Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Investors check your burn rate to assess your efficiency, and project your remaining runway before you run out of money and into a brick wall. Don’t wait until you are almost out of cash before managing every dollar spent, or looking for the next refueling from investors.

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Burn Rate Hockey Stick Startup Salary 223

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 26, 2021

As an entrepreneur mentor, my mission is to foster the attributes in you as a startup founder that I believe will lead to success. I know from experience that my friends who are angel investors are looking for the same indications, although none of us has a scorecard , or even know exactly what we are looking for.

Entrepreneur 341

Entrepreneur Angel Investor Partner Software Developers 341

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2020

Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Investors check your burn rate to assess your efficiency, and project your remaining runway before you run out of money and into a brick wall. Don’t wait until you are almost out of cash before managing every dollar spent, or looking for the next refueling from investors.

Burn Rate 310

Burn Rate Hockey Stick Salary Angel Investor 310

Steve Blank

JANUARY 17, 2023

Three types of organizations – Incubators, Accelerators and Venture Studios – have emerged to reduce the risk of early-stage startup failure by helping teams find product/market fit and raise initial capital. They do the most to de-risk the early stages of a startup. Reducing Startup Risk.

Technical Cofounder 346

Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 346

ReadWriteStart

FEBRUARY 21, 2021

Launching a new startup is always exciting. When you have the right idea at the right time, a startup that begins life as two people in a garage can eventually become a multi-billion-dollar enterprise. Early in your startup’s development, you’ll likely be low on capital. Accordingly, you’ll need to be frugal. Cut or Keep?

Startup 106

Startup Software Review Open Source Technical Review 106

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 25, 2020

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. These differences are the reason that investors say that they invest in people, rather than ideas.

Technical Review 308

Technical Review Kentucky Due Diligence Japan 308

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2020

Thus I often recommend that before you kick off your own business, you join another startup or existing business to see how things really work. Actually, building and nurturing the right team is the hard part, requiring communication, hiring, and leadership. Even the best college degree is not a substitute. Neither is good.

Intellectual Property 432

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Technical Review Angel Investor 432

ReadWriteStart

JANUARY 26, 2021

Launching a startup is ridiculously exciting. That’s because more than half of all startups fail within the first five years of operation. Understanding the reasons why startups fail can help you avoid such a fate. So what are the driving factors that lead to startup failure? Lack of Market Need. Poor Customer Experience.

Startup 180

Startup Angel Investor Business Model Demand 180

Hunter Walker

OCTOBER 31, 2020

Disclaimer: I’ve never been hired by a venture firm. So I’ve found that when you’re not already ‘in the door’ at a firm (ie went to school with the senior GP’s kids, worked at a startup they backed) that there are four different types of “qualifications” they are seeking. Hiring for many roles in SF, North Carolina or Remote.

North Carolina 90

North Carolina Hiring Angel Investor Technical Review 90

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 27, 2022

In my role as an angel investor to startups, I’m struck by the broad variety of advisor strategies I see in investor presentations and business plans that cross my desk. If your startup team is highly technical, an advisory board member with a strong financial and business background clearly adds value.

Advisory Board 308

Advisory Board Angel Investor Startup Later Stage 308

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2023

It’s helpful to think of startups as proceeding through several stages, which I have defined a long time ago from a funding perspective. The alternative is to work with an innovation institute to evaluate your technology, or hire a consultant. The challenge is finding and using qualified affordable support organizations for each stage.

Incubator 305

Incubator Startup Exit Strategy Institutional Investors 305

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2016

In fact, investors recognize that founders usually learn more from mistakes than from success, so a well-explained startup failure can improve their odds of funding the next time around. However, investors do expect you know the common pitfalls -- and not repeat them. Hire helpers in lieu of people who are smarter than you.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Startup Forecast Angel Investor 120

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 22, 2013

It’s your startup, so you can give early partners any title you want, but be aware of potential investor and peer implications. VCs and Angel investors like to see a startup that is running lean and mean, with no more than three or four of the conventional C-level or VP titles. Chief Sales Officer (VP Sales).

CTO Hire 244

CTO Hire Fractional CTO Startup Angel Investor 244

ReadWriteStart

MARCH 8, 2021

Every startup entrepreneur wants to see their company grow. But none of that can happen if you have an impediment to growth – an invisible (or perhaps visible) force keeping your startup from creating the momentum it needs to keep growing. . You can hire more salespeople and practice social selling. . The Competitive Edge.

Startup 127

Startup Retention Acquisition Agile 127

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2023

Many first-time entrepreneurs find themselves unable to bootstrap their startups, and also unable to find early funding at the venture capital level or even with angel investors. Their only recourse is that first tier of investors, fondly called Friends, Family and Fools. Hire an attorney to make sure the terms are fair.

Sweat Equity 274

Sweat Equity Elevator Pitch Startup Equity 274

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2020

Luckily, not all investors are looking for the same thing, so it pays to know what type of investors are most interested in what your startup brings to the table. The key is understanding how potential investors see you, and especially how they view the maturity stage of your startup.

Angel Investor 370

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 370

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Investors check your burn rate to assess your efficiency, and project your remaining runway before you run out of money and into a brick wall. Don’t wait until you are almost out of cash before managing every dollar spent, or looking for the next refueling from investors.

Burn Rate 120

Burn Rate Hockey Stick Startup Salary 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2023

Luckily, not all investors are looking for the same thing, so it pays to know what type of investors are most interested in what your startup brings to the table. The key is understanding how potential investors see you, and especially how they view the maturity stage of your startup.

Angel Investor 313

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 313

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 16, 2016

Whether you are talking to peers, competitors or investors, you as an active entrepreneur will be judged on your familiarity with today’s startup and funding jargon. This term is currently applied to recent startups who profess a current valuation which exceeds $1 billion. Could your startup be the next one? Sweat equity.

Software Review 120

Software Review Sweat Equity Accredited Investor Angel Investor 120

crowdSPRING Blog

MAY 30, 2013

. Most business owners dread having to talk with and hire lawyers. In a minute, I’ll share tips on how your small business or startup can hire a good lawyer for your business. Here are my tips on how your small business or startup can hire a good lawyer without losing your shirt: 1.

Small Business 88

Small Business Hiring Startup Cofounder 88

Up and Running

JULY 2, 2014

Picking the right attorney in your startup is as important as picking the right business partner. My business partner and I made many mistakes in our first tech startup, and so many of them were the result of choosing a lawyer who was a terrible fit. Let me paint the picture for you: We were about two months into our startup idea.

Technical Review 118

Technical Review Angel Investor Due Diligence Dilution 118

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2020

It’s helpful to think of startups as proceeding through several stages, which I have defined a long time ago from a funding perspective. The alternative is to work with an innovation institute to evaluate your technology, or hire a consultant. The challenge is finding and using qualified affordable support organizations for each stage.

Incubator 429

Incubator Startup Exit Strategy Institutional Investors 429

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2023

Unfortunately, in my experience as an angel investor, about ninety percent of new business efforts fall short , leading me to believe that many of you may be better off staying where you are. You should pick an idea that you can hand off quickly to investors, or one you can grow as a legacy for your family.

Startup 237

Startup Angel Investor Matching Metrics 237

Gust

APRIL 27, 2014

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 are eight key business tasks that relate to almost every startup, generally prioritized by criticality. Manage human resources.

Startup 187

Startup Institutional Investors Angel Investor Bootstrapping 187

Austin Startup

JULY 22, 2017

Back in December 2016 I had the idea to develop a startup pledge for diversity and inclusion here in Austin and since have informally been working with some folks to develop the idea. In the years following its implementation, the number of minorities hired to fill head-coach roles doubled. I’ve named the Walker Rule after Madam C.

Austin 54

Austin Angel Investor Startup Term Sheet 54

The Startup Magazine

OCTOBER 14, 2019

Startup companies can be a great source of income and career satisfaction. When people want to begin a startup company, there are several common-sense principles that they should follow. Vlad Rigenco offers 9 important tips on beginning a startup company and names some of the pitfalls that can happen along the way. A Great Idea.

Limited Liability Company 82

Limited Liability Company Startup Angel Investor Small Business Administration 82

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 1, 2014

One of the biggest myths in the business world is that startups are no place for Baby Boomers, that aging generation born between 1945 and 1964. Today people over 55 are almost twice as likely to create successful startups as Gen-Y, age 20 to 34. boomers entrepreneurs gen-x gen-y startups' Member of the Advisory Board.

Entrepreneur 266

Entrepreneur Advisory Board Dividend Angel Investor 266

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 1, 2010

It’s your startup, so you can give early partners any title you want, but be aware of potential investor and peer implications. VCs and angel investors like to see a startup that is running lean and mean, with no more than three or four of the conventional C-level or VP titles. Chief Sales Officer (VP Sales).

CTO Hire 227

CTO Hire Fractional CTO Startup Angel Investor 227

View from Seed

MARCH 24, 2021

Free Template for Great Startup Pitch Decks, Direct from VCs. All investors will pass at some price, but it’s more likely that an investor will stretch on price once they are emotionally bought-in on an investment vs. up front in the beginning.” ’ like all startups have to, but also “why invest now?'”

Seed Stage 177

Seed Stage Hiring IPO Analytics 177

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2014

Cashflow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Investors check your burn rate to assess your efficiency, and project your remaining runway before you run out of money and into a brick wall. Don’t wait until you are almost out of cash before managing every dollar spent, or looking for the next refueling from investors.

Burn Rate 262

Burn Rate Hockey Stick Entrepreneur Salary 262

Up and Running

AUGUST 30, 2021

Your startup becomes irrelevant. One way to do this before starting your own business is by working for a startup or small fast-paced company in your field. Work at a startup before building your own. It can be a small and nimble startup like Origin, or a company with 50 employees and hiring more every quarter.

Entrepreneur 132

Entrepreneur Lean Colorado Engineer 132

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 10, 2015

Now you need to achieve your goal of getting the desired success from your startup venture. You already know that most startups fail within the first three years of business due to making mistakes that set them back to where they started or worse, into closure. Hire the right people! Welcome to the world of entrepreneurship.

Due Diligence 100

Due Diligence Startup Angel Investor Hiring 100

Up and Running

NOVEMBER 26, 2018

Startups have to deal with starting costs and ongoing businesses have to finance growth and working capital. Are you a startup or ongoing business? For example, many ongoing businesses have access to standard business loans from a traditional bank that would not be available to startups. Myth #3: Business plans sell investors.

SBA 161

SBA Venture Capital Angel Investor Technical Review 161

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2014

It’s your startup, so you can give early partners any title you want, but be aware of potential investor and peer implications. VCs and Angel investors like to see a startup that is running lean and mean, with no more than three or four of the conventional C-level or VP titles. Chief Sales Officer (VP Sales).

CTO Hire 252

CTO Hire Fractional CTO Angel Investor Public Relations 252

VC Cafe

MAY 17, 2023

billion acquisition by Google for Waze and $900M Moovit acquisition by Intel) Uri has also been involved in various startups, especially on the consumer front, as an angel investor. It starts from how founders pitch their startups. The true goal is to address a problem , with the solution serving as a conduit to that end.

Founder 103

Founder Cofounder Technical Review Angel Investor 103

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2013

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. These differences are the reason that investors say that they invest in people, rather than ideas.

Technical Review 278

Technical Review Entrepreneur Kentucky Due Diligence 278

View from Seed

MAY 14, 2020

Meet our experts: Jessica Meher – Angel investor, startup advisor, and founder. InVision invested, early on, on hiring great people, building “fun” into work, having great benefits, giving each person big responsibilities, and being transparent about company goals and performance. Do you do interviews remote?

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Management Hiring Wiki Employee 218