Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2021

Aspiring entrepreneurs ask me why their great idea hasn’t sold; they talk about it endlessly, and they expect others to do the development, finance, and marketing work for them. Those at the other extreme don’t look up from the grindstone long enough to notice whether all their work is producing sweat equity or just sweat.

Startup 160

Startup Patents Competition Social Network 160

SoCal CTO

MAY 13, 2014

But, advisors, coaches, and mentors can often fill the bill. For me, if I can help you within a couple hours Free Startup CTO Consulting Sessions , I’m happy to do that and I don’t expect compensation or equity for that. In creating Mentor Night , I’ve been happy to hear how giving most people are.

CTO Coach 241

CTO Coach Startup CTO Hire Template 241

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2023

For example, if you have a proven product, real revenue, a big potential market, and are ready to scale up the business, every investor will be interested. Investors call this the seed stage , where money is required to build a market and a real product. The final product works great, and all the early users love it.”

Funding 125

Funding Startup Ideas Equity 125

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2023

Of course, their answer is that the second intends to get to market faster, but every engine has limits regardless the fuel applied. As a mentor to many entrepreneurs and startups, here are my best recommendations for keeping the burn rate low, planning ahead and maintaining credibility with investors: Manage cash flow personally every day.

Search Engine Optimization 103

Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media Equity 103

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2023

Usually these will not give you money, but will provide inexpensive expert mentoring and office services. Sometimes these will ask for 5%-15% of your equity for their support services. Companies at this stage must have a large market, good traction, and be focused on scaling infrastructure and market adoption.

Startup 122

Startup Funding Organization Incubator 122

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 16, 2022

They couldn’t possibly understand the new social media culture, new technologies, or have the determination to beat their younger counterparts in the market. Pew says the Boomer demographic is the largest mainstream pool of experienced talent in the market today, and will be for the foreseeable future. Member of the Advisory Board.

Technical Review 147

Technical Review Software Review Entrepreneur Report 147

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2021

By way of a definition, a business or startup incubator is a company, university, or other organization which provides resources to nurture young companies, usually for a share of the equity, hoping to capitalize on their success, or at least strengthen the local economy. Expert mentoring and training. Peer support.

Incubator 146

Incubator Technical Review Entrepreneur Mentor 146

socalTECH

APRIL 10, 2018

Most of our mentors are people who have been successful entrepreneurs and investors, who have been there, and understand how to get a company to the next sage. We charge zero, and take no equity, and really there are very small operational costs for us to support startups. We do that by galvanizing the community to help out.

Startup 172

Startup Seed Funding Mentor Ideas 172

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 11, 2023

That’s why all those so-called million dollar ideas I hear about as an investor don’t get me excited, and entrepreneurs find that working twenty hours a day often generates nothing more than sweat, instead of the desired sweat equity. Similarly, it will be very satisfying to see the productivity increases from your leadership and mentoring.

Startup 118

Startup Satisfaction Customer Custom 118

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 12, 2013

In a bid to change that, there are a few groups working on helping women entrepreneurs, investors, and others, including the Pipeline Fellowship (www.pipelinefellowship.com), which recently launched itself into the Los Angeles market. My participation has been on the impact investing and education side, where I''ve been involved as a mentor.

Angel 276

Angel Invest Mentor Technical Review 276

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 23, 2021

Thus, in my role as mentor to young entrepreneurs, I always recommend that you first take a hard look at your own values and priorities, before jumping into any new startup, as the founder, or even as a side hustle. You need complementary skills for marketing, financials, and operations. A business is never a solo operation.

Startup 159

Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur Equity 159

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2020

Usually these will not give you money, but will provide inexpensive expert mentoring and office services. Sometimes these will ask for 5%-15% of your equity for their support services. Companies at this stage must have a large market, good traction, and be focused on scaling infrastructure and market adoption.

Resource 171

Resource Startup Organization Incubator 171

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2020

For example, if you have a proven product, real revenue, a big potential market, and are ready to scale up the business, every investor will be interested. Investors call this the seed stage , where money is required to build a market and a real product. The final product works great, and all the early users love it.”

Startup 148

Startup Ideas Equity Invest 148

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 16, 2020

That’s why all those so-called million dollar ideas I hear about as an investor don’t get me excited, and entrepreneurs find that working twenty hours a day often generates nothing more than sweat, instead of the desired sweat equity. Similarly, it will be very satisfying to see the productivity increases from your leadership and mentoring.

Satisfaction 174

Satisfaction Customer Custom Outsource 174

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2020

Of course, their answer is that the second intends to get to market faster, but every engine has limits regardless the fuel applied. As a mentor to many entrepreneurs and startups, here are my best recommendations for keeping the burn rate low, planning ahead and maintaining credibility with investors: Manage cash flow personally every day.

Search Engine Optimization 124

Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media Equity 124

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2020

As a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I often feel the frustration of someone trying to build a startup in the wrong place and time, and wrongly attributing their struggle to personal limitations. You need partners, mentors, and investors who can complement your own resources to make it a win-win for all involved.

Resource 131

Resource Startup Capital Mentor 131

socalTECH

JANUARY 7, 2019

There was no monetary reward for those who participated (and Startup Boost does not take fees or equity from the companies that we help). We continue to have a steady stream of industry and thought leaders raising their hands to be mentors for our upcoming cohorts. Yet they turned-out each and every week of our six-week programs.

Technical Review 157

Technical Review Software Review Startup Coach 157

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2023

Mentoring and technical assistance from volunteer or paid experts. Direct seed funding, for a share of the equity, and introductions to investors. An incubator won’t help you if the market opportunity is small, the competitors are large, or your solution doesn’t address a real need.

Organization 92

Organization Incubator Startup Resource 92

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2020

An occasional discussion with a mentor won’t do it. Building a business requires funding – for inventory, marketing, and operations. Maybe you are more comfortable going slow, with limited resources, or aiming high and giving up equity. The test – iterate and pivot, based on market feedback.

Entrepreneur 139

Entrepreneur Help Incubator Startup 139

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2019

Today most startup investors still register with the SEC as “ accredited ” investors before they buy any startup equity in the U.S. These requirements for equity investing have been relaxed only a bit, with caveats, with recent crowdfunding changes. Participate as a mentor in local startup incubators.

Invest 89

Invest Entrepreneur Startup Equity 89

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 9, 2019

Crowdfunding, on the other hand, opens the investment door online to almost anyone who is willing to bet on a new product or service with an investment, typically for a chance to be first in line for the offering, and willing to forgo any equity or management position in the company. Crowdfunding is not the best platform here.

Funding 119

Funding Startup Platform Examples 119

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2020

They couldn’t possibly understand the new social media culture, new technologies, or have the determination to beat their younger counterparts in the market. Pew says the Boomer demographic is the largest mainstream pool of experienced talent in the market today, and will be for the foreseeable future. Member of the Advisory Board.

Startup 124

Startup Technical Review Software Review Entrepreneur 124

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

Mentoring and technical assistance from volunteer or paid experts. Direct seed funding, for a share of the equity, and introductions to investors. An incubator won’t help you if the market opportunity is small, the competitors are large, or your solution doesn’t address a real need.

Resource 159

Resource Startup Incubator Seed Funding 159

socalTECH

JUNE 20, 2012

There is a large menu of startup accelerators in the Los Angeles, but one of more established efforts in the area is LaunchpadLA ([link] The effort actually started as an informal mentoring program, but has grown and expanded to follow the accelerator model. We were founded in 2009 by Mark Suster from GRP Partners.

Class 261

Class Mentor Startup Santa Monica 261

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 13, 2012

When companies come into our incubator, we take no equity, we take no stake in the company, it's completely free for the participant. They've provided a completely free facility, furniture, Internet access, mentoring, sponsorship--all of those things are provided for free. That's through the generosity of the Irvine Company.

Incubator 212

Incubator San Diego Technical Review Development Team Review 212

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

Of course, their answer is that the second intends to get to market faster, but every engine has limits regardless the fuel applied. As a mentor to many entrepreneurs and startups, here are my best recommendations for keeping the burn rate low, planning ahead and maintaining credibility with investors: Manage cash flow personally every day.

Startup 89

Startup Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media 89

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2017

Today most startup investors still register with the SEC as “ accredited ” investors before they buy any startup equity in the U.S. Typically these are used only for non-equity rewards or pre-orders, but the JOBS Act does allow equity investments with many restrictions. Participate as a mentor in local startup incubators.

Invest 73

Invest Startup Equity Incubator 73

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

Of course, their answer is that the second intends to get to market faster, but every engine has limits regardless the fuel applied. As a mentor to many entrepreneurs and startups, here are my best recommendations for keeping the burn rate low, planning ahead and maintaining credibility with investors: Manage cash flow personally every day.

Startup 108

Startup Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media 108

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 28, 2018

Usually these will not give you money, but will provide inexpensive expert mentoring and office services. Sometimes these will ask for 5%-15% of your equity for their support services. Companies at this stage must have a large market, good traction, and be focused on scaling infrastructure and market adoption.

Funding 94

Funding Startup Organization Incubator 94

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 20, 2016

Granted, all the experience so far has been without the most anticipated feature of the JOBS Act – Equity Crowdfunding (Title III) , effective a few days ago with 685 pages of rules. At least ten online portals are already gearing up to help regular people buy startup equity, without abiding by accredited investor rules.

Equity 54

Equity Platform Entrepreneur Demand 54

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2016

Direction, mentoring and resources required. Costs, returns in equity and funding access. A few incubators and most accelerators provide some seed funding for startup entrants, ranging from $10,000 to $150,000 and expect a chunk of your equity in return. No surprises in this advice. Your future as an entrepreneur depends on it.

Incubator 58

Incubator Startup Seed Funding Equity 58

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2015

In reality, this option is a nightmare that can bump you out of the driver seat, dilute your equity and create a business entity you can’t control. As an advisor and mentor to startups, I try to make sure entrepreneurs understand both the pros and cons of an IPO as an exit strategy. The public is not an easy master to satisfy.

Entrepreneur 98

Entrepreneur Startup Report Statistics 98

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 7, 2013

If you use the mentor-driven model that we pioneered at TechStars, you get entrepreneurs who are deeply connected with the broader entrepreneurial landscape. For early stage entrepreneurs seeking funding, building their product and formulating their product / market fit, an Accelerator is a great alternative. Many Sizes, Many Fits.

Incubator 238

Incubator Startup News Entrepreneur 238

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2018

For example, if you have a proven product, real revenue, a big potential market, and are ready to scale up the business, every investor will be interested. Investors call this the seed stage , where money is required to build a market and a real product. The final product works great, and all the early users love it.”

Startup 73

Startup Ideas Equity Invest 73

socalTECH

APRIL 13, 2021

Dave Eastman: For one thing, although we're not completely unique in this, is we don't take equity. The final thing, it we have a lot of mentors at the startup garage, who we call innovators-in-residence (IIRs), many of whom are VCs, which is actually how I ended up here, starting out as an innovator-in-residence.

Marina Del Rey 150

Marina Del Rey Startup USC Incubator 150

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 2, 2011

I was thinking back to a few previous “insider baseball&# blog debates that raged for several weeks: AngelGate (aka Bin38 secret cabal), convertible debt vs. equity, bubble vs. not, and now the AngelList discussion. They don’t have market power. They could chat about it with their peers or mentors. Same thing.

Email 287

Email Blogging Venture Capital Writing 287

Berkonomics

JANUARY 16, 2014

community in many ways, including his weekly Internet TV program on entrepreneurism, and participation in several mentoring programs. . Access to new markets. Example: salary, equity, joint venture, etc… Can the business afford it? JJ is a successful entrepreneur and technologist giving back to the entrepreneurial.

Technical Review 204

Technical Review Startup Examples Metrics 204