Gust

NOVEMBER 8, 2012

As a native of Silicon Valley , I’ve witnessed the creative destruction of wave after wave of innovation as nearby corporate campuses repopulated themselves : From defense contractors to data centers , computer mainframe manufacturers to Internet search engines.

Silicon Valley 187

Silicon Valley San Francisco Intellectual Property Accredited Investor 187

Gust

JUNE 23, 2014

Whereas Google and other search engines may take two or three weeks to list your new website in search results, new blog sites and new blog entries are indexed every day. Even if you use a ghost writer for your blog, the briefing process will enhance your skills. Your Google ranking will go up dramatically.

Startup 174

Startup Cofounder Social Media SEO 174

Gust

MAY 11, 2014

An advanced search tool is provided to search for a grant by eligibility, by issuing agency, or category. A good place to start looking is the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which is a lifeline for high-tech startups.

Seed Money 164

Seed Money SBIR Dilution Government 164

Gust

MARCH 9, 2014

Use social media and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) to start. Put out regular press releases for search purposes and general visibility. A blog is critical, and essentially free (your cost is creating content). Get exposure for your expertise.

Marketing 146

Marketing SEM Viral Social Media 146

Gust

JUNE 18, 2014

“Do I need to understand the concepts of things such as cloud computing, APIs and Search Engine Optimization, be able to craft a basic query on Google and know the key differences between LinkedIn, Facebook, Yahoo and Quora?” ” No. ” Yes! original post can be found on Quora @ [link] *.

API 133

API Cloud Engineer Search 133

Gust

JUNE 22, 2014

Whereas Google and other search engines may take two or three weeks to list your new website in search results, new blog sites and new blog entries are indexed every day. Even if you use a ghost writer for your blog, the briefing process will enhance your skills. Your Google ranking will go up dramatically.

Startup 125

Startup Cofounder Social Media SEO 125

Gust

SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

By searching for a lead investor in your next funding round. You’ve created an amazing founding team, you’ve built a brilliant product that has been gaining a lot of traction, and now you’re looking to expand your company. How do you continue to build your business? The lead investor is the first step in Read more >.

Lead Investor 70

Lead Investor Security Search Founder 70

Gust

JUNE 25, 2014

Both platforms allow investors (and others) to search for companies by criteria such as name, keyword and location. While companies do indeed receive investor inquiries from these listings, the sheer volume of profiles on both platforms means that both are best used as tools to help the startup manage its own fundraising process.

Angel Groups 138

Angel Groups Curation Early Stage Search 138

Gust

AUGUST 27, 2014

To find one or more local angel groups near you, use the industry’s official investment group search engine at [link] stors. As a very rough idea of what these groups are like, the typical member invests in one or two companies each year, putting in $25,000 to $100,000 in each one.

Angel Investor 133

Angel Investor Accredited Investor Angel Groups Syndicate 133

Gust

JUNE 19, 2012

Tim Berry , Founder, Palo Alto Software. May 29th, 2012. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. 22 » More than 40,000 investors worldwide trust Gust. Investors: Sign up Entrepreneurs: Get started. Our bloggers. Founder , Palo Alto Software. Bill Payne. Angel Investor , Frontier Angel Fund. Antone Johnson. Founding Principal , Bottom Line Law Group.

Startup 180

Startup Forecast Angel Investor Software 180

Gust

OCTOBER 7, 2012

In addition, a website needs several weeks of presence for indexing by search engines, search engine optimization, blog activity, and link building. Most startups need funding before shipping, and investors expect to see your website to validate your business plan. These things can’t be done while in stealth mode.

Stealth 131

Stealth Entrepreneur Incubator Engineer 131

Gust

JULY 19, 2014

I’d suggest that you browse through the Gust investor search engine for investment groups (and accelerators, incubators, business plan competitions, et al) that are relevant to your startup (by location, industry, type of organization, etc.), and read their detailed profiles to see if they would be a good match for your venture.

Angel Groups 142

Angel Groups New York Deal Flow Incubator 142

Gust

MARCH 5, 2014

This was fine as long as one was making computer hardware and the other was running a search engine, but when the business models started converging, they had no choice but to go their separate ways. A parallel case is that of Apple and Google, which had extremely close relations and shared board members.

Portfolio 121

Portfolio Business Model Engineer Search 121

Gust

DECEMBER 14, 2014

Startup founders also need to realize that building and managing a company is quite different from learning to search for and solidify an idea that can grow into a company. The team needs to see the process practiced by the startup founder, as well as preached regularly.

Entrepreneur 189

Entrepreneur Founder Revenue Startup 189

Gust

JULY 6, 2014

Search consultants say that many job seekers have an unrealistic view of their skills, their prospects, and their culpability. People who feel competent but unsatisfied or bored in their current job make better entrepreneurs than people who feel overworked, under-appreciated, and over-stressed. Over-estimating yourself.

Startup 183

Startup Salary Employee Entrepreneur 183

Gust

DECEMBER 20, 2011

In reality, a startup is a temporary organization designed to search for a repeatable and scalable business model. We now know that this ‘build it and they will come” is a prayer rather than a business strategy. You need a combination of skills. What skills?

Angel Investor 93

Angel Investor Oregon Business Model Search 93

Gust

SEPTEMBER 2, 2012

Start the search with business networking. Start with your own judgment, but don’t hesitate to ask for advice from a seasoned investor. Ideal partners here should not include your best friend or a family member. Actively participate in local business groups and events, like The Indus Entrepreneur (TiE) and entrepreneur forums.

Cofounder 170

Cofounder Silicon Valley Non-Compete Startup 170

Gust

NOVEMBER 3, 2013

Having no competitors is a red flag (may mean no market), but finding ten or more with a simple Google search means this may be a crowded space. Remember, the buck always stops with you. The space is too crowded already.

Intellectual Property 183

Intellectual Property Startup Viral Early Stage 183

Gust

SEPTEMBER 27, 2014

Rather than limiting your search to venture funds, therefore, consider the full range of startup options. While VCs are the toughest nut to crack, there are many other (often better) sources of seed capital that may be available to you.

Angel Groups 159

Angel Groups Elevator Pitch Software Review Deal Flow 159

Gust

JUNE 10, 2012

Do basic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Marketing (SEM), like cohort analysis , yourself. We all know how much costs have come down on computer hardware, computer software, printers, PDAs, high-speed internet access, servers, and security measures. Skip the IT consultants and build an entry website yourself to save $50K.

Cost 139

Cost Burn Rate SEM Startup 139

Gust

AUGUST 29, 2012

For online marketing, as a common example, you should be able to talk realistically about your search engine budget, pay-per-click budget, social media experts on staff or available as contractors and budgeted into the plan, targets for page views, unique visitors, and conversions.

Marketing 119

Marketing Social Media Sales Cycle Angel Investor 119

Gust

JUNE 24, 2012

Use social media, search engine optimization, blogging, and mobile media. Everyone must have a web site that is complete, inviting, and easy to use. Create and maintain your own database of targeted prospects, and don’t rely on generic email lists for marketing. These will beat word-of-mouth any day. Proactively deal with naysayers.

Marketing 136

Marketing Database Social Media Media 136

Gust

DECEMBER 28, 2011

A decent web search will turn up several different sources of standard industry ratios for less than $100 per industry, broken into NAICS codes. Projecting excess profits, at rates way beyond the normal, are bad for at least three reasons: Kills credibility regarding industry knowledge and realistic projections.

Angel Investor 79

Angel Investor IPO Search Web 79

Gust

DECEMBER 27, 2011

Do a simple Google search like you would on any company or individual before signing a contract. Ask the investor for “references,” meaning contacts at companies where previous investments were made. Don’t just call, but personally visit these contacts. Check track record on the Internet and social networks.

Due Diligence 119

Due Diligence Entrepreneur Offshore Angel Groups 119

Gust

NOVEMBER 18, 2012

Another popular method to establish valuation for any company is to search for similar companies that have recently received funding. For NewCo, the market is not new, but the management team is new, so I wouldn’t argue for much goodwill. Find “comparables” who have received financing (market approach).

Valuation 187

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation NPV Intellectual Property 187

Gust

SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

Convertible equity strikes me largely as a solution in search of a problem. Yet startup lawyers and firms have cranked out thousands of convertible notes for startups over the past several years, particularly on the West Coast, without any signs of the apocalypse (yet). ” This is inherently a bad thing.

Finance 134

Finance Convertible Security Equity Seed Stage 134

Gust

DECEMBER 8, 2011

and search for its availability as a corporate name, domain name and trademark (all separate inquiries). Stepping off the soapbox, let’s examine the highest level “To Do” list for a new startup: Formation, Governance and Equity. Pick a name for the new legal entity (e.g., Newco, Inc.”)

Intellectual Property 139

Intellectual Property Non-disclosure Agreement Delaware Stock 139

Gust

AUGUST 8, 2012

On a mission now, I invoke the mysterious powers of a search tool and finally uncover electronic bill payment records that contain the actual full account number and expiration date of one of my cards. The laptop affords access to all of the right records if I can locate them and remember the password(s). Foiled again!

Customer 143

Customer Southern California San Jose Marketing 143

Gust

JULY 27, 2014

Search engines. You can find web sites like the Comprehensive List of Search Engines , which is nothing but a list of 250+ available search engines. But then, this is an emotional need every single seems willing to spend money on (not to mention the 40% more who are already married).

Entrepreneur 182

Entrepreneur Aggregator Engineer Social Network 182

Gust

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

A startup is in the business of creating value from nothing – or, as Steve Blank describes it, “searching for a repeatable and scalable business model.” The primary answer, in my view, lies in the vastly divergent cultures of startups vs. established businesses.

Startup 98

Startup Silicon Valley Reputation Community 98

Gust

DECEMBER 31, 2012

With the current difficult economic times, when companies fold, merge or cut back, more workers of all ages find themselves in search of new jobs. Retail sales to Gen-X and Gen-Y. Construction and heavy labor jobs.

Advisory Board 177

Advisory Board Angel Investor Startup Equity 177