Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 12, 2009

They are issues, though, that your VC would certainly find out during due diligence or at a minimum you’d be ethically obliged to tell them. A company has just filed suit against you for product patent infringement (obviously more serious). Large parts of your tech system are going to need to be rearchitected.

Venture Capital 311

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Examples 311

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

Too Techie - Tone down emphasis on the technology underlying your venture; an interested investor will perform tech diligence at the appropriate time. No VC Fit - Match your venture with appropriate funding source. Patents and Trademarks. Distribution and Sales. If a valuation has been established, what is it?

Venture Capital 211

Venture Capital Summary Technical Review Template 211

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 21, 2020

“Attached is a copy of my full business plan for your review.” I don’t have a business plan, but the technology is disruptive.” Investors are buying part of the business, not the product or service. Investors are buying part of the business, not the product or service. Investors invest in the jockey, more than the horse.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Statistics Startup Social Media 124

socalTECH

AUGUST 18, 2017

Last week, Pasadena-based Ocular Data Systems (www.oculardatasystems.com) announced a funding round from the Pasadena Angels, for its camera-based systems used by law enforcement to capture evidence in drunk or drugged driving cases. We talked with CEO Marcus Filipovich to learn more about the company and its product.

Pasadena Angels 100

Pasadena Angels Pasadena Technical Review Southern California 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 5, 2018

“Attached is a copy of my full business plan for your review.” I don’t have a business plan, but the technology is disruptive.” Investors are buying part of the business, not the product or service. Investors are buying part of the business, not the product or service. Investors invest in the jockey, more than the horse.

Funding 62

Funding Technical Review Entrepreneur Startup 62

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 13, 2011

The $30 billion trade surplus in advanced technology products that America enjoyed just one decade ago has now become a $56 billion deficit. In addition, due to Sarbanes-Oxley and other regulations, accounting costs have gone up an estimated four times for all businesses, and 2008-2009 represented the worst IPO market in forty years.

Help 92

Help Technical Review Patents Startup 92

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2017

And of course we help with business development introductions and with fund raising events. The rise of crowd funding saw the first wave of founders gleeful that they could raise capital without having to deal with terrible VCs. Often we are asked to get involved in executive-level recruiting. Those seldom get reported.

Startup 217

Startup Technical Review Equity Report 217

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 26, 2015

As a model, think high-quality marketing collateral, with text and graphics in columns and sidebars, but focused on the value of your business, rather than selling your product. Skip the fuzzy marketing terms, such as "easier to use," "lower cost" and "disruptive technology."

Summary 101

Summary Patents Technical Review Competition 101

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2013

If you don’t have it, you probably won’t succeed, even with funding. Convincingly presents a patent, trademark, or other “secret sauce” that can create equity value, not just current cash flow for the owners. Allows sufficient time to find capital, including due diligence time for investors. Values intellectual property.

Technical Review 109

Technical Review Entrepreneur Course Patents 109

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 23, 2013

There is so much written these days about how to attract investors that most entrepreneurs “assume” they need funding, and don’t even consider a plan for “bootstrapping,” or self-financing their startup. Of course, every company needs these, in due time. Need expensive resources up front. Your company has outgrown you. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 100

Startup Entrepreneur Technical Review Equity 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2012

If you don’t have it, you probably won’t succeed, even with funding. Convincingly presents a patent, trademark, or other “secret sauce” that can create equity value, not just current cash flow for the owners. Allows sufficient time to find capital, including due diligence time for investors. Values intellectual property.

Entrepreneur 117

Entrepreneur Technical Review Course Patents 117

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 13, 2012

There is so much written these days about how to attract investors that most entrepreneurs “assume” they need funding, and don’t even consider a plan for “bootstrapping,” or self-financing their startup. Of course, every company needs these, in due time. Need expensive resources up front. Your company has outgrown you.

Technical Review 95

Technical Review Startup Equity Entrepreneur 95

socalTECH

JULY 31, 2013

In the world of mobile app and Internet startups, it''s not that often that you see companies who touch the hardware side of the world get funding nowadays. The firm recently raised a $15M series C funding, and we caught up with Kevin to learn more about why its customers, and investors, are interested in its technology.

Technical Review 213

Technical Review Software Review Networking Technology 213

socalTECH

MAY 14, 2010

Clearly, 2009 was not a good year, from the perspective of the technology innovation ecosystem. At the same time, the need for the products and services that OCTANe provides are greater in a recessionary economy than in when the economy is booming. For OCTANe to be successful, we want to see our technology ecosystem grow.

OCTANE 174

OCTANE Orange County Technical Review Southern California 174

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 19, 2015

The average length of a funding pitch to Angel investors is ten minutes. Or they get sidetracked by a technical glitch due to poor preparation. Equally bad is a full tutorial on your new disruptive technology. Investors are more interested in your solution and your business, rather than your technology.

Slides 105

Slides Technical Review Startup Research 105

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 30, 2016

It is a truism that with more capital you will hire people more quickly and spend more liberally whether it’s on external contractors, PR firms, attending events, doing legal work (trademarks, patents) or whatever. You will build out features or expend to platforms — often before you have enough market feedback to warrant it.

Startup 292

Startup Software Review Pricing Entrepreneur 292

socalTECH

JUNE 23, 2009

Semiconductor startups seem to be quite rare in today's environment, with few companies being funded or launched, due both to the difficulty of bringing products to market, lack of investment capital, as well as lots of established, large companies in the industry. For starters, let's talk about your technology.

Patents 100

Patents Sample Technical Review Pricing 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 11, 2016

As an active angel investor myself, I understand how the process works, and I see the disappointment in the eyes of entrepreneurs who approach angel groups for funding and often get turned away for not being timely or prepared in the minds of potential investors. Come with a product built and a proven business model.

Angel 65

Angel Startup Technical Review Social Media 65

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 23, 2012

The easy answer of splitting it equally among all co-founders, since there is minimal value at that point, is usually the worst possible answer, and often results in a later startup failure due to an obvious inequity. Building a product doesn’t get it distributed and sold. Expertise can be marketing, technical, financial, or sales.

Startup 101

Startup Entrepreneur Equity CTO Hire 101

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

There is so much written these days about how to attract investors that most entrepreneurs “assume” they need funding, and don’t even consider a plan for “bootstrapping,” or self-financing their startup. Of course, every company needs these, in due time. Need expensive resources up front. Your company has outgrown you.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Technical Review Startup Equity 102

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. Build a prototype product.

Invest 99

Invest Angel Technical Review Summary 99

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 4, 2014

It’s almost been a work week since Techzulu and Gadget Review’s REACH | The Connected Future and we’re still reeling with excitement. Sandra Itkoff – Entrepeneur in Residence, UCLA Institute for Innovation and Technology Transfer. Technology Drives Carbon Reduction. Cleantech, a Misnomer.

UCLA 99

UCLA Technical Review Software Review Incubator 99

socalTECH

AUGUST 18, 2009

In the recent surge in interest in the clean technology and energy investment area, we're constantly surprised by the number of startups in the area focused on some aspect of the industry. Let's start on the technology side--can you tell us about the technology, and its origins? It's very simple, from the technical perspective.

UCLA 159

UCLA Technical Review El Monte Startup 159

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 27, 2010

If you don’t have it, you probably won’t succeed, even with funding. Convincingly presents a patent, trademark, or other “secret sauce” that can create equity value, not just current cash flow for the owners. Allows sufficient time to find capital, including due diligence time for investors. Values intellectual property.

Entrepreneur 96

Entrepreneur Angel Technical Review Course 96

socalTECH

MARCH 16, 2010

Earlier this month, Azusa-based CFX Battery , a stealthy battery technology spinout from Caltech, announced it had raised a new round of funding worth $14.2M. This week, the firm announced that it was renaming itself Contour Energy (www.contourenergy.com)--and said it was ready to talk about what its battery technology is all about.

CalTech 168

CalTech Technical Review Azusa Venture Capital 168

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 16, 2016

The average length of a funding pitch to Angel investors is ten minutes. Or they get sidetracked by a technical glitch due to poor preparation. Equally bad is a full tutorial on your new disruptive technology. Investors are more interested in your solution and your business, rather than your technology.

Startup 64

Startup Slides Technical Review Research 64

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 22, 2012

The average length of a funding pitch to angel investors is ten minutes. Or they get sidetracked by a technical glitch due to poor preparation. Equally bad is an extended pitch on your new disruptive technology. Investors are more interested in your solution and your business, rather than your technology.

Tips 97

Tips Slides Technical Review Startup 97

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2013

I like the work just published by Bob Rice in “ The Alternative Answer ,” which does a great job of summarizing the investment universe, starting with the “conventional” stocks, bonds, and real estate, but moving on through more esoteric alternatives, including hedge funds, private equity, real assets, managed futures, and finally venture funding.

Invest 107

Invest Startup Venture Capital Ideas 107

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 2, 2013

Lack of confidence in your self, your product, and your startup is a surefire recipe for disaster. The hot term these days is “viral marketing”, meaning we won’t do any marketing, but our product is so great that everyone will know about us anyway by word of mouth and through Internet social networks. No need to risk my own funds.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Startup Social Network IBM 111

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2010

The easy answer of splitting it equally among all co-founders, since there is minimal value at that point, is usually the worst possible answer, and often results in a later startup failure due to an obvious inequity. Building a product doesn’t get it distributed and sold. Expertise can be marketing, technical, financial, or sales.

Equity 91

Equity Startup CTO Hire CTO Coach 91

Tech Zulu Event

APRIL 25, 2011

The round was led by Don Walerstein, founding partner of entertainment law firm Rohner & Walerstein, and included Los Angeles investor Bradley Maryman, founder and president of international security and technical consulting firm Maryman & Associates.

Twiistup 45

Twiistup Angel Technical Review Software Review 45

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

In fact, ideas are a commodity and by themselves won’t generate any funding interest, outside the context of a leader who can execute. If your strength is technology, find a co-founder who has a comparable strength in business, finance or marketing. Ship a minimum viable product quickly, test the market and iterate.

Entrepreneur 59

Entrepreneur Startup Technical Review Ideas 59

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2011

The average length of a funding pitch to angel investors is ten minutes. Or they get sidetracked by a technical glitch due to poor preparation. Equally bad is an extended pitch on your new disruptive technology. Investors are more interested in your solution and your business, rather than your technology.

Slides 95

Slides Technical Review Startup Research 95

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

Lack of confidence in your self, your product, and your startup is a surefire recipe for disaster. Another variation on this theme is the person who creates a “solution” from technology, and then makes up a “problem” that it will solve. Your funding request will likely go into the circular file. No need to risk my own funds.

Startup 95

Startup Social Network IBM IBM 95

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2016

In fact, investors recognize that founders usually learn more from mistakes than from success, so a well-explained startup failure can improve their odds of funding the next time around. Every business takes time to scale and penetrate a market due to organizational growth, hiring, training, brand building and customer adoption.

Startup 59

Startup Training Entrepreneur Customer 59

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. I had intended to talk about how bad the process could become, not to name-and-shame anybody (and The Funded was not yet around). I hadn’t thought about the fact that he would become aware of my link.

Venture Capital 274

Venture Capital Blogging Startup Slides 274