Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2019

Neither breakthrough technology nor maximum features will assure that “if we build it, they will come.” In fact, NISI recommends starting with the minimum focused set of features and technology that will drive a customer purchase. Nail the business model. Nail the solution.

Startup 245

Startup Angel Investor Technical Review Incubator 245

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

Jeff Katzenberg has a great track record – head of the studio at Paramount, chairman of Disney Studios, co-founder of DreamWorks and now chairman of NewTV. 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.

Lean 335

Lean Burn Rate Startup IPO 335

Steve Blank

MARCH 16, 2016

To most founders a startup is not a job, but a calling. 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.). What does this mean for startup founders? Here’s the thing most founders miss.

Liquidity Event 120

Liquidity Event Founder Liquidation Preference Venture Capital 120

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 11, 2023

How to evaluate New Businesses at Their Infancy, Their Early Stages, and Their Growth Stages Evaluating a new business venture involves elements of both art and science. Because of this, getting seed venture money, for example, becomes more feasible for many startup companies, particularly those in the technology industry.

Seed Stage 127

Seed Stage Technical Review Early Stage Due Diligence 127

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

Steve Blank

APRIL 26, 2022

Most existing investors (those still in business) hoarded their money and stopped doing follow-on rounds until the rubble had cleared. Except, that is, for the bottom feeders of the Venture Capital business – investors who “ cram down ” their companies. W hy would any founder agree to this? Why do VCs Do This? You Have a Choice.

Cram Down 408

Cram Down Founder Venture Capital Recapitalization 408

The Next Web

SEPTEMBER 22, 2013

While you are working away on your business plan, looking for ways to raise capital, finding the right people to hire, etc., But have you ever had the opportunity to pick the brains of founders who created amazingly successful startups and companies like Envato , Backblaze , Simple , or Treehouse ? Things snowballed from there.”.

Cofounder 164

Cofounder Founder Startup Bootstrapping 164

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 22, 2021

How do you convince investors that your business model will really work, before you have a revenue stream that exceeds your expenses? Even if you are bootstrapping your business, and you are the only investor, you should be asking yourself the same question. Plan for a real revenue model.

Business Model 414

Business Model Angel Investor Bootstrapping Revenue 414

The Startup Magazine

FEBRUARY 21, 2024

Arif Bhalwani is the co-founder and CEO of Third Eye Capital (TEC) in Toronto, Canada. Billion in investments across a range of industries, including technology, sustainability, traditional and alternative energy, mining, construction services, transportation, and healthcare. Are there new revenue streams you can tap into?

Technical Review 135

Technical Review Due Diligence Bankruptcy Intellectual Property 135

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

More and more startups are pursuing Revenue-Based VCs , but “RBI” doesn’t fit everyone. From RBI, Flexible VCs borrow the ability to reap meaningful returns without demanding founders build for an exit. Flexible VC 101: Equity Meets Revenue Share. Where else can fast-growing companies get funding?

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 10, 2017

by Mark Gilbert, founder and CEO of MBS Accounting Technology & Advisory. Roughly 27 percent of startups can’t get the funding they need to take their business to the next level, according to the National Association of Small Businesses. Founders overlook how their salary looks to investors. >Investors

Software Review 124

Software Review Technical Review Due Diligence Startup 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2014

Neither breakthrough technology nor maximum features will assure that “if we build it, they will come.” In fact, NISI recommends starting with the minimum focused set of features and technology that will drive a customer purchase. Nail the business model. Nail the solution.

Entrepreneur 283

Entrepreneur Startup Angel Investor Technical Review 283

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2017

Neither breakthrough technology nor maximum features will assure that “if we build it, they will come.” In fact, NISI recommends starting with the minimum focused set of features and technology that will drive a customer purchase. Nail the business model. Nail the solution.

Startup 161

Startup Angel Investor Technical Review Incubator 161

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 21, 2020

No surprise during an economic crisis, over 81% of business owners are prioritizing cash flow management and are identifying ways to cut back spending and increase sales, namely by moving services online. Diversifying revenue streams (35%). Kathryn Petralia is the President and Co-Founder of Kabbage , an American Express Company.

Small Business 147

Small Business Cofounder United States Technical Review 147

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 20, 2012

Neither breakthrough technology nor maximum features will assure that “if we build it, they will come.” In fact, NISI recommends starting with the minimum focused set of features and technology that will drive a customer purchase. Nail the business model. Nail the solution.

Startup 296

Startup Angel Investor Technical Review Incubator 296

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. Today with every city, state and country trying to build out a technology cluster, following Dino’s progress can provide others with a roadmap of what’s worked and what has not. The Bend Experience.

Early Stage 287

Early Stage Silicon Valley Oregon Technical Review 287

Steve Blank

APRIL 23, 2018

A version of this article appeared in the Harvard Business Review. The entrepreneur who founded and grew the largest startup in the world to $10 billion in revenue and got fired is someone you have probably never heard of. If you’re following Tesla, you might be interested to know that Sloan wasn’t the founder of GM.

Michigan 275

Michigan Cofounder Stock Forecast 275

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 13, 2014

This rather crude expression weighs heavily on the mind of all good startup founders, no matter how confident they appear. The real milestone, proving the business model, is that first product sold for full price to a total stranger, leaving him happy. Your revenue model has to make sense. Marty Zwilling.

Business Model 248

Business Model Sales Customer Distribution 248

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 24, 2016

If the Microsoft board was managing for quarter to quarter or even year to year revenue growth, Ballmer was as good as it gets as a CEO. Services (Cloud, ads, music) have a very different business model. Microsoft executed its 20 th -century business model extremely well, but it missed the new and more important ones.

Azure 120

Azure Business Model Cloud Artificial Inteligence 120

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 24, 2016

If the Microsoft board was managing for quarter to quarter or even year to year revenue growth, Ballmer was as good as it gets as a CEO. Services (Cloud, ads, music) have a very different business model. Microsoft executed its 20 th -century business model extremely well, but it missed the new and more important ones.

Azure 120

Azure Business Model Cloud Artificial Inteligence 120

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

Neither breakthrough technology nor maximum features will assure that “if we build it, they will come.” In fact, NISI recommends starting with the minimum focused set of features and technology that will drive a customer purchase. Nail the business model. Nail the solution.

Startup 286

Startup Angel Investor Technical Review Incubator 286

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 4, 2019

At Wildcat, we recommend benchmarking your startup against the four core architectural pillars of the Traction Gap Framework: product , revenue , team and systems. Product architecture – the collection of defining technologies, applications and features in your product – is one of the fundamentals critical to achieving traction.

Framework 127

Framework Architecture Cleveland Early Stage 127

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2014

The implications of the decision you make are huge, defining your brand image, your funding requirements, and your long-term business viability. The revenue model you select is basically the implementation of your business strategy, and the key to attaining your financial objectives. Value model.

Revenue 287

Revenue Startup Business Model Retention 287

K9 Ventures

AUGUST 13, 2010

In the end the revenue simply wasn’t enough to make a sustainable business and so we had to switch gears once more (in today’s parlance that would be a “Pivot”). Over the course of that relationship that lasted several years, we did over $1M in revenue just from HP. Google’s first business model wasn’t based on advertising.

Revenue 72

Revenue Developer Java Customer Development 72

YoungUpstarts

MAY 24, 2019

At Wildcat, we recommend benchmarking your startup against the four core architectural pillars of the Traction Gap Framework: product , revenue , team and systems. Product architecture – the collection of defining technologies, applications and features in your product – is one of the fundamentals critical to achieving traction.

Framework 113

Framework Architecture Cleveland Early Stage 113

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2016

They expect to hear about founders and team member’s prior experience in building a startup, and knowledge in the relevant solution domain. They know it’s especially hard to provide a financial return with a free business model. Terms “paradigm shift” or “disruptive technology” used more than once.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Valuation Technical Review Equity 120

Steve Blank

AUGUST 29, 2011

After 50 years of technology entrepreneurship it’s still an art. The benchmark is not perfect, it may even be flawed, but it is head and shoulders above what we have now – which is nothing – for giving Internet startups founders specific advice on best practices. They’ve been attempting to quantify the art. Happy birthday Max.

Software Review 293

Software Review Early Stage Technical Review Startup 293

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2012

For survival, the objective of every business should be to bring in revenues which exceed their costs. Yet I continue to see business plans, or even talk to founders, and can’t find the specifics of the business model anywhere. Here is a summary of a half-dozen of the most common models: Facebook model.

Business Model 238

Business Model eCommerce Business Plan Revenue 238

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. Aspire to be in control of your own domain.

Intellectual Property 243

Intellectual Property Matching Business Model Cofounder 243

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 7, 2013

The market and venture capitalists are looking for business, but with a continuing focus on proven business models. Your friends and family are really the only answer until you have a significant revenue stream. Follow with a killer executive summary, investor presentation, and financial model. Timing is critical.

Venture Capital 252

Venture Capital IPO Elevator Pitch Initial Public Offering 252

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 21, 2020

Driven by the current pandemic, smart entrepreneurs of all ages are jumping into the fray with new ideas, new recovery strategies, and discarding outmoded business models. But the insights I see from her book and elsewhere are equally applicable to startup founders of all ages, and businesses of all ages.

Viral 430

Viral Revenue Distribution Cloud 430

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 20, 2015

How do you convince investors that your business model will really work, before you have a revenue stream that exceeds your expenses? Even if you are bootstrapping your business, and you are the only investor, you should be asking yourself the same question. Plan for a real revenue model.

Business Model 120

Business Model Angel Investor Startup Bootstrapping 120

ConversionXL

FEBRUARY 3, 2022

The goal of growth hacking as marketing is rapid growth, using strategies and tactics that leverage (and even exploit) technology, platforms, and behavior to reach an end goal. GrowthHackers founder and former Head of Growth at Dropbox, Sean Ellis , coined the term: “A growth hacker is a person whose true north is growth.

Retention 113

Retention Marketing Acquisition Channel 113

NZ Entrepreneur

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

If we want to maintain and support sustainable economic growth while meeting the broader needs of society, we will need an economy underpinned by innovation and new technologies. Startup founders are our ambitious problem solvers. experiments to build a product, find customers, test business models and hire amazing people.

Technical Review 88

Technical Review Software Review New Zealand Due Diligence 88

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2015

Most technologists have little interest in the mechanics of starting and building a business. That’s why I recommend that they find a co-founder who loves business challenges, including marketing and finance. Outside investors are most interested in scaling a proven business model, not research and development.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Intellectual Property Cofounder Bootstrapping 120

Gust

JANUARY 5, 2014

This rather crude expression weighs heavily on the mind of all good startup founders, no matter how confident they appear. The real milestone, proving the business model, is that first product sold for full price to a total stranger, leaving him happy. Your revenue model has to make sense.

Business Model 171

Business Model Sales Customer Distribution 171

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 7, 2016

Founders soon learn that customers only spend real money for solutions rather than ideas. Success requires moving your passion quickly from the idea to the business implementation. As a result, Google has become a verb, and the company is a tech giant with record growth rates and a revenue of $74.5 billion in 2015.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Architecture Agile Business Model 120