Steve Blank

JUNE 27, 2017

As more and more companies face disruption from globalization, new technology, and startups that have more capital than the incumbents, the continuing cry from Wall Street investors is, “Why can’t companies be as innovative as startups?”. Here’s one reason why: Startups can do anything. Startups can do anything.

Startup 275

Startup New York City Valuation Distribution 275

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2023

People tell me there may be over 8,000 dating sites with scientific matchmaking algorithms worldwide, but I couldn’t find one that focused on scientifically matching companies and people for business-to-business (B2B) relationships. Understand required changes to the current business model.

Partner 252

Partner B2B Matching Algorithm 252

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 30, 2020

Most of you prefer to ignore the feedback from analysts that your chances of creating the next unicorn startup may be as low as one in five million. Get support from credible industry groups and partners. Products that can be easily produced and sold via multiple channels, including the Internet, are more easily scaled world-wide.

Merger 386

Merger Acquisition Software Review Social Media 386

Steve Blank

APRIL 23, 2014

For decades large companies have gone shopping in Silicon Valley for startups. What can companies learn from others’ failed efforts to integrate startups into large companies? The answer - there are two types of integration strategies, and they depend on where the startup is in its lifecycle. The Innovation Portfolio.

Acquisition 332

Acquisition Intellectual Property Silicon Valley Startup 332

VC Cafe

NOVEMBER 2, 2019

Benchmarks are typically specific to stage/business model/geo. In Rob Go’s words: For seed and Series A deals, investors will also need to see a high-potential team with founder/market fit , a large and attractive market opportunity , and a business model with increasing returns to scale. Consumer apps and services.

B2C 141

B2C Technical Review Startup Retention 141

Steve Blank

APRIL 21, 2011

The Stanford Lean LaunchPad class was an experiment with a new model of teaching startup entrepreneurship. This week they were testing their hypotheses about the sales “Channel” – how a company delivers its value proposition (i.e. There are two major channels: physical channels and virtual (web/mobile) channels.

Channel 215

Channel Artificial Inteligence San Francisco Business Model 215

Steve Blank

JUNE 26, 2014

We’re changing the order in which we teach the business model canvas and customer development to better-fit therapeutics, diagnostics and medical devices. The Lean LaunchPad class uses the three “ Lean Startup ” principles: Alexander Osterwalders “ business model canvas ” to frame hypotheses.

Intellectual Property 281

Intellectual Property Lean IP Open Source 281

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 16, 2014

How do you figure out what’s the right mix of skills for the co-founders of your startup? Surprisingly if you’ve filled out the business model canvas you already know who you need. She started by sketching her business model canvas on a napkin, but somehow the conversation quickly shifted to what was really on her mind.

Cofounder 335

Cofounder Founder Intellectual Property Business Model 335

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 5, 2023

Bill was relentless in his focus on getting the software PC DOS project delivered, while continually challenging us with new business models. Finding a co-founder is rarely a bad thing, since two heads are always better than one in meeting all the startup challenges. Communication to the team suffers, and productivity is low.

Cofounder 389

Cofounder Startup Term Sheet Acquisition 389

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2018

What is the definition of traction for a business startup today? This can happen through early marketing, independent of whether you have yet delivered a single product, proven your business model, or have any real customers. Assemble a credible inside advisory board and partners.

Advisory Board 199

Advisory Board Technical Review Metrics Business Model 199

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

For example, in my discussions with business owners, some have already used inflation positives to update their inventory values, take advantage of reduced mortgage rates, or simply making the price increases that they have long needed. Keeping customers coming back is not a one-time thing, but an on-going effort to not let them forget you.

Technical Review 239

Technical Review Revenue Social Media Cost 239

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2017

An effective tool I see used more and more, as a prelude to a more detailed business plan, is the Business Model Canvas , first introduced by Alexander Osterwalder back in 2008. In my experience as a new business advisor, a business is nothing until people are aligned and work in sync. Key partners.

Business Model 143

Business Model Intellectual Property Startup Angel Investor 143

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 21, 2023

Here is my list of the ten most common sources of funding today, in reverse priority sequence, with some rules of thumb to channel your focus: Seek a bank loan or credit-card line-of-credit. In the US, you may find that the Small Business Administration (SBA) can get you infusions of cash without normal backup requirements.

Equity 266

Equity Startup Small Business Administration SBA 266

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 27, 2015

But for startups with limited resources and experience, I always recommend a soft launch or toe-in-the-water approach in a local market -- and scale up later. In fact, for startups, it usually makes sense to announce your solution on social media and blogs even before you have built the first one.

Hockey Stick 120

Hockey Stick Startup Stealth Agile 120

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 11, 2018

As we put the final touches on Lean Startup Conference 2018 , I wanted to take a moment to share more about some of the panels, workshops, and events. Reid Hoffman of LinkedIn and Greylock Partners will be talking about “blitzscaling” with his co-author Chris Yeh, and Stanford Professor Bob Sutton.

Lean 103

Lean Las Vegas Cofounder Startup 103

The Startup Magazine

FEBRUARY 21, 2024

The most poignant of these challenges was the quest for capital partners, which was not just about securing capital but about finding collaborators who were willing to believe in the vision and commit to the long-term journey. The goal is to transform dormant or underutilized assets into active capital that supports your business.

Technical Review 134

Technical Review Due Diligence Bankruptcy Intellectual Property 134

VC Cafe

JULY 29, 2012

Adopting the models of Emotional Intelligence to startups. So, to build a successful product, startups need to really understand their users – what motivates them, how do they ‘work’, what do they respond to. Relationships with users, partners, investor and your team. Share/Bookmark.

Engineer 145

Engineer Technical Review Software Review Startup 145

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 19, 2020

Investors will tell you that they love to put money into startups that are scalable, and ready to become the next unicorn. Simply stated, it means that your business has the potential to multiply revenue with minimal incremental cost. Investors don’t invest in services startups. Are you feeling the need yet in your own startup?

Hockey Stick 386

Hockey Stick Intellectual Property Startup Non-Compete 386

Steve Blank

MAY 6, 2015

It’s time to update Build, Measure, Learn to what we now know is the best way to build Lean startups. Only after shipping and attempting to sell the product would a startup hear any substantive feedback from customers. Then came the Build-Measure-learn focus of the Lean Startup. Here’s how. Build-Measure-Learn.

Lean 120

Lean Agile Business Model Customer Development 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 26, 2021

We all hate to see your proposal rejected , when a bit more effort and homework could expedite your startup funding and rollout. Of course, you can find these elements embodied in many of the business plan templates and tools out there, such as the Business Model Canvas. Specify a primary customer channel for sales.

Intellectual Property 332

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Business Model Channel 332

Steve Blank

MARCH 26, 2019

The class was unique in that it was 1) team-based, 2) experiential, 3) lean-driven (hypothesis testing/business model/customer development/agile engineering). When we started this class, the concept of Lean (business models, customer development, agile, pivots, mvp’s) was new to everyone. Class Velocity/Depth.

Lean 248

Lean Business Model Balance Sheet Video 248

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 14, 2023

Investors will tell you that they love to put money into startups that are scalable, and ready to become the next unicorn. Simply stated, it means that your business has the potential to multiply revenue with minimal incremental cost. Investors don’t invest in services startups. Are you feeling the need yet in your own startup?

Hockey Stick 339

Hockey Stick Intellectual Property Non-Compete Business Model 339

View from Seed

JANUARY 6, 2021

When a company is pitching a VC, there is typically one partner who is the advocate for the deal and is shepherding the process. Part of what I like about working with my partners is that I really believe that our collective decision-making is better than our decision-making as individuals.

Partner 180

Partner Distribution Founder Acquisition 180

Steve Blank

JANUARY 22, 2014

Dino Vendetti a VC at Bay Partners, moved up to Bend, Oregon on a mission to engineer Bend into a regional technology cluster. Success depends on finding startups that have identified acute customer pains in large markets where conditions are ripe for a new entrant. I visited Bend last year and caught up with his progress.

Early Stage 286

Early Stage Silicon Valley Oregon Technical Review 286

View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 12, 2017

The old brands and distribution channels are dead or dying. But while that particular model has seen success, it certainly won’t be the only way that companies will be able to create greater personalization and serendipitous discovery for their customers. Most apparel purchases are now in some way influenced by the internet.

Internet 209

Internet eCommerce Bankruptcy Technical Review 209

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2017

Even the most diligent investors are often surprised by apparently solid business startups that fail, while others succeed, despite the odds. The best founders operate with a key set of internal principles that allow them to break through all but the toughest business obstacles. Instead, find a partner with domain experience.

Technical Review 152

Technical Review Stealth Lean Social Media 152

The Next Web

AUGUST 19, 2013

His passions are business process automation, surfing, and his new baby girl Maya. ?. Sales are the bloodstream for most businesses, and tech startups are no exception. However, figuring out the way your startup should make money could be challenging, especially for us left­-brained founders.

Belarus 137

Belarus Viral Channel Startup 137

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 31, 2014

Scalable startups are on a trajectory for a billion dollar market cap. Not all start ups want to go in that direction – some will opt instead to become a small business. There’s nothing wrong with a business that supports you and perhaps an extended family. What’s the playbook for your region or country to make it so?

Global 335

Global Australia Silicon Valley China 335

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 13, 2019

An effective tool I see used more and more, as a prelude to a more detailed business plan, is the Business Model Canvas , first introduced by Alexander Osterwalder back in 2008. In my experience as a new business advisor, a business is nothing until people are aligned and work in sync. Key partners.

Intellectual Property 250

Intellectual Property Business Model Angel Investor Channel 250

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 16, 2012

Alexander Osterwalder and I spent last week in Salt Lake City, Utah as judges at the 2 nd Annual International Business Model Competition , hosted by Professor Nathan Furr , and his team at the BYU Center for Entrepreneurship. This makes sense in a company where your customers, channel and competition are known.

Business Model 263

Business Model Customer Development Utah Business Plan 263

Steve Blank

MARCH 31, 2014

Just look at the disruptive challenges that businesses face today– globalization, China as a manufacturer, China as a consumer, the Internet, and a steady stream of new startups. Perhaps that’s because where established companies might see risks or threats, startups see opportunity. Innovation.

Private Equity 325

Private Equity Metrics China Intellectual Property 325

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2012

I expect that should seem intuitive to all entrepreneurs, but every investor I know has many stories about startup funding requests with major business model elements missing. I support her assertion that a business model consists of at least the first seven of the following ten basic elements: Value proposition.

Business Model 242

Business Model Distribution Viral Green 242

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2020

In my work with new startups, I often find people who believe that the terms “ entrepreneur ” and “ inventor ” are interchangeable. Yet I find a big difference between “starting a new business” and “creating a new product.” Two people with complementary skills are often equal to three.

Founder 312

Founder Intellectual Property Dilution Startup 312

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 25, 2020

People tell me there may be over 8,000 dating sites with scientific matchmaking algorithms worldwide, but I couldn’t find one that focused on scientifically matching companies and people for business-to-business (B2B) relationships. Understand required changes to the current business model.

B2B 388

B2B Matching Partner Algorithm 388

SoCal CTO

JUNE 9, 2010

Continuing my series of posts that I’ve been collecting that live at the intersection of Startups and being a Startup CTO : Startup CTO Top 30 Posts for April 16 Great Startup Posts from March here are the top posts from May 2010. For a micro-ISV, selling to big businesses can be more lucrative than selling to consumers.

Fractional CTO 248

Fractional CTO Startup Venture Capital Cofounder 248

View from Seed

JANUARY 24, 2018

For this reason, we’ve partnered with Guild members who have experience across different kinds of customers, business models, and distribution channels. This is an initiative that we will continue to refine in the coming years, but we are so excited to be partnering with these Guild members going forward.

Operations 176

Operations Cofounder Technical Review Angel Investor 176

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

Too many entrepreneurs look for that one magic bullet -- an exciting new technology, perhaps, or their own determination to make the world a better place -- to override any shortcomings in their startup model. Yet, magic bullets are not sufficient to assure business success. A large and growing market opportunity.

Exit Strategy 120

Exit Strategy Technical Review Distribution Viral 120