David Teten

APRIL 1, 2021

Almost every private equity and venture capital investor now advertises that they have a platform to support their portfolio companies. The popularity of the model can be judged by the fact that the U.S. Real Ventures , an early-stage, Canadian-based fund, runs a two-day Founder Camp every six months.

Private Equity 78

Private Equity Venture Capital Portfolio Equity 78

Growthink Blog

DECEMBER 27, 2017

Are you looking to raise venture capital ? You need a good idea – and an excellent business plan. Business planning and raising venture capital go hand-in-hand. A business plan is required for attracting venture capital. Most investors are inundated with business plans.

Venture Capital 129

Venture Capital Business Plan Technical Review Private Placement 129

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2019

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Apply for contests and business grants. Only one-third make it past their tenth anniversary.

Finance 320

Finance Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 320

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2022

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Apply for contests and business grants. Set expectations accordingly.

Intellectual Property 261

Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator Bootstrapping 261

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2022

Finally I realized that venture capital and angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary. As with most business and personal interactions, first impressions tend to become lasting ones. A proven business model, ready to scale, is particularly attractive.

Intellectual Property 278

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Early Stage Venture Capital 278

Feld Thoughts

AUGUST 25, 2015

In January, Jerry Neumann wrote a long and detailed analysis of his view of the VC industry in the 1980’s titled Heat Death: Venture Capital in the 1980’s. So contrary to the piece, it wasn’t VC were good at early stage technology, it was that they had newfound capital and a big exit window.

Venture Capital 70

Venture Capital SBIC Technical Review Silicon Valley 70

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 13, 2020

Finally I realized that venture capital and angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary. As with most business and personal interactions, first impressions tend to become lasting ones. A proven business model, ready to scale, is particularly attractive.

Intellectual Property 316

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Early Stage Venture Capital 316

SoCal CTO

MARCH 20, 2007

His work in social media, e-Learning and Performance Support has won awards and has led him into engagements at many Fortune 500 companies including Credit Suisse, Royal Bank of Canada, Citibank, Lexus, Microsoft, Nissan, Universal, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems, Fidelity Investments, Symbol Technologies and SHL Systemhouse.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Technical Cofounder Southern California Los Angeles 150

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 30, 2019

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Apply for contests and business grants. Set expectations accordingly.

Intellectual Property 219

Intellectual Property Technical Review Startup Incubator 219

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 4, 2020

Now, this age-old perspective on business may sound like a line from It’s a Wonderful Life , but putting families first has new meaning for modern entrepreneurs. They aren’t operating on big bankrolls of venture capital (at least initially), and they don’t have trust funds to fall back on if the business fails.

Entrepreneur 205

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Silicon Valley Bandwidth 205

Up and Running

MARCH 11, 2015

And, there’s a good reason why; it includes back-to-back essays on mobile, high-growth startups and technology. Venture capital is a male-dominated business and it’s rare to get the perspectives of female VC. But, he also has great advice on growth strategies for early-stage companies. A Smart Bear.

Venture Capital 60

Venture Capital Technical Review Silicon Valley Cofounder 60

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2013

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Apply for contests and business grants. Set expectations accordingly.

Intellectual Property 309

Intellectual Property Technical Review Venture Capital Startup 309

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 14, 2014

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Apply for contests and business grants. Set expectations accordingly.

Entrepreneur 283

Entrepreneur Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 283

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2023

Most entrepreneurs have found by now one or more of the many popular crowdfunding sites , and have the name and contact information for at least one of the big venture capital firms. By definition, angels are accredited investors, who invest their own money for a percentage of the business. Most share expertise as well as money.

Venture Capital 265

Venture Capital Accredited Investor Syndicate Syndication 265

Steve Blank

APRIL 23, 2014

Most large companies manage three types of innovation: process innovation (making existing products incrementally better), continuous innovation (building on the strength of the company’s current business model but creating new elements) and disruptive innovation (creating products or services that did not exist before.).

Acquisition 332

Acquisition Intellectual Property Silicon Valley Startup 332

SoCal CTO

MARCH 5, 2007

There are quite a few other Software Development Companies in Southern California working on open source and/or freemium business models. Technology Advisor Technology Roles in Startups Pricing Customer Acquisition Sunk Costs and More -. Technology Jobs in Southern California – a Rebound. in Computer Science.

Open Source 150

Open Source Business Model Technical Cofounder Southern California 150

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2013

It is no secret that the world of venture capital (VCs) was turned upside down by the recent Recession, and many other changes in the marketplace. Every early-stage startup should explore this new funding alternative. New “up-and-comer” VCs focus on early-stage companies.

Angel Investor 231

Angel Investor Entrepreneur Early Stage Silicon Valley 231

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 12, 2018

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Apply for contests and business grants. Only one-third make it past their tenth anniversary.

Intellectual Property 134

Intellectual Property Technical Review Startup Incubator 134

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2023

Angel investors and venture capitalists are looking for startups with real products and a proven business model, ready to scale. Yet I still get too many business plans that clearly are looking for money to do research and development (R&D) on a new and unproven technology. Technology pilots.

Angel Investor 256

Angel Investor Early Stage Incubator Government 256

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2017

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Apply for contests and business grants. Set expectations accordingly.

Product Development 177

Product Development Cost Developer Product 177

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

Similar to the explosion of seed funds in the past decade, we (and some limited partners too ) believe these Flexible VCs are on the forefront of what will become a major segment of the venture ecosystem. We detail below the major categories of VC: VENTURE CAPITAL TYPOLOGY. FLEXIBLE VC VS. OTHER VENTURE CAPITAL MODELS.

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 19, 2017

In turn, this leads to the development of a thriving startup ecosystem which paves the way for technology and innovation. With venture capitalists around the world shifting their focus to Asia, here are 5 ways the surge in venture capital fundraising is shaking up the startup landscape in the region.

Venture Capital 196

Venture Capital Asia Artificial Inteligence Later Stage 196

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 10, 2011

I was invited to Finland as part of Stanford’s Engineering Technology Venture Program partnership with Aalto University. You find early stage employees expecting to work normal hours, to get paid a regular salary, and not asking or expecting equity. Thanks to Kristo Ovaska and team for the fabulous logistics!)

Finland 324

Finland Naming Russia Government 324

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2014

Finally I realized that Venture Capital and Angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary. As with most business and personal interactions, first impressions tend to become lasting ones. A proven business model, ready to scale, is particularly attractive.

Angel Investor 268

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Early Stage 268

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2015

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Apply for contests and business grants. Solicit funds from friends and family.

Entrepreneur 120

Entrepreneur Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 120

Hunter Walker

FEBRUARY 6, 2024

It’s Never Been More Important to Understand Your Capital Provider’s Business Model [Charles Hudson/Precursor] – Charles is just a wonderful human and his posts about venture capital are essential for anyone who considers themselves part of the startup community.

Venture Capital 65

Venture Capital China Government Early Stage 65

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2010

It is no secret that the world of venture capital (VCs) has been turned upside down by the recession, and the many other changes in the marketplace. Every early-stage startup should explore this new funding alternative. New “up-and-comer” VCs focus on early-stage companies.

Technical Review 215

Technical Review Early Stage Venture Capital Startup 215

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2021

Most entrepreneurs have found by now one or more of the many popular crowdfunding sites , and have the name and contact information for at least one of the big venture capital firms. By definition, angels are accredited investors, who invest their own money for a percentage of the business. Most share expertise as well as money.

Search 317

Search Accredited Investor Angel Investor Venture Capital 317

Austin Startup

MAY 11, 2017

We make a majority of our investments in those sectors and prioritize proven business models. We make a minority of our investments in new technology areas where deep technical innovation is occurring and where we believe there is will be a large future market opportunity.

Private Equity 48

Private Equity Venture Capital Technical Review Seed Stage 48

Steve Blank

MARCH 16, 2016

Founders can now access the largest pool of risk capital that ever existed –in the form of Private Equity (Angel Investors, family offices , Venture Capitalists (VC’s) and Hedge Funds.). At its core Venture Capital is nothing more than a small portion of the Private Equity financial asset class. The Bad News.

Liquidity Event 120

Liquidity Event Founder Liquidation Preference Venture Capital 120

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 23, 2012

Many observers of the venture capital industry have questioned whether its best days are behind it. Looking ahead at the next decade I am excited by what I believe will be viewed as one of the best and most rational investment periods for venture capital due to seven discrete factors: 1. This never existed a decade ago.

Venture Capital 347

Venture Capital Technical Review LP Mobile 347

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 21, 2023

Solicit venture capital investors. These are professional investors, like Accel Partners , who invest institutional money in qualified startups, usually with a proven business model, ready to scale. Request a small business grant. This is the primary source of non-personal funds for very early-stage startups.

Equity 266

Equity Startup Small Business Administration SBA 266

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017

Capital investments are like gasoline on a startup business’s metaphorical fire. They allow you to hire more people, purchase new technology, and establish new business connections, among many other benefits. Takeaway lesson: A shocking number of technology startups never even get their first product out the door.

Private Equity 94

Private Equity Pre-Money Valuation Equity Startup 94

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 29, 2020

Solicit venture capital investors. These are professional investors, like Accel Partners , who invest institutional money in qualified startups, usually with a proven business model, ready to scale. Request a small business grant. This is the primary source of non-personal funds for very early-stage startups.

Equity 436

Equity Small Business Administration SBA Syndicate 436

David Teten

AUGUST 15, 2013

This is not a comprehensive list, but merely an attempt to highlight some of the most notable examples relevant for technology-enabled startups. 1) Corporate Venture Capital. Most VCs (including ff Venture Capital ) collect money from independent limited partners in order to form their fund. 3) Freebies.

Startup 114

Startup Technical Support Venture Capital Balance Sheet 114

Steve Blank

JUNE 25, 2009

Twenty eight years ago I was the bright, young, eager product marketing manager called out to the field to support sales by explaining the technical details of Convergent Technologies products to potential customers. Convergent Technologies was one of those OEM suppliers. Their engineers hated us.

Technology 138

Technology Silicon Valley Fractional VPE Part-Time VPE 138

Mucker Lab

AUGUST 27, 2014

At the time, LA and Santa Clara were both the epicenter of the technology industry due to the significant overlap between the aerospace/military industry (Los Angeles) and the computing business (Silicon Valley). From my experience, it’s not necessarily about “quality,” but rather about “sophistication.”

Los Angeles 138

Los Angeles Southern California Silicon Valley Technical Review 138