Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2017

Self-funding or bootstrapping is still the most common and safest approach for startups Keep your day job until revenue starts to flow. After bootstrapping, friends and family are the most common funding sources for early-stage startups. Bartering technically means exchanging goods or services as a substitute for money.

Product Development 177

Product Development Cost Developer Product 177

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 21, 2012

In fact, he points out that conventional term loans are a far less common way to finance a business, and in some countries, credit cards are actually a more popular source of startup capital. Bootstrap, bootstrap, bootstrap. His advice? Don’t innovate, imitate. Failure is not failure if you learn.

Technical Review 184

Technical Review Entrepreneur Bootstrapping Acquisition 184

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2013

Self-funding or bootstrapping is still the most common and safest approach for startups Keep your day job until revenue starts to flow. After bootstrapping, friends and family are the most common funding sources for early-stage startups. Bartering technically means exchanging goods or services as a substitute for money.

Intellectual Property 309

Intellectual Property Technical Review Venture Capital Startup 309

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 12, 2018

Self-funding or bootstrapping is still the most common and safest approach for startups Keep your day job until real revenue flows. After bootstrapping, friends and family are the most common funding sources for early-stage startups. Bartering technically means exchanging goods or services as a substitute for money.

Intellectual Property 134

Intellectual Property Technical Review Startup Incubator 134

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

Professor VC

JANUARY 27, 2011

How Much Diligence is Due.Or Ive addressed the due diligence question in previous posts, but this came up again in a debate we were having at a recent meeting of the Sand Hill Angels. And in order to increase our groups returns, one of our goals should be to get more people and man hours involved in the diligence process.

Technical Review 31

Technical Review Due Diligence Silicon Valley San Jose 31

David Teten

AUGUST 19, 2019

Since 2017 we’ve managed $3 million in revenue-based financing, which helps cash-strapped technology companies grow. Our wheelhouse is bootstrapped (or lightly capitalized) SMB SaaS. Investment Criteria: B2B SaaS or tech-enabled services with proven, recurring contracts. Bigfoot Capital. ARR of $500K+.

Revenue 60

Revenue Technical Review Software Review Equity 60

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2015

Self-funding or bootstrapping is still the most common and safest approach for startups Keep your day job until real revenue flows. After bootstrapping, friends and family are the most common funding sources for early-stage startups. Bartering technically means exchanging goods or services as a substitute for money.

Entrepreneur 120

Entrepreneur Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 120

Hearpreneur

DECEMBER 25, 2022

1- Seeing growth and positive reviews. I have seen significant growth in our numbers and positive reviews, which keeps my motivation going. We always go back to our core standards—rooted in quality, precision, and efficacy—when creating product designs or advancing our proprietary technologies. 14- Review goals regularly.

Entrepreneur 116

Entrepreneur Technical Review Bootstrapping Community 116

Rob Go

DECEMBER 28, 2011

It got me thinking about this past year, specifically around consumer tech in Boston. Perhaps it’s been missed by most, but I think it was a remarkable year for this sector within this market. And that’s true pretty much across the board – from exits, late stage financings, scaling companies, and seed activity.

Technical Review 54

Technical Review Boston Software Review IPO 54

Up and Running

NOVEMBER 26, 2018

Most healthy businesses need business financing at some point. Startups have to deal with starting costs and ongoing businesses have to finance growth and working capital. Financing options depend on what kind of business you have. Its age, position, performance, market opportunities , team, and so forth are very important.

SBA 161

SBA Venture Capital Angel Investor Technical Review 161

ReadWriteStart

JANUARY 23, 2023

You might be hiring a person for marketing or HR, but would this person be willing to dabble in the responsibilities of another position? Be Wary of Technology Upgrades Your lean startup needs technology to run (and grow), but new technology can also be an expense trap for inexperienced startup entrepreneurs.

Lean 158

Lean Technical Review Startup Acquisition 158

Tim Keane

MARCH 9, 2011

How should I finance my new venture? It’s a deceptively simple question:  what is the optimal way to finance a new startup? Misaligned interests that lead to poor financing choices are often very problematic for first time entrepreneurs in young companies.  Can you bootstrap your way to positive cash flow?

Finance 83

Finance Bootstrapping Startup Equity 83

Hearpreneur

MARCH 21, 2021

I did a lot of technical interviewing. We noticed a clear need for an evolution of wallet styles and technologies and ran with it. We went on to do some market research and survey our peers to gain feedback on our ideas. 4- Due to lack representation in the skincare industry. Photo Credit: David Moise. I led projects.

Entrepreneur 137

Entrepreneur Technical Review Acquisition Software Review 137

Version One Ventures

APRIL 30, 2013

Despite the recent media buzz surrounding the hardware revolution and emerging maker space, the overwhelming majority of hardware startups have a hard time attracting financing today. Here’s the advice I give these teams who are navigating the tough world of hardware financing. hardware (Photo credit: alorenzi).

Venture Capital 128

Venture Capital Software Review Incubator Startup 128

David Teten

AUGUST 19, 2019

Does the traditional VC financing model make sense for all companies? According to Lighter Capital ,“ the RBI market has grown rapidly, contrasting sharply with a decrease in the number of early-stage angel and VC fundings ”. 2018 also had the fewest number of angel-led financing rounds since before 2010. Absolutely not.

Revenue 60

Revenue Term Sheet Founder Technical Review 60

rapidrollout.wordpress.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

Web Startup Lessons Advice from a CTO and Entrepreneur Home About Finding a Technical Partner for Your Startup Today I received an inquiry from a student at an Ivy League university who wants to launch a web startup. One partner takes on a business role and the other takes responsibility for technology. Again, go where the geeks are.

Technical Review 40

Technical Review Fractional CTO Partner CTO Hire 40

entrepreMusings

APRIL 20, 2014

Schoner was the founder of ThingMagic, LLC, a garage-grown RFID technology company led by a small group of MIT Media Lab graduates. Use your due date we check because you darlene treating ed turned down into of submitting it. In his new book, Schoner sheds light on the six core roles needed for a new tech start up.

Technical Review 62

Technical Review South Carolina Cofounder Thailand 62

Hearpreneur

AUGUST 28, 2022

Not only is he a visionary thinker who was ahead of his time in terms of understanding the potential of technology, but he's also an incredible leader and motivator. His company has introduced a new way of shipping packages to the market – through InPost. He perfectly mastered personal branding, for which I sincerely admire him.

Entrepreneur 113

Entrepreneur Green Cofounder Trinidad 113

Hunter Walker

JUNE 10, 2016

We have a marketing coordinator who helps get our voice heard as well as listens to and communicates with voices talking about and to us. We further leverage mailchimp (eblasts), wordpress (website), hootesuite (social media messaging), review sites such as Yelp! Everything else is tech. MC: We are activate on all of these.

Technical Review 50

Technical Review Equity SBA Software Review 50

crowdSPRING Blog

MAY 5, 2010

These posts and videos are about design, startups, entrepreneurship, small business, leadership, social media, marketing, and more! How To Redesign Your Homepage: A Bootstrapped Process – [link]. How To Redesign Your Homepage: A Bootstrapped Process – [link]. Startup Tip: Marketing One-To-One – [link].

Social Media 88

Social Media Small Business Design Media 88

Hunter Walker

JUNE 10, 2016

We have a marketing coordinator who helps get our voice heard as well as listens to and communicates with voices talking about and to us. We further leverage mailchimp (eblasts), wordpress (website), hootesuite (social media messaging), review sites such as Yelp! Everything else is tech. MC: We are activate on all of these.

Technical Review 48

Technical Review Equity SBA Software Review 48

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

APRIL 25, 2011

— of someone of my age and experience walking in here and demanding such outrageous compensation, someone who, let’s be clear, is technically too young to even enter into a legal consulting agreement in the first place. “Yes&# if it will completely pay for three new marketing efforts. Should we take on those clients?

Java 311

Java Software Review Technical Review Salary 311

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

Unfortunately in early stage startups the drive for financing hijacks the corporate DNA and becomes the raison d’etre of the company. Do they believe you have a big enough vision and market. Tons of advice is available on how to pitch , present and market your company. Did the VC’s like your team ?

Customer Development 262

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 262

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 23, 2017

In some ways, you’ll feel as if you’re losing control over your original ideas and won’t know how to get it back, due to owing the investors return on investment. If you are having any issues with cash flow, you always have the option of opting for alternate business finance. Eventually, you’ll start to feel discontented and stifled.

Cofounder 124

Cofounder Sweat Equity Equity Dilution 124

ReadWriteStart

DECEMBER 9, 2010

ShopTranslated is a mass-market online retailer of plus-sized women's clothing, with merchandise in the $59-$99 range. And we already know that this is a very large market from working with La Grande Dame. First, there are two primary aspects that have to be managed: inventory financing and customer acquisition costs.

Silicon Valley 117

Silicon Valley Malaysia India China 117

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 27, 2014

This was a company that had successfully bootstrapped itself to real revenues, employees and cashflow and I thought it deserved the structure of a going concern, not a flier. They got that way due in large part to a very public founder friendly stance. It will certainly involve market pricing. Venture Capital & Technology'

Term Sheet 143

Term Sheet Founder Cofounder Software Review 143

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 3, 2010

If you're capable of seeing past the old stones of Paris and the picturesque rural villages, you'll realize that France is every bit as technologically advanced as any other Western country - more so in some areas. It's now been about three years since I joined the fray as an entrepreneur and tech blogger. Want to start up in France?

France 163

France Technical Review Incubator Early Stage 163

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JUNE 20, 2011

I recently helped a friend broker the sale of his small, bootstrapped company. This article assumes we’re talking about a volatile industry like software or emerging markets where almost nothing is “well-known&# and company trajectories are all over the map.). To control a market. Control equals money.

Sales 260

Sales Channel Cofounder Valuation 260

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

OCTOBER 31, 2011

Here’s an email I got last week: Hello Jason, I am a big fan of your advice and wanted to see if you could offer any advice for marketing my start-up XYZ. Marketing, advertising, positioning — they’re all forms of persuasive writing, just like an op-ed in the New York Times. Any advice will help. I bought ads for $0.05/click

Customer 279

Customer Software Review SEM Technical Review 279

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 10, 2010

Whether it is in the emerging markets or in the U.S., I call it drip-financing. Most entrepreneurs have no choice but to avail of this sort of financing along with the mentoring and the contacts that could come with it (doesn't always come along, though). In 1M/1M, our preferred financing strategy is customers.

Cloud 115

Cloud Silicon Valley Incubator Finance 115

ReadWriteStart

OCTOBER 7, 2010

At today's roundtable we had some interesting companies and a lot of fundraising discussions, and I will review them shortly. Sub-$2 million pre-money, it is better to bootstrap. That is debt financing that converts into equity at the Series A valuation once the price for that is set. (I

Valuation 119

Valuation Silicon Valley Pre-Money Valuation Bootstrapping 119

ReadWriteStart

NOVEMBER 19, 2010

Well, I have coached early stage entrepreneurs for a couple of years now - diligently, patiently - and have learned a few things. As you may know, 99% of the entrepreneurs who seek financing, get rejected. I believe he needs to find more partners to go to market through. However, 1M/1M is a development economics project.

Silicon Valley 114

Silicon Valley Technical Review Startup Early Stage 114

ReadWriteStart

NOVEMBER 3, 2011

From what I have seen, this is one of the few companies that can cross the elusive billion dollar mark in due course. Having turned down all overtures for investment, Zoho continues merrily on in its bootstrapping path. Prashant is focusing his market validation process on mid-market companies - 2-3 years old, and somewhat stable.

North Carolina 116

North Carolina San Diego Entrepreneur Balance Sheet 116

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017

They allow you to hire more people, purchase new technology, and establish new business connections, among many other benefits. Rule 1: Bootstrap until you have a viable product. Takeaway lesson: A shocking number of technology startups never even get their first product out the door. His first capital raise was a $2.75

Private Equity 94

Private Equity Pre-Money Valuation Equity Startup 94

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 16, 2010

Charge-back accounting solution for large enterprises deploying cloud technologies. Ric Telford, VP of cloud services, IBM pointed me to the rather significant move towards rolling out private clouds at large enterprises, a move that IBM is spearheading by providing full stacks of infrastructure technologies. Sequoia has financed them.

Cloud 117

Cloud Fractional CTO Entrepreneur Bandwidth 117

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

To do a solid holiday season he will need to balance the inventory and marketing budgets, and getting stuck in a complex situation with inventory being stuffed in the retail channels with bad terms will be a kiss of death. I will work with him on his inventory financing strategy. JCLABoutique.com. TheNextBigZing.com. PowerStores.in.

India 114

India Silicon Valley Incubator Bootstrapping 114