SoCal CTO

MAY 21, 2012

So, here goes: Dr. Tony Karrer Over the past 15 years, Tony has been a part-time CTO for more than 30 startups. Select Startup CTO Speaking Topics Ten Lessons from Working on 30+ Startups Over the Past 15 Years Tony looks back over his experience working with startups and extracts elements that have led to success or failure.

Fractional CTO 175

Fractional CTO CTO Hire Startup Social Network 175

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 15, 2020

For early-stage startups, the goodwill component can easily exceed the size of all the financial elements together, or can just as easily mark a company with good financials as not investable. For startups, the entrepreneur and founder is almost always the face of the company. Strategic proficiency.

Valuation 311

Valuation Technical Review Due Diligence Leadership 311

Steve Blank

MARCH 15, 2017

I was having a second coffee with an ex student, now the head of a marketing inside a rapidly growing startup. If these sound like reasonable answers to you, and you are in a startup, update your resume. Titles in a startup are not the same as what your job is. All good news. I wasn’t surprised. Titles Are Not Your Job.

Startup 310

Startup PR Public Relations Channel 310

The Startup Magazine

MAY 4, 2022

Startup companies are under a lot of pressure to succeed. Digital transformation is a novel concept that makes startup business owners think twice about their company’s future. Startup companies must have a proactive approach to digital transformation. Their strategy may or may not work for everyone.

Technical Review 123

Technical Review Startup Agile Technology 123

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 26, 2023

Most business metrics I see compare current performance to your own previous experience, rather than your performance compared to industry standards and competitors. Amend this culture to highlight and reward new initiatives on a regular basis, with metrics to assess value and progress.

Metrics 178

Metrics Technical Review Agile Hiring 178

Startup Lessons Learned

MARCH 16, 2009

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Monday, March 16, 2009 Combining agile development with customer development Today I read an excellent blog post that I just had to share. Jim Murphy is a long-time agile practitioner in startups. But startups sometimes have trouble applying agile successfully.

Agile 111

Agile Customer Development Developer San Francisco 111

Startup Lessons Learned

DECEMBER 23, 2009

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Wednesday, December 23, 2009 Why vanity metrics are dangerous In a previous post, I defined two kinds of metrics: vanity metrics and actionable metrics. In this post, Id like to talk about the perils of vanity metrics. My personal favorite vanity metrics is "hits."

Metrics 167

Metrics San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment 167

Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 4, 2010

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Sunday, April 4, 2010 Kent Beck keynote, "To Agility, and Beyond" Kent Beck will give the opening keynote at the Startup Lessons Learned conference on April 23. His keynote will kick off the day as well as our module on the build phase of the fundamental feedback loop that powers all startups.

Agile 99

Agile Software Review San Francisco Continuous Deployment 99

Startup Lessons Learned

NOVEMBER 6, 2008

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Thursday, November 6, 2008 Steveys Blog Rants: Good Agile, Bad Agile I thought Id share an interesting post from someone with a decidedly anti-agile point of view. Steveys Blog Rants: Good Agile, Bad Agile : "Google is an exceptionally disciplined company, from a software-engineering perspective.

Agile 76

Agile San Francisco Software Review Continuous Deployment 76

YoungUpstarts

APRIL 21, 2013

Creators of new products in environments of extreme uncertainty, startups face enormous risks. As a startup owner, what can you do to improve your chances? Through rapid experimentation, short product development cycles, and rigorous measurements of the right metrics, they can ascertain what customers really want.

Lean 193

Lean Technical Review North America Startup 193

SoCal CTO

APRIL 2, 2013

I'm going to be looking at aspects like: Things to consider before building your MVP Features often overlooked when documenting an MVP for developers Understanding important metrics you want to measure Risks and challenges in developing an MVP. What's Going to Go Wrong A lot of founders don't really understand Lean Startup principles.

Technical Cofounder 219

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Software Developers Software Development 219

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2022

As a consultant, I hate to see you lose that startup focus on innovation, change, and customers. As companies grow, they tend to become more structured, to the point of discouraging risk by team members, and using metrics to identify mistakes and allocate bonuses. Eliminate penalties for risk-taking and learning experiences.

Artificial Inteligence 385

Artificial Inteligence Startup Metrics Agile 385

ReadWriteStart

MARCH 7, 2022

The problem is even more exacerbated for certain industries and niches; for example, startup SEO is becoming more difficult at a faster rate than marketing for more established companies. Focusing on vanity metrics can be damaging to your long-term potential. But why is this the case? What are the root causes? Which tools are best?

Marketing 198

Marketing Advertising Metrics Technical Review 198

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 27, 2019

Every new business dreams of growing from a startup to a global market leader in a few years, like Amazon.com, but that goal is elusive. In my view, every startup in today’s world would do well to adopt a management system with the same key objectives: Start with a customer-obsessed business model.

Global 308

Global Marketing Technical Review Algorithm 308

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 12, 2022

Change is about the only thing constant in the world of startups. Since the startup environment is usually more volatile, the challenge there in balancing advantage, risk, and performance, is more critical than in big companies. Increase change agility. Implement change mechanisms. Imbue customer change focus.

Agile 290

Agile Startup Metrics Leadership 290

Startup Lessons Learned

MARCH 6, 2013

Once again, along with my partners at 500 Startups, we are proud to present the most substantive track at SXSW: [link] There was a running joke last year that "the Lean Startup track was the only place at SXSW you couldn't get out of the building." 1,000 startup founders, investors, and press! We're back! See you there!

Lean 165

Lean Cofounder Startup Software Engineering 165

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 15, 2019

Once upon a time every great organization was a scrappy startup willing to take risks – new ideas, new methods, new customers, targets, and mission. Metrics are used to manage process rather than creation of new capabilities, outcomes and speed to deployment. Companies Run on Process. Process Versus Product.

Government 315

Government Technical Review Acquisition Metrics 315

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2023

Bezos believes that if you double the number of experiments you do per year, you’re going to double your agility, and thus grow the business more rapidly. Use metrics and data to quantify progress and return. Unfortunately, continuing to perform without collecting business data or measuring customer metrics is a recipe for failure.

Metrics 279

Metrics Startup Agile Salary 279

ctotodevelopers.blogspot.com

JULY 11, 2012

Social, Agile, and Transformation. I cover several topics including agile software development, software startups, web 2.0, Strategic Agile Thinking: Balancing Value, Innovation and Research. 2) The agile "happy place". Agile teams sprint when value is known, implementation is low risk.

Agile 40

Agile Architecture Offshore Software Developers 40

Startup Lessons Learned

MARCH 25, 2009

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Wednesday, March 25, 2009 The Lean Startup at Agile Vancouver April 21st A surprising number of respondents in the latest Lessons Learned survey hail from one of the flourishing startup hubs in Canada. The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Customer Development ► June (3) What is a startup?

Agile 60

Agile Lean San Francisco Continuous Deployment 60

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 4, 2015

It’s no secret that setting goals is critical to achieving any kind of success, and making sure they’re realistic and measurable is vital to maintaining momentum and motivation, especially in the startup game. The challenge for most startups is that they don’t just have a few goals — they have every goal. How OKRs Can Help.

Agile 100

Agile Startup Cofounder Metrics 100

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 7, 2016

Guest post by Jennifer Maerz, contributing editor of Lean Startup Co. It’s been exciting to watch the Lean Startup movement grow from a practice utilized in the tech world to one implemented in a wide variety of sectors ranging from enterprise to education, religious organizations, nonprofits, and government groups.

Government 165

Government Lean Startup San Francisco 165

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 10, 2021

Make sure that metrics and goals are set up front, and not modified as the project progresses. If key metrics and expectations rely on results from another group, then you have a conflict which prevents accountability from either group. Provide assessments based wholly on facts. Align accountability with organizational objectives.

Metrics 331

Metrics Retention Agile Startup 331

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 27, 2011

There are very few people in Silicon Valley who have such a precise grasp on what defines success of early-stage startup companies than Eric Ries. Importantly we also discussed: should startups raise small amounts of money or large? how should you organize teams in a startup? 01:17 Background, before the Lean Startup.

Silicon Valley 301

Silicon Valley Lean Social Media PR 301

ReadWriteStart

APRIL 5, 2021

Similarly, many new businesses emerging in the modern world begin with a remote work model; it makes financial sense for young, cash-strapped businesses to save money and remain agile. You’ll need to spend some time reviewing the data available to you, including both objective metrics and subjective feedback. . Key Factors to Consider.

Startup 120

Startup Security Operations Agile 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2020

They outline and give some positive recommendations to counter the key organizational impediments to fast transformation that I see all too often, even in businesses with top management committed to first-mover speed and agility: Passive resistance to change from within the organization. Transformation fatigue from continual challenges.

Agile 307

Agile Advisory Board Metrics Asia 307

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 15, 2008

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Monday, September 8, 2008 The lean startup Ive been thinking for some time about a term that could encapsulate trends that are changing the startup landscape. After some trial and error, Ive settled on the Lean Startup. Of course, many startups are capital efficient and generally frugal.

Lean 168

Lean San Francisco Startup Continuous Deployment 168

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 16, 2020

No company can afford to lose the agility, flexibility, and innovation of a startup. Metrics and observations while running the existing business become the primary basis for future projections. Every startup I know has pivoted at least once, and expects failed experiments to lead them to the true market.

Startup 321

Startup Leadership Agile Metrics 321

Steve Blank

MARCH 31, 2014

Just look at the disruptive challenges that businesses face today– globalization, China as a manufacturer, China as a consumer, the Internet, and a steady stream of new startups. Perhaps that’s because where established companies might see risks or threats, startups see opportunity.

Private Equity 325

Private Equity Metrics China Intellectual Property 325

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2019

Institute deep metrics measuring all aspects of the customer experience. Amazon is famous for their Two-Pizza.Teams (no bigger than two pizzas will feed), allowing an entrepreneurial mindset more autonomy, agility, and accountability. Make sure everyone knows it’s their job to maintain empathy and exceed customer expectations.

Artificial Inteligence 222

Artificial Inteligence Agile Technical Review Demand 222

ReadWriteStart

APRIL 8, 2023

. #3 Watch out for Startups and Emerging Markets Analyzing competitors’ activity in the market is essential, but businesses should think outside the box and keep track of startups and emerging markets. So, do not be surprised if you come across a startup whose technology is now considered a trend in 2023.

eCommerce 185

eCommerce Technical Review Software Review Analytics 185

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2022

After many years in business, working in large companies as well as startups, I’m no longer surprised at why mature and successful companies struggle with introducing innovative new ventures as the market and environment changes. Your challenge is to balance the challenge of providing a stable return today, with meeting future customer value.

Advisory Board 359

Advisory Board Incubator Dilution Agile 359

Startup Lessons Learned

JUNE 2, 2010

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Wednesday, June 2, 2010 The Five Whys for Startups (for Harvard Business Review) I continue my series for Harvard Business Review with the Lean Startup technique called Five Whys. As start-ups scale, this agility will be lost unless the founders maintain a consistent investment in that discipline.

Technical Review 132

Technical Review San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment 132

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2015

For early-stage startups, the goodwill component can easily exceed the size of all the financial elements together, or can just as easily mark a company with good financials as not investable. For startups, the entrepreneur and founder is almost always the face of the company. Strategic proficiency.

Leadership 120

Leadership Technical Review Due Diligence Valuation 120

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 16, 2022

No company can afford to lose the agility, flexibility, and innovation of a startup. Metrics and observations while running the existing business become the primary basis for future projections. Every startup I know has pivoted at least once, and expects failed experiments to lead them to the true market.

Leadership 301

Leadership Agile Metrics Cost 301

Steve Blank

MARCH 4, 2014

In the last few years we’ve recognized that a startup is not a smaller version of a large company. We’re now learning that companies are not larger versions of startups. But paradoxically, in spite of all their seemingly endless resources, innovation inside of an existing company is much harder than inside a startup.

IRR 335

IRR Startup Business Model Agile 335

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 20, 2022

No business or startup wants to be the next Myspace, or even the next RIM (BlackBerry), where changes in the marketplace were subtle. Changes in your organization’s core performance metrics. If one metric changes, it may not be significant, but someone needs to monitor whole categories for fluctuations that may be a weak signal.

Metrics 277

Metrics Agile Community Government 277