Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 24, 2012
Starting a business is a lot like starting a marriage. At first, all parties are in dreamland, with a vision of changing the world, having lots of fun, and raking in the profits. But all too soon, reality sets in. Product development is stuck at that 90% mark, a key person leaves, and customers are talking but not buying. In his book Reality Check , Guy Kawasaki summarizes some of the key issues.
SoCal CTO
MAY 21, 2012
Over the past several years, I've done lots of presentations around a wide variety of topics. I was recently asked by an organization, "Tony, what topics can you cover?" I realized that I've never captured topics that I've covered (I'm always willing to look at other topics), nor have I put up my speaker bio. So, here goes: Dr. Tony Karrer Over the past 15 years, Tony has been a part-time CTO for more than 30 startups.
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YoungUpstarts
MAY 21, 2012
Everyone wants more money. But not everyone is willing to give up their down time to make it. If you’re one of the ambitious few that wants to diversify your income, there are lots of businesses you can start from the comfort of your home. And succeeding doesn’t have to be rocket science. If you’ve got a tiny bit of money saved (for a tax number and business insurance), and the business acumen to make the right choices and connections, consider starting one of these nine small business from your
ReadWriteStart
MAY 22, 2012
When it comes to financing a brand-new startup, most founders find themselves stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place. While some lucky startups attract angel investors or have access to money from friends and family, the vast majority are on their own, at least at first. That’s why it’s so tempting to use credit cards to jumpstart your business.
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
Gust
MAY 22, 2012
This is a good time to reflect on my experience with locally based angel investment. I just finished with the fourth of our annual angel investment event for my local group based in Eugene and Corvallis, Oregon. I’ve been an investing member since the group — the Willamette Angel Conference , nicknamed (ugh) the WAC — started. . We now have an investment in Cascade ProDrug, using technology developed at our own University of Oregon (based in Eugene, where I live) to help people
SoCal CTO
MAY 22, 2012
I recently posted about the Increase in Early-Stage Startup Activity in Los Angeles. In that post, I mentioned how one of the signals is the big increase in number of startup events and the number of attendees at those events. I realized that it has been a little while since I posted about the Los Angeles Startup Community and so needed to update my list of startup events that will be out of date almost before I finish publishing it.
Start Up Roar brings together the best content for start up professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
ReadWriteStart
MAY 25, 2012
Many startups seem to be powered solely by excitement over the new business (occasionally mixed with some Red Bull and Starbucks). Startup founders typically devote every waking moment to their companies, and probably even dream about it too. But while pure passion can propel entrepreneurs 24/7 for a while, eventually even the most committed startup teams need to learn to manage their time.
Babbling VC
MAY 19, 2012
YOU are not Marc Zuckerberg. I, too, am not Mark Zuckerberg. Only he is celebrating becoming a millionaire (no, billionaire) overnight. Well, technically, he is just collecting his due after eight years of hard work. Whether he deserves it or not is a whole other story and not something I am getting at. What I am getting at is that he is a one in a million story.
Steve Blank
MAY 21, 2012
We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win… John F.
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 19, 2012
People with a victim mentality should never be entrepreneurs. We all know the role of starting and running a business is unpredictable, and has a high risk of failure. For people with a victim mentality, this fear of failure alone will almost certainly make it a self-fulfilling prophecy. I’m sure you all know someone who is the perennial victim. The problem is that most of these people aren’t likely to accept your assessment, so it’s hard to help them.
Both Sides of the Table
MAY 23, 2012
This article originally ran on PEHub. If you prefer the super short version – I’ve summarized the post in the final section. Many observers of the venture capital industry have questioned whether its best days are behind it. They are frustrated by the past decade of subpar returns for the sector. The most recent report to weigh in on the troubles of the industry was produced by the esteemed Kauffman Foundation.
deal architect
MAY 22, 2012
Blogworld is abuzz with this (leaked?) internal email from Lars Dalgaard, SAP’s cloud czar (@LarsLuv). First of all – kudos. He probably saved SAP 7 figures not having McKinsey or Gartner Consulting do a SWOT analysis of SAP in the.
YoungUpstarts
MAY 22, 2012
So you have a great idea, think you can make it into a business but you’re not sure how to start one. Of course, there are plenty of resources around – books such as this and this , or sites like this , for example. While no amount of resources can fully prepare you for the trials of entrepreneurship, for aspiring entrepreneurs, it’s crucial to lap up every bit of knowledge you can before taking the plunge.
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 21, 2012
When entrepreneurs come to me with that “million dollar idea,” I have to tell them that an idea alone is really worth nothing. It’s all about the execution, and investors invest in the people who can execute, or even better, have a history of successful execution. Execution is making things happen, and for startups it usually means making change happen, which is even more difficult.
Agile VC
MAY 23, 2012
How to Evaluate Firms for a Seed VC. How To Think About The Future. Home. About Me. AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. The End of “Internet” Companies. May 23, 2012. Al Gore's 2012 Induction to the Internet Hall of Fame. In the wake of the undue frenzy leading up to and now ex post recriminations about Facebook’s IPO, the mainstream media and normal folks keep wondering if the non-existent “bubble” for internet companies has now popped.
deal architect
MAY 23, 2012
I had a fascinating briefing with Scott Schenker, VP of Global Events last week as he walked me through some of the elaborate planning that goes into a massive event like SapphireNow. He talked nuances like “optimizing the linear frontage.
YoungUpstarts
MAY 23, 2012
(We’ve looked) at how social media sites can be used as powerful networking tools for new college graduates, sharing our best picks for tips, tools, and more for Facebook , Twitter , and now, LinkedIn. Today, we’re exploring LinkedIn for new grads. We’ve saved the best for last: this site was created with professional networking in mind, and it’s our top pick as the most effective resource when it comes to making meaningful professional connections.
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 20, 2012
I’m seeing a renewed appreciation of culture and values in business these days. Maybe it’s just another example of nature abhorring a vacuum, but I prefer to think it’s a natural evolution of the pervasive social networking communities, where people relate to and expect to interact with businesses and products they like. They drive the market, rather than the other way around.
Agile VC
MAY 21, 2012
How to Evaluate Firms for a Seed VC. How To Think About The Future. Home. About Me. AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. The $100M+ Club: A New Universe of Buyers. May 21, 2012. For the last 5-7 years the universe of potential acquirers web-based businesses has been fairly concentrated. On the consumer facing side, the number of companies doing multiple acquisitions of $100M+ was extremely short… Google, eBay/PayPal, Amazon, and Microsoft are at the top of the list.
deal architect
MAY 21, 2012
At SuiteWorld last week, there was plenty of excitement about NetSuite’s successes in two market segments – subs of large multi-nationals (“two-tier” implementations) and fast-growing/recently public companies like Groupon and Splunk.
YoungUpstarts
MAY 24, 2012
Inventory tracking and management apps are not new; there are even mobile-based apps that allow you to track inventories from your iPad, for example. But that’s not stopping Denventory ( www.denventory.com ) from trying to make a name for itself in that space: the web-based home inventory system aims to help individuals keep track of possessions at home or in the office.
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 23, 2012
Continuous innovation is required to survive in all businesses, beginning with a startup, and increasing in importance as your business matures. Technologists often insist that new things can’t be invented on a schedule, but successful companies seem to be able to do it on a regular basis. Many people have tried to define a process for innovation, but most are too abstract for me.
Life Beyond Code
MAY 24, 2012
You and I both have “to do lists.” Some of you may be using a sophisticated system and some of you may just be listing your to do items in a piece of paper. And, probably small percentage of you may simply maintain the to do list in your mind. Knowing that you are smart, I can predict that your to do list is overflowing. You have more tasks than you have time.
deal architect
MAY 20, 2012
I came home from my week’s travel this week to a nice package. It was a copy of my new book signed by many of the folks I presented the book’s themes to at Stanford a few weeks ago. What.
YoungUpstarts
MAY 21, 2012
All businesses begin with a specific idea in mind, and although some stick to exactly what they started with, it’s much more common to find that a business has grown and evolved over time to keep up with changes in supply, demand, and even resource availability. Simply put, smart businesses tend to follow the money, and sometimes that means growing into a business the founders hadn’t ever imagined.
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 22, 2012
If you are going to be a real entrepreneur, it’s important that you know yourself well. After all, you won’t have a direct manager charged with giving you feedback, and your team probably will be afraid to tell you what they really think. Entrepreneurs need to recognize their own strengths and limitations. In any case, your skills, talent, knowledge, personality, and strengths are your best assets as an entrepreneur.
Rembrandt Communications
MAY 23, 2012
A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to take a vacation and get some rest and relaxation. During this time, I did not have access to e-mail, phone services or the Internet. Now, being someone who is constantly connected, I was worried about this. But guess what? Surprise, surprise…the world did not end because [.].
deal architect
MAY 20, 2012
on the innovation blog Dow Chemical’s wide range of innovations The new normal India’s Redbus Asteroid Mining Lufthansa’s new 747-8 Churchill Downs and Technology.
YoungUpstarts
MAY 24, 2012
Now now, don’t bother denying it – even you’re not a fan, you must admit to being mesmerized by the incredible synchronized mass dancing, lively music and – somewhat – exaggerated overacting of the film genre known as the Bollywood movie. And if you’re a huge fan and can’t find such invigorating content at movie theaters near you, well, there’s Spuul.
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 25, 2012
If you are an entrepreneur for the first time, or entering a new business area, it’s usually worth your time to assemble an Advisory Board of two or three executives who have travelled that road before. But if you select the wrong people, or use them incorrectly, the impact will not be positive for your company or your image. For perspective, you need to remember that boards of advisors, unlike directors, have no formal power or fiduciary duties, but rather serve at the pleasure of you the busin
ReadWriteStart
MAY 24, 2012
There’s a lot of money in poor people. KPMG reports that America’s 88 million consumers who are “unbanked” (no bank account) or “underbanked” (no credit) earn $1.3 trillion a year. At least one venture capital firm is out to make money helping them out. Despite the huge dollar amounts controlled by the underbanked, most financial institutions want nothing to do with them - too much hassle and not enough profit potential.
deal architect
MAY 23, 2012
on the New Florence blog Technology and the SuperShuttle “Productivity”apps Silicon Berlin Lowes: The “Inception” store? The Innocence Project Amazon Prime keeps evolving.
YoungUpstarts
MAY 24, 2012
Singapore, as one of the most wired countries and a smartphone penetration rate at 70-percent, is uniquely positioned to embrace mobile commerce, asserts Elias Ghanem, managing director of PayPal Southeast Asia and India. At an event last week unveiling its Mobile Commerce in a Box solution targeted at small businesses, PayPal also released its “PayPal Insights: Mobile Commerce Innovation” report (conducted by market research company Nielsen ), which explored data and trends on how m
Feld Thoughts
MAY 21, 2012
I judged Lean Startup Machine Boulder yesterday afternoon. I had a blast and thought the program was really impressive. I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into and usually protect my weekends pretty aggressively from stuff like this so I can spend time with Amy and recover / catch up from the week but for some reason Trevor Owens (Lean Startup Machine CEO) and Ray Wu convinced me to come out and play.
Life Beyond Code
MAY 19, 2012
The consulting side of my life ( Foresight Plus ) is a combination of enough left brain mixed with a lot of right brain thinking. It’s about bringing creativity, storytelling and leverage to the marketing side of any business. So, my cards for Foresight Plus had to have a mix of all of them. A pack of 100 cards comes with 100 mini sagas (stories in exactly 50 words).
The Equity Kicker
MAY 22, 2012
Pinterest is an awe inspiring example of how much can be achieved with minimal investment in tech and people these days. As most of you will know, the enablers are cloud computing and open source software. What is interesting in this case is the power of those enablers. I just read the following numbers on the High Scalability blog. Pinterest now supports 18m users with growth running at 50% per month with the following: Amazon costs are around $39k for S3 and $30k for EC2 (I assume per month).
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