Channel, Customer Development, Distribution and Venture Capital

Is the Lean Startup Dead?

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

NewTV will depend on partners like telcos to distribute the content. Given Verizon just shut down Go90 , its short form content video service, it will be interesting to see if Verizon distributes Katzenberg’s offerings.). After the crash, venture capital was scarce to non-existent. Then one day it was over. IPOs dried up.

Lean

Lean Burn Rate Startup IPO

The Customer Development Manifesto: Reasons for the Revolution.

Steve Blank

AUGUST 31, 2009

In the next few posts that follow, I’ll describe more specifically how this model distorts startup sales, marketing and business development. Because it isn’t until after first customer ship that a startup discovers that their initial hypotheses were simply wrong (i.e. before you ship.

Customer Development

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley

Early-stage Regional Venture Funds–part 2 of 3 of Bigger in Bend

Steve Blank

JANUARY 22, 2014

The cloud , open-source development tools and web 2.0 as a distribution channel have vastly reduced the amount of capital a startup needs at the early stage when the risk is greatest. Startups still need capital to scale once they find good product-market fit and a repeatable-scalable business model.).

Early Stage

Early Stage Silicon Valley Oregon Technical Review

supermac War Story 1: Joining supermac

Steve Blank

MARCH 19, 2009

Now with a new infusion of $8 million dollars of venture capital, SuperMac had been resurrected from the dead and was attempting to restart. They sold their product through the computer retail channel, something I knew nothing about. They sold to a set of customers I knew nothing about.

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley Software Review Technical Review RSS

Entrepreneurs are Everywhere Show No. 17: Tiffani Bell and Clay Hebert

Steve Blank

JANUARY 21, 2016

And going for crowdfunding before you do customer discovery with customers can lock you into the wrong idea too early. These topics were the focus of interviews with the latest guests on Entrepreneurs are Everywhere , my radio show on SiriusXM Channel 111 (airing weekly Thursdays at 1 pm Pacific, 4 pm Eastern).

Detroit

Detroit Baltimore Entrepreneur Cofounder

The Rise of the Lean VC – Consumer Internet Gets Its Own Investors

Steve Blank

AUGUST 5, 2010

Consumer Internet investing seems to have split off from traditional Venture Capital, and is creating a new category of VC’s: Lean VC’s. I think you can blame Customer and Agile Development for a small part of it. Electron-based Venture Capital. Here’s why.

Lean

Lean Internet Silicon Valley Venture Capital

SuperMac War Story 9: Sales, Not Awards « Steve Blank

Steve Blank

APRIL 30, 2009

SuperMac sold our graphic boards for the Macintosh through multiple distribution channels: direct sales to major accounts, national chains, independent rep firms, etc. But the computer retail channel was a large part of our sales. Or blame my MarCom department who approved it.

Sales

Sales Silicon Valley RSS Las Vegas

Marching through quicksand

Startup Lessons Learned

AUGUST 24, 2009

One is explaining the world as it used to work: the importance of gatekeepers, the scarcity implied by limited distribution, and the resulting quality bar that the industry is so proud of. Mostly it is the time and expense required to create the means of distribution for that industry. It’s just taking some longer than others.

San Francisco

San Francisco Lean Technical Review Distribution

Going to Trade Shows Like it Matters – Part 2

Steve Blank

MAY 22, 2009

Everyone should have a chance to walk the floor looking for deals, technology, distribution, customers, etc. Reply steveblank , on May 22, 2009 at 2:39 pm Said: Morteza, The comments about “ignore this post&# were meant that if your sales channel is the web you rarely go to trade shows. What didn’t?

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley RSS California Customer Development

The Leading Cause of Startup Death – Part 1: The Product.

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

Silicon Valley Product Startup Product Development

Vertical Markets 4: Putting it All Together « Steve Blank

Steve Blank

JUNE 8, 2009

In the last three posts, we drew the relationship of market risk and invention risk with vertical markets and pointed out verticals where customer development would be useful. In contrast to simply executing your business plan, the Customer Development process is built on low-cost and continuous learning and iterating.

Vertical

Vertical Silicon Valley RSS Marketing

Faith-Based versus Fact-Based Decision Making « Steve Blank

Steve Blank

JUNE 5, 2009

You make several first order approximations about your business model, distribution channels, demand creation, and customer acceptance. Customer Development This strategy of starting on faith, and quickly turning them into facts is the core of the Customer Development process.

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley RSS Vertical California

Lean Startups aren't Cheap Startups

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 2, 2009

For those of you who have been following the discussion, a Lean Startup is Eric Ries ’s description of the intersection of Customer Development , Agile Development and if available, open platforms and open source. The Customer Development process (and the Lean Startup) is one way to do that.

Lean

Lean Silicon Valley Startup RSS

Hacking for Defense @ Stanford – Week 7

Steve Blank

MAY 16, 2016

In companies this would be product line extensions, more efficient supply chain, new distribution channels. The OODA loops and the four steps of Customer Development and the Lean Methodology are rooted in the same “get of the building/get eyes out of your cockpit” and “speed and urgency” concepts.)

San Diego

San Diego Metrics Indonesia Silicon Valley

Coffee With Startups

Steve Blank

AUGUST 20, 2009

Some of the conversations went like this: Startup 1 Entrepreneur -“I’m competing against Company x and have been following the Customer Development process and I’ve talked to lots of customers.” Do you know have they distribute their product? Do you know the archetype of their customers? This is easy to test.

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley Startup RSS Customer Development

Rocket Science 3: Hollywood Meets Silicon Valley « Steve Blank

Steve Blank

JULY 9, 2009

So I got out out of the building to meet and understand our customers and distribution partners. I remember after a month or two of talking to 14-22 year old male gamers (our potential target market,) I realized that for the first time in my career I had no emotional connection to my customers or channel partners.

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley RSS California Video

The Ultimate Guide to Starting a Software Company

Up and Running

MAY 23, 2016

In the tactics section, list your sales channels and describe how you will be selling your products. Also, make a bullet list of the marketing activities that will drive customers to your door. venture capital. You might also get immediate access to channels that might have otherwise taken years to break into.

Software Review

Software Review Software Delaware Forecast

Rocket Science 2: Drinking the Kool-Aid

Steve Blank

JULY 2, 2009

To an entrepreneur, being asked to join a venture firm with an Entrepreneur-in-Residence title means you have been tapped on the shoulder by the VC gods. The CDROM content business in the early 1990’s was one of the many of the long line of venture capital fads. We understood none of this. More detail in future posts.

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley Technical Review RSS Software Review

Your Product Needs to be 10x Better than the Competition to Win. Here’s Why:

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 11, 2011

GoTo.com went on to ink huge distribution deals with Microsoft, AOL & Yahoo! Secondly, they had an owned & operated (O&O) website – Google.com – and Overture had shut down GoTo.com at the request of their very profitable and large distribution partners. The Wedding Channel. Overture was sold to Yahoo!

Product

Product Tuvalu Dilution Incubator

Love/Hate Business Plan Competitions

Steve Blank

MAY 7, 2009

I finally understood how valuable these contests can be for students in cities or countries without a venture capital or entrepreneurial infrastructure. And even if they did – customers don’t ask to see your business plan. to compete. I now think that was a mistake. I was simply confused about what a plan was for.

Business Plan

Business Plan Silicon Valley RSS Venture Capital

Founders: Learning should be your top 2013 New Year’s resolution

The Next Web

DECEMBER 30, 2012

How to Build a Startup (EP245) by Steve Blank: You’ll learn the key steps of the Customer Development process. How to identify and engage the first customers for your product, and how to gather, evaluate and use their feedback to make your product, marketing and business model far stronger. Codecademy. Khan Academy.

Artificial Inteligence

Artificial Inteligence Founder Private Equity Ruby

Rocket Science 5: Who Needs Domain Experts

Steve Blank

JULY 16, 2009

Go spend some time outside the building talking to potential distribution partners. Steve I have to tell you some bad news, I just showed our potential channel partners and customers a few completed pieces of the games we had. Founders need to validate their vision in front of customers early and often.

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley RSS Video San Diego

From Nothing To Something. How To Get There.

techcrunch.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

The timing is perfect, there is more than a little overlap with Vivek Wadhwa’s guest post on venture capital earlier today. I too am looking for someone to work with that knows the manufacturing and distribution end of a solid product. Twitter is an excellent distribution channel for us. (B) Johnny Good post.

Technical Review

Technical Review Cofounder Technical Cofounder Software Review

Startup Resources

www.vccafe.com

MARCH 11, 2013

Venture Capital Cafe > Startup Resources (Updated Mar 2013). Steve Blank on Lean Customer Development. free, distributed source code control management system. Boilerplate Venture Funding Documents. National Venture Capital Association â?? Raising Venture Capital. Codeacademy.

Software Review

Software Review Technical Review Startup

StartUpRoar

Is the Lean Startup Dead?

The Customer Development Manifesto: Reasons for the Revolution.

Trending Sources

Early-stage Regional Venture Funds–part 2 of 3 of Bigger in Bend

supermac War Story 1: Joining supermac

Entrepreneurs are Everywhere Show No. 17: Tiffani Bell and Clay Hebert

The Rise of the Lean VC – Consumer Internet Gets Its Own Investors

SuperMac War Story 9: Sales, Not Awards « Steve Blank

Marching through quicksand

Going to Trade Shows Like it Matters – Part 2

The Leading Cause of Startup Death – Part 1: The Product.

Vertical Markets 4: Putting it All Together « Steve Blank

Faith-Based versus Fact-Based Decision Making « Steve Blank

Lean Startups aren't Cheap Startups

Hacking for Defense @ Stanford – Week 7

Coffee With Startups

Rocket Science 3: Hollywood Meets Silicon Valley « Steve Blank

The Ultimate Guide to Starting a Software Company

Rocket Science 2: Drinking the Kool-Aid

Your Product Needs to be 10x Better than the Competition to Win. Here’s Why:

Love/Hate Business Plan Competitions

Founders: Learning should be your top 2013 New Year’s resolution

Rocket Science 5: Who Needs Domain Experts

From Nothing To Something. How To Get There.

Startup Resources

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