Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2014

As a startup mentor, I’m always amazed that some entrepreneurs seem to be an immediate hit with investors, while others struggle to get any attention at all. Finally I realized that Venture Capital and Angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary. Message delivery must be customized for each investor.

Angel Investor 268

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Early Stage 268

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

Every new startup I know dreams of being funded by an angel investor. Investors routinely go to candidate web sites to get a feel for the tone and scope of the company, as well as its maturity and offerings. Define some intellectual property. File a patent and trademarks to show real intellectual property.

Intellectual Property 249

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Technical Review Elevator Pitch 249

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2013

I’ve noticed that some entrepreneurs seem to have no trouble attracting investors, while others with a great business plan struggle with it. The reality is that angel investors are humans, and personal traits often make or break the relationship, even before the investment is considered.

Technical Review 273

Technical Review Intellectual Property Angel Investor Elevator Pitch 273

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

Every new startup I know dreams of being funded by an angel investor. Investors routinely go to candidate web sites to get a feel for the tone and scope of the company, as well as its maturity and offerings. Define some intellectual property. File a patent and trademarks to show real intellectual property.

Angel Investor 224

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Technical Review Elevator Pitch 224

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2023

Venture capital firms look for the most mature companies they can find, Angel investors typically deal a tier lower, while friends and family are most likely to help you get started. Prior to the growth stage, your company valuation is limited to goodwill based on intellectual property and team experience, since you have no revenue.

Angel Investor 313

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 313

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2012

I’ve noticed that some entrepreneurs seem to have no trouble attracting investors, while others with a great business plan struggle with it. The reality is that angel investors are humans, and personal traits often make or break the relationship, even before the investment is considered.

Technical Review 294

Technical Review Intellectual Property Angel Investor Elevator Pitch 294

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2018

Even the homework is easier, with free and mobile access through the Internet to more business assistance sources, opportunity data, investors, and competitor details around the world. Yet, as an angel investor myself, I can attest that many potential entrepreneurs try to take shortcuts, or ignore the realities of business.

Technical Cofounder 184

Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property Silicon Valley LLC 184

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

Talk and time are cheap, but they need to understand that investors judge past results as a good indicator of future expectations. Here are some tips which will signal traction and fundability to investors, as well as to your team: Document your business plan. Register some intellectual property.

Intellectual Property 281

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Sweat Equity CTO Hire 281

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 24, 2012

Every new startup I know dreams of being funded early by one of the 318,000 active Angel investors in the USA alone. Most of these investors are members of Angel groups that have a rigorous filtering and screening process, to select the top 3% and most fundable proposals. Define some intellectual property.

Angel Investor 260

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch Angel Groups 260

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2021

Business plan assistance. Every university has entrepreneurial courses or evening classes that can provide assistance on creating your initial plan. Most universities have friendly law professors, or an entrepreneurship legal clinic, to address concerns like protection of intellectual property and privacy.

Arizona 432

Arizona Phoenix Intellectual Property Incubator 432

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

If you need help building your first business plan or financial model, it’s getting easier and easier to find what you need, as well as connections to peers and investors, without an expensive business consultant. Visit the university library for access to otherwise costly business reports.

Arizona 276

Arizona Intellectual Property Accredited Investor Entrepreneur 276

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2012

Talk and time are cheap, but they need to understand that investors judge past results as a good indicator of future expectations. Here are some tips which will signal traction and fundability to investors, as well as to your team: Document your business plan. Register some intellectual property.

Intellectual Property 260

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 260

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2015

Few investors these days have the time or patience to read a full business plan, so a better way to catch their eye is with a tightly written and well formatted two-page executive summary. This is your elevator pitch and customer value proposition, and is your key to getting an investor to read even the remainder of the summary.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch Angel Investor Technical Review 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2020

Venture capital firms look for the most mature companies they can find, Angel investors typically deal a tier lower, while friends and family are most likely to help you get started. Prior to the growth stage, your company valuation is limited to goodwill based on intellectual property and team experience, since you have no revenue.

Angel Investor 370

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 370

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2023

Of course, starting and running your own business comes with financial and personal risks, so I always recommend that you do your homework first, and follow some tried and proven strategies to improve your odds of success. These are necessary to attract customers, investors, and give you a line of defense with competitors.

Intellectual Property 245

Intellectual Property Social Media Angel Investor Metrics 245

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 17, 2011

Talk and time are cheap, but they need to understand that investors judge past results as a good indicator of future expectations. Here are some tips which will signal traction and fundability to investors, as well as to your team: Document your business plan. Register some intellectual property.

Intellectual Property 253

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 253

Gust

DECEMBER 16, 2012

ABC Shark Tank Angels via Elite Daily. Every new startup I know dreams of being funded early by one of the 318,000 active Angel investors in the USA alone. Investors routinely go to candidate web sites to get a feel for the tone and scope of the company, as well as its maturity and offerings. Build a prototype product.

Angel Investor 179

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch Angel Groups 179

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 11, 2022

New entrepreneurs are always looking for a shortcut in getting their venture story and plan across to investors, and closing on the funding they need. 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.

Business Model 334

Business Model Intellectual Property Angel Investor Channel 334

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2010

Bockerstette, Main Street Venture Fund As I outlined last week, trophy angel investors are always looking for trophy entrepreneurs. Creating a strong value proposition requires substantial customer insight, thorough study, an understanding of the real value of intellectual property, thoughtfulness, and several iterations.

Intellectual Property 265

Intellectual Property Balance Sheet Phoenix Arizona 265

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 3, 2016

Every entrepreneur I know has their favorite excuse for a previous failure – an investor backed out, the economy took a downturn, or a supplier delivered bad quality. I certainly agree that starting a business is fraught with risk, and none of us get it all right the first time. A business plan is for you first, not investors.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Investor Viral 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2020

If you need help building your first business plan or financial model, it’s getting easier and easier to find what you need, as well as connections to peers and investors, without an expensive business consultant. Visit the university library for access to otherwise costly business reports.

Arizona 310

Arizona Intellectual Property Accredited Investor Dividend 310

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2010

Talk and time are cheap, but they need to understand that investors judge past results as a good indicator of future expectations. Here are some tips which will signal traction to investors, as well as your team: Document your business plan. Without revenue, your investors are largely limited to friends, family and fools.

Intellectual Property 222

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 222

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 1, 2015

Every entrepreneur I know has their favorite excuse for a previous failure – an investor backed out, the economy took a downturn, or a supplier delivered bad quality. I certainly agree that starting a business is fraught with risk, and none of us get it all right the first time. A business plan is for you first, not investors.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Viral Distribution 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2016

Remember that investors at this stage have heard primarily from the founder, and only reviewed written business plans and collateral. Due diligence is going the next step, to meet and interview all key members of the team, visit the business location and follow-up with early customers and advisors.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Due Diligence Cap Table Intellectual Property 120

crowdSPRING Blog

FEBRUARY 14, 2019

Here’s an 11 step complete guide on how to start a business. Write a business plan. Decide your legal business structure. Purchase business insurance. Create a sales plan. Find partners or investors. Write a business plan. The plan does not need to be lengthy at first.

Angel Investor 85

Angel Investor Small Business Business Plan Intellectual Property 85

Up and Running

JULY 2, 2014

We developed a kick-ass investor pitch and we started pitching it to family, friends, angel investors, and even venture capitalists for feedback. We soon got interest from an angel investor, and he wanted to invest $300,000 in our startup. The deal we made with him was he’d get 33.3% We were on a roll.

Technical Review 118

Technical Review Angel Investor Dilution Due Diligence 118

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

Another advantage of online investor and equity crowdfunding platforms is that they will force you to pull together your story and documentation in a more consistent and complete fashion than you might otherwise bother. File a provisional patent or other intellectual property.

Equity 236

Equity Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch Social Media 236

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2012

People ask me if they really need ANY business plan, unless they are looking for an outside investor. In fact, a business plan is needed more by you than investors, as the blueprint for your company, team communication, and progress metrics. Do describe your intellectual property and “secret sauce”.

Business Plan 283

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 283

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 14, 2020

After many years of working with angel investors seriously trying to find new ventures worthy of their hard-earned money, I find their frustration often exceeds that of entrepreneurs sincerely looking for financial help. Lack of intellectual property.

Due Diligence 308

Due Diligence Intellectual Property Preferred Stock Startup 308

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2011

People ask me if they really need ANY business plan, unless they are looking for an outside investor. In fact, a business plan is needed more by you than investors, as the blueprint for your company, team communication, and progress metrics. Do describe your intellectual property and “secret sauce”.

Business Plan 290

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 290

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 6, 2012

Students will even receive a minor in entrepreneurship as they develop their own business plans. Dysonics secured $750,000 in funding from angel investors to develop products that will reproduce three-dimensional, immersive sound in headphones. Harvard Innovation Lab.

Incubator 187

Incubator New York City Boston Intellectual Property 187

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 13, 2019

New entrepreneurs are always looking for a shortcut in getting their venture story and plan across to investors, and closing on the funding they need. 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.

Intellectual Property 250

Intellectual Property Business Model Angel Investor Channel 250

Business Plan Blog

DECEMBER 10, 2013

The Milestones Angel Investors Care About. When raising pre-seed capital from friends, family, and founders (FFF) you’ll want to consider the milestones that Angel investors care about and be sure to raise enough capital to reach those milestones. Intellectual Property. Market Validation.

Angel Investor 55

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Seed Capital Advisory Board 55

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2018

Venture capital firms look for the most mature companies they can find, Angel investors typically deal a tier lower, while friends and family are most likely to help you get started. Prior to the growth stage, your company valuation is limited to goodwill based on intellectual property and team experience, since you have no revenue.

Angel Investor 184

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 184

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 4, 2014

Venture capital firms look for the most mature companies they can find, Angel investors typically deal a tier lower, while friends and family are most likely to help you get started. Prior to the growth stage, your company valuation is limited to goodwill based on intellectual property and team experience, since you have no revenue.

Angel Investor 232

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 232

Gust

AUGUST 5, 2012

People ask me if they really need ANY business plan, unless they are looking for an outside investor. In fact, a business plan is needed more by you than investors, as the blueprint for your company, team communication, and progress metrics. Do describe your intellectual property and “secret sauce”.

Business Plan 182

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 182

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2010

People ask me if they really need ANY business plan, unless they are looking for an outside investor. In fact, a business plan is needed more by you than investors, as the blueprint for your company, team communication, and progress metrics. Do describe your intellectual property and “secret sauce”.

Business Plan 186

Business Plan Exit Strategy Sweat Equity Intellectual Property 186