Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 12, 2018

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Join a startup incubator. Use crowd funding to build reserves.

Intellectual Property 134

Intellectual Property Technical Review Startup Incubator 134

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 10, 2013

Assessing the upcoming expenditure and determining your startup budget will be essential for the smooth and problem-free start of business activities. To estimate the startup costs for a new business, you will have to take a look at several different categories of expenditure. Product Development and Marketing.

Cost 183

Cost Startup Web Development Finance 183

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 11, 2023

These investments are a tremendous help to your startup because they will serve as a stepping stone to reach your target eventually. The following is a condensed explanation of seed funding: Seed money is a form of early-stage financing that new businesses receive from investors in exchange for a share of ownership in the company.

Seed Stage 124

Seed Stage Technical Review Early Stage Due Diligence 124

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 6, 2013

Final startup grind from msuster. And the folks at Startup Grind have been kind enough to invite me to present this morning in Mountain View on the topic. PMs are a vital part of a tech startup. Without strong PMs you build crappy products that nobody needs or that real people can’t use. figure out roles.

Cofounder 388

Cofounder Early Stage Startup Silicon Valley 388

YoungUpstarts

MAY 23, 2018

Most startups do not fail because they had a bad idea that could not find a market, but rather because the founders and startup teams got overwhelmed or were missing key ingredients to success. Many founders or startup teams gravitate toward sales or design.

Due Diligence 133

Due Diligence Startup Finance Leadership 133

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 24, 2018

As a startup advisor and angel investor, I tend to focus on the much longer list of ways your startup can fail, based on my own experience and inside knowledge from peers who you will never see highlighted on the Internet. If you don’t have all these interests and skills, even your most “disruptive” products will likely fail.

Angel Investor 249

Angel Investor Cofounder Finance Operations 249

ConversionXL

SEPTEMBER 6, 2013

Most startups fail. Not because they have a conversion problem but because they never really nail the product or how to market it. The most common mistake startups make is assuming they can operate the same way big companies do, and expect success with little to no feedback from potential customers. image source.

Customer Development 126

Customer Development Conversion Developer Customer 126

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2019

Most of you aspiring entrepreneurs have no idea how dramatically your own role has to evolve as you develop a solution, start a business, and expect it to scale into a successful self-managed company. Thus my job as a small business advisor really is really more about getting you developed than perfecting the business.

Leadership 248

Leadership Technical Review Cofounder Social Media 248

Mucker Lab

MAY 28, 2020

Like a teenager with a million-dollar allowance and an identity crisis, a startup with too much capital and no product-market fit will become capable of making larger mistakes. As an investor, I root for startups. Before you indulge in marketing, sales and blinged-out offices, find product-market fit.

Startup 78

Startup Cofounder Burn Rate Technical Review 78

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 2, 2014

These cycles are particularly pronounced in the technology industry, where rapid innovation leads to rapid product releases, and often to rapid failures. The startup community prides itself on supporting risk-taking and embracing failure. Innovation involves risk.

Product 222

Product Technical Review Software Review Green 222

Hearpreneur

OCTOBER 10, 2023

It's your persuasive pitch to potential investors, outlining your startup's objectives and profitability strategy. That way you can focus on what's important and not worry about whether or not your marketing strategy or product development process makes sense. Thanks to Jason Williams, Automate Your Life ! #7-

Business Plan 127

Business Plan Jordan Entrepreneur Florida 127

ReadWriteStart

FEBRUARY 22, 2022

Standing for research and development; this activity ultimately creates winning opportunities for the companies leveraging it. Let’s find out the R&D investment meaning and the reasons why invest in research and development, following the example of industry-disrupting companies. Develop a unique product or service.

Offshore 140

Offshore Demand Germany Global 140

The Next Web

DECEMBER 2, 2013

Could $100,000 and the right developer skills make you an overnight billionaire? How much does it really take to build a product like Twitter or Instagram? Here are their breakdowns of the costs and time investments to create 10 of the world’s hottest startups. But a good developer could make it quicker.”. 1) Twitter.

Cost 168

Cost San Francisco New York City Ruby 168

Hearpreneur

JANUARY 22, 2023

For example, a startup SaaS company can use a specialized app to create a good product management process and keep track of the project's progress. 7- Sustainable development Photo Credit: Peter Chatfield One area where I anticipate developments in my field to accelerate in 2023 is the field of sustainable development.

Artificial Inteligence 122

Artificial Inteligence Technical Review Entrepreneur Social Media 122

View from Seed

MAY 11, 2016

The reasons are fairly obvious: It’s easy to reference them and understand their track record; they’ve made a ton of mistakes already that they have hopefully learned from and are unlikely to make again; they are probably more adept at raising and managing capital, which reduces financing risk down the road, etc.

Founder 159

Founder Cofounder CTO Hire Early Stage 159

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 17, 2021

The journey to success often requires consistent self-development, an area that an advanced qualification can help you thrive. Business degrees, particularly higher-level ones, will usually cover communication in the workplace, which is crucial to developing employee satisfaction and, perhaps, customer satisfaction. Is it Worth it?

Analytics 173

Analytics Technical Review Social Media Software Review 173

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2022

Very few startups are cash-rich enough to self-finance aggressive second-stage growth. They need a large infusion from venture capitalists, private equity, bank loans, or mezzanine financing. Switch your attention from product development to sales. Neither is effective without the other.

Mezzanine 368

Mezzanine Private Equity Bandwidth Metrics 368

View from Seed

MARCH 24, 2021

.” Below are our favorite pieces from the past few years, divided in to a few key categories: fundraising, company building, product development, industry trends, and the life of a VC. Free Template for Great Startup Pitch Decks, Direct from VCs. ’ like all startups have to, but also “why invest now?'”

Seed Stage 177

Seed Stage Hiring IPO Analytics 177

YoungUpstarts

APRIL 17, 2018

As a startup co-founder with a growing team, here are the recruiting tips I’ve learnt over the last couple of years. You need to sell them on why your startup is the best. For example, if you run a tech startup , you will know how hard it is to find good software engineers. Not sales, product development, or fundraising.

Cofounder 164

Cofounder Elevator Pitch Hiring Dividend 164

Steve Blank

APRIL 23, 2018

The entrepreneur who founded and grew the largest startup in the world to $10 billion in revenue and got fired is someone you have probably never heard of. Sloan kept the corporate staff small and focused on policymaking, corporate finance, and planning. A version of this article appeared in the Harvard Business Review.

Michigan 268

Michigan Cofounder Stock Forecast 268

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 15, 2022

There are many benefits of selling your startup through a mergers and acquisitions advisor. When selling your startup with a mergers and acquisitions advisor, it’s essential to identify the key employees who have made the most valuable contributions to the business. Source: Pixabay. Identifying key employees. Finding a buyer.

Merger 128

Merger Acquisition Due Diligence Valuation 128

Up and Running

JULY 2, 2014

Picking the right attorney in your startup is as important as picking the right business partner. My business partner and I made many mistakes in our first tech startup, and so many of them were the result of choosing a lawyer who was a terrible fit. Let me paint the picture for you: We were about two months into our startup idea.

Technical Review 118

Technical Review Angel Investor Due Diligence Dilution 118

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2019

Very few startups are cash-rich enough to self-finance aggressive second-stage growth. They need a large infusion from venture capitalists, private equity, bank loans, or mezzanine financing. Switch your attention from product development to sales. Neither is effective without the other.

Mezzanine 244

Mezzanine Private Equity Startup Bandwidth 244

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2015

That’s why I recommend that they find a co-founder who loves business challenges, including marketing and finance. If you consider yourself a technologist, you probably believe and may be propagating one of the following myths: The first priority for funding should be to develop the technology.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Intellectual Property Cofounder Bootstrapping 120

Up and Running

APRIL 12, 2018

Working on a startup can be exciting, exhilarating, fulfilling and maybe even a little terrifying. Here are tips to create a practical and well-rounded financial forecast for your startup. First, understand your finances. Objectively reviewing your finances is important, and this is a prerequisite to creating a forecast.

Forecast 77

Forecast Early Stage Software Review Technical Review 77

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 1, 2009

This is part of my ongoing posts on Startup Advice. I know that this all seems obvious now with the movements started by Steven Blank ( Four Steps of Epiphany ) with the whole Customer Development processes / Lean Startup movements also popularized by people like Eric Ries. Turn Your Organization Inside Out. He’s a doctor.

Customer 280

Customer Technical Review Software Review Mexico 280

Steve Blank

MARCH 4, 2014

In the last few years we’ve recognized that a startup is not a smaller version of a large company. We’re now learning that companies are not larger versions of startups. But paradoxically, in spite of all their seemingly endless resources, innovation inside of an existing company is much harder than inside a startup.

IRR 335

IRR Startup Business Model Agile 335

David Teten

APRIL 1, 2021

As an agenda for each meeting, I suggest: – How can we most add value, in addition to helping with financing? Nick Kim , Crosscut’s Head of Platform, in his presentation at the 4th Annual VC Platform Summit, shared their Platform development methodology, which he viewed as an exercise in product development.

Private Equity 78

Private Equity Venture Capital Portfolio Equity 78

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. One of them used to be a lead developer at [insert hot consumer tech company here].

Burn Rate 152

Burn Rate Equity Software Review Early Stage 152

This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 22, 2012

You have a million things to get done at your startup, yet you only have a handful of people to do them. What is the Minimum Viable Team, if you will, for a startup? I can break down all the things a startup needs to do into three ideal people. Now we’re down to nine core business functions on a small startup team.

PR 144

PR Technical Review Seed Stage Design 144

David Teten

AUGUST 19, 2019

In addition, I’ve noted a few multi-product lending firms, e.g., Kapitus and United Capital Source , which provide RBI as one of many structural options to companies seeking capital. . We have a special program if you are pre-seed and need product development. Alternative Capital. “ You qualify if you have $5k+ MRR.

Revenue 60

Revenue Technical Review Software Review Equity 60

View from Seed

AUGUST 10, 2021

Here in 2021 startups operate in a more distributed fashion earlier in their lifecycle, a trend which preceded COVID but certainly was accelerated by the remote work environment for knowledge workers brought on by the pandemic.

Chicago 177

Chicago Cofounder Miami B2B 177

The Startup Magazine

SEPTEMBER 10, 2019

Many lack intuitive financial sense that can help them build a great company once they achieve product-market fit. Here are five financial concepts that every startup founder should know to build an everlasting company. Compared to Accounting, Finance is ruthlessly forward looking. Asset valuation. Alpha generation. venkatarag.

Founder 117

Founder Valuation Dividend Startup 117

View from Seed

AUGUST 10, 2021

Here in 2021 startups operate in a more distributed fashion earlier in their lifecycle, a trend which preceded COVID but certainly was accelerated by the remote work environment for knowledge workers brought on by the pandemic.

Chicago 156

Chicago Cofounder Miami B2B 156

OnlyOnce

MAY 13, 2021

As I finished up my work on the Second Edition of Startup CEO: A Field Guide to Scaling Up Your Business and started working on a new startup, my colleagues and I started envisioning a new book as a sequel or companion to Startup CEO that is going to be published on June 9 with our same publisher, Wiley & Sons.

Startup 62

Startup Cofounder Venture Capital Leadership 62

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 1, 2023

Every day, entrepreneurs face issues threatening their business progress—from financing to staffing to marketing tactics. Understanding your ideal customer’s demographics, behaviors, and pain points allows you to tailor your marketing efforts and product development to meet their needs.

Entrepreneur 130

Entrepreneur Social Media Florida Audience 130

View from Seed

NOVEMBER 18, 2014

Once a startup has raised seed capital, plenty of theories and advice exist on how to successfully raise a Series A. Recently, we looked at our own portfolio at NextView Ventures to dig a little deeper on how startups actually raise that next round of financing. More on these below.). There was no meaningful difference.

Syndicate 333

Syndicate Syndication Seed Stage Startup 333