Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 17, 2012

We’ve grown accustomed to a professionalism where we know when a work issue comes up we can count on each other for a quick Sunday call between family time. And that person has almost certainly chosen specifically to be a startup lawyer over serving other types of customers because he or she enjoys working with entrepreneurs.

Startup 363

Startup Venture Capital Coach Press 363

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 7, 2019

In fact, according to the latest Index of Startup Activity by the Kauffman Foundation and recent press reports , these Baby Boomers are actually driving a new entrepreneurship boom. With longer life expectancies and greater health in later life, older generations are moving to start new firms -- and mentor young entrepreneurs.

Startup 119

Startup Technical Review Technical Support Entrepreneur 119

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 10, 2014

In a VC business when you raise additional capital you need to “level up” and act the round you are. I’d say 20% of startups I see level-up early after their A round. These are important leveling-up activities but the CEO is often still up at 10pm f **g around with QuickBooks entries.

Startup 381

Startup Resource Venture Capital Activity 381

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 21, 2012

I’m a big fan of mentoring in business, and have been at different times on both the contributing and receiving end of the process. These days, I seem to often hear from entrepreneurs who are struggling to find a mentor, or complaining about their lack of effectiveness. When you meet with a mentor, you should lead the discussion.

Mentor 94

Mentor Coach Entrepreneur Press 94

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2011

I made every textbook mistake at my first startup, which is why I believe I was much more effective at my second one. The following are some lessons I learned about early-stage startup marketing. I worked with an entrepreneur who was to appear at a startup networking event where he was to talk about his company’s plans.

Marketing 380

Marketing Startup Press Technical Advisors 380

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

Tracy DiNunzio isn’t your typical Silicon Valley startup founder. She did her first tech startup after the age of 30. And she didn’t start her company in Northern California. She leveraged herself and even sold many of her possessions to get started. She started her business from a personal need.

Startup 363

Startup Entrepreneur SEO Venture Capital 363

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 15, 2012

I recently read Brad Feld’s thought provoking piece encouraging founders to sit on the board of another startup company. I found it thought provoking because I’ve always believed startup founders need extreme focus on only their company to succeed. We have Ian Rogers , the CEO of Topspin Media on our board.

Startup 294

Startup Carson Summary Press 294

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 19, 2011

I recently sat down with Matt Coffin , the founder of LowerMyBills, which sold for $400 million but was very nearly a bankruptcy only a few years early, and talked “startups.&#. Matt is one of the most transparent, focused & honest startup guys you’ll meet. Or read the quick, informative summary below the image!

Acquisition 304

Acquisition Startup Custom Customer 304

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 26, 2016

The “what” Troy Carter does also led him to be an early investor in Uber, Lyft, Dropbox, Warby Parker and several other great startups of the last era. So what did it take for Gaga to break out and what does Troy preach to startups? ’ But I guess we need to tie it up and put a pretty bow on it.”

Mentor 150

Mentor Venture Capital Marketing Product 150

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 25, 2021

In fact, according to the latest trend data and press reports , these Baby Boomers have grown yearly to 41 percent of small business owners, second only to Gen-X, at 44 percent. With longer life expectancies and greater health in later life, older generations are moving to start new firms -- and mentor young entrepreneurs.

Technical Review 126

Technical Review Technical Support Entrepreneur Startup 126

Tech.Co

JULY 12, 2017

In a press release The Disney Accelerator highlights the success of Sphero and announced: “They have a multi-property lineup for this year including the App-enabled Ultimate Lightning McQueen, the voice interactive Spider-Man, and more.”. Meet the 11 startups for 2017: Ambidio. Courtesy of Sphero & Disney.

Artificial Inteligence 108

Artificial Inteligence Startup Entertainment Press 108

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2020

Don’t believe the myth that all you have to do to get rich is bring up an ecommerce website, and the money rolls in while you sleep. Based on my years as a business executive and mentoring entrepreneurs, I’m convinced that the principles of reframing can be learned, and apply equally well to any domain, certainly including business.

Startup 134

Startup Entrepreneur Competition Press 134

Berkonomics

MAY 23, 2019

I have a friend in the music business who worked hard to gain introductions to, and become mentored by, several known names in the business. One well known informal mentor called him the “Stevie Wonder of Hip Hop.” A mantra, tag line, motto, or logo with your unique brand definition is a good start. How do you define yourself?

Mentor 120

Mentor Statistics Press Blogging 120

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

I started in 2007 with a thesis that my primary investment decision would be about the team (70%) and only afterward about the market opportunity (30%). I was telling him that it was much easier when I started because there were fewer deals, life was less public and somehow the world seemed to be spinning more slowly. I don’t.

Venture Capital 374

Venture Capital Invest Press Startup 374

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 15, 2011

Are you an entrepreneur hoping to startup a company in the Los Angeles area? The latest to enter the scene is Los Angeles accelerator Start Engine (www.startengine.com), which was created by Howard Marks and Paul Kessler. Howard Marks: We're a startup accelerator, which will help entrepreneurs become successful in 90 days.

CTO Coach 194

CTO Coach Startup Mentor Activision 194

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 24, 2014

Working with early-stage teams : coaching, mentoring, setting strategy, rolling up sleeves: 9/10. ” So it’s now March 2014 – 5 years since I started investing. Disney Acquires Maker Studios f0r $500 million and with earn-out potentially up to $950 million. Sourcing high-quality leads : 9/10. Since then?

Venture Capital 387

Venture Capital Downey Writing Press 387

socalTECH

JANUARY 23, 2017

Techstars (www.techstars.org) has a long history and record of success as a startup accelerator, with programs across the country and world--and recently opened up its third, Los Angeles program, Techstars LA. Three years ago, I had started to explore launching a new accelerator, to support women entrepreneurs in Los Angeles.

Startup 100

Startup Los Angeles Claremont Press 100

socalTECH

JUNE 1, 2012

That's what Los Angeles-based MergeLocal (www.mergelocal.com) is looking to find out, by offering up points which can be converted to real cash, when users check into local businesses. What's your background, and how did you decide to start the company? We've gone through this before in startup companies and pushing things forward.

CTO Coach 223

CTO Coach Startup Mobile Artificial Inteligence 223

InfoChachkie

JUNE 9, 2015

Note: for purposes of this article, I am using the term “accelerator” to include incubators, startup labs and all other organizations geared to facilitating a startup’s early maturation. Convert Graduate-Founders Into Mentors. Bringing an accelerators’ graduates back as mentors provides value to the next class, certainly.

Startup 100

Startup Class LAMP Santa Barbara 100

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 6, 2014

I admit that I haven’t yet read it but I’ve had numerous discussions with Brad over the years about board structure & conduct and consider him a mentor on the topic. When you first start your company and raise initial venture capital your board probably consists of 1-3 founders and 1-2 VCs. As You Start to Mature.

Startup 325

Startup Sales Technical Review Software Review 325

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 11, 2020

Even though the color of their money is always green, all startup investors are not the same. Investor due diligence on a startup is not a mysterious black art, but is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of your business model, team, product, customers, and plan. It’s no fun for either side.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Funding Innocal Offshore 124

Tech Zulu Event

MAY 9, 2014

As our first time covering a 500 Startups demo day , we could only imagine the stratospheric levels of stress our Batch 8 founders must have gone through to get on stage and present their progress from their last four months of startup bootcamp. In true 500 Startups fashion, Demo Day had an almost cathartic feel.

Startup 111

Startup Mobile Commerce Education 111

Berkonomics

JUNE 22, 2012

I have a friend in the music business who worked hard to gain introductions to, and become mentored by, several known names in the business. One well known informal mentor called him the “Stevie Wonder of Hip Hop.” A mantra, tag line, motto, or logo with your unique brand definition is a good start. How do you define yourself?

Mentor 136

Mentor Statistics Press Entertainment 136

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 19, 2015

They suffered in trying to live up to public perceptions and the demands to continue their successes. The road is littered with startups that shined bright before burning out. He suffered publicly as the press called his wife fat and begged people at concerts to be kinder to his wife. It was a lot to bear.

Press 150

Press Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur 150

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 21, 2017

The challenge is to retain the same sense of urgency, energy, commitment, and readiness in a mature company that you felt during the startup stage. New and existing companies today need to press beyond what was, through what is, to what will be. Set-up for success and don’t set-up for failure.

Company 55

Company Companies Startup Mentor 55

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 7, 2012

Southern California has had its share of new startup accelerators launch in the last few months, however, few people here have actually experienced an accelerator firsthand. Alex Benzer: I'm actually building two startups. SocialEngine is four years old, and that's the startup we applied to TechStars with.

Startup 242

Startup CTO Coach Blogging Social Media 242

socalTECH

DECEMBER 27, 2012

Kevin Winston , is the organizer of Digital LA , the popular and widely attended networking organization for the Los Angeles startup, web, movie, music, marketing, and social media community. Accelerators and coworking spaces will continue to be the foundation for our growing startup scene.

Dollar Shave Club 272

Dollar Shave Club Technical Review Santa Monica Southern California 272

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 23, 2015

If an entrepreneur can’t build a culture of excitement and commitment at a startup, the chances of long-term success are negligible. As a mentor to entrepreneurs, I often get asked what you can do to build the right culture. Mentoring and training programs need to be put in place early. Make your startup a winning place to work.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Technical Review Mentor Training 102

Tech Zulu Event

JUNE 7, 2013

According to SGL, developers can now submit their apps for review and have their press releases and updates distributed on the Stained Glass Labs website, which gives them the quick feedback from other developers and the ability to submit press releases, which are sent to members of the media interested in Google Glass and wearable technologies.

Google 87

Google Technical Review Press Software Review 87

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 18, 2010

Full press release with more details is here. We will be selecting 10 startup companies to participate. Encourage the most successful LA tech entrepreneurs who had previously started companies to get involved as mentors, instructors or just informal advisors. Today we announced Launchpad LA V2. We connected.

Technical Review 259

Technical Review Venture Capital Southern California Tech Coast Angels 259

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 24, 2023

Don’t believe the myth that all you have to do to get rich is bring up an e-commerce website, and the money rolls in while you sleep. Based on my years as a business executive and mentoring entrepreneurs, I’m convinced that the principles of reframing can be learned, and apply equally well to any domain, certainly including business.

Entrepreneur 82

Entrepreneur Competition Press Commerce 82

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. As a mentor to entrepreneurs, I often get asked for the magic that has made Amazon the world's most valuable brand , from a total unknown only twenty years ago.

Marketing 123

Marketing Technical Review Custom Customer 123

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 16, 2018

That doesn’t mean that everyone needs to participate in creating the typical marketing hype, or needs to face the press on a regular basis. For example, as a member of an angel investment group, I sometimes do some “due diligence” on promising startups looking for funding. Provide cross-functional mentoring and coaching.

Marketing 71

Marketing Tips Technical Review Social Media 71

Xconomy

AUGUST 5, 2016

What is the ideal age to start a company? It’s a question that often circulates in the business press and on tech blogs. Twenty-somethings also tend to have few external commitments, like a spouse, kids, or a mortgage, which makes startup life easier to manage. Today’s teens have grown up with the Internet.

Entrepreneur 40

Entrepreneur Startup Education Course 40

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

Even though the color of their money is always green, all startup investors are not the same. Investor due diligence on a startup is not a mysterious black art, but is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of your business model, team, product, customers, and plan. It’s no fun for either side.

Technical Review 103

Technical Review Innocal Offshore Entrepreneur 103

socalTECH

JULY 13, 2016

In my case, I had a mentor at the time who helped me understand how there was a parallel between the printing press and the Renaissance, and the Internet as the next step in information and communications. From there, I hooked up with Justin and NetZero, and was responsible for scaling the support and operations teams.

Startup 100

Startup IP CTO Coach Allegis 100

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 16, 2017

In the same way, you may think that people assessment is all about skills and experience, but as a mentor to business owners, I have learned to look more for the right attitude, persistence, and determination, as success factors. Start looking for what is right in a person or business situation, instead of looking for what is wrong.

Software Review 57

Software Review Technical Review Startup Press 57