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Despite what you might think, you are never too old to benefit from the helpful guidance of a mentor. Jason Nazar, Co-Founder and CEO of Docstoc , and a self-professed "Mentee Whore," discusses his secrets to finding and keeping a mentor in this compelling article. and set up meetings with people that you want to be like.
So do you think the environment still tough for startups? Investors are very focused on diligence, on business models that make sense, and those companies that have a definite competitive advantage and defensibility to what they're doing. Mike Napoli: We've revised the way we review companies at the prescreening stage.
I’ve been having discussions with several people recently about the role of the CTO (Chief Technology Officer) in very early stage companies. In December 2007, I described how I commonly take on an Acting CTO Role in a Start-up. However, I’ve now begun questioning how and what an early-stage / startup CTO should be.
According to a recent Forbes article , UC Santa Barbara''s Technology Management Program offers students a superior startup education over the University of Pennsylvania (home of Wharton), as well Harvard, Northwestern and even its acclaimed southern neighbor, the University of Southern California. Don''t go to Wharton or Harvard.
1) Get A Mentor. "I "I started the site when I was 19. "When you give everyone a voice and give people power, the system usually ends up in a really good place. " Creating and sustain a successful startups is beyond difficult. Note: This is an installment in the Iconic Advice series.
Even though the color of their money is always green, all startup investors are not the same. Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse duediligence on the investors. Personally visit another startup funded by this investor. It’s no fun for either side.
community in many ways, including his weekly Internet TV program on entrepreneurism, and participation in several mentoring programs. . Access to new technologies. Example: percent of ownership, officer/operational, director/board member… What are the parties willing to give up in return for the prospect of business success?
We thought today for our interview, that we'd get an update on the angel investment environment here in Southern California from Scott Sangster , the incoming President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Tech Coast Angels , the biggest angel investment group in Southern California.
Over my many years of mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs and business professionals, I often hear a desire to start a new business, with a big hesitation while waiting for that perfect idea and perfect alignment of the stars. Start today building a bigger network. Success requires a great amount of hard work.
We will be selecting 10 startup companies to participate. Applications are due April 6th, 2010, the form is on the website and the Twitter address is @launchpadlad. Encourage the most successful LA tech entrepreneurs who had previously started companies to get involved as mentors, instructors or just informal advisors.
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.
LaunchpadLA Opens Up Spring Applications. How to find a startupmentor. Southern California's Most Popular Tech Stories. Broadcom Powering New Mac Wireless. Surf Air Gets First Aircraft. In the latest roundup of fundings (big few weeks for San Diego, apparently): PatientSafe Solutions ($20M, San Diego, mobile health).
For the last week of the year, we're featuring the thoughts and reflections of some of the movers and shakers of Southern California's high tech community. We asked the same four questions of a variety of top technology entrepreneurs, investors, and others, to hear what they're thinking about, and are sharing it here over the next week.
Watson , a member of the San Diego Tech Coast Angels , who was found dead in June. from one of Watson's brokerage accounts, when he unexpectedly showed up at Watson's residence in the early morning hours as homicide detectives were still gathering evidence from the death scene. Watson was a retired pharmaceutical industry CEO.
Huge thank you to Steve De Long for the write up. How did you start blogging? “My In 2004 / 2005 I was starting to get intrigued with user-generated content. was starting. You still need the presentation to back that up. Brad’s start in Venture Capital. Or, as always, summary notes available below.
My internal compass has always steered me strongly toward the belief that founders who can scale with their startup companies are better to back that founders who eventually need to hire a CEO. Very few founder CEOs go into the job ever expecting to give up their seat. So give up the CEO role? It’s your baby.
During the holiday season, our tradition over the last few years has been to post reflections on the past year and some predictions for 2019 from Southern California's technology industry. My biggest takeaway this year was truly understanding the strength and cohesion of the Los Angeles startup community.
Even though the color of their money is always green, all startup investors are not the same. Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse duediligence on the investors. Personally visit another startup funded by this investor. It’s no fun for either side.
The data consistently confirms that: (i) venture capitalists are typically not adventuresome, and (ii) most startups lack the three intoxicating factors which cause venture capitalists to pull out their checkbooks. This concentration is partly due to natural causes – successful startups spawn other successful startups.
I was initially skeptical, but it was a pure delight for me from start to finish. For the same reason I loved the much more flawed story of Anvil , who interestingly came from Toronto, about 100 miles away from where Justin Bieber grew up. It all has to start from talent. Usher worked hard to set up meetings (including L.A.
If you are like most entrepreneurs I know, there just aren’t enough hours in a day to get all your own work done, as well as run the many one-hour meetings each team member seems to demand for decisions and mentoring. For one-on-one coaching from the startup founder, I call this approach five-minute mentoring.
Kara said “no” because she wanted to start her own company, which she did and I backed. In any job you either find leadership opportunities for your best people BEFORE they ask or other people start asking them to become leaders somewhere else. Leadership is about recognizing your next generation of talent and helping lift them up.
She started watching dogs in her spare time through DogVacay and was able make ends meet during a tough period. They can read reviews, see pictures and even talk to the family before confirming. I typed in my brothers zip code and ton of houses popped up in his area and I was able to search out on a map view. I registered.
Running that effort is Kevin Hell , the founder of DivX, who we caught up with to learn more about EvoNexus and how the group is trying to help grow technologystartups in San Dieog. They've provided a completely free facility, furniture, Internet access, mentoring, sponsorship--all of those things are provided for free.
After 10 minutes I felt like we were old buddies because we had both been through the trenches of startuptech land and had had similar experiences. He was recounting one of his higher profile startups to me. When Dave McClure announced “500 Startups” even I chuckled. It happens. I think we should focus more.”
The Founder Institute (www.founderinstitute.com), an entrepreneurial training program that originally launched by Adeo Ressi in Silicon Valley, recently announced that it is setting up shop in Southern California, with branches both in San Diego and Los Angeles. What role do the mentors play? The mentors at the L.A.
New entrepreneurs, especially technical ones, are excited by early adopters, and tend to focus on their feedback, which will always suggest more product features and options. Utilize outside expertise and mentoring. Focus first on finding more of the right customers. Focus on the mainstream customer majority.
I reviewed an email from Kara Nortman, the CEO of Moonfrye who is working on putting together venture debt. I then traded emails with two former senior tech professionals in LA. I will soon announce a few fundings (not yet closed, sorry) and I’m beginning to help them think about how to ramp up their engineering teams.
Even though the color of their money is always green, all startup investors are not the same. Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse duediligence on the investors. Personally visit another startup funded by this investor. It’s no fun for either side.
Unfortunately many founders I work with as a mentor are experts on the technical side, but have no insight into leading a team. Otherwise, in my experience, the startup will fail. Being visible and engaged on a random part-time basis, due to other jobs, won’t do it. Have monthly reviews with each team member.
One of the most original, subscription startups to come out of Southern California's tech accelerator boom emerged last week, looking to disrupt not just another retail sector or e-commerce category, but something else entirely: the airline industry. How did this all start? We take your application and review it.
If you are a leader at a startup and you are reading a business book, you are not closing customers, raising capital, improving your product, or spending time with your loved ones. The short version of my review is: “Enchanting? A cause can be a: non-profit, Internet startup, idea, political opinion, or coffee shop.
One of the most stressful and unanticipated challenges that comes with starting a new business is hiring and managing employees. I just finished a new book for entrepreneurs, “ Secrets to a Successful Startup ,” by Trevor Blake, which makes the same points, based on his own real-life experience with three successful startups.
I got a call a few years ago from a well-known investor up North. I reviewed a deal for a friend of mine tonight. He’s an incredibly smart investor and somebody that I actually consider to be a mentor to myself. He wanted to know what I thought of his technology deal. Startup Advice' ” Then I listen.
There''s been a lot of activity over the past two years in the Southern California accelerator/incubator market, with numerous groups (Amplify, EvoNexus, K5, LaunchpadLA, MediaCamp, Science, StartEngine, and many, many others) looking to help entrepreneurs start and fund their companies. where we totalled up $33.85M in funding.
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.
For today's interview, we spoke to Dave Eastman, the Director of the Viterbi Startup Garage, a startup incubator that is run by the University of Southern California, out of its location in Marina Del Rey. What is Viterbi Startup Garage? The Startup Garage is located physically in Marina Del Rey, in the twin tower on Admiralty.
To learn more about how women are looking to change the investment climate--and get involved in investing themselves--we caught up with one of the Pipeline Fellowship''s local mentors, the CEO of Beyond Capital Fund (www.beyondcapitalfund.org), Eva Helene Yazhari , who is here in Los Angeles. What is the Pipeline Fellowship?
If you’re an early-stage entrepreneur, technology has served you well. Fortunately, the Startup of the Year program aims to make it easier for founders to connect with resources. The Foundation was created in 1997 by tech pioneers, Jean and Steve Case. The Case Foundation (Washington, DC).
Perhaps sparked by the recent pandemic, I’m seeing a new era of the entrepreneur, with startups springing up all around. Based on my own mentoring and investing experience, the best entrepreneurs are pragmatic problem solvers. Problems will occur in every startup, simply because you are stepping into uncharted territory.
In my role as a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I find that most have the technical challenges well understood, but many are a bit short on some basic street smarts , or basic business realities. It starts with documenting and communicating a real purpose and mission in terms everyone can get excited about.
Partially due to the economy, but also due to longer, healthier lives and changes in job tenure, 62% of working Boomers are now expected to stay in the labor force, with real power and influence, for at least nine more years, to 2020. Business-startup rates in America increased the most in the Midwest and South.
If you are like most entrepreneurs I know, there just aren’t enough hours in a day to get all your own work done, as well as run the many one-hour meetings each team member seems to demand for decisions and mentoring. For one-on-one coaching from the startup founder, I call this approach five-minute mentoring.
Unfortunately many founders I work with as a mentor are experts on the technical side, but have no insight into leading a team. Otherwise, in my experience, the startup will fail. Being visible and engaged on a random part-time basis, due to other jobs, won’t do it. Have monthly reviews with each team member.
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