Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2021

A common challenge faced by every entrepreneur is that they don’t have the bandwidth, interest or skills to do everything that is required to build their startup. Two heads are always better than one in a startup. There’s a reason that Silicon Valley and Boston are hubs for high-tech startups.

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Cofounder Startup Silicon Valley Kansas 315

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2020

As a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I often feel the frustration of someone trying to build a startup in the wrong place and time, and wrongly attributing their struggle to personal limitations. I saw these addressed well in a new book, “ The Startup Community Way ,” by Brad Feld and Ian Hathaway.

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Community San Francisco Silicon Valley Startup 329

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2018

The biggest challenge for every entrepreneur and every startup today is to get noticed and remembered in today’s information overload. Every one of these probably has a unique story, but in my years as a startup advisor I only remember hearing a few who capitalized on their story. Every story needs a main character.

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Elevator Pitch Technical Review Boston Sales 211

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2021

I found some eye-opening insights in the classic book, “ Rocket: Eight Lessons to Secure Infinite Growth ,” by The Boston Consulting Group. They outline the new rules for existing brands, but I believe that every entrepreneur who doesn’t yet have a brand yet should study these carefully, as paraphrased for startups below.

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Boston Social Media Demand Security 381

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 1, 2023

A common challenge faced by every entrepreneur is that they don’t have the bandwidth, interest or skills to do everything that is required to build their startup. Two heads are always better than one in a startup. There’s a reason that Silicon Valley and Boston are hubs for high-tech startups.

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Partner Cofounder Silicon Valley Kansas 249

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 15, 2018

Thus I find that two heads are usually better than one in a startup. Way back in the early eighties, I had the privilege of working with Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, when Microsoft was still a startup. There’s a reason that Silicon Valley and Boston are hubs for high-tech startups.

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Partner Cofounder Silicon Valley Kansas 139

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 21, 2019

Image via Wikipedia From the advice I hear these days, if you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you need to be in Silicon Valley, Boston, New York, or one of the few other financial hubs around the world. What does that mean for the rest of us, who reside or grew up in the thousands of small towns that cover most of the landscape?

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Silicon Valley Missouri Technical Review Boston 269

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 6, 2022

Investing in entrepreneurs and startups is a fun but different world from investing in conventional stocks, bonds, and commodities. First of all, it’s more of an investment in people than in a business, since the startup is usually an idea barely half-baked when they need your money. Start in a business domain you know well.

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Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2013

California (Silicon Valley), New York (NYC), and Massachusetts (Boston) are the places to be in the US for venture capital attention. In other locations, the trend was more equal, even somewhat reversed in New York and Boston. entrepreneur startup investor funding venture capital business' No surprises here. Marty Zwilling.

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Venture Capital Silicon Valley Massachusetts California 238

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 1, 2013

Investing in entrepreneurs and startups is a fun but different world from investing in conventional stocks, bonds, and commodities. First of all, it’s more of an investment in people than in a business, since the startup is usually an idea barely half-baked when they need your money. Start in a business domain you know well.

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Accredited Investor Liquidity Event SEC Stock 219

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 16, 2015

I found some eye-opening elements and insights in a new book, “ Rocket: Eight Lessons to Secure Infinite Growth ,” by The Boston Consulting Group. They outline the new rules for existing brands, but I believe that every entrepreneur who doesn’t yet have a brand yet should study these carefully, as paraphrased for startups below.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2012

Incubators I hear mentioned most often include YCombinator , led by Paul Graham in Silicon Valley, and TechStars , located in Boston, Boulder, New York City, and Seattle. A few are still trying to make money doing it, but it is hard to make money off startups. However, many research and technology parks also house incubation programs.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2013

The number of startups getting seed funding in 2012 jumped by 65% over the previous year to a total of 1749, according to a recent report by CB Insights. This is great evidence that the recession drag on funding new startups is behind us. This is great evidence that the recession drag on funding new startups is behind us.

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Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 24, 2011

Incubators I hear mentioned most often include YCombinator , led by Paul Graham in Silicon Valley, and TechStars , located in Boston, Boulder, New York City, and Seattle. A few are still trying to make money doing it, but it is hard to make money off startups. Startup Accelerators and Incubators.” billion.

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Incubator New York City Silicon Valley Startup 234

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

Join entrepreneur groups online, like Linkedin “On Startups”, Facebook for Business, and use Twitter to find people with like-minded interests. Major universities, like Stanford and MIT, are flush with smart people from all cultures, many of whom would bring a whole new energy and creativity to your startup. Talk to people at work.

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Cofounder Silicon Valley Non-Compete Startup 239

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 24, 2012

Reuters TV Interview by Rhonda Schaffler Investing in entrepreneurs and startups is a fun but different world from investing in conventional stocks, bonds, and commodities. First of all, it’s more of an investment in people than in a business, since the startup is usually an idea barely half-baked when they need your money.

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Portfolio Accredited Investor Liquidity Event SEC 228

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2019

Investing in entrepreneurs and startups is a fun but different world from investing in conventional stocks, bonds, and commodities. First of all, it’s more of an investment in people than in a business, since the startup is usually an idea barely half-baked when they need your money. Start in a business domain you know well.

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Liquidity Event SEC Entrepreneur Accredited Investor 224

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 15, 2011

Join entrepreneur groups online, like Linkedin “On Startups”, Facebook for Business, and use Twitter to find people with like-minded interests. Major universities, like Stanford and MIT, are flush with smart people from all cultures, many of whom would bring a whole new energy and creativity to your startup. Talk to people at work.

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Partner Cofounder Silicon Valley Non-Compete 231

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2011

billion jump in funding over the same quarter of 2010 with a similar number of deals, so it clearly shows a trend to larger deal sizes for fewer startups. To me, this indicates that venture capitalists (VCs) are looking for business, but not from first-time startups. Overall, investors put $7.5 That represents a $1.5

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Venture Capital Revenue Elevator Pitch Silicon Valley 233

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 6, 2015

A common challenge faced by every entrepreneur is that they don’t have the bandwidth, interest or skills to do everything that is required to build their startup. Two heads are always better than one in a startup. There’s a reason that Silicon Valley and Boston are hubs for high-tech startups.

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Cofounder Founder Silicon Valley Startup 120

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2010

Startups and entrepreneurs need to be realists. While the amounts were down, the number of startups that took slices of the pie went up by 9 percent (780 total), perhaps signaling that investors are trying to be more economical with their funds. Tags: entrepreneur startups investors venture capital business. Marty Zwilling.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 20, 2014

California (Silicon Valley), New York (NYC), and Massachusetts (Boston) are the places to be in the US for venture capital attention. In other locations, the trend was more equal, even somewhat reversed in New York and Boston. The significant findings include the following: Founders need to live in the right place. No surprises here.

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Silicon Valley Venture Capital Massachusetts California 271

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2018

I found some eye-opening insights in the classic book, “ Rocket: Eight Lessons to Secure Infinite Growth ,” by The Boston Consulting Group. They outline the new rules for existing brands, but I believe that every entrepreneur who doesn’t yet have a brand yet should study these carefully, as paraphrased for startups below.

Boston 134

Boston Social Media Demand Security 134

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2017

Investing in entrepreneurs and startups is a fun but different world from investing in conventional stocks, bonds, and commodities. First of all, it’s more of an investment in people than in a business, since the startup is usually an idea barely half-baked when they need your money. Start in a business domain you know well.

Liquidity Event 184

Liquidity Event SEC Accredited Investor Angel Investor 184

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 17, 2010

Join entrepreneur groups online, like Linkedin “On Startups”, Facebook for Business, and use Twitter to find people with like-minded interests. Major universities, like Stanford and MIT, are flush with smart people from all cultures, many of whom would bring a whole new energy and creativity to your startup. Talk to people at work.

Cofounder 135

Cofounder Founder Silicon Valley Startup 135

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2013

If your startup is looking for an Angel investor, does it makes sense to present your plan to flocks of Angels, and assume that at least one will swoop down and scoop you up? Here are five key things you need to know to quickly find the right Angel for your startup: Angels invest in people, more often than they invest in ideas.

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Angel Investor Accredited Investor Silicon Valley Venture Capital 252

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2010

But until now, I’ve never seen a study of exactly how that plays out for startup founders for current venture-backed companies, specifically: race, age, experience and the number of founders per company. California (Silicon Valley), New York (NYC), and Massachusetts (Boston) are the places to be in the US for venture capital attention.

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Venture Capital Massachusetts California New York 221

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2014

Yet I still see business plans and funding plans for startups that have minimal or no allocation for travel. I’m talking about volunteering to be on industry panels for visibility, participating in startup weekends for education, and talking to groups of distributors or potential customers on technology trends.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2012

If your startup is looking for an angel investor, does it makes sense to present your plan to flocks of angels, and assume that at least one will swoop down and scoop you up? Here are five key things you need to know to quickly find the right angel for your startup: Angels invest in people, more often than they invest in ideas.

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Angel Investor Silicon Valley Exit Strategy Boston 245

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 26, 2016

The biggest challenge for every entrepreneur and every startup today is to get noticed and remembered in today’s information overload. Every one of these probably has a unique story, but in my years as a startup advisor I only remember hearing a few who capitalized on their story. Every story needs a main character.

Elevator Pitch 120

Elevator Pitch Boston Entrepreneur Sales 120

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 6, 2015

Investing in entrepreneurs and startups is a fun but different world from investing in conventional stocks, bonds, and commodities. First of all, it’s more of an investment in people than in a business, since the startup is usually an idea barely half-baked when they need your money. Start in a business domain you know well.

Accredited Investor 120

Accredited Investor Liquidity Event SEC Entrepreneur 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2011

If your startup is looking for an angel investor, does it makes sense to present your plan to flocks of angels, and assume that at least one will swoop down and scoop you up? Here are five key things you need to know to quickly find the right angel for your startup: Angels invest in people, more often than they invest in ideas.

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Angel Investor Silicon Valley Entrepreneur Exit Strategy 244

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 17, 2010

By Jim Flowers A few months ago, Marty invited me to comment on business incubation and what a startup company ought to expect from an incubator. Tags: entrepreneurs incubators relationships startups. Relationships , I said back then. And I stand by that assertion. He blogs at www.startwithmoxie.com.

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Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 14, 2010

billion to work across 731 financing deals with US startups, a 50% increase over Q1 2009. Angels are also moving up-stage, leaving a bigger and bigger black hole for new startups. In fact, nine of the ten most active investment firms are located there (with one in Boston). Tags: startups venture capital business.

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Venture Capital Elevator Pitch Silicon Valley Massachusetts 123