SoCal CTO

JANUARY 2, 2013

I've had several Startup CTO Consulting sessions recently where it became apparent that the Founder needed help with the business and product as much or more than the technology. Then we discussed how they could go about finding this startup business advisor. These are not mutually exclusive and good mentors and advisors get into both.

CTO Coach 259

CTO Coach Mentor Startup Technical Advisors 259

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 9, 2020

In my years of advising startups and occasional investing, I’ve seen many great ideas start and fail, but the right team always seems to make good things happen, even without the ultimate idea. You need to have a technical genius on the team to get your startup product off the ground. The sales professional. The financial suit.

Technical Advisors 123

Technical Advisors Outsource Development Startup High Tech 123

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

socalTECH

OCTOBER 24, 2011

If you're familiar with YCombinator or TechStars, you know that companies also get access to a deep network of top tier mentors and advisors, who help them with a variety of things, such as product marketing, go-to-market, and funding. We're providing seed funding, office space, and put them through a three month, structured program.

Technical Advisors 176

Technical Advisors Startup Southern California Los Angeles 176

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2021

Getting customer attention often takes more innovation today than solving the tough technical problems. As a business adviser, I still see too many new venture founders who skimp on their marketing focus, or start too late. Cold calls to strangers and email blasts are not so productive.

Technical Advisors 154

Technical Advisors Tips Marketing Case Study 154

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2011

Because market is such a broad topic, I’m restricting these lessons to PR marketing (as opposed SEO, SEM, product marketing, etc.). My general rule is that it’s good to be stealth in the early days while you’re building your product and testing your market. Most people totally advise against stealth.

Marketing 380

Marketing Startup Press Technical Advisors 380

Eric Greenspan

FEBRUARY 2, 2010

We also want you to use and understand this valuable product so that you may attract and retain customers. I checked with our Director of Delight and she assured me we gave a full refund to both and that we formally responded to this within the required time, but the BBB website had a technical issue. Please advise.

Santa Barbara 265

Santa Barbara Technical Advisors Email Technical Review 265

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 19, 2009

I spent nearly a decade building software for large companies and then advising companies on the same. He would have found somebody technical and inspired that individual to work for equity or deferred payment. He went out and found a developer and built a product. obviously don’t read this as zero analysis).

Entrepreneur 414

Entrepreneur Technical Review Slides CTO Coach 414

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2015

In my years of advising startups and occasional investing, I’ve seen many great ideas start and fail, but the right team always seems to make good things happen, even without the ultimate idea. You need to have a technical genius on the team to get your startup product off the ground. The sales professional. The financial suit.

Technical Advisors 105

Technical Advisors Outsource Development Startup High Tech 105

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 4, 2009

If you’re thinking about joining as the director of marketing, product management manager, senior architect, international business development lead, etc. I advised against the SF role because it was a bigger company and his role would be pushing paper from one side of his desk to the other. Let’s face it.

Startup 418

Startup Technical Advisors Venture Capital Santa Monica 418

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2020

You have to get past how great the product is to address clearly what your business rationale is, why it is different from the competition's, and why it will succeed. A winning product or service. Provide a simple yet complete description of your product or service and its competitive marketplace. Be concise as well as complete.

Technical Advisors 162

Technical Advisors Tips Startup Equity 162

TechEmpower

FEBRUARY 10, 2016

We’ve heard this from startup founders, product managers, development team leads, CTOs, and others who see their product gaining traction, but simultaneously see performance falling off a cliff. User experience is suffering and it’s the worst possible time with the product taking off. So, why does this happen?

Web 200

Web Technical Advisors Framework Technical Review 200

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 17, 2011

Len Short is truly an online marketing pioneer, heading up marketing at Charles Schwab, AOL and then (PRODUCT)RED. Despite this technical glitch, I opted to publish our discussion, given the high-quality content of his comments. Len later joined (PRODUCT)RED as its Founding CMO. Len remains an active advisor to several startups.

Google 220

Google Technical Advisors Technical Review Equity 220

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2021

Based on my experience advising new entrepreneurs as well as more mature businesses, I recommend the following strategies for building business momentum, while still optimizing the limited resources of every small business: Find more customers that like what you do best. Focus first on finding more of the right customers.

Technical Review 160

Technical Review Technical Advisors Startup Mentor 160

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2023

You have to get past how great the product is to address clearly what your business rationale is, why it is different from the competition's, and why it will succeed. A winning product or service. Provide a simple yet complete description of your product or service and its competitive marketplace. Be concise as well as complete.

Equity 121

Equity Technical Advisors Funding Ideas 121

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 20, 2020

Most small businesses I advise still rely on traditional advertising models, assuming they can create enough media “noise” to get customers attention and sway them. He points out, and I agree, that people now look for experiences rather than noise or product features: An experience must be available in the moment.

Marketing 130

Marketing Technical Advisors Social Media Media 130

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 18, 2018

In my years of advising startups and occasional investing, I’ve seen many great ideas start and fail, but the right team always seems to make good things happen, even without the ultimate idea. You need to have a technical genius on the team to get your startup product off the ground. The sales professional. The financial suit.

Technical Advisors 57

Technical Advisors Startup Outsource Development High Tech 57

Tech.Co

OCTOBER 16, 2024

Specifically, the program was designed to provide backing to women founders building product-centric businesses – including those developing, marketing, or selling digital, physical, or hybrid products. Businesses at any stage are welcome to submit an application. Deadline: October 31, 2024 Learn more and apply here 4.

Technical Review 167

Technical Review Technical Advisors Design News 167

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2020

In my business of mentoring new entrepreneurs and advising small company owners, I recognize that most don’t start as experienced leaders, and most don’t realize that people leadership is a primary key to their future success. Building a business is not a one-person job, and leading by edict rarely works today.

Develop 124

Develop Development Technical Advisors Satisfaction 124

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2010

You have to get past how great the product is to address clearly what your business rationale is, why it is different from the competition's, and why it will succeed. A winning product or service. Provide a simple yet complete description of your product or service and its competitive marketplace. Be concise as well as complete.

Technical Advisors 80

Technical Advisors Startup Equity Ideas 80

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2011

Here are a few examples from my personal experience: You need to translate/localize your products. I was once asked by a top executive of a major software company why we were not selling more products in Finland. Thus, we did not translate the product and sales remained at an insignificant level. Watch your product naming.

Startup 90

Startup Technical Advisors Sales Examples 90

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

But they can otherwise save you much time and effort, and are also safer and more productive than the old-fashioned approach of broadcast emailing or cold-calling every investor you can find in online directories, or responding to the risky spam offers you get for funding on social media.

Platform 94

Platform Equity Invest Technical Advisors 94

Tech Zulu Event

JULY 28, 2012

From visualization to conception, and actually taking the product to market, a company usually takes about 1-2 years to create. Although, many people believed in my idea, I found it difficult to create a full team that can execute an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) by Sunday. We had exactly 54 hours! Pitch and form teams!

Startup 99

Startup Technical Advisors Ideas USC 99

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

You have to get past how great the product is to address clearly what your business rationale is, why it is different from the competition''s, and why it will succeed. A winning product or service. Provide a simple yet complete description of your product or service and its competitive marketplace. An impressive team.

Technical Advisors 75

Technical Advisors Entrepreneur Equity Ideas 75

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 17, 2018

Most of the entrepreneurs I advise today are ready to declare success when they get that first surge of traction with a real customer. In fact, this is where your startup has to move from an initial project to a complex product business. Evolving from an initial solution to a product line for growth.

Technical Advisors 83

Technical Advisors Tool Software Product 83

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 5, 2018

Unfortunately, too many of the technical entrepreneurs I mentor and advise are focused on their technology, and assume that the value will be self-evident to customers. Improve the whole customer experience, as well as the product.

Technical Advisors 82

Technical Advisors Artificial Inteligence Customer Custom 82

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 23, 2015

There is a second set of career discussions I have even more frequently than my “angel yourself” advice but this type is almost never discussed publicly in blogs, which tend to emphasize only billion-dollar opportunities, 20-something technical founders and Silicon Valley elitism.

Technical Review 150

Technical Review Startup Venture Capital IP 150

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 13, 2010

As a follow-on to that article, here are a few examples from my personal experience: You need to translate/localize your products. I was once asked by a division manager of a major software company why we were not selling more products in Finland. Thus, we did not translate the product and sales remained at an insignificant level.

Technical Advisors 48

Technical Advisors Sales Startup Coach 48

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2018

I made the jump myself from IBM several years ago, and now have a satisfying startup advising small businesses and mentoring entrepreneurs. Most technical people I know love to discuss and debate technology, but avoid business subjects, including finance and marketing, like the plague. Focus on customer value in every job.

Startup 52

Startup Technical Advisors Entrepreneur IBM 52

Tech Zulu Event

MAY 10, 2012

Effects Artist and Technical Director, Dreamworks AnimationJason hails from Kentucky, where his parents met at a Renaissance Faire, hooked up at the Wicca Coven, and raised him at sci-fi conventions. 12pm: BODY. Jason Porath / @JasonPorath. Prior to joining WellnessFX (consumer directed health technology), he completed his MBA at Stanford.

Technical Advisors 89

Technical Advisors Design Education Study 89

Tech.Co

MAY 22, 2018

Try to compile all the different types of questions you could be asked about your business, like technical details, financial assumptions and projections, marketing, IP, etc., I would advise trying not to get into an argument with an investor. Founders are understandably very passionate about their product and startup.

Tips 70

Tips Help Slides Technical Review 70

Frank Addante

JUNE 4, 2006

Under Process, Over Deliver So, you need to develop a product? ▼ 2006 (20) ► December (2) Just Say What it Is 12 Proven Guidelines for Rapid Product Development. I decided that I was going to consult/advise a few companies and relax for a bit. So, I put him in charge of our data centers and technical operations.

Startup 40

Startup Venture Capital Email CTO Hire 40

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

We’re going to start aggressively spend money on marketing our product. Gross margin (GM) is the amount of profit you make per sale of your product or service taking into account your total costs of selling that product or service. We want a strong balance sheet (um, ok. otherwise I prefer to invest less and risk less).

Startup 383

Startup Company Companies .Net 383

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 13, 2011

I would argue that this mostly consists of consumer Internet companies (although not exclusively) and it is predominantly early-stage people who are product gurus and have a mildly technical bend to them. I’m a product geek more than a spreadsheet ninja. The product feedback will be invaluable.

Venture Capital 299

Venture Capital Slides Technical Advisors Startup 299

InfoChachkie

JUNE 25, 2009

Your lawyer is a trusted advisor, but in the end, you run your business, your lawyer does not. In other words, find a lawyer who will take the time to understand the issues underlying your business and advise you how to best accomplish your objectives while minimizing your legal exposure. but They Make Great Guard Dogs. Do not do it.

Technical Advisors 124

Technical Advisors Technical Review IP Patents 124

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 1, 2019

Steve Jobs started his technical career creating circuit boards at Atari, before joining Steve Wozniak to build personal computers in his garage. I advise owners that they have to know when to give up a business, as well as when to buy one. Highlight your productivity and efficiency rather than workload.

Technical Advisors 75

Technical Advisors Startup Satisfaction Customer 75

Xconomy

SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

Each company is investing untold billions of dollars in developing AI technologies, betting on a future defined by computer systems that can perceive, reason, advise, and decide. Microsoft, meanwhile, announced a new 5,000-person group Thursday dedicated to the development of AI technologies and products that use them.

Artificial Inteligence 40

Artificial Inteligence Technical Review Technical Advisors Research 40