Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2020

In addition to being the startup entrepreneur, there are other key roles where Boomers can be a force in driving successful startups, in concert with leaders from Gen-X and Gen-Y: Early-stage angel investors. Member of the Advisory Board.

Advisory Board 312

Advisory Board Startup Dividend Angel Investor 312

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 10, 2020

In the early stages, it isn’t uncommon for businesses to bank their earnings on a handful of customers (or sometimes, just one). As such, business owners need to ask themselves if they are still as implicated now as they were in the early stages of their business.

Customer 334

Customer Development Team Review Advisory Board Private Equity 334

SoCal CTO

MARCH 9, 2010

In my post, Technology Roles in Startups , I described some of the different ways I engage with startup companies such as CTO Founder , CTO , Part-Time CTO , Acting CTO , Consultant, Advisor and Advisory Board Member. Now, most often technical advisors are part of a broader advisory board. Not enough time.

Technical Review 150

Technical Review Advisory Board Technology Fractional CTO 150

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 4, 2019

Most early stage startups tend to do well in this area because entrepreneurs generally launch their startups believing they have a great product idea. What does this mean for their early stage investors? Weak revenue architecture poses the greatest near-term risk of failure for most early stage startups.

Framework 118

Framework Architecture Cleveland Early Stage 118

NZ Entrepreneur

APRIL 28, 2019

Building a team of trusted advisors can be immensely helpful in the early stages of your entrepreneurial venture. Here’s how to build a startup advisory board. An advisory board is, at it’s simplest, a selection of individuals that add value to your business but who don’t work in it.

Advisory Board 67

Advisory Board Early Stage Startup United States 67

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 3, 2010

A properly built advisory board can be a huge strategic advantage to any company. On the other hand, an advisory board put together haphazardly can be the biggest mistake for a company in the early stages of business. How do you avoid the advisory board death spiral?

Advisory Board 225

Advisory Board Startup Liquidity Event Stock 225

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 1, 2014

In addition to being the startup entrepreneur, there are other key roles where Boomers can be a force in driving successful startups, in concert with leaders from Gen-X and Gen-Y: Early-stage Angel investors. Member of the Advisory Board.

Entrepreneur 266

Entrepreneur Advisory Board Dividend Angel Investor 266

YoungUpstarts

MAY 24, 2019

Most early stage startups tend to do well in this area because entrepreneurs generally launch their startups believing they have a great product idea. What does this mean for their early stage investors? Weak revenue architecture poses the greatest near-term risk of failure for most early stage startups.

Framework 104

Framework Architecture Cleveland Early Stage 104

www.instigatorblog.com

MARCH 2, 2010

The Importance of Advisory Boards for Startup CEOs Tweet When a startup receives financing it will need to setup a Board of Directors. The Board probably existed beforehand, but was made up only of the founders. Mark Macleod spells it out beautifully in his post on Advisory Boards. Why wouldn’t you?

Advisory Board 40

Advisory Board Startup Cofounder Equity 40

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

I would say the norm for many early-stage companies is somewhere between 6-10 in-person meetings per year. The earlier stage the more likely it is 10 meetings and the later stage the more likely it is 6. Between Board Meetings. Communicating Between Board Meetings. The Agile Board. Meeting Dynamics.

Advisory Board 365

Advisory Board CTO Hire Fractional CTO Los Angeles 365

Austin Startup

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017

For startup founders, it’s never too early to start thinking about putting together a target market advisory board. The target market advisory board should consist of 2–4 industry veterans who have connections to C-level execs and VPs in your target market. Never discount the power of a warm intro.

Advisory Board 48

Advisory Board Sweat Equity Marketing Vertical 48

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

Build qualified advisory board. If you can convince a couple of domain experts, or a couple of experienced executives to join your board and be your advocate, that’s traction. A CEO who has “been there and done that” is traction, especially if teamed with a financial lead (CFO) and a product lead (CTO).

Intellectual Property 281

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Sweat Equity CTO Hire 281

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2012

Add an advisory board or experienced mentor to reality-check your financial projections, timeframes, and milestones before you publish them. Stretch” goals in early-stage are not advised.

Advisory Board 240

Advisory Board Forecast Early Stage Product Development 240

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 11, 2021

That means listening to investor expectations, communicating regularly and effectively, and assuming that all your efforts will now be monitored in the following ways: You now must have a Board of Directors. Investors will expect at least one seat on the board, and expect a board report from you each month on key items.

Term Sheet 433

Term Sheet Advisory Board Liquidation Preference Startup 433

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2012

Build qualified advisory board. If you can convince a couple of domain experts, or a couple of experienced executives to join your board and be your advocate, that’s traction. A CEO who has “been there and done that” is traction, especially if teamed with a financial lead (CFO) and a product lead (CTO).

Intellectual Property 260

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 260

Steve Blank

MAY 19, 2015

Organizational debt is all the people/culture compromises made to “just get it done” in the early stages of a startup. Surprisingly, given the tidal wave of new hires, formal training and job descriptions were still stuck in the early stage, “we’re too small to need that” mindset. the company had. Is that feasible?

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Salary Early Stage Software Review 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 20, 2011

Add an advisory board or experienced mentor to reality-check your financial projections, timeframes, and milestones before you publish them. Stretch” goals in early-stage are not advised.

Advisory Board 232

Advisory Board Startup Forecast Early Stage 232

The Next Web

APRIL 18, 2014

The Accidental Founder Renee is in early stage mode. The entrepreneurial journey is full of twists, turns, ups and downs. That’s why you need the support of trusted advisors. Take these examples: 1. She has an “accidental business” – something that she happened upon as a result of her interest in helping people.

Advisory Board 144

Advisory Board Early Stage Startup Web 144

Early Growth Financial Services

DECEMBER 9, 2014

Don’t confuse an advisory board with a board of directors (BoD). In contrast a startup advisory board is pretty much whatever you want it to be. When you reach that point, it pays to think through your advisory board’s role: how to structure it, how it will work and if/how the members will get paid.

Advisory Board 48

Advisory Board Early Stage .Net Startup 48

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 17, 2011

Build qualified advisory board. If you can convince a couple of domain experts, or a couple of experienced executives to join your board and be your advocate, that’s traction. A CEO who has “been there and done that” is traction, especially if teamed with a financial lead (CFO) and a product lead (CTO).

Intellectual Property 253

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 253

Small Business Force

SEPTEMBER 9, 2011

In fact, if you can, set up an advisory board of three or four folks, who you respect, who've been to the same dance you're at right now. So let Yoda help. First things first. Get an advisor or mentor, somebody you can bounce ideas off of, or to whom you can bring problems to help you solve. Folks who've had to make payrolls.

Early Stage 32

Early Stage Advisory Board Technical Review Employee 32

BeyondVC

JANUARY 3, 2019

We are purpose-built to not only invest pre-product but also to help accelerate your path to product-market fit with our decades of entrepreneurial and investing experience along with our active CXO advisory board. Either you’re a mega fund or an early stage fund, being caught in the middle is a place you don’t want to be.

Stealth 79

Stealth Advisory Board Cloud Virginia 79

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

Seed-stage compatible: Like traditional equity VC investors, Flexible VCs accomodate early-stage investment risk within their portfolios better than a traditional RBI funder. Early-stage: Cofounder with engineering/ product background from top-tier university or major technology company. Short track record.

Cofounder 78

Cofounder Technical Review Dividend Equity 78

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2010

Build qualified advisory board. If you can convince a couple of domain experts, or a couple of experienced executives to join your board and be your advocate, that’s traction. A CEO who has “been there and done that” is traction, especially if teamed with a financial lead (CIO) and a product lead (CTO).

Intellectual Property 222

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 222

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 12, 2010

Add an advisory board or experienced mentor to reality-check your financial projections, timeframes, and milestones before you publish them. Stretch” goals in early-stage are not advised.

Advisory Board 125

Advisory Board Startup Forecast Early Stage 125

Early Growth Financial Services

JULY 30, 2013

Q: What’s one quality you should look for in a potential advisory board member? I think it is important to have a strong … Continue reading → Early Stages' Originally published in Business on Main.

Advisory Board 44

Advisory Board Early Stage Programming Startup 44

The Startup Magazine

APRIL 1, 2018

Sitting on a corporate advisory board is one of the best resume-builders an entrepreneur can ask for. Your First Board Position. Your First Board Position. The first board is usually the hardest. So is every board member. If you’re seeking out early stage boards, you’re likely to earn considerably less.

Advisory Board 80

Advisory Board Early Stage Startup Acquisition 80

Small Business Force

SEPTEMBER 9, 2011

In fact, if you can, set up an advisory board of three or four folks, who you respect, who've been to the same dance you're at right now. So let Yoda help. First things first. Get an advisor or mentor, somebody you can bounce ideas off of, or to whom you can bring problems to help you solve.

Early Stage 20

Early Stage Advisory Board Technical Review Employee 20

BeyondVC

JANUARY 6, 2018

We built out our CXO advisory board and further cemented our Fortune 500 relationships to help our portfolio cos scale from “founder-market” fit to product market fit in an accelerated timeframe ( meet our advisors ). Our partners include IBM and one unannounced Fortune 50.

Cloud 60

Cloud Cofounder Portfolio Advisory Board 60

Hunter Walker

FEBRUARY 20, 2021

That said, there are three types of advisors that I don’t see as commonly utilized by early stage startups — at least the ones we’re not advising. A sales and marketing tactic as much (or even more) than a customer development one, try setting up a Customer Council Advisory Board. Great founders are always recruiting.

Advisory Board 150

Advisory Board Equity Vesting Startup 150

YoungUpstarts

APRIL 7, 2013

Such programs help early-stage companies get the capital they need to fuel growth, especially when banks aren’t lending. Similarly, Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses program is a $500 million investment to provide entrepreneurs with access to education, financial capital and business support services.

Advisory Board 229

Advisory Board Entrepreneur Portland Oregon 229

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 3, 2018

That means listening to investor expectations, communicating regularly and effectively, and assuming that all your efforts will now be monitored in the following ways: You now must have a Board of Directors. Investors will expect at least one seat on the board, and expect a board report from you each month on key items.

Term Sheet 140

Term Sheet Advisory Board Liquidation Preference Portfolio 140

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2014

That means listening to investor expectations, communicating regularly and effectively, and assuming that all your efforts will now be monitored in the following ways: You now must have a Board of Directors. Investors will expect at least one seat on the board, and expect a board report from you each month on key items.

Term Sheet 237

Term Sheet Liquidation Preference Advisory Board Startup 237

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 5, 2014

For example, if you’re an early stage company dealing with complex regulation (think Uber in transportation, Oscar in healthcare, LendingClub in finance), we have people who can help. Here the rigor in qualifying the GLG Share members helps, because we want the conversation to be valuable on both sides.

New York 114

New York Technical Review Networking Advisory Board 114

Steve Blank

JUNE 15, 2010

Certain VC’s like the new class of Super-Angels and small VC funds specialize in the early stage of a startup where you are searching for a business model. And some larger funds that specialize in later stage deals may have a partner or two who likes to invest at this stage. Have they heard about Customer Development ?

Founder 231

Founder Vesting Later Stage Early Stage 231

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 18, 2010

You are on your own and nobody supports you because it’s hard for them to see what you see and feel the excitement that you feel in the early stages. Even if your startup is a one-man show, you can find an intelligent outside mentor or advisory board member to bounce ideas off. Balance home and family.

Advisory Board 210

Advisory Board Leadership Early Stage Lean 210

Steve Blank

AUGUST 27, 2012

I got to spend time inside his company while I was using their software to analyze early-stage ventures. Finally, I suggested that he find someone he respects on his advisory board, who he was comfortable brainstorming with and would tell him when he has a bad idea. And that’s where the problem was. A Pivot a Week.

Founder 316

Founder Cofounder Advisory Board Burn Rate 316