Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 23, 2015

For some aspiring to be tech entrepreneurs, I often suggest a two-step process, as I argued in this post that “ The First Startup Founder You Need to Invest in Is You.” He or she has worked at some very successful big technology or media companies and went to a great school. I saved my main point for last.

Technical Review 150

Technical Review Startup Venture Capital IP 150

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2016

Successful entrepreneurs understand the difference between a good business relationship with more people and having more friends. In fact, the focus on social networking platforms, starting with Facebook, has destroyed the meaning of the word friend and even changed it from a noun to a verb.

Entrepreneur 66

Entrepreneur Social Network Technical Review Social Media 66

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2014

When you think about the trends of faster-growing startups due to social networking, credit card enable and mobile first consumers – the reality is that many startups are becoming very large financially before needing to go public. From a technology perspective our journey is nowhere near over. 2007 was the watershed year.

Venture Capital 398

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Seed Funding 398

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 15, 2010

Great entrepreneurs, like Bill Gates, are great at both. Here are a few: Business networking. For entrepreneurs, effective networking is required to find investors, partners, and customers. It doesn’t work if you don’t follow up on networking opportunities, networking referrals, and ongoing networking relationships.

Ideas 95

Ideas Entrepreneur Startup Technical Review 95

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 17, 2014

Great entrepreneurs, like Bill Gates, are great at both. Here are a few: Business networking. For entrepreneurs, effective networking is required to find investors, partners, and customers. It doesn’t work if you don’t follow up on networking opportunities, networking referrals, and ongoing networking relationships.

Ideas 108

Ideas Startup Technical Review Entrepreneur 108

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 20, 2011

I think you'll enjoy hearing him, but if you're in a rush check out the summary notes below. In the early 80’s he left academia to work on venture capital investing with Jim Simons, Renaissance Technologies. CEO Network – CEO’s from the portfolio companies are introduced to each other. and Half.com.

Capital 284

Capital Venture Capital Technical Review Startup 284

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 19, 2014

Most entrepreneurs have learned that it’s almost always quicker and easier to get cash from someone you know, rather than Angel investors or professional investors (VCs). Here is a summary of some key items to think about as an entrepreneur before approaching friends, family, or even fools: Don’t be afraid to ask, carefully.

Startup 106

Startup Funding Technical Review Ideas 106

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2012

Partially due to the economy, but also due to longer, healthier lives and changes in job tenure, 62% of working Boomers are now expected to stay in the labor force, with real power and influence, for at least nine more years, to 2020. In terms of job creation, innovation, and productivity, entrepreneurs drive growth.

Startup 112

Startup Technical Review Technical Support Study 112

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 11, 2011

I recommend you first review Dharmesh’s article and then listen to Naval’s thoughts. What follows is a summary which paraphrases Naval’s responses. Venture Hacks is educating entrepreneurs on the game theory of how to raise venture capital. There’s going to be more and more of these early stage networks forming.

Startup 273

Startup Software Review Summary Technical Review 273

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2012

Publish a regular blog, contribute to relevant social networks, and write a “white paper” on your technology. Highlight interviews and reviews from recognized industry sources, and news sources. In summary, a startup with no website, or a website with no credibility will kill your business.

Search Engine Optimization 96

Search Engine Optimization Entrepreneur Sites Advertising 96

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

are eliminated during due diligence. Reserve the company name on social networks to protect it. A conundrum for many frustrated entrepreneurs is that they need money from investors to design and build a prototype product, yet most angel investors expect to see at least a prototype before they invest.

Invest 99

Invest Angel Technical Review Summary 99

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 12, 2015

Thus founders seeking funding for a good cause or a new technology often seize on grants from universities, government agencies and philanthropic organizations as free money to solve their problems. After months of preparation, you should expect another six to nine months for reviews and funding cycles. Technology is not enough.

Pricing 100

Pricing Equity Technical Review Research 100

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 24, 2010

What Quora has done is wrap social networking around Q&A with the more clever next-gen UX I’ve seen. I stumbled upon the Question, “ What-is-the-motivation-behind-writing-public-reviews-and-tips-as-on-Amazon-Yelp-Foursquare-StickyBits-etc &# and took the bait. Design the product to accomodate needs of all three.

Technical Review 294

Technical Review Writing Content Sites 294

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 8, 2010

Let me start by saying two things: Events like this are invaluable to startups because the significant value comes from building the network across portfolio companies and the discussion one can have with your peer group. Entrepreneurs always walk away with new relationships, knowledge, deal discussions and enthusiasm.

Startup 279

Startup Venture Capital Tips Custom Development 279

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 20, 2011

Most entrepreneurs have learned that it’s almost always quicker and easier to get cash from someone you know, rather than angel investors or professional investors (VCs). Here is a summary of some key items to think about as an entrepreneur before approaching friends, family, or even fools: Don’t be afraid to ask, carefully.

Startup 98

Startup Technical Review Ideas Entrepreneur 98

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

are eliminated during due diligence. Reserve the company name on social networks to protect it. A conundrum for many frustrated entrepreneurs is that they need money from investors to design and build a prototype product, yet most angel investors expect to see at least a prototype before they invest.

Angel 89

Angel Funding Technical Review Startup 89

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 28, 2018

My friend Michael Broukhim, founder & co-CEO of FabFitFun and I recently had a catch-up meeting for 3-miles on the Santa Monica “Bird Trail” No company has ever elicited so many questions by friends, colleagues, entrepreneurs, fellow VCs and journalists as has Bird, the company that pioneered the electronic scooter as a service market.

Santa Monica 256

Santa Monica Funding Startup Course 256

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 28, 2010

Most entrepreneurs have learned that it’s almost always quicker and easier to get cash from someone you know, rather than angel investors or professional investors (VCs). Here is a summary of some key items to think about as an entrepreneur before approaching friends, family, or even fools: Don’t be afraid to ask, carefully.

Funding 93

Funding Technical Review Startup Ideas 93

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 12, 2014

If you’re a technology startup you need to excel at product, of course. The starting point of product IS marketing, which is what a lot of young entrepreneurs that never studied business don’t realize. Link has a summary of his argument plus a great video). If you have NO network of promotion for your story?

Marketing 379

Marketing Startup SEM SEO 379

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 20, 2013

Publish a regular blog, contribute to relevant social networks, and write a “white paper” on your technology. Highlight interviews and reviews from recognized industry sources, and news sources. In summary, a startup with no website, or a website with no credibility will kill your business. Marty Zwilling.

Search Engine Optimization 105

Search Engine Optimization Startup Advertising SEO 105

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

” I mention journalists here because they perpetuate the myth that focusing on profits is ALWAYS the right answer and then I hear many entrepreneurs (and certainly many “normals”) repeating the same mantra. Exec Summary: Most companies (98+%) in the world (even tech startups) should be very profit focused.

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 8, 2018

Steven Johnson, author of How We Got To Now , analyzes technological breakthroughs, looking for patterns that allow entrepreneurs to identify “How We’ll Get To Tomorrow.” We all have hunches, but if we do not diligently document them, we risk losing them. Modern-day entrepreneurs use Evernote, Google Keep, etc.

Ideas 69

Ideas Startup Technical Review Santa Barbara 69

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2009

In most cases if you can’t get a prototype done you’re probably not an entrepreneur. I know you’re not a tech guy and haven’t done anything other than an HTML course you once took, but if you’re inspirational and a leader you’ll find somebody to moonlight for free to get your prototype built.

Angel 291

Angel Funding Venture Capital Startup 291

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 7, 2013

Yet 2013 is still projected by The Fiscal Times as a difficult IPO opportunity for startups, due to choppy markets, continuing fiscal uncertainty, and the Facebook fiasco. Sure, there will always some seed funding (10% of overall deal flow), but you can bet that this money goes to entrepreneurs who have been there before and won.

Venture Capital 101

Venture Capital Startup Capital Seed Funding 101

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2010

He has many of the attributes I look for in an entrepreneur and importantly he has deep domain experience in ad management. He knows the ad management and ad network businesses. But I believe it’s a very comprehensive solution and our due diligence with large app developers confirmed as much. What does it do?

Mobile 282

Mobile Invest Company Companies 282

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 29, 2010

We received so much positive feedback from our This Week in Venture Capital show walking through valuation calculations & term sheets that we decided to do a Q&A show this week to address topics that entrepreneurs want to learn about. on the entrepreneur side of the table) when I raised at too high of a price. This is wrong.

Venture Capital 282

Venture Capital Capital Startup Pricing 282

socalTECH

DECEMBER 1, 2008

In what looks to be a challenging funding climate for entrepreneurs, we thought it would be interesting to talk to one fund which is still making investments--Saban Ventures (www.saban.com)--a new, digital media focused venture capital fund located in Los Angeles. That's the entrepreneur we get excited about working with.

Southern California 100

Southern California Media Venture Capital Invest 100

socalTECH

DECEMBER 1, 2008

In what looks to be a challenging funding climate for entrepreneurs, we thought it would be interesting to talk to one fund which is still making investments--Saban Ventures (www.saban.com)--a new, digital media focused venture capital fund located in Los Angeles. That's the entrepreneur we get excited about working with.

Capital 100

Capital Southern California Media Venture Capital 100

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 5, 2010

Publish a daily blog, contribute to relevant social networks, and write a “white paper” on your technology. Highlight interviews and reviews from recognized industry sources, and popular news sources. In summary, a startup with no website, or a website with no credibility will kill your business.

Tips 92

Tips Search Engine Optimization Startup Advertising 92

SoCal Delicious

JANUARY 9, 2014

I’m hoping this will help to save entrepreneurs time in their hunt for success, whilst adding some more meaning to their businesses. It takes discipline to stay on track and not lose focus, but it’s a valuable trait that all successful entrepreneurs seem to have. Failing to ask for help Entrepreneurs can be a stubborn lot.

Startup 78

Startup Design Customer Custom 78

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2012

I raised money as an entrepreneur, like you, in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2005 for two different companies. Executive Summary. If you want to watch the video version summary of my advice on fund raising it’s here. I never suggest that entrepreneurs just randomly pitch VCs. Don’t believe otherwise.

Develop 366

Develop Development Funding Venture Capital 366

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 22, 2010

But more broadly it got me thinking to one of the biggest mistakes tech executives get into in the first place. But you’d be surprised how much tech folks either hold journalists too much on a pedestal or disdain them. Do not equate that with them giving you glowing reviews – you have to earn that. Total waste.

Tips 307

Tips Startup Press Blogging 307

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 9, 2011

I thought about things I never had to as an entrepreneur: check size, ownership percentage, deal stage, portfolio construction and risk. Let’s review all of our existing investments. tl;dr summary. So I encouraged entrepreneurs to think about raising their funds as quickly as they could because. Summary version?

Marketing 305

Marketing Venture Capital Funding Technical Review 305