"The Startup Way" is Headed to London
Startup Lessons Learned
NOVEMBER 8, 2017
From New York, Philadelphia, and Boston to Los Angeles and San Francisco, entrepreneurs came out to share their enthusiasm -- you really are everywhere.
I’m In Cambridge, Not Boston
Feld Thoughts
JANUARY 25, 2012
Over the last three weeks I’ve had numerous people ask me how my trip to Boston has been going. Tonight, after hanging out at the TechStars Boston Mentor evening and program kickoff, I got into a long discussion with a Bill Warner and Ken Zolot about Cambridge, Boston, and startup communities.
Boston 
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Speed up or slow down? (for Harvard Business Review)
Startup Lessons Learned
MARCH 25, 2010
Heres an excerpt: The Startups Rules of Speed - The Conversation - Harvard Business Review Every startup that achieves success eventually faces a critical moment — whether to speed up or slow down. Read the rest of The Startups Rules of Speed - The Conversation - Harvard Business Review. This is the speed-up-or-slow-down moment.
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The Five Whys for Startups (for Harvard Business Review)
Startup Lessons Learned
JUNE 2, 2010
The Five Whys for Start-Ups - The Conversation - Harvard Business Review Root cause analysis and preventive maintenance are concepts we expect to see in a factory setting. Two Ways to Hold Entrepreneurs Accountable Beware of Vanity Metrics For Startups, How Much Process Is Too Much? Read the rest of The Five Whys for Start-Ups.
Technical Review 132
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Why Gross Profit Is More Important Than Revenue
Feld Thoughts
JULY 9, 2019
When I was in Boston a while ago (it was very cold, so it must have been January), I had a wide-ranging conversation with Eric Paley. One of our conversational threads was about how to value companies. I’ve been thinking a lot about gross profit (and gross margin ) lately. Yeah, I know I can be riveting, but stay with me.
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Beware of Vanity Metrics (for Harvard Business Review)
Startup Lessons Learned
FEBRUARY 8, 2010
Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Monday, February 8, 2010 Beware of Vanity Metrics (for Harvard Business Review) The next article in my series on entrepreneurship for Harvard Business Review is live today. Once again, we revisit the topic of Actionable metrics and their nemesis: Vanity metrics. Remember "metrics are people, too."
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Is Entrepreneurship a Management Science? (for Harvard Business.
Startup Lessons Learned
JANUARY 7, 2010
Id be honored to have you join the conversation. The Conversation - Harvard Business Review For most of us, the phrase management science conjures up a decidedly non-entrepreneurial image, and for good reason. Read the rest at The Conversation - Harvard Business Review. Id be honored to have you join the conversation.
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Why Startups Should Raise Money at the Top End of Normal
Both Sides of the Table
JUNE 5, 2011
I have conversations with entrepreneurs and other VCs on a daily basis about fund raising, the prices of deals, how much companies should raise, etc. Another firm we saw tried to raise $15 million at a $60 million pre-money with similar metrics. I thought I’d post on one of the topics before hand. Here’s the problem.
How Employee Experience Shapes Brand Perception
Duct Tape Marketing
JUNE 7, 2023
15:11] Where does employer branding fit into the conversation of employee experience? [17:18] It'll be in Boston from September 5th through the eighth. So if your frontline team doesn't have what they need, it shows itself in those experience metrics on the customer side. You lose that happenstance conversation.
Employee 76
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Lessons Learned: Using AdWords to assess demand for your new.
Startup Lessons Learned
NOVEMBER 7, 2008
Most of the time, the experiments you run will have a zero percent conversion rate - meaning no customers were harmed during the making of this experiment. I would aim to get no more than 1o0 clicks per day - over the course of a week or two, youll get pretty good conversion data. Measure conversion rates. Amazon PostRank
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Two Ways to Hold Entrepreneurs Accountable (for Harvard Business.
Startup Lessons Learned
JANUARY 15, 2010
Two Ways to Hold Entrepreneurs Accountable - The Conversation - Harvard Business Review Way back when the money was doled out, the team made a compelling pitch about the large market that was going to adopt their new innovative product or service. They are on-schedule and on-budget, but their gross metrics are way off.
Hockey Stick 105
105 Marketing Your Startup: A Billion-Dollar Company’s First Marketer Reflects Back
View from Seed
MARCH 3, 2015
Ellie Mirman was the first marketer hired by the CMO of HubSpot, the Boston-based marketing software startup that IPOed in 2014. Around the same time we were doing those webinars, we launched our first ebook, and that did much better in terms of conversions — click-through-rate on emails, conversions on landing pages, and so on.
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How and Why the NextView Everyday Economy Accelerator is Different
View from Seed
JUNE 10, 2020
of teams’ online pitch decks and recorded videos, as well as loved the dozens of second-round video conversations which we had with Founders working on quite compelling startups. When the culmination of an accelerator is a Demo Day show, then that is what teams prepare for and the resulting metrics by which they’re measured.
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Join the Lean Startup discussion at Web 2.0 Expo for free
Startup Lessons Learned
MARCH 17, 2009
Im excited that well get more than the usual few minutes of Q&A, so come with a healthy appetite for conversation. If you or your company is interested in sponsoring someone with a scholarship to travel to the expo and contribute to the conversation, please leave a comment or let me know. You heard me right. Amazon PostRank
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Lessons Learned: The one line split-test, or how to A/B all the time
Startup Lessons Learned
SEPTEMBER 15, 2008
Focus on the output metrics of that part of the product, and you make the problem a lot more clear. To promote this metrics discipline, we would present the full funnel to our board (and advisers) at the end of every development cycle. Max Levchin of Slide and Paypal has noted that 10% of Slides headcount is devoted to metrics only.
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New conference website, speakers, agenda
Startup Lessons Learned
MARCH 29, 2010
The way forward requires getting everyone together in a room, and having a conversation about where were headed. My aspiration with the Lean Startup methodology has always been to provide such a framework, so that we have more intelligent conversations about what works and what doesnt for startups. Thats what this conference is for.
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The Entrepreneur's Guide to Customer Development
Startup Lessons Learned
JULY 5, 2010
It is written in a conversational tone, doesnt take itself too seriously, and avoids extraneous fluff. It is written in a conversational tone, doesnt take itself too seriously, and avoids extraneous fluff. I think theyve succeeded. The Entrepreneur’s Guide is an easy read. I think theyve succeeded. Amazon PostRank
It's a startup, not a spreadsheet
Startup Lessons Learned
JUNE 5, 2009
In a startup context, numbers like gross revenue are actually vanity metrics, not actionable metrics. For example, say that your business model calls for a 4% conversion rate – as ours did initially at IMVU. After a few months of early beta at IMVU, we discovered that our actual conversion rate was about 0.4%.
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So you say you want to be a Product Manager …?
Austin Startup
FEBRUARY 1, 2018
INTRODUCTION This past fall, I attended the 20th annual Reaching Out MBA (ROMBA) conference in Boston, one of the best business school conferences in the world and the largest gathering of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) graduate business school students in the world. from administration to politik? or developers?—?are
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Lessons Learned: Combining agile development with customer development
Startup Lessons Learned
MARCH 16, 2009
Ive had at least three conversations this week about the relationship between agile methodologies and customer development. Startup Visa update ► February (5) Kiwi lean startup + Australia next Why diversity matters (the meritocracy business) Beware of Vanity Metrics (for Harvard Business Rev. Amazon PostRank
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Thank you
Startup Lessons Learned
MAY 31, 2010
Unfortunately, the video of our sllconf conversation is not online (due to technical problems), but we have a physical tape backup which we are endeavoring to get online soon. We were colleagues briefly at KPCB, where Randy has been working not just with individual companies, but also working to change the mindset of entrepreneurs everywhere.
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Strategies For Successful Product Launches
Duct Tape Marketing
JUNE 1, 2023
It'll be in Boston from September 5th through the eighth. Really tracking and seeing if you're hitting those metrics and if you're not, what is going wrong? So, you know, you kind of alluded to that, but it's not just metrics of like, is this selling or not? Click on over and give us a review on iTunes, please! That's right.
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Marching through quicksand
Startup Lessons Learned
AUGUST 24, 2009
So I generally feel right at home in these conversations. Despite all the energy invested in talking to authors about the size of their platform, very few gatekeepers have a rigorous set of metrics for measuring it. In other words, they are facing conditions of extreme uncertainty, just like startups. Is that a lot?
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113 Lessons Learned: A hierarchy of pitches
Startup Lessons Learned
OCTOBER 28, 2008
If you find yourself getting asked non-key questions, try to use your answers to steer the conversation back to the key questions. Startup Visa update ► February (5) Kiwi lean startup + Australia next Why diversity matters (the meritocracy business) Beware of Vanity Metrics (for Harvard Business Rev. Amazon PostRank
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128 Lessons Learned: Validated learning about customers
Startup Lessons Learned
APRIL 14, 2009
Every board meeting, the metrics of success change. Time-to-complete-a-sale is not a bad metric for validated learning at this stage. Whats the right set of materials, conversations, etc. Thank you for your simple, insightful explanation of why that is the wrong metric to use. And yet, their investors are frustrated.
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Lessons Learned: Lean hiring tips
Startup Lessons Learned
JANUARY 19, 2009
This is another sub-optimization caused by incentivizing the wrong metric. Given that most recruiting channels are pay-for-performance, its usually cheaper, too, because it has a lower conversion rate. This can be especially challenging for HR professionals who measure their success based on the number of jobs they fill.
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LinkedIn: The Series A Fundraising Story ? AGILEVC
Agile VC
MAY 26, 2011
Not long after the product launch we began the initial conversations with VCs for a Series A round. We’ve had a supportive board and encouraging metrics and a helpful climate for our community news notion (now 51 sites in 3 states). I co-founded NextView Ventures , a seed-stage VC firm based in Boston, in 2010.
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Cracking the Code of Data-Driven Marketing
Duct Tape Marketing
MARCH 15, 2023
She is the founder of Sleek Marketing, which offers hands-on education on digital marketing in the Boston area. When you use metrics and strategies in the same subtitle title, most businesses I end up running up against don't have a strategy, let alone a data-driven strategy. (06:07): Like this show? So Christina, welcome to the show.
Lean Startup fbFund wrap-up
Startup Lessons Learned
JULY 3, 2009
Split-testing is great for linear optimization; making our landing pages, conversion rates, and retention metrics incrementally better day-in day-out. Startup Visa update ► February (5) Kiwi lean startup + Australia next Why diversity matters (the meritocracy business) Beware of Vanity Metrics (for Harvard Business Rev.
Lean 60
60 Interviews
Startup Lessons Learned
APRIL 2, 2010
By all accounts, the conversation was a success. By all accounts, the conversation was a success. Startup Visa update ► February (5) Kiwi lean startup + Australia next Why diversity matters (the meritocracy business) Beware of Vanity Metrics (for Harvard Business Rev. Of course, you can judge for yourself.
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The Lean Startup Workshop - now an O'Reilly Master Class
Startup Lessons Learned
MAY 14, 2009
Most importantly, if you know a high-quality entrepreneur who you think would add to the conversation, would you be willing to try and convince them to attend? Startup Visa update ► February (5) Kiwi lean startup + Australia next Why diversity matters (the meritocracy business) Beware of Vanity Metrics (for Harvard Business Rev.
Lean 60
60 
Revisiting the Software Design Manifesto (and what's changed since.
Startup Lessons Learned
AUGUST 8, 2009
There's lots of information about performance and metrics out there, as well as a peer expectation that being concerned about those things is an important part of being a competent engineer. With product debt, your users pay the interest. And compared to technical debt, the impact of product debt is much harder to measure.
For Startups, How Much Process Is Too Much? (for Harvard Business.
Startup Lessons Learned
MARCH 11, 2010
Two Ways to Hold Entrepreneurs Accountable Beware of Vanity Metrics Im a little late on the cross-post, but hope youll enjoy it nonetheless. The Conversation - Harvard Business Review For Startups, How Much Process Is Too Much? You can view previous entries: Is Entrepreneurship a Management Science?
San Francisco 120
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Highlights from the 2009 Business of Software Conference
Software By Rob
NOVEMBER 16, 2009
I wound up seeing Joel, but I never caught Paul when I lived in New Haven or Boston. Overall, Dharmesh’s talk was filled with behind the scenes metrics from his company, HubSpot , and actionable points for SEO, Twitter, and social media. Luckily several thousand people have decided to stick around and join the conversation.
Lessons Learned: The metrics and levers of engagement.
Startup Lessons Learned
MARCH 24, 2009
Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Tuesday, March 24, 2009 The metrics and levers of engagement, presentation on Engagement Loops for Facebook Developer Garage SF Ill be presenting a talk at the Facebook Developer Garage SF Wednesday evening. Unfortunately, its easy to lose track of positioning effects when optimizing for a single metric.
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Embrace technical debt
Startup Lessons Learned
JULY 29, 2009
Darn good - I have struggled in relevant conversations with our in house move to scrum/agile. Startup Visa update ► February (5) Kiwi lean startup + Australia next Why diversity matters (the meritocracy business) Beware of Vanity Metrics (for Harvard Business Rev. July 30, 2009 1:29 PM jkorotney said. Amazon PostRank
Technical Review 168
168 
Two new scholarship programs for lean startups
Startup Lessons Learned
MARCH 28, 2010
This conference will be the first of its kind: an opportunity to have a conversation about the future of the lean startup movement. We want everyone who can contribute to that conversation to be there, regardless of their ability to pay. Im hopeful that other companies will step up and become scholarship sponsors, too.
Lean 109
109 
Startup Visa update
Startup Lessons Learned
MARCH 6, 2010
Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Saturday, March 6, 2010 Startup Visa update As I write this, I am traveling at 30,000 feet on Virgin Americas excellent IAD->SFO nonstop, following an intense few days of conversations in Washington, DC about the Startup Visa. Startup Lessons Learned - the Conference (April 23. Amazon PostRank
San Francisco 113
113 
Stop lying on stage
Startup Lessons Learned
OCTOBER 4, 2010
This is the same issue we see with vanity metrics : companies are giving the appearance of sharing information while actually engaging in spin or outright deception. Paul Graham is getting his startups the best advice he can in the best way he knows: by giving them exclusive access to off-the-record conversations that nobody else is privy to.
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167 Case Study: SlideShare goes freemium
Startup Lessons Learned
AUGUST 16, 2010
Designed for large businesses, the channels let a company share several types of documents, brand the channel with their own design elements, and then include display advertising, contest promotions, blog aggregation, social media integration and metrics reporting. ’&# They removed the core plan, and conversions went up.
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Join the lean startup discussion at Facebook on Thursday
Startup Lessons Learned
JUNE 23, 2009
fbFund REV featuring Eric Ries The Lean Startup Host: fbFund Type: Education - Lecture Network: Global Date: Thursday, June 25, 2009 Time: 1:30pm - 3:30pm Location: fbFund REV Garage Street: 164 Hamilton City/Town: Palo Alto, CA RSVP Here So, if you are in the Bay Area and want to swing by Palo Alto on Thursday afternoon, come join the conversation.
Lean 74
74 John Doerr's 10 lean startup tips
Startup Lessons Learned
OCTOBER 30, 2008
How do you drop a phrase like "voluntary salary reduction tool" and then not describe it :) Unless youre simply talking about the standard "hey, take less cash and Ill give you more options" type conversation. When you said "tool" I thought you actually meant you had a tool. Startup Lessons Learned - the Conference (April 23.
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121 
Gov 2.0 Summit wrap-up
Startup Lessons Learned
SEPTEMBER 15, 2009
A lot of conversation was about what "the federal government" should do. Startup Visa update ► February (5) Kiwi lean startup + Australia next Why diversity matters (the meritocracy business) Beware of Vanity Metrics (for Harvard Business Rev. marciamarcia : The L word (learning) onstage at #g2s from @ericries. link] Amen!
Lessons Learned: Three freemium strategies
Startup Lessons Learned
JANUARY 27, 2009
Do it right, and your conversion rates might be as high as 20%. Startup Visa update ► February (5) Kiwi lean startup + Australia next Why diversity matters (the meritocracy business) Beware of Vanity Metrics (for Harvard Business Rev. Do it wrong, and your LTV gets very close to zero. Take a look and let me know what you think.
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