A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JULY 19, 2010

No wait, I forgot, actually the question is: What happens when employee #2 makes off with your code and roadmap and marketing data and customer list, moves to Bolivia, and starts selling your stuff world-wide at one-tenth the price? But now she has the vision and ability to design her own software, capitalizing on modern trends (e.g.

Software Review 325

Software Review Technical Review Development Team Review Bolivia 325

VC Cafe

MAY 4, 2021

It has however, a clever marketing launch to build traction: a new user can reserve a username (capture interest), but requires 10 followers (or some hustle) to get an invite code. 31 employees according to Linkedin, but seems to be bootstrapped. Capuccino – an audio social network launched in July 2020 by French founders.

Audio 139

Audio Software Review Open Source Social Network 139

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

OCTOBER 11, 2010

Ask a technical founder about his startup, and he'll proudly describe his stunning software — simple, compelling, useful, fun. Great," I always exclaim, sharing the thrill of modern software development, "so how will people find out about this brilliant website?". We're going to get reviews on blogs.".

Software Review 261

Software Review Technical Review Viral Software Developers 261

YoungUpstarts

JULY 21, 2019

You can find free software on the internet that does almost the same thing as your subscription-based software. Review if you need the extra perks of the costlier alternative, and see if you can make do with the cheaper one. If you and your co-founder(s) are friends, why not work on your home instead? Stay online.

Software Review 191

Software Review Entrepreneur Cost Cofounder 191

YoungUpstarts

JULY 6, 2017

by Brad Mishlove, CEO and founder of Catapult Groups. Angel investors generally offer favorable terms to the startups they work with since they believe in the potential of its founders. Bootstrapping has a number of advantages compared to other fundraising strategies. Understand the Tax Code.

Syndicate 127

Syndicate Syndication Software Review Angel Investor 127

The Next Web

SEPTEMBER 22, 2013

But have you ever had the opportunity to pick the brains of founders who created amazingly successful startups and companies like Envato , Backblaze , Simple , or Treehouse ? Few people like talking about their mistakes, but thankfully nine founders took some time to share some of their hard-earned knowledge with you. Find your niche.

Cofounder 164

Cofounder Founder Startup Bootstrapping 164

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 1, 2020

Any custom manufactured IoT device would require software development as well as hardware customization. Bootstrapping. I always recommend that you start with bootstrapping. Bootstrapping is when you put your own money or borrow from friends and family to set up your business. Sources of funding. ? Seed stage.

Startup 150

Startup Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Seed Stage 150

SoCal CTO

NOVEMBER 1, 2010

I had a recent email dialog with the founder of a company looking for a CTO for their startup. And I tried to evaluate the idea and figure out: What did the founder really need here? Was it a Startup Founder Developer Gap ? And do I fit as a Part-Time CTO , Technology Advisor , CTO Founder , Acting CTO ?

Technical Cofounder 241

Technical Cofounder CTO Hire Equity Sweat Equity 241

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 25, 2014

When I heard that Larry Ellison was stepping down as Oracle ’s CEO I asked Kathryn to think about the skills she saw in a young Larry Ellison that might make today’s founders winners. Basically if you didn’t code or sell, you were semi-worthless. I now realize it was the wisdom of a great entrepreneur. Lessons Learned.

Technical Review 333

Technical Review Venture Capital Software Review Database 333

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 14, 2019

Bootstrapping going by the author of the Ulysses, James Joyce implies forcing your way to the top from the lowest of ranks by the aid of your bootstraps. Bootstrapping is a common way to fund a prospect. What it means is that you will partake of the venture’s future success for playing a role as its founder and funder.

Balance Sheet 126

Balance Sheet Limited Liability Company Bootstrapping Startup 126

www.singlefounder.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

I’d like to take a few minutes to dispel the top five myths of software startups. Company founders don’t have the luxury of ‘diversifying their portfolio,’ so to speak. But VC’s depend on the founders thinking that a VC wouldn’t let them go down in flames.

Software Review 40

Software Review Software Startup Massachusetts 40

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 An engineer by training, Founder and CEO Larry Gadea built the MVP of Envoy’s first product, Visitors, by himself using only free versions of software. “I Qualified.io

Sweat Equity 78

Sweat Equity Software Review Vesting Cofounder 78

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 16, 2016

Ron Conway , of SV Angels, and Reid Hoffman , LinkedIn's founder, are names often mentioned in this category. After viewing your slide deck, if investors are still interested in your startup, they will ask for a deep-dive meeting to drill in on any hard questions before commencing due diligence. Deep-dive meeting. Sweat equity.

Software Review 120

Software Review Sweat Equity Accredited Investor Angel Investor 120

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JULY 12, 2010

Between this blog and reviewing applications to Capital Factory I see hundreds of pitches a year. That's what you sound like when you claim that getting a software patent will protect you from competition. Software patents are especially useless for small, bootstrapped startups. Except in certain industries (e.g.

Intellectual Property 319

Intellectual Property Bootstrapping Software Review Open Source 319

YoungUpstarts

FEBRUARY 28, 2017

Just so you know, you will need slightly more in terms of scalability, marketing, software, sales, laws and software in order to make the business a success. Companies can be bootstrapped (launched with nothing more than one’s existing cash or resources). You will need a significant amount of money to spend.

Software Review 100

Software Review Due Diligence Cofounder Bootstrapping 100

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

APRIL 25, 2011

As a maven of the Macintosh API and still willing to admit it, I landed lots of small contracting jobs fixing up code that other developers wouldn’t touch. These are folks with big requirements — tens of millions of monthly page-views, traffic spikes, custom code, perfect up-time, and 24/7 support.

Java 311

Java Software Review Technical Review Salary 311

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. Startups die due to a variety of causes. He wrote: When startups die, the official cause of death is always either running out of money or a critical founder bailing.

Cofounder 155

Cofounder Technical Cofounder Technical Review Software Review 155

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 7, 2015

Defining the right business model requires the same diligence as designing the right product, but the approach and skills required are different. That’s why investors acknowledge that two co-founders are often better than one -- with one focusing on the technical solution, and the other focusing on defining and building the business model.

Business Model 120

Business Model Technical Review Advisory Board Software Review 120

Software By Rob

MARCH 26, 2015

I decided it was time to put pen to paper and lay out what I see as a repeatable path with a higher-than-normal success rate, to bootstrapping yourself to the point of quitting your job. Specifically, I’m suggesting that you don’t get started by building a stand-alone subscription software (SaaS) product.

Bootstrapping 36

Bootstrapping Technical Review SEO Revenue 36

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 An engineer by training, Founder and CEO Larry Gadea built the MVP of Envoy’s first product, Visitors, by himself using only free versions of software. “I Qualified.io

Sweat Equity 50

Sweat Equity Software Review Vesting Cofounder 50

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 11, 2011

Yet the smart entrepreneur can still bootstrap the technical team, using one or all of the following evaluation and hiring approaches: Hire an expert consultant for initial interviews and recommendation. Most employers, due to fear of lawsuits, will only confirm employment data and give you positive feedback over the phone.

Technical Review 236

Technical Review Partner Entrepreneur Dilution 236

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JUNE 20, 2011

I recently helped a friend broker the sale of his small, bootstrapped company. As you’d suspect, I was similarly ignorant of such things while watching the sale of ITWatchDogs (where I was a co-founder), and still harbored misconceptions as I went into the sale of Smart Bear. Many people start by looking at “the Multiples.&#

Sales 260

Sales Channel Cofounder Valuation 260

Software By Rob

MARCH 26, 2015

I decided it was time to put pen to paper and lay out what I see as a repeatable path with a higher-than-normal success rate, to bootstrapping yourself to the point of quitting your job. That kind of growth is the promise that drives a lot of new founders to dive headfirst into SaaS projects.

Bootstrapping 41

Bootstrapping Technical Review SEO Revenue 41

Austin Startup

AUGUST 2, 2018

It’s been 6 month since my co-founder and I started Reset ?—?a In July I spoke on a panel at 3 Day Startup Global Roundup, an opportunity that sprung out of a connection in a Female Founders Facebook Group. She’s a voice for inclusion especially to coding communities specifically, and general hustle toward what you want.

Austin 57

Austin Software Review Technical Review Entrepreneur 57

SoCal CTO

APRIL 8, 2010

9 Reasons Why Many Smart People Go Nowhere - Life Beyond Code , March 29, 2010 You would have met many smart people who live a mediocre life. The Exit Disconnect - Ask the Angels , March 25, 2010 I’ll admit to having a bias towards exits and focus my review of a potential investment on the exit potential. There are MANY of them.

Software Review 150

Software Review Startup PR Exit Strategy 150

Duct Tape Marketing

AUGUST 10, 2017

It’s really fun to see this kind of success and these stories are out there and everywhere if you look – no, they don’t always make the nightly news because it’s pretty much a bootstrapped, do the work, grow consistently kind of success – the best kind. Click on over and give us a review on iTunes, please!

North America 52

North America Software Review America Technical Review 52

ReadWriteStart

OCTOBER 28, 2010

Do More Faster: TechStars Lessons to Accelerate Your Startup is the new book by David Cohen , founder and CEO of TechStars, and Brad Feld , managing director of Foundry Group. Below is his chapter, Avoid Co-Founder Conflict. A perennial favorite is to decide that each founder should own an equal share. Can any of us be fired?

Cofounder 128

Cofounder Founder Equity Dilution 128

David Teten

AUGUST 19, 2019

RBI normally requires founders to pay back their investors with a fixed percentage of revenue until they have finished providing the investor with a fixed return on capital, which they agree upon in advance. For background, see Revenue-Based Investing: A New Option for Founders who Care About Control. Decathlon Capital.

Revenue 60

Revenue Technical Review Software Review Equity 60

Rob Go

DECEMBER 28, 2011

So I thought I’d jot down some of the highlights I have seen from my vantage point in this 2011 Boston Consumer Web Year in Review. Still led by its founder, Steve Kaufer. Zipcar: Ok, not exactly consumer web/software, but a great consumer tech company nonetheless. IPO’s/Exits. market cap. Carbonite: Raised $62.5M

Technical Review 54

Technical Review Boston Software Review IPO 54

Software By Rob

MARCH 26, 2015

I decided it was time to put pen to paper and lay out what I see as a repeatable path with a higher-than-normal success rate, to bootstrapping yourself to the point of quitting your job. That kind of growth is the promise that drives a lot of new founders to dive headfirst into SaaS projects. Startups'

Bootstrapping 27

Bootstrapping Technical Review SEO Revenue 27

Up and Running

MAY 10, 2012

Sulaiman Sanni and his partner Ben Lamson were both working for Meltwater Group, a large, well known Software as a Service company, Su as a social media consultant and Ben as a sales manager. ” The competition did more than educate and put money in the bank for this otherwise bootstrapped startup.

Small Business 142

Small Business Advisory Board Employee Entrepreneur 142

Duct Tape Marketing

FEBRUARY 20, 2024

Jason also serves on the board of the Future Founders Foundation, a Chicago-based organization that empowers the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs. He is a self-taught software engineer and technologist. Click on over and give us a review on iTunes, please! He is the founder and CEO of ActiveCampaign.

Chicago 50

Chicago Campaign Software Review Software Engineering 50

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? Of course not!

Silicon Valley 54

Silicon Valley Startup B2C Sweat Equity 54

Duct Tape Marketing

APRIL 6, 2022

Steve is the CEO of Founders Space, one of the world’s leading startup accelerators with over 50 partners in 22 countries. Founders Space was ranked the #1 incubator for overseas startups by Forbes and Entrepreneur Magazines. 18:05] How does the Founder Space operate? [20:21] Click on over and give us a review on iTunes, please!

San Francisco 97

San Francisco Technical Review Incubator Silicon Valley 97

K9 Ventures

JULY 21, 2016

Computing and software came a few years later for me as access to computers wasn’t as easy or affordable. Software is awesome as it gives you instant gratification. It requires a higher level of discipline than software does. You make a change, compile, and voila you can see the effect of what you did.

Software Review 48

Software Review Forecast Portfolio Distribution 48

online.wsj.com

SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

Computer Software. Media & Marketing. Small Business. More Industries. Accounting. Advertising. Broadcasting & Entertainment. Computer Hardware. Consumer Products. Defense & Aerospace. Financial Services & Insurance. Food & Tobacco. Hospitality. Industrial Goods & Services. Marketing & Strategy. Media Agencies. Metals & Mining. NAME Comcast.

Venture Capital 107

Venture Capital Software Review Rhode Island North Dakota 107

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. How Much Diligence is Due.

Bootstrapping 28

Bootstrapping San Jose Silicon Valley Software Review 28