Steve Blank

JANUARY 22, 2014

Few entrepreneurs find this scalable and repeatable business model because it’s not easy. as a distribution channel have vastly reduced the amount of capital a startup needs at the early stage when the risk is greatest. This experience has provided me a whole new set of pattern matching filters as an investor.

Early Stage 286

Early Stage Silicon Valley Oregon Technical Review 286

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. Here are eight key insights that will help you find a productive match: Angels want equity ownership, not causes.

Accredited Investor 265

Accredited Investor Venture Capital Exit Strategy Syndicate 265

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2022

Based on the best evidence I can find, the genesis of this trend and the advantages come from several evolutionary changes in the startup investment industry, and some innovations driven by the recession several years ago and the recent pandemic: Venture capital funds are regaining momentum. Marty Zwilling.

Angel Investor 342

Angel Investor Venture Capital Silicon Valley Portfolio 342

Women Entrepreneurs Can

NOVEMBER 19, 2022

A Venture Capital Firm is a firm that invests in startups and early-stage companies. However, not all firms are venture capital firms. One of the most common ways of investing in a startup is by leveraging the expertise of a venture capital firm. Early-Stage Investments vs. Mid-Stage Investments.

Venture Capital 52

Venture Capital Early Stage Liquidity Event SEC 52

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

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2013

Since Angel investors put money into 60 times as many companies as venture capital funds, according to Wikipedia, early-stage startups need to focus first on the key thresholds that drive these investment decisions. The same hold true for venture capital investors. They bet on the jockey, not the horse. Funding risk.

Angel Investor 269

Angel Investor Cram Down Venture Capital Intellectual Property 269

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. Here are eight key insights that will help you find a productive match: Angels want equity ownership, not causes.

Search 317

Search Accredited Investor Angel Investor Venture Capital 317

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 11, 2010

The Customer Development process is the way startups quickly iterate and test each element of their business model , reducing customer and market risk. In Discovery startups take all their hypotheses about the business model: product, market, customers, channel, etc. Filed under: Customer Development , Venture Capital.

Burn Rate 248

Burn Rate Silicon Valley Marketing Boston 248

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

Investor due diligence on a startup is not a mysterious black art, but is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of your business model, team, product, customers, and plan. Outside of work is where you can best evaluate the chemistry match, and decide whether you can enjoy and learn from the relationship.

Technical Review 257

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Offshore 257

Steve Blank

APRIL 1, 2020

Remember, a year from now no one wants to be the CEO of a company out of business whose lament is, “I did what the board told me to do.”. This plan has three parts: Pivots to your new business model, changes to your operating plan, and what initiatives you save for the recovery. What does your board suggest?

South Korea 333

South Korea Salary Business Model China 333

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 19, 2020

Based on the best evidence I can find, the genesis of this trend and the advantages come from several evolutionary changes in the startup investment industry, and some innovations driven by the recession several years ago: Venture capital funds are still regaining momentum. Marty Zwilling.

Angel Investor 314

Angel Investor Silicon Valley Venture Capital Startup 314

Steve Blank

MAY 17, 2010

At best I think business plan competitions are a waste of time. Business Plan Versus Business Models. Where did the idea that startups write business plans come from? A simple way to think about it is that in a startup no business plan survives first contact with customers.

Business Plan 312

Business Plan Business Model Customer Development Deal Flow 312

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. They believe in you above all else.

Angel Investor 256

Angel Investor Early Stage Incubator Government 256

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. The Business Plan ?- Business Plan vs. Business Model + Customer Development.

Business Model 263

Business Model Customer Development Utah Business Plan 263

David Teten

JANUARY 21, 2021

V: Should you raise venture capital from a traditional equity VC or a Revenue-Based Investing VC? With a portfolio that includes food, tech, and services, the fund is industry-agnostic and focused on the overlooked and underrepresented with high-margin business models. II: Who are the major Revenue-Based Investing VCs?

Equity 78

Equity Revenue Cofounder Colorado 78

Hunter Walker

OCTOBER 31, 2020

All of these areas require real understanding of core underlying technology, not just pattern matching against a business model applied to a vertical. Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer And Venture Capitalist (Feld; Mendelson) is the best book to read if you want to understand venture capital, term sheets, etc.

North Carolina 90

North Carolina Hiring Angel Investor Technical Review 90

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2021

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. They believe in you above all else.

Early Stage 412

Early Stage Angel Investor Incubator Government 412

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 27, 2016

Investor due diligence on a startup is not a mysterious black art, but is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of your business model, team, product, customers, and plan. Outside of work is where you can best evaluate the chemistry match, and decide whether you can enjoy and learn from the relationship.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Offshore 120

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 4, 2012

After you have successfully attracted angels or venture capital with your business case, your million dollar product idea, and you have a signed term sheet, there is still one more hurdle to overcome before investors write the check. If results don’t match what they have been told, all bets are off.

Technical Review 237

Technical Review Due Diligence Intellectual Property Private Equity 237

Steve Blank

DECEMBER 17, 2015

Each stage needs a clearly defined set of objectives, and the right team to match those objectives. In exchange, the startups provide companies with their disruptive ideas, technologies and business models. In Stage 2, the corporation adds venture capital and/or mergers-and-acquisition teams to provide these functions.

Silicon Valley 120

Silicon Valley Incubator Acquisition Business Model 120

Steve Blank

MARCH 31, 2014

As the venture capital business has come roaring back in the last 5 years, startups are awash in available capital. The first will be commodity businesses that are valued for their ability to execute their current business model. First the markets favor capital efficiency over R&D.

Private Equity 325

Private Equity Metrics China Intellectual Property 325

Steve Blank

MAY 3, 2022

They know this and know that weapons that can be built at a fraction of the cost and upgraded via software will destroy their existing business models. Venture capital and startups have spent 50 years institutionalizing the rapid delivery of disruptive innovation. In the U.S.,

Ukraine 277

Ukraine China Private Equity Russia 277

SoCal CTO

MARCH 11, 2013

Often you can't tell if something like a search engine or matching algorithm is really going to have better results until you use it. As Steve Blank likes to say: A Startup Is a Temporary Organization Designed to Search for A Repeatable and Scalable Business Model The unfortunate reality is - an MVP is not the above!

Algorithm 264

Algorithm Metrics Viral Venture Capital 264

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 22, 2010

After you have successfully attracted angels or venture capital with your business case, your million dollar product idea, and you have a signed term sheet, there is still one more hurdle to overcome before investors write the check. If results don’t match what they have been told, all bets are off.

Technical Review 225

Technical Review Due Diligence Intellectual Property Private Equity 225

Gust

NOVEMBER 14, 2011

After you have successfully attracted angels or venture capital with your business case, your million dollar product idea, and you have a signed term sheet, there is still one more hurdle to overcome before investors write the check. If results don’t match what they have been told, all bets are off.

Technical Review 152

Technical Review Due Diligence Intellectual Property Private Equity 152

SoCal CTO

MARCH 9, 2007

Attorney and Startup Business Advisor – Aaron Shec. Matching Algorithm ► October (15) eLearn 2009 Presentation – Twitter Along Los Angeles Technology Connector – Kurt Daradics Online Business Networking Los Angeles Social Media to Build Reputation and Reach Prospec.

Technical Cofounder 150

Technical Cofounder Southern California Los Angeles CTO Hire 150

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 14, 2009

Over the same 30 years, Venture Capital firms have honed their skills and strategies to match Wall Streets needs to achieve liquidity for their portfolio companies. One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is misunderstanding the role of venture capital investors. What Do VC’s Do?

Silicon Valley 217

Silicon Valley IPO Technical Review Venture Capital 217

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. After Stanford, Ann joined Mike Maples’ Venture Capital firm Floodgate as a partner.

Business Model 226

Business Model Silicon Valley California Engineer 226

SoCal CTO

MARCH 13, 2007

Attorney and Startup Business Advisor – Aaron Shec. Matching Algorithm ► October (15) eLearn 2009 Presentation – Twitter Along Los Angeles Technology Connector – Kurt Daradics Online Business Networking Los Angeles Social Media to Build Reputation and Reach Prospec.

Technical Cofounder 150

Technical Cofounder Southern California Los Angeles Internet 150

SoCal CTO

MARCH 20, 2007

Attorney and Startup Business Advisor – Aaron Shec. Matching Algorithm ► October (15) eLearn 2009 Presentation – Twitter Along Los Angeles Technology Connector – Kurt Daradics Online Business Networking Los Angeles Social Media to Build Reputation and Reach Prospec.

Technical Cofounder 150

Technical Cofounder Southern California Search Engineer 150

SoCal CTO

MARCH 1, 2007

Attorney and Startup Business Advisor – Aaron Shec. Matching Algorithm ► October (15) eLearn 2009 Presentation – Twitter Along Los Angeles Technology Connector – Kurt Daradics Online Business Networking Los Angeles Social Media to Build Reputation and Reach Prospec.

Technical Cofounder 150

Technical Cofounder Networking Southern California Los Angeles 150

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2016

Different types of investors tend to specialize in capitalizing on businesses at different stages. Venture capital firms look for the most mature companies they can find, Angel investors typically deal a tier lower, while friends and family are most likely to help you get started. Congratulations!

Matching 120

Matching Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers 120

SoCal CTO

MARCH 12, 2007

Attorney and Startup Business Advisor – Aaron Shec. Matching Algorithm ► October (15) eLearn 2009 Presentation – Twitter Along Los Angeles Technology Connector – Kurt Daradics Online Business Networking Los Angeles Social Media to Build Reputation and Reach Prospec.

Technical Cofounder 150

Technical Cofounder Southern California Los Angeles CTO Hire 150

SoCal CTO

MARCH 20, 2007

Attorney and Startup Business Advisor – Aaron Shec. Matching Algorithm ► October (15) eLearn 2009 Presentation – Twitter Along Los Angeles Technology Connector – Kurt Daradics Online Business Networking Los Angeles Social Media to Build Reputation and Reach Prospec.

Technical Cofounder 150

Technical Cofounder Southern California Los Angeles CTO Hire 150

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 27, 2014

Based on the best evidence I can find, the genesis of this trend and the advantages come from several evolutionary changes in the startup investment industry, and some innovations driven by the recent recession: Venture capital funds are still recovering from the recession.

Angel Investor 260

Angel Investor Silicon Valley Startup Portfolio 260

VC Adventure

NOVEMBER 1, 2023

Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily blocked a small venture capital fund, Fearless Fund, from running a grant contest that awards $20,000 grants to small businesses led by women of color. America still remains by far the largest venture capital market in the world. Though it could probably work even better).

North Carolina 68

North Carolina America Early Stage Venture Capital 68

Steve Blank

MARCH 17, 2020

But next the question is, ‘What happens to my business?”. The questions every startup or small business CEO needs to ask now are: What’s my Burn Rate and Runway? What does your new business model look like? What does my business model look like now? One of the key elements of survival is access to capital.

Burn Rate 436

Burn Rate Startup Valuation Sales Cycle 436