Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2013

'Over the last three years our Lean LaunchPad / NSF Innovation Corps classes have been teaching hundreds of entrepreneurial teams a year how to build their startups by getting out of the building and testing their hypotheses behind their business model. While our teams have mentors, socialize a lot and give great demos, the goal of our class final presentations is “ Lessons Learned ” – about product/market fit, pricing, acquisition/activation costs, pricing, partners, etc.

Lean 315

Lean Customer Development Sales Cycle Business Model 315

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 4, 2013

'Those of us who’ve been to the International CES – better known as CES or Consumer Electronics Show – would have been awed by the array of existing and upcoming consumer technology displayed at the four-day technology trade exhibition that can take up to weeks to set up and dismantle. Well it seems Singapore is going to get its own version in 2015.

Singapore 178

Singapore Technical Review Las Vegas Technology 178

ConversionXL

SEPTEMBER 6, 2013

'I feel like “conversion rate optimization” is in 2013 what “social media marketing” was in 2009. Most startups fail. Not because they have a conversion problem but because they never really nail the product or how to market it. The product or website (be it software, e-commerce, or a service) might be awesome , but if it puts itself in front of the wrong market, or packages itself so the right market can’t figure out why it’s awesome, the startup will fail.

Customer Development 126

Customer Development Conversion Developer Customer 126

Growthink Blog

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

'Last week, I wrote about the power of business intelligence dashboards. How, for the first time, smaller businesses can harness the power of big data to more efficiently and profitably manage their companies. Some readers expressed skepticism that this "stuff" actually works. That it is just more "noise” that causes entrepreneurs to get “lost in the weeds” versus long-term thinking and planning.

Balance Sheet 79

Balance Sheet API Software Review Agile 79

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

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

'I sit through a lot of presentations. These range from companies pitching me to portfolio companies presenting at board meetings. Each of these scenarios has a team presenting. Almost always the CEO plus members of his or her management team including tech, marketing, sales and/or product. Some CEO’s are masters at communicating when team members are present.

Cofounder 377

Cofounder Leadership Portfolio Sales 377

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 4, 2013

'By Mark James, Crunch. Behind every successful entrepreneur is an excellent accountant – a natural number cruncher carrying a passion for payroll. With their assorted accountancy knowledge they help keep businesses afloat, but unfortunately like everything in life their expertise comes at price. As such, as an aspiring entrepreneur you’re probably struggling to afford one, their yearly or monthly fees impacting significantly on your cash flow.

Balance Sheet 221

Balance Sheet Entrepreneur Software Review Forecast 221

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 2, 2013

'If your first startup fails, you are about average. Most entrepreneurs fail on at least one attempt. Investors agree that an entrepreneur who has never failed probably hasn’t pushed the limits. What investors look for is not that you never fail, but that you learn from the failure, maintain a positive attitude, and work with integrity on the next one.

Startup 263

Startup Entrepreneur Business Plan Partner 263

Small Business Force

AUGUST 31, 2013

You think about it ahead of time! Picking a partner or co-founder isn't like finding a new friend. This is creating a relationship that will last for some time, with enormous financial and emotional consequences. Just like people that tend to jump into marriages, entrepreneurs tend to get starry-eyed and join forces without thinking through the long-term implications of having a partner.

Cofounder 40

Cofounder Partner Technical Review Founder 40

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

'by Kenneth Coats, founder of eKnowID. If you don’t perform a background check on your potential partner before doing business with him, you’re setting yourself up to get duped. Now, don’t get me wrong: Most people don’t lie on their résumés. But those who have something to hide will hide it. In other words, you won’t know it’s there unless you look for it yourself.

Technical Review 219

Technical Review Partner Due Diligence Bankruptcy 219

deal architect

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

'Have you heard of Green Day? Can I go see them? replied my daughter. She knows when I ask her about a band I don''t know, they usually are at some event I am attending, Yes, Green Day will play.

Green 249

Green 249

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2013

'Everyone knows that that startups are risky, but they also expect that the job will be exciting and potentially very lucrative (think early employees at Facebook and Google). Yet we have all heard stories about the high turnover, unstructured work environment, lower base pay, and unpredictable expectations from the top. Assuming you are lucky enough to get hired, what can you do to survive, and even stand out above the rest in this environment?

Entrepreneur 259

Entrepreneur Startup Employee Matching 259

For Entrepreneurs

SEPTEMBER 4, 2013

'We worked together with Pacific Crest, an investment banking firm with a specific focus on SaaS, to survey 155 SaaS companies on a variety of topics such as growth rates, CAC (cost to acquire a customer), gross margins, churn rates, etc. The goal of the survey is to provide useful operational and financial benchmarking data. […].

Churn Rate 168

Churn Rate Business Model Operations Cost 168

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 4, 2013

'The best examples of marketing are those that make emotional connections with its target audience. When a brand can engage and stir the deepest emotions of their consumers, it pushes beyond the boundaries of mere acceptance to winning their love – that’s the premise of the book “ Loveworks: How the world’s top marketers make emotional connections to win in the marketplace “ by Brian Sheehan.

Technical Review 159

Technical Review Afghanistan Iraq Brazil 159

deal architect

SEPTEMBER 5, 2013

'It’s good to see my friends Dennis Howlett launch Diginomica, David Vallente at Wikibon, Ray Wang at Constellation, Phil Fersht at Horses for Sources and others expand their firms, Michael Cote join 451 Research.

Marketing 236

Marketing 236

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2013

'Most businesses spend big money testing their brand logo, catchy marketing phrases, and demographics, but spend little time training and validating that their employees can and do deliver memorable experiences to their customers. The result, according to a recent Gallup survey , with 70 percent of U.S. workers not fully engaged, is unhappy workers and poor brand experiences.

Customer 244

Customer Employee Conversion Leadership 244

Version One Ventures

SEPTEMBER 4, 2013

'When you’re on the hunt for funding, it’s natural that you want to get things moving as quickly as possible. However, identifying and approaching the right investor should be a measured process. Blasting the same quick email to a dozen investors will never work in your favor. The average investor receives hundreds of pitches each month – making your approach all the more critical.

Due Diligence 161

Due Diligence Venture Capital Deal Flow Social Media 161

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

'by Akshat Singh, project manager and resource coordinator at eResource Scheduler. In modern times, small and medium enterprises businesses are playing a very fundamental role in the growth of any country’s economy. This increasing impact that these kinds of businesses have on the worldwide economy explains why the owners have to be more attentive than ever.

Software 239

Software Small Business Operations Distribution 239

deal architect

SEPTEMBER 4, 2013

'In 2009, The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), its subsidiary CPA2Biz, and Intacct formed an alliance to bring the benefits of cloud accounting to CPA firms. In my book project this summer, the CEO of DATEV told me.

CPA 207

CPA Cloud 207

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2013

'The Internet and social media have totally destroyed the meaning of the word “friend” and even changed it from a noun to a verb. On Twitter and Facebook, many young people follow hundreds of friends before age twenty, all without ever having physically said or heard a word from most of them. Facebook users with “whale” status (5,000 friends), are not even rare any more.

Founder 239

Founder Startup Social Network Internet 239

Feld Thoughts

SEPTEMBER 5, 2013

'It’s no secret that many companies in the Boulder/Denver area are looking for talent — there are dozens posted on the Foundry Group and Techstars job pages alone. If you’re looking to meet some great Boulder companies looking for technical help in person, check out the Boulder Tech Job Fair Sept. 11 from 3-7 p.m. at the Boulder Chamber building, 2440 Pearl Street in Boulder.

Hiring 153

Hiring Denver Engineer Programming 153

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 6, 2013

'By Brandon Peters. We are in a time of economic depression. Every rational individual who knows the value of money has definitely felt the undulating financial turbulence. This challenging reality requires us to make use of fresh ideas, accessible stocks and business acuity to be able to survive. For people who has no background on business and entrepreneurship, this could be too much to digest.

Small Business 186

Small Business Entrepreneur Reputation Stock 186

The Next Web

SEPTEMBER 2, 2013

'This post was originally published on the 15Five blog. . It’s very likely that if you’ve worked in an office at all, you’ve worked in an open-plan office. As a reaction against hierarchical workplace structures and a means to move employees away from working in boxes, they’ve become commonplace. They’re a double-edged sword, however. On the one hand, open-plan offices can inspire a more collaborative, innovative and social environment where ideas transfer easily between members of different

Product 154

Product Restful Conversion Employee 154

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 4, 2013

'I’m a big fan of the old adage "There are no stupid questions, only stupid answers." We have all heard questions that begin, "This may be a dumb question, but …" used effectively by smart people who are not afraid of risking ridicule by challenging a questionable assertion from an intimidating speaker. Most people in business seem to expect their leaders just to give orders.

Founder 234

Founder Startup Leadership Lean 234

Lightspeed Venture Partners

SEPTEMBER 5, 2013

'In March 2013 we led the Series A of Whisper , an extraordinarily engaging smartphone app. The app allows users to anonymously share secrets, their text over arresting images. Other users can then read, heart and reply. Here is one on weddings: Here is one on being in the closet: And here is one about college: As you can see, anonymity is key to authenticity for these sentiments.

Retention 151

Retention Social Media Finance Restful 151

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 1, 2013

'by Richard McMunn, founder of How2become.com. The new kids on the block are the next generation and are relied upon to bring new ideas and thoughts to the world. Older generations are often heard stating the young have no idea. The young do have ideas. They were born into the micro-chip era while the older generations are still getting to grips with the internet and still afraid to sign-up to online banking facilities in case they get ‘robbed’.

Internet 164

Internet Founder Product Developer 164

The Next Web

SEPTEMBER 1, 2013

'Kostas Papageorgiou is Paymill ’s resident blogger and a professional blogger and content creator who helps startups grow their online presence through content marketing. This post was originally published on Paymill’s blog. Whether you’re bootstrapping or have just secured a round of funding – chances are you want to attract as many customers to sign up for your product/service.

eCommerce 147

eCommerce Startup B2B Audience 147

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

'These days, I’m hearing more and more that Location-Based Services (LBS) are transforming the smartphone Industry, but only for consumers. So far, it’s been focused on people wanting to find nearby shopping specials and friends ( Shopkick and Foursquare ). Entrepreneurs need to look more broadly into the business-to-business (B2B) space for more lucrative opportunities.

B2B 210

B2B Angel Investor Forecast Global 210

Feld Thoughts

SEPTEMBER 5, 2013

'We just led an investment in Kato and I’ll be joining the board. If the headline sounds familiar, it’s because it’s similar to the one I wrote a year ago when we led an investment in FullContact. The headline then was One Address Book To Rule Them All. Like the contact management problem, the real-time communication problem is a total mess.

API 140

API Email Portfolio Search 140

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 5, 2013

'One of Asia’s biggest regional technology and startup blogs just got bigger – Tech in Asia ( Techinasia.com ) just announced its acquisition of fellow Singapore-based tech blog SGEntrepreneurs (SGE) for an undisclosed sum, entrenching itself as one of the leading English language blogs covering the technology scene in Asia. Founded in 2005 by Gwendolyn Regina Tan, Bernard Leong, and Lai Wei Chang, SGEntrepreneurs has been a leading light and key resource for many Singapore-based st

Singapore 159

Singapore Asia Merger Cofounder 159

Version One Ventures

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

'If you told me a few months ago that the next chapter in my career would be in venture, I may not have believed you. But now, it makes perfect sense. Working on my PhD was often a lonely activity. I found myself seeking human interaction by leading every committee, captaining every team, and teaching every course that I possibly could. Through these experiences, I discovered my passion for leadership development and championed it into University of Toronto Engineering in two ways: a program

Venture Capital 144

Venture Capital San Jose San Francisco Bankruptcy 144

Mike Michalowicz

SEPTEMBER 4, 2013

'I have noticed that some people are news addicts and others are anti-news addicts (avoiding the news like the plague). I am the latter. I never watch the news. To me, it’s simply a compilation of the most shocking, horrific stuff the producers can compile. Anything to keep my attention. Anything to have me glued to the TV. Anything to make money.

139

139

Feld Thoughts

SEPTEMBER 1, 2013

'Last night Amy and I saw Closed Circuit. We both walked out of there completely bummed out. It was a good movie, but the arrogance of some government agencies (in this case British MI-5) was overwhelmingly real and upsetting. We went to bed when we got home and I tossed and turned for awhile, thinking about nasty government s**t. I had a crazy dream that seemed to go on forever about being tangled up in some kind of spy related thing with old college buddies and woke up with it completely unres

Government 139

Government Startup 139

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 2, 2013

'Peterborough, New Hampshire-based PeoplesVC is on a mission to create jobs in America, and the equity-based crowdfunding site is in the process of launching an integrated multimedia platform to do exactly that. Called PeoplesVC-TV , the network will play host to specially developed live, theme-based TV shows expected to help the site to achieve its aim of job creation through hyperlocal crowdfunding, revolutionizing capital formation for startups and existing small businesses. “Our prim

Channel 150

Channel New Hampshire America Equity 150

Agile VC

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

'We all woke up to the news that Microsoft is buying Nokia for ~$7B (ok, not the carrier infrastructure biz but the main part of Nokia that anybody cares about). This isn’t totally out of left field since they’ve had a close partnership for a year, but I tweeted my reaction: ” Microsoft buying Nokia core phone business strikes me as 0.5 + 0.5 = 0.6 “ What Microsoft needs is a near death experience so that they can reinvent themselves as an enterprise cloud company.

Cloud 113

Cloud Azure Phoenix Non-Compete 113

Mike Michalowicz

AUGUST 31, 2013

'I talk fast. I mean, really fast. I mumble at times, too. During a morning walk, I had a flash of introspective insight, that explains my quick tongue. I am afraid. I am afraid that if I don’t speak quickly enough, you will lose interest. I am afraid that if I don’t get my message out fast, you will stop listening. I am afraid that I don’t have enough time to keep your attention.

Flash 138

Flash Partner Sales 138

Feld Thoughts

SEPTEMBER 6, 2013

'Defrag is entering its seventh year of existence. That’s kind of amazing to me. What started as a simple email exchange between myself and Eric Norlin almost eight years ago resulted in a conference that has grown in importance, had meaningful impact on my thinking (and that of many others), and spawned other shows, most notably Gluecon. Most tech conferences don’t last seven years, and they certainly don’t get better with time.

API 137

API Cloud Security Internet 137