Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2013

Did you ever wonder why some entrepreneurs always seem to have all the luck and success, while others never seem to catch a break? As an Angel investor, I quickly learned that luck has very little to do with it, and I now look for some personal characteristics and leadership styles that separate the potential winners from the losers.

Technical Review 278

Technical Review Entrepreneur Kentucky Due Diligence 278

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 2, 2013

The hot term these days is “viral marketing”, meaning we won’t do any marketing, but our product is so great that everyone will know about us anyway by word of mouth and through Internet social networks. VCs and angel investors hear this one all the time. Investors like laser focus on a market-need causing real pain.

Sweat Equity 277

Sweat Equity Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Viral 277

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

If you have been working 20 hours a day, and spent your last dollar, but have no results to show, investors will be sympathetic, but will probably tell you that your dream doesn’t have wheels. I hear a lot of entrepreneurs contemplating their great “idea” for several years with little discernable progress, and looking for money to start.

Intellectual Property 281

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Sweat Equity CTO Hire 281

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 16, 2022

If your startup is looking for an angel investor, it makes sense to present your plan to flocks of angels, and assume that at least one will swoop down and scoop you up. The challenge is to find the right angel for you, and for your situation. Angel investors are people too. USA Angel Investment Network.

North America 337

North America Accredited Investor Angel Investor Angel Groups 337

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 11, 2017

If your startup is looking for an angel investor, it makes sense to present your plan to flocks of angels, and assume that at least one will swoop down and scoop you up. The challenge is to find the right angel for you, and for your situation. Angel investors are people too. USA Angel Investment Network.

Angel Investor 167

Angel Investor North America Accredited Investor Angel Groups 167

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 20, 2013

If your startup is looking for an Angel investor, it makes sense to present your plan to flocks of Angels, and assume that at least one will swoop down and scoop you up. The challenge is to find the right Angel for you, and for your situation. Angel investors are people too. New England Investment Network.

Angel Investor 270

Angel Investor North America Rhode Island Accredited Investor 270

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. Network to the maximum with investor connections.

Angel Investor 260

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch Angel Groups 260

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

JUNE 7, 2023

The cost of entry to the entrepreneur lifestyle is at an all-time low, but the challenge of winning and success is at an all-time high. Customers have come to expect disruptive change, so yet another social network is not the way to get traction. Entrepreneurs in this category are real risk takers, such as Elon Musk.

Angel Investor 297

Angel Investor Leadership Social Network Startup 297

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. Reserve the company name on social networks to protect it. Network to the maximum with investor connections.

Angel Investor 224

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Technical Review Elevator Pitch 224

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. Reserve the company name on social networks to protect it. Network to the maximum with investor connections.

Intellectual Property 249

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Technical Review Elevator Pitch 249

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 16, 2015

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.

Las Vegas 120

Las Vegas Silicon Valley Phoenix Montana 120

Gust

DECEMBER 16, 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. Network to the maximum with investor connections.

Angel Investor 179

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch Angel Groups 179

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

The hot term these days is “viral marketing”, meaning we won’t do any marketing, but our product is so great that everyone will know about us anyway by word of mouth and through Internet social networks. VCs and angel investors hear this one all the time. Investors like laser focus on a market-need causing real pain.

Sweat Equity 238

Sweat Equity Intellectual Property Startup Viral 238

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2016

Did you ever wonder why some entrepreneurs always seem to have all the luck and success, while others never seem to catch a break? As an angel investor, I quickly learned that luck has very little to do with it, and I now look for some personal characteristics and leadership styles that separate the potential winners from the losers.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Kentucky Due Diligence Japan 120

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2019

Investing in entrepreneurs and startups is a fun but different world from investing in conventional stocks, bonds, and commodities. Don’t be fooled by thinking that social networks are hot, so you should invest in the next startup you see in that realm. Fund an entrepreneur you know and trust.

Liquidity Event 224

Liquidity Event SEC Entrepreneur Accredited Investor 224

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2020

The cost of entry to the entrepreneur lifestyle is at an all-time low, but the challenge of winning and success is at an all-time high. Customers have come to expect disruptive change, so yet another social network is not the way to get traction. Entrepreneurs in this category are real risk takers, such as Elon Musk.

Angel Investor 359

Angel Investor Leadership Social Network Matching 359

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2011

The hot term these days is “viral marketing”, meaning we won’t do any marketing, but our product is so great that everyone will know about us anyway by word of mouth and through Internet social networks. VCs and angel investors hear this one all the time. Investors like laser focus on a market-need causing real pain.

Sweat Equity 246

Sweat Equity Intellectual Property Viral Social Network 246

Gust

FEBRUARY 22, 2014

A quick look at the really nice sites developed in just a few months by companies like CircleUp, FundersClub, Bolstr, Seedrs, et al will show you that the base technical challenge of creating a marketplace/social network is not particularly difficult.

Belarus 107

Belarus Kazakhstan Portugal Accredited Investor 107

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2012

If you have been working 20 hours a day, and spent your last dollar, but have no results to show, investors will be sympathetic, but will probably tell you that your dream doesn’t have wheels. I hear a lot of entrepreneurs contemplating their great “idea” for several years with little discernable progress, and looking for money to start.

Intellectual Property 260

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 260

The Next Web

JANUARY 27, 2013

There will inevitably be delays as the SEC works to implement a new framework to support this legislation, but it would be wise for entrepreneurs to start comparing equity crowdfunding with their alternative options now. They market it on their social networks, to their friends and family, and through press outreach.

SEC 146

SEC Equity United States Technical Review 146

mashable.com

OCTOBER 16, 2010

Not only that, but the growing battle between venture capital firms and “super angels&# presents an amazing opportunity for entrepreneurs trying to build the next big thing. The YCombinator founder believes this means great things for entrepreneurs. Angel rounds also tend to close quicker.

Angel Investor 83

Angel Investor Venture Capital Social Media Technical Review 83

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 17, 2011

If you have been working 20 hours a day, and spent your last dollar, but have no results to show, investors will be sympathetic, but will probably tell you that your dream doesn’t have wheels. I hear a lot of entrepreneurs contemplating their great “idea” for several years with little discernable progress, and looking for money to start.

Intellectual Property 253

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 253

Duct Tape Marketing

APRIL 6, 2022

Founders Space was ranked the #1 incubator for overseas startups by Forbes and Entrepreneur Magazines. Every entrepreneur must face this harsh reality and learn to master it if they hope to survive and wind up on top. More About Duct Tape Marketing Consultant Network: Learn more here. Like this show? Duct Tape Transcript.

San Francisco 97

San Francisco Technical Review Incubator Silicon Valley 97

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2014

If your startup is looking for an Angel investor, it makes sense to present your plan to flocks of Angels, and assume that at least one will swoop down and scoop you up. The challenge is to find the right Angel for you, and for your situation. Angel investors are people too. New England Investment Network.

North America 289

North America Rhode Island Accredited Investor Angel Investor 289

mashable.com

OCTOBER 16, 2010

Not only that, but the growing battle between venture capital firms and “super angels&# presents an amazing opportunity for entrepreneurs trying to build the next big thing. The YCombinator founder believes this means great things for entrepreneurs. Angel rounds also tend to close quicker.

Angel Investor 84

Angel Investor Venture Capital Social Media Technical Review 84

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 11, 2010

I meet with dozens of entrepreneurs a week. When I get funded,” the entrepreneur thinks, “I can build a prototype, hire a development team, go to market, scale more quickly, and beat my competition.” Remember “ The Social Network ” movie about Facebook? By Francine Hardaway, Ph.D. And many of those ways are negative.

Advisory Board 233

Advisory Board Cofounder Phoenix Arizona 233

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 3, 2015

There’s a reason why Nesta reports that angels who invest in industries they know are more likely to make returns on their investment. Keep that in mind when you select your first investors. Look for investors who have either been entrepreneurs themselves or have invested in early stage companies that have gone on to be successful.

Angel Investor 100

Angel Investor Early Stage Due Diligence Cofounder 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2010

If you have been working 20 hours a day, and spent your last dollar, but have no results to show, investors will be sympathetic, but will probably tell you that your dream vehicle doesn’t have wheels. Talk and time are cheap, but they need to understand that investors judge past results as a good indicator of future expectations.

Intellectual Property 222

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 222

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2018

The cost of entry to the entrepreneur lifestyle is at an all-time low, but the challenge of winning and success is at an all-time high. Customers have come to expect disruptive change, so yet another social network is not the way to get traction. Entrepreneurs in this category are real risk takers, such as Elon Musk.

Angel Investor 215

Angel Investor Leadership Social Network Matching 215

The Next Web

JANUARY 24, 2014

We are the most active Twitter country in the world (measured by tweets per account) and the third most socially networked. At home we have entrepreneurs who think global day one. Of course I am not suggesting we should do away with social benefits for the sake of creating an artificial level of scrappiness.

Netherlands 143

Netherlands Technical Review Stock Silicon Valley 143

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2010

The hot term these days is “viral marketing”, meaning we won’t do any marketing, but our product is so great that everyone will know about us anyway by word of mouth and through Internet social networks. VCs and angel investors hear this one all the time. Investors like laser focus on a market-need causing real pain.

Sweat Equity 130

Sweat Equity Intellectual Property Startup Viral 130

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 29, 2010

We received so much positive feedback from our This Week in Venture Capital show walking through valuation calculations & term sheets that we decided to do a Q&A show this week to address topics that entrepreneurs want to learn about. on the entrepreneur side of the table) when I raised at too high of a price. This is wrong.

Venture Capital 282

Venture Capital Term Sheet Valuation Stock Options 282

ReadWriteStart

MARCH 1, 2011

Over the weekend there has been some controversy surrounding AngelList , the network that connects startup entrepreneurs and investors. Before AngelList, investment dealflow was private and networks revolved around a few connected angels and VC?s. To my surprise, VC? To my surprise, VC? Just look at AngelList?'s

Technical Review 123

Technical Review Due Diligence Cofounder Startup 123

mashable.com

NOVEMBER 3, 2010

This dynamic births serial entrepreneurs and motivates angels and venture capitalists to pull their friends into investment deals. For the first-time entrepreneur or founder looking for seed stage funding, this circle can be especially difficult to penetrate.

Angel Investor 80

Angel Investor Startup San Francisco Social Media 80

VC Cafe

MARCH 28, 2011

Now, when your friend’s birthday comes round, one person can identify a gift, click on the product page’s Group Gifting widget, and invite a group of friends via social networks to contribute to paying for the gift online. An organizer can invite the gift-giving participants either through social networks or email invitations.

Widget 97

Widget eCommerce Early Stage 97