Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

Tech IPO prices exploded and subsequent trading prices rose to dizzying heights as the stock prices became disconnected from the traditional metrics of revenue and profits. Startups wrote business plans, generated expansive 5-year forecasts and executed (hired, spent and built) to the plan. Then one day it was over.

Lean 335

Lean Burn Rate Startup IPO 335

Steve Blank

MARCH 17, 2020

The questions every startup or small business CEO needs to ask now are: What’s my Burn Rate and Runway? What does your new business model look like? Burn Rate and Runway. To answer the first question, take stock of your current gross burn rate i.e. how much cash are you spending each month.

Burn Rate 436

Burn Rate Startup Valuation Sales Cycle 436

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 22, 2010

Startups that are searching for a business model need to keep score differently than large companies that are executing a known business model. Yet most entrepreneurs and their VC’s make startups use financial models and spreadsheets that actually hinder their success. Managing the Business. Startup Metrics.

Balance Sheet 298

Balance Sheet Startup Burn Rate Metrics 298

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2015

How the solution and business model work to fund the business. Every customer understands that your solution has to generate more revenue than cost, but you should not put that data in a customer pitch. Investors will impatiently expect a winning business model, customer segment definitions and volume projections.

Product 120

Product Intellectual Property Liquidity Event Burn Rate 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2015

Even non-profits require money to operate, so every startup needs a business model with plans to bring in income. This means delegating tasks and not micro-managing, as well as more time spent working on the business, rather than in the business. Define metrics to keep on track for the journey.

Elevator Pitch 120

Elevator Pitch Burn Rate Startup Metrics 120

VC Cafe

NOVEMBER 2, 2019

One question that keeps coming up when speaking with early stage entrepreneurs when it comes to funding, is what metrics the company needs to hit to raise seed/series A/B etc: What’s a good conversion rate? Is my churn rate below the category average? Benchmarks are typically specific to stage/business model/geo.

B2C 141

B2C Technical Review Startup Retention 141

Professor VC

AUGUST 26, 2011

To that last one, there is certainly some truth as the standard time vs. revenue chart in most business plans looks like this: Im not teaching Entrepreneurial Finance this semester for the first time since Fall 2007. What are the key drivers and metrics? Is the model consistent with the business plan?

Silicon Valley 35

Silicon Valley San Jose Hockey Stick Venture Capital 35