Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 21, 2019

I cannot tell you how many times I have seen executive summaries of business plans in which the entrepreneur seeks $5,000,000 to build the business. Four reasons you should reconsider.

Startup 120

Startup Invest Summary Resource 120

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 12, 2015

I get questions from startup founders about executive summaries all the time. I answered some of those questions in a previous post, Crafting Your Executive Summary , so I won’t rehash them here. Here’s what not to do when crafting your executive summary. They range from “what should I include?” to “how long should it be?”

Summary 40

Summary Outsource Development Writing Outsource 40

Berkonomics

JANUARY 14, 2021

If you seek funds from an organized investment group such as an angel fund, venture capital entity, or even an investment club, the first thing you want to do is to find one person to buy into your vision, become excited by your enthusiasm and be willing to become the internal champion for your fund-raising effort.

Technical Review 156

Technical Review Tech Coast Angels Summary Email 156

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

I cannot tell you how many times I have seen executive summaries of business plans in which the entrepreneur seeks $5,000,000 to build the business. First, few startups can use that much money today with all of the virtual services available and increasingly inexpensive methods of development, prototyping and marketing.

Resource 180

Resource Invest Summary Startup 180

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2019

Investing in entrepreneurs and startups is a fun but different world from investing in conventional stocks, bonds, and commodities. First of all, it’s more of an investment in people than in a business, since the startup is usually an idea barely half-baked when they need your money. Start in a business domain you know well.

Invest 89

Invest Entrepreneur Startup Equity 89

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. Register Internet and social media startup names.

Platform 94

Platform Equity Invest Technical Advisors 94

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

Executive Summary. I believe the rise in angel investing is here to stay and the professionalization of this class (aka “super angels&# or “micro VC&# ) is a good thing for the VC industry and for entrepreneurs. Here’s Lewis on gambling vs. investing: “The line between gambling and investing is artificial and thin ….

Invest 306

Invest Angel Venture Capital Slides 306

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 16, 2010

The first three skills I espoused were: access to the highest-quality deal-flow, domain knowledge of the topic area in which you’re investing and access to VCs to help fund the next stages of development. Markets like these are very kind to angel investors because you get taken out early and see a nice pop on your investment.

Invest 283

Invest Angel Startup Venture Capital 283

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2017

Investing in entrepreneurs and startups is a fun but different world from investing in conventional stocks, bonds, and commodities. First of all, it’s more of an investment in people than in a business, since the startup is usually an idea barely half-baked when they need your money. Start in a business domain you know well.

Invest 73

Invest Startup Equity Incubator 73

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 27, 2020

My experience personally reviewing over three hundred executive summaries each year, all sent to me unsolicited, seems to bear out the truth in Tyson’s statement. Mike Tyson: brilliant business savant. Everybody’s got a plan – until they are punched in the face,” famously stated boxer Mike Tyson.

Summary 156

Summary Metrics Class Email 156

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2020

To be clear, I define a product specification as the technical definition of your product, to be used for development and testing purposes, with a quick business summary for context. Professional investors and even customers invest in people, rather than just a product. Summarize all of the above in an executive summary.

Product 169

Product Summary Startup Examples 169

Berkonomics

JUNE 19, 2014

If you seek funds from an organized investment group such as an angel fund, venture capital entity, or even an investment club, the first thing you want to do is to find one person to buy into your vision, become excited by your enthusiasm and be willing to become the internal champion for your fund-raising effort.

Technical Review 207

Technical Review Tech Coast Angels Summary Email 207

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 6, 2023

If there are conflicts within the team, or differing views of the strategy, or evidence of missing processes and tools, the investment process will likely be terminated. Make yourself available to answer any questions, show your enthusiasm, and explain both the positives and negatives of the external investment process.

Technical Review 118

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Invest 118

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 1, 2013

Investing in entrepreneurs and startups is a fun but different world from investing in conventional stocks, bonds, and commodities. First of all, it’s more of an investment in people than in a business, since the startup is usually an idea barely half-baked when they need your money. Start in a business domain you know well.

Startup 87

Startup Invest Incubator Ideas 87

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

A conundrum for many frustrated entrepreneurs is that they need money from investors to design and build a prototype product, yet most angel investors expect to see at least a prototype before they invest. Build an investor presentation and summary. Prepare an investment-grade business plan.

Invest 99

Invest Angel Technical Review Summary 99

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 6, 2022

Investing in entrepreneurs and startups is a fun but different world from investing in conventional stocks, bonds, and commodities. First of all, it’s more of an investment in people than in a business, since the startup is usually an idea barely half-baked when they need your money. Start in a business domain you know well.

Startup 120

Startup Invest Equity Incubator 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2023

I saw a good summary of the most effective ways to source prospective investors in a classic book, “ The Art of Startup Fundraising ,” by Alejandro Cremades, who has been there and done that, both as an entrepreneur and an investor. Industry leaders are a prime source of leads to companies and individuals that may invest.

Statistics 98

Statistics Entrepreneur Funding Social Media 98

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

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2018

Some firms are trickier since they artificially call everybody “partner” but they’re not all “investment partners.” Find a portfolio company or two that they’ve invested in. How does the partnership typically make its final investment decisions? It’s pretty easy since nearly every VC lists its partners on the website.

Venture Capital 314

Venture Capital Technical Review Invest Slides 314

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2022

As a summary, crowdfunding today can mean any one of the following five quite different models: Rewards model. Equity investing is very risky, but huge returns are possible if you pick the next Facebook, but failure means your entire investment is lost. In the U.S.,

Funding 141

Funding Startup Outsource Development Satisfaction 141

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2023

Serious investors, on the other hand, look for a professional business plan or summary first, and hardly ever look at the product plan. It does need to include a high-level summary of the components in the product plan, with key additional sections as follows: Definition of customer problem, followed by your solution. Marty Zwilling

Product 112

Product Summary Activity Customer 112

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

I was impressed with his summary of the top ten outsourcing mistakes made by entrepreneurs, followed by real guidance on how they can and should be avoided. You will need to invest more in training your own team, and increase your capital budget for new hardware and software. Don’t get caught off guard.

Outsource Development 138

Outsource Development Outsource Training Summary 138

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 22, 2020

I saw a good summary of the most effective ways to source prospective investors in a classic book, “ The Art of Startup Fundraising ,” by Alejandro Cremades, who has been there and done that, both as an entrepreneur and an investor. Industry leaders are a prime source of leads to companies and individuals that may invest.

Funding 173

Funding Tips Startup Statistics 173

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 20, 2014

My experience personally reviewing over three hundred executive summaries each year, all sent to me unsolicited, seems to bear out the truth in Tyson’s statement. “Everybody’s got a plan – until they are punched in the face,” stated boxer Mike Tyson. Anyone can build a good – or great – plan.

Startup 245

Startup Summary Metrics Class 245

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 17, 2010

Summary: Amazon.com's own entry into the online movie contest business, Amazon Studios said it will award $2.7 Summary: Openfilm has its own warchest of film financing dollars as part of its online movie competition site, saying in April that it would invest $1M into independent filmmakers who are selected through the online community.

Sites 217

Sites Hollywood Summary USC 217

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 1, 2016

Scott Kupor of A16Z responded with a comprehensive overview of valuation methodology in a post that while accurate feels more targeted at sophisticated Limited Partners (LPs) who invest in funds. billion (and their stake worth $237 million not $3 billion) — the reported value at which they invested in the last round. We can’t know.

Venture Capital 264

Venture Capital Invest Funding Competition 264

TechEmpower

AUGUST 21, 2023

We provide you with a report, written for a business audience, that includes: Executive Summary: We grade your architecture, source code, process, and teams, and provide a brief rationale for each grade. Detailed Findings: For each of the areas in the executive summary, we provide the details.

Technical Review 260

Technical Review Development Team Review Software Review TechEmpower 260

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2021

If there are conflicts within the team, or differing views of the strategy, or evidence of missing processes and tools, the investment process will likely be terminated. Make yourself available to answer any questions, show your enthusiasm, and explain both the positives and negatives of the external investment process.

Technical Review 151

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Invest 151

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2023

Here is a summary of their key observations, with our joint specifics on what to expect, and how to overcome these obstacles: Customers don’t buy what they don’t know and understand. In these cases, you need testimonials, usage details, and return-on-investment examples. In today’s information overload, marketing is everything.

Case Study 89

Case Study Custom Customer Study 89

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 6, 2019

If you want the whole deck you can find it on SlideShare but I’ve written up a short summary with commentary below. this seems like amongst the most valuable investment available because it’s not necessarily fully priced like a public-market investment. More on that later. Still reading?

Venture Capital 292

Venture Capital Capital Startup Funding 292

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 14, 2019

My answer always varies as I examine each deal, sometimes deferring and passing on an investment because of an uneasy feeling about the entrepreneur, even if the business plan seems able to capture the market. I would not, nor would most all of those I co-invest with. A more complex answer.

Venture Capital 120

Venture Capital Ideas Entrepreneur Summary 120

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 14, 2019

My answer always varies as I examine each deal, sometimes deferring and passing on an investment because of an uneasy feeling about the entrepreneur, even if the business plan seems able to capture the market. I would not, nor would most all of those I co-invest with. A more complex answer.

Venture Capital 120

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Ideas Summary 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 18, 2021

This is the last step of the process, where surprises in the evaluation of the management team, documentation, and personnel problems can derail the investment. If there are financial anomalies, or someone on the team doesn’t know the current strategy, or is unhappy with you or the company, the investment will be jeopardized.

Technical Review 152

Technical Review Satisfaction Startup Summary 152

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 20, 2020

Indeed, while the rules and technologies for lead generation have changed, Forrester and other experts still see it as the most effective way for businesses with limited budgets to maximize their return on marketing investment (ROMI). One of these experts, David T. Cold calling.

Customer 146

Customer Custom Marketing Startup 146

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2020

Customers still buy from people, and investors invest in you and your team, more than the solution. You shouldn’t expect to get an investment commitment in the elevator, or close a customer deal in the first minute. For investors, an executive summary of your plan is appropriate. Highlight the solution more than the team.

Sample 127

Sample Summary Startup Slides 127

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 15, 2020

Here is a summary of their key observations, with our joint specifics on what to expect, and how to overcome these obstacles: Customers don’t buy what they don’t know and understand. In these cases, you need testimonials, usage details, and return-on-investment examples. In today’s information overload, marketing is everything.

Case Study 174

Case Study Startup Custom Customer 174

SoCal Tech Calendar

JUNE 5, 2019

The panels of seasoned and newer investors will focus on Early-Stage Venture Investing: How to meet investors, pitch them, and what it really takes to get them to write you a check! As an additional benefit, entrepreneur 1/4 page summaries will be given to the investor speakers and attendees.

San Diego 100

San Diego Venture Capital Angel Summary 100