Up and Running

JULY 2, 2014

Picking the right attorney in your startup is as important as picking the right business partner. You can’t underestimate the importance of selecting an attorney who “gets” your business model, your market opportunity, and most importantly, your fundraising and exit strategy. We were on a roll.

Technical Review 118

Technical Review Angel Investor Due Diligence Dilution 118

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 4, 2020

Angel investors will perk up if you have a prototype or a few real customers, while venture capitalists will likely choose to wait until you have achieved several million in revenue or customer count. Here is where projections of cost, pricing, volumes and cash flow are critical. Be prepared to explain your business model.

Startup 337

Startup Preferred Stock Exit Strategy Equity 337

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2018

As an occasional angel investor, I always ask for a business pitch to get me in the mood. I’m still amazed at how many technical entrepreneurs don’t have a business pitch, and offer me their product pitch or product spec instead. Business model showing costs, pricing, and margins.

Product 145

Product Intellectual Property Liquidity Event Exit Strategy 145

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2012

I’ll skip the basics here, and highlight only key elements that investors focus on: Define the problem. Explain in terms your mother could understand, and quantify the “cost-of-pain” in dollars or time. Many entrepreneurs scare away potential investors by claiming that their technology represents “truly disruptive technology.”

Business Plan 283

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 283

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2011

I’ll skip the basics here, and highlight only key elements that investors focus on: Define the problem. Explain in terms your mother could understand, and quantify the “cost-of-pain” in dollars or time. Many entrepreneurs scare away potential investors by claiming that their technology represents “truly disruptive technology.”

Business Plan 290

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 290

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2012

The approach I recommend is to build the investor presentation first, by iterating on the bullets with your team, and then fleshing out the points into a full-blown text-based business plan document. Explain in analogies your mother could understand, and quantify the “cost-of-pain” in dollars or time. Business model.

Elevator Pitch 247

Elevator Pitch Exit Strategy Burn Rate Merger 247

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 7, 2015

Angel investors will perk up if you have a prototype or a few real customers, while venture capitalists will likely choose to wait until you have achieved several million in revenue or customer count. Here is where projections of cost, pricing, volumes and cash flow are critical. Be prepared to explain your business model.

Preferred Stock 120

Preferred Stock Exit Strategy Equity Angel Investor 120

Gust

AUGUST 5, 2012

I’ll skip the basics here, and highlight only key elements that investors focus on: Define the problem. Explain in terms your mother could understand, and quantify the “cost-of-pain” in dollars or time. Many entrepreneurs scare away potential investors by claiming that their technology represents “truly disruptive technology.”

Business Plan 182

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 182

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2010

I’ll skip the basics here, and highlight only key elements that investors focus on: Define the problem. Explain in terms your mother could understand, and quantify the “cost-of-pain” in dollars or time. Many entrepreneurs scare away potential investors by claiming that their technology represents “truly disruptive technology.”

Business Plan 186

Business Plan Exit Strategy Sweat Equity Intellectual Property 186

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2013

That means there are far more entrepreneurs looking for money than there are investors, and entrepreneur entitlement is not a realistic expectation. Angel investors look for prior domain and startup experience. This requires a visible focus on the company’s revenue model, the costs to get there, and cash on hand.

Angel Investor 269

Angel Investor Cram Down Intellectual Property Venture Capital 269

Up and Running

MAY 15, 2018

Innovative products and business models are the foundations of a promising startup. Funding is crucial for improving technology, hiring the right people, and launching a comprehensive marketing strategy to get a foothold in the market. Creating a scalable business model. Sure, it should be unique.

SBA 84

SBA Angel Investor Technical Review Startup 84

David Teten

DECEMBER 3, 2019

Investors are also mining for leads such sources as: – product crowdfunding sites ( Indiegogo *); – tech communities ( Producthunt ); – angel group platforms ( Gust ); – expert networks (e.g., – angel investor networks ( AngelList , FundersClub , OurCrowd , Republic *, SeedInvest ). .

Technical Review 78

Technical Review Software Review Analytics Private Equity 78

Up and Running

MAY 22, 2018

Every successful small business goes through four stages during its entire existence: Existence : expanding from pilot production to broad-scale production. Survival : generating enough cash flow to stay in business. Success : business model works and is stable, but there is still untapped potential. Create an MVP.

Exit Strategy 90

Exit Strategy Angel Investor Search Elevator Pitch 90

Up and Running

MARCH 11, 2015

I’ve pitched in taxi cabs, I’ve pitched on street corners, in board rooms, on stage in front of 400 angel investors. The opportunity when I got to pitch on stage in front of 400 angel investors was for the largest angel investor conference in the Pacific northwest called Angel Oregon, and we competed with 60 other companies.

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Software Review Due Diligence Exit Strategy 60

Small Business Force

OCTOBER 22, 2017

As an entrepreneur with multiple startups I founded; as CEO or senior executive of several small companies that either were public or went public; as an investment banker for dozens of small business clients; as an angel investor in various startups and small business opportunities. Less dilution!

Entrepreneur 25

Entrepreneur Angel Investor Valuation Investment Bankers 25

www.quora.com

JANUARY 16, 2011

I have come to believe during my time as an operator, entrepreneur and investor that the balance of these skills is so important to the long-term health of a business that if balance is not achieved early then the impact later can be profound - sometimes terminal. Developers who understand and can execute on a business model.

Technical Review 51

Technical Review Startup CTO Hire Cofounder 51