Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

Thus, I’m more impressed with entrepreneurs who ask me to review their implementation plan, rather than listen again to their idea. Present at trade shows and network with your ten-slide pitch to build your following. Make the product or service come alive. Even a non-profit needs income to operate.

Ideas 94

Ideas Slides Technical Review Patents 94

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. For the rest of you entrepreneurs, consider the value of a business plan when it is not required.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Technical Review Writing Slides 100

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 29, 2009

I recently got a phone call from an entrepreneur whom I respect and who runs a company that I hope will do great things one day. Entrepreneurs get so used to friends and family congratulating them on their press coverage that they forget sometimes that this isn’t real. Many entrepreneurs have a PR page in the PowerPoint deck.

Venture Capital 291

Venture Capital Press News Startup 291

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2015

As a mentor to startups and new entrepreneurs, I continue to hear the refrain that business plans are no longer required for a new startup, since investors never read them anyway. For aspiring entrepreneurs, or if your last startup failed, it’s all about standing out above the crowd of others like you, and demonstrating your readiness.

Startup 104

Startup Writing Entrepreneur Slides 104

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2010

For extroverted people I recommend that entrepreneurs have an “executive summary&# slide up front that cuts to the chase. Don’t dwell on this slide for ever. If I have an hour with you I want to maximise the time we have a discussion so I want to get through the slides quickly. Most entrepreneurs are.

Slides 358

Slides Venture Capital Startup Summary 358

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 25, 2012

This probably seems obvious to military types, but I see entrepreneurs violating this rule all the time. Lead with your two-page executive summary, be prepared to give a ten-slide investor presentation. Don’t insist on a product demo – he is buying the business, not the product. Fully prepare for the assault.

Entrepreneur 94

Entrepreneur Slides Outsource Summary 94

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 20, 2018

As a mentor to startups and new entrepreneurs, I continue to hear the refrain that business plans are no longer required for a new startup, since investors never read them anyway. For aspiring entrepreneurs, or if your last startup failed, it’s all about standing out above the crowd of others like you, and demonstrating your readiness.

Startup 65

Startup Entrepreneur Slides Content 65

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2019

Even if it’s only a few PowerPoint slides or typed paragraphs, writing something down is the first step toward making it real. Before you know it, you will have a ten-slide pitch that you can use to gauge interest from potential customers, as well as friends, family, and early investors.

Ideas 99

Ideas Slides Writing Startup 99

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2009

There was no viral social networking products back then like Twitter where people could easily discover your content. We started building the product 18 months ago so we are in better shape than 99% of start-ups. I hadn’t thought about the fact that he would become aware of my link. 1:20 and they turned up like clockwork.

Venture Capital 274

Venture Capital Blogging Startup Slides 274

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2020

As an aspiring entrepreneur, one of the most important things you need is a memorable “ elevator pitch ,” to communicate your startup value proposition and leave a great first impression on friends, investors, employees, and future customers. What they want to hear is quantified value to them.

Sample 127

Sample Summary Startup Slides 127

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2010

This probably seems obvious to military types, but I see entrepreneurs violating this rule all the time. Lead with your two-page executive summary, be prepared to give a ten-slide investor presentation. Don’t insist on a product demo – he is buying the business, not the product. Fully prepare for the assault.

Entrepreneur 86

Entrepreneur Slides Outsource Summary 86

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 18, 2010

It’s as good as it gets in personal productivity / life reflection. I know that would be surprising to many readers since keeping a blog somehow convinces people that I’m a time management or productivity ninja. That’s why productivity wasn’t tough for me as a CEO. I’m not. I couldn’t.

Slides 374

Slides Email Entrepreneur Startup 374

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2019

This probably seems obvious to military types, but I see entrepreneurs violating this rule all the time. Lead with your two-page executive summary, be prepared to give a ten-slide investor presentation. Don’t insist on a product demo – he is buying the business, not the product. Fully prepare for the assault.

Slides 85

Slides Outsource Summary Conference 85

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 22, 2012

If you have ten minutes, that means no more than ten slides. I’ve seen several presentations that never moved past the first slide before running out of time. Some entrepreneurs seem to think that their product pitch is also their investor pitch. Then match your pace to cover all the material.

Tips 97

Tips Slides Technical Review Startup 97

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 25, 2014

This probably seems obvious to military types, but I see entrepreneurs violating this rule all the time. Lead with your two-page executive summary, be prepared to give a ten-slide investor presentation. Don’t insist on a product demo – he is buying the business, not the product. Fully prepare for the assault.

Startup 107

Startup Venture Capital Slides Outsource 107

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

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 8, 2017

This probably seems obvious to military types, but I see entrepreneurs violating this rule all the time. Lead with your two-page executive summary, be prepared to give a ten-slide investor presentation. Don’t insist on a product demo – he is buying the business, not the product. Fully prepare for the assault.

Funding 60

Funding Slides Outsource Summary 60

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2016

Entrepreneurs who are looking to attract investors need to develop and pitch a plan -- preferably written -- that answers every potential investor question about your startup before it is asked. Since investors are buying a part of your company (not your product), this is the most important question, and is one often not answered.

Invest 108

Invest Startup Slides Equity 108

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 10, 2011

As a member of the local Angel group selection committee, I’ve seen a lot of startup presentations to investors, and I’ve never seen one that was too short - maybe short on content, but not short on pages! A perfect round number is ten slides, with the right content, that can be covered in ten minutes. Opportunity sizing.

Slides 93

Slides Competition Sample Sales 93

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 24, 2012

But many entrepreneurs don’t realize that Angels are also extremely discerning in the projects that they will invest in, rejecting approximately 97% of the proposals submitted to them, according to the California Investment Network. Build a prototype product. Start early on this one, or you will lose the opportunity.

Angel 104

Angel Screening Summary Startup 104

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2011

This probably seems obvious to military types, but I see entrepreneurs violating this rule all the time. Lead with your two-page executive summary, be prepared to give a ten-slide investor presentation. Don’t insist on a product demo – he is buying the business, not the product. Fully prepare for the assault.

Slides 95

Slides Outsource Summary Conference 95

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

Build a prototype product. 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. This must be someone who is willing to pay real money for your product or service.

Invest 99

Invest Angel Technical Review Summary 99

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

Build a prototype product. 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. This must be someone who is willing to pay real money for your product or service.

Angel 89

Angel Funding Technical Review Startup 89

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 3, 2010

I know because many entrepreneurs I spend time with I can tell are in their own brains when we’re meeting rather than trying to understand what my position is. You’re in sales mode. But DO NOT crocodile into your solution page. They are seldom productive. Many of you are “tellers,&# too.

Sales 314

Sales Startup Venture Capital Customer 314

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 8, 2010

I started with the hosted version and then migrated to an installed version so I could use Google Analytics and some other products. I was an entrepreneur. My first series was the slides that go into a PowerPoint presentation. Since there are 10-12 slides this gave me my first few weeks. I love their product.

Blogging 286

Blogging Startup Writing Summary 286

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. You need both to survive.

Product 169

Product Summary Startup Examples 169

Tech Zulu Event

MAY 9, 2014

After the event, we caught up, Parker Thompson , Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) charged with leading Batch 8. To learn more about all the companies, be sure to visit 500 Startups’ official demo day page. Harnessing more energy from our grid by emphasizing efficiency, not increased factory and power production.

Startup 111

Startup Mobile Commerce Education 111

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2019

In my work with new and aspiring entrepreneurs, I find that most struggle with putting together a written business plan, often pointing out that someone they know started a business without anything written down. You really need at least a prototype product or customer to make the video come alive. Make it light, but factual.

Ideas 126

Ideas Slides Sample Examples 126

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 28, 2012

From LA Demo Day to Silicon Beach Fest to Crowdstart LA to hackathons to Startup Weekends, companies and entrepreneurs alike have joined forces to feed the startup ecosystem. THIRD TIME’S A CHARM: On Sunday we presented to a panel of judges consisting of entrepreneurs and a VC investor. Again, the answer I got was, “I’m on it.”

Startup 100

Startup Ideas San Diego Mentor 100

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 31, 2010

The bring your product to life. Establish the persona of the person who would be using your products. Tell us what their life is like without your product – how they struggle. Tell us about the breakthrough they’ll have when they’re using your product. They had slides with moving images and music.

Startup 362

Startup Twiistup Slides Screening 362

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 15, 2010

It’s always fun chatting with Jason because he’s knowledgeable about the market, quick on topics and pushes me to talk more about VC / entrepreneur issues. We’re staring to get the hang of how to divide the show up into talking about deals but also talking about issues for entrepreneurs during funding.

Venture Capital 285

Venture Capital Startup Advertising Redpoint 285

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 5, 2010

Brands didn’t advertise their web pages they advertised “AOL Keywords.&# You couldn’t pick up a magazine in the 96-99 timeframe without seeing AOL Keywords advertised everywhere. By the mid-nineties we had the World Wide Web, which gave us a standard way to publish web pages using HTML. Enter Facebook.

Social Network 318

Social Network Networking Web 2.0 Startup 318