Sat.Oct 06, 2012 - Fri.Oct 12, 2012

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Why “saving money” and “ROI” are probably the wrong way to sell your product

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

I can’t remember how many times at Smart Bear I tried to sell Code Collaborator with the argument that it “saves you money.” And customers demanded it — some even required that we produce an ROI spreadsheet. And we did. The argument makes sense (though it’s wrong). Code Collaborator is tool which helps software developers review each other’s work, just like an editor of a book.

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8 Entrepreneur Mistakes Which Will Kill Seed Funding

Startup Professionals Musings

A while back I received a discouraging note from an entrepreneur with a patent and a medical software application who couldn’t find a dime of investment, and was grousing that seed funding just wasn’t available anymore. After exchanging a couple of notes, I concluded that she was more likely a victim of item #1 on my reject list below, rather than a drought on seed funding.

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Are You Putting Your Rock Star Customers To Work?

YoungUpstarts

by Bill Lee, author of “ The Hidden Wealth of Customers: Realizing the Untapped Value of Your Most Important Asset “. Are you ready to grow your company? If so, the business world is full of specialists who are all too eager to help. Brilliant ad agencies and clever marketing communications experts. Highly trained salespeople. Talented product developers.

Customer 154
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Shark Tank Season 4 week 4 breakdown

Lightspeed Venture Partners

I’ve been writing up reviews of this season’s Shark Tank pitches from a silicon valley VCs perspective. Week three’s breakdown covered topics like how hard momentum is to turn around, and how participating preferred stock works. This time I’ll break down week four of this season. BACK 9 DIPS. The first company started as a BBQ catering business, and eventually focused in on their most popular product, a dip made of blended up chicken plus various sauces.

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Building Healthy Innovation Ecosystems for Your Projects

Speaker: Nick Noreña, Innovation Coach and Advisor, Kromatic

Every startup and innovation project exists within an ecosystem that either helps or hurts that project. As innovation managers, we need to keep a pulse of that ecosystem and make sure we're helping those innovation projects we're managing every step of the way. In this webinar, Nick Noreña will walk through an Innovation Ecosystem Model that he and his team at Kromatic have developed to help investors, heads of product, teachers, and executives understand how they can best support innovation in

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Why You Can't Settle For The "Minimum" In Your Minimum Viable Product

ReadWriteStart

Many startups scramble to create a "minimum viable product," or MVP, to get a version of their product to market quickly for testing. It’s a great way to cost-effectively test a website or app with real users. But be careful, if your MVP is too minimalist, it could torpedo your company's future. Guest author Matthew Zehner is the CEO of ZehnerGroup , a digital agency that specializes in launching Web startups and innovating established businesses.

Product 129
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Street Smart Disciplines Every Entrepreneur Needs

Startup Professionals Musings

As a mentor and advisor to entrepreneurs, I find it’s easy to recognize “street smarts” when I see them, but it’s hard to explain the specifics to someone on the other end of the spectrum, even if they are willing to learn. Some people argue that street smarts are only a natural born skill, but I disagree. I believe they are disciplines that can be taught and learned.

More Trending

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MakerBot Is Hiring Software and Manufacturing Engineers

Feld Thoughts

MakerBot is hiring a lot of folks but they have a two specific needs that are unique. If you fit the description, or know someone who does, please reach out to me or apply. 1. Software Engineer with a focus in Computational Geometry and Image Processing ( [link] applicantstack.com/x/detail/ a2m4ro97dz39 ). 2. Manufacturing Engineer to be a strong leader for our manufacturing teams ( [link] applicantstack.com/x/detail/ a2m4ro9s06i3 ).

Engineer 122
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Why You Can't Settle For The "Minimum" In Your Minimum Viable Product

ReadWriteStart

Many startups scramble to create a "minimum viable product," or MVP, to get a version of their product to market quickly for testing. It’s a great way to cost-effectively test a website or app with real users. But be careful, if your MVP is too minimalist, it could torpedo your company's future. Guest author Matthew Zehner is the CEO of ZehnerGroup , an interactive agency that specializes in launching Web startups and innovating established businesses.

Product 110
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Entrepreneurial Profile #2: The Expert

Up and Running

This post is the third in a series about Entrepreneurial DNA – an exploration of what makes entrepreneurs different from one another. If you haven’t already, it may be helpful to read the first post, “Do You Know Your BOSI Profile? Your Investor Do es!” before you proceed. (You will get an overview for the entire series.) In my last post, I described, Entrepreneurial Profile #1 – The Promoter.

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[Review] Our Iceberg Is Melting

YoungUpstarts

In this day and age, change is the only constant. Global economic uncertainties, sociocultural shifts and technological breakthroughs make it necessary for organizations to adapt and transform themselves to remain relevant. The question, however, is how one can drive change successfully in a stage littered with numerous failures. Enter Harvard professor John Kotter , his collaborator Holger Rathgeber, and a fable about a penguin colony in Antarctica called “ Our Iceberg Is Melting “

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Demonizing Oracle

deal architect

First came the SAP outrage about Larry Ellison’s comments in his OOW keynote. Then came my friend Josh Greenbaum’s rant about the vibe at OOW. Now comes an accusation of Oracle is trying to smear competition at a prospect. Surely.

Software 286
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10 Ways to Make You the Best Part of Your Startup

Startup Professionals Musings

If you expect to succeed in the thrill-a-minute, roller coaster ride of a startup, let me assure you it takes more than a good idea, a rich uncle, and luck. In fact, the idea is often the least important part of the equation. Most investors tell me that they look at the people first, the business plan second, and only then at the idea. If you want some tips to beat the insurmountable odds, take a look at the following concepts, adapted from Richard C.

Startup 255
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Where’s Your Wow?

Up and Running

I discovered this little piece of heaven on holidays this year. It’s a place on the Sunshine Coast in Canada , and I fell in love with it so much, I have gone back twice already. Both times that I caught a glimpse of the view, I got goosebumps and my eyes welled up with tears. In other words, I experienced 2 pure moments of “WOW.”. I think as we get older we have less of these wow moments.

Canada 78
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What Tech Startups Can Learn From Dance Crazes

YoungUpstarts

By Garrett Heath. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve seen South Korean rapper Psy’s music video Gangnam Style. Taking a life of its own, this song and dance has traversed languages and oceans to become the latest induction to the pantheon of dance crazes that capture the imagination of the populace. Tech companies, particularly startups, should take heed – there are lessons to be learned from popular dance songs. 1.

Startup 178
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Congratulations, Workday

deal architect

Readers of this blog know I am more focused on corporate buyers than investors. But an IPO is a huge milestone, and the intense interest in Workday’s offering (priced at a valuation of about $ 4.5 billion) which started trading.

IPO 275
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Google Founders Define the Meaning of ‘Exceptional’

Startup Professionals Musings

I tell entrepreneurs that Google was an “exception” to all the investment and startup rules, but I’ve always wondered what it takes to be an exception. Since every business is built by unique individuals, I’m totally convinced that exceptional people are the key to an exceptional company. To check out the Google founders, and because I still see so many business plans that are modeled after Google (more search engines, and more billion dollar growth models), I had to take a look at the definitiv

Founder 225
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The Power of a Deadline

Feld Thoughts

If you’ve ever shipped anything, you understand the power of a deadline. It’s incredibly helpful to me as an investor to also be a maker, as I get to experience the same pressure many of the people I’m investing in feel, as I try to weave the creation – in my case of books – into a very busy life. Blending the creative / maker experience with a very full manager experience is fascinating, hard, and very enlightening.

Slovenia 157
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5 Overlooked Needs For Start-up Businesses

YoungUpstarts

by Steven Wendt, Internet Marketing Manager at UV Cards. Statistically speaking, small businesses with one or more employees have a 44 percent survival rate. This means that 56 percent of small businesses fail, no matter how amazing their product or how prepared they thought they were. This is an alarming number, and considering the time and money that goes into start-up, it’s certainly worth the extra effort to make sure all your bases are covered and you don’t become one of the 56 percent.

Demand 177
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The Real Deal: Sanjay Poonen on the Triple Word Score in the Internet of Things

deal architect

This continues a series of columns from practitioners I respect. The category "Real Deal" describes them well. This time it is Sanjay Poonen, President and Corporate Officer at SAP, and a thought leader in Analytics, Big Data and Mobility. For.

Internet 244
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Some Entrepreneurial Strengths Fail on Scale Up

Startup Professionals Musings

Once you are able to achieve some real “traction” with your business (paying customers, revenue stream), it may seem the time to relax a bit, but in fact this is the point where many founders start to flounder. All the skills and instincts you needed to get to this level can actually start working against you, and you can fail to scale. Investors often say that successfully navigating the early stages of a startup requires lots of street smarts, guts, and luck.

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Kauffman Sketchbook on Startup Communities

Feld Thoughts

I just finished up at Thinc Iowa and am heading to San Francisco for a few meetings tomorrow. I had an awesome time in the last 24 hours, especially last night hanging out for three hours with 20 or so entrepreneurs at StartupCity in Des Moines. I started my talk off today by showing a video that the Kauffman Foundation just did for Startup Communities.

Community 150
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Can You Really Overhaul A Nation’s Customer Service Culture?

YoungUpstarts

By Ron Kaufman, author of “ Uplifting Service: The Proven Path to Delighting Your Customers, Colleagues, and Everyone Else You Meet ”. In a harsh global economy, great service is the price of admission. Companies whose cultures aren’t built around the ability and the willingness — no, the eagerness — to delight the customer won’t survive. You know this.

Mauritius 175
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Six Uncomfortable Questions IT Teams should ask

deal architect

This continues a series of periodic posts to recognize articles, blogs, books, videos, interviews I think are worthy of sharing. The category A Rare Medium Well Done says it nicely. Chris Murphy is one of my favorite tech influencers. He.

Video 240
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Startup Accelerators are Entrepreneur Boot Camps

Startup Professionals Musings

Business incubators for sharing services were all the rage back in the days of the dot-com bubble (700 for profit, many more non-profit). About that time the bubble burst, causing more than 80% of them to disappear. Now they are coming back, and the best even provide networking, technical leadership, and seed funding, as well as investors waving money at graduates.

Incubator 215
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See Ya Later, Innovator: U.S. Turns Its Back On Foreign-Born Entrepreneurs

ReadWriteStart

Immigration has always been the engine that drives the American economy. In Silicon Valley, foreign-born entrepreneurs have founded half the region’s startups in recent years - and kept the U.S. economy moving forward. So what happens if that innovation engine stalls? We’re about to find out. A new study shows the number of immigrant-founded startups in Silicon Valley has tumbled from 52.4% to 43.9% since 2005.

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[Infographic] Social Media Guidelines At Work

YoungUpstarts

We all need to have a work-life balance, but that can be applied to our social media use as well – especially when it comes to our professional relationships. But the truth is that many of us have trouble treading the fine line when it comes to connecting with co-workers and *gasp* superiors on Facebook or Twitter. While there are both pros and cons, it is up to you to decide if it is worthwhile extending your online social network at the risk of having unprofessional and embarrassing soci

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Of bravery

deal architect

Last week at OOW, Michael Krigsman talking of someone who speaks his mind said “he is very brave”. I am not sure if Michael meant it as a compliment, but I noted what a wonderful adjective that is. Over the.

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Corporate Spin-offs Rarely Win Against Startups

Startup Professionals Musings

A spin-off is merely a startup spawned by a mature parent (company), and conventional logic would dictate that it has a survival advantage over the lowly startup. Yet spin-offs seem to most often fail to launch in the real world. I was part of one myself a few years ago, and felt the pain, so the phenomenon has intrigued me ever since. My first thought is that spin-offs are like struggling adolescents with over-protective parents.

Startup 213
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Hacker News For Startup Communities

Feld Thoughts

I’m a huge admirer of Hacker News – it’s one of the sites I look at every day in my Daily reading routine. I scan the links, often click through to articles, and occasionally comment. I’ve decided to try a similar approach for the Startup Revolution community that I’m calling the Startup Revolution Hub. Rather than reblog a bunch of stuff that I get from the world about Startup Communities , I’m going to open up the ability to put this up on the Hub to anyone

Community 146
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[Infographic] 75% of Employed Americans Are Seeking Another Job: Jobvite

YoungUpstarts

Employers, be warned – behind that smiling facade, your employee may not be as contented with her job as you think she is. In fact, according to recruiting software provider Jobvite ‘s annual Social Job Seeker Survey , up to 75-percent of Americans currently employed may be actively seeking another job. Sure, it’s understood that employees all want a better deal in our careers, but this number is considerably higher than the 66-percent in 2011.

Employee 168
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More New Florence

deal architect

On the innovation blog Presidential Science and Technology Debate MS Windows 8 gets augmented reality Turboprop 2.0 Personal Satellites Open Blue Sea Farms The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse When I grow up, I want to be a Mars.

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Y Combinator growth benchmark

The Equity Kicker

Back in September Y Combinator founder Paul Graham wrote an essay about growth. The central point of his essay is that startups are all about growth and that is the one thing they measure at Y Combinator. According to Paul most startups should look at revenue growth, but active users is a good proxy for companies that aren’t charging their customers (yet).

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Too Busy for SEO?

Rembrandt Communications

3 Ways to Improve Site Optimization Fast The busy, fall months are here, and you are probably inundated with upcoming, holiday promotions and year-end issues… not to mention your responsibilities with friends and family. But this is no time to forget about your SEO (search engine optimization) activities. Instead, take a few minutes to think [.].

SEO 124
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Strideline Puts City Skylines On Your Socks

YoungUpstarts

You’d think athletic socks are just a fashion commodity, but two college entrepreneurs think crew socks can not only be a fashion statement but also allow wearers to declare city affiliations. Founded by Riley Goodman and Jake Director in 2009 when they were both high school seniors in a Seattle school, Strideline makes a range of crew socks that come with a design of city skylines.

St. Louis 164
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SAPs thin skin

deal architect

When I met Mark Hurd at OOW this week I complimented the fact that Larry Ellison was so on-message in both his keynotes.

Cloud 258
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Bravo's Silicon Valley: The Painful Truth Behind A Caricature Of Excess

ReadWriteStart

Sometimes I fear for the future of entrepreneurship in America. A stock market crash is a breath away from draining the cash hoards of popular venture capitalists, the Securities Exchange Commission could easily change its rules to cripple the startup ecosystem and we are one serious privacy breach away from Congress enacting Draconian laws that could cripple a world they know nothing about.