Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2016

From my perspective as an investor, I recommend that every founder needs to know the answers to these questions, be open and honest in answering them thoughtfully, and without making excuses: What is the current runway and burn rate? Is there a real customer willing to give a testimonial?

Sweat Equity 120

Sweat Equity Burn Rate Technical Review Intellectual Property 120

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 16, 2023

Yet every business requires revenue and volumes, as certainly as it requires a product to sell. Projecting financials is a natural extension of the homework every entrepreneur needs to do on customer opportunity size, product costs, pricing, competition and customer value. Doubling revenue each year is a good target.

Forecast 290

Forecast Burn Rate Widget Business Plan 290

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2015

From my perspective as an investor, I recommend that every founder needs to know the answers to these questions, be open and honest in answering them thoughtfully, and without making excuses: What is the current runway and burn rate? Is there a real customer willing to give a testimonial?

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Due Diligence Sweat Equity Burn Rate 120

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 7, 2009

Finally, I’ll write about how Eric Ries and the Lean Startup concept provided the equivalent model for product development activities inside the building and neatly integrates customer and agile development. Three to six months after first customer ship, if Sales starts missing its numbers, the board gets concerned.

Customer Development 224

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 224

Steve Blank

AUGUST 27, 2012

It was great to watch him embrace the spirit and practice of customer development. He was constantly in front of customers, listening, selling, installing and learning. I got to spend time inside his company while I was using their software to analyze early-stage ventures. And that’s where the problem was. A Pivot a Week.

Founder 316

Founder Cofounder Advisory Board Burn Rate 316

The Equity Kicker

JANUARY 10, 2020

Nic Brisbourne is Managing Partner at Forward Partners, the UK’s leading early-stage VC, currently supporting the UK’s next generation of AI, e-commerce and marketplace businesses. I think we differ a little from the rest of the industry, though, particularly with our focus on early stage companies.

Partner 68

Partner Early Stage Portfolio Metrics 68

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 13, 2013

You’ve got entrepreneurs and founders who are really – a lot of them are in the very early stage of their startup. You have been at five startups, you had an exit at your last company where you were the Chief Revenue Officer. ” [laugh] Well, we’re on the subject, so let’s talk about that a little bit.

Cofounder 337

Cofounder Technical Cofounder San Diego Startup 337

BeyondVC

DECEMBER 10, 2009

Financial models for startups are important from a big picture perspective, but I never like to get mired in the full details as things always change in the early stages. In my mind some of these key variables include new bookings, growth of deferred revenue, churn rate, cost of acquiring new customers, and obviously cash.

Churn Rate 112

Churn Rate Burn Rate Startup Metrics 112

The Next Web

JUNE 15, 2015

This awareness and trust spills over into the workforce of a company, whether they are local or outsourced — a factor that can turn customers on or off in many markets. Take Airbnb’s expansion into Europe as an example, a market that now generates over half of the company’s revenue.

Global 60

Global Burn Rate Startup CPA 60

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 2, 2009

For those of you who have been following the discussion, a Lean Startup is Eric Ries ’s description of the intersection of Customer Development , Agile Development and if available, open platforms and open source. And I can even imagine cases where it might burn more cash than a traditional startup. Lets see why.

Lean 244

Lean Silicon Valley Startup RSS 244

Professor VC

JULY 31, 2008

Last year, I tried out a custom textbook through one of the major publishers, which seemed like a great way to go. The artists received very little of album sales, but kept concert and merchandise revenue. The artists received very little of album sales, but kept concert and merchandise revenue. Now Its Organic Chemistry."

San Jose 28

San Jose Software Review Angel Investor Silicon Valley 28

ReadWriteStart

APRIL 30, 2020

Many fail because they fail to keep their burn rate in check and then run out of investors who are willing to fund their operations. They treat their startup’s burn rate like it’s etched in stone. That money would be better spent on creating products and services that drive revenue, however.

Burn Rate 107

Burn Rate Management Startup Early Stage 107

abovethecrowd.com

FEBRUARY 24, 2015

Over the last few years, the late-stage (pre-IPO) market has become the most competitive, the most crowded, and the frothiest of these financing stages. Investors from all walks of life have decided that “late stage private” is where they want to play. You must subtract it from your top-line revenue.

IPO 40

IPO Liquidation Preference Valuation Technical Review 40

www.paulgraham.com

APRIL 28, 2010

There never has to be atime when you have no revenues. By which I meannot that it has to make something physical, but that it has to haveone thing it sells to many people, rather than doing custom workfor individual clients. Custom work doesnt scale. The problems are different in the early stages.

Technical Review 76

Technical Review Startup Software Review Angel Investor 76