Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 24, 2020

As a frequent advisor to new entrepreneurs and startups, I often hear your frustration with being treated differently from other startups by investors, on expectations for valuation , traction, and market size. On the other hand, if the market is super-hot, many will be willing to jump in to make your case.

Marketing 174

Marketing Startup Artificial Inteligence Technical Review 174

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 26, 2016

There has been a lot of public debate over the past several weeks about whether it’s a good thing to be “gross margin positive” or not and commentary always reminds me that some people at startups don’t quite understand financial metrics or even how to think about which ones are healthy.

Metrics 150

Metrics Startup SaaS Course 150

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2021

While you all recognize that reacting to weak market signals is critical to staying in business and staying competitive, I find that many don’t have the skills and focus to trigger change decisions on a timely basis. New technologies drive the need for support and attachments, which could be your opportunity or loss.

Marketing 162

Marketing Social Media Metrics Customer 162

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 21, 2014

Since 2009 we’ve been in an unequivocal bull market. I do believe that we are in structural change where technology will increasingly play a bigger role in all facets of life so the long run up for tech is promising through all of these cycles. Growth markets have a way of fooling us all.

Marketing 354

Marketing Case Study Metrics Sales 354

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 19, 2021

Earlier this month, Los Angeles became the latest city to task its various departments with prepping a feasibility study for deploying new software and monitoring technologies to better account for its carbon footprint.

Los Angeles 192

Los Angeles Marketing Study Angel 192

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 17, 2013

What I’m talking about here is a level of discipline and skill necessary to collect and analyze the relevant business data, known as metrics. As the end of the year approaches, it’s a good time for every startup to assess the metrics, technology, and platforms they’re using to manage the business. Cost of customer acquisition.

Metrics 100

Metrics Technical Review Sales Customer 100

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

Last week, job search service Indeed launched a new service in Los Angeles, called Indeed Prime , hoping to jump into the market for finding talent here to address that issue. because it's been such a hot job market. In fact, it's one of the top five tech hubs, according to technology workers looking for job opportunities.

Los Angeles 100

Los Angeles Marketing Angel Technology 100

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2018

Even with instant two-way communication via the Internet and mobile phones, your greatest new solution or service won’t found or properly recognized without marketing. I find that digital marketing is the most visible and effective place to start. Put your customer at the top, rather than technology. every month.

Marketing 96

Marketing Metrics Social Media Content 96

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 11, 2022

How might our next phase of the journey seem brighter, even with more uncertain days for startups and capital markets? And then in the late 90’s money crept in, swept in to town by public markets, instant wealth and an absurd sky-rocketing of valuations based on no reasonable metrics. What happened?

Venture Capital 466

Venture Capital Startup Marketing Pricing 466

socalTECH

MARCH 16, 2009

Los Angeles-based Image Metrics , a developer of facial animation technology, disclosed this morning that it has created a new "rigging" service for the video game and film markets. According to the firm, the new service will allow video game makers to use its technology and team to create "highly emotive" facial animation.

Metrics 100

Metrics Services Customer Custom 100

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 27, 2019

Every new business dreams of growing from a startup to a global market leader in a few years, like Amazon.com, but that goal is elusive. My simple answer is that they keep their focus on customers, rather than technology. Incorporate AI-powered data and metrics systems. Jeff Bezos has kept his focus on customers.

Marketing 123

Marketing Technical Review Customer Custom 123

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

The world around us is being disrupted by the acceleration of technology into more industries and more consumer applications. Technology solutions are now used by authoritarians to monitor and control populations, to stymie an individual company’s economic prospects or to foment chaos through demagoguery. Hot, Flat & Crowded.”

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2019

According to what I see, as outlined by Surdak, this data surge is being driven by the following six technological and social trends: Mobility: smartphones, tablets, and the “Internet of things.” Data enable: use metrics and measurements. Look beyond today’s requirements for entire new market opportunities.

Technology 97

Technology Social Media Startup Entertainment 97

socalTECH

JANUARY 5, 2009

Los Angeles-based Image Metrics (www.image-metrics.com) recently landed a $6.5M, Series B funding round for the firm's facial animation products. Tell us about your facial animation technology and how it's used? I was introduced to Image Metrics a year before I joined, and was helping them along. I fell in love with it.

Metrics 100

Metrics Startup Sales Newsletter 100

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 21, 2023

Here are some basic principles from my own experience that will improve your odds and keep you on the right track: Recognize that you are not the market. Marketing is everything these days. On the average, it takes as long to build marketing momentum as it does to build the solution. Start selling it before you build it.

Customer 109

Customer Custom Satisfaction Sales 109

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2022

If you aren’t yet adapting to the market and your customers, you are falling behind. In other words, change in your business has to become the accepted norm, just like it is in your market. Be proactive rather than reactive to market change. Adopt some key metrics to measure your change agility.

Competition 148

Competition Metrics Demand Customer 148

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2014

It may not be as sexy, but starting a new business that builds on an existing technology or business model is usually less risky than introducing that ultimate new disruptive technology. There is always time later for your next startup, using that disruptive technology of your dreams.

Technology 103

Technology Entrepreneur Study Research 103

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 30, 2023

It may not be as sexy, but starting a new business which builds on an existing technology or business model is usually less risky than introducing that ultimate new disruptive technology. There is always time later for your next startup, using that disruptive technology of your dreams.

Social Media 92

Social Media Study Research Satisfaction 92

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 18, 2022

Unlike other alternative protein companies that are developing new technology, the company is tapping into existing technology used to make foods like pasta and cereal to make whole cuts of its product that is then formed into nuggets for now, and in the future, tenders and cutlets.

Software Review 187

Software Review Metrics Startup Technical Review 187

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2022

The challenge is that the future is much harder to quantify than existing competitor markets. Don’t let all the data you now have on the past keep you from listening for changes in the market. Sometimes you have to be willing to jeopardize current revenue streams to penetrate new markets or technologies.

Startup 154

Startup Artificial Inteligence Metrics Netflix 154

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2022

As a long-time mentor to entrepreneurs, here is my collection of smart risks that investors and I look for in new startups: Focus on a tough customer problem rather than a fun technology. Investors hate technology solutions looking for a problem, due to the high risk of no customers. Customers like leaders, not followers.

Resource 121

Resource Metrics Entrepreneur Customer 121

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2022

They don’t realize that these are still rare, require a large risk, and may not be the best way to keep up with change in the market. As an alternative, I usually recommend more incremental innovation , derived from recognized market changes, done on a regular basis, without the big-bang expectation.

Technical Review 101

Technical Review Metrics Resource Software Review 101

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2020

It may not be as sexy, but starting a new business which builds on an existing technology or business model is usually less risky than introducing that ultimate new disruptive technology. There is always time later for your next startup, using that disruptive technology of your dreams.

Startup 157

Startup Social Media Study Research 157

TechCrunch LA

DECEMBER 5, 2018

The former President of ExactTarget and later chief executive of Salesforce Marketing Cloud has made billions of dollars building products to help support customer service and now he’s back at it again with his latest venture MetaCX. “It is API embeddable and we have a full user experience layer.”

Chief Technology Officer 145

Chief Technology Officer SaaS Metrics Customer 145

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 6, 2021

Words alone, like “improved efficiency”, “paradigm shift,” and “breakthrough technology” won’t convince people to follow you. For example, early adopters may be easily sold, but new technology product success really hinges on adoption by certain demographics, perhaps more influenced by celebrities or mommy bloggers.

Startup 155

Startup Resource Metrics Technical Review 155

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 27, 2021

Most of the entrepreneurs I meet as an investor and advisor have no shortage of right-brain thinking, showing vision and creativity, but often don’t realize that their potential is being limited by a balancing focus on results, metrics, and customer specifics. Every balanced leader does marketing early.

Technical Review 133

Technical Review Satisfaction Metrics Startup 133

socalTECH

MAY 10, 2013

We caught up with CEO Walter Delph to hear how the promise of social media advertising has measured up to reality, and what that means for brands and marketers today trying to leverage the new reality of social conversations. Walter Delph: Marketers are still figuring this out. It''s so business marketers can justify their spending.

Social Media 237

Social Media Advertising Media Metrics 237

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 22, 2021

Here are some basic principles from my own experience that will improve your odds and keep you on the right track: Recognize that you are not the market. Marketing is everything these days. On the average, it takes as long to build marketing momentum as it does to build the solution. Start selling it before you build it.

Sales 165

Sales Customer Custom Social Media 165

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2016

It may not be as sexy, but starting a new business which builds on an existing technology or business model is usually less risky than introducing that ultimate new disruptive technology. There is always time later for your next startup, using that disruptive technology of your dreams.

Technology 57

Technology Startup Study Research 57

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 26, 2023

Most business metrics I see compare current performance to your own previous experience, rather than your performance compared to industry standards and competitors. Never assume that your “first to market” lead will hold. Technology advancements and user interests evolve over time to change the market.

Metrics 71

Metrics Training Netflix Resource 71

Tech.Co

NOVEMBER 28, 2022

TikTok is struggling to make a dent in the world of US and European ecommerce , and has now enlisted the help of a number of startups to try and reverse that trend and bring the Live Shopping craze sweeping Asia to other markets. By some metrics, certainly not. Should Tech Giants Stop Trying to Make Social Commerce Happen?

Social Media 151

Social Media Startup Commerce News 151

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 15, 2022

Most social media outlets don’t require a subscription charge, but they certainly always require an investment, sometimes large, in people, in technology, your reputation, and your time. For some customers and many investors, a heavy focus on social networks and viral marketing may be a negative, rather than a positive.

Social Media 126

Social Media Media Startup Platform 126

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 16, 2022

Companies follow each other rather than the market. Businesses firmly ensconced down an existing path find it hard to leave their comfort zone or jeopardize current revenue streams, and tend to prioritize the value of incremental change, even in the face of new markets, technology, or economic conditions. Change is hard.

Startup 120

Startup Statistics IBM IBM 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2017

Exactly what is that customer experience that every modern marketer is talking about, and how do you measure it? Show how production workflow software expands customer reach, streamlines processes and reduce costs, rather than merely introducing the latest technology. Now all we hear about is providing the best “customer experience.”

Customer 85

Customer Custom Product Marketing 85

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2020

As a long-time mentor to entrepreneurs, here is my collection of smart risks that investors and I look for in new startups: Focus on a tough customer problem rather than a fun technology. Investors hate technology solutions looking for a problem, due to the high risk of no customers. Customers like leaders, not followers.

Entrepreneur 129

Entrepreneur Resource Metrics Customer 129

Tech Zulu Event

JULY 31, 2014

The event attracted over 500 distinguished attendees from around the world in the digital media and technology industry including advertising, media, data, eCommerce, software, social and gaming. The startups have so much potential and we’re really eager to see how they will continue to push the culture of global technology forward.

Media 84

Media Technology Truecar Southern California 84

SoCal CTO

MARCH 13, 2007

skip to main | skip to sidebar SoCal CTO Tuesday, March 13, 2007 8 Ways the Internet has Changed Software Marketing Great post - 8 Ways The Internet Changed Software Marketing - is an interesting take on how different it is these days to market software. Technology Jobs in Southern California – a Rebound.

CTO Coach 150

CTO Coach Southern California CTO Hire Software 150