Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2013

They don’t realize that this option would likely be their worst nightmare, since it costs millions for the road show, usually dilutes your equity to a tiny fraction, and takes away all your entrepreneurial control. Many entrepreneurs still dream of “going public,” making billions of dollars, and playing with the big boys.

Startup 89

Startup Entrepreneur Report Summary 89

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

If you give away your product or service to the first 10 customers, that’s a good learning experience, but it’s not real traction. Investors like to see that you have committed personal funds as well as “sweat equity,” and they like to see real progress at this level. Get a real customer and real revenue. Sell one.

Funding 112

Funding Entrepreneur Startup CTO Hire 112

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2010

Booyah – Develops a location based service platform that pairs the virtual world with mobile gaming. million users making it considerably larger than some of its peers that have historically received more tech press inches. The SimpleGeo API will provide you access to these services. OTHER DEALS: 1. Total Raised: $9.64mm.

Venture Capital 240

Venture Capital Startup Platform Technical Review 240

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

They don’t realize that this option would likely be their worst nightmare, since it costs millions for the road show, usually dilutes your equity to a tiny fraction, and takes away all your entrepreneurial control. Many entrepreneurs still dream of “going public,” making billions of dollars, and playing with the big boys.

Entrepreneur 95

Entrepreneur Startup Report Summary 95

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 21, 2010

I’ve observed the following scenario in both of my companies and in countless others I’ve advised or invested in: - your company becomes moderately high profile in a few press articles. I’ve already made clear that I think raising equity from “strategic money&# is an oxymoron. Strategic equity – Bad idea.

Startup 298

Startup Sales Slides Metrics 298

socalTECH

JUNE 2, 2010

We're an all-inclusive site, for anybody and anyone, as long as you're not breaking the law, as long as you're returning products and services we'll let you do it. If you want to return equity in a company, that's actually illegal, which requires you to register with the SEC, so we're not doing that right now. Anybody, for anything.

Sites 237

Sites Startup Invest SoCalTech 237

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2012

If you give away your product or service to the first 10 customers, that’s a good learning experience, but it’s not real traction. Investors like to see that you have committed personal funds as well as “sweat equity,” and they like to see real progress at this level. Get a real customer and real revenue. Sell one.

Startup 104

Startup CTO Hire Press Customer 104

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2011

They don’t realize that this option would likely be their worst nightmare, since it costs millions for the road show, usually dilutes your equity to a tiny fraction, and takes away all your entrepreneurial control. Many entrepreneurs still dream of “going public,” making billions of dollars, and playing with the big boys.

Startup 94

Startup Entrepreneur Report Summary 94

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

I spoke about how Amazon Web Services deserves far more credit for the last 5 years of innovation than it gets credit for and how I believe they spawned the micro-VC category. I suppose I should have imagined that this line would get more press than all other comments combined. customers who paid for services often get burned.

Pricing 309

Pricing Marketing Startup Venture Capital 309

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 17, 2011

If you give away your product or service to the first 10 customers, that’s a good learning experience, but it’s not real traction. Investors like to see that you have committed personal funds as well as “sweat equity,” and they like to see real progress at this level. Get a real customer and real revenue. Sell one.

Startup 101

Startup CTO Hire Press Customer 101

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 19, 2011

Later they became big business in Financial services lead-gen. o Huge on PR, “Be Everywhere” is his motto – fly to NY, proactively everywhere he could get press. o Huge on PR, “Be Everywhere” is his motto – fly to NY, proactively everywhere he could get press. He wanted to see all the data himself.

Acquisition 304

Acquisition Startup Customer Custom 304

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2010

I was always in a “service&# industry. You call in from your vacation because you’ve had a service outage. When your site crashes and you get slammed by customers and in the press – you’re all in the sh*tter together. The upside for entrepreneurs is the equity in their business.

Venture Capital 312

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Entrepreneur 312

From the Venture Trenches

MARCH 27, 2013

Yet despite his ability to raise over $1 billion of private equity and to build an organization that is worth $5 billion as of this writing, Mason was shown the door. Many service businesses or eTailers can quickly grow to five or ten million in revenues but struggle to expand further. Does your business model scale?

Venture Capital 45

Venture Capital Capital Anthem Startup 45

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2010

If you give away your product or service to the first 10 customers, that’s a good learning experience, but it’s not real traction. Investors like to see that you have committed personal funds as well as “sweat equity,” and they like to see real progress at this level. Get a real customer and real revenue. Sell one.

Tips 88

Tips Startup CTO Hire Press 88

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 23, 2015

He wants a chance at changing life’s circumstances with building equity value that might free him and his family from the rat-race of 529 accounts, property taxes, summer-school tuitions and even spending some cash on aging parents. He still has the dream. He has the hunger. I’m not saying it’s even desirable.

Technical Review 150

Technical Review Startup Venture Capital IP 150

Jason Nazar

MAY 2, 2016

For a corporation and LCC, you must register a service agent. Clarify who gets equity , and how much. Choose a payroll service ( ADP , Trinet , Paychex ). Use a sales management service (one that fits your business size, from smaller to larger companies). Reach out to relevant newspapers and press.

Outsource Development 40

Outsource Development Startup Google Mentor 40

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 1, 2016

You don’t have unlimited equity to dole out. Great leaders cultivate relationships with the press because they understand that journalists don’t want to publish press releases and by knowing you and knowing your company they can actually cover you better when you do have news. You can’t make everybody an SVP.

Startup 150

Startup Coach Course Invest 150

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 29, 2015

Although some of the new workers are likely needed to fulfill the one-hour delivery demands of its new Prime Now service, Amazon obviously anticipates yet another strong holiday performance. The growing equity gives homeowners more economic self-assurance — and more freedom to shop. Focus On The Consumer. Big Picture Trends.

Commerce 40

Commerce Sales Pricing Study 40

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 12, 2010

He is the co-author of several books including The Black Art of Java Game Programming(Waite Group Press, 1996). As an undergradudate, Leila authored background papers for the World Bank's Development Research Group and Ashoka on equity and social rights. He is a frequent public speaker. Dave McClure. .

Twiistup 40

Twiistup Riot Games UCLA Media 40

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 5, 2011

A key deal not only helps you raise venture capital but it can help attract employees, garner press attention, help with product focus & importantly drive customer adoption and/or revenue. They can then direct staff, allocate budgets, talk to the press, connect you with politicians and attend events. Marketing Muscle.

Venture Capital 317

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Press 317

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 15, 2010

The following was available: “I kept hearing about startups that raised VC funding, but which hadn’t filed Form Ds (nor issued a press release). But when the finally convert the debt to equity the round gets filed with the SEC and thus journalists often pick up on it. I’d link to it but it’s behind a paywall. They also avoid Reg D.

Venture Capital 285

Venture Capital Startup Advertising Redpoint 285

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 13, 2011

We are a venture capital growth equity fund in Washington DC with about $500m invested. The networks must be bewildered by the fact that one of their main competitors is a company that started with a mail-based DVD service. It’s also why we got involved in the model of “car rental as a service&# that has become ZipCar.

Venture Capital 277

Venture Capital Examples Startup Invest 277

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 23, 2010

Because you’re a startup he cuts you a deal (these sales guys are so good at this to work for only $120k basic in exchange for some equity [no, I'm not sales person bashing - I think sales reps are the lifeblood of any company - I'm just offering my realistic sense of a sales person's salary negotiation strategy!]. Nothing more.

Startup 293

Startup Sales Marketing Product 293

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2011

That, plus I love the space of high-customer-service, focused eCommerce for moms worried about what their kids eat & wear.&#. He has set up an office, a process & people around him that are helpful to entrepreneurs in need of hands-on skills in a mass service way. I know this guy is a money maker.

Startup 292

Startup Venture Capital Blogging Summary 292