Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2011

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. Fundraising is indeed brutally tough at all stages, and the seed funding is the hardest to find.

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Software Review Funding Seed Funding Startup 98

socalTECH

JANUARY 7, 2019

With Startup Boost, we had dozens of investors, service providers, successful entrepreneurs, and major industry leaders (including Microsoft, Google, Softbank, REME, and TechStars) coalesce around our initiative to help early stage companies get to the next level. And as Ive witnessed countless times, they cant get there any other way.

Technical Review 157

Technical Review Software Review Startup Coach 157

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2014

Limited Partners or LPs (the people who invest into VC funds) have taken notice as 2014 is by all accounts the busiest year for LPs since the Great Recession began. Note the full presentation deck with additional slides can be found on SlideShare here or you can simply scroll through it at the bottom of this post.]. and hasn’t abated.

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Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Seed Funding 398

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2010

Yesterday 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. Fundraising is indeed brutally tough at all stages, and the seed funding is the hardest to find.

Software Review 95

Software Review Startup Seed Funding Funding 95

socalTECH

JUNE 18, 2019

Saldana is now CTO of Techstars Studio, an effort to help entrepreneurs rapidly envision, validate, and launch disruptive startups. Techstars posted the seed pitch round deck for Sendgrid last week. SendGrid had a successful IPO in 2017 , and was acquired for $3 billion in February. READ MORE>>.

Orange County 113

Orange County Entrepreneur Help Startup 113

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 24, 2011

Now they are coming back, and the best even provide networking, technical leadership, and seed funding, as well as investors waving money at graduates. Another variation is technology business incubators, which nurture high-tech startups and present a technology oriented variant of business incubators.

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Incubator Startup Seed Funding Mentor 93

socalTECH

OCTOBER 24, 2011

One of the biggest complaints you hear from both entrepreneurs and investors in Los Angeles, is the lack of a credible, visible startup accelerator in the Los Angeles area. We're providing seed funding, office space, and put them through a three month, structured program. We're focused on two things.

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Technical Advisors Startup Southern California Los Angeles 176

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 2, 2010

Now they are coming back, and the best even provide networking, technical leadership, and seed funding, as well as shared facilities and space. Another variation is technology business incubators, which nurture high-tech startups and present a technology oriented variant of business incubators. Marty Zwilling.

Incubator 93

Incubator Startup Seed Funding Mentor 93

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 7, 2013

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. So what can entrepreneurs do to get to the head of the venture capital investment queue and position their startup for a winning IPO? Line up a winning team.

Venture Capital 101

Venture Capital Startup Capital Seed Funding 101

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 18, 2015

I rarely talk to any startup entrepreneur or VC who doesn’t feel it and somehow long for simpler times despite the benefits we all enjoy from increased enthusiasm for our sector. For entrepreneurs there’s too much money sloshing around. And it’s true that I still take a whole lot of first meetings with entrepreneurs.

Software Review 150

Software Review Startup Venture Capital Invest 150

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 21, 2011

It’s a three-month program providing its selected startups with $21,000 in seed funding, plus the typical incubator benefits like shared office space, legal assistance, infrastructure and hosting, and mentorship from a network of advisors.

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Los Angeles Rustic Canyon Incubator Angel 58

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2011

Sure, there is 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. Be ready with a killer executive summary , investor presentation , and financial model. Line up a winning team. Marty Zwilling.

Venture Capital 93

Venture Capital Startup Capital Seed Funding 93

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 14, 2012

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. Fast forward to the present with Mingly announcing the launch of two new products to expand their services to a wider audience of users.

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Web Social Network Email Networking 74

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2009

So you need to do one and have it in your back pocket ready to whip out your presentation or your laptop at any moment and go through it in case you’re asked or in case you’re not building the rapport you hope to just verbally. In most cases if you can’t get a prototype done you’re probably not an entrepreneur.

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Angel Funding Venture Capital Startup 291

Berkonomics

APRIL 24, 2014

Often I see executive summaries from entrepreneurs who have never managed any form of business, or even managed employees in their past life, and who don’t know the first thing about business formation and managing for growth. I used to tell them to find a partner with knowledge in business creation and management.

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Coach Seed Funding Summary Incubator 250

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2022

The challenge is when and how to make the switch to the entrepreneur lifestyle. As a mentor to young aspiring entrepreneurs , I often get asked for tips on a strategy to get started. Raising money is difficult, even with the best idea, so don’t assume any entitlement to loans, grants, or seed funding.

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Startup Tips Coach Satisfaction 114

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 15, 2013

Hiring Bounty is the first business I’ve founded and has presented an incredible learning curve and no shortage of small wins to get excited about. Bootstrapping or seed funded? At the time I was BrandsEye first employee and this represented my first exposure to the startup world. What else have you founded?

Startup 71

Startup Incubator Marketing Seed Funding 71

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

He blogs to 10,000 web entrepreneurs at Software by Rob and co-hosts the podcast Startups for the Rest of Us. While I agree that many VCs are crummy seed investors, I think there are some that are excellent seed investors. They are: Fred Wilson: Lead Investors, Dipshit Companies, and Funding Every Entrepreneur.

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Startup Venture Capital Blogging CTO Hire 191

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 23, 2012

This has led to the creation of incubators, accelerators and seed funds. The movie, “The Social Network” might have had more of an impact on creating future entrepreneurs than any other event of the past 5 years. From this we have seen a commensurate boom in the number of startup companies. Thank you, Aaron Sorkin!

Venture Capital 347

Venture Capital Capital Technical Review Startup 347

Frank Addante

JUNE 4, 2006

– Digital Messaging Infrastructure Company (incubated by Addante and Associates, LLC) Age: 25 - 29 (present) Time Period: 2002 - present My Role: Founder High Point: TBD Here is a summary of my experiences to-date with StrongMail: 1. Additionally, entrepreneurs get tired. StrongMail Systems, Inc. Relaxing 2. Incubation 3.

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Startup Venture Capital Email CTO Hire 40

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 5, 2011

Grade A Entrepreneurs , September 5, 2010 Why Krispy Kreme failed in Australia - Start Up Blog , November 3, 2010 Mellow Johnny’s: Retail Stores as Community Hubs - IDDICTIVE.COM , July 14, 2010 Is crowdfunding an option for my business?

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Startup Venture Capital Blogging CTO Coach 378

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 10, 2011

In my ongoing quest to get you good transcripts of the wonderful interviews we’ve done in the past, I present you with one amazing interview here with Tom McInerney – a friend, co-investor, former entrepreneur turned angel investor and “wizard of Oz&# behind the scenes at the uber hot startup Klout.

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Angel Startup Ideas .Net 302

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 18, 2015

In 2012 I penned an article called “ It’s Morning in VC ” that highlighted many of these trends and in 2014 I published a series of data in this VC SlideShare presentation of “ Why VC is Much More Compelling ” now, which updated many of our earlier analysis. Are LPs to blame? None of these. Not so fast.

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Venture Capital Pricing Platform Marketing 150

SoCal CTO

AUGUST 3, 2010

Welcome to the Lost Decade (for Entrepreneurs, IPO’s and VC’s) - Steve Blank , July 15, 2010 If you take funding from a venture capital firm or angel investor and want to build a large, enduring company (rather than sell it to the highest bidder), this isn’t the decade to do it. California Milk Processor Board) – 1993. Make it unique.

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Startup Venture Capital Blogging Software Review 217