Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2020

Most of you aspiring entrepreneurs have new ideas on a regular basis, and find it hard deciding which to pursue, or try to tackle several at the same time. Good examples of initial focus by an entrepreneur would include Jeff Bezos when he started Amazon as an online marketplace for books only, and Elon Musk starting PayPal as an online bank.

Entrepreneur 126

Entrepreneur Startup Patents Resource 126

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 1, 2021

Most entrepreneurs I meet are reluctant to disclose anything about their idea to investors before getting a signed confidential disclosure agreement (CDA). Yet I can assure you that people who are paranoid, or want to avoid all risks, won’t be happy as entrepreneurs, so it’s all about balancing the risk-reward scale.

Ideas 159

Ideas Tips Technical Review Patents 159

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

One of the readers asked my opinion around sharing your startup concept: My first question has always been - how do you protect your idea while shopping around for feedback, partners, developers, etc.? I also will point out that in the The 15 Mistakes of First Time Entrepreneurs : 9. Lots of thoughts here.

Startup 211

Startup IP Ideas Patents 211

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

One of the readers asked my opinion around sharing your startup concept: My first question has always been - how do you protect your idea while shopping around for feedback, partners, developers, etc.? I also will point out that in the The 15 Mistakes of First Time Entrepreneurs : 9. Lots of thoughts here.

Startup 198

Startup IP Ideas Patents 198

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 23, 2012

Ideas are not intellectual property, until they have been converted into patents, trade secrets, trademarks, or copyrights. Even still, regardless of the initial equity split, you should seriously consider vesting your founders shares over at least two years. Building a product doesn’t get it distributed and sold.

Startup 101

Startup Entrepreneur Equity CTO Hire 101

Tech Coast Venture Network

FEBRUARY 28, 2010

L Sanders shares the story behind his patented sports bra venture ( www.activeinneractions.com ).

Product 100

Product Patents Entrepreneur Startup 100

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 11, 2021

Later, when your venture is trying to close on financing, or even going public, that forgotten partner surfaces, demanding their original share. This problem can be avoided by incorporating immediately after early discussions, and issuing shares to the Founders, with normal vesting and other participation rules.

Patents 145

Patents Legalzoom Invest Startup 145

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2023

I always tell entrepreneurs that two heads are better than one, so the first task in many startups is finding a cofounder or two. The next default of waiting until later is equally bad, since partners who bow out early will still expect an equal share of that first billion you make later. Key to required patents or trade secrets.

Equity 99

Equity Patents CTO Hire Startup 99

InfoChachkie

MARCH 4, 2019

In addition to creating a franchise chain which exceeded 500 locations at its peak, Martha Harper was also one of the world’s first social entrepreneurs, helping thousands of middle-class women create their own businesses and control their destinies. Social Entrepreneuring (Before It Was Cool). Martha’s Legacy Lives On.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Class Template Patents 100

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 24, 2016

I always tell entrepreneurs that two heads are better than one, so the first task in many startups is finding a co-founder or two. The next default of waiting until later is equally bad, since partners who bow out early will still expect an equal share of that first billion you make later. Key to required patents or trade secrets.

Equity 62

Equity Startup Patents CTO Hire 62

Berkonomics

JUNE 1, 2023

They had no mantra, and a limited vision to connect mainframe computers to share academic information. How many entrepreneurs used that new Internet infrastructure to create an expansive vision of what could be? Commissioner of Patents in 1899. The Internet and AI – new opportunities for innovation. That was Charles H.

Artificial Inteligence 156

Artificial Inteligence UCLA Web Patents 156

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2023

Whether you are a business professional in a big company, or an entrepreneur with a startup, innovation is a key strategy. Be willing to share technology to promote standards. Open sharing also increases market acceptance of new products and expedites support infrastructures.

Artificial Inteligence 114

Artificial Inteligence Ideas Satisfaction Customer 114

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 8, 2014

” It’s the most common refrain I hear from investors and even entrepreneurs these days. The patents Overture held became known in small circles as Google’s ’361 problem as outlined here. “There’s something going on in LA.” ” Or if you ask the venerable Greg Bettinelli, he’s #LongLA.

Entrepreneur 376

Entrepreneur Snapchat Startup Google 376

Berkonomics

JANUARY 31, 2019

What if you are the seller of a previous business or shares amounting to more than an insignificant percentage of a previous business? As long as you did not use patented processes or trade secret material from your previous company, you should be protected, but you might be prepared for a fight. After the non-compete expires.

Patents 120

Patents Sales Product Email 120

Berkonomics

JANUARY 31, 2019

What if you are the seller of a previous business or shares amounting to more than an insignificant percentage of a previous business? As long as you did not use patented processes or trade secret material from your previous company, you should be protected, but you might be prepared for a fight. After the non-compete expires.

Patents 120

Patents Sales Product Email 120

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 6, 2014

An invalidated patent or one deemed to infringe the rights of another party can devastate a startup. Defensible Claims - Some companies take pride in the number of patents they own. However, there is not a direct correlation between a patent portfolio’s value and the number of patents which comprise the portfolio.

IP 210

IP Patents Journal Equity 210

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 24, 2015

The two met in 1940 and quickly appreciated each other’s intellectual curiosity and shared disdain for Hollywood. In 1945, Hedy and Antheil codified their invention by filing a patent claim. The fact that Hedy and Antheil were clueless, made them fearless – two qualities all entrepreneurs should have in abundance.

Hollywood 100

Hollywood Entrepreneur Design Press 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 2, 2011

Later, when your venture is trying to close on financing, or even going public, that forgotten partner surfaces, demanding their original share. This problem can be avoided by incorporating immediately after early discussions, and issuing shares to the founders, with normal vesting and other participation rules.

Entrepreneur 98

Entrepreneur Patents Invest Startup 98

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2016

Most aspiring entrepreneurs look to their alma mater, or any university, as a source of classes that can help them, but neglect to think outside the box or take advantage of all the other resources to be found there. Their value to you is great industry connections, free legal advice, shared learning, and credibility for you with investors.

Entrepreneur 55

Entrepreneur Capital Class Startup 55

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?” Successful entrepreneurs know they have to fight not only to win market share, but to retain it as well. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 138

Entrepreneur Activity Guide Patents 138

Berkonomics

APRIL 20, 2017

They had no mantra, and a limited vision to connect mainframe computers to share academic information. How many entrepreneurs used that new Internet infrastructure to create an expansive vision of what could be? Commissioner of Patents in 1899. And who said that “Everything that can be invented has been invented?” Ah yes.

Artificial Inteligence 256

Artificial Inteligence UCLA Web Patents 256

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2015

Most entrepreneurs I meet are reluctant to disclose anything about their idea to investors before getting a signed confidential disclosure agreement (CDA). Yet I can assure you that people who are paranoid, or want to avoid all risks, won’t be happy as entrepreneurs, so it’s all about balancing the risk-reward scale.

Ideas 106

Ideas Technical Review Patents Entrepreneur 106

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2022

An excellent example is the initiative by Elon Musk and Tesla Motors a few years ago to give away their battery patents, to infrastructure and competitive car providers, without transactional agreements. Another partnering model example is the IBM Watson Group $1 billion investment to share cloud-based development and super-computing tools.

IBM 131

IBM IBM Startup Examples 131

socalTECH

AUGUST 29, 2013

It''s a place where people can submit their ideas and patents, and we provide a platform for them to try to find entrepreneurs who would like to work on those patents together with us an the crowd. How do entrepreneurs get involved? That gives us access to the patents from those federal labs and universities have.

Ideas 178

Ideas Patents Funding Startup 178

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 16, 2014

You are an aspiring entrepreneur, eager to dump the corporate grind, and work to the beat of your own drummer, but you can’t come up with that killer idea to save the world. Technically, I believe an entrepreneur is anyone who manages his own profit and loss, and doesn’t meet the government tax definition of an employee.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Startup Course Patents 102

Xconomy

SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

We’re pleased to bring you the third episode of Xconomy Voices , our new podcast featuring conversations with entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors from Xconomy’s home cities and regions. Read more » Reprints | Share: UNDERWRITERS AND PARTNERS. He has so many interests and projects that we could easily have spent the entire.

Chief Technology Officer 85

Chief Technology Officer Patents Entrepreneur Technology 85

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?” Successful entrepreneurs know they have to fight not only to win market share, but to retain it as well. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Mentor Activity Guide 110

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2023

It’s still popular these days for startup founders to operate in stealth mode, meaning no details about the idea or progress are shared with anyone until the big reveal and rollout. Entrepreneurs talk to customers and competitors talk to each other about the new trends and technologies they see. Optimize your web history and presence.

Marketing 105

Marketing Startup Search Engine Optimization Ideas 105

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2020

Most aspiring entrepreneurs look to their alma mater, or any university, as a source of classes that can help them, but neglect to think outside the box or take advantage of all the other resources to be found there. Their value to you is great industry connections, free legal advice, shared learning, and credibility for you with investors.

Class 124

Class Startup Resource Mentor 124

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 10, 2018

I always tell entrepreneurs that two heads are better than one, so the first task in many startups is finding a co-founder or two. The next default of waiting until later is equally bad, since partners who bow out early will still expect an equal share of that first billion you make later. Key to required patents or trade secrets.

Equity 95

Equity Patents CTO Hire Startup 95

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 17, 2022

Every entrepreneur and every business needs a strategy to keep them focused. Without shared understanding of cause, necessity and ambition, a business trying to formulate its strategy will drift. It might be a patented technology, but it could also be the creativity of employees or logistic competencies of the company.

Organization 118

Organization Course Patents Entrepreneur 118

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 2, 2022

I expect that should seem intuitive to all entrepreneurs, but every investor I know has many stories about startup funding requests with major business model elements missing. New entrepreneurs tend to focus only on product direct costs, and underestimate marketing and sales costs, overhead costs, and support costs. Cost structure.

Sales 102

Sales Customer Custom Outsource 102

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 10, 2012

A while back I received a discouraging note from an entrepreneur with a patent and a medical software application who couldn’t find a dime of investment, and was grousing that seed funding just wasn’t available anymore. Lack of clear objectives/goals.

Seed Funding 100

Seed Funding Software Review Entrepreneur Funding 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2020

As an advisor to new hardware entrepreneurs, I often hear the myth that a business plan is no longer required to find an investor, if your idea is good enough. What you don’t realize is these famous investors only deal with entrepreneurs who sold their last company for a $100M dollars or more. and trademarks.

Product 169

Product Summary Startup Examples 169

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2012

It also makes legal sense to never disclose the details of your patent application, before the product is ready to ship. But otherwise, startup companies should seek out publicity and the open sharing of information, from day one. Openness is part of the business culture of entrepreneurs and technology centers around the world.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Search Engine Optimization Startup News 101

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 29, 2017

As an advisor to entrepreneurs, I often have to deal with people who are convinced that they must get me to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before they begin talks about their new venture. Get an NDA before detailed patent disclosures. It pays to talk to competitors about the business, but not your business.

Technical Review 61

Technical Review Patents Ideas Social Media 61

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2013

Later, when your venture is trying to close on financing, or even going public, that forgotten partner surfaces, demanding their original share. This problem can be avoided by incorporating immediately after early discussions, and issuing shares to the Founders, with normal vesting and other participation rules. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 94

Startup Patents Legalzoom Invest 94