View from Seed

AUGUST 17, 2021

A few weeks ago, we hosted a small dinner for a number of portfolio company founders, LP’s, and friends of the firm. It’s by far the longest time I’ve spent working on any one thing, and I feel very blessed to have been able to work with my partners, colleagues, founders, and collaborators. DraftKings was the classic example of this.

IRR 205

IRR Dilution Founder Portfolio 205

View from Seed

AUGUST 17, 2021

A few weeks ago, we hosted a small dinner for a number of portfolio company founders, LP’s, and friends of the firm. It’s by far the longest time I’ve spent working on any one thing, and I feel very blessed to have been able to work with my partners, colleagues, founders, and collaborators. DraftKings was the classic example of this.

IRR 156

IRR Dilution Founder Portfolio 156

Steve Blank

JANUARY 28, 2014

Kauffman just launched Founders School - a new education series to help entrepreneurs develop their businesses during the startup stage by highlighting how startups are different from big companies. After weeks honing the script and days of filming, I’m honored to present the “ Startups ” section of Founders School.

Founder 327

Founder Intellectual Property Lean Customer Development 327

View from Seed

AUGUST 17, 2021

A few weeks ago, we hosted a small dinner for a number of portfolio company founders, LP’s, and friends of the firm. It’s by far the longest time I’ve spent working on any one thing, and I feel very blessed to have been able to work with my partners, colleagues, founders, and collaborators. DraftKings was the classic example of this.

IRR 136

IRR Dilution Founder Portfolio 136

Steve Blank

MARCH 31, 2011

Over the last decade we assumed that once we found repeatable methodologies (Agile and Customer Development , Business Model Design) to build early stage ventures, entrepreneurship would become a “science,” and anyone could do it. Founders fit the definition of a creator: they see something no one else does.

Agile 332

Agile Customer Development Early Stage Business Model 332

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2013

Over the last three years our Lean LaunchPad / NSF Innovation Corps classes have been teaching hundreds of entrepreneurial teams a year how to build their startups by getting out of the building and testing their hypotheses behind their business model. The next customer segment we tried was startup founders.

Lean 315

Lean Customer Development Sales Cycle Business Model 315

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 29, 2023

According to most definitions, anyone who starts a business is an entrepreneur , but most people don’t realize there are many startup types out there, and picking the wrong one can be just as disastrous as being stuck in a cubicle at work, or doing things with no interest and no skills.

Intellectual Property 243

Intellectual Property Matching Business Model Cofounder 243

Steve Blank

MAY 6, 2015

While it sounds simple , the Build Measure Learn approach to product development is a radical improvement over the traditional Waterfall model used throughout the 20 th century to build and ship products. Luckily Alexander Osterwalder’s business model canvas presents a visual overview of the nine components of a business on one page.

Lean 120

Lean Agile Business Model Customer Development 120

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 11, 2018

Co-founder Holly Liu will walk us through the the decisions that led to that outcome. As is the right business model, which is the focus of the Don’t Bet on Your First Business Model workshop. This kind of testing, done right, is definitive for creating growth.

Lean 103

Lean Las Vegas Cofounder Startup 103

Hearpreneur

OCTOBER 3, 2021

Rossanna Ceccato is the founder of Redress, a disruptive clothing platform that helps women renew and refresh their wardrobes through dress swaps. I have been continually impressed by Sarah Hawley, the founder of Growmotely. Best yet, he’s concerned with making solutions that will help protect and maintain the environment.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur San Francisco Technical Review Cofounder 102

SoCal CTO

MARCH 3, 2011

Many of the founders of these companies are surprised to learn that I'm willing to review what they are doing (maybe an hour) and get on the phone for an hour with them and provide free advice. Do you have a Startup Founder Developer Gap ? This overview (executive summary) needs to include: Product and Business What is the product?

Fractional CTO 264

Fractional CTO CTO Hire NDA Technical Review 264

SoCal CTO

MARCH 3, 2011

Many of the founders of these companies are surprised to learn that I'm willing to review what they are doing (maybe an hour) and get on the phone for an hour with them and provide free advice. Do you have a Startup Founder Developer Gap ? This overview (executive summary) needs to include: Product and Business What is the product?

Fractional CTO 259

Fractional CTO CTO Hire NDA Technical Review 259

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 24, 2016

Services (Cloud, ads, music) have a very different business model. Ballmer and Microsoft failed because the CEO was a world-class executor (a Harvard grad and world-class salesman) of an existing business model trying to manage in a world of increasing change and disruption. What’s Missing? They remain entrepreneurs.

Azure 120

Azure Business Model Cloud Artificial Inteligence 120

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 24, 2016

Services (Cloud, ads, music) have a very different business model. Ballmer and Microsoft failed because the CEO was a world-class executor (a Harvard grad and world-class salesman) of an existing business model trying to manage in a world of increasing change and disruption. What’s Missing? They remain entrepreneurs. .

Azure 120

Azure Business Model Cloud Artificial Inteligence 120

SoCal CTO

MARCH 11, 2010

And it’s surprising how few startup founders think in those terms. I’ve talked before about initial conversations with founders and the questions I’m likely going to ask Startup Software Development – Do Your Homework Before You Develop Anything. And you definitely should have ideas around important proof points for the business.

Metrics 159

Metrics Startup Retention Software Developers 159

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 18, 2023

Some argue the only way to start is to drop everything and jump in with both feet, while others recommend an overlapped approach to the lifestyle, including not quitting your day job until you have revenue and a proven business model. I’m definitely a proponent of this latter approach.

Private Equity 255

Private Equity Salary Cofounder Equity 255

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 16, 2021

According to most definitions, anyone who starts a business is an entrepreneur , but most people don’t realize there are many startup types out there, and picking the wrong one can be just as disastrous as being stuck in a cubicle at work, or doing things with no interest and no skills.

Intellectual Property 328

Intellectual Property Matching Business Model Cofounder 328

The Startup Magazine

DECEMBER 20, 2023

Noufal Mais is a successful optometrist and entrepreneur who has established multiple eyecare businesses in Western Canada. He is the Founder and CEO of The Eye Centre franchise which operates in four locations, with two more scheduled to open this year. I didn’t get ahead of myself, and my team didn’t allow me to.

Differentiation 137

Differentiation Canada Business Model Leadership 137

Steve Blank

JUNE 26, 2015

The first, the notion of the “ ambidextrous organization ” from O’Reilly and Tushman , posits that companies that want to do continuous innovation need to execute their core business model while innovating in parallel. The Lean Definition of the Three Horizons of Innovation. Horizon 3 is focused on unknown business models.

Lean 120

Lean Management Business Model Incubator 120

Steve Blank

MARCH 31, 2014

The first will be commodity businesses that are valued for their ability to execute their current business model. The second class will be firms with a demonstrated ability to continually innovate and reinvent their business models. But in a business context, the meaning gets more nuanced. Innovation.

Private Equity 325

Private Equity Metrics China Intellectual Property 325

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 1, 2020

In very few specific cases, depending on the nature of the business, the business model might demand a considerable gestation period or extensive research and development. For these businesses, it is imperative to get funding from the start without which the company cannot be set up. It is a symbiotic relationship.

Startup 150

Startup Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Seed Stage 150

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 16, 2009

Eric Ries in Times Square For any model to be useful it has to predict what happens in the real world – including the web. I realized the Customer Development model needs to be clearer in what exactly a startup is supposed to do, regardless of the business model. “What is the “Business Model” of your startup?&#

Customer Development 219

Customer Development Web Developer Customer 219

Up and Running

AUGUST 6, 2014

The Social Enterprise Alliance offers this definition: “In its early days, the social enterprise movement was identified mainly with nonprofits that used business models and earned income strategies to pursue their mission. Some business leaders make the argument that any good business can be a social enterprise.

Rhode Island 107

Rhode Island North Dakota Louisiana Vermont 107

Duct Tape Marketing

OCTOBER 26, 2023

He's the founder of JJ Analytics, a company that helps businesses adopt the data-driven way of digital marketing. Now, there definitely are people that I think have gotten very deep into it to say, no, this is different, but it's better too. Now these are all very specific to a business model.

Analytics 78

Analytics Software Review Channel Europe 78

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

I recently spoke at the Founder Showcase at the request of Adeo Ressi. I’m no great scholar on bubbles – I have more interesting things to spend my time worrying about than the exact definition , but having been around a few I have at least given them intellectual consideration. I said that at the Founder Showcase, too.

Saudi Arabia 309

Saudi Arabia Valuation IPO Technical Review 309

View from Seed

JANUARY 5, 2021

In my experience founders usually fall into one of three types: mercenaries, missionaries, and crusaders. In fact we’ve backed founders I’d categorize as all three types here at NextView. But sometimes they’re the founders most motivated to build a successful company. The Mercenary.

Detroit 367

Detroit SEC Founder Affiliate 367

blog.captainrecruiter.com

MARCH 8, 2012

Technical Co-Founders Are A Myth. Two years ago I got the bug to do an online recruiting startup and I began the hunt to find a technical co-founder - a software engineer who works for no cash - to help me build my dream website. I learned something: technical co-founders are a myth. Captain Recruiter. Real Advice. No Nonsense.

Cofounder 40

Cofounder Technical Cofounder Founder Software Engineering 40

Life Beyond Code

MARCH 19, 2013

I have known Dr. William Miller (co-founder of Value Centered Innovation ) for a number of years and every conversation with him on business model innovation and beyond has been delightful and insightful. RS: Is the main purpose of a business model to define how the company will make money?

Business Model 84

Business Model Bangladesh Cofounder Green 84

Steve Blank

MARCH 29, 2010

The key things I want students to take from the class are: Understand that a startup is a temporary organization designed to search for a profitable business model. Learn how to put together a business model , not a business plan. Class Logistics. As described in the previous post , this is a hands-on class.

Business Model 226

Business Model Silicon Valley California Engineer 226

Duct Tape Marketing

JANUARY 4, 2024

As the founder of The Clikk, Russell has witnessed the evolving landscape of newsletters, recognizing them as a powerful intersection of content marketing and direct response promotion. He's the founder of the clikk an email newsletter about digital marketing. Russell shares invaluable insights on the resurgence of email newsletters.

Revenue 78

Revenue Advertising Email ChatGPT 78

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2020

Some argue the only way to start is to drop everything and jump in with both feet, while others recommend an overlapped approach to the lifestyle, including not quitting your day job until you have revenue and a proven business model. I’m definitely a proponent of this latter approach.

Entrepreneur 321

Entrepreneur Private Equity Startup Salary 321

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

While you concentrate on keeping your business running successfully, the brokers do all the work behind the scenes. Most dual agent business brokers have a high conversion rate due to already having the qualified buyers and are definitely someone you want to consider to help you sell your business. Business Exits.

United States 189

United States Revenue Sales Global 189

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

FEBRUARY 23, 2016

Investors and founders alike have been obsessed about “growth at all costs,” just as a virus colony grows without care to its effect on its host cells or whether the colony’s growth ends up destroying the host body completely, taking the colony down with it in a viral version of Lord of the Flies.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Viral Metrics Salary 120

View from Seed

OCTOBER 28, 2019

To some degree the best way to describe a pre-seed round is that you know it when you see it, as the definition is squishy… but most pre-seed rounds are characterized as relatively small ($750K or less), early in company formation (pre-product), and typically followed by a larger “seed” round ($1M-$3M) within 12 months. A continuum.

Seed Stage 247

Seed Stage Finance Dilution Early Stage 247

View from Seed

FEBRUARY 19, 2015

This is a guest post from Rob May , a co-founder and CEO of Backupify , which raised $19.5M Think more about business models. I’ve seen many companies with great products die because a great product is not necessarily a great business. But your job as CEO is really to guide your startup to a good business model.

Founder 120

Founder Startup Cofounder Business Model 120

Duct Tape Marketing

JUNE 28, 2023

[11:53] Is there anything about what’s going on right now in the current business environment that you think makes us a strong time? [15:25] 18:23] What are your thoughts on the idea that there are proven business models and you don’t have to like to create a whole new thing from zero? [19:41] So there's that.

South Africa 66

South Africa Africa Global Silicon Valley 66

Up and Running

MAY 18, 2016

You’ll learn more about what destroys startups, how to use the Customer Development method to succeed, how to use the Business Model Canvas, how to identify and keep your customers, and how to drive profits. Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers.

Startup 80

Startup Venture Capital Angel Investor Lean 80