Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2020

Many of the entrepreneurs I advise or invest with spend considerable time on the Internet, keeping up with technology, customers, and competitors, but very few feel the need for an early personal presence. In fact, some totally avoid it, assuming their product or solution will speak for itself later.

Product 127

Product Entrepreneur Technical Advisors Technical Review 127

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 29, 2014

This week I wrote about obsessive and competitive founders and how this forms the basis of what I look for when I invest. I had been thinking a lot about this recently because I’m often asked the question of “what I look for in an entrepreneur when I want to invest?” I had invested in myself for years.

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Startup Invest Venture Capital Writing 409

TechCrunch LA

SEPTEMBER 13, 2021

Existing investors DST Global, 01 Advisors, Dragoneer Investment Group, Franklin Templeton and Mubadala Investment Company too doubled down on their investments in SpotOn, joining new backers Wellington Management and Coatue Management. We are deeply invested in growing the business together. Image Credits: SpotOn.

Technical Review 296

Technical Review Software Review Invest Acquisition 296

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

On the one hand, you’re over paying for every investment and valuations aren’t rational. We back very early stage companies and work alongside executive teams as their build their teams, launch their products, announce their companies and raise their first downstream capital rounds. That used to be called A-round investing.

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 20, 2014

My point was that Amazon continues to dominate the web services business because AWS continues to cut prices & margin in the same way a hypermarket does to control market share. MiTú will use its $10 million to build out new production facilities in LA and Mexico. I wasn’t. I was trying to be more analytical than critical.

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Invest Content Media Networking 291

socalTECH

OCTOBER 9, 2019

There's a new opportunity in clean technology investments, according to venture capitalist Aaron Fyke , the head of a new, Pasadena-based venture capital investment fund, Thin Line Capital (www.thinlinecapital.com). Aaron Fyke: I believe we're in a second wave of clean tech investing. Talk about the new firm and the new fund?

Invest 113

Invest Capital Venture Capital Idealab 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 22, 2021

Financial details of the investment were not announced, however, Diversis said it provided a "significant growth investment" to SalesRabbit. SalesRabbit offers up both native mobile and web-based software aimed at field sales organizations. The company is based in Utah.

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Acquisition Capital Sales Equity 100

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

I was chairman of a company that had been offered an investment by a Fortune 500 company offering to make a strategic investment in our business, which would be capable of driving new demand to the large company through a series of new web services creating a greater need for the large company’s products.

Outsource Development 120

Outsource Development Invest Conference Training 120

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

And we all know that Ron Conway is considered the savviest of angel investors and yet by definition not all of his investments succeed. I like to invest where I have a personally strong connection with the entrepreneur and/or a strong intuition on the market from prior experience. Who ultimately invested in FourSquare?

Invest 288

Invest Angel Web 2.0 SEO 288

socalTECH

AUGUST 15, 2014

Keith Bonnici: We have created a platform that lets standard web publishers tap into the growing pool of money being spent by app developers to market their products. Right now, half of Facebook''s revenues comes from app developers getting users to install their products. We''ve built a product to solve both problems.

Mobile 124

Mobile Web Artificial Inteligence Technical Review 124

socalTECH

MARCH 4, 2009

Los Angeles-based Steamboat Ventures has set its sights on the celebrity web space, and is the lead investor in a new round of funding for Fanzter , which operates the celebrity products site Coolspotters.com. Coolspotters is a web site which highlights which products celebrities are buying and wearing.

Sites 133

Sites Steamboat Ventures Invest Venture Capital 133

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 21, 2010

One of the investment themes I’ve been focused on in the past 3 years has been Performance-Based Marketing. When I started investing the US advertising market was $300 billion with only 10% of it ($30 billion) of it being online and measurable. The configuration of the team was: 1 CEO, 1 Product Lead and a tech team of 6 people.

Advertising 284

Advertising Invest RSS CPC 284

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2019

The founder explains that the product is so “buzz-worthy” that usage will spread rapidly through word-of-mouth only, meaning people loving it and recommending it to their friends. It usually implies an opportunity to win big, like a lottery, or experience something sensational, like an incredible video or free product.

Marketing 107

Marketing Invest SEM Startup 107

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2010

They have marked-up paper gains propped up by an over excited venture capital market that has validated their investments. Logic tells me the following: It is hard to make money angel investing. Too many angel deals just means more to watch and invest in for the ones that do succeed (if the VCs can get in at reasonable prices).

Invest 299

Invest Angel Technical Review Venture Capital 299

Tech Zulu Event

DECEMBER 21, 2015

One of the best ways for increase in business development is to create a more responsive web design. This can help people to spend more time on your website, especially if they can have more fun and a more pleasant experience with your product through your website. Here are some of the most important features to consider.

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Web Design Web Design Develop 40

Berkonomics

APRIL 1, 2021

We are not always smart about the market or the product. Well, the good news is that great teams are not bound by their original product or marketing plan. My favorite example of a world class pivot comes from the CEO and board of one of my most successful investments. Early market experience can cause a need to pivot.

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Resource Research Class News 156

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2022

A major chunk of this activity is provided by the newer class of “super angels,” who often look more like micro-VCs, except that they are investing their own money. Individual angel investors and crowdfunding have been adding to the momentum, some say exceeding VCs in total amount invested.

Guide 136

Guide Venture Capital Funding Class 136

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2010

I’m very pleased today to announce that I invested, on behalf of GRP Partners, in Burstly alongside Rincon Venture Partners , an early stage VC in Southern California whith whom we love to work (and were our co-investors on RingRevenue ). Naturally I’m excited about this investment or I wouldn’t have done it.

Mobile 282

Mobile Invest Company Companies 282

SoCal CTO

MARCH 9, 2007

skip to main | skip to sidebar SoCal CTO Friday, March 9, 2007 Map of VC Investments Found this Map of 2006 VC Investments post. ► January (5) Los Angeles Web Developer Startup CTO or Developer When to Use Facebook Connect – Twitter Oauth – Goo. in Computer Science.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Invest CTO Coach Southern California 150

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 20, 2014

Los Angeles-based FastPay , which offers up financial products specifically aimed at advertising driven businesses, said this morning that it has raised $15M in a funding round. The company''s financial products are useful to many media businesses who typically see long delays between ad impressions and actual payments from advertisers.

Advertising 157

Advertising Web Los Angeles Mobile 157

Berkonomics

JANUARY 18, 2018

[Email readers, continue here…] I was chairman of a company that had been offered an investment by a Fortune 500 company offering to make a strategic investment in our business, which would be capable of driving new demand to the large company through a series of new web services creating a greater need for the large company’s products.

Outsource Development 243

Outsource Development Invest Conference Training 243

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 10, 2018

Los Angeles-based private equity investor Shamrock Capital reports this morning that it has led a $30M investment in Pixellot , an Israeli firm developing automatic, artificial intelligence-driven software for producing streaming sports video. The funding was led by Shamrock, and also included other, existing, un-named investors.

Artificial Inteligence 100

Artificial Inteligence Capital Funding Organization 100

socalTECH

DECEMBER 20, 2017

San Diego-based Zesty.io , a startup developing web content management systems, said on Wednesday that it has raised $1.5M According to Zesty.io, the new funding comes on top of an existing investment, bring its total raised to $2.8M. said the new funding will go towards sales and marketing, plus its product development roadmap.

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Funding San Diego Equity Content 113

Tech.Co

DECEMBER 29, 2023

Bobbie One startup that's proved to have the formula for success this year is Bobbie – the first infant formula to be certified as organic by the USDA, and the fastest-growing product of its kind to enter the US market since the 1980s. Organic milk formula product Bobbie. million site visits in October alone.

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Startup Generative AI Newsletter Tool 210

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2017

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. These resources often include a cash investment, as well as office space, and consulting.

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Develop Development Product Startup 70

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2023

Before you finalize the product is the best time to talk about it and see if you can get some buzz started. Demonstrate a minimum viable product (MVP). The time to build investor relationships is before you need the investment. Optimize your web history and presence. Meet investors before asking for money.

Marketing 105

Marketing Startup Search Engine Optimization Ideas 105

socalTECH

MARCH 21, 2014

Newport Beach-based Miven Venture Partners , the private investment arm of Linksys founder Victor Tsao, has scored an exit in one of its portfolio companies, A10 Networks , after that company''s successful IPO this morning. Miven had invested in A10 Networks way back in 2006, as part of a Series B funding round for the company.

Networking 159

Networking Belkin SoCalTech Web 159

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 25, 2023

Every startup dreams of achieving that milestone, when they can focus more on scaling the business and enjoying their earnings, rather than fighting for another investment infusion. Re-investing profits to grow the business is organic growth. Most are still confused about the right priority. High customer loyalty and high team passion.

Organization 94

Organization Invest Customer Custom 94

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

In today’s world, if you don’t have a web site up and running, you will not be perceived as a real company. Investors routinely go to candidate web sites to get a feel for the tone and scope of the company, as well as its maturity and offerings. Build a prototype product. Prepare an investment-grade business plan.

Invest 99

Invest Angel Technical Review Summary 99

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 21, 2020

Every startup dreams of achieving that milestone, when they can focus more on scaling the business and enjoying their earnings, rather than fighting for another investment infusion. Re-investing profits to grow the business is organic growth. Most are still confused about the right priority. High customer loyalty and high team passion.

Organization 173

Organization Invest Customer Custom 173

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 21, 2022

Yet I still recommend apps as a good starting target for aspiring technical entrepreneurs, since they don’t require a large initial investment, and you can learn an incredible amount about the realities of business, without risking a lifetime of effort and several investor fortunes. This freemium model has been used for years by web apps.

Develop 138

Develop Development Platform Mobile 138

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2023

The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. Low cost and low margin products can be winners, if the volume is high enough.

Startup 111

Startup Training Services Writing 111

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 23, 2020

Before you finalize the product is the best time to talk about it and see if you can get some buzz started. Demonstrate a minimum viable product (MVP). The time to build investor relationships is before you need the investment. Optimize your web history and presence. Meet investors before asking for money.

Search Engine Optimization 174

Search Engine Optimization Ideas Startup Customer 174

socalTECH

DECEMBER 30, 2020

    We became the largest accelerator in Southern California with 80 investments in over 30 countries globally. We now invest in more companies, include better trainers and involve 3 times more investors in the demo days. it's hard to describe just how good our investment, growth, operations and outreach team is.

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Southern California Technical Review Santa Monica Invest 113

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2021

Today you can start a new web site business for as little as $100, produce cheap smart phone apps, or lead the effort to tap the multitude of opportunities brought by capitalizing on our concern for dwindling natural resources. Upgrade, reuse, or recycle every product. Optimize existing product efficiency, safety, and reliability.

Startup 162

Startup Resource Entrepreneur Social Media 162

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 26, 2012

Once you have a potential investor excited about your team, your product, and your company, the investor will inevitably ask “What is your company’s valuation?” This time I’ll use a hypothetical health-care web site company named NewCo as an example to illustrate the points. 500K might be a low estimate.

Startup 108

Startup Invest Patents Outsource Development 108

socalTECH

APRIL 7, 2016

Los Angeles-based web content management software developer CrownPeak has raised $50M in a funding round, and merged with UK-based ActiveStandards , according to the two companies. The investment round came from K1. The company said it will use the funding to re-launch the company and for future product enhancements.

Company 100

Company Companies Los Angeles Software Development 100