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

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021

As a startup mentor and investor, I am approached regularly by aspiring entrepreneurs who assert that business plans take too much time, are inaccurate, and rarely add value. You’ve built a successful startup before, and plan to use the same investors. You need an investor, and want to solicit professionals online.

Technical Review 126

Technical Review Writing Entrepreneur Slides 126

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 26, 2022

Now, even the earliest stage startup can rise to visibility or be forever lost by their first media spotlight, so it behooves us all to know the rules early. Most entrepreneurs I know admit to a poor first media interaction, and many are still waiting for the instant replay. On the social media side, the stakes are just as great.

Media 118

Media Tips Social Media Startup 118

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 17, 2017

There are certain topics that even some of the smartest people I talk with who aren’t startup oriented can’t fully grok. It’s common cocktail party chatter to hear people confidently pronounce that some well known startup is sure to blow up because, “How could they succeed when they’re not even profitable!”

Startup 227

Startup Venture Capital Sales Course 227

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 24, 2015

As the number of sites on the Internet floats around one billion, the challenge with every new startup is to be found and stand out. In this age of relationships, you, the entrepreneur, are a very important element of your new brand, and it’s never too early to start marketing the value of your expertise, insights and ideas.

Blogging 110

Blogging Startup Search Engine Optimization Social Media 110

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2023

Finding your sweet spot as an entrepreneur needs to start with a meaningful personal purpose that is also a business opportunity. Many entrepreneurs are finding their “secret sauce” these days by combining a strong purpose with a good business opportunity. Deciphering one’s personal purpose should be priority one.

Framework 95

Framework Customer Custom Tips 95

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 30, 2014

With the estimated 510 million live websites at last year-end, and 280,000 new ones being added every day, the biggest challenge for an entrepreneur is to get found, and get some credibility for a new startup. The biggest excuse most startup founders mention is too much to do building a product, mapping strategy, investors, etc.

Startup 101

Startup Blogging Writing Google 101

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 12, 2014

would you want to give up the right to invest in subsequent rounds? Do investors always take up their prorata rights in later rounds? The simple answer is “No, investors don’t always take up their prorata rights.” Finally, some early investors specifically like NOT taking up their prorata.

Guide 336

Guide Venture Capital Startup Writing 336

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. You have built a successful startup, and plan to use the same investors.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Technical Review Writing Slides 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2020

Finding your sweet spot as an entrepreneur needs to start with a meaningful personal purpose that is also a business opportunity. Many entrepreneurs are finding their “secret sauce” these days by combining a strong purpose with a good business opportunity. Deciphering one’s personal purpose should be priority one.

Tips 174

Tips Framework Customer Custom 174

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 8, 2010

Don’t blog about what you think would be “cool.&# I don’t think that most startup blogs should be about how to build a startup. The new stuff: How do I get started? First, you’ll need a platform. The advantage of the hosted version is that it’s easier to get started.

Blogging 286

Blogging Startup Writing Summary 286

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2013

If you are an entrepreneur today, and not using social media to promote your business, you are missing out on a huge opportunity. As with many startup activities, you only have one chance for a great first impression. Spend your time and money on other platforms. Pick the right platform for your business.

Social Media 101

Social Media Media Entrepreneur Metrics 101

socalTECH

MARCH 2, 2020

Smith , the founder of Croquet (www.croquet.io), a new Los Angeles startup which actually has its roots at the very beginning of the modern computing era. You can spin a coin, pick up an object. In the real world, you pick up an object, and you can hand it to seomeone else. For today's interview, with talked with David A.

Platform 168

Platform Startup Examples Web 168

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2013

I’m very excited to be finally be able to announce that this week we’ve added Sam Rosen to our ranks at GRP Partners in the role of entrepreneurs-in-residence – EIR. It’s the first EIR that we’ve had in the years that I’ve been with the firm and I hope will be the start of our investment in this program.

Startup 372

Startup Course Ideas Invest 372

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2019

Now, even the earliest stage startup can rise to visibility or be forever lost by their first media spotlight, so it behooves us all to know the rules early. Most entrepreneurs I know admit to a poor first media interaction, and many are still waiting for the instant replay. On the social media side, the stakes are just as great.

Press 96

Press Entrepreneur Social Media Training 96

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 31, 2012

The space for startups is more crowded than ever. First of all, it’s now international, so you have startups from every country in the world competing for your customer’s attention and their business. Even the Google search engine crawlers may take up to two weeks to find you. Using the platform to expand your reach.

Startup 104

Startup Social Media Platform Blogging 104

TechCrunch LA

AUGUST 3, 2018

Hoping to beat back the tide of bad contracts, bad code and bad actors, Sagewise , a new Los Angeles-based startup has raised $1.25 “Once frozen, parties can fix coding bugs, patch up security vulnerabilities, or amend/terminate the smart contract, or self-resolve a dispute.

Software Review 159

Software Review Outsource Development Services Technical Review 159

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 1, 2010

We all like to think of startups as “non hierarchic&# organizations and to some extent that should be true. I see two common mistakes in companies (not just in startups, in fact). By going on sales calls you pick up directly the feedback of what customers want and also what they’re telling you about competition.

Startup 308

Startup CTO Coach Technical Review CTO Hire 308

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 10, 2012

For newly launched start up, Readitfor.me And there lied a problem for an entrepreneur to solve. Cunningham walked into his office one day and thought, why wouldn’t I make content with the information from my favorite business books, but speed it up and make it visual? Readitfor.me looks to build that imaged oasis.

Startup 76

Startup Social Media Content Web 2.0 76

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 21, 2020

if you listen you’ll pick up much more than my quick notes below). We talked about what startup CEOs should do in these situations and how to think about these renegotiations. A seed deal hasn’t already been “priced up” to a range where a new investor might be concerned about the valuation relative to performance.

Venture Capital 263

Venture Capital Marketing Startup Writing 263

socalTECH

OCTOBER 12, 2020

We chatted with Matt and Joey on what they're up to. How did you come up with the idea for the company? Matt Knox: The idea came up, because most people have their own method of figuring out what they want to watch next. I had my own list on my iPhone, writing down what I wanted to watch, and where those shows are.

Startup 113

Startup Netflix Ideas Content 113

socalTECH

JUNE 11, 2018

For our interview this morning, we caught up with Scot Lawrie , the President and technical Co-founder of Los Angeles-based Coverfly (www.coverfly.com), and John Rhodes , Coverfly's head of Marketing and Business Development, to learn a bit more about the early stage, bootstrapped startup focused on Hollywood script writers.

Technical Review 100

Technical Review Hollywood Platform Competition 100

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 21, 2014

Startups are hard. You join teams that got good write-ups on TechCrunch, have great VCs, have star CEO’s, whatever. We tell startup stories. Our founder, Yves Sisteron, was my mentor and board member at my first startup. You’ve heard that a million times. Those that we survive with become family.

CTO Hire 320

CTO Hire Startup CTO Coach Venture Capital 320

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. But today I want to give you advice on how to decrease your odds of failure in a startup.

Startup 150

Startup Marketing Study SEO 150

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 11, 2010

I travelled for a couple of days for work and decided to get some sleep on those days rather than staying up into the wee hours as I often do when I travel. And I find that platforms like Twitter, IM and even Facebook carry much less “obligation&# to them. He ends up spending personal time trying to get through email.

Email 265

Email Startup Writing Blogging 265

socalTECH

JUNE 8, 2011

It's the biggest portion of our revenues at our company, and our clients include the Buffalo News, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, JDate, Spark network, and many entrepreneurs. They are using DealCurrent as the deal platform for all of their clients. Jimmy Hendricks: We actually started two and a half years ago.

Platform 263

Platform Training Software Review Advertising 263

socalTECH

AUGUST 27, 2014

In the Los Angeles startup world, there are lots of high profile, buzzy companies which have lots of attention and funding--but which haven''t earned a dime of revenue. We caught up with CEO and co-founder Brett Rossman to learn more about the company and how it''s been able to grow, profitably, all without raising a dime of outside capital.

Startup 239

Startup El Segundo Marketing Media 239

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. You need an investor, and want to solicit professionals online.

Technical Review 109

Technical Review Writing Entrepreneur Slides 109

TechCrunch LA

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

Next she took to Instagram, a new social media platform that quickly became the most effective tool in a blogger’s toolkit. Naturally, the next step in Bernstein’s evolution from blogger to businesswoman was a technology startup. Karat, a startup building a bank for creators. Last month, the product launched with $1.2

Platform 170

Platform Marketing Tool Venture Capital 170

socalTECH

OCTOBER 11, 2016

What's the difference between pitching your startup on television, versus pitching your startup in real life? And how do you best take advantage of a TV audience to promote your startup? Hatched recently started into its second season. I think the best entry level position is starting in investment banking.

Startup 100

Startup Entrepreneur Invest Competition 100

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 17, 2010

The VC’s & executives were then asked to make “commitments&# (in writing) to 3-5 of the companies that they felt they could make some sort of contribution to. We want to give our brightest new startups the connections and interactions they need to help streamline success. We’re excited to work with them.

Company 276

Company Companies Startup Southern California 276

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

SEPTEMBER 21, 2016

Today Upfront Ventures is announcing that we’ve backed Rebecca Kantar ’s startup Imbellus , a company designed to assess human potential and ultimately change the way we teach children. I speak a lot on college campuses and entrepreneur events and amongst the most common things I’m asked to talk about are: What do VCs fund?

Design 150

Design Ideas Startup Writing 150

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 22, 2012

If you are an entrepreneur today, and not using social media to promote your business, you are missing out on a huge opportunity. As with many startup activities, you only have one chance for a great first impression. Spend your time and money on other platforms. Pick the right platform for your business.

Social Media 95

Social Media Media Startup Platform 95

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 18, 2011

If you are an entrepreneur today, and not using social media to promote your business, you are missing out on a huge opportunity. As with many startup activities, you only have one chance for a great first impression. Spend your time and money on other platforms. Pick the right platform for your business.

Social Media 93

Social Media Media Entrepreneur Platform 93

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 15, 2019

Skyler Lucci is co-founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based HeyTutor (www.heytutor.com), a startup which has created an online platform which connects and matches students with in-person tutors. We caught up with Skyler to hear about HeyTutor, which already has 25 employees and is growing rapidly.

Startup 113

Startup Venture Capital Beverly Hills Acquisition 113

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 23, 2011

I took the opportunity this past week to publish summary notes of some of the VCs and entrepreneurs I had interviewed on This Week in VC. Back to regular writing this week so check back in. Richard De Silva started off as a journalist with the Washington Post after growing up in D.C. Startup after Iron Planet? (6:00

Capital 265

Capital Venture Capital Veoh Startup 265