SoCal Tech Calendar

MAY 31, 2016

For today's Insights and Opinions article, we have Melinda Moore , author of How to Raise Money: The Ultimate Guide to Crowdfunding , who gives us some tips on crowdfunding. Here are 5 key tips on crowdfunding. Read the rest of Melinda's five tips: Five Essential Crowdfunding Success Tips. Continued.). READ MORE>>.

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Tips Guide Venture Capital Platform 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2021

Most of these are easy to avoid if you do your homework up front, but can cost you dearly if you get sucked in. No real investor or venture capital firm asks for money from the company they are intending to invest in. Work at home to fund your startup. Off-shore unsolicited investor offers. Phantom fund investors.

Technical Review 148

Technical Review Tips Funding Startup 148

SoCal Tech Calendar

SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

Tuesday, September 25, 2018 -- The Startup Game Changers discussion has helped many tech startups get to the next level of growth. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn actionable tips from insiders within Los Angeles startup ecosystem. See [link] (more)

Startup 100

Startup Tips Venture Capital Los Angeles 100

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2013

I recently wrote a post about how to manage relationships when you’re at a startup or are busy executive. I had images in my brain of all of the stresses I had placed on my wife in the heyday of my startups. A spouse’s hints for surviving an incredibly busy start-up person.

Tips 418

Tips Startup Email Blogging 418

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

It’s the lifeblood of any organization and yet most startups don’t have any sales DNA on their teams. It’s important enough that I dedicate a tab on my blog to startup sales & marketing. how should a VC do due diligence on sales operations? 24:00 Selling a startup today. getting past the assistant.

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Software Review Sales Tips Help 300

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2022

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Join a startup incubator. It always reduces risk to plan your business first.

Tips 104

Tips Startup Technical Review Equity 104

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 4, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series Startup Advice. Many entrepreneurs who start technology companies are product people, technologists or savvy business people who worked previously for a larger company. Most start-up entrepreneurs have little or no sales experience. I know I didn’t. Why Buy Now?

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Sales Startup Platform Tips 319

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 1, 2021

Thus, based on my experience as an entrepreneur as well as a startup investor, there are indeed situations where a non-disclosure is highly recommended, and others where the potential good far outweighs the risk. Here are the key considerations from my perspective: Dealing with known or trusted investors and advisors.

Ideas 159

Ideas Tips Technical Review Patents 159

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 31, 2011

Richard’s Startup Tips. As discussed in Thrill The Messenger , slightly off-color, unconventional quotes will help ensure that your startup’s voice is heard. I never get the accountants in before I start up a business. Startups are not bound by the past. Startups have few advantages. 9) Be A Bro.

Tips 264

Tips Startup Guide Media 264

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 6, 2020

One of the simplest questions I get from aspiring entrepreneurs, and ironically one of the hardest, is “How do I start?” I want to tell them to just start anywhere, but I realize that most have no idea where anywhere is. The wealth of online education offerings is a great start, but is not enough.

Entrepreneur 137

Entrepreneur Tips Startup Education 137

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 11, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series Startup Advice. Many startup companies hire advisory boards. If you plan to set one up – no problem. Advisory Board Problems : There are several problems that I have encountered myself and in my many discussions with CEO’s who have set up advisory boards. Too much effort.

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Startup Venture Capital Equity Technical Review 306

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 8, 2013

With our client roster of successfully funded startups and my close relationships with many in the investor community in Silicon Valley, I think I’ve figured out 8 keys for making these kinds of real connections: 1. You want to target early-stage investors—those VCs that focus on seed, startup and first stage financing.

Venture Capital 86

Venture Capital Tips Incubator Startup 86

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 hasn’t raised any venture capital. She leveraged herself and even sold many of her possessions to get started.

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Startup Entrepreneur SEO Venture Capital 363

SoCal Tech Calendar

FEBRUARY 28, 2019

For anyone starting or thinking about creating a startup, one of the most important parts of the process is pitching and looking for investors. What's important to show a venture capitalist? Russell Ficher Business Collection, Camarillo Library. What works? What doesn't? Is a business plan important--or maybe not?

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Ventura Southern California Startup Tips 100

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 26, 2013

Understanding “The Funding Angle” I sit at enough board meetings to hear conflicting advice given to entrepreneurs about how to handle PR and announcements at startups. I think many board members (including VCs) were trained 10+ years ago when life was very different and their advice often comes from an outdated lens.

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Startup Funding News Press 355

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

Your goal should be to turn your VCs into extended members of your team to get real value from them. Understanding where your VC partner sits in their respective fund and where their fund is in the cycle of its investment lifecycle will help you understand your VCs behavior. You start to act cohesively as a group.

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Tips Email Venture Capital CTO Coach 365

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 15, 2017

As a starting point the more you’re on their mind the more likely they’re out advocating on your behalf when they are out talking with senior executives at potential customers, future potential investors, potential employees, biz dev partners, journalists and all of the other constituencies where investors should be helping you.

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Tips Slides Startup Technical Review 212

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014

You don’t need many “bells and whistles” at this stage in the game, but you do want to set up a system that is easy-to-use and that is built to grow with you. Set up an accounts payable system. Ideally you’ll want to establish your credit guidelines, policies, and collection timeline before you start collecting your first payments.

Tips 90

Tips Startup Venture Capital Outsource Development 90

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 6, 2014

You don’t need many “bells and whistles” at this stage in the game, but you do want to set up a system that is easy-to-use and that is built to grow with you. Set up an accounts payable system. Ideally you’ll want to establish your credit guidelines, policies, and collection timeline before you start collecting your first payments.

Tips 101

Tips Startup Outsource Development Sales 101

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 6, 2013

Final startup grind from msuster. And the folks at Startup Grind have been kind enough to invite me to present this morning in Mountain View on the topic. And you need to be careful about giving up control to cofounders as much as VCs. I don’t think VCs care as much about co-founders & economics as people think.

Startup 388

Startup Slides Outsource Development Sales 388

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 8, 2010

Greycroft is Alan’s venture capital firm that recently raised its second fund ($130 million) with offices in both New York and LA. Get your product/market fit working before you ramp up your costs (or raise too much money). I’ve been to similar events with First Round Capital and True Ventures.

Startup 279

Startup Venture Capital Tips Custom Development 279

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 15, 2011

In the past I’ve given some tips for handling meetings effectively, covering topics like: - How not to let your meeting go down a rat hole ; - Dealing with the elephant in the room ; - Dealing with skeletons in your closet ; - How to make meetings discussions, not “pitches&#. - You’ll hold their attention much better.

Tips 392

Tips Screening Slides Venture Capital 392

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 11, 2011

That’s why people turn up to Buzzfeed. We also talked about why Jon decided to leave Google to become an EIR at a VC firm (Polaris) – minute 33. In working with brands, Jon says: “ Vary creative, try lots of things, the costs are so low, why would we put up one piece of branded content? Can we do 10 variants?

Buzzfeed 354

Buzzfeed Content Tips Blogging 354

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2020

Even if you have booked an hour with a VC, you should plan to talk only for the first fifteen minutes. The biggest complaint I hear from fellow investors is that startup founders often talk way too long, and neglect to cover the most relevant points. If you start by pitching your extended life story, that’s the wrong point.

Startup 118

Startup Slides Technical Review Research 118

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 4, 2012

I recently wrote about the 12 tips to building successful startup communities. I lived in London from 1997-2005 and for 6 of those years ran my startup based out of London. It was a strange contrast for me having grown up in Northern California where failure seemed to be a badge of honor. I remember this lesson well.

Startup 350

Startup Ideas Education Class 350

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 21, 2023

Even if you have booked an hour with a VC, you should plan to talk only for the first fifteen minutes. The biggest complaint I hear from fellow investors is that startup founders often talk way too long, and neglect to cover the most relevant points. If you start by pitching your extended life story, that’s the wrong point.

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Slides Funding Technical Review Startup 147

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 21, 2010

If you’re a startup and you don’t have a close relationship with a few law firms you’re really missing one of the most important relationships that any entrepreneur can have. Many people start companies arse backwards. I write about some of the lessons in my post on Startup Mistakes.

Startup 318

Startup IP Southern California Entrepreneur 318

TechCrunch LA

FEBRUARY 20, 2019

Capitalism is fundamentally about timing, since market competition is about finding opportunities before others. When should you start a company? What company should you start? When should a VC invest? Most startups die. Most VCs don’t make money. Start evaluating your predictions: were they correct?

Venture Capital 202

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Invest 202

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 20, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series, “ Pitching a VC.&# Getting a meeting with a prominent angel or VC is difficult enough. Some advice on how to do that was covered in this link – Getting Access to a VC. Despite best intentions they probably won’t follow up on their actions. ENTREPRENEUR NEXT STEPS.

Venture Capital 277

Venture Capital Startup Email News 277

Tech Coast Venture Network

MARCH 9, 2011

After years of cloudy skies in Startupland, the sun is peeking out, and investors are tipping their toes back into the wading pool. But as the stock market edges ever higher and the wealthier feel healthier, there’s a good chance that American startups will also get their moment in the sun. million in angel and venture capital.

Tips 100

Tips Capital Tech Coast Angels Screening 100

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2013

I have long advised startup companies that if you don’t control your messaging somebody else will and your potential customers will form impressions of you shaped by somebody else or by nobody at all. I have published many of these PR Tips before. I have published many of these PR Tips before. It is neither.

Technical Advisors 385

Technical Advisors Marketing Startup Venture Capital 385

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 12, 2010

We started with our financial statements. So I changed things up and became much happier with my results. 1. Set two strategic topics per board meeting and start with them – I bet most of you feel that you have pretty talented people around the table but you get stuck talking about the minutiae of your business.

Startup 331

Startup Slides Guide Writing 331

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 15, 2010

Last night I attended the inaugural Open Angel Forum event started by Jason Calacanis , a fellow LA resident. Jason started the Open Angel Forum in response to his frustration that entrepreneurs were being charged by some angel organizations to present at their events. He wrote an excellent blog post on this topic.

Angel 254

Angel Startup Tech Coast Angels MyShape 254

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 21, 2010

This is part of my ongoing series on Startup Advice. As startup entrepreneurs we all want to work with them because having their name as reference clients makes it so much easier for marketing, PR, selling to other customers, fund raising and even recruiting. Large companies can be strange sometimes. Sometimes it actually does.

Startup 298

Startup Sales Slides Metrics 298

socalTECH

MARCH 12, 2012

Are you an entrepreneur looking for funding or to help get your business started? Santa Monica-based Docstoc has a new iPhone app for you, focused entirely on how to raise venture capital and get a business started.

Santa Monica 183

Santa Monica Venture Capital Tips Guide 183

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 22, 2012

Even if you have booked an hour with a VC, you should plan to talk only for the first fifteen minutes. The biggest complaint I hear from investors is that startup founders often talk way too long, and neglect to cover the most relevant points. If you start by pitching your extended life story, that’s the wrong point.

Tips 97

Tips Slides Technical Review Startup 97

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 4, 2011

It’s a very important concept for me because in a startup you are constantly under pressure and have way too many distractions. Commitment & urgency are key drivers of success in startup businesses. I was recently talking with a startup company who wanted me to try their product. You already know it from your personal lives.

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Metrics Startup SEO Customer 346