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Is the Lean Startup Dead?

Steve Blank

Reading the NY Times article “ Jeffrey Katzenberg Raises $1 Billion for Short-Form Video Venture, ” I realized it was time for a new startup heuristic: the amount of customer discovery and product-market fit you need to find is inversely proportional to the amount and availability of risk capital. ” Fire, Ready, Aim. And it may work.

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Does the Size of a VC Fund Matter?

Both Sides of the Table

It’s also meaningless if they had four $200 million funds and the last one they closed was in 2000. Unfortunately over the period of 2000-2010 the VC industry hasn’t performed well and therefore the number of funds going forward is likely to reduce greatly. And funds also have investments from the partners of the firm.

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8 Ways The Maker Movement Turns Ideas Into Businesses

Startup Professionals Musings

In today’s fast moving market, the basic product development cost and time are critical to survival. With the new rapid prototyping tools, products can be physically built for analysis, rather than just conceptualized. Provides networking with cofounders and strategic partners. These ideas can grow quickly into real products.

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What’s Really Going on in the VC Industry? What Does it Mean for Startups?

Both Sides of the Table

The VC industry grew dramatically as a result of the Internet bubble - Before the Internet bubble the people who invested in VC funds (called LPs or Limited Partners) put about $50 billion into the industry and by 2001 this had grown precipitously to around $250 billion. Partners leave the industry. The music stops.

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6 Stories of Successful New Entrepreneurs to Inspire Your Business

Up and Running

Thanks to assistance from SBIR-funded research, iRobot was able to conquer the thorny challenge of moving a project from the demonstration stage to a marketable and profitable product. Since its inception, iRobot has sold over 30 million robots globally. Black Diamond — Skiing to success.

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Pricing determines your business

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

Price is as important as any other feature to determine product/market “fit.” ” How many times have you seen someone struggle with an inferior product because they cannot afford the better one? Price is inextricably linked to brand, product, and purchasing decisions — by whom, why, how, and when.

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Will Your Startup Get Venture Capital or IPO in 2013?

Startup Professionals Musings

billion from 49 listings, and represented the strongest annual period for IPOs since 2000. Use friends, family, and angels, if possible, to get a product, revenue, and customers first before the VC connection. Investment firms specialize by business sectors, and each partner within the firm has a specialty.