Gust

NOVEMBER 9, 2014

In today’s fast moving marketplace, needs, competitors, and costs change rapidly, so even if you were right, two years later the wave has moved on. Since you can predict that your first iteration will somehow miss the mark, speed and cost of pivoting are critical. Show some traction before funding. Fail fast and cheap.

Agile 163

Agile Startup Lean Social Network 163

Gust

JUNE 10, 2012

I come from a high-tech software background, and only a few years ago, it would cost at least a million dollars ($1M) for a team of professionals to produce any commercial software product. Now, with open source software components, and low-cost development tools, the same job can be done by one good hacker for a few thousand dollars.

Cost 139

Cost Burn Rate SEM Startup 139

Gust

NOVEMBER 8, 2012

As a native of Silicon Valley , I’ve witnessed the creative destruction of wave after wave of innovation as nearby corporate campuses repopulated themselves : From defense contractors to data centers , computer mainframe manufacturers to Internet search engines. Free Speech. Healthcare Reform. Yes, really.

Silicon Valley 187

Silicon Valley San Francisco Intellectual Property Accredited Investor 187

Gust

JUNE 17, 2012

Exchanging equity for services is worth negotiating with legal counsel, accountants, engineers, and even sales people. Find a customer who would benefit greatly from getting your product first, and be willing to advance you the cost of development. Partner with distributor or beneficiary.

Technical Review 164

Technical Review Bootstrapping Venture Capital Incubator 164

Gust

AUGUST 22, 2012

There is an ample supply of labor; a relative scarcity of challenging, career-building jobs for recent graduates of technical institutes and universities; and a dramatically lower cost structure for many initiatives as a result. Silicon Arabia has engineers in Russia as well as Egypt.)

Technical Review 172

Technical Review Egypt Morocco Russia 172

Gust

MARCH 9, 2014

This combination will almost certainly get your plan tossed by potential investors, who understand all too well the need and cost for marketing in today’s environment. Viral marketing costs real money these days, which usually means adding at least an extra zero to budget estimates. Get exposure for your expertise.

Marketing 146

Marketing SEM Viral Social Media 146

Gust

NOVEMBER 18, 2012

Back in the “heyday of the dot.com startups,” it was not uncommon to see a valuation incremented by $1M or every paid full-time professional programmer, engineer, or designer. If you are still losing money, skip ahead to the cost approach. Calculate replacement cost for key assets (cost approach).

Valuation 187

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation NPV Intellectual Property 187