Sat.Aug 30, 2014 - Fri.Sep 05, 2014

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Why Founders Should Know How to Code

Steve Blank

'“ By knowing things that exist, you can know that which does not exist.”. Book of Five Rings. A startup is not just about the idea, it’s about testing and then implementing the idea. A founding team without these skills is likely dead on arrival. —-. I was driving home from the BIO conference in San Diego last month and had lots of time for a phone call with Dave, an ex student and now a founder who wanted to update me on his Customer Discovery progress.

Cofounder 336
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Here is How to Make Sense of Conflicting Startup Advice

Both Sides of the Table

'Everybody has a blog these days and there is much advice to be had. Many startups now go through accelerators and have mentors passing through each day with advice – usually it’s conflicting. WTF? There are bootcamps, startup classes, video interviews – the sources are now endless. What is a founder to do? There are some smart if not somewhat cerebral bloggers I read who say that you shouldn’t take any startup advice at all because it’s too generalized to be useful

Framework 407
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Five Ways To Attract New Customers And Grow Your Business

YoungUpstarts

'By Jake Dacillo, Marketing Director, Balboa Capital. In today’s hypercompetitive, customer-driven business world, you need to look at new ways to make your business stand out. By exploring customer service initiatives, new sales channels, and private label financing, to name a few, you can attract and keep new customers. 1. Improve the Customer Experience.

Customer 168
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Never ask for "Just 5 Minutes!"

This is going to be BIG.

'A few weeks ago, I was talking with a founder that I backed and he was telling me how excited he was about his company. He said the path was so clear that he could literally see it--and that''s the way he''s always been since I met him. He has a quiet confidence and he''s excited to talk about his company--and he could go on and on if you let him. It''s a stark contrast to people who beg for "just five minutes" of my time.

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Building Healthy Innovation Ecosystems for Your Projects

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

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Lessons from my first year at Version One

Version One Ventures

'Today marks my first full year in VC at Version One. Over this time, I have grown so much and am happy to report that being an investor is still very much aligned with my core values. As I reflect on the past year, I want to share what I have discovered about these 3 core values: learning, compassion, and freedom. Continuous learning. I believe that the more we know, the better our decisions are.

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So you’ve validated your startup idea. What next?

The Next Web

'Ariel Rosenthal is a co-founder at Xprt, a new startup looking to provide instant technical support and shopping advice from reliable and vetted experts. Working on startups for the last 10 years, I had some successes and some failures. Six months ago, I pulled the curtains on a startup I had dedicated years my life to, but today I am working on a new venture.

More Trending

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How to Get World Class Experts to Support Your Company

David Teten

'As the former CEO of a professional expert network , I’m a firm believer in the value of speedy access to relevant experts. I was excited to see that GLG (formerly Gerson Lehrman Group), the industry leader, is now offering a professional network service geared to the needs of the startup community: GLG Share. When you’re looking for investors, advisors, introductions, and insight, you can get that information by attending conferences and cocktail parties, and hoping randomly that you find som

New York 114
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Hassos Dozen

deal architect

'Dr. Hasso Plattner has written a long blog post about Business Suite on HANA. He has 12 reasons justifying why. His passion for the product screams through the post. I wish he would make it a Baker’s dozen and add.

Cloud 355
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Lessons from my first year at Version One

Version One Ventures

'Today marks my first full year in VC at Version One. Over this time, I have grown so much and am happy to report that being an investor is still very much aligned with my core values. As I reflect on the past year, I want to share what I have discovered about these 3 core values : learning, compassion, and freedom. Continuous learning. I believe that the more we know, the better our decisions are.

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Building Your Business Website Yourself? Get Some Expert Tips First!

Up and Running

'A good website is crucial in today’s business world. If you’re starting a new business, you might not have the cash to drop on a website designer, or your existing business website might be in need of a redesign. That’s okay. You can go online and find a number of template-based websites for an affordable price. Tom Lira. Charlie Patel. To help you with your DIY business site, we asked two website experts, Charlie Patel and Tom Lira, to weigh in on what your site should and shouldn’t have.

Design 108
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The 2nd Annual List of Go-To Boston Startup Service Providers

View from Seed

'A lot has changed since 2013. More Snaps were Chatted. More Things became Internetted of. And, apparently, more Lyfts were Ubered. Yup — tech moves insanely fast. That’s why it’s important to stop once in awhile and examine the glue that makes it all hold together as you careen down the road to world domination. Last year, NextView co-founder and partner David Beisel asked our portfolio startups which service providers they use to make up the nuts and bolts of their businesses

Boston 331
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How Do You Select A Revenue Model For Your Startup?

Startup Professionals Musings

'One of the toughest decisions for a startup is how to price their product or service. The alternatives range from giving it away for free, to pricing based on costs, to charging what the market will bear (premium pricing). The implications of the decision you make are huge, defining your brand image, your funding requirements, and your long-term business viability.

Revenue 287
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18 Things To Consider Before You Attend A Business Interview Dinner

YoungUpstarts

'by Rosalinda Oropeza Randall is an etiquette and civility consultant and author of “ Don’t Burp in the Boardroom “ Whether the interview is held in the company cafeteria or in a fine-dining restaurant, it isn’t about the food. It is a discovery exercise. You obviously wowed the potential employer on paper, now you have to be sure to wow them when you’re face-to-face.

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6 Expert Troubleshooting Tips to Improve Your Cash Flow

Up and Running

'To ensure your business’s success, remember that cash is king. Cash flow is king. It flows into your business from satisfied clients who pay your invoices, and it flows out as you pay employees, suppliers, and others who serve your business. And, if you play your cards right, some of that cash flows into your own pockets as a return on your investment in your business.

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Every Entrepreneur Needs Help In Getting Things Done

Gust

'To Do List Chalkboard by Mufidah Kassalias, on Flickr. The universal challenge of every startup founder is to get everything done that needs to get done, and still have a life. Even outside of business, everyone wants to accomplish more, while working less. I’ve been a student of these techniques for some time, but some time ago I saw a great summary that seems to pull all the key principles together.

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Entrepreneurs Need To Bridge The Knowing-Doing Gap

Startup Professionals Musings

'These days, with the many Internet articles and new courses available, most new entrepreneurs readily cross the gap from lack of business knowledge to knowing, but many never make it over the knowing versus doing gap. Investors I know highlight this problem with the mantra that they fund founders and teams who can execute, rather than ones who just talk about their great ideas.

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[Infographic] Do You Have What It Takes To Become A CEO?

YoungUpstarts

'Starting a company as a founder may be the easy part; running the company as a CEO in the hunt for elusive success can be far, far harder. Because as a masked crusader was once told,with great power comes great responsibility. In fact, running a business successfully requires the founder or CEO to possess a rather mysterious mix of different skill sets and talents, such as being charismatic enough to command respect and recognizing a good business deal when they see one, to being able to explor

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Techstars Equity Back Guarantee

Feld Thoughts

'Today Techstars announced an “ equity back guarantee ” for any company that goes through the Techstars program starting in 2015. We’ve been talking about this for a while. One of Techstars’ matras is #givefirst which builds off my “give before you get” philosophy that I highlight in my book Startup Communities as a key part to building a great startup community.

Equity 172
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September is Go Time for Marketing!

Rembrandt Communications

'3 Tips to Make Your Marketing Plan a Success Kids are back in school. Clients and co-workers are back from summer vacation. And everyone is in work mode. With this in mind, do you have your marketing plan ready for the next 3 months? If not, prepare an editorial calendar with activities, deadlines and goals […]. The post September is Go Time for Marketing!

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Will A Business Incubator Help Hatch Your Startup?

Startup Professionals Musings

'One of the reasons that now is the time to be an entrepreneur is the explosion of startup assistance organizations, usually called incubators or accelerators. According to the National Business Incubator Association ( NBIA ), there are over 7,000 of these locations worldwide, and even new online versions like Pitchswag springing up here and there. Most of these are non-profits, set up by a university to commercialize new technologies, or a municipality to foster business development for the loc

Incubator 247
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12 Ways To Instantly Make Your Desk Cleaner And Tidier

YoungUpstarts

'by Dan Sharp, Hassle.com. A clean and organised desk not only looks good, it helps with peace of mind (you can always do the downward dog if you prefer!) and also your productivity, by cutting the amount of time you spend searching for things. It also lets other people know that you’re an organised individual – which can be handy if you’re supposed to be managing them or you’ve got people you want to impress (if you’re working from home you can give yourself a pat on the back). 1.

Matching 189
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3 telltale signs that you should not become an entrepreneur

The Next Web

'Jeffrey Lyon is the founder of Black Lotus. Everything looks easier on TV. From the safety of your couch, you know you are a better singer than the contestants on “The X Factor.” You are a tougher cook than those on “Hell’s Kitchen,” and you would be a far better entrepreneur than those cash-strapped startups on “Shark Tank” or the fictional hopefuls on “Silicon Valley.

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Can a private company take investment money from anyone?

Gust

'Unfortunately, a private company in the US may not take investment money from “anyone” The only people who are legally eligible to purchase an equity interest in a private company without a great deal of special paperwork are, as you noted, Accredited Investors. These are defined as a person with net assets of over $1 million (not including the value of his or her primary residence), or an income of $200,000 (not $250,000) annually for the past two years and a reasonable expecta

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Relate Your Technology Solution to Customer Values

Startup Professionals Musings

'Young entrepreneurs often are so excited by new technology or their latest invention that they forget to translate it into a value proposition that their customers or potential investors can understand. They can become frustrated with investors, senior executives and even customers who don’t seem to “get it,” with the result that everyone loses. Senior business leaders, for example, are unlikely to relate when you pitch your latest web app that mashes up existing technology derived from early s

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Five Roadblocks That Prevent Entrepreneurs From Going Zero To One

YoungUpstarts

'by Ross Beyeler, founder of Growth Spark. The aha moment hits – an idea, question, problem, a design. Suddenly you see potential in something that didn’t exist moments ago. It’s your eureka moment! You’ve struck entrepreneurial gold and need to share your discovery with the world. You declare your intentions to set out on the entrepreneurial path.

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What you need to know about Bangkok’s startup ecosystem

The Next Web

'This post originally appeared on Geektime. Situated in Southeast Asia, a section of the continent that is rich in natural resources, Thailand attracts investors and travelers en mass every year. The cheap living costs make it the perfect place to bootstrap and the investment culture is truly blossoming. Adding to these attractive foreign entrepreneurism qualities is the fact that Thailand is also a great place to live for foreigners.

Thailand 164
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Mentors 5/18: Listen Too

Feld Thoughts

'As I’m about to head down to Austin for Techstars FounderCon (the annual meeting of all Techstars founders), I figured I crank out a few more Mentor Manifesto items this week. Item 5 is “Listen Too.” Pause and ponder for a minute. Do you talk too much? I do – it’s one of my weaknesses. I often try to make my point by giving examples and telling stories.

Ratchet 147
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A brief history of founders and co-founders

The Equity Kicker

'At some point in the last few years it became conventional wisdom that co-founding teams are better, so much so in fact that when Paul Graham stepped down as president of YC recently his number one tip to entrepreneurs was ‘ get a co-founder ‘ Similarly Dave McClure talks about the ideal founding team comprising a ‘ a hacker, a hustler and a designer ‘ Today I got to thinking why that might be, and I think it is down to the fact that startups are now hugely capital effic

Cofounder 138
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Budgeting 101: Five Tips

YoungUpstarts

'By Alan C. Fox, author of “ People Tools: 54 Strategies for Building Relationships, Creating Joy, and Embracing Prosperity “ If you intend to be successful in business, or in life, it’s crucial to have a plan, especially a financial plan. I’ve been an entrepreneur for over 45 years, running my own law firm, literary publication, and real estate company.

CPA 171
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How to make a crowdfunding video that sells itself

The Next Web

'Johnathan Leow is the author of “The Crowdfunded Kit.” I’ve had a lot of fun coming up with the video concept for my previous crowdfunding campaign, the PROTAG Duet. That video eventually went viral and received over 9,000 Facebook shares. But the greatest lesson learnt was that in order to make a video go viral, we must intentionally have the mindset to make one that sells by itself from Day One.

Video 160
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No Vision All Drive

Feld Thoughts

'I love origin stories. Yesterday at the kickoff of Techstars FounderCon, I stood on stage with David Cohen and David Brown as we went through the origin story of Techstars, followed by a build up of what has happened over the past seven amazing years. As the 50+ employees of Techstars stood on the stage at the end, I got chills. Afterwards I got feedback from a number of the 500 people in the audience that it was extremely useful context for them, many of whom joined the extended Techstars netw

Boston 137
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Crowdfund and then raise VC – breakdown by sector

The Equity Kicker

'One of the things we talk about here at Forward Partners is backing a hardware startup at the idea stage and then helping them launch a crowdfunding campaign. It ‘s nice to think that the crowdfunded dollars could provide leverage for our investment and build a company’s profile so it can raise a Series A. Kickstarter is five years old now and the data coming from them, Indiegogo and other crowdfunding sites shows that the above strategy can work, although it is highly risky.

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Open For Business: Everything You Need To Know About Brick And Mortar Marketing

YoungUpstarts

'by Peter Decker, owner and operator of BizCardXpress. If you run a traditional retail store, you might feel just a little overwhelmed by the fact that online businesses are snapping up more and more of the market share in your industry. It’s almost a given – but it doesn’t have to spell the end for your company. Many consumers still like the ability to walk into a physical store and touch merchandise.

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30 actionable tips for getting serious about influencer marketing

The Next Web

'Barry Feldman is a content marketing consultant, copywriter, social media advisor and more. This post originally appeared on his blog at Feldman Creative. We all want to be influential. So our conversations often become about influencer marketing—you know, the fine art of getting big kahunas in your camp. To achieve greater reach and resonance (ooh, fancy marketing words), you try to win over the people who already have it.

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A Step By Step Guide To Building Customer Journey Maps

ConversionXL

'“How do you get your customers to do what you want them to do on your website?”. Optimizers get asked this question all the time. Without realizing it, the businesses who want the secret sauce, the quick fix to more “conversions” are asking the wrong question. What they really should be asking is, “How do I help my customers achieve their goals on my website while still achieving mine?”.

Customer 127
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What tools can I use to manage relationships with investors?

Gust

'Gust.com is the most widely used tool platform for both sides, with hundreds of thousands of companies and tens of thousands of investors using it to track and manage their relations with the other. It’s the official collaboration tool of the Angel Capital Association (and the equivalent national angel investor federations in 20 other countries.