Distribution, Lean, RSS and Venture Capital

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. Over its lifetime a Lean Startup may spend less money than a traditional startup.

Lean

Lean Silicon Valley Startup RSS

The Venture Capital Secret: 3 Out of 4 Start-Ups Fail

online.wsj.com

SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers, use the Order Reprints tool at the bottom of any article or visit www.djreprints.com. SIGNIFICANCE PROMINENT. --> The Venture Capital Secret: 3 Out of 4 Start-Ups Fail. Semiconductors. Telecommunications. Transportation. Stock Quotes.

Venture Capital

Venture Capital Software Review Rhode Island North Dakota

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 had an existing distribution channel and their dealers and customers thought they knew who the company was and what it stood for. The first step was to recruit a new management team.

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley Software Review Technical Review RSS

Can You Trust Any vc's Under 40?

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 14, 2009

Over the same 30 years, Venture Capital firms have honed their skills and strategies to match Wall Streets needs to achieve liquidity for their portfolio companies. One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is misunderstanding the role of venture capital investors. What Do VC’s Do?

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley IPO Technical Review Venture Capital

Times Square Strategy Session – Web Startups and Customer Development

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 16, 2009

However the Customer Development Model and the Lean Startup work equally well for startups on the web. Union Square Ventures The next morning I got to spend time with Brad Burnham , partner at Union Square Ventures talking about their investment strategy and insights about web-based businesses.

Customer Development

Customer Development Web Developer Customer

Rocket Science 2: Drinking the Kool-Aid

Steve Blank

JULY 2, 2009

Entrepreneur-in-Residence After SuperMac I had been approached by one of our venture investors to be an entrepreneur in residence (EIR), a Silicon Valley phrase which says one thing but means another. The CDROM content business in the early 1990’s was one of the many of the long line of venture capital fads.

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley Technical Review RSS Software Review

The Customer Development Manifesto: Reasons for the Revolution.

Steve Blank

AUGUST 31, 2009

Finally, I’ll write about how Eric Ries and the Lean Startup concept provided the equivalent model for product development activities inside the building and neatly integrates customer and agile development. customers aren’t buying it, the cost of distribution is too high, etc.) Product Development Diagram 1.

Customer Development

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley

Love/Hate Business Plan Competitions

Steve Blank

MAY 7, 2009

I Love Business Plan Competitions I had a breakfast with a friend who has founded a few companies in Thailand and started the New Ventures Program at one of their universities. I finally understood how valuable these contests can be for students in cities or countries without a venture capital or entrepreneurial infrastructure.

Business Plan

Business Plan Silicon Valley RSS Venture Capital

Rocket Science 5: Who Needs Domain Experts

Steve Blank

JULY 16, 2009

Go spend some time outside the building talking to potential distribution partners. While the Rocket Science press juggernaut moved inexorably forward, a few troubling facts kept trying to bubble up into my consciousness. “No, No, not really, but my partner owns the studio and tells me it’s spectacular and everyone will love it.

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley RSS Video San Diego

Startup Tools

steveblank.com

JULY 8, 2011

AgileZen – project management visually see and interact with your work Kanbanery – Simple online team or personal kanban board LeanKit Kanban – Great for visualizing work of product development Kanban Pad – “Nice and lean” and free online Kanban tool Banana Scrum – A tool simple as Scrum itself.

Software Review

Software Review Startup Silicon Valley Analytics

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. Steve Blanks 30 years of Silicon Valley startup advice.

Sales

Sales Silicon Valley RSS Las Vegas

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. Partnership Opportunities At any show you are attending there has to be tons of opportunity for business to business relationships you hadn’t thought about. Steve Blanks 30 years of Silicon Valley startup advice.

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley RSS California Customer Development

Startup Resources

www.vccafe.com

MARCH 11, 2013

Venture Capital Cafe > Startup Resources (Updated Mar 2013). Lean Methodology Sources. Steve Blank on Lean Customer Development. Part 3- Lean Cust. Steve Blank’s Lean Startup Resources. Lean Startup Circle â?? free, distributed source code control management system. About VC Cafe.

Software Review

Software Review Technical Review Startup

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. I talk about this in my book and there is always a discussion at the Lean Startup Group at [link]. Faith-based Entrepreneurship At first, entrepreneurship is a Faith-based initiative. Order Here.

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley RSS Vertical California

Closure

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 19, 2009

I responded to their RFP by proposing that Ardent build the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center a distributed supercomputing environment with hundreds of Ardent personal supercomputers rather than a monolithic Cray supercomputer. And where are we today…distributed computing. I liked to fail fast, move on, and not look back.

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley San Diego RSS California

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. After that there’s a discussion of how the product will reach the customer and the potential distribution channel. The distribution discussion also leads to some assumptions about pricing.

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley Product Startup Product Development

Vertical Markets 4: Putting it All Together « Steve Blank

Steve Blank

JUNE 8, 2009

Waterfall, Agile, Lean? At a glance, you can see how startup capital needs differ by markets, how distribution channels and demand creation activities differ by market, and even how VC’s assess risk and reward by market. Intellectual Property/Patents – Strategic or Tactical, timing? Regulatory Issues – What are they?

Vertical

Vertical Silicon Valley RSS Marketing

Coffee With Startups

Steve Blank

AUGUST 20, 2009

Do you know have they distribute their product? An Existing Market All four were trying to resegment an “Existing Market.” 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.”

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley Startup RSS Customer Development

The Secret History of Silicon Valley 12: The Rise of “Risk Capital.

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 29, 2009

Ampex’s first customer was Bing Crosby who wanted to record his radio programs for rebroadcast (and had exclusive distribution rights.) A wave of silicon innovation was about to meet a pile of risk capital. Ampex business took off when Terman introduced Ampex founder Alex Poniatoff to Joseph and Henry McMicking.

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley SBIC San Francisco RSS

Someone Stole My Startup Idea – Part 1: Are Those My Initials?

Steve Blank

DECEMBER 3, 2009

In the end, the CEO couldn’t get his board to give us the cash in exchange for the Japanese distribution rights and some equity. We ended up raising money from Sega. I heard later that the slide disappeared from his presentation. Steve Blanks 30 years of Silicon Valley startup advice.

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley RSS Startup California

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 was now a CEO of Rocket Science, and having a great time building the company (more about that in future posts.) Steve Blanks 30 years of Silicon Valley startup advice.

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley RSS California Video

Durant Versus Sloan – Part 1

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 1, 2009

Top management was trying to coordinate all of the operating details (sales, manufacturing, distribution and marketing,) across all the divisions and the company almost went bankrupt that year when poor planning led to excess inventory (with unsold cars piling up at dealers and the company running out of cash.)

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley United States RSS Customer Development

Women 2.0 » FounderDating: How I Found My Co-Founder

www.women2.org

MARCH 8, 2012

If you are a retailer looking to discover new products to sell or improve your merchandising and vendor management efficiency, or if you are brand looking to increase sales and distribution or improve your sales, order management, and inventory process, check out www.sorced.com. Subscribe via RSS. Learn more about Women 2.0.

Cofounder

Cofounder Technical Review San Francisco Founder

Strategy Roundtable: Professional Investors Do Not Invest In $20 Million Markets

www.readwriteweb.com

OCTOBER 18, 2010

Raymond has built a nice business through efficient distribution deals and will do about $250,000 in revenue this year. He needs to generate enough profit so that he can grow organically and build his business systematically, and without expecting a lot of outside financing. Raymond is wondering why he cannot attract financing.

Marketing

Marketing Bootstrapping Incubator Angel Investor

Strategy Roundtable: Professional Investors Do Not Invest In $20 Million Markets

www.readwriteweb.com

OCTOBER 18, 2010

Raymond has built a nice business through efficient distribution deals and will do about $250,000 in revenue this year. He needs to generate enough profit so that he can grow organically and build his business systematically, and without expecting a lot of outside financing. Raymond is wondering why he cannot attract financing.

Marketing

Marketing Bootstrapping Incubator Angel Investor

StartUpRoar

Lean Startups aren't Cheap Startups

The Venture Capital Secret: 3 Out of 4 Start-Ups Fail

Trending Sources

supermac War Story 1: Joining supermac

Can You Trust Any vc's Under 40?

Times Square Strategy Session – Web Startups and Customer Development

Rocket Science 2: Drinking the Kool-Aid

The Customer Development Manifesto: Reasons for the Revolution.

Love/Hate Business Plan Competitions

Rocket Science 5: Who Needs Domain Experts

Startup Tools

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

Going to Trade Shows Like it Matters – Part 2

Startup Resources

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

Closure

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

Vertical Markets 4: Putting it All Together « Steve Blank

Coffee With Startups

The Secret History of Silicon Valley 12: The Rise of “Risk Capital.

Someone Stole My Startup Idea – Part 1: Are Those My Initials?

Rocket Science 3: Hollywood Meets Silicon Valley « Steve Blank

Durant Versus Sloan – Part 1

Women 2.0 » FounderDating: How I Found My Co-Founder

Strategy Roundtable: Professional Investors Do Not Invest In $20 Million Markets

Strategy Roundtable: Professional Investors Do Not Invest In $20 Million Markets

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