Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2021

Almost every entrepreneur and new business owner I mentor is certain that his/her idea has a very high probability of success, and all find it hard to believe that ninety percent of startups ultimately fail. I realized that he and I see several common patterns that account for a large percentage of new venture failures.

Technical Review 131

Technical Review Case Study Mentor Software Review 131

socalTECH

JUNE 6, 2011

Those programs--epitomized by YCombinator in the Bay Area, and TechStars in Boulder, Colorado--attract newly minted entrepreneurs with a mixture of cash and mentoring, and a program which rapidly takes ideas and turns them into viable, executing businesses. Those mentors are not just Bruce and I, although we are full time on this.

Startup 221

Startup Mentor Southern California Incubator 221

socalTECH

AUGUST 24, 2015

The Dodgers Accelerator is investing $120,000 in funding in each of the startups, which all will be part of a coworking space in LA, and also gain access to the Dodgers organization, mentors, and more. At least three of the companies are originally from Los Angeles, including FieldLevel, Appetize, and Focus in Motion. READ MORE>>.

Class 100

Class Entertainment Mentor Organization 100

socalTECH

AUGUST 5, 2014

What do you get when you combine a technology investment demo day with a Hollywood-style story pitch session? According to Warner Media Camp, all of the startups went through mentoring from Turner/Warner Bros. executives, and received a small investment, as well as introductions to strategic partners.

Media 124

Media Class Hollywood Incubator 124

socalTECH

MAY 19, 2010

Last year I was invited by a mentor to critique his team's PowerPoint presentation. This year I'm mentoring a team all my own and enjoying it very much. There's a large field of 15 finalists and I'm a judge for the 4 software sector finalists, so there's no overlap, no conflict with the team I've mentored. How to be kind?

Competition 153

Competition Mentor Software Review Invest 153

Tech.Co

JANUARY 29, 2018

Add Mentors to Your Roster. Regardless of one’s stage, mentors are a must have for any founder. Through the CTA Mentor program, these individuals can help founders foresee roadblocks and challenges, work through regulations, offer perspectives, help one fine tune pitches and asks, introduce them to the right people, and more.

Startup 87

Startup Mentor Artificial Inteligence Research 87

socalTECH

JANUARY 2, 2019

As we close out our contributions for the end of 2018, we have a contribution from investor and investment banker Peter Cowen of Sutton Capital Partners. One company that we have mentored, invested in and serve on the board of, is in lending and has hit a very exciting tipping point. We expect some big things in 2019.

Capital 113

Capital Southern California Technical Review SaaS 113

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2022

Even after many years mentoring entrepreneurs and advising businesses, I continue to be surprised by the primary focus on products and processes, and the often incidental attention to hiring and nurturing the right people. Bigger organizations should invest in the new “big data” tools.

Tool 121

Tool Statistics Entrepreneur Metrics 121

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 14, 2013

Los Angeles-based cloud-based talent management software solutions firm with over 13 million users, Cornerstone OnDemand has launched Cornerstone Innovation Fund , to invest in disruptive LA-based cloud startups building cutting-edge solutions for organizations. Applications to the fund are now open and available online here. .

Cornerstone OnDemand 88

Cornerstone OnDemand Incubator Santa Monica Funding 88

socalTECH

JANUARY 7, 2019

We continue to have a steady stream of industry and thought leaders raising their hands to be mentors for our upcoming cohorts. Are there any technology innovations, gadgets, devices, software, that you found most interesting in 2018? Yet they turned-out each and every week of our six-week programs.

Technical Review 157

Technical Review Software Review Startup Coach 157

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 11, 2016

We invest time and money into helping them develop their ideas, and help develop those companies and the entrepreneurs as leaders. A Maker space is a place where people can work on projects but not businesses, and the majority of accelerators are focused more on software or software platforms, or a mixture of hardware and software.

Startup 100

Startup Incubator Invest Resource 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2023

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. For example, a software development startup raising $250,000 from angel investors better be able to operate on $25,000 per month.

Search Engine Optimization 103

Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media Equity 103

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 21, 2020

Nobody will be immune because in a bull market executives are paid to “innovate” so they sign software contracts and run projects. It takes time to sell in your software, get it implemented, prove the value, build a business case, gain executive support and then roll it out more broadly. What Do You Need to Prove to Raise an A Round?

Venture Capital 263

Venture Capital Marketing Startup Writing 263

Xconomy

OCTOBER 10, 2017

In mid-October, eleven college students will be flying to California for an opportunity that would be the envy of any Ivy League MBA candidate—they’ll meet the venture capital firm partners who will personally mentor them throughout the school year. Only about one percent of investment professionals at VC firms are black, according to.

Venture Capital 67

Venture Capital Statistics Mentor Invest 67

socalTECH

JULY 13, 2009

Mark has also been quite active mentoring entrepreneurs, We caught up with Mark to hear about what kinds of investments GRP is looking at nowadays, his view on the software-as-a-service market, and how best to approach him with a pitch. We invested in Overture, which was sold for $1.2

GRP Partners 157

GRP Partners Southern California Santa Barbara Rustic Canyon 157

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 17, 2017

He eventually founded and sold consumer health firm ViSalus to a public company and is now back making investments, in technology companies, as a venture capitalist here at Los Angeles-based HashtagOne (www.hashtagone.com). What's the theme of your investments? That's why we have investments in Heal, Saucey, and FragMob.

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Technical Review Software Review 100

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 29, 2011

A clear trend over the past 15-years is that many Silicon Valley venture capitalists enjoy investing within driving distance. I guess no one told him about the medical startups that were purchased by Medtronic, Linvatec, Storz, Mentor, etc., SECTOR: Software, Energy, Bio Or Bust. Do The Math. Nine Positions I Do Not Need.

Venture Capital 233

Venture Capital Capital Funding Technical Review 233

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2010

For example, if your startup is building a high-tech software product, a dream team of advisors would be a former CEO or high-level exec in another software company, a former software marketing executive, and a former financial executive. What better candidates than your Advisory Board?

Invest 50

Invest Technical Review Software Review High Tech 50

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 8, 2014

To build applications we needed databases (Oracle), browsers (Netscape), servers (Sun Microsystems), storage (EMC), security (Semantic), application servers (Apache), caching software, load balancers, hosting facilities, programming languages and methods, CDNs, DSL equipment, Wifi routers and so forth. We have invested $17.3

Startup 390

Startup Venture Capital Capital Funding 390

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 12, 2014

The Walt Disney Company & Techstars have officially announced the Disney Accelerator, a three-month mentorship and seed-stage investment program for 10 lucky companies. Apps & Software Business Entertainment Entrepreneurship Startups Disney Disney Accelerator ESPN and Walt Disney Imagineering Lucasfilm Marvel Michael D.

Entertainment 102

Entertainment Santa Monica Ideas Mentor 102

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2019

Even though investors, like myself, have long made it clear that we invest in people, not ideas, new venture owners insist on talking about their latest “ million dollar idea ,” rather than their “ million dollar team.” In the entrepreneur world, it’s still a popular misconception that the “idea” is everything.

IBM 87

IBM IBM Ideas Technical Review 87

socalTECH

OCTOBER 27, 2011

K5Launch (www.k5launch.com) is modeled after the successful Y-Combinator and TechStars acceleration programs, and invests equity, provides mentors, and runs a three month program to get very early stage startups off the ground. All of our mentors are investors as well. What kinds of things are you doing to work on that issue?

Orange County 192

Orange County Southern California Startup Class 192

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2016

We have have been funding agriculture technologies, water conservation, wireless electricity, aquaponics and so forth in addition to our standard investment themes in software, data, video and retail innovation. We can’t wait to see what the next few years bring.

Company 207

Company Companies CTO Coach Funding 207

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 13, 2011

My initial desire to blog came from something that’s always been my approach to investing – I’m a nerd and I love to play with the technology and part of my approach has really been to understand things both at a user level and at a reasonably deep tentacle level. “My we are not going to invest. Brad on blogging.

Venture Capital 288

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Software Review 288

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2020

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. For example, a software development startup raising $250,000 from angel investors better be able to operate on $25,000 per month.

Search Engine Optimization 124

Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media Equity 124

socalTECH

DECEMBER 26, 2012

As the founder of an accelerator, I'm constantly being approached by ambitious people with big ideas, and generally we invest in 1/100th of what comes to us. This year, we were lucky enough to find 40 great startups to invest in, growing StartEngine immensely. Definitely Software as a Service (SAAS). SAAS is here to stay.

Southern California 168

Southern California High Tech SaaS Social Media 168

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 19, 2011

Get connected to the right mentors and your business may catapult to the next level. I figured if Matt was on the verge of bankruptcy and one mentor changed his trajectory, what if we had a formalized, community-wide program? A friend helped him get out of this situation and changed Matt’s life forever. The answer?

Acquisition 304

Acquisition Startup Customer Custom 304

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 11, 2020

As a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I’m always surprised by the fact that some never seem to be able to that first startup going, while many others never seem to stop, starting their second or third initiative before the first one is fully hatched. I’m now convinced that serious entrepreneurs relish the startup process more than success.

Entrepreneur 131

Entrepreneur Startup Ideas Software Review 131

socalTECH

OCTOBER 24, 2011

To that end, last week, Los Angeles-based MuckerLab (www.muckerlab.com) announced its plans--and a big lineup of local CEO mentors--to start up a new, YCombinator- and TechStars-type program in Los Angeles, headed by former Silicon Valley venture capitalist Erik Rannala , and affiliated with the TechStars Network.

Technical Advisors 176

Technical Advisors Startup Southern California Los Angeles 176

Xconomy

NOVEMBER 13, 2016

View the Slideshow A little more than a year ago, amid a resurgence in San Diego’s software sector, Xconomy identified a baker’s dozen of local tech companies to watch in 2016. million in a Series D round of investment capital, according to founder and chairman Tony Farwell. The results were so encouraging, we’re doing it again.

San Diego 40

San Diego Technical Review Artificial Inteligence Startup 40

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 15, 2019

Even after many years mentoring entrepreneurs and advising businesses, I continue to be surprised by the primary focus on products and processes, and the often incidental attention to hiring and nurturing the right people. Bigger organizations should invest in the new “big data” tools.

Metrics 98

Metrics Tool Statistics Entrepreneur 98

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 8, 2014

” I hear it when I visit LPs (the people who invest in VCs) all across the country, “Yeah, I haven’t been out there for a few years but I keep hearing that something is going on there.” No less than Fred Wilson has credited Carlota’s work with having a major influence on his investment strategy at USV.

Entrepreneur 376

Entrepreneur Snapchat Startup Google 376

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 7, 2012

Alex Benzer: We're building SocialEngine in parallel, and working on a new, software-as-service version. We have some great mentors now. Thanks to TechStars, we've got an awesome mentor who's co-habitating with us now, and we're learning something daily from him. How did you and Charlotte get into software?

Startup 242

Startup CTO Coach Blogging Social Media 242

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 16, 2010

Mike Wolf is a mentor of mine, and a role model for many technology entrepreneurs and investors in the Phoenix, Arizona, area. He is a 26-year software veteran who has survived both startups and big companies. More recently, he has invested in numerous local startups, while mentoring and advising hundreds of young entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneur 84

Entrepreneur Angel Startup Mentor 84

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2015

A few years ago, before the Internet was pervasive, before everyone carried a smartphone and before do-it-yourself software tools were available for free, it was difficult to reach a critical mass of new customers without spending a million dollars on a website, custom software and television advertising.

Startup 108

Startup Search Engine Optimization Social Media Outsource Development 108

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 11, 2011

Enterprise Software sucks, and if you’re an engineer or product designer, we invite you to join this hackathon to reinvent business 2 business software. The goal is to take the complicated out of softwares like CRMs and project management tools and turn them in to simple, beautiful and usable products.

Santa Monica 72

Santa Monica Yammer Geni Southern California 72

Tech Zulu Event

DECEMBER 10, 2013

Prior to joining Science, Monahan was co-founder and CEO AlphaBoost, a Facebook advertising reporting software builder. At the moment, Monahan is a mentor at 500 Startups, where he guides early stage companies in social media marketing.

Social Media 82

Social Media Media Marketing Startup 82