Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

This post describes how companies using the Customer Development model can increase their credibility, valuation and probability of getting a first round of funding by presenting their results in a “Lesson Learned&# venture pitch.

Customer Development 262

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 262

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JUNE 27, 2011

Or what if we have another stock market collapse or if they shoot down a plane over California? ME: Sure, but maybe that competitor would further validate and grow the market, which could increase your sales and make you even more attractive to a buyer! HIM: When you put it that way seems like I should just take the money.

Sales 235

Sales Term Sheet Stock Deal Structure 235

www.inc.com

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Sales & Marketing | Wednesdays. SALES & MARKETING. In the past few years, hundreds of small companies have been snatched up by private equity firms willing to agree to ever-rising valuations. The Goods: Your Business Toolbox | Thursdays. Finance | Tuesdays. Innovation | Fridays. Leadership & Managing | Tuesdays. Newsletters.

Arizona 40

Arizona Equity Iowa Venture Capital 40

mashable.com

OCTOBER 16, 2010

The competition for funding startups is increasing the valuations of startups, giving entrepreneurs and founders better investment terms. San Diego, California) Jobs Comentum is a dynamic and cutting edge company.Be Unfortunately, none are very focused on Florida (California and New York are the top two destination).

Angel Investor 83

Angel Investor Venture Capital Social Media Technical Review 83

VC Cafe

SEPTEMBER 26, 2010

As the founder, you’re the number one sales person of the company and it is not a function you can outsource right away. Show you’re knowledge and passion when speaking to an investor and don’t say you need money to recruit a sales force. You’re it for the time being. Who to raise from?

Elevator Pitch 102

Elevator Pitch Incubator Technical Review Startup 102

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 6, 2014

I remain the major shareholder in a number of what we consider “built-to-last” companies, all with strong valuations and ROI potential. Once our sales reached a sustainable level, I brought on apparel pro Nathan Kohrs to round out the Argoz management team, which allowed me to step aside to serve as chairman.

San Francisco 154

San Francisco Business Model Silicon Valley Coder 154

Cracking the Code

JANUARY 28, 2008

Today, thanks to Eloqua , CMOs have a clear visibility on their return allowing them to better allocate their budget and sales people can prioritize prospects to maximize their effectiveness. California Avenue, Suite 110 Sunnyvale, CA 94086 T: 408-215-4627 ext. Detailed SaaS Spreadsheet (Valuation and CAC benchmark). Watch this!

Software Review 48

Software Review Technical Review Los Angeles Europe 48

techcrunch.com

FEBRUARY 19, 2010

According to VCs, there’s been a 65% decrease in up-rounds (where a company gets a bigger valuation) in the last six months and more than 60% of those polled expect a longer wait for an exit. Similarly, the bulk of the companies getting funding are still California-based. e.g. invest $2 mil and expect a $60-$100 mil valuation for exit.

Venture Capital 62

Venture Capital Technical Review Sweat Equity Valuation 62

steveblank.com

JULY 8, 2011

There is nothing on sales. Can you add useful resource for generating sales for start-ups. Reply Martin Henk , on June 8, 2011 at 6:13 am said: Impressive list, but missing a key ingredient: Sales management tools. Reply jade , on February 27, 2011 at 2:25 pm said: Great compilation. removed from the list. Yep, C’est moi.

Software Review 110

Software Review Startup Silicon Valley Analytics 110

Transformify

APRIL 12, 2020

There are similarities between IR35 in the UK and AB5 in California , US. IT team members working on the core product, sales and customer support, marketing, etc. Even worse, they have intentionally ‘’cooked’’ the numbers in their pitch deck to receive a higher business valuation for their startup.

Bangladesh 98

Bangladesh Philippines Salary Cofounder 98

www.seriesseed.com

DECEMBER 9, 2012

Sets the valuation at the time of the investment. It would be helpful to get a California standard employee manual, employee contract/agreements, IP ownership release to company, and confidentiality. My thinking is that if all three constituencies favor the sale, there's probably no need for the standard carve-outs.

Finance 40

Finance Term Sheet Vesting LLC 40

pandodaily.com

NOVEMBER 29, 2012

Lastly, seed-stage entrepreneurs who have pushed for the maximum valuation possible haven’t done themselves any favors. Meanwhile, their seed investors aren’t particularly incentivized to get them a Series A that crams the previous valuation down. Windows 8 Phone sales quadrupled last year’s phone sales.

Technical Review 93

Technical Review Silicon Valley Incubator Syria 93

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2021

It has historically been the case that VCs would rather fund the promise of 100x in a company with almost no revenue than the reality of a company growing at 50% but doing $20+ million in sales. Case in point, Procore just went public and is trading at an $11 billion valuation. Instagram selling to Facebook. Maker Studios?—?sold

Venture Capital 363

Venture Capital LP Valuation Later Stage 363

mashable.com

OCTOBER 16, 2010

The competition for funding startups is increasing the valuations of startups, giving entrepreneurs and founders better investment terms. Unfortunately, none are very focused on Florida (California and New York are the top two destination). How iPad Magazine Sales Stack Up [REP. Angel rounds also tend to close quicker.

Angel Investor 84

Angel Investor Venture Capital Social Media Technical Review 84

Lightspeed Venture Partners

DECEMBER 10, 2012

She was selling her product at farmers markets and had made only $60,000 in sales over the last 12 months as a sole proprietor, although she had recently secured distribution in two local Whole Foods stores. Almost all of the sharks got indignant about valuation. Note that this is more expensive than buying a tree.

Covenant 156

Covenant Warrant Southern California Los Angeles 156

www.paulgraham.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

The woman in charge of sales was so tenacious that I used to feelsorry for potential customers on the phone with her. Stephen Hawkings editor told him that every equationhe included in his book would cut sales in half. A 10% improvement in ease of use doesnt just increase your sales 10%. Its more likely to double your sales.

Startup 105

Startup Cofounder Software Stock 105

ConversionXL

FEBRUARY 12, 2016

Too many choices can actually reduce sales. According to BusinessDictionary.com , perceived value pricing is: “The valuation of good or service according to how much consumers are willing to pay for it, rather than upon its production and delivery costs. We irrationally value ‘free’ things. The tannins? The oak barrel? Or the price?

Security 48

Security Cost Advertising Product 48

Mike Michalowicz

OCTOBER 14, 2012

I have my own one-pager of “look how great I am” bullet points – building and selling a couple companies before my 35th birthday, writing a few business books, facilitating angel and VC raises (and getting ridiculous valuations), hosting business makeover segments on TV, keynoting a lot and being the CEO of a business consulting group.

.Net 167

.Net Securities and Exchange Commission California Angel Investor 167

crowdSPRING Blog

JUNE 19, 2015

The Secret Math of Airbnb’s $24 Billion Valuation - buff.ly/1MMxkB5. Uber Driver Is Employee, Not Contractor, Says California Labor Commission - buff.ly/1Bjyeoa. Why Startups Need to Focus on Sales, Not Marketing buff.ly/1MMwpR3. Important Financial Indicators for Startups at Every Stage of Growth | Mattermark – buff.ly/1MN374Y.

Small Business 48

Small Business Design Tennessee Social Media 48

Scott Edward Walker

MAY 15, 2012

In other words, in the event of the startup’s “acquisition” (which is often broadly defined to include a merger, change of control or sale of substantially all its assets), the maturity date of the note would be accelerated, and the amount of the loan, plus interest, would become due at the closing of the acquisition. 2) Loan Extension.

Finance 64

Finance Founder Accredited Investor Preferred Stock 64

Austin Startup

MAY 3, 2017

That economy, our new economy, looks vastly different from that which we’re, perhaps, familiar in California or New York. Through the series of funding rounds, companies do not need to go through an IPO to obtain capital or a higher valuation. California. Imagine that. They can just go back to their investors for more capital.

Texas 48

Texas Startup Silicon Valley Bootstrapping 48

Jason Ball

JANUARY 18, 2009

I guess the difference this year is that everyone knows 2008 was simply awful across the board… Icon Corporate Finance has provided the data points though, demonstrating that 2008 looked very grim: You’ll notice the vast majority of exits were sub $100M last year, while valuations outside of this band are falling fast.

Merger 28

Merger California Acquisition Valuation 28

www.vccafe.com

MARCH 11, 2013

turn customer feedback into sales and relationships. Seed Stage Valuation Guide. SaaS Sales Team Compensation â?? California Israel Chamber of Commerce. Startups For Sale. valuations. SnapEngage â?? live chat integrates with your apps. Zendesk â?? web help software. UserVoice â?? Kampyle â?? Ideaffect â??

Software Review 53

Software Review Technical Review Startup 53

Scalable Startup

MAY 1, 2013

Audacity is required to build an innovative startup, to invent something new, try to do things others say you cannot do, and Southern California needs many more audacious people in its tech and media startup ecosystem. In the history of Southern California, there has always been a large slice of creativity involved also. Risk Taking.

Southern California 20

Southern California Silicon Valley Angel Investor Hawaii 20

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 30, 2010

We have structural employment issues : The official unemployment rate in the US is hovering just below 10% but “true” unemployment is much higher when you account for those that have stopped looking or taken part-time employment and in key states like California and Michigan we’re downright hurting.

Entrepreneur 298

Entrepreneur Technical Review Balance Sheet Government 298