Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 1, 2014

In addition to being the startup entrepreneur, there are other key roles where Boomers can be a force in driving successful startups, in concert with leaders from Gen-X and Gen-Y: Early-stage Angel investors. Often the Boomer is more willing to work for equity, and easily convinced to step aside when revenues reach that next threshold.

Entrepreneur 266

Entrepreneur Advisory Board Dividend Angel Investor 266

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 29, 2020

One of the myths I often hear as an advisor to many entrepreneurs is that their lifestyle would somehow be better if they could more easily find other people’s money to build their startup. Most entrepreneurs never forget for a moment that having investors means owing money, even if they can legally argue that equity is not debt.

Bootstrapping 310

Bootstrapping Advisory Board Venture Capital Startup 310

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 9, 2020

Yet every entrepreneur I meet wants to talk about the idea, and rarely mentions the team. Thus I was happily surprised when I found the classic book, “ The Tech Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide ,” by Bernd Schoner, PhD, and cofounder of ThingMagic, which leans heavily on the people side of the equation. The industry veteran.

Technical Cofounder 308

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Stock Options 308

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 10, 2020

by Zain Jaffer, serial entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of Zain Ventures. When the time comes, the following actions can help entrepreneurs get back on their feet: 1. Running a small business can come with a slew of challenges. Among the list: the loss of a major client. Rip the Bandaid off.

Customer 347

Customer Development Team Review Advisory Board Private Equity 347

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 3, 2017

Many entrepreneurs I know are confused by definition and need for an Advisory Board versus a Board of Directors. By definition, Advisory Boards are voluntary and have no fiduciary responsibility. How much are you willing to spend on your board? Legally, Directors are accountable for corporate conduct.

Advisory Board 174

Advisory Board IPO Angel Investor Acquisition 174

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 5, 2015

From that experience, I have grown as an entrepreneur, but that “growth” came at a tremendous expense, so I thought I would share the 5 lessons I learned throughout that experience that every entrepreneur should know. Lesson Learned: Equity is the ultimate power; don’t give it away without the appropriate compensation or plan.

CTO Hire 100

CTO Hire Fractional CTO Advisory Board Software Review 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

I hear a lot of entrepreneurs contemplating their great “idea” for several years with little discernable progress, and looking for money to start. Build qualified advisory board. If you can convince a couple of domain experts, or a couple of experienced executives to join your board and be your advocate, that’s traction.

Intellectual Property 281

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Sweat Equity CTO Hire 281

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 6, 2022

Many entrepreneurs I know are confused by the definition and need for an Advisory Board versus a Board of Directors. By definition, Advisory Boards are voluntary and have no fiduciary responsibility. How much are you willing to spend on your board? Do you expect involvement in company operations?

Advisory Board 348

Advisory Board IPO Angel Investor Acquisition 348

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 3, 2010

A properly built advisory board can be a huge strategic advantage to any company. On the other hand, an advisory board put together haphazardly can be the biggest mistake for a company in the early stages of business. How do you avoid the advisory board death spiral? Select the right board member.

Advisory Board 225

Advisory Board Startup Liquidity Event Stock 225

NZ Entrepreneur

APRIL 28, 2019

Here’s how to build a startup advisory board. And while it often seems more involved and complex than it is in reality, setting up an advisory board is something you should look to put in place in the early stages of your entrepreneurial venture. Selecting an advisory board is the tricky part.

Advisory Board 67

Advisory Board Early Stage Startup United States 67

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 8, 2019

Image via Flickr by MDGovpics Many entrepreneurs I know are confused by definition and need for an Advisory Board versus a Board of Directors. By definition, Advisory Boards are voluntary and have no fiduciary responsibility. How much are you willing to spend on your board?

Advisory Board 247

Advisory Board IPO Angel Investor Startup 247

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 11, 2014

Yet every entrepreneur I meet wants to talk about the idea, and rarely mentions the team. Thus I was happy to see a new book, “ The Tech Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide ,” by Bernd Schoner, PhD, and cofounder of ThingMagic, which leans heavily on the people side of the equation. dream team entrepreneur startup technical'

Technical Cofounder 245

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Startup 245

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2020

Many startup founders I know avoid establishing a formal advisory board or board of directors for as long as possible, with the excuse that this is just another burden, or it has more risk than value to the founder. To show your commitment, and keep theirs, all board members should be compensated.

Advisory Board 336

Advisory Board Startup IPO Government 336

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 18, 2018

Yet every entrepreneur I meet wants to talk about the idea, and rarely mentions the team. Thus I was happily surprised when I found the classic book, “ The Tech Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide ,” by Bernd Schoner, PhD, and cofounder of ThingMagic, which leans heavily on the people side of the equation. The industry veteran.

Technical Cofounder 144

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Startup 144

www.instigatorblog.com

MARCH 2, 2010

The Importance of Advisory Boards for Startup CEOs Tweet When a startup receives financing it will need to setup a Board of Directors. The Board probably existed beforehand, but was made up only of the founders. Mark Macleod spells it out beautifully in his post on Advisory Boards. Why wouldn’t you?

Advisory Board 40

Advisory Board Startup Cofounder Equity 40

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

From traditional equity VC, Flexible VC borrows the option to pursue and reap the rewards of an outsized exit. Flexible VC 101: Equity Meets Revenue Share. Equity Ownership. Yes, typically preferred equity. On average, founders own just 43% of equity by Series B , declining thereafter. Flexible VC 102: Variations.

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 8, 2016

One of the myths I often hear as an advisor to many entrepreneurs is that their lifestyle would somehow be better if they could more easily find other people’s money to build their startup. Most entrepreneurs never forget for a moment that having investors means owing money, even if they can legally argue that equity is not debt.

Bootstrapping 120

Bootstrapping Advisory Board Startup Venture Capital 120

Gust

DECEMBER 3, 2011

And I don’t mean because they lend a credible name to an investor pitch: way too many entrepreneurs look at names on Advisory Board as just a way to expedite a raise. If that’s all you really expect of the Board, you’re cheating yourself as well as the investors before whom you dangled the names.

Advisory Board 119

Advisory Board Equity Naming Entrepreneur 119

David Teten

JULY 10, 2019

pre-launch, BIG equity, big peeps involved–ANY TIPS?? I’ve recruited an Advisory Board including officials from the CIA and the State Department; leaders from major family offices; and a former major party Presidential candidate. . We agree on an equity split, vesting, and initial compensation structure.

America 60

America Technical Review Advisory Board Due Diligence 60

David Teten

MAY 7, 2019

I’ve recruited an Advisory Board including officials from the CIA and the State Department; leaders from major family offices; and a former major party Presidential candidate. . The CEO is ideally a successful serial entrepreneur who has taken a startup all the way to an exit. And how do you split the equity?

America 60

America Technical Review Advisory Board Due Diligence 60

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2015

Yet every entrepreneur I meet wants to talk about the idea, and rarely mentions the team. Thus I was happy to see a recent book, “ The Tech Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide ,” by Bernd Schoner, PhD, and cofounder of ThingMagic, which leans heavily on the people side of the equation. The industry veteran.

Technical Cofounder 120

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Stock Options 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2012

I hear a lot of entrepreneurs contemplating their great “idea” for several years with little discernable progress, and looking for money to start. Build qualified advisory board. If you can convince a couple of domain experts, or a couple of experienced executives to join your board and be your advocate, that’s traction.

Intellectual Property 260

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 260

Board Effect

NOVEMBER 18, 2020

Your founders and board members won’t always have the necessary expertise you need in every area to be competitive and sustainable. An advisory board can be of great assistance to your startup by filling crucial gaps in your leadership talent. Let’s begin with the definition of the role of a startup advisory board member.

Advisory Board 84

Advisory Board Angel Investor Technical Review Startup 84

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 17, 2011

I hear a lot of entrepreneurs contemplating their great “idea” for several years with little discernable progress, and looking for money to start. Build qualified advisory board. If you can convince a couple of domain experts, or a couple of experienced executives to join your board and be your advocate, that’s traction.

Intellectual Property 253

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 253

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2010

I hear a lot of entrepreneurs contemplating their great “idea” for several years with little discernable progress, and looking for money to start. Build qualified advisory board. If you can convince a couple of domain experts, or a couple of experienced executives to join your board and be your advocate, that’s traction.

Intellectual Property 222

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 222

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 24, 2011

Advisory Board Member, 1% Senior Engineer,3 -.7% It never hurts to ask in a job interview what stock options are available, and don’t accept an offer which promises to “work out the equity terms later.” Any offers of equity compensation before the first round of institutional capital should be considered purely speculative.

Equity 234

Equity Advisory Board Stock Options Stock 234

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 3, 2015

The fourth is called an entrepreneur. The greatest exhilaration and reward in being an entrepreneur is clearly seeing things that others cannot see, and instinctively knowing how to accomplish your vision. This may be the most critical trait of any successful entrepreneur. Develop an advisory board. Get used to it.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Advisory Board Equity Exit Strategy 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 28, 2017

Retain maximum equity by requesting minimal funding. Too many business owners are convinced that listening to an advisory board or Board of Directors is a waste of time and money. Moderate business conflict is constructive and should be embraced. Never taking the time to enlist and learn from advisors.

Cost 180

Cost Advisory Board Entrepreneur Angel Investor 180

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2013

Advisory Board Member, 1% Senior Engineer,3 -.7% It never hurts to ask in a job interview what stock options are available, and don’t fall for the offer which promises to “work out the equity terms later.” Any offers of equity compensation before the first round of institutional capital should be considered purely speculative.

Stock Options 224

Stock Options Stock Advisory Board Startup 224

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 21, 2017

Advisory Board Member, 1% Senior Engineer,3 -.7% It never hurts to ask in a job interview what stock options are available, and don’t fall for the offer which promises to “work out the equity terms later.” Any offers of equity compensation before the first round of institutional capital should be considered purely speculative.

Stock 140

Stock Stock Options Advisory Board Startup 140

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 23, 2018

Many entrepreneurs and small businesses I know are struggling with business-threatening issues, but are reluctant to seek any assistance. The most common signal that guidance is desired is to establish an Advisory Board that meets regularly, which you support with regular reports and open communication.

Advisory Board 133

Advisory Board Due Diligence Equity Small Business 133

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 14, 2009

I wrote recently about the role of Advisory Boards in startups , which I expected to be a bit controversial. It’s just that many companies waste equity on advisory boards, pick the wrong advisers or set up advisory boards with the wrong expectations. What exactly is a board observer?

Advisory Board 215

Advisory Board Strategic Investors Venture Capital Later Stage 215

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2016

Entrepreneurs who are looking to attract investors need to develop and pitch a plan -- preferably written -- that answers every potential investor question about your startup before it is asked. Include advisory board member qualifications and key industry connections. Quantify founder investments, both cash and sweat-equity.

Sweat Equity 120

Sweat Equity Advisory Board Liquidity Event Startup 120

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 5, 2014

I’ve written on the expert network industry a fair amount in the past: see How to Earn More Consulting Revenue from Expert Networks and How Executives Can Work with Private Equity and Venture Capital Portfolio Companies. David Teten: What is GLG Share, and why did you launch it? In that way, we see the value from both sides.

New York 114

New York Technical Review Networking Advisory Board 114

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 29, 2015

Advisory Board Member, 1% Senior Engineer,3 -.7% It never hurts to ask in a job interview what stock options are available, and don’t fall for the offer which promises to “work out the equity terms later.” Any offers of equity compensation before the first round of institutional capital should be considered purely speculative.

Stock Options 120

Stock Options Stock Advisory Board Startup 120

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

Advisory Board Member, 1% Senior Engineer,3 -.7% It never hurts to ask in a job interview what stock options are available, and don’t fall for the offer which promises to “work out the equity terms later.” Any offers of equity compensation before the first round of institutional capital should be considered purely speculative.

Stock Options 230

Stock Options Stock Advisory Board Startup 230

Austin Startup

JUNE 27, 2017

Looking for Funds in All the Right Places: The Definitive Guide to Austin Capital By David Altounian and Stephen Straus OVERVIEW For entrepreneurs: We’ve compiled a definitive list of sources of capital in Austin to help focus your fundraising efforts.

Venture Capital 54

Venture Capital Austin Texas Private Equity 54