A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

FEBRUARY 14, 2012

This is part of an ongoing startup advice series where I answer (anonymized!) But this was 2002 when AdWords was affordable and I had no competitors, so you can’t repeat that — it doesn’t matter how I did it. Maybe you worked there or a co-founder or investor has some juice). It wasn’t true for me either.

Customer 231

Customer Software Review IP Technical Review 231

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2010

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. Investors often say that successfully navigating the early stages of a startup requires lots of street smarts, guts, and luck.

Founder 228

Founder Early Stage Startup Entrepreneur 228

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 9, 2010

During my second startup we never considered using cloud computer processing for our real-time processes but we did run some batch processes there. But sure enough over time Amazon was able to prove that they could reliably meet performance targets and so many startups bet their who infrastructure on Amazon. Processing. Management.

Cloud 343

Cloud Technical Review Database Semantic 343

Agile VC

DECEMBER 4, 2014

I like to say that “there are only co-founders” — it’s extraordinarily rare for a successful business to have just a sole founder. But not all co-founders are equal in terms of title, ownership, responsibilities, and so forth. Sometimes co-founders put off the equity split question for some time.

Cofounder 255

Cofounder Equity Founder Sweat Equity 255

om.co

FEBRUARY 5, 2013

Om Malik is the founder of GigaOM. He is the founder of Desiparty.com. Evolution of a Founder: Lessons I have learned. Being a startup founder is hard, tough, frustrating and rewarding – possibly all within the space of a nanosecond. Are You Winning As a Founder? His full bio is here. To tell my story.

Founder 80

Founder Conversion Distribution Silicon Valley 80

View from Seed

DECEMBER 4, 2019

So far in this post, I’ve honed in mostly on the top-quartile threshold, which masks the power-law that is exhibited in both startups and the VC industry. In looking at the data, it’s interesting to note that the TVPI for funds from 2002-2006 is pretty weak. So, how good is an outlier fund? The post How is the VC Asset Class Doing?

LP 256

LP IRR Distribution Portfolio 256

VC Cafe

MAY 26, 2022

The top reason startups fail is lack of market need. But if you dig deeper, one of the reasons startups run out of cash or don’t find product market fit is ineffective teams. Startup CEOs would benefit from understanding the answers to these questions: Do team members openly and readily disclose their opinions?

Startup 148

Startup Portfolio Restful Revenue 148

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

I recently spoke at the Founder Showcase at the request of Adeo Ressi. I know that most people who are close to them tend to deny their existence, as we saw in the great housing bubble of 2002-2007 and the dot com bubble of 1997-2000. I said that at the Founder Showcase, too. That happened a lot in 2002 and again in 2008.

Saudi Arabia 309

Saudi Arabia Valuation IPO Technical Review 309

Agile VC

MAY 26, 2011

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. Many assume it was a cakewalk, based on the success LinkedIn has enjoyed over time and the current stature of our founder/CEO Reid Hoffman (now Chairman). Silicon Valley is still emerging from the tech bubble and massive downturn of late 2000-2002. How to Evaluate Firms for a Seed VC.

Term Sheet 178

Term Sheet Silicon Valley Technical Review Social Network 178

Agile VC

JUNE 17, 2015

I’ve observed what may be an emerging trend, at least in some startups, that I find somewhat unsettling. But I think it’s important to discuss, particularly given today’s heady environment for startups. But I think it’s important to discuss, particularly given today’s heady environment for startups.

Startup 188

Startup Cofounder Seed Stage IPO 188

ReadWriteStart

JULY 6, 2020

Here is guerrilla marketing — how to growth hack your startup. I know first hand how frustrating it can be for entrepreneurs who believe in their startup so strongly but are struggling to get the traction they need. Our team quickly realized we needed to do something extra to fast track this startup’s visibility.

Marketing 156

Marketing Startup Guerilla Canada 156

Agile VC

DECEMBER 4, 2014

I like to say that “there are only co-founders” — it’s extraordinarily rare for a successful business to have just a sole founder. But not all co-founders are equal in terms of title, ownership, responsibilities, and so forth. Sometimes co-founders put off the equity split question for some time.

Cofounder 173

Cofounder Equity Founder Sweat Equity 173

Duct Tape Marketing

SEPTEMBER 29, 2022

A Startup Journey With GrubHub Founder Mike Evans written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing. Questions I ask Mike Evans: [1:46] Could you give us a high-level overview of the startup of Grubhub to IPO to what you’re doing now? More About Mike Evans: Hangry: A Startup Journey. Like this show?

Founder 80

Founder Chicago Kansas Startup 80

The Startup Magazine

MAY 31, 2017

Outcomes from a national study conducted by the Center for an Urban Future that reported a dramatic 52 percent growth in woman-owned business formation from 2002 to 2012.( The research suggested the best states for startup activity included New York, Memphis and Dallas. Contact dianemiddlebrooks@itascabank.com for more information.

Founder 94

Founder Memphis Chicago Alaska 94

Austin Startup

OCTOBER 9, 2017

Meet some of the incredible female entrepreneurs who have volunteered to work with the girls in Latinitas by serving as mentors, career presenters, and judges at our 2017 Startup Chica Conference. She decided to stay in Austin because of the exciting and dynamic startup culture. She is married with two beautiful children.

Founder 62

Founder Iowa Cofounder Mexico 62

abovethecrowd.com

JULY 23, 2014

Eric demonstrated a unique passion for startups and entrepreneurship from an early age. After graduating from Stanford in mathematical and computer science when he was just 19, Eric joined the newly-formed enterprise software company Loudcloud (which became Opsware in 2002). He stayed briefly at HP as a vice president.

Partner 74

Partner Software Review Technical Review Acquisition 74

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 23, 2015

But not everybody has the right skills to build a highly successful and valuable startup from scratch. For some aspiring to be tech entrepreneurs, I often suggest a two-step process, as I argued in this post that “ The First Startup Founder You Need to Invest in Is You.”

Technical Review 150

Technical Review Liquidation Preference Silicon Valley IP 150

View from Seed

JUNE 17, 2015

I’ve observed what may be an emerging trend, at least in some startups, that I find somewhat unsettling. But I think it’s important to discuss, particularly given today’s heady environment for startups. But I think it’s important to discuss, particularly given today’s heady environment for startups.

Startup 120

Startup Cofounder Seed Stage IPO 120

Austin Startup

OCTOBER 22, 2017

You’ve decided to undertake a startup, now how exactly are you going to go about that? Yes, there are a few self-taught naturals, like Bubba Watson, and, uh…Sam Snead (1912–2002). Allow me to emphasize that native talent and temperament have a lot to do with how you determine your goal, whether it’s golf or creating a startup.

Technical Review 48

Technical Review Incubator Software Review Vertical 48

Steve Blank

JULY 6, 2016

The show follows the journeys of founders who share what it takes to build a startup – from restaurants to rocket scientists, to online gifts to online groceries and more. From 2002-08 Sec. Next on Entrepreneurs are Everywhere : Jessica Mah , founder of InDinero and Peg Burke , founder of 1185 Design.

North Korea 133

North Korea SEC Silicon Valley Entrepreneur 133

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 10, 2011

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. Investors often say that successfully navigating the early stages of a startup requires lots of street smarts, guts, and luck.

Early Stage 246

Early Stage Startup Founder Revenue 246

Agile VC

JUNE 17, 2015

I’ve observed what may be an emerging trend, at least in some startups, that I find somewhat unsettling. But I think it’s important to discuss, particularly given today’s heady environment for startups. But I think it’s important to discuss, particularly given today’s heady environment for startups.

Startup 100

Startup Cofounder Seed Stage IPO 100

Gust

MAY 24, 2012

Some commentators have suggested this is the wave of the future, signifying a shift in the balance of power from investors to founders of the relatively small, elite group of growth companies that make it to public markets. Options and warrants, when issued, are also typically exercisable for shares of Common Stock.

IPO 159

IPO Equity Common Stock Stock 159

Austin Startup

FEBRUARY 28, 2017

Let’s circle back to Latinitas’ first interaction with IBM, back to our start in 2002. It was one of the most personalized and well-tailored in-kind experiences of the agency’s history, and this was just one of the many generous contributions IBM has bestowed upon Latinitas over the years.

El Paso 59

El Paso Arkansas Louisiana Austin 59

ConversionXL

JANUARY 18, 2022

In 2002, Elon Musk created Space X. At a startup, this can be as simple as defining why the founder started the company in the first place. CXL’s founder, Peep Laja, has a specific “reason why” his company Wynter exists. Jeff Bezos’s private space technology company Blue Origin was founded back in 2000. Everyone else?

Marketing 109

Marketing Social Media Non-Compete Audience 109

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 14, 2019

by Ken Burke, founder and CEO of The entrepreneurNOW! Visionary ideas and dreams of startup success are what keep us inspired. Given that 2 out of 10 startups fail in the first year and just half make it to the five-year mark, you likely recognize that the risk-taking spirit can be potentially destructive.

Product 127

Product Startup Audience eCommerce 127

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 30, 2009

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Thursday, July 30, 2009 Techstars brings The Lean Startup to Boulder Im very excited to announce a pair of events that will kick off a very busy fall speaking tour. The event will include a talk from Eric on The Lean Startup over dinner, followed by moderated table discussion and then final Q&A with Eric.

Lean 68

Lean San Francisco Continuous Deployment DC 68

Austin Startup

AUGUST 20, 2017

August 20, 2017: This is another in my series of posts all leading up to a book on Startup Decision Making. One of the most common mistakes I see in startups is making decisions that lose sight of the context , including the past, present, and future. Sooner or later everybody in a startup knows what everyone else is getting paid.

Technical Review 48

Technical Review Software Review Cap Table Securities and Exchange Commission 48

The Startup Magazine

NOVEMBER 13, 2018

Zhitao runs Hangzhou Liaison Interactive, which is a Chinese technology-based company founded in July 2002. The name of this startup was Flipkart and they started it with $6,500. Peter is the founder of Bay Street Capital Partners. Guss is 28 years old and he is the co-founder of Octane Lending. Sachin Bansal. Jason Guss.

Cofounder 146

Cofounder Venture Capital India Valuation 146

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 16, 2014

Dave Kerpen, founder and CEO of Likeable Local , just published an interview with me on Linkedin, which I’ve included below. Angel Investment Activity, 2002-2013. These companies can range from tech startups to food trucks to retail stores. More than 90% of startups fail.[2] approx 2004-09. approx 1999-07.

Angel Investor 114

Angel Investor Technical Review Venture Capital Pre-Money Valuation 114

David Teten

MAY 9, 2012

Women-owned businesses, according to the Forte Foundation represent about 775,000 new startups per year. Department of Commerce & the Minority Business Development Agency, between 2002 and 2007, diverse-owned firms outpaced the growth of non-diverse firms in gross receipts and employment. According to the U.S.

Venture Capital 154

Venture Capital Programming Accredited Investor New York 154

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2018

Ming is the former chief of staff and strategy advisor to co-founder Jack Ma for over a decade, and outlines five key steps for automating decisions today as follows: Log and use consumer behavior and product transaction data.

Artificial Inteligence 210

Artificial Inteligence Algorithm API China 210

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 25, 2013

Investors sitting through Incubator or Accelerator demo days have three metrics to judge fledgling startups – 1) great looking product demos, 2) compelling PowerPoint slides, and 3) a world-class team. A Lean Startup methodology offers entrepreneurs a framework to focus on what’s important: Business Model Discovery.

Oakland 329

Oakland Incubator Lean Metrics 329

View from Seed

JANUARY 20, 2015

The startup ecosystem is often full of hyperbole, which is perfectly understandable when you think about it. A population of founders, employees, investors, advisors, and others all aligned in trying to build large disruptive businesses is naturally prone to lofty, even over-the-top language. The Power of Perception .

Cofounder 120

Cofounder Startup Employee PR 120

Steve Blank

AUGUST 8, 2016

Values – who and what founders and customers hold dear – were the focus on today’s Entrepreneurs are Everywhere radio show. The show follows the journeys of founders who share what it takes to build a startup – from restaurants to rocket scientists, to online gifts to online groceries and more. Ryan Smith. Lane Merrifield.

Cofounder 148

Cofounder New York City Entrepreneur New York 148

Feld Thoughts

JULY 19, 2018

“Historically, the $10 million valuation mark has been somewhat of a ceiling for seed stage startups. In some cases, these rounds were with experienced founders who had previously had a success and could dictate terms. In this six month period, the need for an experienced founder vanished.

Early Stage 105

Early Stage Seed Stage Valuation Finance 105

Startup Lessons Learned

MAY 14, 2009

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Thursday, May 14, 2009 The Lean Startup Workshop - now an OReilly Master Class My rate of posting has been much lower lately, and this is mostly due to preparations for the upcoming Lean Startup Workshop on May 29. I joined a financial services tech startup in 1999. You can click here to learn more.

Lean 60

Lean San Francisco Continuous Deployment Software Review 60