Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 14, 2009

One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is misunderstanding the role of venture capital investors. There’s lots of lore, emotion, and misconceptions of what VC’s do or don’t do for entrepreneurs. In this time, building a successful business meant building a company that had paying customers quarter after quarter.

Silicon Valley 217

Silicon Valley IPO Technical Review Venture Capital 217

Steve Blank

JULY 15, 2010

The Golden Age for Entrepreneurs and VC’s. The two decades from 1979 when pension funds fueled the expansion of venture capital to 2000 when the dot-com bubble burst were the Golden Age for entrepreneurs and venture capital firms. Until 1995 startups going public typically had a track record of revenue and profits. Here’s why.

Venture Capital 297

Venture Capital IPO Liquidity Event Entrepreneur 297

Steve Blank

MARCH 18, 2011

The Golden Age (1970 – 1995): Build a growing business with a consistently profitable track record (after at least 5 quarters,) and go public when it’s time. Dot.com Bubble ( 1995-2000): “ Anything goes” as public markets clamor for ideas, vague promises of future growth, and IPOs happen absent regard for history or profitability. (If

Internet 334

Internet IPO Silicon Valley Agile 334

Steve Blank

AUGUST 5, 2010

One could argue that there’s nothing new here, as Internet distibution models started in 1995. But these VC’s aren’t Lean because they fund startups with web-based distribution models. Entrepreneurs in the consumer Internet space should look for funding from Lean Angels or Lean VC’s. Lessons Learned.

Lean 258

Lean Internet Silicon Valley Venture Capital 258

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 11, 2011

To say he has had an impact on the web would be an understatement. He was a life-long entrepreneur and the first business he created out of college (actually, he founded it while he was at Caltech) was a company that manufactured high quality audio speakers. In 1995 Netscape IPO’d and browsers started to become more prevalent.

Product 350

Product Tuvalu Dilution Incubator 350

Startup Lessons Learned

MARCH 22, 2010

Many of these companies are started by entrepreneurs, and are now household names: Google, Yahoo, eBay and Intel. The United States is locked in a new arms race for that most precious resource -- the future entrepreneurs upon whom economic growth depends. The Lean Startup Intensive is tomorrow at Web 2.0. Expo SF (May. .

San Francisco 121

San Francisco Indiana Lean Startup 121