.

Southern California 145

Southern California Web Advertising Activity 145