Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2022

Every business owner and entrepreneur I meet in my consulting rounds dreams of finding that “ disruptive ” innovation that will supercharge their business and move it into the ranks of business unicorns (billion-dollar valuations), such as SpaceX and Apple.

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Technical Review Silicon Valley Software Review Metrics 252

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

If you aren’t willing to take some risk as an entrepreneur, then don’t expect any gain. Here is my perspective on the highest risk elements, from my years of working with investors and watching startups come and go: All the co-founders are first-time entrepreneurs. If you want U.S.

New York City 315

New York City Silicon Valley Startup Bootstrapping 315

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 15, 2023

As an advisor to entrepreneurs and active angel investor, I often get questions about the realism of the Shark Tank TV series, compared to professional investor negotiations. The simple answer is that with all the staging of TV lights and billionaire investors, it’s nothing like Silicon Valley.

Entrepreneur 279

Entrepreneur Due Diligence Angel Investor Silicon Valley 279

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2013

Examples of some leaders in this space include Mike Maples in Silicon Valley and David S. This means smaller amounts given to more entrepreneurs who get a chance to prove that they can build great businesses. entrepreneur startup super-Angels David S. Every early-stage startup should explore this new funding alternative.

Angel Investor 231

Angel Investor Entrepreneur Early Stage Silicon Valley 231

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 16, 2015

I still have to tell some entrepreneurs that even with the best idea, they have to move to Silicon Valley to find the investors they need, or they need to move to the U.S. Today, Silicon Valley is the consumer and enterprise software capital of the world. get the attention of the market they choose.

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Las Vegas Silicon Valley Phoenix Montana 120

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2023

But, for the rest of us, don’t believe the Silicon Valley myth that all you have to do is sketch your million-dollar idea on the back of a napkin, and investors will line up to give you money. An entrepreneur who can’t manage a plan, probably won’t be able to manage the new business.

Silicon Valley 257

Silicon Valley Exit Strategy Startup Business Plan 257

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 7, 2020

Even though I’m a big proponent of becoming an entrepreneur, it is definitely not for everyone. In my view, entrepreneur roles need to be planned carefully rather than made on the spur of the moment. Adopt the Silicon Valley entrepreneur family model. Test your entrepreneur instincts through crowdfunding.

Silicon Valley 315

Silicon Valley Entrepreneur Stock Options Flash 315

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 18, 2015

If you think you are the perfect fit for the entrepreneur lifestyle, but you’re not yet sure if you’re ready to start your own, then I recommend that you take a job with an existing startup first to validate the culture realities against your dream. Hang out where entrepreneurs meet. Explore investor websites and conferences.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Entrepreneur Stock Options Due Diligence 120

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2020

The road to becoming an entrepreneur is a journey , and it’s not a short trip. Every entrepreneur starts by accepting the reality that you have a rare mindset of joy of discovery, with an intense curiosity about how certain things or people work, or why a new technology hasn’t yet been accepted.

Entrepreneur 348

Entrepreneur Silicon Valley Incubator Merger 348

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 20, 2022

One of the things I learned from my years in Silicon Valley is that you must always focus on three steps ahead, as well as on what exists today. You can’t ignore the key principles preached by every innovative entrepreneur: Build tomorrow’s opportunity rather than extend today’s. Don’t be trapped by linear thinking.

Silicon Valley 367

Silicon Valley Artificial Inteligence Global Agile 367

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2023

Many entrepreneurs are convinced that banks are not worth the effort for startups, especially early-stage ones that still don’t have a revenue stream, or collateral to back up their financing needs. A question I get from time to time is “Can I ever expect any backing from my bank for a great opportunity?”

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Equity Silicon Valley Finance Early Stage 303

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2018

Now is the time to be an entrepreneur and create a business from your passion. Yet, as an angel investor myself, I can attest that many potential entrepreneurs try to take shortcuts, or ignore the realities of business. In the early Internet days, it would cost a million dollars to get this far.

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Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property Silicon Valley LLC 184

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 22, 2018

If you aren’t willing to take some risk as an entrepreneur, then don’t expect any gain. Here is my perspective on the highest risk elements, from my years of working with investors and watching startups come and go: All the co-founders are first-time entrepreneurs. If you want U.S.

New York City 202

New York City Silicon Valley Bootstrapping Technical Review 202

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2020

A few, like Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), actually do provide management services to startups, invest in startups, or provide early-stage venture capital, but that is not called an investment service and is part of a function called Emerging Technologies, or sometimes Private Equity.

Silicon Valley 362

Silicon Valley Private Equity Initial Public Offering Term Sheet 362

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2023

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. Most of these are non-profits, set up by a university to commercialize new technologies, or a municipality to foster business development for the local economy.

Incubator 231

Incubator Silicon Valley North America Small Business Administration 231

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2021

But, for the rest of us, don’t believe the Silicon Valley myth that all you have to do is sketch your million-dollar idea on the back of a napkin, and investors will line up to give you money. An entrepreneur who can’t manage a plan, probably won’t be able to manage the new business.

Silicon Valley 342

Silicon Valley Exit Strategy Business Plan Restful 342

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

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. Most of these are non-profits, set up by a university to commercialize new technologies, or a municipality to foster business development for the local economy.

Incubator 398

Incubator Silicon Valley North America Startup 398

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2014

If you aren’t willing to take some risk as an entrepreneur, then don’t expect any gain. Here is my perspective on the highest risk elements, from my years of working with investors and watching startups come and go: All the co-founders are first-time entrepreneurs. business entrepreneur online gambling startup' If you want U.S.

New York City 254

New York City Silicon Valley Bootstrapping Technical Review 254

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 16, 2017

Many business executives and entrepreneurs I know are convinced that business success is all about having the right solution for the right price. That’s why smart investors, like the best ones in Silicon Valley, and the ones on Shark Tank , can tell a lot about the future success of a business, even before results.

Silicon Valley 144

Silicon Valley Software Review Technical Review Metrics 144

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2014

If you think you are the perfect fit for the entrepreneur lifestyle, but you’re not yet sure if you’re ready to start your own, then I recommend that you take a job with an existing startup first to validate the culture realities against your dream. Hang out where entrepreneurs meet. business entrepreneur lifestyle startup'

Technical Review 250

Technical Review Stock Options Due Diligence Silicon Valley 250

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 14, 2022

Aspiring entrepreneurs who struggle in a corporate environment often can’t wait to start their own company, only to find that relationships are even more critical and volatile there. The message here is not to use the public personas of leaders and entrepreneurs as the model for building and maintaining your business relationships.

Silicon Valley 284

Silicon Valley Bandwidth Angel Investor Equity 284

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2020

Many entrepreneurs are convinced that banks are not worth the effort for startups, especially early-stage ones that still don’t have a revenue stream, or collateral to back up their financing needs. All banks are looking hard these days to get back in the game, and certain ones, like Silicon Valley Bank, are more focused on small businesses.

Silicon Valley 406

Silicon Valley Equity Startup Finance 406

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 5, 2022

Every new entrepreneur who has not spent years in corporate life has the advantage of an unbiased look at business opportunities, but at the same time has the disadvantage of missing critical business experiences that can cost them dearly in their first startup venture. Startups don’t come with formal training courses.

Silicon Valley 292

Silicon Valley Viral Finance Leadership 292

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2022

Johansen knows this space, as a distinguished fellow at the Institute for the Future in Silicon Valley, and Ronn is a serial entrepreneur and managing director of Innovation Portfolio Partners in Palo Alto. FabLab s is an example of a new class of facilities for entrepreneurs to start experimenting early.

Partner 328

Partner Intellectual Property Silicon Valley Cloud 328

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2011

As an entrepreneur, simply enter your location online, and it will list the angel and VC organizations near you. The Founding Chapter is in Silicon Valley, California, (naturally), and I have a connection there if you need a start. A caveat is that this is a for-profit organization, so fees to present may be significant.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 20, 2014

According to the Silicon Valley Venture Capitalist Confidence Index® for the First Quarter 2014, the Q1 increase marks seven consecutive quarters of positive sentiment among Silicon Valley venture capitalists. entrepreneur funding venture capital' The good news is that both of these are looking up these days.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 25, 2018

Thus creating the right company culture must be a top priority of every entrepreneur and business leader. Even geography counts – there is a reason that tech firms cluster in Silicon Valley and financial firms cluster in London and New York. I believe this new focus on culture is a key to startup success today.

Silicon Valley 143

Silicon Valley Retention Metrics Architecture 143

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2022

I saw these summarized clearly in a new book, “ BUILD ,” by a well-known entrepreneur and technologist from Silicon Valley, Tony Fadell. Primarily for these reasons, I always recommend that new entrepreneurs and startups assemble a qualified Advisory Board or Board of Directors early in their lifecycle.

Leadership 345

Leadership Advisory Board Developer Silicon Valley 345

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2016

If you aren’t willing to take some risk as an entrepreneur, then don’t expect any gain. Here is my perspective on the highest risk elements, from my years of working with investors and watching startups come and go: All the co-founders are first-time entrepreneurs. If you want U.S.

New York City 120

New York City Silicon Valley Startup Bootstrapping 120

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2022

Examples of some leaders in this space include Ron Conway in Silicon Valley and Jeff Bezos , CEO of Amazon, who each may have over 500 startups in their portfolio. Yet, in my view, every early-stage entrepreneur should be exploring this new funding alternative before approaching VCs.

Angel Investor 342

Angel Investor Venture Capital Silicon Valley Portfolio 342

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 1, 2013

Many entrepreneurs think that diversity on their team just makes their job harder, since startups are all about making fast decisions, and executing efficiently. You as the entrepreneur will thus have access to a broader pool of potential investors, customers, vendors, and expertise. Diverse teams will have more diverse networks.

Advisory Board 228

Advisory Board Silicon Valley Startup United States 228

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 14, 2020

As an advisor to entrepreneurs and active angel investor, I often get questions about the realism of the Shark Tank TV series, compared to professional investor negotiations. The simple answer is that with all the staging of TV lights and billionaire investors, it’s nothing like Silicon Valley.

Due Diligence 317

Due Diligence Angel Investor Silicon Valley Green 317

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 8, 2020

Every new entrepreneur who has not spent years in corporate life has the advantage of an unbiased look at business opportunities, but at the same time has the disadvantage of missing critical business experiences that can cost them dearly in their first startup venture. Startups don’t come with formal training courses.

Silicon Valley 361

Silicon Valley Viral Finance Leadership 361

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 10, 2023

He brings over 25 years of experience with Silicon Valley leadership companies in highlighting winners and losers. In my experience, new startup businesses are initiated primarily by these standalone innovators, popularly called entrepreneurs. Intrapreneur: visionary within corporate boundaries.

Silicon Valley 240

Silicon Valley Lean Leadership Analytics 240

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 16, 2020

Aspiring entrepreneurs who struggle in a corporate environment often can’t wait to start their own company, only to find that relationships are even more critical and volatile there. The message here is not to use the public personas of leaders and entrepreneurs as the model for building and maintaining your business relationships.

Silicon Valley 312

Silicon Valley Bandwidth Angel Investor Equity 312

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2014

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the best entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and elsewhere. On the average, the entrepreneurs I know are living on Ramen noodles. I’ve never known any successful entrepreneurs or investors who were not happy to share their insights. Join us if you dare.

Entrepreneur 256

Entrepreneur Silicon Valley Social Network Restful 256

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2020

Johansen knows this space, as a distinguished fellow at the Institute for the Future in Silicon Valley, and Ronn is a serial entrepreneur and managing director of Innovation Portfolio Partners in Palo Alto. FabLab s is an example of a new class of facilities for entrepreneurs to start experimenting early.

Partner 310

Partner Intellectual Property Silicon Valley Startup 310