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. Try to build a business without specific milestones or a plan.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Startup Forecast Angel Investor 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2022

In my role as a mentor to entrepreneurs and an angel investor, I find that too many are stuck in this myth that a good pitch, and good marketing content, should consist of more product features, and more hype on customer benefits. We yearn for things that engage our senses, and give us hope. We need more than facts to convince.

Angel Investor 293

Angel Investor Viral Audience Social Media 293

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 27, 2016

There is an old saying in the startup investor community, “Smart investors invest in the team, not the idea.” As an angel investor, I’ve learned to believe in this approach, since I have seen great ideas go astray, due to poor execution and I have seen apparently marginal ideas make millions, managed by a savvy entrepreneur.

Technical Review 134

Technical Review Intellectual Property Due Diligence Angel Investor 134

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 7, 2023

You may think this question is just an artifact of good television, but let me assure you that in my experience as an angel investor, it’s a standard “make or break” inquiry posed to every entrepreneur. These days, even viral marketing requires real money, for events and promotions. Make sure allocation amounts are reasonable.

Elevator Pitch 228

Elevator Pitch Salary Angel Investor Viral 228

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. Viral marketing costs real money, and your support staff and hosting systems cost even more. Offer free solutions to bring in more customers.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Investor Viral 120

Hunter Walker

FEBRUARY 20, 2024

Founder Vesting [Jared Hecht/USV] – Jared joined USV earlier this year and it’ll be interesting to see how his writing changes as he adds ‘institutional VC’ to his founder and angel investor knowledge.

Founder Vesting 60

Founder Vesting Vesting Cap Table Founder 60

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. Viral marketing costs real money, and your support staff and hosting systems cost even more. Offer free solutions to bring in more customers.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Viral Distribution 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 12, 2020

You may think this question is just an artifact of good television, but let me assure you that in my experience as an angel investor, it’s a standard “make or break” inquiry posed to every entrepreneur. These days, even viral marketing requires real money, for events and promotions. Make sure allocation amounts are reasonable.

Elevator Pitch 336

Elevator Pitch Salary Angel Investor Viral 336

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 6, 2012

Boston University’s business incubator has produced numerous success stories, including HemaQuest Pharmaceuticals with two drugs in Stage 2 clinical development to treat blood disorders and viral-related cancers, as well as Modular Genetics, a biotechnology company focused on sustainable gene engineering. Syracuse Student Sandbox.

Incubator 202

Incubator New York City Boston Intellectual Property 202

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2019

In my role as a mentor to entrepreneurs and an angel investor, I find that too many are stuck in this myth that a good pitch, and good marketing content, should consist of more product features, and more hype on customer benefits. We yearn for things that engage our senses, and give us hope. We need more than facts to convince.

Angel Investor 255

Angel Investor Viral Audience Social Media 255

mashable.com

OCTOBER 16, 2010

View more jobs » Len Williams Angels, super-angels, venture capitalists and micro-VCs - they all have their advantages and disadvantages. A lot of companies used angel investors money to get off the ground and subsequently turned to VCs for following rounds. Companies like GrowPublic, Inc.

Angel Investor 84

Angel Investor Venture Capital Social Media Technical Review 84

mashable.com

OCTOBER 16, 2010

View more jobs » Len Williams Angels, super-angels, venture capitalists and micro-VCs - they all have their advantages and disadvantages. A lot of companies used angel investors money to get off the ground and subsequently turned to VCs for following rounds. Companies like GrowPublic, Inc.

Angel Investor 83

Angel Investor Venture Capital Social Media Technical Review 83

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

FEBRUARY 26, 2019

It’s boring and doesn’t make you famous and doesn’t play into the false but common narrative that SEO and viral content will launch your startup into the market with almost no money. Angel investors want a story and celebrity by association at cocktail parties. People don’t value their time.

Restful 202

Restful Founder Revenue Acquisition 202

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

This is the second article in a series on what it takes to be a great angel investor (and why this should matter to entrepreneurs). And we all know that Ron Conway is considered the savviest of angel investors and yet by definition not all of his investments succeed. Access to Deal Flow. Domain Knowledge.

Angel Investor 288

Angel Investor Deal Flow Viral Algorithm 288

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 26, 2017

In my role as a mentor to entrepreneurs and an angel investor, I find that too many are stuck in this myth that a good pitch, and good marketing content, should consist of more product features, and more hype on customer benefits. We yearn for things that engage our senses, and give us hope. We need more than facts to convince.

Marketing 173

Marketing Angel Investor Viral Audience 173

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 26, 2018

Word of mouth and viral marketing alone are not adequate, and a website is not all you need for credibility. As an active angel investor, I do expect founders to be able to communicate a plan and progress toward these elements, just as I expect them to understand and communicate all the elements of their technology and their solution.

Angel Investor 147

Angel Investor Distribution Bootstrapping Viral 147

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 31, 2014

You may think this question is just an artifact of good television, but let me assure you that in my experience as an angel investor, it’s a standard “make or break” inquiry posed to every entrepreneur. These days, even viral marketing requires real money, for events and promotions. Make sure allocation amounts are reasonable.

Elevator Pitch 285

Elevator Pitch Salary Angel Investor Viral 285

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 20, 2023

They know how to capitalize on social media, viral marketing, events, and the new tools of the trade. Many of these new entrepreneurs come to me looking for an angel investor or crowdfunding, which will never happen. They are always ready to move on to the next big opportunity as markets change.

Angel Investor 267

Angel Investor Social Media LLC Viral 267

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2018

You may think this question is just an artifact of good television, but let me assure you that in my experience as an angel investor, it’s a standard “make or break” inquiry posed to every entrepreneur. These days, even viral marketing requires real money, for events and promotions. Make sure allocation amounts are reasonable.

Elevator Pitch 139

Elevator Pitch Salary Angel Investor Viral 139

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2013

Listen to potential angel investors, who have domain expertise, and aren’t afraid to ask the hard questions on pricing and channels. This is tricky, since you have to do realistic marketing to see realistic results, but don’t roll out the big viral campaign yet. Limited rollout. If you are on the Internet, try one city.

Business Model 235

Business Model Product Advisory Board Angel Investor 235

crowdSPRING Blog

OCTOBER 19, 2012

SaaS products aren’t viral – [link]. Angel Investors Do Make Money, Data Shows 2.5x Fatherpreneurship: How to be a Successful Father and Entrepreneur - [link]. Avoid the 50/50 co-founder model – here’s why – [link]. Want to get a job at a startup? Show them WHY. Great example – [link].

Social Media 93

Social Media Small Business Design Media 93

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2020

They know how to capitalize on social media, viral marketing, events, and the new tools of the trade. Many of these new entrepreneurs come to me looking for an angel investor or crowdfunding, which will never happen. They are always ready to move on to the next big opportunity as markets change.

Startup 410

Startup Angel Investor Social Media LLC 410

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2011

Meebo gained traction because there’s was viral component when users wanted to tell their friend. Meebo angel investors also include Marc Andreessen and Auren Hoffman. Seth constantly listened to user feedback and tweaked his service along the way to improve the user experience. Series A round.

Connecticut 286

Connecticut Cofounder Silicon Valley Web 286

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 30, 2012

Listen to potential angel investors, who have domain expertise, and aren’t afraid to ask the hard questions on pricing and channels. This is tricky, since you have to do realistic marketing to see realistic results, but don’t roll out the big viral campaign yet. Limited rollout. If you are on the Internet, try one city.

Business Model 248

Business Model Advisory Board Entrepreneur Angel Investor 248

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

FEBRUARY 8, 2010

Four ways to get automatically rejected by an Angel investor. Advice on pitching Angel investors who often have different criteria than the typical VC. VentureBeat). Also see my follow-up article: Four more ways. Ten ways to make your writing more compelling. Should I let you know about guest posts more regularly?).

Angel Investor 161

Angel Investor New York City RSS Viral 161

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 7, 2012

This means building a brand, viral marketing, and multiple expensive promotions. Early-stage investors won’t risk this much. Angel investors can’t help you, and most venture capitalists won’t be interested in contributing the first several million.

Technology 228

Technology Early Stage Angel Investor Viral 228

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2016

You may think this question is just an artifact of good television, but let me assure you that in my experience as an angel investor, it’s a standard “make or break” inquiry posed to every entrepreneur. These days, even viral marketing requires real money, for events and promotions. Make sure allocation amounts are reasonable.

Elevator Pitch 120

Elevator Pitch Salary Angel Investor Viral 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 15, 2011

Listen to potential angel investors, who have domain expertise, and aren’t afraid to ask the hard questions on pricing and channels. This is tricky, since you have to do realistic marketing to see realistic results, but don’t roll out the big viral campaign yet. Limited rollout. If you are on the Internet, try one city.

Business Model 234

Business Model Advisory Board Startup Angel Investor 234

Gust

DECEMBER 5, 2011

This means building a brand, viral marketing, and multiple expensive promotions. Early-stage investors won’t risk this much. Angel investors can’t help you, and most venture capitalists won’t be interested in contributing the first several million.

Technology 167

Technology Angel Investor Early Stage Viral 167

mashable.com

MAY 9, 2011

He is a serial entrepreneur, internationally syndicated columnist, angel investor, public speaker and author of the best-selling book Never Get a “Real&# Job: How To Dump Your Boss, Build a Business and Not Go Broke. ); // Welcome to Mashable! Sign in with Facebook or Twitter to get started!

CTO Hire 73

CTO Hire Fractional CTO CTO Technical Review 73

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 17, 2010

This means building a brand, viral marketing, and multiple expensive promotions. Early-stage investors won’t risk this much. Angel investors can’t help you, and most venture capitalists won’t be interested in contributing the first several million.

Early Stage 220

Early Stage Angel Investor Viral Technology 220

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 16, 2013

Nobody is offering to put you on their scout program and pay you to be an angel investor. “It has been a while that we’ve been trying to get the viral coefficient up but we haven’t seen progress. But not enough to get 5 offers or to delay your raise. And you’re not independently wealthy.

Burn Rate 412

Burn Rate Dilution Revenue Valuation 412

Gust

OCTOBER 6, 2011

In my conversations with people in the startup world – from angel investors through entrepreneurs and employees with vast startup experience – I often hear about their perceptions of the marketing role as being pretty limited to acquisition. It is shocking to me how prevalent this POV is.

Acquisition 87

Acquisition Marketing CPA PPC 87

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 5, 2010

Listen to potential angel investors, who have domain expertise, and aren’t afraid to ask the hard questions on pricing and channels. This is tricky, since you have to do realistic marketing to see realistic results, but don’t roll out the big viral campaign yet. Limited rollout. If you are on the Internet, try one city.

Business Model 120

Business Model Advisory Board Angel Investor Channel 120

BeyondVC

NOVEMBER 17, 2016

Our goal was to be the best first check partner for enterprise founders, bringing the value add of a VC firm while moving with the speed and conviction of an angel investor. We set out to build boldstart at the height of mobile app mania and viral growth and were faced with questions about our focus on enterprise and NYC.

Cap Table 60

Cap Table Cofounder Dividend Institutional Investors 60

Growthink Blog

AUGUST 14, 2010

Aptly to the point, Basil is the author of a great book – “ Early Exits: Exit Strategies for Entrepreneurs and Angel Investors.” Small Deals Rock: You don’t need a lot of money anymore to build a technology startup – not with outsourcing, viral marketing, and the Software as a Service (SaaS) revolution.

Private Equity 67

Private Equity Intellectual Property IPO Venture Capital 67

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2016

They know how to capitalize on social media, viral marketing, events, and the new tools of the trade. Many of these new entrepreneurs come to me looking for an angel investor or crowdfunding, which will never happen. They are always ready to move on to the next big opportunity as markets change.

Entrepreneur 120

Entrepreneur Angel Investor Social Media LLC 120