Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 13, 2015

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.

Product Development 120

Product Development Developer Product Angel Investor 120

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

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 1, 2010

I continue to collect great content that is the intersection of startups, products, online and technology. Storm Clouds - A VC : Venture Capital and Technology , November 12, 2010 We have enjoyed an amazing run in the web startup and investing space over the past five or six years. This should not deter you.

Technical Review 175

Technical Review Technology Product CTO Hire 175

ReadWriteStart

NOVEMBER 12, 2022

As a startup, you probably don’t have much money to spend on marketing or product development. For example, you might use guerilla marketing techniques to promote your product without spending much money on traditional advertising channels. However, the impact of this frugal technology has been immense.

Startup 198

Startup Technical Review Ghana Guerilla 198

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. Technology pilots.

Early Stage 412

Early Stage Angel Investor Incubator Government 412

Steve Blank

AUGUST 31, 2009

After 20 years of working in startups, I decided to take a step back and look at the product development model I had been following and see why it usually failed to provide useful guidance in activities outside the building – sales, marketing and business development. So what’s wrong the product development model?

Customer Development 243

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 243

Steve Blank

MAY 9, 2017

We’re standing 15 air miles away from the epicenter of technology innovation. I’ve been asked to talk today about the future of Innovation – typically that involves giving you a list of hot technologies to pay attention to – technologies like machine learning. In fact, it’s not about any specific new technologies.

Restful 235

Restful Silicon Valley Puerto Rico San Jose 235

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 11, 2023

It is necessary to cover the early stages of product development, thorough market research, and other processes during the initial step. Seed capital is a component of the initial investments made in young businesses. During the pre-seed fundraising stage, investors need a viable business plan to base their investments on.

Seed Stage 148

Seed Stage Technical Review Early Stage Due Diligence 148

The Startup Magazine

OCTOBER 19, 2020

Most industries have touched their peak, matured, and there is little room to improve in the world of homogenous products, similar marketing, and standardized, efficient processes. However, in the last decade, a phenomenon has emerged due to the fathom growth in the technological sector, i.e., data.

Technical Review 158

Technical Review Forecast Analytics Social Media 158

Gust

APRIL 27, 2014

Develop your business plan. Write down the key elements of your business plan very early, and keep it current as things evolve. Product development process. Leverage information technology. Don’t try this without a formal process.

Startup 187

Startup Institutional Investors Angel Investor Bootstrapping 187

Business Plan Blog

AUGUST 20, 2013

In order to be a successful tech startup, the team must consist of a Chief Technical Officer (CTO) level member to help with the technology plan. Your web/mobile idea needs to be transformed into a working product/service. A CTO is needed to develop a technology plan to make this happen. Wireframes.

CTO Hire 55

CTO Hire Fractional CTO Architecture Cofounder 55

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 1, 2010

With an out-of-this-world business plan. When it was spun out as a a separate company, Iridium’s 1990 business plan had assumptions about potential customers, their problems and the product needed to solve that problem. A Business Plan Frozen in Time. This business plan was a static document.

Business Plan 335

Business Plan Customer Business Model Customer Development 335

YoungUpstarts

MAY 3, 2017

From product development to market research, many startups are one-person operations in their early days. Even as their teams grow, entrepreneurs often feel that they must tend to every aspect of the business, including low-level tasks that distract from revenue-generating activity. Wearing Your Many Hats With Style.

Technical Review 113

Technical Review Management Arizona Software Review 113

Up and Running

JANUARY 3, 2019

In this article, I’ll cover: What a persona is and how a business can use one. How to create a persona for your business. Success in marketing and product development comes from a deep understanding of your target customer. But, what if your business is solving a problem that you don’t have?

Software Review 130

Software Review Product Development Portland Software 130

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 15, 2009

I have about 11 years in the technology sector including roles doing market research, sales and product development. My focus has been marketing strategy and product development. I’m currently working with several startups, helping them launch new web businesses. Most people think they can do product design.

Los Angeles 179

Los Angeles Southern California Management Product 179

The Startup Magazine

MARCH 7, 2024

They promise to disrupt the industry and completely change how their clients or customers view technology, society, or a little bit of everything. When outlining your business plan, it’s best to plan for the long term and outline contingency plans that can help you stay on the right track in case you experience sudden growth.

Startup 145

Startup Forecast Social Media Cost 145

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2016

He nails the current key startup parameters, including the following: Crafting a lean business plan as your road map. The days of lengthy, text-heavy, business plan documents prepared by expensive experts are behind us. Building a minimum viable product, with customer validation.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Groups Social Media 120

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 17, 2021

Big data is a prominent subject for many businesses around the world, and for those of you who operate entirely online enterprises, studying statistics and numbers is perhaps even more important, and, can be convenient using online business education.

Analytics 179

Analytics Technical Review Social Media Software Review 179

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

But as Carlota Perez has so aptly described, all new technology industries go through an eruption and frenzy phase, followed by a crash, then a golden age and maturity. Then the cycle repeats with a new set of technologies. Some have labeled this period as irrational exuberance.

Lean 335

Lean Burn Rate Startup IPO 335

Business Plan Blog

OCTOBER 4, 2013

If you have a technical background and you are focused on product development, consider a co-founder with a sales and marketing background that can focus on selling your world class product. Rather, give titles such as VP of Engineering, Product/Technology, Sales, Marketing, Finance, etc.

Part-Time VPE 79

Part-Time VPE Fractional VPE Cofounder CTO Hire 79

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 8, 2008

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Monday, September 8, 2008 Waves of technology platforms I still remember the first time I switched to LAMP. That startup didnt turn out so well, but not for lack of technology. Thoughts on scientific product development Lo, my 5 subscribers, who are you?

San Francisco 68

San Francisco Technology Continuous Deployment Lean 68

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

It should go without saying that this post is not advice, nor is it recommendation of what you should do, it’s simply my observation of how companies using Customer Development positioned themselves to successfully raise money from venture investors. The goal of their startup in this stage becomes “getting funded.” Just as a refresher.

Customer Development 266

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 266

Hearpreneur

SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

Businesses that clearly define their short-term and long-term goals tend to achieve their goals faster and more efficiently than those without any plan. Besides the general focus on customer and product development, an entrepreneur should foresee the next moves that will serve to guide him on the right path.

Forecast 130

Forecast Artificial Inteligence Entrepreneur Technical Review 130

Duct Tape Marketing

APRIL 29, 2024

Paul is also a senior lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the MIT Sloan School of Management and the co-founder of Oceanworks. 13:10): We look at it as what is the order of operations that we need to follow in terms of our actions to take that business plan and turn it into a real business?

Entrepreneur 52

Entrepreneur Cofounder Early Stage Artificial Inteligence 52

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Competition from other startups and established incumbents, constraints on time and capital, and limited access to talent and technology resources are just a few of the hurdles nearly every first-time founder faces while trying to build a business. In the startup world, opportunities are fleeting, and obstacles are ubiquitous.

Technical Review 140

Technical Review Due Diligence Early Stage Differentiation 140

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 2, 2009

The Customer Development process says preserve your cash by not hiring anyone in sales and marketing until the founders turn hypotheses into facts and you have found product/market fit. This “get out of the building” activity is the Customer Discovery step of the Customer Development Model.

Lean 257

Lean Silicon Valley Startup RSS 257

Up and Running

OCTOBER 18, 2015

I’ve spent a lot of years as theoretically being my own boss, including more than 10 years as sole proprietor business planning consultant, working on my own with clients; and more than 10 years building a company, as founder and owner, working with employees. In a business, the health of the business is your boss.

Cleveland 60

Cleveland Software Review Bandwidth Technical Review 60

Duct Tape Marketing

APRIL 6, 2022

You know, could you look at my business plan? See if the business model works, all these questions. So a lot of the basics are the same, but the big difference between what would be, you know, a local business, as opposed to a potentially global international business is growth. You know, how do you raise capital?

San Francisco 97

San Francisco Technical Review Incubator Silicon Valley 97

The Startup Magazine

FEBRUARY 21, 2022

Even though they sell other frozen items, they are mainly known for their breakfast products. Developing a Business Plan. When developing the business plan, ask yourself the following questions: What type of food are you selling? For instance, Kellogg’s specializes in frozen breakfast food.

Valuation 179

Valuation Demand Business Plan Social Media 179

The Next Web

AUGUST 26, 2012

Develop a strong backbone. The backbone of your technology company revolves around a well-organized, up-to-date, specific and documented vision, brand-key, business plan, intellectual property rights, contracts, financial administration, NDAs and bylaws it can rely on. It’s hard, but enjoy the journey.

Bankruptcy 121

Bankruptcy Technical Review Intellectual Property Due Diligence 121

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2014

Develop your business plan. Write down the key elements of your business plan very early, and keep it current as things evolve. Product development process. Leverage information technology. Don’t try this without a formal process.

Startup 268

Startup Institutional Investors Angel Investor Bootstrapping 268

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 6, 2018

Creating a Business Plan. Don’t create your business plan entirely from scratch. Product Development. Leverage technology-assisted solutions like 3D printing for rapid prototyping to save on limited-run manufacturing and redesign work. They’re essential, in fact. Market Research and Branding.

CPA 124

CPA Bandwidth Lean Startup 124

Up and Running

APRIL 12, 2018

Your business also has fluctuating expenses. Things like product development, materials and packaging, performance-based bonuses, and more. Map out your plan for growth. Once you have an understanding and a thorough list of your expenses, put that aside and figure out the next steps for your business.

Forecast 77

Forecast Early Stage Software Review Technical Review 77

Up and Running

JUNE 14, 2017

Some believe in the all-in approach to product development: build an advanced app. Furthermore, as I was proving the viability of Recycler Spotter through the free version, I could have pre-sold the paid membership at a discount for another layer of validation that would have also helped finance product development.

Technical Review 96

Technical Review Distribution Redemption Demand 96

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 19, 2014

Typically they can be used to fund product development and commercialization that would otherwise require outside investors. A good place to start looking is the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which is a lifeline for high-tech startups. Professional help costs money. Pursue grants and investors in parallel.

Seed Money 242

Seed Money SBIR Dilution Government 242

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 3, 2009

This post describes how the traditional product development model distorts startup sales, marketing and business development. While these objectives provide an illusion of progress, in reality they do little to validate the business plan hypotheses about customers and what they will buy.

Customer Development 225

Customer Development Developer Silicon Valley Customer 225

Steve Blank

AUGUST 27, 2009

This series of posts is a brief explanation of how we’ve evolved from Product Development to Customer Development to the Lean Startup. The Product Development Diagram Emerging early in the twentieth century, this product-centric model described a process that evolved in manufacturing industries.

Silicon Valley 267

Silicon Valley Product Startup Product Development 267