Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

Things will cost more than you expect. Deferred payments start with stretching the payables period but, more importantly, include giving employee equity in lieu of a higher salaries and negotiating vendor deferred payments out of future revenues. Cash flow out equates to burn rate, and the runway depends on your reserves.

Burn Rate 223

Burn Rate Hockey Stick Startup Salary 223

The Equity Kicker

OCTOBER 15, 2013

The declining cost of solar power is one of the biggest reasons that the folks at Singularity University are optimistic about the future. Having reached grid parity the use of solar should soar and cost should fall further as more money is invested in the technology. Cheap energy and plentiful fresh water. Sounds good.

Cost 136

Cost Technical Review Product Development Technology 136

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2013

A grant is not an equity investment, so the entrepreneur doesn’t have to give up a stake in the company either. Typically they can be used to fund product development and commercialization that would otherwise require outside investors. Professional help costs money.

Government 230

Government Equity Cost SBIR 230

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2014

Things will cost more than you expect. Deferred payments start with stretching the payables period but, more importantly, include giving employee equity in lieu of a higher salaries and negotiating vendor deferred payments out of future revenues. Cashflow out equates to burn rate, and the runway depends on your reserves.

Burn Rate 262

Burn Rate Hockey Stick Entrepreneur Salary 262

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2023

These days, almost every new product is not deemed scalable until it has been certified as meeting a multitude of quality and agency standards, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and Underwriters Lab (UL). Expanding the product line. Specialized VCs start to jump in at this stage.

Angel Investor 256

Angel Investor Early Stage Incubator Government 256

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 13, 2015

These days, almost every new product is not deemed scalable until it has been certified as meeting a multitude of quality and agency standards, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and Underwriters Lab (UL). Expanding the product line. Specialized VCs start to jump in at this stage.

Product Development 120

Product Development Developer Product Angel Investor 120

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 30, 2019

New product development is an essential part of the entrepreneurial landscape. For companies of all sizes, from big corporations to small businesses, new product development is crucial. New products help companies continue to grow, thrive and generate revenue. Why would a company want to introduce a new product?

Product Development 113

Product Development Developer Product Demand 113

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2021

These days, almost every new product is not deemed scalable until it has been certified as meeting a multitude of quality and agency standards, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and Underwriters Lab (UL). Expanding the product line. Specialized VCs start to jump in at this stage.

Early Stage 412

Early Stage Angel Investor Incubator Government 412

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

Things will cost more than you expect. Deferred payments start with stretching the payables period but, more importantly, include giving employee equity in lieu of a higher salaries and negotiating vendor deferred payments out of future revenues. Cash flow out equates to burn rate, and the runway depends on your reserves.

Burn Rate 120

Burn Rate Hockey Stick Startup Salary 120

ConversionXL

JANUARY 18, 2022

Brand marketing is concerned with objectives such as: Brand tracking , identity, and recognition; Improving brand awareness ; Building brand equity ; Understanding and influencing consumer perceptions about the brand. Post-launch, product marketers focus on improving sales enablement and work to drive demand and adoption of the product.

Marketing 110

Marketing Product Audience Equity 110

David Teten

AUGUST 19, 2019

This structure offers some of the benefits of traditional equity VC, without some of the negatives of equity VC. I’ve been a traditional equity VC for 8 years, and I’m now researching new business models in venture capital. We have a special program if you are pre-seed and need product development.

Revenue 60

Revenue Technical Review Software Review Equity 60

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2015

In fact, an entrepreneur friend of mine, who made millions on her marketing expertise, asserted recently that most inventors fail in business because they refuse to believe that any business expertise or experience is worth more than 5 percent in partner equity. Most founders bootstrap product development.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Intellectual Property Cofounder Bootstrapping 120

Feld Thoughts

NOVEMBER 18, 2013

Here’s the punchline: if you run your company as if you have closed a VC equity financing round even though you actually closed a convertible debt round, you’ll be in much better shape when it comes time to raise your Series A financing. So why would you treat your debt investors (somewhat) like equity investors?

Burn Rate 152

Burn Rate Equity Software Review Early Stage 152

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 24, 2012

Nearly four in five CEOs complained that CMOs can’t explain how brand equity can be linked to recognized financial measures such as firm equity. The result was an eightfold improvement in revenues from innovations developed with the help of such customers vs. innovations developed by 3M’s ordinary, internally developed process.

Marketing 234

Marketing Software Review Technical Review Social Network 234

Business Plan Blog

AUGUST 20, 2013

This is generally achieved in one of the following ways: CTO Level Co-Founder (Equity). CTO Level Board Member or dedicated Adviser (Free or Equity). Web Development Firm hired to do “Conceptualization Phase” – This usually includes thorough wire-framing (Paid per project). Product Development Team.

CTO Hire 55

CTO Hire Fractional CTO Architecture Cofounder 55

David Teten

OCTOBER 1, 2015

But, you need to build that first product right. And that costs more money than most people have in savings (minimum $100-500K). Sometimes, equity in a new company can mean more to these shops than another $100-500K in revenue for simply building out a minimum viable product (MVP). Can a shop work for just equity?

Software Developers 60

Software Developers Software Development Software Developer 60

Feld Thoughts

OCTOBER 28, 2011

He procrastinated for a few weeks because he was deep in product development, but surfaced a few days ago when he realized they had an investor meeting coming up and really should have at least a basic financial model ready in case the investor asked about it. and a spend type (e.g.

Revenue 127

Revenue Balance Sheet Forecast Software Review 127

David Teten

MAY 1, 2013

First, any branding and SEO equity you built up under the old name are jeopardized. I am comfortable endorsing spending six or seven figures on a good domain name, but only after you have proven a significant market exists for your product, you have achieved product-market fit, and you have either earned a lot of cash in the bank (the best!)

Naming 114

Naming Semantic Venture Capital Startup 114

blog.aparttimecto.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

Flexibility - You won’t need to commit to something, either cash, equity or involving other people, upfront. Cons: Money - Unless you have cash to pay, the pool of developers willing to work for equity is small. Access - Good developers are tough to find. Cons: Cost - Most development shops work on a cash basis.

CTO Hire 40

CTO Hire Fractional CTO Equity Vesting 40

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 19, 2014

A grant is not an equity investment, so the entrepreneur doesn’t have to give up a stake in the company either. Typically they can be used to fund product development and commercialization that would otherwise require outside investors. Professional help costs money.

Seed Money 242

Seed Money SBIR Dilution Government 242

The Startup Magazine

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

They provide an excellent way for startups to train their employees without incurring the cost of a physical location or hiring more staff members. Employee ownership gives these entrepreneurs this autonomy as well as equity in the startup! Increased Productivity. Employee-Owned Startups.

Startup 128

Startup Social Media Global Incubator 128

Steve Blank

MARCH 4, 2014

These groups are adapting or adopting the practices of startups and accelerators – disruption and innovation rather than direct competition, customer development versus more product features, agility and speed versus lowest cost. StageGate Process. Corporate KPI’s, Policy and Procedures: Innovation Killers.

IRR 335

IRR Startup Business Model Agile 335

Austin Startup

AUGUST 20, 2017

They’re looking to be paid properly in the context of the overall salary structure, including cash, benefits, and equity, and to be paid commensurate with performance. Can you acquire them at a sustainable cost? Your Product Plan must fit into context of your overall business mission. Are the logistics manageable?

Technical Review 48

Technical Review Software Review Cap Table Securities and Exchange Commission 48

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 28, 2010

It seems the focus on “virtual&# goods has been both the demo of the consumer as well as the fact that by definition virtual goods have almost no marginal costs to the seller so giving a huge slice to the carrier (and Zong) isn’t a problem since actual costs are ~ $0. 15mm in Series A.

Venture Capital 270

Venture Capital Cofounder Spain San Diego 270

ConversionXL

OCTOBER 7, 2021

However, on a more granular graph, the introduction phase would be preceded by a product development stage. This stage is used to determine the viability of your product and confirm when it should go to market. Therefore, marketing strategies revolve around product price and promotion, with four possible options: 1.

Product 142

Product Marketing Software Review Social Media 142

Berkonomics

MARCH 21, 2019

If the business is not a startup, expect to supply income statements for the past several years as well, to emphasize trends in revenue and costs. The more you ask for – the more equity you give up. And it is probable that you’ll need more money to reach that target, muddying the calculation and reducing your equity percentage.

Hockey Stick 63

Hockey Stick Liquidity Event Valuation Balance Sheet 63

infochachkie.com

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Instead of hearing from your long lost third-cousin, you will be inundated with an avalanche of ‘congratulatory’ emails, calls and letters from people who want to relieve you of the burden of your hard-earned equity round. Such positions include: PR, Sales, Product Development, Lead Generation, Strategic Planning, Fund Raising, etc.

Equity 40

Equity Silicon Valley Cofounder Technical Review 40

Women Entrepreneurs Can

MARCH 16, 2021

Cut Unnecessary Costs. Wasteful costs and payments are a significant drain on any business, and it could be holding you back from taking the next step and reaching another level of success. In doing so, you can repurpose these funds towards your marketing efforts, product development, and other options.

Dividend 52

Dividend Equity Stock Small Business 52

Gust

MAY 11, 2014

A grant is not an equity investment, so the entrepreneur doesn’t have to give up a stake in the company either. Typically they can be used to fund product development and commercialization that would otherwise require outside investors. Professional help costs money.

Seed Money 164

Seed Money SBIR Dilution Government 164

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2011

I applaud the initiative, and encourage startups in this direction, but there are costs. A grant is not an equity investment, so the entrepreneur doesn’t have to give up a stake in the company either. Typically they can be used to fund product development and commercialization that would otherwise require outside investors.

Government 221

Government SBIR Dilution Database 221

VC Cafe

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

In smaller funds, ticket sizes tend to be lower, so pre-seed is the only stage where micro funds are able to secure their minimum equity targets. There are of course anomalies, like French AI startup Mistral which raised a “seed” round of $113M in June last year.

Valuation 186

Valuation Software Review Generative AI Technical Review 186

Berkonomics

MAY 13, 2021

There is a fine line between loading the company with too much debt and diluting the shareholders too early with additional equity investments. Here, most experienced board members can help to streamline the process of product development, manufacture, channel management and marketing.

Dilution 62

Dilution Equity Channel Product Development 62

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 30, 2014

loading the company with too much debt, and diluting the shareholders too early with additional equity investments. Process: Here, most experienced board members can help to streamline the process of product development, manufacture, channel management and marketing. There is a fine line between.

Dilution 94

Dilution Equity Channel Product Development 94

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 1, 2018

Though most founders would agree culture is important in an organization’s success, it often takes a back seat to product development and generating a profit in the early stages of an organization’s life. As a startup grows, the equity position offered to new employees goes down as the number of employees goes up.

Cofounder 113

Cofounder Hiring Leadership Employee 113

Software By Rob

NOVEMBER 16, 2009

Geoffrey Moore Author of Crossing the Chasm and four other books, Geoffrey Moore has been thinking about high-tech product development longer than most of have been doing anything on a computer. These highlights focus on the key points I took away from my favorite talks.

Software Review 47

Software Review Software San Francisco RSS 47

Up and Running

MARCH 24, 2021

Doing this grows your current customer base, expands the available market, and simultaneously improves your brand equity within the enterprise email management market. Now, market development isn’t always possible, meaning that you’ll need to still focus on growing your business by acquiring customers already served in a given market.

Software Review 146

Software Review Marketing Campaign Forecast 146

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 19, 2016

After graduating college, I spent several years on Wall Street, first at a large investment bank working on M&A for large corporate clients, then as a private equity professional helping invest hundreds of millions of dollars in private companies. Many think that building a great product is all that’s required to bring in users.

Private Equity 60

Private Equity Acquisition B2B Partner 60