Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2010

Things that make it investment-grade for outside investors will also benefit you, since you are the ultimate investor. Terms like “every customer needs this” and “next generation platform” are far too soft, and should be avoided. Investors invest in people - not just ideas. There are two problems with this assertion.

Invest 74

Invest Tips Competition Metrics 74

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2010

Clearstone currently invests out of a $200 million fund based in LA with offices in Menlo Park and in India. Some summary notes are below. Segment One: Jim’s background and Clearstone’s investment strategy. They were started in affiliation with IdeaLab and were the first-round lead in PayPal. LivingSocial.

Clearstone 236

Clearstone Venture Capital ReachLocal Google 236

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 15, 2010

You can watch this week’s TWiVC episode by clicking on the link and my summary notes are below. {if I won’t belabor this – I have an investment in this space ( ad.ly ) so I’m biased. I talked about the platform moves of Twitter and why it should be expected. It’s core platform stuff.

Venture Capital 271

Venture Capital Capital Google Platform 271

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 7, 2013

Anyone who reads this blog frequently will know that I am a big believer in low-cost video content and specifically the power of YouTube as a content creation & distribution platform. If you want to understand my thesis behind Maker you can read this article that outlines the trend , but in summary: People watch 5.3 Full stop.

Media 320

Media CTO Coach CTO Hire Los Angeles 320

socalTECH

DECEMBER 30, 2015

Our first investment in the new fund was a $12 million investment in Beverly Hills based MediaPlatform. Frost & Sullivan just named MediaPlatform the product leader in enterprise video platforms. In summary, it really has been an amazing year and we look forward to supporting additional compelling software companies in 2016.

Capital 100

Capital Beverly Hills Artificial Inteligence Equity 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 10, 2014

Well-known crowd-funding platforms on the Internet, led by Kickstarter and Indiegogo , have worked for years to provide non-equity “funding” for many startups, as outlined in my previous article Don’t Be Fooled By All The Hype For Crowd Funding. Multiple micro-investments are not manageable. Intellectual property is jeopardized.

Funding 101

Funding Equity Entrepreneur Invest 101

socalTECH

DECEMBER 10, 2009

One of the industries which has seen a lot of activity lately in Southern California is clean technology, with a large amount of investment activity and new company formation. It's a concept similar to investing in property--you want to be able to make the most money when you buy the place, not when you sell it. Coming into the U.S.,

Southern California 193

Southern California Startup eHarmony Sites 193

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 30, 2016

You will build out features or expend to platforms — often before you have enough market feedback to warrant it. There is a general guideline of how much investors want to own in order to invest in your company and the norm is 15–30% with the most common range 20–25% per early stage round. Most firms are somewhere in the middle.

Startup 292

Startup Software Review Pricing Entrepreneur 292

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 23, 2013

We used to call it a “burning platform” as in when your platform is burning you’re forced to take action. Often the business case is made in an ROI format – a high-level spreadsheet that outlines the return on investment. People only act when the have quantifiable pain in which not acting is worse.

Sales 328

Sales Customer Custom Examples 328

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 23, 2014

Here is a summary of recommendations from both of us, based on my own business mentoring insights: Re-launch using your enhanced core competency. Move to a higher platform. A few are able to move to higher platform, like moving from a sole practitioner physician to create and run a much larger medical organization.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Technical Review Mentor Summary 105

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 17, 2013

Well-known crowd-funding platforms on the Internet, led by Kickstarter and Indiegogo , have worked for years to provide non-equity “funding” for many startups, as outlined in my previous article Will the Real Crowd Funding Model Please Stand Up? Multiple micro-investments are not manageable. Intellectual property is jeopardized.

Funding 106

Funding Equity Entrepreneur Sample 106

InfoChachkie

JUNE 9, 2011

Value Prop Twitter Style : “Ranker is a social site/platform for ranking anything, powered by semantic technology that aggregates opinions into ‘wisdom of crowds’ rankings”. What follows is a summary which paraphrases Clark’s responses. If someone is investing in me and my idea, I simply don’t want to let them down.

Google 264

Google Organic Search Sites Startup 264

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 18, 2013

Summary Version. I called this trend “ Torso TV ” because the “head” of consumption (largest number of views) was dominated by platforms that had massive distribution (think TV stations, radio or retail outlets that sell CDs and DVDs. I first wanted to invest in this trend by backing a company called Filmaka.

Startup 380

Startup Media Content Platform 380

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2018

I just finished a new book, “ Shortcut Your Startup ,” by the entrepreneur brothers Courtney and Carter Reum, and I like their summary of five critical changes in the market that every entrepreneur should capitalize on: Pervasive computer usage is now the great equalizer. Brands are speaking through rather than to consumers.

Marketing 57

Marketing Startup Entrepreneur Social Media 57

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 3, 2009

I believe that Twiistup is now a platform from which to grow and highlight what is uniquely LA. For highlighting what is uniquely LA, for adhering to a strict quality standard for speakers and for building this great platform for the future Francisco Dao (aka “ The Man ”) should feel proud of what he has accomplished.

Twiistup 228

Twiistup SoCal Southern California Yammer 228

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 24, 2015

I see too many investor pitches, and even executive summaries that ramble on for many pages without a clear message. Investors invest in people as much as the idea. All of this is possible on every entrepreneur’s budget, since the major blogging platforms, including Tumblr, WordPress and Blogger (Google) are free.

Blogging 110

Blogging Startup Search Engine Optimization Social Media 110

socalTECH

DECEMBER 1, 2008

In what looks to be a challenging funding climate for entrepreneurs, we thought it would be interesting to talk to one fund which is still making investments--Saban Ventures (www.saban.com)--a new, digital media focused venture capital fund located in Los Angeles. We're looking to build out our investment portfolio.

Southern California 100

Southern California Media Venture Capital Invest 100

socalTECH

DECEMBER 1, 2008

In what looks to be a challenging funding climate for entrepreneurs, we thought it would be interesting to talk to one fund which is still making investments--Saban Ventures (www.saban.com)--a new, digital media focused venture capital fund located in Los Angeles. We're looking to build out our investment portfolio.

Capital 100

Capital Southern California Media Venture Capital 100

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2012

Things that make it investment-grade for outside investors will also benefit you, since you are the ultimate investor. Terms like “every customer needs this” and “next generation platform” are far too soft, and should be avoided. Investors invest in people - not just ideas. There are two problems with this assertion.

Competition 113

Competition Metrics Startup Invest 113

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2016

In fact, the focus on social networking platforms, starting with Facebook, has destroyed the meaning of the word friend and even changed it from a noun to a verb. Here is my summary of how business relationships relate to friends. It’s now common to have hundreds or thousands of friends online -- but no relationships.

Entrepreneur 66

Entrepreneur Social Network Technical Review Social Media 66

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 1, 2010

I had long ago ceded the knowledge and responsibility for making the detailed technical recommendations about platforms, databases, hosting solutions, etc. But I knew that to be a good decision maker I needed first hand knowledge rather than just a summary from my CTO. Attention to detail matters. A quick example.

Startup 308

Startup CTO Coach Technical Review CTO Hire 308

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 16, 2015

If you go this route, be careful to make the stakes clear: i.e., that they could lose their whole investment. Angels (invest their own money) and super angels. If you’re raising funds from angels you’ll likely need to get investments from several different players. These usually come into play at the seed stage.

Startup 40

Startup Venture Capital Equity Funding 40

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 1, 2017

As an experienced business advisor, here is my current summary, with some of the pros and cons or special considerations for each: Product is free, revenue is from advertisers. Advantages for your business include a stable revenue stream, customer retention, and increasing customer investment over time.

Pricing 66

Pricing Customer Custom Advertising 66

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2011

Things that make it investment-grade for outside investors will also benefit you, since you are the ultimate investor. Terms like “every customer needs this” and “next generation platform” are far too soft, and should be avoided. Investors invest in people - not just ideas. There are two problems with this assertion.

Competition 116

Competition Metrics Startup Sales 116

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 28, 2018

This has obviously occurred in battles with tech platforms like Yelp vs. Google or Zynga vs. Facebook). When we look at investing in companies we often look at their communities and the social engagement as an indicator of whether there is organic demand for the product (vs. Summary It’s hard to build a successful product company?—?even

Product 296

Product Course Customer Custom 296

socalTECH

JUNE 21, 2013

I think there is something very encouraging and sustaining about getting income from an investment, and participating in a loan, and where you''re paid immediately, rather than waiting for three to five years for a startup to hopefully exit, get to an IPO, or go raise more capital. We also liked the idea that people would get repaid.

Startup 247

Startup Software Review Entrepreneur Equity 247

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 13, 2011

I wrote the summary notes in this blog post. I talked about this in the TWiVC video but I didn’t do a good enough job of writing it up in the summary notes in the post. Powerpoint can be especially useful for platform businesses or B2B. That notes only told part of the story. Mobile app? Bijan is right. It’s subtle.

Venture Capital 299

Venture Capital Slides Technical Advisors Startup 299

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 10, 2012

Whether it be taking in information, learning, executing, or increasing our output, or investing it into relationships and health, this is the goal for the time we gained. This is when Cunningham approached the team about creating a platform where viewers could move quickly and seamlessly to action based on their new knowledge.

Startup 76

Startup Social Media Content Web 2.0 76

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 17, 2010

It’s not uncommon for incredibly smart and talented Phd’s or CS majors from Stanford to raise $10 million on an early-stage “platform&# that if it succeeds it will be huge. LA generally doesn’t have an appetite for this kind of investment at early stages. Summary – there is a lot of talent here.

Company 290

Company Companies Technology Startup 290

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2020

they could invest in entrepreneurial communities and the best founders would then bring in new founders. a platform to allow local communities police and manage themselves through in-person events and meetups. Ryan Smith, the founder of Qualtrics, also invested and has joined the board of directors. Derek founded Bevy ?—?a

Software 234

Software Startup Tool Platform 234

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 29, 2012

And no wonder, lately he and his partners are on a tear, investing out of their $200+ million VC fund. They recently exited their investment in Gaikai for $380 million while their rival OnLive (who had raised > $200 million) just went through bankruptcy. I’ve laid out my policy on seed investing pretty clearly and publicly.

Rustic Canyon 279

Rustic Canyon Venture Capital Southern California Userplane 279

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2012

Executive Summary. Partners make investment decisions. If you want to watch the video version summary of my advice on fund raising it’s here. ” In VC terms that means the key questions you need to answer are, is this investor: Geographically focused and have they invested in my geography before? Tell a friend!

Develop 366

Develop Development Funding Venture Capital 366

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2011

When I described to people why I initially invested my calls went something like this, “He’s taken kicks to the face for nearly 2 years and is still standing. It is a communication platform. That said, a summary below is available for those who prefer to read the notes version. I know this guy is a money maker.

Startup 292

Startup Venture Capital Blogging Summary 292

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 13, 2011

This version has some additional details on a portfolio company I’ve invested in, which are disclosed below. The golden rules to live by are: Platforms are channels not businesses. If you put all of your eggs into one platform shame on you, not them. An edited version of this post originally ran on TechCrunch.

Google 325

Google Press Marketing Content 325

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 15, 2016

The challenge is where to put those limited resources of every startup, to get the biggest return for your investment. The first challenge is to resist falling prey to the latest “shiny new thing” online – new platforms, channels, and tools. Put your brains before your budget, keep it simple, and find ideas everywhere.

Marketing 58

Marketing Startup Social Media Newsletter 58

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 12, 2016

Why Invest? And while my relationship with Chuck was critical to my investment, so too was the leadership of Trevor Templar , the Chief Revenue Officer. In all my time investing I have never seen such a senior revenue officer join a company at this stage. Why Invest?

Software 105

Software Mobile Artificial Inteligence Oracle 105

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 6, 2015

You see – running a SaaS platform for customers like you is the ONLY thing our team does. There are probably 30 or so funds in the US that have similar backgrounds so while we feel great about our track record, our team and our performance but it’s hardly enough to say why you MUST invest in Upfront.

Sales 150

Sales SaaS Startup Venture Capital 150