Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2015

That’s why I recommend that they find a co-founder who loves business challenges, including marketing and finance. I usually envision a 50-50 ownership split for their efforts, but every engineer believes the technology side deserves the majority share. Most founders bootstrap product development.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Intellectual Property Cofounder Bootstrapping 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 1, 2010

For example, with any outside investment, you give up some ownership and control, and with bootstrapping you growth curve will likely be longer and more organic. Yet, I find that startup founders often fixate on one or two sources, often to the detriment of their business. Bartering services for equity. Friends and family.

Technical Review 149

Technical Review Bootstrapping Startup Venture Capital 149

Duct Tape Marketing

AUGUST 23, 2023

He is the co-founder of Boast.ai, where he leveraged the Community-Led Growth model to bootstrap the company. He is also the co-founder of Traction, a community empowering over 100k innovators through connections, content, and capital. He is the co-founder of Boast.ai Then another time was when we were bootstrapping both.

Community 53

Community Kuwait Cofounder Bootstrapping 53

Professor VC

MARCH 10, 2009

Bootstrapping 101. I moderated a panel discussion last night on one of my favorite topics, bootstrapping, as part of our Silicon Valley Center for Entrepreneurship Eminent Speaker Series at San Jose State. They have a standard presentation on bootstrapping, which they present around the country. ProfessorVC. Steve Bennet.

Bootstrapping 28

Bootstrapping San Jose Silicon Valley Software Review 28

The Next Web

AUGUST 26, 2013

Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Christian Reber, CEO and co-founder of Berlin-based 6Wunderkinder. Raise your first round of money, or bootstrap. You either do it on your own, taking all risks and responsibility yourself (“bootstrapping”), or you find investors that believe in your company. 60-70% for founders.

Management 120

Management Cofounder Startup Bootstrapping 120

www.readwriteweb.com

OCTOBER 7, 2007

This is typically called “bootstrapping&# and it is fraught with potential pitfalls and dangers. But when done well it can really help get a company going fast, professionally and without the founders having to give up much (if any) equity - or bankrupting themselves. What is bootstrapping? Why bootstrap?

Bootstrapping 41

Bootstrapping Offshore Startup EC2 41

Spencer Fry

APRIL 17, 2017

Days before the conference started, I was asked (and felt honored) to lead two workshops on bootstrapping vs. raising money. Having started and sold 3 successful bootstrapped businesses, and am now running 1 venture capital backed business ( Coach ), this is a topic I know a thing or two about. What's “good” about bootstrapping.

Bootstrapping 63

Bootstrapping Cap Table Liquidation Preference Cofounder 63

blog.captainrecruiter.com

MARCH 8, 2012

Technical Co-Founders Are A Myth. Two years ago I got the bug to do an online recruiting startup and I began the hunt to find a technical co-founder - a software engineer who works for no cash - to help me build my dream website. I learned something: technical co-founders are a myth. Captain Recruiter. Real Advice.

Cofounder 40

Cofounder Technical Cofounder Founder Software Engineering 40

ReadWriteStart

JULY 18, 2011

Jeff Clavier was the first tech investor I ever met; he was introduced to me years ago by some hip engineers in a bar as "one of the few cool VCs." Clavier began his presentation at the beginning of a company's lifecycle, asking how many co-founders a startup ought to have. Are all co-founders equal, Clavier asked?

Investment Bankers 153

Investment Bankers Technical Review Cofounder Due Diligence 153

David Teten

JANUARY 21, 2021

This essay is part of a series on alternative VC: I: Revenue-Based Investing: a new option for founders who care about control. III: Why are Revenue-Based VCs investing in so many women and underrepresented founders? V: Should you raise venture capital from a traditional equity VC or a Revenue-Based Investing VC?

Equity 78

Equity Revenue Cofounder Colorado 78

viniciusvacanti.com

SEPTEMBER 7, 2010

Home About Contact Me How To Make It as a First-Time Entrepreneur Vinicius Vacanti Guide to Finding a Technical Co-Founder September 7, 2010 | View Comments Steve Job's Technical Co-Founder “I’ve got this HUGE idea. I just need to find a technical co-founder.&# So, why should they pick you? Have Experience.

Cofounder 43

Cofounder Technical Cofounder Founder Ruby 43

The Startup Magazine

SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

Tempted by large sums of money and the perceived validation that comes along with being funded, founders turn to venture capitalists to accelerate their company’s growth. Founders don’t have that luxury — for founders like me, the consequences of failure are more dire. This is why I made the decision to bootstrap HighRadius.

Early Stage 85

Early Stage Venture Capital Bootstrapping Pre-Money Valuation 85

Up and Running

JULY 1, 2015

Bootstrapping. There are other alternative ways to jumpstart your business engine. Many entrepreneurs use bootstrapping, which means financing your company by scraping together funds in unconventional ways. Here are some popular ways of bootstrapping your business. Check out Kickstarter or Indiegogo to get started.

Bootstrapping 60

Bootstrapping Angel Investor Venture Capital Finder 60

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 9, 2018

Bootstrapping allows you to maintain full control of your startup strategy, retain maximum equity, and avoid the time delay and energy spent to attract outside investors. In today’s world, more successful entrepreneurs have built on degrees in engineering rather than business. You need a business degree to start a venture today.

Incubator 180

Incubator Angel Investor Dilution Equity 180

Rob Go

DECEMBER 28, 2011

Still led by its founder, Steve Kaufer. Wayfair: This is somewhere between an exit and and a growth round, but the largest independent ecommerce company focused on the huge home/furniture category raised a $165M round from a group of growth, private equity, and venture investors. IPO’s/Exits. market cap. Seed Activity.

Technical Review 54

Technical Review Boston Software Review IPO 54

grasshopper.com

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Getting Paid in Equity: A What to Do Guide. Equity-based pay is often used by the founders of young start-ups who want to grow their businesses but cannot offer big salaries to qualified professionals. Below are some helpful tips and suggestions to keep in mind when contemplating whether or not to take an equity-based position.

Equity 41

Equity Vesting Sweat Equity Salary 41

YoungUpstarts

JULY 8, 2014

by Ross Beyeler, founder of Growth Spark. Fund R&D: Bootstrapped raising funds is far ‘cheaper’ than debt or equity. Spend just a few minutes browsing websites such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo or Dragon Innovation and you’ll witness a renaissance in DIY entrepreneurship.

Campaign 216

Campaign Channel Bootstrapping Database 216

www.mint.com

MARCH 9, 2010

However, a perfectly acceptable—and perhaps even better—answer is that there are no investors other than the founders, and the plan is to bootstrap the company as long as possible. But you should beware of boards that are only the founders and their family and friends. These days revenue is the best source of capital.

Software Review 68

Software Review Startup Post-Money Valuation Technical Review 68

ConversionXL

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

Mike Arsenault and his two co-founders—all with technical backgrounds—built their MVP while working full time for other SaaS companies. “We Running comparative calculations, Arsenault figures that “two senior engineers plus a product manager/marketer for 40 hours per month, times 6 months, would be 720 hours to get to our MVP.

Sweat Equity 78

Sweat Equity Software Review Vesting Cofounder 78

Transformify

FEBRUARY 1, 2019

Bootstrapping. Taking this route has one obvious advantage and it is the fact that the entrepreneur remains in control of the business and no equity is acquired by third parties. Equity Funding. Most startup founders are familiar with this form of funding.

Affiliate 49

Affiliate Equity Valuation SEO 49

VC Cafe

OCTOBER 16, 2010

You can then give your most passionate advocates an informal role, or ask them to join a non-exec board, or if they can really open doors give them equity. How do bootstrapped companies hire talent? Short answer: we posted in Craigslist for “Founding Engineers&# when we were starting and couldn’t pay salaries.

Option Pool 88

Option Pool Analytics LLC Startup 88

Startup Lessons Learned

MAY 14, 2009

Unlike other incubator-led programs, this workshop is open to anyone who wants to learn, and it does not require companies take investment or give out equity. I closed down my first business last November and I am bootstrapping the second one currently. Cash is tight. No departments The Five Whys for Startups (for Harvard Business R.

Lean 60

Lean San Francisco Continuous Deployment Software Review 60

VC Cafe

JANUARY 22, 2021

In addition, Amazon launched two dedicated funds: Alexa Startups – The Alexa Startups team engages founders and investors through startup programs, business development, and technical support. AWS Builder Space (Israel) – A non-equity program for early stage startups who are looking to accelerate their speed to market.

Technical Review 174

Technical Review Startup Venture Capital Incubator 174

ReadWriteStart

JANUARY 27, 2011

And, oh by the way, we also really like the idea of the 1M/1M entrepreneurs building valuation and negotiating leverage through these business development efforts, instead of signing off large chunks of their company in form of equity early on. It certainly will be a better way to bootstrap the company. SOCO Games. Photo by nosheep.

Dilution 114

Dilution Revenue Finance Entrepreneur 114

The Next Web

OCTOBER 10, 2013

How many founders are too many? You are the founder, the visionary, the uber-entrepreneur. VCs don’t fund sole founders and, if you are alone, you’ve either got too much ego or you can’t convince someone to join you. Two” – You have to have three founders. Decisions – as a founder you want to make a decision and go.

Cofounder 143

Cofounder Technical Cofounder Kenya Dilution 143

ReadWriteStart

APRIL 7, 2011

It could be a good business to bootstrap the social/mobile edutainment business with. I don't see a problem with this, especially since the services model generates cash early on, and he can practice our tried-and-true model of bootstrapping using services! This is also a business that has substantial revenue, which is wonderful.

Malaysia 114

Malaysia Incubator Silicon Valley Entrepreneur 114

The Next Web

OCTOBER 3, 2012

Andrew is the co-founder and CTO of Parse.ly , a technology startup that provides big data insights to the web’s best publishers. He wrote: When startups die, the official cause of death is always either running out of money or a critical founder bailing. Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Andrew Montalenti.

Cofounder 155

Cofounder Technical Cofounder Technical Review Software Review 155

ConversionXL

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

Mike Arsenault and his two co-founders—all with technical backgrounds—built their MVP while working full time for other SaaS companies. “We Running comparative calculations, Arsenault figures that “two senior engineers plus a product manager/marketer for 40 hours per month, times 6 months, would be 720 hours to get to our MVP.

Sweat Equity 50

Sweat Equity Software Review Vesting Cofounder 50

venturehacks.com

FEBRUARY 24, 2010

SUPPORTED BY Products Archives @venturehacks Books AngelList About RSS How to pick a co-founder by Naval Ravikant on November 12th, 2009 Update : Also see our 40-minute interview on this topic. Picking a co-founder is your most important decision. One founder companies can work, against the odds (hello, Mark Zuckerberg).

Cofounder 101

Cofounder Founder Technical Cofounder Technical Review 101

www.readwriteweb.com

OCTOBER 18, 2010

He is willing to give up 33% of equity for this $1 million investment. I feel that it is not at all necessary to give this much equity up at this stage of the game. He should then bootstrap his product development by using the consulting fees. He should then bootstrap his product development by using the consulting fees.

Marketing 52

Marketing Bootstrapping Incubator Angel Investor 52

www.readwriteweb.com

OCTOBER 18, 2010

He is willing to give up 33% of equity for this $1 million investment. I feel that it is not at all necessary to give this much equity up at this stage of the game. He should then bootstrap his product development by using the consulting fees. He should then bootstrap his product development by using the consulting fees.

Marketing 52

Marketing Bootstrapping Incubator Angel Investor 52

Professor VC

NOVEMBER 19, 2009

Business, Engineering, Computer Science, and Design were all represented. And now I know exactly where I want to spend my time" "This internship truly provide me an entry point into the private equity world. Collaboration with engineering, computer science, life sciences, etc. Bootstrapping 101. May 14, 2010 10:56 PM.

San Jose 43

San Jose Silicon Valley Las Vegas Venture Capital 43

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

MARCH 11, 2014

Listen to this episode if you want to hear about a founder who has a product and users and paying customers … and is trying to figure out how to take his company to the next level and grow faster. I think another thing you wanted to talk about was the whole keep bootstrapping or raise money question. Jason: Exactly. Jason: Yeah.

Technical Cofounder 220

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Software Review Management 220

The Startup Toolkit

JANUARY 12, 2017

You over-engineered some parts and missed the mark on others. I’ve never met a founder who lightly makes their first few hires. Money saved is far better than money raised, since the former costs no equity and has no strings. You crack out some of those clutch features that have been sitting in the backlog for too long.

Stealth 20

Stealth Bootstrapping Valuation Equity 20

Austin Startup

JUNE 26, 2019

Many people have reached out sharing knowing and kind words about our journey and choice to wind down our venture, as well as their appreciation for my choice to pull back the curtain on what is statistically a common road for many founders. It details a landscape founders like me are excited to sink their teeth into? —?and

Silicon Valley 54

Silicon Valley Startup B2C Sweat Equity 54

Up and Running

MAY 23, 2016

“If you can fix a problem for someone and do it better, quicker, and/or cheaper than your competitor, you’re off to a good start.” – Gabriel Kuperman, founder and CEO of CuePin. We created UpKeep to fill this void—a cloud-based solution that was affordable for any size business.” – Ryan Chan, founder of UpKeep.

Software Review 74

Software Review Software Delaware Forecast 74

Austin Startup

FEBRUARY 24, 2019

This book is steeped in the knowledge of how to scale your sales team, written by people that constantly consult in this area (and thank you to Bijoy Goswami, founder of Bootstrap Austin, for the recommendation to read this book eight years ago?—?make At Coremetrics, I built more of an engineering-driven culture.

Software Review 48

Software Review Sales Cofounder Analytics 48