View from Seed

MARCH 3, 2015

'Ellie Mirman was the first marketer hired by the CMO of HubSpot, the Boston-based marketing software startup that IPOed in 2014. Below, she shares lessons learned from the earliest days of marketing the company and how this has translated to her second startup role as VP of Marketing at Toast. NextView Ventures: Thinking back to before anyone knew HubSpot or the company was headed towards an IPO, where did you even start to market the company?

Marketing 263

Marketing Sales Cycle Startup CTO Hire 263

Steve Blank

MARCH 3, 2015

'During the Cold War with the Soviet Union, science and engineering at both Stanford and U.C. Berkeley were heavily funded to develop Cold War weapon systems. Stanford’s focus was Electronic Intelligence and those advanced microwave components and systems were useful in a variety of weapons systems. Starting in the 1950’s, Stanford’s engineering department became “outward facing” and developed a culture of spinouts and active faculty support and participation in the first wave of Silicon Valley

Business Plan 245

Business Plan Silicon Valley Saudi Arabia Lean 245

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 3, 2015

'by Farbood Nivi, CEO of Learnist. Are you a knower or a learner? Knowers solve problems by pulling entirely from their experience, whereas learners take time to study a problem before prescribing a solution. As a former educator, I understand the importance of a formal education. But learning should not end when you leave school. Letting your curiosity fizzle out and settling into the debilitating knower mindset can put your business at risk of plateauing.

Software Review 165

Software Review Leadership Restful Design 165

deal architect

MARCH 3, 2015

'I read a few tweets today about how SAP does “global well” and how SuccessFactors reflects it. My reaction was technology vendors, not just SAP, are actually inconsistent when it comes to global matters compared to companies like Unilever or.

Global 230

Global Technology Software 230

Speaker: Nick Noreña, Innovation Coach and Advisor, Kromatic

Every startup and innovation project exists within an ecosystem that either helps or hurts that project. As innovation managers, we need to keep a pulse of that ecosystem and make sure we're helping those innovation projects we're managing every step of the way. In this webinar, Nick Noreña will walk through an Innovation Ecosystem Model that he and his team at Kromatic have developed to help investors, heads of product, teachers, and executives understand how they can best support innovation in

Startup

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 3, 2015

'by Jay York, social media strategist at EMSI Public Relations. It’s true that millennials are massive users of social media, but does that mean any young friend or family member has the background to be enlisted to give your business’ social media campaign the attention it needs? Probably not. Let’s take a look at several good reasons to put your social media marketing in the hands of a pro: Experience and education.

Social Media 147

Social Media Media Public Relations Analytics 147

deal architect

MARCH 3, 2015

'When I was researching SAP Nation, I was impressed with how many customers are swapping out software, moving to third party maintenance, “ring fencing” the core solution with specialist tools, and implementing two and three tier strategies – different solutions.

Software 221

Software Customer 221

The Next Web

MARCH 3, 2015

'About the Author: Sangeet Paul Choudary is the founder of Platform Thinking and the author of the upcoming book Platform Scale. This article was co-authored with Griffin Anderson. Online marketplaces have always been transaction-oriented. The goal of the marketplace is to match buyers and sellers. Marketplaces often focus entirely on moving buyers towards purchases and sellers towards listing more products/services.

Cofounder 120

Cofounder Matching Web Networking 120

Version One Ventures

MARCH 3, 2015

'Apple’s first event of 2015 is scheduled for March 9 and if all the hype and rumors are correct, we will be hearing more details about the Apple Watch, which should hit the shelves in April. Apple’s smart watch is one of Apple’s most hyped products since the first iPad. Pebble’s huge success with their latest smart watch offers a glimpse of consumer interest in this space.

Differentiation 106

Differentiation Mobile Product Marketing 106

The Next Web

MARCH 3, 2015

'This post is brought to you by Jama Software – reinventing product delivery by changing how products are conceived, built and launched. Large, complex organizations often suffer from a major challenge — their product development feels like a big black box. When you’re launching an MVP at a 5-person startup, it’s relatively easy to track the progress of the product and get your team in the same room to discuss roadblocks, challenges, and lessons learned for each and every sprint.

Product Development 117

Product Development Engineer Web Software 117

The Equity Kicker

MARCH 3, 2015

'I just saw this quote from Jeff Bezos on A Founder’s Notebook : Another thing that we [Amazon] believe is pretty fundamental is that the world is getting increasingly transparent—that information perfection is on the rise. If you believe that, it becomes strategically smart to align yourself with the customer. You think about marketing differently.

Customer 99

Customer Social Media Sales Media 99

David Teten

MARCH 3, 2015

'You know that a new idea has gained dominance when it becomes practically a cliché. That is what I’ve seen happen with the “ Lean Startup ” philosophy of viewing your startup as a scientific experiment in search of a business model. This started as a new idea, then became popularized, and now people view it as common sense and practically a cliché.

Startup 96

Startup Private Equity Lean Portfolio 96

Mike Michalowicz

MARCH 3, 2015

'I have had multiple business partners over the years, and realized that the most successful businesses came from partners that I argued with. I believe, in fact, that arguing is one of the most important determinate of a successful business. But only if the arguing is rooted in one foundational value: it’s in the best interest of the company.

Partner 89

Partner Leadership Product 89

SiliconHills

MARCH 3, 2015

'By Laura Lorek Reporter with Silicon Hills News The funding landscape for startups in Central Texas has changed dramatically in the last five years. New firms have launched like LiveOak Venture Partners in Austin and the Geekdom Fund in San Antonio. And old firms have faded away like Austin Ventures, the big daddy of Austin’s […] The post Ways to Get Startup Bucks in Silicon Hills appeared first on SiliconHills.

San Antonio 79

San Antonio Texas Austin Startup 79

Start Up Blog

MARCH 3, 2015

'Yesterday I met a fellow called Joseph Gagnon. We were both doing a talk at the same gathering. Before either of us went up on stage we really connected philosophically. You know, that echo chamber of existing beliefs the world is quickly becoming… well, this was one of those moments. So, when he told his story I scribbled a heap of his soundbites down, knowing they’d be enjoyed on this blog too.

Cost 73

Cost Developer Customer 73

The Entrepreneurial Mind

MARCH 3, 2015

'The Entrepreneurial Mind : Jamie Pfeffer- Pfeffer Torode Architecture. Tweet Facebook LinkedIn Tumblr Stumble Digg Delicious The post Architect as Entrepreneur appeared first on Dr Jeff Cornwall.

Entrepreneur 64

Entrepreneur Architecture 64

Duct Tape Marketing

MARCH 3, 2015

'60 Ways to Screw Up the Customer Experience written by John Jantsch read more at Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing. I rarely lead with the negative, but sometimes it’s the best way to get someone’s attention. photo credit: Untitled via photopin (license). When I present marketing strategy to groups I’ll often ask them to identify the characteristics of their ideal customers, and they can’t seem to narrow their thinking beyond people with money.

Customer 58

Customer Networking Community Reputation 58

Early Growth Financial Services

MARCH 3, 2015

'Guest post contributed by Tricia Meyer, Managing Attorney at Meyer Law. As an entrepreneur, you know branding is important. You undoubtedly spent hours brainstorming your company name, logo and slogan. Your name and your brand set you apart and help establish your identity in the marketplace. You should put as much effort into protecting them. Here are tips to help you establish and protect your brand: 1.

Database 44

Database Naming Search Sales 44

Bryce Dot VC

MARCH 3, 2015

'Our friends at WeWork invited us to do an indie.vc info session next Tuesday night for their members. They said we could invite some friends. You should come. RSVP here.

40

40

entrepreMusings

MARCH 3, 2015

'I don’t often publish promotional content on my blog, but when someone reached out to me for this campaign that goes through the end of March 2015, I thought it was worth sharing. You can help an entrepreneurial woman towards achieving her dream by checking this opportunity to help via Kiva.org out. Please watch the video and read the information about how you can participate below.

Campaign 34

Campaign Global Finance Community 34