Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 21, 2023

Solicit venture capital investors. A good place to start looking is Grants.gov , which is a searchable directory of more than 1,000 Federal grant programs. Most provide free resources to startups, including office facilities and consulting, but many provide seed funding as well. Pitch your needs to friends and family.

Equity 266

Equity Startup Small Business Administration SBA 266

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 13, 2011

Mark is a serial entrepreneur who is now active in the venture capital community for early-stage startups. He is the co-author of several books including “The Black Art of Java Game Programming.” VentureHacks also created AngelList, a mailing list of prominent business angels that facilitates entrepreneur fundraising.

Curation 230

Curation Technical Review Entrepreneur Cofounder 230

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 29, 2020

Solicit venture capital investors. A good place to start looking is Grants.gov , which is a searchable directory of more than 1,000 Federal grant programs. Most provide free resources to startups, including office facilities and consulting, but many provide seed funding as well. Pitch your needs to friends and family.

Equity 436

Equity Small Business Administration SBA Syndicate 436

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

Look for special programs for entrepreneurs, like the Arizona State University Furnace Technology Transfer Accelerator program that I am familiar with, available to non-students. Collaborative efforts with local companies, like Siemens Venture Capital, are available for certain technology and focus areas. Legal guidance.

Arizona 239

Arizona Phoenix Intellectual Property Incubator 239

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 26, 2012

Look for special programs for entrepreneurs, like the Arizona State University Technopolis program that I am familiar with, available to non-students. Collaborative efforts with local companies, like Siemens Venture Capital, are available for certain technology and focus areas. Early-stage funding. Legal guidance.

Arizona 231

Arizona Phoenix Intellectual Property Incubator 231

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 1, 2018

Most loan programs, and most investors, want to see that you have “skin in the game’ before helping you. These include food service, retail, consulting, work at home, and telemarketing. Also, don’t expect enthusiasm for your gambling site, porn site, gaming, or debt collection business. Show a significant personal investment.

Silicon Valley 210

Silicon Valley CPA Small Business Administration SBA 210

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 24, 2010

Look for evening courses, or special programs for entrepreneurs, like the ASU Technopolis program mentioned below, available to non-students. Don’t look here for venture capital levels of funding, but certainly early-stage government grants, incubators, and entrepreneurship incentives are available from endowments and state funds.

Phoenix 235

Phoenix Intellectual Property Arizona Incubator 235

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 10, 2018

Solicit venture capital investors. A good place to start looking is Grants.gov , which is a searchable directory of more than 1,000 Federal grant programs. Most provide free resources to startups, including office facilities and consulting, but many provide seed funding as well. Pitch your needs to friends and family.

Entrepreneur 240

Entrepreneur Equity Small Business Administration SBA 240

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2016

According to recent statistics from the International Business Innovation Association ( InBIA ), there are about 7,000 business incubators and accelerators worldwide, with over 90 percent being non-profit and focused on incubator programs for community economic development. Good facilities and support services are not enough.

Incubator 120

Incubator Due Diligence Startup Equity 120

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 9, 2018

In fact, research by Fundable shows that less than one percent of all startups are funded by venture capital and angel investors. I find that most good founders proceed faster on their own, with less drain on their time from peers and programs, and no equity dilution. All successful businesses start with a business plan.

Incubator 180

Incubator Angel Investor Dilution Equity 180

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2013

A good place to start looking is the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which is a lifeline for high-tech startups. A more general approach is to check out Grants.gov , which is a searchable directory of more than 1,000 federal grant programs. Marty Zwilling.

Government 230

Government Equity Cost SBIR 230

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2015

A micro venture capital firm. Micro-VCs, by definition, are firms that invest institutional money (meaning other people’s money) in projects that are at the seed stage or are too small to attract the attention of more traditional venture capitalists. A “genesis” venture capital round.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Finance Early Stage Startup 120

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2014

Solicit venture capital investors. A good place to start looking is Grants.gov , which is a searchable directory of more than 1,000 Federal grant programs. Most provide free resources to startups, including office facilities and consulting, but many provide seed funding as well. Pitch your needs to friends and family.

Entrepreneur 283

Entrepreneur Startup Equity Small Business Administration 283

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 11, 2013

Most loan programs, and most investors, want to see that you have “skin in the game’ before helping you. These include food service, retail, consulting, work at home, and telemarketing. Also, don’t expect enthusiasm for your gambling site, porn site, gaming, or debt collection business. Show a significant personal investment. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 252

Entrepreneur Angel Investor Silicon Valley CPA 252

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 31, 2016

Most loan programs, and most investors, want to see that you have “skin in the game’ before helping you. These include food service, retail, consulting, work at home, and telemarketing. Also, don’t expect enthusiasm for your gambling site, porn site, gaming, or debt collection business. Show a significant personal investment.

Security 120

Security Angel Investor Silicon Valley CPA 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 13, 2012

Most loan programs, and most investors, want to see that you have “skin in the game’ before helping you. These include food service, retail, consulting, work at home, and telemarketing. Also, don’t expect enthusiasm for your gambling site, porn site, gaming, or debt collection business. Show a significant personal investment.

Angel Investor 234

Angel Investor CPA Small Business Administration Startup 234

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 9, 2011

I also spend close to half my time teaching, and in addition to serving on the entrepreneurship advisory boards at Columbia, Yale and NYU, I am Chair of the Finance, Entrepreneurship and Economics program at Singularity University in Silicon Valley. Marty: Were your own first investment ventures a positive and learning experience?

New York 221

New York Accredited Investor Advisory Board IRR 221

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2011

A good place to start is the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which is a lifeline for high-tech startups. Money has always been tight for high-tech entrepreneurs who need to raise capital from investors willing to gamble on a new idea. Marty Zwilling.

Government 221

Government SBIR Dilution Database 221

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2016

Solicit venture capital investors. A good place to start looking is Grants.gov , which is a searchable directory of more than 1,000 Federal grant programs. Most provide free resources to startups, including office facilities and consulting, but many provide seed funding as well. Pitch your needs to friends and family.

Equity 120

Equity Small Business Administration SBA Syndicate 120

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2010

Most loan programs, and most investors, want to see that you have “skin in the game’ before helping you. These include food service, retail, consulting, work at home, and telemarketing. Also, don’t expect enthusiasm for your gambling site, porn site, gaming, or debt collection business. Show a significant personal investment. Marty Zwilling.

Angel Investor 242

Angel Investor Startup CPA Small Business Administration 242