Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2021

In my experience as an angel investor for new startups, I’m always surprised by how many entrepreneurs are looking for funding without outside advisors. Unless you have a co-founder or two with the business skills to complement your technical ones, you need a friendly Advisory Board. Key board members multiply your networking efforts.

Startup 142

Startup Technical Review Equity Entrepreneur 142

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 30, 2012

James (chairman of the Althea Foundation) and appointed Adam Sroka as Senior Vice President of Technology in a move to make business transactions simple and secure. . Jackson , “This financing round, coupled with hiring Adam Sroka as our head of technology, puts CapLinked in a position to further enhance our enterprise product offerings.”.

Technical Review 88

Technical Review Software Review Bertelsmann Technology 88

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. He still has the dream. He has the hunger.

Technical Review 150

Technical Review Startup Venture Capital IP 150

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 1, 2009

Consumer spending is 70% of the economy and will continue to be stretched – We can look all we want at tech innovation, VC funding cycles and hot M&A deals, but ultimately growth and therefore investment must be underpinned by revenue. We spent our future since the equity was artificial. So why the ’09 bounce?

Venture Capital 269

Venture Capital Startup Funding Technical Review 269

TechCrunch LA

JANUARY 29, 2020

Kleiner Perkins , one of the most storied franchises in venture capital, has already invested much of the $600 million it raised last year and is now going back out to the market to raise its 19th fund, according to multiple sources. Kleiner Perkins gets back to early-stage with its $600M 18th fund. We went out to market to LPs.

IBM 164

IBM IBM Venture Capital Invest 164

Tech Zulu Event

JULY 1, 2013

The platform allows investors to do their due diligence on their own time, network with other investors and execute deals with little overhead.” It also has free virtual due diligence sessions, investment dashboards, an advanced data room and virtual boardroom features.

Software Review 69

Software Review Platform Equity Tool 69

socalTECH

APRIL 13, 2021

Dave Eastman: For one thing, although we're not completely unique in this, is we don't take equity. Plus, I'm also direction of the Innovation node here in Los Angeles, as well as the Managing Director fo the Viterbi Venture Fund, which is a fairly small fund, which makes passive investments in teams that are affiliated with USC.

Marina Del Rey 150

Marina Del Rey Startup USC Incubator 150

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 12, 2015

Every investor in your startup, even friends and family, normally expects a share of your company (equity), which means your return for all your effort goes down quickly. After months of preparation, you should expect another six to nine months for reviews and funding cycles. Seek funding from multiple sources concurrently.

Pricing 100

Pricing Equity Technical Review Research 100

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 13, 2012

A tweet by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer on August 9th caused a stir in the tech scenes. A new venture fund had been launched, not because it was her husband’s but it was a totally unique and different fund and a timely move. She tweeted; So proud of my husband @zackbogue for the launch of his new fund, DataCollective ( @dcvc ).

Technical Review 74

Technical Review Entrepreneur Oracle Software Review 74

Tech Zulu Event

APRIL 1, 2014

Visions pan of endless cold emails and long days attending meetups and pitch nights while your operations/tech team grind away. But you can’t secure the funding needed to scale. . Finding a better way for entrepreneurs to raise funds. You’ve built a great business, your customers love you. Introducing SeedInvest.

Invest 100

Invest Startup Technical Review Software Review 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 27, 2016

As an angel investor, I’ve learned to believe in this approach, since I have seen great ideas go astray, due to poor execution and I have seen apparently marginal ideas make millions, managed by a savvy entrepreneur. An entrepreneur needs a depth of business experience on the team, as well as technical expertise.

Ideas 53

Ideas Technical Review Entrepreneur Advertising 53

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

Every new startup I know dreams of being funded by an angel investor. Yet according to the latest data from AngelSoft , only about 3 out of 100 companies who initiate the formal request process actually get funded. are eliminated during due diligence. Remember the old adage that “investors fund people, not ideas.”

Angel 89

Angel Funding Technical Review Startup 89

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2012

Self-funding is the preferred source of cash for your startup – if you can do it. After bootstrapping, friends and family are the most common funding sources for early-stage startups. This source often gets overlooked, but it should be a major focus these days due to government initiatives on alternative energy and technology.

Technical Review 103

Technical Review Equity Incubator Venture Capital 103

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 17, 2020

Let’s take a few minutes to examine the kind of equity financing available to small or early stage businesses. In most cases, these applicants for equity funding must be rooted in technology to apply to this limited discussion. Angel investment groups or funds. Your expectations regarding time to funding and more.

Equity 156

Equity Technical Review Class Organization 156

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2013

If you don’t have it, you probably won’t succeed, even with funding. Networked and connected. Successful entrepreneurs already have a visible network of trusted suppliers, potential customers, partners, and even investors. Allows sufficient time to find capital, including due diligence time for investors.

Technical Review 109

Technical Review Entrepreneur Course Patents 109

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 1, 2010

Self-funding from your savings is the preferred source of cash for your startup – if you have it. After bootstrapping, friends and family are the most common funding sources for early-stage startups. It’s not a quick solution, but the government and other funding agencies do not want ownership or interest payments from your company.

Funding 59

Funding Startup Technical Review Equity 59

socalTECH

AUGUST 12, 2009

One company, Startup Exchange (www.startupexchange.com) is taking an interesting angle on the problem, with a financial fund which allows startup founders to put some of their stock into a pool of other companies--providing them with more opportunities for some liquidity, and a little bit of diversification. What is Startup Exchange?

Venture Capital 165

Venture Capital Startup Idealab Technical Review 165

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2012

If you don’t have it, you probably won’t succeed, even with funding. Networked and connected. Successful entrepreneurs already have a visible network of trusted suppliers, potential customers, partners, and even investors. Allows sufficient time to find capital, including due diligence time for investors.

Entrepreneur 117

Entrepreneur Technical Review Course Patents 117

TechCrunch LA

FEBRUARY 20, 2019

More importantly, start cultivating networks of friends who have a sense of pulse on the frontiers of the economy. From the article: Mithril had its best moment yet last week when a portfolio company, Auris Health, sold to Johnson & Johnson for more than $3 billion — returning at least $500 million to the fund. All appears well.

Venture Capital 202

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Invest 202

socalTECH

MARCH 12, 2013

What is it about the content delivery network market which has enabled Santa Monica-based EdgeCast to go from startup to over $100M in revenues in only a few, short years? We serve up four to five percent of the global Internet on our network. We're privately funded today, with some equity from Menlo Ventures and Steamboat Ventures.

CTO Hire 248

CTO Hire Content Networking Web 248

socalTECH

DECEMBER 12, 2013

Earlier this month, Los Angeles-based web hosting and cloud computing provider DreamHost (www.dreamhost.com) raised a big, $30M funding round for the company--the first in the company''s long history. What''s the story behind the big round, and why now for some funding? The company- now has around $50M in recurring annual revenues.

Software Review 238

Software Review Cloud Computing Technical Review Platform 238

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 16, 2011

Self-funding is the preferred source of cash for your startup – if you can do it. After bootstrapping, friends and family are the most common funding sources for early-stage startups. This source often gets overlooked, but it should be a major focus these days due to government initiatives on alternative energy and technology.

Startup 93

Startup Technical Review Equity Incubator 93

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 13, 2012

Running that effort is Kevin Hell , the founder of DivX, who we caught up with to learn more about EvoNexus and how the group is trying to help grow technology startups in San Dieog. When companies come into our incubator, we take no equity, we take no stake in the company, it's completely free for the participant.

Incubator 212

Incubator San Diego Technical Review Development Team Review 212

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

” And even the venerable Fred Wilson weighed in with how people “ leading vs. following ” in funding rounds play different roles and have different skills. AngelList 101 : As you know, AngelList is a platform where angels can invest in semi-screened tech deals. Angels have additional networks. Kind of obvious.

Venture Capital 356

Venture Capital Invest Course Technical Review 356

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2010

If I’m interested I get to spend more time with them, if I’m not I don’t have to – A few companies per month come in that have fascinating business ideas that warrant my spending more time trying to understand their people, company, technology and market. I get paid to network – I love meeting people.

Venture Capital 312

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Entrepreneur 312

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 20, 2016

Thus the top priority of every entrepreneur who wants funding should be to build and highlight their “dream team” of co-founders, executives and advisers, to attract the biggest and best investors. If your team has a depth of expertise in software, that won’t help you get funding for a new hardware solution.

Startup 60

Startup Entrepreneur Software Review Technical Review 60

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 27, 2010

If you don’t have it, you probably won’t succeed, even with funding. Networked and connected. Successful entrepreneurs already have a visible network of trusted suppliers, potential customers, partners, and even investors. Allows sufficient time to find capital, including due diligence time for investors.

Entrepreneur 96

Entrepreneur Angel Technical Review Course 96

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

Every new startup I know dreams of being funded by an angel investor. Yet according to the latest data from Gust (formerly AngelSoft), only about 3 out of 100 companies who initiate the formal request process actually get funded. are eliminated during due diligence. Line up an experienced team.

Invest 99

Invest Angel Technical Review Summary 99

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 19, 2009

The technology team disagrees on direction and wants resolutions. There’s a guy in Los Angeles that I met at several tech networking events. He was a really nice and personable guy who had deep domain knowledge in an industry that he’d worked in for 10 years that is in need of technological advancement.

Entrepreneur 414

Entrepreneur Technical Review Slides CTO Coach 414

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2010

It’s always fun debating companies with Dana because she’s always so knowledgeable on deals – particularly those in the digital media, ad-tech and eCommerce spaces. Their first fund was a $75 million fund raised in 2006 and they very recently announced a brand new $130 million fund. Greycroft is an early-stage VC.

Venture Capital 240

Venture Capital Startup Platform Technical Review 240

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 26, 2015

Understanding your vulnerability and understanding the power of those with whom you must do business is a very important part of figuring out as a startup how to fit into the broader ecosystem and the art of statecraft is tremendously important in knowing when and how to project power in sales, recruiting, negotiations, fund raising, etc.

Startup 150

Startup Google Software Review Snapchat 150

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. How big of a fund is this? where he is Chairman.

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. How big of a fund is this? where he is Chairman.

Capital 100

Capital Southern California Media Venture Capital 100

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 7, 2013

We also want to create more capital for women entrepreneurs to increase the chances of being funded and connected to a bigger network. The women in the program commit $5,000 and invest as a group of woman in a social venture in exchange for equity. NON: I very much started with people in my network in the beginning.

Mentor 84

Mentor Invest Entrepreneur Startup 84

Tech Zulu Event

MAY 11, 2011

To examine disruptive technology and prognosticate on the effects on society as a whole is fascinating. Our technology corrects the status quo by eliminating the fragmentation and voids that exist in bill payment, allowing you to pay all your bills in one place, only pay your fair share in real-time and save money.”.

Conference 96

Conference Orange County Technical Review Software Review 96

SoCal CTO

MARCH 4, 2010

I’ve worked with 30+ early-stage companies in all sorts of capacities (and spoken to many, many more), so I thought it might be worthwhile trying to classify the various ways that I’ve engaged in different technology roles in startups. It depends on the business, people, technologies, etc. Each situation is just a bit different.

Technical Review 170

Technical Review Technical Advisors CTO Coach Startup 170

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 12, 2013

Manatt Venture Funds, which we dedicate a specific portion of our funds to targeted digital media investments, is also part of the Manatt Digital Media network. I think from the perspective of real credibility, what we need is venture capital in the private equity marketplace. HG: I would say nationally.

Los Angeles 84

Los Angeles Media Invest Startup 84