Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2022

I still have to tell some entrepreneurs that even with the best idea, they have to move to Silicon Valley to find the investors they need, or they need to move to the U.S. Also, investors from the super-hubs (Silicon Valley, New York, or Boston), probably won’t assume anyone outside their domain has the savvy and resources to make it happen.

Las Vegas 309

Las Vegas Silicon Valley Arizona Montana 309

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2019

The problem is that professional investors (angels and venture capital) want a proven business model before they invest, ready to scale, rather than early projections and product development. That includes estimating the money required to get to the revenue stage, and saving money to cover costs before you jump off the cliff.

Finance 320

Finance Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 320

The Startup Magazine

MARCH 10, 2018

However, what you don’t need is lawyers’ prohibitive fees, which can cost your startup hundreds of thousands of dollars — even millions — in just the first few years. Thus, as with many other expensive aspects of starting a business, many entrepreneurs like you are turning to software. But most of them remain out of reach for now.

Software Review 70

Software Review Artificial Inteligence Technical Review Software 70

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2020

Things will cost more than you expect. Always add 20 percent to your best estimate of funding requirements when approaching investors. For example, a software development startup raising $250,000 from angel investors better be able to operate on $25,000 per month. Buffer your projected resource requirements.

Burn Rate 310

Burn Rate Hockey Stick Salary Social Media 310

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 5, 2023

What most managers miss is that every month cut from the time it takes to perform such tasks cuts the cost by the value of a month’s worth of fixed overhead or burn. Ignoring the cost of product for a moment to make a point, saving a month’s fixed overhead by making processes more efficient, could easily double profits for the year.

Silicon Valley 118

Silicon Valley Burn Rate Angel Investor Down Round 118

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 30, 2019

The problem is that professional investors (angels and venture capitalists) want a proven business model before they invest, ready to scale, rather than the more risky research and development efforts. That includes estimating the money required to get to the revenue stage, and saving money to cover costs before you jump off the cliff.

Intellectual Property 219

Intellectual Property Technical Review Startup Incubator 219

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2019

As a long-time business advisor and angel investor, I’m a believer that “two heads are better than one” in building a new business. The challenge is to recognize and recruit that ideal partner match early with minimal cost and risk. In fact, I would broaden the definition of partner from co-founder to “business partner.”

Cofounder 221

Cofounder Software Review CTO Hire Founder 221

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 11, 2021

Most businesses use spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel to track their revenue and expenses when they first start operating, but this system requires a lot of manual data entry, so it can be time-consuming and easy to make mistakes. Do you categorize your revenue and costs using departments and classes?

Small Business 180

Small Business Startup Cofounder Software Review 180

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2019

I still have to tell some entrepreneurs that even with the best idea, they have to move to Silicon Valley to find the investors they need, or they need to move to the U.S. Also, investors from the super-hubs (Silicon Valley, New York, or Boston), probably won’t assume anyone outside their domain has the savvy and resources to make it happen.

Las Vegas 243

Las Vegas Silicon Valley Arizona Montana 243

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 4, 2020

Though the trend in the startup world seems to be relocating to Silicon Valley (a choice that some angel investors and ven­ture capitalists now call mandatory) and knocking on the doors of venture capital, this path doesn’t make sense for all businesses, and it’s not acces­sible to many entrepreneurs because of their life circumstances.

Entrepreneur 180

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Silicon Valley Bandwidth 180

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

Things will cost more than you expect. Always add 20 percent to your best estimate of funding requirements when approaching investors. For example, a software development startup raising $250,000 from angel investors better be able to operate on $25,000 per month. Buffer your projected resource requirements.

Burn Rate 223

Burn Rate Hockey Stick Startup Salary 223

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 14, 2014

The problem is that professional investors (Angels and Venture Capital) want a proven business model before they invest, ready to scale, rather than the more risky research and development efforts. That includes estimating the money required to get to the revenue stage, and saving money to cover costs before you jump off the cliff.

Entrepreneur 283

Entrepreneur Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 283

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 17, 2020

Many companies seek angel investors, venture capital and even family and friends’ money when they’re planning to start a company. an entrepreneur should have about 6 months worth of fixed costs on hand at the beginning. Financial intelligence is important to anyone starting a company. office space, legal fees, payroll, etc.)

Finance 193

Finance Forecast Balance Sheet Angel Investor 193

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2023

Angel investors and venture capitalists are looking for startups with real products and a proven business model, ready to scale. Even for mature startups, there is always a need for further product development and research to compete and diversify the business, and investors understand this.

Angel Investor 256

Angel Investor Early Stage Incubator Government 256

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2022

Venture capitalists (VCs) have long been seen as the top of the pyramid for startup funding sources, but in fact angel investors now fund over twice as many companies, according to a classic Crunchbase article. Individual angel investors and crowdfunding have been adding to the momentum, some say exceeding VCs in total amount invested.

Angel Investor 342

Angel Investor Venture Capital Silicon Valley Portfolio 342

YoungUpstarts

JULY 21, 2019

You may be able to save on shipping costs, as well. For example, you can replace water coolers with a filtered water pitcher to save on cost. You can find free software on the internet that does almost the same thing as your subscription-based software. This is one of the best cost-saving ideas for small businesses.

Software Review 173

Software Review Entrepreneur Cost Cofounder 173

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2013

The problem is that professional investors (Angels and Venture Capital) want a proven business model before they invest, ready to scale, rather than the more risky research and development efforts. That includes estimating the money required to get to the revenue stage, and saving money to cover costs before you jump off the cliff.

Intellectual Property 309

Intellectual Property Technical Review Venture Capital Startup 309

ReadWriteStart

FEBRUARY 21, 2021

Even if you have an angel investor or a venture capital (VC) firm backing you, you’ll have an abundance of expenses, limited income, and a finite amount of time before the money completely runs out. Oftentimes, new startups are inclined to cut costs that seem superfluous or unnecessary for the core business model to function.

Startup 106

Startup Software Review Open Source Technical Review 106

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 12, 2018

The problem is that professional investors (angels and venture capital) want a proven business model before they invest, ready to scale, rather than early projections and product development. That includes estimating the money required to get to the revenue stage, and saving money to cover costs before you jump off the cliff.

Intellectual Property 134

Intellectual Property Technical Review Startup Incubator 134

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 16, 2017

As a long-time business advisor and angel investor, I’m a believer that “two heads are better than one” in building a new business. The challenge is to recognize and recruit that ideal partner match early with minimal cost and risk. In fact, I would broaden the definition of partner from co-founder to “business partner.”

Partner 140

Partner Software Review CTO Hire Cofounder 140

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2021

Angel investors and venture capitalists are looking for startups with real products and a proven business model, ready to scale. Even for mature startups, there is always a need for further product development and research to compete and diversify the business, and investors understand this.

Early Stage 412

Early Stage Angel Investor Incubator Government 412

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2014

Things will cost more than you expect. Always add 20 percent to your best estimate of funding requirements when approaching investors. For example, a software development startup raising $250,000 from angel investors better be able to operate on $25,000 per month. Buffer your projected resource requirements.

Burn Rate 262

Burn Rate Hockey Stick Entrepreneur Salary 262

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 29, 2022

Angel investors, like me, have long figured out that asking to see the prototype is a quick way to separate the ‘wannabes’ from serious players. Software products and apps can be quickly wire-framed with free tools such as MockFlow , or even Microsoft Powerpoint to lay out the key screens.

Angel Investor 276

Angel Investor Cofounder Database Distribution 276

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 12, 2014

You will have to realign your financial thinking around opportunity costs for your business. Having a good job afforded me the luxury of giving the customer a heavily discounted rate in exchange for the rights to the software. If you’re not a strong software developer, for example, hire someone or bring on a co-founder who is.

Angel Investor 273

Angel Investor Security Cofounder Salary 273

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 2, 2017

I still have to tell some entrepreneurs that even with the best idea, they have to move to Silicon Valley to find the investors they need, or they need to move to the U.S. Also, investors from the super-hubs (Silicon Valley, New York, or Boston), won’t assume anyone outside their domain has the savvy and resources to make it happen.

Silicon Valley 149

Silicon Valley Las Vegas Arizona Montana 149

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 7, 2013

I still have to tell some entrepreneurs that even with the best idea, they have to move to Silicon Valley to find the investors they need, or they need to move to the U.S. Also, investors from the super-hubs (Silicon Valley, New York, or Boston), won’t assume anyone outside their domain has the savvy and resources to make it happen.

Silicon Valley 256

Silicon Valley Las Vegas Phoenix Montana 256

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2015

The problem is that professional investors (angels and venture capital) want a proven business model before they invest, ready to scale, rather than the more risky research and development efforts. That includes estimating the money required to get to the revenue stage, and saving money to cover costs before you jump off the cliff.

Entrepreneur 120

Entrepreneur Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 120

Gust

APRIL 27, 2014

Software Development Process via Wikipedia. Even when your startup is a one-man show and lots of fun, a “business” needs some discipline and controls to keep it from being defined as a hobby by investors, and assure some financial return. Here is another often overlooked area of process that kills many startups, both in cost and time.

Startup 187

Startup Institutional Investors Angel Investor Bootstrapping 187

The Startup Magazine

MARCH 29, 2024

They allow you to easily edit, share, and collaborate on documents without the need for multiple software solutions. Content marketing, social media, and email campaigns can be cost-effective ways to engage your audience and build brand awareness. PDF to Word conversion tools can be a lifesaver for managing documents efficiently.

Intellectual Property 132

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Business Model Bootstrapping 132

The Startup Magazine

OCTOBER 31, 2018

Even if your startup is well-funded from a variety of sources — your own bank account, business loans, angel investors, etc. — you should be looking for ways to cut costs. To that end, you should do everything in your power to keep certain costs low so you can invest more thoroughly in things that will make you money.

Cost 97

Cost Angel Investor Startup Green 97

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 18, 2012

I come from a high-tech software background, and only a few years ago, it would cost at least a million dollars ($1M) for a team of professionals to produce any commercial software product. Technology costs. Sales and marketing costs. Manufacturing cost and lead times. Savings can be huge in these areas.

Cost 255

Cost Burn Rate SEM Startup 255

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 19, 2020

Venture capitalists (VCs) have long been seen as the top of the pyramid for startup funding sources, but in fact angel investors now fund over twice as many companies, according the Crunchbase. Individual angel investors and crowdfunding have been adding to the momentum, some say exceeding VCs in total amount invested.

Angel Investor 314

Angel Investor Venture Capital Silicon Valley Startup 314

Gust

JUNE 19, 2012

Tim Berry , Founder, Palo Alto Software. Don’t believe the urban myth that you can sketch your idea on a napkin, and professional investors will throw money at you. Tim Berry , Founder, Palo Alto Software. The Cost Equation for a Startup is Better Than Ever. Tim Berry , Founder, Palo Alto Software. I like that.

Startup 180

Startup Forecast Angel Investor Software 180

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

I asked my coworkers at Palo Alto Software for book recommendations for entrepreneurs to read this upcoming fall. Palo Alto Software and Bplans founder Tim Berry recommends “ The Startup Checklist ” by David Rose. It’s an instant introduction to the high-end tech startup and angel investment scene.

Entrepreneur 65

Entrepreneur Angel Investor Virginia Oregon 65

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 15, 2017

You’ll need the appropriate HR software to manage employees ; such software should combine the storage of employee data, managing payrolls, recruitment processes, benefits, and attendance records. But, before you start hiring, think about how you’re actually going to manage the people you’re investing in.

Software Review 109

Software Review Angel Investor Cofounder Early Stage 109

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

Things will cost more than you expect. Always add 20 percent to your best estimate of funding requirements when approaching investors. For example, a software development startup raising $250,000 from angel investors better be able to operate on $25,000 per month. Buffer your projected resource requirements.

Burn Rate 120

Burn Rate Hockey Stick Startup Salary 120

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 30, 2011

This is the final part of a 3-part series on the major changes in the structure of the software & the venture capital industries. Or the Cliff Note’s version: Open Source & Cloud Computing (led by Amazon) drove down tech startup costs by 90%. The lower costs & lower barriers to entry support this.

Venture Capital 289

Venture Capital Early Stage Valuation Angel Investor 289