View from Seed

MARCH 24, 2021

7 Common Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make in VC Pitches and How to Fix Them “Different partners in a VC firm are different. How Decisions are Made After the Partner Meeting “The lead partner might also be using this opportunity to dive deeper into areas that you might not have had the chance to cover during the first/second meetings.

Seed Stage 177

Seed Stage Hiring IPO Analytics 177

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 13, 2014

After years of trying to persuade Kara Nortman to become a partner at Upfront Ventures I can officially announce now that she’s joined us effective immediately. It is rare to find somebody who matches exactly what I’m looking for in a partner so when you find it you act: Academic rigor (Princeton undergrad, Stanford MBA).

Partner 408

Partner Las Vegas Los Angeles Baltimore 408

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 1, 2011

Running a company is distinctly different from simply having operating experience – (working in bus dev, sales or marketing.) Every potential early-stage Venture Capitalist should take a year and do it before he or she makes partner. Board skills (Startup coaching, mentoring, strategy, operational/growth). Here’s why.

Venture Capital 332

Venture Capital Early Stage Technical Review Startup 332

YoungUpstarts

MAY 27, 2019

Implementation is different to theory and ideas, so you need to be able to bring operational performance and many other skills to the table. You have to be careful, and realize you will make mistakes, about who you hire early in the life of your company. Recognize your hiring mistakes and correct them quickly.

Cofounder 170

Cofounder Private Equity Software Review Equity 170

Hearpreneur

NOVEMBER 2, 2022

AI tools will become more predominant, saving companies like mine more time, money, and resources than we would spend on hiring people. Our business is entirely dependent on the whims of the stock market, so it has a major impact on the way that we’re able to operate. 15- Reduced operating costs. Photo Credit: Shane McEvoy.

Technical Review 105

Technical Review Software Review Artificial Inteligence Technology 105

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 4, 2019

by Bruce Cleveland, Founding Partner at Wildcat Venture Partners and author of “ Traversing the Traction Gap “ As we continue our exploration of the Traction Gap Framework® – a step-by-step approach that startup teams can use to go from ideation to preparing to scale – I will walk you through the principles.

Framework 127

Framework Architecture Cleveland Early Stage 127

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 30, 2016

It is a truism that with more capital you will hire people more quickly and spend more liberally whether it’s on external contractors, PR firms, attending events, doing legal work (trademarks, patents) or whatever. It forces harder decisions about whom you’ll hire and whom you’ll delay. million or $4 million.

Pre-Money Valuation 292

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Early Stage Startup 292

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 25, 2019

Access to export financing. If you’ve decided to take your company global or expand outside of your native country, the first step is going to executing your entry strategy with the right business partners in play. There is a lot of planning that goes into selecting international business partners. Hire them and work together.

Partner 113

Partner Offshore Reputation Global 113

Hearpreneur

JANUARY 12, 2022

Digital marketing services are constantly in demand, and many small and midsize businesses would like to outsource them rather than hire an expensive in-house staff. You can either develop your own taxi dispatch software and offer it to taxi dispatch businesses, or you can operate your own taxi dispatch business.

Entrepreneur 130

Entrepreneur Web Development Affiliate Hosting 130

View from Seed

FEBRUARY 27, 2019

Recently, I’ve been working with a few of our portfolio companies to help them think about how to recruit and interview their first analytics hire. Analytics vs. Finance?—?what’s Analytics is about designing, reporting, and leveraging operating metrics to aid strategic and functional decision-making.

Analytics 149

Analytics Hiring SQL Forecast 149

Up and Running

FEBRUARY 16, 2022

Due to the nature and growing popularity of online fitness, you should also include how you will differentiate your business and specifically operate in the online space. How it has evolved, popular trends, such as online workouts, exercises, and on-demand fitness content, and relate it back to how you will operate in this market.

Business Plan 81

Business Plan Software Review Demand Operations 81

YoungUpstarts

MAY 24, 2019

by Bruce Cleveland, Founding Partner at Wildcat Venture Partners and author of “ Traversing the Traction Gap “ As we continue our exploration of the Traction Gap Framework® – a step-by-step approach that startup teams can use to go from ideation to preparing to scale – I will walk you through the principles.

Framework 113

Framework Architecture Cleveland Early Stage 113

The Startup Magazine

APRIL 22, 2024

It’s important to make sure you’re prepared for the larger expenses so that you can plan out your finances properly, all while making sure you’re saving as much money as possible too. Millions of businesses successfully operated during the pandemic with every staff member being at home, so there’s no reason it couldn’t work for you now!

Cost 124

Cost Salary Employee Campaign 124

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 28, 2019

Carefully determine your budget , then give yourself a large handicap—a large margin for error—to account for things invisible until operations begin. Poor Hiring. Some of them will be with you for the long-haul, and perhaps even become partners with you. Erring on the side of caution is what you’ll want to do. Source: Pixabay.

Software Review 86

Software Review Technical Review Cloud Operations 86

David Teten

AUGUST 19, 2019

Since 2017 we’ve managed $3 million in revenue-based financing, which helps cash-strapped technology companies grow. In 2019 we partnered with several revenue-based lending providers, effectively creating a marketplace. “. The average monthly operating expenses is $70,335. Bigfoot Capital. Decathlon Capital.

Revenue 60

Revenue Technical Review Software Review Equity 60

Up and Running

AUGUST 30, 2021

It can be a small and nimble startup like Origin, or a company with 50 employees and hiring more every quarter. The important thing is to gain experience with how fast-paced companies operate, the relationships you need to be successful, and all the different hats you’ll have to wear. You won’t get this experience in college.

Entrepreneur 132

Entrepreneur Lean Colorado Engineer 132

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 17, 2021

Big data is a prominent subject for many businesses around the world, and for those of you who operate entirely online enterprises, studying statistics and numbers is perhaps even more important, and, can be convenient using online business education. Working with Social Media.

Analytics 175

Analytics Technical Review Social Media Software Review 175

David Teten

MARCH 14, 2018

My Partners at HOF Capital are younger than I am, which means that we have a half-century horizon for the franchise we are building. I’ve listed them below in *very* roughly descending order of efficiency, measured by increased dollars one can put to work, divided by the operational dollars required to implement each strategy. .

Private Equity 60

Private Equity Venture Capital Equity Cofounder 60

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 28, 2015

by John Vrionis, partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners. This article highlights their advice on issues ranging from financing to patent trolls: While startups may believe lawyers are too costly, working with one early on avoids potentially serious problems later. ” The Cost of Financing. Convertible Securities.

Convertible Security 100

Convertible Security IP Technical Review Software Review 100

Rob Go

JANUARY 18, 2012

In a prior post about what it’s like to be a VC I made the claim that even if an investor has operating experience, that experience gets stale after a few years. This led to the following question in my comments: “You mention that operational skills begin to decline 2 years into the job. Couple observations.

Operations 50

Operations Technical Review Investment Bankers Cofounder 50

Up and Running

NOVEMBER 19, 2018

The legal structure of your non-emergency medical transportation business has far-reaching implications—both in respect to partnering with payment providers and resulting tax responsibilities. Your attention to detail will encourage confidence in potential investors and help to secure financing for the best start possible.

Non-Compete 92

Non-Compete Operations Programming Hiring 92

The Startup Magazine

MARCH 29, 2024

Start by defining your key resources, activities, and partners. Optimising Your Operations Efficiency is the name of the game when it comes to operations. Whether it’s managing your supply chain or automating customer service, look for ways to optimise every aspect of your operations.

Intellectual Property 133

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Business Model Bootstrapping 133

NZ Entrepreneur

DECEMBER 1, 2022

According to the latest MYOB SME Snapshot, a survey of over 500 local SME operators around New Zealand, most believe the economy will decline in the next year, putting further pressure on cashflow and margins. The best starting place is to consider your key cost centres, such as purchasing, sales, finance, and administration, for example.

Cost 88

Cost Small Business New Zealand Technical Review 88

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 31, 2022

After many years in business, I’m convinced that none of us has the strengths and interest in all the areas needed for success, including solution changes, finance, marketing, and operations. Trying to do everything is a sure way to maximize stress, lower job satisfaction, and minimize productivity.

Metrics 272

Metrics Early Stage Finance Programming 272

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 11, 2016

Your success or failure will not rely upon the historical data and industry statistics, but from how well you manage daily operations. Here are five tips for assuming better command over your startup operations: Consolidate and Negotiate. It’s especially important if you are trying to manage finances and balance cash flows.

Operations 100

Operations Management Churn Rate Startup 100

YoungUpstarts

JULY 22, 2013

By Ali Behnam, co-founder of Riviera Partners. The new hire process, particularly at the executive level, is a significant decision and can be quite involved. The best hiring CEOs understand they are the ones ultimately making the decision and drive the decision-making process. This results in a “watered down” hire.

Hiring 214

Hiring San Francisco Due Diligence Cofounder 214

Up and Running

JULY 2, 2014

Picking the right attorney in your startup is as important as picking the right business partner. My business partner and I made many mistakes in our first tech startup, and so many of them were the result of choosing a lawyer who was a terrible fit. My business partner and I were elated.

Technical Review 118

Technical Review Angel Investor Due Diligence Dilution 118

The Startup Magazine

JANUARY 10, 2018

Also, it is extremely important to have good financial management and you will need to hire an experienced and qualified accountant. This is one of the most important hires you will have to make as the owner of a small business. We will now look at a few of the benefits of hiring an accountant for a small business. Buying Time.

Hiring 110

Hiring Startup Finance Business Plan 110

YoungUpstarts

MAY 19, 2016

Speaking intelligently about your company’s current (and future) performance means regular check-ins with your finances. Whether it’s burn rates, balance sheets, or P&L and cash flow statements, financial documents say a lot about your operations — and you need to be able to speak the language. Read your books from cover to cover.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Burn Rate IP Intellectual Property 124

crowdSPRING Blog

FEBRUARY 14, 2019

Find partners or investors. A business plan is a document that outlines the financial and operational goals of your business. This section gives a brief overview of the industry sector your business will operate in. Operating plan. Any suppliers, manufacturing processes, and any other operating details also appear here.

Angel Investor 85

Angel Investor Small Business Business Plan Intellectual Property 85

Hearpreneur

JANUARY 23, 2022

It could be more revenue, hiring clients or launching a new product or service, but every new year is an exciting time because it’s ripe with opportunity. Instead of hiring from outside, my goal for 2022 is to focus on growth and provide leadership chances within our firm. Thanks to Adam Wood, Revenue Geeks ! #10- 13- Focus on growth.

Entrepreneur 132

Entrepreneur Revenue Channel Technical Review 132

The Next Web

JANUARY 30, 2014

George Deeb is the Managing Partner at Chicago-based Red Rocket Ventures , a startup consulting and financial advisory firm based in Chicago. Marry technology skills with marketing or finance or operating skills for an effective blending of complementary skillsets. How to go about it? Or, they may know people who are looking.

Cofounder 136

Cofounder Founder Technical Cofounder Chicago 136

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 4, 2014

It’s this battle to control the stop and go nature of start-up cash flow that is driving growth in accounts receivable financing, also known as factoring. Just ask any business owner with payroll and operating expenses, who regularly loses sleep wondering if customer payments will come in as needed, on time, every time.

Finance 196

Finance Balance Sheet Global Operations 196

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 20, 2016

This required high operational costs like round the clock staff, abundant paper supplies and couriers. Some of these benefits include the following: Reduced cost of operations. This includes the cost incurred in purchasing papers, travelling and hiring related human resources. VDRs protect stored data. Mergers and Acquisitions.

Software Review 100

Software Review Technical Review Due Diligence Security 100

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

If you’re able to hire a bookkeeper or accountant, they can help make it easier by handling your important documents for you. Not only is the information listed on them important for tax purposes, but it will also be needed if you’re looking to finance your business through small business lending. What The Balance Sheet Is.

Balance Sheet 200

Balance Sheet .Net Equity Revenue 200

This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 22, 2012

Who should you hire? Let’s start out with the basic functions of a tech company: 1) Engineering 2) Marketing 3) Sales 4) Business development 5) PR 6) Design 7) Product Management 8) HR 9) Operations 10) Finance Ok, that's just overwhelming. How are you ever going to get it done? What should be the makeup of a founding team?

PR 144

PR Technical Review Seed Stage Design 144

Duct Tape Marketing

MAY 4, 2022

Key Takeaway: The Chief Operating Officer is the second in command to the CEO – they’re the go-to person that should be running the business. Questions I ask Cameron Herold: [2:27] Are there some things in those early days of figuring operations out that really stuck with you? [3:38] Cameron Herold (02:35): Uh, something changed.

CTO 80

CTO Cofounder Networking Operations 80