Gust

OCTOBER 6, 2011

In my conversations with people in the startup world – from angel investors through entrepreneurs and employees with vast startup experience – I often hear about their perceptions of the marketing role as being pretty limited to acquisition. It is shocking to me how prevalent this POV is. I can’t count the times I heard people saying that “product development defines the product, and marketing gets the customers”.

Acquisition 87

Acquisition Marketing CPA PPC 87

Gust

OCTOBER 5, 2011

Last week , we gave some attention to the “why” behind convertible note financing for early stage startups. In this installment, I’ll dig into the “how” by dissecting an example term sheet based on a real deal. For those playing at home, you may find it helpful to download the sample term sheet from my firm’s website and follow along with the commentary.

Finance 79

Finance Preferred Stock Term Sheet Early Stage 79

Gust

OCTOBER 7, 2011

The Miss Universe contest was perhaps the most devastating loss of my life. Oh, not as a contestant… as an “all in” PR gamble that failed spectacularly and essentially bankrupted our startup. It was all so tempting. We had created the first portable 3D camera: a laser-bouncing device that captured an object’s geometry while a separate sensor grabbed the 2D image.

Las Vegas 70

Las Vegas Algorithm PR Internet 70

Gust

OCTOBER 3, 2011

For a first time entrepreneur trying to figure out the arcane world of startup financing, it can be very confusing to understand the roles that different types of investors play in funding promising companies, as well as the point in a company’s life at which they enter the stage. It is not unusual to hear people refer to “angels-and-vcs” in a single breath, even though those are two very distinct groups with different attributes.

Finance 70

Finance Venture Capital Intellectual Property Early Stage 70