Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 8, 2023

As I work with aspiring entrepreneurs and business professionals, I often hear about stress and disappointment from a great idea or innovation that failed for reasons that you don’t understand. She is an expert on the study of innovation, and professor at Columbia Business School. Don’t just accept your first breakdown.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Ideas Study Social Media 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 14, 2014

According to a Gompers and Lerner study, the challenge is very real, with a majority of new ventures that don''t attract investors failing within the first three years. 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.

Entrepreneur 113

Entrepreneur Funding Startup Technical Review 113

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 30, 2010

My advice to entrepreneurs was and is “ when the hors d’oeuvres tray is being passed take two ” (e.g. So I agreed to offer my current thinking on the economy and what it portends for the VC industry & fund raising for entrepreneurs. raise money now to weather any storms).

Entrepreneur 298

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Technical Review Startup 298

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2017

Machine Learning / AI They discussed many topics ranging from protection of the press to what Mark looks for in an entrepreneur to investing outside of Silicon Valley and of course Trump and sports. He said that he believes AI will have a bigger impact than any technology in the last 30 years. Here is the full YouTube interview.

Artificial Inteligence 105

Artificial Inteligence Study Press Netflix 105

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 17, 2021

Most aspiring entrepreneurs believe that a great idea alone will assure business success. In fact, I believe modern entrepreneurs need to be super sales people, in the most positive sense, to their team as well as customers. Entrepreneurs set the price of their solution based on their costs, and their perception of value.

Sales 139

Sales Training Startup Customer 139

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 5, 2014

Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs seem to prefer to fail their way to the top, rather than do some research and learn from the successes and mistakes of others. In general I try to focus on the positives and tell entrepreneurs what works, but sometimes it’s important to reiterate the common things that simply don’t work.

Entrepreneur 109

Entrepreneur Technical Review Startup Satisfaction 109

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 14, 2013

On a regular basis, I am approached by entrepreneurs who assert that business plans are a waste of time. They cite sources like a recent BusinessWeek story, “ Real Entrepreneurs Don’t Write Business Plans ” and this NY Times article. A business plan may be a small investment to get a shot at that opportunity.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Technical Review Writing Slides 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2015

Most aspiring entrepreneurs believe that a great idea alone will assure business success. In fact, I believe modern entrepreneurs need to be super sales people, in the most positive sense, to their team as well as customers. Entrepreneurs set the price of their solution based on their costs, and their perception of value.

Sales 106

Sales Entrepreneur Customer Custom 106

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2015

According to a classic Gompers and Lerner study, the challenge is very real, with a majority of new ventures that don't attract investors failing within the first three years. 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.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Startup Technical Review Equity 105

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 28, 2014

Perhaps sparked by the recent recession, I’m seeing a new era of the entrepreneur, with startups springing up all around. Based on my own mentoring and investing experience, the best entrepreneurs are pragmatic problem solvers. Real entrepreneurs always look ahead and learn from problems resolved.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Mentor Technical Review Satisfaction 102

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 11, 2014

There’s an article making the rounds in tech circles titled “ Growth Hacking is Bull ” written by Muhammad Saleem. And if there is a term for that which helps entrepreneurs stay focused on these good and true objectives then I’m all for it. I’d like to make the case that the article is wrong.

Technical Review 384

Technical Review SEM SEO Marketing 384

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 23, 2015

In the startup world, the former happens when a VC makes a bad investment, and the latter occurs when they miss a great opportunity. In contrast, low-volume, high-conviction investors like Rincon only invests in a handful new companies each year, making it much more costly (in dollars and effort expended) to invest in a loser.

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Technical Review Software Review Southern California 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 3, 2022

Startup investors tell me they invest in a new venture with a higher caliber of people, rather than the product or service, and I agree. Of course, it’s no surprise that most entrepreneurs don’t have a background in hiring teams, and don’t have a budget for training or human resource consultants.

Training 135

Training Case Study Resource Statistics 135

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 13, 2011

My initial desire to blog came from something that’s always been my approach to investing – I’m a nerd and I love to play with the technology and part of my approach has really been to understand things both at a user level and at a reasonably deep tentacle level. we are not going to invest. Brad on blogging. was starting.

Venture Capital 288

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Software Review 288

InfoChachkie

MAY 20, 2013

According to Tige Young, Founder and CEO of Tui Tai Expeditions , entrepreneurs should de-emphasize ROI and focus on a more accurate measure of wealth, Return On Life. So we were dating, living together, (and) we were both in tech. A version of this article previously appeared on Forbes. Return On Life is (the pursuit of) experiences.

Entrepreneur 235

Entrepreneur Startup Software Engineering Technical Review 235

InfoChachkie

APRIL 25, 2011

Although many are entertaining, most fail to provide entrepreneurs with a sufficient return on their time investment. Unfortunately, most business books do not offer entrepreneurs an adequate payoff. The short version of my review is: “Enchanting? Pithy – Guy is the Steven King of business books. Things I Liked.

Technical Review 279

Technical Review Blogging Class Entrepreneur 279

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2014

As a startup mentor and investor, I am approached regularly by aspiring entrepreneurs who assert that business plans are a waste of time. They cite sources like the BusinessWeek story, “ Real Entrepreneurs Don’t Write Business Plans ” and this Forbes article. A business plan may be a small investment to get a shot at that opportunity.

Technical Review 109

Technical Review Writing Entrepreneur Slides 109

socalTECH

APRIL 12, 2013

There''s been a lot of activity over the past two years in the Southern California accelerator/incubator market, with numerous groups (Amplify, EvoNexus, K5, LaunchpadLA, MediaCamp, Science, StartEngine, and many, many others) looking to help entrepreneurs start and fund their companies. But, how successful have they been? Science Inc.

Southern California 222

Southern California Incubator Report Startup 222

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 6, 2020

We have been advising a lot of entrepreneurs so I thought I’d “open source” some of the advice I have been sharing. You need to: study the rules, make sure that you don’t violate the “affiliate rule” (more later), consult with your Company Counsel, consult with your board and investors and then make your own determination. don’t apply.

Venture Capital 279

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Doc 279

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 13, 2011

The $30 billion trade surplus in advanced technology products that America enjoyed just one decade ago has now become a $56 billion deficit. Nothhaft has put together a challenging but small list of things we have to do to revitalize our innovation leadership, and I’m supportive: Liberate entrepreneurs from regulatory shackles.

Help 92

Help Technical Review Patents Startup 92

InfoChachkie

MAY 20, 2013

According to Tige Young, Founder and CEO of Tui Tai Expeditions , entrepreneurs should de-emphasize ROI and focus on a more accurate measure of wealth, Return On Life. So we were dating, living together, (and) we were both in tech. A version of this article previously appeared on Forbes. Return On Life is (the pursuit of) experiences.

Entrepreneur 164

Entrepreneur Startup Software Engineering Technical Review 164

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 25, 2010

Rincon is part of the new breed of Seed Stage VCs and with the leadership of Jim Andelman has charted out the most authentic early-stage investment strategy in Southern California. Any SoCal entrepreneur raising early-stage money should put Rincon on their short list. Nowhere is social proof more prevalent than in angel investing.

Guide 293

Guide Funding Venture Capital Technical Review 293

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 6, 2015

Perhaps sparked by the recession recovery, I’m seeing a new era of the entrepreneur, with startups springing up all around. Based on my own mentoring and investing experience, the best entrepreneurs are pragmatic problem solvers. Real entrepreneurs always look ahead and learn from problems resolved.

Mentor 105

Mentor Entrepreneur Technical Review Satisfaction 105

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2015

Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs seem to prefer to fail their way to the top, rather than do some research and learn from the successes and mistakes of others. In general I try to focus on the positives and tell entrepreneurs what works, but sometimes it’s important to reiterate the common things that simply don’t work.

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Entrepreneur Startup Satisfaction 60

socalTECH

JUNE 21, 2013

The San Diego firm is headed by Ethan Senturia , who sat down with us to tell us how Dealstruck is trying to help build small businesses and jobs--and also tells us a bit about what it''s like to come from a family full of very successful, and high profile entrepreneurs, and how that has influenced his experience as an entrepreneur himself.

Startup 247

Startup Software Review Entrepreneur Equity 247

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2017

According to my experience and a classic Gompers and Lerner study, the challenge is very real, with a majority of new ventures that don't attract investors failing within the first three years. These resources often include a cash investment, as well as office space, and consulting. Apply for contests and business grants.

Develop 70

Develop Development Product Startup 70

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2013

According to a Gompers and Lerner study, the challenge is very real, with 90% of new ventures that don't attract investors failing within the first three years. 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.

Startup 123

Startup Technical Review Equity Incubator 123

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 22, 2017

Perhaps sparked by the now forgotten recession, I’m seeing a new era of the entrepreneur, with startups springing up all around. Based on my own mentoring and investing experience, the best entrepreneurs are pragmatic problem solvers. Real entrepreneurs always look ahead and learn from problems resolved.

Satisfaction 53

Satisfaction Marketing Mentor Entrepreneur 53

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

Most aspiring entrepreneurs believe that a great idea alone will assure business success. In fact, I believe modern entrepreneurs need to be super sales people, in the most positive sense, to their team as well as customers. Entrepreneurs set the price of their solution based on their costs, and their perception of value.

Ideas 65

Ideas Sales Entrepreneur Customer 65

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 21, 2019

Conventional business wisdom tells us that entrepreneurs are today’s main source of innovation. In fact, a Wharton Business School study in this decade of the “Top 30 Innovations of the Last 30 Years,” concluded that only eight were first conceived by entrepreneurs, and twenty-two were conceived by employees.

IBM 53

IBM IBM Java Google 53

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2010

Bockerstette, Main Street Venture Fund As I outlined last week, trophy angel investors are always looking for trophy entrepreneurs. In many areas, not enough entrepreneurs meet the criteria, so it’s still a buyer’s market. Supporting detail should be included in an appendix, where the reviewer may read it if desired.

Funding 106

Funding Startup Entrepreneur Activity 106

socalTECH

MARCH 19, 2019

Ryan Disraeli: I was studying business with an emphasis on entrepreneurship. Did you take investment initially? Fundraising was something we just weren't investing in. Ryan Disraeli: I was actually in school at the time. Stacy and Darren, our other co-founder who's not here right now, actually graduated from USC.

Marina Del Rey 113

Marina Del Rey Software Review Startup Incubator 113

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 25, 2016

Many startup businesses – tech or otherwise – fail. In our industry we applaud the efforts for entrepreneurs to have tried and we know that today’s failure can bring the experience for tomorrow’s success. What would it take in investments to acquire and retain traffic to support these businesses?

Startup 150

Startup Marketing Study SEO 150

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 12, 2010

In the technology world there are a few websites that most startups track to keep up with the latest financings, acquisitions, product announcements and gossip: BusinessInsider, TechCrunch, Mashable, GigaOm, etc. Dan believed that consumer internet entrepreneurs have a choice now: traditional VC vs. super seed investors.

Venture Capital 232

Venture Capital Slides Seed Funding Google 232

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 28, 2011

I’m in the team centric sphere so every investment decision I make first & foremost centers on this plane. I made an investment in a company with deep domain knowledge. You do a startup and decide you want somebody to step in and run the company so you can focus on technical excellence. ON LEADERSHIP. ON SUCCESS.

CTO Hire 363

CTO Hire Technical Review Startup Demand 363

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 3, 2012

A look around technology industry, perhaps the heart of the global revolution, shows a happily working international community all pushing for the common goal of innovation. or purely invest in established U.S. Attracting business investment. An E visa is meant for foreign investors looking to start a business in the U.S.

Technical Review 77

Technical Review Startup Offshore Entrepreneur 77

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 29, 2019

Image via Max Pixel Startup investors tell me they invest in a new venture with a higher caliber of people, rather than the product or service, and I agree. Of course, it’s no surprise that most entrepreneurs don’t have a background in hiring teams, and don’t have a budget for training or human resource consultants.

Training 73

Training Case Study Resource Statistics 73