VC Cafe

NOVEMBER 2, 2019

Benchmarks are typically specific to stage/business model/geo. In Rob Go’s words: For seed and Series A deals, investors will also need to see a high-potential team with founder/market fit , a large and attractive market opportunity , and a business model with increasing returns to scale.

B2C 141

B2C Technical Review Startup Retention 141

ReadWriteStart

JULY 3, 2023

MyDawa’s presence in the market has been bolstered as a direct result of this growth, which also makes it simpler for other businesses in the healthcare sector to expand their operations and enhance the quality of the services they offer to customers. This is due to the fact that Alta Semper Capital made the investment.

Kenya 120

Kenya Artificial Inteligence Africa Technical Review 120

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 16, 2014

by Jack Narcotta, Devices Analyst at Technology Business Research. As with any large-scale acquisition, there is a degree of risk for Microsoft, especially in consumer-oriented markets such as gaming. Microsoft’s $2.5 Analogous to Amazon’s $970 million purchase of internet video site Twitch.tv

Acquisition 157

Acquisition Azure Merger Sweden 157

Steve Blank

DECEMBER 17, 2015

In the first stage the Outpost focusses on networking and partnering in the Innovation Cluster in which it is based (i.e. Stage 1: Networking and Partnering – the Technology Connectors. In addition to getting plugged into the ecosystem’s network, the first role of the Outpost is to partner. In what order?

Silicon Valley 120

Silicon Valley Incubator Acquisition Business Model 120

www.forentrepreneurs.com

FEBRUARY 2, 2010

Blog About Log in Register Startup Killer: the Cost of Customer Acquisition In the many thousands of articles advising entrepreneurs on what they have to focus on to build successful startups, much has been written about three key factors: team, product and market, with particular focus on the importance of product/market fit.

Acquisition 103

Acquisition Cost Customer Entrepreneur 103

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2017

An effective tool I see used more and more, as a prelude to a more detailed business plan, is the Business Model Canvas , first introduced by Alexander Osterwalder back in 2008. In my experience as a new business advisor, a business is nothing until people are aligned and work in sync. Key partners.

Business Model 143

Business Model Intellectual Property Startup Angel Investor 143

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2013

Over the last three years our Lean LaunchPad / NSF Innovation Corps classes have been teaching hundreds of entrepreneurial teams a year how to build their startups by getting out of the building and testing their hypotheses behind their business model.

Lean 319

Lean Customer Development Sales Cycle Business Model 319

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 5, 2023

Bill was relentless in his focus on getting the software PC DOS project delivered, while continually challenging us with new business models. Let me be a bit more specific on how follow-up trumps ideas for success in the key challenges of a startup, or any small business: Networking with investors, partners, and customers.

Cofounder 389

Cofounder Startup Term Sheet Acquisition 389

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 26, 2020

The JAIC is a tiny team, yet we have a product directorate with 32 products that we’re building across six verticals – all the way from warfighter health to Joint warfighting to Business Process automation, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, cybersecurity and predictive maintenance. I get that all the time. Lessons Learned.

Artificial Inteligence 408

Artificial Inteligence Fractional CTO Technology CTO 408

View from Seed

JANUARY 6, 2021

When a company is pitching a VC, there is typically one partner who is the advocate for the deal and is shepherding the process. Part of what I like about working with my partners is that I really believe that our collective decision-making is better than our decision-making as individuals.

Partner 180

Partner Distribution Founder Acquisition 180

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

I’m super excited to announce that GRP Partners led the investment in Ethan Anderson’s new company MyTime (link has LA-based merchants but will give you a good feel for the product). RedBeacon went on to sell to HomeDepot in what was considered a very successful acquisition on all sides. Let me not bury the lede.

Southern California 359

Southern California San Francisco CTO Hire SEM 359

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2022

Don’t try to build the “ultimate” business model, for all possible alternatives, in multiple business domains. You need to quickly calculate the long-term impact on profitability of pricing and business model changes. What if your customer acquisition cost assumptions have to change?

Conversion Ratio 368

Conversion Ratio Startup Business Model eCommerce 368

Steve Blank

MARCH 16, 2016

VC’s raise money from their investors (limited partners like pension funds) and then spread their risk by investing in a number of startups (called a portfolio). BTW, Angel investors do not have limited partners, and often invest for reasons other than just for financial gain (e.g., The Deal With the Devil. Successful Clinical trials?

Liquidity Event 120

Liquidity Event Founder Liquidation Preference Private Equity 120

View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 12, 2017

But while that particular model has seen success, it certainly won’t be the only way that companies will be able to create greater personalization and serendipitous discovery for their customers. Reinventing Retail. Potential Challenges.

Internet 209

Internet eCommerce Bankruptcy Technical Review 209

ConversionXL

FEBRUARY 3, 2022

Growth hacking in marketing incorporates the five stages of the customer lifecycle into the “ AARRR Framework ,” otherwise known as the “Pirate Metrics model.”. 500 Startups founder and entrepreneur Dave McClure created this model as a way for growth hackers to optimize the speed of their sales and marketing efforts in generating results.

Retention 113

Retention Marketing Acquisition Channel 113

View from Seed

JANUARY 24, 2018

For this reason, we’ve partnered with Guild members who have experience across different kinds of customers, business models, and distribution channels. This is an initiative that we will continue to refine in the coming years, but we are so excited to be partnering with these Guild members going forward.

Operations 176

Operations Cofounder Technical Review Angel Investor 176

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 26, 2021

Of course, you can find these elements embodied in many of the business plan templates and tools out there, such as the Business Model Canvas. Free” is not an exciting business model for investor interest. Highlight the strengths of the entire team and partners. Outline your key activities to win.

Intellectual Property 332

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Business Model Channel 332

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 27, 2015

by Jack Narcotta, Devices Analyst at Technology Business Research. Nadella’s efforts to reboot Microsoft positions the company to more effectively engage with channel partners and enterprise customers. growth in gross profit year-to-year despite healthy revenue growth overall.

Cloud 100

Cloud Mobile Software Review Technical Review 100

Steve Blank

APRIL 8, 2010

They collected information that justified their assumptions about the problem, opportunity, market size, their solution and competitors and the their team, They rolled up a 5-year sales forecast with assumptions about their revenue model, pricing, sales, marketing, customer acquisition cost, etc. It was an exquisitely crafted plan.

Business Model 331

Business Model Business Plan Customer Cap Table 331

Steve Blank

MAY 6, 2015

These hypotheses span the gamut from who’s the customer(s), to what’s the value proposition (product/service features), pricing, distribution channel, and demand creation (customer acquisition, activation, retention, etc.). activities necessary to implement the business model. cost structure resulting from the business model.

Lean 120

Lean Agile Business Model Customer Development 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 10, 2016

Treat distribution partners as part of your team. For example, if a new partner wants to offer new terms or prices, disclose and negotiate with existing partners before it becomes a crisis. For any business, especially new ones, this is a mistake. Recognize that terminating an exclusive arrangement is costly.

Channel 120

Channel Distribution Partner Acquisition 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 26, 2010

Non-organic growth would include OEM relationships, finding strategic partners, “coopetition,” as well as acquisitions. Even mergers and acquisitions (M&A) came early. Teaming with another company, or buying another company, can add new geographical locations and new customer segments to the business. Marty Zwilling.

Acquisition 214

Acquisition Merger Startup Bandwidth 214

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 13, 2019

An effective tool I see used more and more, as a prelude to a more detailed business plan, is the Business Model Canvas , first introduced by Alexander Osterwalder back in 2008. In my experience as a new business advisor, a business is nothing until people are aligned and work in sync. Key partners.

Intellectual Property 250

Intellectual Property Business Model Angel Investor Channel 250

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 26, 2020

Luckily, I teach with two great VCs, Mar Hershenson of Pear Ventures and Jeff Epstein of Bessemer Venture Partners who both put together presentations unraveling the mysteries of how and why startups raise money. Series B is about proving your net revenue model (can you be profitable?). Business Model.

Cofounder 431

Cofounder Seed Stage Valuation Metrics 431

Steve Blank

JUNE 8, 2021

Although the class was run completely online, and even though they were suffering from Zoom fatigue, the 10 teams of 42 students collectively interviewed 1,142 beneficiaries, stakeholders, requirements writers, program managers, industry partners, etc. – while simultaneously building a series of minimal viable products.

Lean 406

Lean Security Asia SBIR 406

venturedig.com

NOVEMBER 1, 2009

The business models within the social media realm are much different than traditional businesses. Reason : as soon as someone sits down to outline ways social networks can be monetized, another model emerges, and another model ceases. Display Ads: This is your bread and butter business model.

Social Network 55

Social Network Business Model Networking CPA 55

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2023

Government grants and industry partners are you best bet here, but Angel investors might give you $250,000 to $1 million, if you have the right business case and credentials. At this point, most Angel investors and a few early-stage VCs will be happy to talk, assuming you have the business model validated, and a large opportunity.

Angel Investor 313

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 313

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2020

Bill was relentless in his focus on getting the software PC DOS project delivered, while continually challenging us with new business models. Let me be a bit more specific on how follow-up trumps ideas for success in the key challenges of a startup, or any small business: Networking with investors, partners, and customers.

Entrepreneur 307

Entrepreneur Cofounder Term Sheet Acquisition 307

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2020

Don’t try to build the “ultimate” business model, for all possible alternatives, in multiple business domains. You need to quickly calculate the long-term impact on profitability of pricing and business model changes. What if your customer acquisition cost assumptions have to change?

Conversion Ratio 308

Conversion Ratio Startup Business Model eCommerce 308

David Teten

APRIL 1, 2021

Dan Kozikowski, Partner and Head of Platform, First Mark Capital , said to me, “Firms should match services to the stage-specific needs of companies. Relationships with Venture Partners, Entrepreneurs in Residence , and other non-salaried personnel who can help your companies. AskAnything.VC aggregates resources from all the VCs.

Private Equity 78

Private Equity Venture Capital Portfolio Equity 78

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 31, 2014

The biggest mistake for most of these startups was not understanding that optimizing their business model for the 24 million people in the Australian market would not prepare them for the size and scale they needed to get to big. But other critical hypotheses such as activities, resources, partners, channels needed testing offshore.

Global 335

Global Australia Silicon Valley China 335

Duct Tape Marketing

NOVEMBER 15, 2023

With over a decade of experience in his toolkit, he specializes in helping clients build out cross-channel acquisition systems using a mix of owned, earned and paid tactics. 03:18] What are the main challenges for those attempting the fractional CMO model? [07:17] 07:17] What is you cross-channel acquisition strategy? [11:13]

Channel 65

Channel Acquisition Framework B2B 65

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

(co-written with Jamie Finney, Founding Partner at Greater Colorado Venture Fund. Similar to the explosion of seed funds in the past decade, we (and some limited partners too ) believe these Flexible VCs are on the forefront of what will become a major segment of the venture ecosystem. FLEXIBLE VC VS. OTHER VENTURE CAPITAL MODELS.

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2015

In fact, an entrepreneur friend of mine, who made millions on her marketing expertise, asserted recently that most inventors fail in business because they refuse to believe that any business expertise or experience is worth more than 5 percent in partner equity. Intellectual property is a business issue, not a technical issue.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Intellectual Property Cofounder Bootstrapping 120

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 1, 2011

Of course, monetization of search became one of the best business models in the history of business. After AltaVista, Mike spent a year doing business development for USA Networks ( now IAC – Interactive Corp ). Quigo Lands Overture as Client, Rejects Their Acquisition Offer.

Semantic 302

Semantic Acquisition Valuation Angel Investor 302

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 16, 2009

Union Square Ventures The next morning I got to spend time with Brad Burnham , partner at Union Square Ventures talking about their investment strategy and insights about web-based businesses. Bill and his partner Fred Wilson have invested in ~30 or so companies with 27 still active. It is related to business model.

Customer Development 226

Customer Development Web Developer Customer 226

Up and Running

OCTOBER 16, 2019

You don’t need to write a 200-page document, but you will need something to hand to your banker or investor that shows that there’s a market for the problem your business solves and includes your key financial statements and forecasts. . Down the road, you might decide that you want to sell your business or position yourself for acquisition.

Business Plan 108

Business Plan Small Business Forecast Balance Sheet 108