Steve Blank

MARCH 31, 2011

Founders fit the definition of a creator: they see something no one else does. This concept of creating something that few others see – and the reality distortion field necessary to recruit the team to build it – is at the heart of what startup founders do. Lessons Learned. These type of people are rare, unique and crazy.

Agile 332

Agile Customer Development Early Stage Business Model 332

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 1, 2011

Running a company is distinctly different from simply having operating experience – (working in bus dev, sales or marketing.) Board skills (Startup coaching, mentoring, strategy, operational/growth). venture/operating partners to get them into new industries. Fund raising skills. associates and put them on a long career path.

Venture Capital 332

Venture Capital Early Stage Technical Review Startup 332

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 24, 2017

Why do these founders get to stay around? Because the balance of power has dramatically shifted from investors to founders. VCs competing for unicorn investments have given founders control of the board. A pre-IPO board usually had two founders, two VCs and one “independent” member. Technology Cycles Measured in Years.

Founder 245

Founder Technical Review CTO Hire IPO 245

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 27, 2015

—– In a recent workshop with a large company focused on the Innovation@50x process, I mentioned that founders and intraprenuers operate more like artists than accountants – on day one they see something no one else does. I wondered what lessons Pixar, an animation studio, could have for founders. ——-.

Founder 120

Founder Lean Hawaii Incubator 120

Steve Blank

APRIL 23, 2014

What gets lost when a large company looks at the rationale for an acquisition (IP, team, product, users) is that startups are run by founders searching for a business model. And as part of their transition to predictable processes, their founders may or may not still be at the helm. Predicting Success or Failure of an Acquisition.

Acquisition 332

Acquisition Intellectual Property Silicon Valley Startup 332

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

Jeff Katzenberg has a great track record – head of the studio at Paramount, chairman of Disney Studios, co-founder of DreamWorks and now chairman of NewTV. Lean was designed to inform the founders’ vision while they operated frugally at speed. ” Fire, Ready, Aim. He just hired Meg Whitman. The result?

Lean 335

Lean Burn Rate Startup IPO 335

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

We give abundant advice to founders about how to make startups succeed yet we offer few models about dealing with failure. We established a team of founders who worked collaboratively. “What’s gone and what’s past help. Should be past grief.” ” William Shakespeare - The Winter’s Tale. So here’s mine.

Redemption 330

Redemption Cofounder Silicon Valley Burn Rate 330

Steve Blank

MAY 30, 2016

The founder of this 1964 Silicon Valley startup was Bill Perry. His work at ESL made him one of the 10 founders of National Reconnaissance. In addition, teams worked on understanding the costs and operations and deployment timelines for delivering the product to their sponsor. other companies, that will provide those activities.

Silicon Valley 120

Silicon Valley San Diego Technical Review Incubator 120

Steve Blank

JUNE 6, 2016

The show follows the journeys of founders who share what it takes to build a startup – from restaurants to rocket scientists, to online gifts to online groceries and more. Evangelos Simoudis’ is the founder and managing director of Synapse Partners. If you can’t hear the clip, click here. He was the CEO of two startups.

Silicon Valley 120

Silicon Valley Entrepreneur Fractional CTO Analytics 120

Steve Blank

MAY 29, 2011

The email continued, &# The problem I’m working on is that many founders are either making uninformed decisions or inefficiently learning the new skills they need. The solution I’m exploring is a just in time learning methodology that accelerates founders’ learning curve by aggregating relevant content, peers and mentors.&#.

Technical Cofounder 333

Technical Cofounder Early Stage Startup Silicon Valley 333

Steve Blank

JUNE 12, 2020

That if we could get teams to rapidly discover the real problems in the field using Lean methods, and only then articulate the requirements to solve them, could defense acquisition programs operate at speed and urgency and deliver timely and needed solutions. He runs H4X Labs. Jeff Decker a Stanford social science researcher.

Oakland 301

Oakland Asia Lean Video 301

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 13, 2018

Some (like your peers or even the founders) don’t understand it, and others (the VCs) realize it’s not in their interest to let you know. Startups and VC’s have historically operated on the “I’ll deal with this later” principle in letting early employees know what happens as the company scales. Declare them cultural co-founders.

Part-Time VPE 333

Part-Time VPE Employee Cofounder Hiring 333

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 1, 2017

So is John Rice, the head of Global Operations along with CFO Jeffrey Bornstein. Increase operating margins to 18% (by cutting expenses). Newly public tech companies are now going public with dual-class stock, which allows the founders to have more voting rights than the general public. Beth Comstock is out.

Institutional Investors 233

Institutional Investors Dividend Stock Technical Review 233

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2023

You can’t be an effective founder or in the C-suite of a startup if you don’t hold any. You can’t be an effective founder or in the C-suite if you don’t have any. I was mostly operating in this box what I got chewed out by our CEO.) Think of profound beliefs as “strong opinions loosely held.”

Business Model 305

Business Model Product Development Early Stage Customer Development 305

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

We give abundant advice to founders about how to make startups succeed yet we offer few models about dealing with failure. We established a team of founders who worked collaboratively. “What’s gone and what’s past help. Should be past grief.” ” William Shakespeare - The Winter’s Tale. So here’s mine.

Redemption 222

Redemption Cofounder Silicon Valley Burn Rate 222

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

Given the tech-centricity of Stanford and Silicon Valley, Joe Felter , Raj Shah and I thought it was natural to design a class to examine the new military systems, operational concepts and doctrines that will emerge from 21st century technologies – Space, Cyber, AI & Machine Learning and Autonomy. And that has happened to us.

Technology 436

Technology China Russia Silicon Valley 436

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 24, 2016

Microsoft left the 20 th century owning over 95% of the operating systems that ran on computers (almost all on desktops). When visionary founders depart (death, firing, etc.), the operating executives who reported to them believe it’s their turn to run the company (often with the blessing of the ex CEO).

Azure 120

Azure Business Model Cloud Artificial Inteligence 120

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 24, 2016

Microsoft left the 20 th century owning over 95% of the operating systems that ran on computers (almost all on desktops). When visionary founders depart (death, firing, etc.), the operating executives who reported to them believe it’s their turn to run the company (often with the blessing of the ex CEO).

Azure 120

Azure Business Model Cloud Artificial Inteligence 120

Steve Blank

APRIL 12, 2010

Finally, when everyone else had their turn, the grey-haired VC turned to the founder and said, “If you do what we tell you to do and fail, we’ll fire you. In contrast, in a startup following the Customer Development process, this is when the founders realize that something is wrong with the business model (because revenue is not scaling.)

Business Model 332

Business Model Agile Customer Development Startup 332

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 1, 2021

In sharp contrast, start-ups operate in “search/ explore ” mode, seeking a repeatable and profitable business model. So we built our own tools to enable founders to rapidly translate their vision into hypotheses and then into validated facts. Recognizing the anomaly was just the first step.

Incubator 402

Incubator Lean Agile Business Model 402

Steve Blank

MAY 18, 2009

We agreed that all her founding CEOs seemed to have the same set of personality traits – tenacious, passionate, relentless, resilient, agile, and comfortable operating in chaos. It’s why all of you operated so well in the unpredictable environment that all startups face.” Great founders live for these moments.

Founder 297

Founder Silicon Valley RSS China 297

Steve Blank

JANUARY 28, 2020

They operated this way because their existing business models didn’t allow them to initially profit from those opportunities – so they ignored them – and continued to chase higher profitability in more-demanding segments. Therefore, for founders, entrepreneurship wasn’t a job, but a calling. See Kodak, Blockbuster, Nokia, etc.).

Lean 428

Lean Business Model Government Agile 428

Steve Blank

JANUARY 25, 2011

I just had lunch (at my favorite Greek restaurant in Palo Alto forgetting it looked like a VC meetup) with a friend who was technical founder of his company and is now its chairman. He hired an operating exec as the CEO a few years ago. It Seems Logical. The Siren Song to CEO’s Who Aren’t Technical.

Part-Time VPE 318

Part-Time VPE Agile Engineer Startup 318

Steve Blank

JUNE 26, 2015

And if they’re smart they’ll teach Horizon 1 teams to operate with mission and intent , not just process and procedure.). They operate with speed and urgency to find a repeatable and scalable business model. Horizon 1 operates on goals and incentives. Here the company is essentially incubating a startup.

Lean 120

Lean Management Business Model Incubator 120

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 11, 2015

Successful founders have a laser-like focus and commitment; a keen understanding of customers’ needs; and a tenacious spirit, said the latest guests on Entrepreneurs are Everywhere , my radio show on Sirius XM Channel 111. Steve : … Team captain is a lot like the founder and CEO of a startup. Reetu Gupta. Mandela Schumacher-Hodge.

Cofounder 120

Cofounder India Entrepreneur Maryland 120

Steve Blank

JANUARY 31, 2018

2:15: Founders and dysfunctional families. 3:55: Operating in chaos. 11:50: Founders are artists. 17:27: Rules for raising a family if you’re a founder. A fun interview at Stanford about some old things and new ones. 7:18: Mentorship is a two-way street. 14:03: Failure=experience. 26:25: Your idea is not a company.

Lean 173

Lean Government Customer Development Founder 173

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

Given the tech-centricity of Stanford and Silicon Valley, Joe Felter , Raj Shah and I thought it was natural to design a class to examine the new military systems, operational concepts and doctrines that will emerge from 21st century technologies – Space, Cyber, AI & Machine Learning and Autonomy. Read about all the class sessions here.

Technology 228

Technology China Russia Silicon Valley 228

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 30, 2012

The class teaches founders how to dramatically reduce their failure rate through the combination of business model design, customer development and agile development using the Startup Owners Manual. It doesn’t take equity and just has a small fee that varies by city ($140 to $299), to cover event operations and expenses.

Startup 335

Startup Lean Incubator Business Model 335

Steve Blank

JULY 30, 2014

Startups operate quickly – at a speed driven by the urgency of a proverbial gun-to-their-head called “burn rate.” If you’re a founder, there’s a constant gnawing fear in the pit of your stomach that it will all end badly; running out of money, having to fire all your employees and failing publicly. Here’s why.

Customer Development 335

Customer Development Design Developer Customer 335

Steve Blank

MAY 11, 2021

Anduril founder Palmer Luckey has sardonically noted that the only defense companies to reach unicorn status in the past 30 years have all been founded by billionaires able to endure long gaps in funding. The best prepared companies can either raise sufficient funds to keep operating or count on revenue from other sources.

Artificial Inteligence 326

Artificial Inteligence Marketing Startup Silicon Valley 326

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 11, 2015

Anand Sanwal , co-founder and CEO of CB Insights ; and Chris Shipley , executive producer of MIT’s Solve initiative, joined me in the studio to discuss the day-to-day chaos of building a company. … (They were operating like) there’s an opportunity and there’s a market need. (So) If you can’t hear the clip, click here.

Entrepreneur 120

Entrepreneur Silicon Valley Cofounder Channel 120

Steve Blank

JUNE 7, 2019

Our keynote speaker was Palmer Luckey , founder of Oculus and the designer of the Oculus Rift. He’s now the CEO/founder of the AI-focussed defense contractor Anduril Industries. Tom Bedecarré was the founder and CEO of AKQA, the leading digital advertising agency. If you can’t see the video of Palmer Luckey click here.

Oakland 266

Oakland Lean SBIR Afghanistan 266

Steve Blank

JUNE 25, 2009

The OEM Business Convergent’s business was selling desktop computers (with our own operating system and office applications) to other computer manufacturers – most of them long gone: Burroughs, Prime, Monroe Data Systems, ADP, Mohawk, Gould, NCR, 4-Phase, AT&T. Hiring a VP of Sales in customer discovery typically sets a startup back.

Technology 138

Technology Silicon Valley Fractional VPE Part-Time VPE 138

Steve Blank

JULY 13, 2021

Cases and plans are useful for teaching managers of process, not founders. Founders of startups (and new ventures inside existing companies) are searching for product/market fit and a repeatable and scalable business model. Our objective is to have students experience what it’s like to operate in a real-world startup.

Lean 433

Lean Agile Business Model Business Plan 433

Steve Blank

AUGUST 22, 2011

Are you looking for a visionary or an operating executive? Founders search, operating executives execute. If you’re hiring an operating executive (CEO, VP, Executive Director, etc.). Don’t start with the candidate (board member x has a great VP of sales he knows, founder y wants this CEO he met at a conference, etc.).

Hiring 290

Hiring Non-Compete Search Customer Development 290

Steve Blank

MARCH 17, 2020

Here are a few thoughts about operating in uncertainty in a pandemic. Revise your sales revenue goals, product timelines and create a new business model and operating plan – and communicate them clearly to your investors and then to your employees. And what’s in my lifeboat?”. Prepare for a long cold winter. Lessons Learned.

Burn Rate 436

Burn Rate Startup Valuation Sales Cycle 436

Steve Blank

JUNE 3, 2013

Thinking that founders hire domain experts to get them into places and do things they don’t have any clue about is a mistake most founding CEOs make. For Roominate I suggested that Alice and Bettina needed to try to find a channel consultant who would take them along on the sales calls and have the founders meet buyers directly.

PR 314

PR China Lean Channel 314