YoungUpstarts

MAY 21, 2020

You envision your business as the next Uber or Spotify, yourself as the next Steve Jobs or Elon Musk, reaching that prestigious ‘unicorn’ startup status in record time. Like most entrepreneurs, you’ve probably mapped out the business plan, dreamed up the layout and you’re already snapping up domains and emailing developers with your plan.

Product 264

Product Cofounder Audience Product Development 264

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 6, 2011

" Today I had two conversations with early stage startups (see Free CTO Consulting ). Vision Synching in a Lean Startup The Fallacy of Customer Development Entrepreneurs, Lower Investors’ Risk by Validating your Start-up Company’s Business Proposition Lessons Learned: What is customer development?

Customer 227

Customer Fractional CTO Viral Lean 227

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2014

Building a new business is quite different from an executive role in a mature company, so people from these backgrounds are often a liability. Value is embodied in previous success with investors, proven problem-solving ability, and having built and executed a business plan with minimal resources.

Cofounder 261

Cofounder Stock Founder Technical Cofounder 261

SoCal CTO

MARCH 9, 2010

In my post, Technology Roles in Startups , I described some of the different ways I engage with startup companies such as CTO Founder , CTO , Part-Time CTO , Acting CTO , Consultant, Advisor and Advisory Board Member. And don’t confuse having a CTO with getting an Technology Advisor.

Technical Review 150

Technical Review Advisory Board Technology Fractional CTO 150

Steve Blank

JUNE 19, 2014

The traditional model of how to turn scientific discovery into a business has been: 1) make a substantive discovery, 2) write a business plan/grant application, 3) raise funding, 4) execute the plan, 5) reap the financial reward. And that’s just what we’re doing at the National Institutes of Health.

Lean 269

Lean SBIR Intellectual Property Customer Development 269

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

Here are some tips which will signal traction and fundability to investors, as well as to your team: Document your business plan. It’s hard to build a business without a plan, just like it’s hard to build a house without a blueprint. If you have a product description, that’s necessary, but not sufficient.

Intellectual Property 281

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Sweat Equity CTO Hire 281

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 24, 2016

Building a new business is quite different from an executive role in a mature company, so people from these backgrounds are often a liability. Value is embodied in previous success with investors, proven problem solving ability, and having built and executed a business plan with minimal resources.

Equity 120

Equity Cofounder Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2012

Here are some tips which will signal traction and fundability to investors, as well as to your team: Document your business plan. It’s hard to build a business without a plan, just like it’s hard to build a house without a blueprint. If you have a product description, that’s necessary, but not sufficient.

Intellectual Property 260

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 260

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 17, 2011

Here are some tips which will signal traction and fundability to investors, as well as to your team: Document your business plan. It’s hard to build a business without a plan, just like it’s hard to build a house without a blueprint. If you have a product description, that’s necessary, but not sufficient.

Intellectual Property 253

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 253

www.entrepreneur.com

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Entrepreneur Homepage Startups Starting a Business Home How-To Guides Startup Basics Business Ideas Business Planning Startup Financing Success Stories Home-Based Business Starting a Business Play Video How to Take a New Product from Just an Idea to a Business (Video).

Sweat Equity 55

Sweat Equity Equity Fractional CTO CTO 55

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2010

Here are some tips which will signal traction to investors, as well as your team: Document your business plan. It’s hard to build a business without a plan, just like it’s hard to build a house without a blueprint. If you have a product description, that’s necessary, but not sufficient. Build qualified advisory board.

Intellectual Property 222

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 222

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 3, 2015

by Tom Britton, co-founder & CTO at SyndicateRoom.com. Your first investors can be your most valuable assets so when looking to raise finance you should always look beyond the capital to what else the angel can bring to your business. Early stage investing experience. Would you mind having them as your boss.

Angel Investor 100

Angel Investor Early Stage Due Diligence Cofounder 100

Babbling VC

NOVEMBER 15, 2009

If you're going to send your business plan to a VC or pitch their partnership make sure you address this issue right up front. It's always sales that kill most early-stage businesses. I can't remember ever saying "shit, we're going to fail with this one because of the CTO!"

Early Stage 61

Early Stage Venture Capital Business Model Technology 61

SoCal CTO

MARCH 4, 2010

I’ve worked with 30+ early-stage companies in all sorts of capacities (and spoken to many, many more), so I thought it might be worthwhile trying to classify the various ways that I’ve engaged in different technology roles in startups. So, you can easily get sold that there’s little to no Gap.

Technical Review 170

Technical Review Fractional CTO Technology CTO Hire 170

SoCal CTO

MAY 19, 2010

In his recent post, Top 10 Ways to Win a Business Plan Competition , he says: #4 I wanted to push this further down the list, but I just bristle at this: the revenue forecast. My 4 plans get increasingly more incredible, ranging from $50M, $60M, $70M to $161M in year 5! These are so detached from reality.

Hockey Stick 205

Hockey Stick NPV IRR Valuation 205

www.startuplessonslearned.com

MAY 4, 2012

They assume that the tasks that they are performing during the early stage of startup development are the same tasks that will be performed during the next and very different stages. He cofounded and served as CTO of IMVU. They assume that their skills will remain as valuable to the startup as they are right now.

Equity 72

Equity Founder Technical Cofounder Cofounder 72

Business Plan Blog

OCTOBER 4, 2013

This is true for early stage funding as well as venture capital funding. A bonafide team is the assurance that the idea can be executed and that the business can scale when the time is right. You shouldn’t hire a senior executive from an established company for an early stage startup. Early Stage.

Part-Time VPE 79

Part-Time VPE Fractional VPE Cofounder CTO Hire 79

SoCal CTO

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

I recently got together with Aaron Shechet and an early stage startup to discuss the direction the company might want to take. You and I were talking about a startup recently and where they might go for seed stage funding, what is your impression on that aspect here in Los Angeles? Tell me a bit about your background.

Los Angeles 150

Los Angeles Southern California Startup SEO 150

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

August was a slow month in terms of traffic and I was away for a lot of the month, but there were some really great posts at the intersection of startups, technology, product and being a Startup CTO. Retirement Plans. Like it or not, you are now entering the dreaded realm of “formal business processes.” Why do startups?

Startup 191

Startup CTO Hire Cofounder Venture Capital 191

Up and Running

MAY 23, 2016

Step 1: Start with a lean plan. Instead of sitting down to write a 40-page business plan, start with a one-page pitch. It’s the fastest way to get your idea onto paper, and it’s the very first step in the lean planning process, which is much easier and more iterative than traditional business planning methods.

Software Review 74

Software Review Software Delaware Forecast 74

Gust

OCTOBER 20, 2011

This worksheet provides the investor with a basis for deciding if a start-up company should be valued near the top or bottom of the range of values that might reasonably be applied to such an early stage venture. Many years of business experience. ++. Experience in this business sector. Experience as a COO, CFO, CTO. +.

Valuation 146

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Intellectual Property Technical Review 146

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 23, 2012

A startup is all about "execution" - meaning the equity should be allocated based on the value that each partner brings to the table in each of these dominant variables: Experience running a startup business. Who will be the CEO, CFO, and CTO? The next big challenge for a multi-partner startup is the allocation of roles.

Intellectual Property 252

Intellectual Property Equity Cofounder CTO Hire 252

www.quora.com

JANUARY 16, 2011

If you are a creative guy with a good head for business looking for an engineering partner, send me a summary of your idea and business plan, and I'll do the implementation!" you can steal an idea just from hearing it, it is not really a good defensible business idea. Yishan Wong • Nov 8, 2010 lol.if

Developer 42

Developer Technical Review Cofounder Technical Cofounder 42

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2010

A startup is all about "execution" - meaning the equity should be allocated based on the value that each partner brings to the table in each of these dominant variables: Experience running a startup business. Who will be the CEO, CFO, and CTO? The next big challenge for a multi-partner startup is the allocation of roles.

Equity 228

Equity Intellectual Property Cofounder CTO Hire 228

mashable.com

NOVEMBER 3, 2010

Here’s an overview: Mitch Kapor: Kapor is founding partner of Kapor Capital , a firm that invests in seed and early stage startups. Brad Feld: Feld is co-founder and managing director of Foundry Group, a Boulder, Colorado venture capital firm that focuses on early stage investments ranging from $250,000 to $500,000.

Angel Investor 80

Angel Investor Startup San Francisco Social Media 80