Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2020

You have to get past how great the product is to address clearly what your business rationale is, why it is different from the competition's, and why it will succeed. A winning product or service. Provide a simple yet complete description of your product or service and its competitive marketplace. Be concise as well as complete.

Technical Advisors 162

Technical Advisors Tips Startup Equity 162

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 1, 2007

Most often I'm being brought in the early stage, Start-up or Expansion (as the company looks at new product lines). Basically, the role is to support both the business strategy and technical strategy. Roger Smith ) This helps explain where I normally play. During Stabilization, often the focus is transitioning to a full-time CTO.

Startup 231

Startup CTO Hire Technical Advisors Technical Review 231

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2015

In my years of advising startups and occasional investing, I’ve seen many great ideas start and fail, but the right team always seems to make good things happen, even without the ultimate idea. You need to have a technical genius on the team to get your startup product off the ground. The sales professional. The financial suit.

Technical Advisors 105

Technical Advisors Outsource Development Startup High Tech 105

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 18, 2018

In my years of advising startups and occasional investing, I’ve seen many great ideas start and fail, but the right team always seems to make good things happen, even without the ultimate idea. You need to have a technical genius on the team to get your startup product off the ground. The sales professional. The financial suit.

Technical Advisors 57

Technical Advisors Startup Outsource Development High Tech 57

socalTECH

OCTOBER 24, 2011

Accelerator programs--like YCombinator in Silicon Valley, and TechStars in Colorado--have come to the forefront of the minds of entrepreneurs as a way to boost their ideas quickly into the market, find funding, and into existence. We're providing seed funding, office space, and put them through a three month, structured program.

Technical Advisors 176

Technical Advisors Startup Southern California Los Angeles 176

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 17, 2018

Most of the entrepreneurs I advise today are ready to declare success when they get that first surge of traction with a real customer. You need to find investors for funding, vendors for volume manufacturing, processes for repeatable execution, as well as marketing and distribution to attract customers far beyond your pilot rollout.

Technical Advisors 83

Technical Advisors Tool Software Product 83

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

If you are one of the thousands of entrepreneurs who need equity funding to get your startup going (no loans to repay), you are probably overwhelmed at the prospect of finding, contacting and pitching to the huge number of qualified angels and investment groups around the country. Prepare a slide deck to highlight product and business.

Platform 94

Platform Equity Invest Technical Advisors 94

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

by Michael Woolf that is worth any startup founder reading to get a sense of perspective on the reality warp that is startup world during a frothy market such as 1997-1999, 2005-2007 or 2012-2014. We’re going to start aggressively spend money on marketing our product. We want a strong balance sheet (um, ok.

Startup 383

Startup Company Companies .Net 383

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2018

The list would include Howard Schultz, a marketer working for a Seattle coffee bean roaster when a trip to Milan convinced him to jump ship to create upscale espresso cafes that he found all over Italy; and maybe Steve Jobs, who started on the night shift at Atari. Can leverage a retirement fund or accumulated savings.

Startup 52

Startup Technical Advisors Entrepreneur IBM 52

Tech Zulu Event

JULY 28, 2012

From visualization to conception, and actually taking the product to market, a company usually takes about 1-2 years to create. Although, many people believed in my idea, I found it difficult to create a full team that can execute an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) by Sunday. We had exactly 54 hours! Pitch and form teams!

Startup 99

Startup Technical Advisors Ideas USC 99

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2011

Here are a few examples from my personal experience: You need to translate/localize your products. I was once asked by a top executive of a major software company why we were not selling more products in Finland. He could not be persuaded to commit the funds required for localization. Watch your product naming.

Startup 90

Startup Technical Advisors Sales Examples 90

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 13, 2011

I would argue that this mostly consists of consumer Internet companies (although not exclusively) and it is predominantly early-stage people who are product gurus and have a mildly technical bend to them. I’m a product geek more than a spreadsheet ninja. The product feedback will be invaluable. Bijan is right.

Venture Capital 299

Venture Capital Slides Technical Advisors Startup 299

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 23, 2015

I wrote this conundrum and the need to take charge of how the market define your skills in my much-read blog post on “ personal branding.” ” If you don’t create the message about yourself, the market will. And if you want to be a CEO one day you need the messaging to reflect that.

Technical Review 150

Technical Review Startup Venture Capital IP 150

Tech.Co

MAY 22, 2018

Truth be told, your only path to some serious funding is perseverance and diligence in getting meetings and being prepared. One of the biggest turn offs for investors are founders who don’t know the basics of their business, especially their market and customer. It’s validating that there is a market for their idea.

Tips 70

Tips Help Slides Technical Review 70

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 4, 2009

If you’re thinking about joining as the director of marketing, product management manager, senior architect, international business development lead, etc. I advised against the SF role because it was a bigger company and his role would be pushing paper from one side of his desk to the other. Let’s face it.

Startup 418

Startup Technical Advisors Venture Capital Santa Monica 418

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 17, 2009

Moonlight Responsibly - If you are still employed please be very careful not to use your company’s resources to produce your product and please do not work on your next idea during business hours. Research your market. DO NOT start with product, start with the market. Build prototypes and/or product.

Startup 365

Startup Technical Advisors IP Ideas 365

Frank Addante

JUNE 4, 2006

Under Process, Over Deliver So, you need to develop a product? ▼ 2006 (20) ► December (2) Just Say What it Is 12 Proven Guidelines for Rapid Product Development. Web Development & Marketing Technology) Exit: evolved into L90 (next company) Lesson: What you dont know cant stop you. Go-to-Market 5. Startup 3.0:

Startup 40

Startup Venture Capital Email CTO Hire 40

Frank Addante

MAY 15, 2006

Under Process, Over Deliver So, you need to develop a product? ▼ 2006 (20) ► December (2) Just Say What it Is 12 Proven Guidelines for Rapid Product Development. Web Development & Marketing Technology) Exit: evolved into L90 (next company) Lesson: What you dont know cant stop you. What is the Rubicon Project?

Advertising 40

Advertising Startup Chief Technology Officer Technical Review 40

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 5, 2010

The CEO weighs in with his perspectives, the head of product management disputes his conclusions and the marketing VP has a different take. The sales rep that brings back news from the front line that is shared with the office adds to our collective knowledge about customer needs, product design flaws or partnership opportunities.

Technical Advisors 335

Technical Advisors Outsource Development Offshore Startup 335