Sat.Sep 13, 2014 - Fri.Sep 19, 2014

article thumbnail

How To Find the Right Co-Founders?

Steve Blank

'How do you figure out what’s the right mix of skills for the co-founders of your startup? Surprisingly if you’ve filled out the business model canvas you already know who you need. ——-. I was having breakfast with Radhika, an ex-grad student of mine who wanted to share her Customer Discovery progress for her consumer hardware startup.

Cofounder 335
article thumbnail

Here’s How to Cancel a Meeting the Right Way

Both Sides of the Table

'I wrote a version of this post four years ago but given the hectic nature of today’s tech markets I thought it was worth revisiting and updating. Canceling meetings is a part of modern day life. I seem to get so over programmed that if I ever want to have a “break-out” unplanned trip somewhere I seem to have to reschedule meetings.

Las Vegas 369
Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Microsoft’s Purchase Of Minecraft Maker Mojang Shows Comitment To Building Cross-Platform Appeal

YoungUpstarts

'by Jack Narcotta, Devices Analyst at Technology Business Research. Microsoft’s $2.5 billion acquisition of Sweden-based software company Mojang, the developer behind the popular building game ““Minecraft”, which has sold over 100 million copies since its release in 2009, illustrates the degree to which Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s long-term vision for Microsoft is taking root at that company.

article thumbnail

The Market Is Hot for Code Climate, NextView’s Newest Investment

Genuine VC

'When Chad Pytel introduced me to Bryan Helmkamp , CEO/Co-founder of Code Climate , I knew that I had to pay attention. Chad is the CEO of thoughtbot, a consulting firm that makes web + mobile apps for early-stage startups. The two companies had been working together for a while, especially as both are deeply embedded within the Ruby on Rails developer community, with a strong following for their respective offerings.

article thumbnail

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

article thumbnail

Do You Have What It Takes to Provide Stand-out Customer Service?

Up and Running

'Almost all businesses have a customer-facing aspect to them. Restaurants have waiters and cashiers. Boutiques have shop assistants. Software companies have project managers, sales people, and sometimes whole customer service departments. Even B2B companies need a point-of-contact to provide solutions. Often, these employees will mean the difference between a company that is perceived in a positive light, and a company that appears not to care.

Customer 113
article thumbnail

Why We’re Looking to Fund Stuff With More Meaning

Both Sides of the Table

'Venture Capital is a tricky industry. If you’re funding the same stuff as everybody else and if you started your activities when the clues were obvious you’re much less likely to drive enormous returns. When Fred Wilson funded Twitter I guarantee you it wasn’t obvious that it was a billion dollar idea. Far from it. Many questioned whether it could survive under the fail whale, inevitable competition from Facebook, founder fighting, fights with 3rd-party developers let alone be

More Trending

article thumbnail

Twitter Link Roundup #235 – Small Business, Startups, Innovation, Social Media, Design, Marketing and More

crowdSPRING Blog

'Every day on the crowdSPRING Twitter account and on my own Twitter account , I post links to posts or videos I enjoyed reading or viewing. These posts and videos are about logo design , web design , startups, entrepreneurship, small business, leadership, social media, marketing, and more! Here are some of the links that I’ve liked and shared this past week!

article thumbnail

10 Tips for Finding Venture Funding

Up and Running

'How to find venture funding? I have to start with a major negative: if you have to ask if your startup can get venture capital, then it almost certainly can’t. Venture capital is a very rarified atmosphere of high-end startups and emerging businesses with experienced management teams, high potential growth, secret sauce, and so on. People without track records don’t get venture capital.

article thumbnail

How and Why To Be an Angel Investor

David Teten

'Dave Kerpen, founder and CEO of Likeable Local , just published an interview with me on Linkedin, which I’ve included below. He’s the #1 LinkedIn Influencer of all time in page views, ahead of Bill Gates, Jack Welch, Mark Cuban, and President Barack Obama. Enter Dave: Angel investing is a great way to make a lot of money. It’s also a fast way to lose all your money.

article thumbnail

Quick & Dirty Innovation

Gregg Fraley, Author of Jack's Notebook

'Many companies started 2014 with the good intention of “getting after innovation” this year. Was that your organization? How’s that going? Are you jumping for joy or singing the blues? Some companies have worked hard and consistently at innovation all this year. They started the year running and got things done. Look at the slew of announcements Apple just made (to be fair the watch took years ).

Lean 112
article thumbnail

Bad Notes on Venture Capital

Both Sides of the Table

'This week. On the phone … Me: So, you raised venture capital? Him: Yeah. We raised a seed round. About $1 million. Me: At what price? Him: It wasn’t priced. We raised a convertible note. Me: With a cap? Him: Yes, $8 million. Me: Ah. I see. So you did raise with a price. It’s just a maximum price. You’ll find out the minimum when the next round is raised.

article thumbnail

Acxiom Opens Austin Office, Plans To Hire 150 People

Austin Startup

'AcxiomAcxiom Logo, a publicly traded enterprise data, analytics and software-as-a-service company, today announced that it will be opening a new office in Austin, Texas, to accommodate growing demand in its technology, engineering and operations. The company intends to fill up to 150 positions in technology fields including network engineers, security engineers, systems engineers, security architects, network architects, infrastructure architects, software engineers and project managers.

Hiring 69
article thumbnail

Infor: Design+Value

deal architect

'I have written in past about Infor’s micro-vertical strategy and its quest with its internal design agency Hook +Loop to make enterprise software “beautiful”. I saw more of that at Inforum in New Orleans this week, but I also signs.

Design 322
article thumbnail

10 Entrepreneur Beliefs That Defy The Stereotype

Startup Professionals Musings

'Most people agree that entrepreneurs have to think differently and take risks to have much chance of building a successful business. Yet I have found that serious entrepreneurs usually go way beyond these platitudes in their actions and thinking, and often won’t volunteer their real views, for fear of alienating “regular” people, and being branded a fanatic.

article thumbnail

The Growing Importance Of Mobile Advertising

YoungUpstarts

'by Kassi Belz, president of MassMedia. As consumers increasingly turn to their mobile devices for a wide array of information and entertainment, advertising agencies and brands across the nation are beginning to focus more intently on the integration of mobile advertising strategies. While mobile campaigns present a number of unique challenges, they provide companies with valuable opportunities to reach consumers at the palm of their hands.

article thumbnail

Great Startups Are Where Soul and Technology Meet

Gust

'MIT Chapel, Cambridge Mass via Wikipedia. Some entrepreneurs forget that they can’t use people the same way they use technology to build a startup. Inventors, for example, are skilled in manipulating technology, but may have little interest or experience engaging people to make an effective team. Unfortunately, startups are not one-man shows, so entrepreneurs need to study leadership as much as they study technology.

article thumbnail

Low-Impact

deal architect

'When you write books about the technology industry you fret about the time it takes to go through the publishing and printing stage. Given the dynamic nature of the business you know job changes, M&A, product announcements are inevitable, and.

Software 278
article thumbnail

7 Reasons To Think Positively About Competition

Startup Professionals Musings

'Most entrepreneurs spend far too much time thinking negatively about competitors, and can’t resist making derogatory statements about them to their own team, investors and even to customers. This approach only makes these important constituents question your integrity, intelligence and your understanding of business basics. Pointing out flaws in others does not give you strength.

article thumbnail

7 Steps To Start Building Relationships And Stop Making Transactions

YoungUpstarts

'by Falon Fatemi , founder and CEO of Close. Have you ever purchased shoes from Zappos? If so, you can thank the founder Nick Swinmurn. I met Nick several years ago when he consulted with me about one of his companies. Years later, I wanted to help him out with this great new idea. I introduced him to a talented friend who ended up being the perfect fit for one of his ventures.

Stealth 200
article thumbnail

GrabCAD’s Acquisition: From Talinn to London to Boston

Agile VC

'GrabCAD today announced their acquisition by Stratasys (NASDAQ: SSYS). All of us at NextView extend our congratulations to founder Hardi Meybaum and the rest of the GrabCAD team. There’s a variety of coverage of it in the tech press ( BetaBoston , TechCrunch ), but I wanted to share the story of how we came to know the company and how the future (now past) unfolded.

Boston 154
article thumbnail

HANA and her siblings

deal architect

'As the SAP Economy book shifts to editing phase I have been looking at book covers, titles etc. One title which will not make the cut is “HANA and her siblings” My wife liked it, then preferred some other ones.

236
236
article thumbnail

Entrepreneurial Leadership Can Save Any Business

Startup Professionals Musings

'One of the realities of being an entrepreneur is that you have to keep learning and changing to survive. Everyone on the startup team knows there is no buffer, and no personal isolation from impact based on your job description that can save you. Thus everyone has to make sure they are focusing on what is important, and making leadership decisions to save the business.

article thumbnail

Starting A Business On A Budget

YoungUpstarts

'With bags of talent, oodles of charisma and a winning sales technique, it can be easy to fancy ourselves as the next Alan Sugar or Richard Branson. You don’t become the CEO of a multi-million pound company overnight though, so we’ve put together this handy guide to help keep start-up costs to a minimum. Follow our tips and up your profit margins today: Start small.

article thumbnail

What to do when you have too many ideas (and not enough time)

The Next Web

'James Clear writes about using behavioral science to master your habits and improve your health. His free guide, Transform Your Habits, has been downloaded more than 80,000 times. This post originally appeared on his blog. What do you do when you have too many ideas and not enough time? Or similarly, what about when you have too many tasks and not enough energy?

Web 167
article thumbnail

Interview from Inforum

deal architect

'Dave Vellante and Jeff Kelly interviewed me for The Cube at Inforum about Infor, my book on the SAP Economy and other enterprise vendor trends.

Software 191
article thumbnail

Dread Startup Problems Or Learn To Enjoy Challenges

Startup Professionals Musings

'If you can’t solve problems and enjoy it, you won’t make it as an entrepreneur. By definition, an entrepreneur is the first to undertake a given business, and firsts never happen without problems and people frustrations. The toughest problems are people problems, like personnel issues, but there are tough operational problems as well, such as vendor delays and quality surprises.

Startup 253
article thumbnail

5 Tips For Turning Parenting Dilemmas Into Lucrative Inventions

YoungUpstarts

'By Kaylee Wickline, inventor of the Potty Wiz. We’ve all been there – in the midst of raising your kids, you’ve likely stumbled across a parenting dilemma that made you think, there really needs to be a better way to manage this. Maybe it was just a thought, or maybe you came up with a great idea to solve the dilemma. Either way, the thought of moving forward with your thought or idea probably makes you a little nauseous when you consider all that’s involved.

article thumbnail

Work hard, work happy: The secrets to more productive employees

The Next Web

'Matt Straz is the founder & CEO of Namely, the HR and payroll platform for the world’s most exciting companies. Productivity: it’s not just a buzzword, it also has a huge impact on your company’s bottom line. Yet, the more dissatisfied and disengaged your workforce is, the less productive time they’re putting into tasks. When Gallup discovered 70 percent of the American workforce was disengaged on the job, leading to an estimated loss of $550 billion from the economy, this should have been

Employee 167
article thumbnail

Setting Kids Up to Fail

This is going to be BIG.

'The nature of work is changing--we all know that. You''re required to be a lot more entrepreneurial, which requires you to build your own networks in order to get customers and collaborators, since these functions won''t be under the roof of a big company anymore. You''ll need to be more mobile, nimble, and able to go where the work is. You''ll need to think globally.

article thumbnail

Startups Need To Capitalize On Every Conversation

Startup Professionals Musings

'Whether you are trying to motivate your team, close a deal with a customer, or get funding from an investor, a casual conversation is usually a waste of your valuable time. These result is a founder who is always “too busy,” but never seems to get the business done and the team moving. All real business is conversations focused on creating results.

article thumbnail

Where Are The Potential Business Investors — And What Do They Want?

YoungUpstarts

'by Kristen Gramigna, Chief Marketing Officer for BluePay. Securing the capital you need to start and grow a business is no small feat — especially if you’re running a startup venture that hasn’t yet established the financial and credit history that most traditional lenders require of a small business owner before they’ll lend. Though you’ve likely heard of other businesses who’ve grown with the help of private investors, the trick is often identifying who are these people are — and what they c

article thumbnail

Why every founder should work for someone else in between startups

The Next Web

'Daria Shualy is Don Draper/product marketer at daPulse. All entrepreneurs are serial entrepreneurs. It’s a personality trait, some might even call it a condition. Serial entrepreneurs don’t like to stop. They sell one startup (or more likely shut it down) and shortly after, they’re telling you how they’re “working on something new, it’s still in stealth mode.

Founder 167
article thumbnail

Learn Online This Fall

Startup Lessons Learned

'Guest post by Lisa Regan, writer for The Lean Startup Conference. Boost your entrepreneurship skills without getting out of the building this fall. With an online course from Stanford and a series of webcasts from the Lean Startup Conference team, you can learn a lot from your desk in the coming months. First up: We’re excited to announce that Bob Sutton is joining as a speaker at this year’s Lean Startup Conference.

Lean 165
article thumbnail

35 Ways to Fund Your Small Business

Up and Running

'When it comes to funding, there isn’t a one size fits all approach. Depending on where you’re at in your business, what type of funding and the amount you need, where you’ll look can vary widely. We’ve compiled a list from a variety of places to help you research and narrow down the options that are best for you. In this list, I’ll cover: Loans.

article thumbnail

Simple Considerations For Upstart Companies

YoungUpstarts

'No matter how local your business might feel, you’re living in a globalised economy. And, from the tiniest newsagents to the grandest superstores, exploiting your increased connectivity with the world could maximise your profits. Because, although it might seem like mega-corporations are the only people who can dominate the internet, the beauty of search engines is that you can corner your niche market without even breaking the bank.

Algorithm 167
article thumbnail

When VCs Play Defense

Both Sides of the Table

'Somehow the world seems to be spinning faster these days than just a few years ago. The frantic pace of technology cycles, the amount of tech news, the blogs, the conferences, the demo days, the announcements, the fundings, the IPOs. It’s exhausting. Perhaps unsustainable. It got me thinking about the advice that I often give to new VCs. For years I saw myself as the new guy in VC but then you wake up one day and realize that 50% of your peers have been doing it for less time than you and