Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 19, 2020

Venture capitalists (VCs) have long been seen as the top of the pyramid for startup funding sources, but in fact angel investors now fund over twice as many companies, according the Crunchbase. Individual angel investors and crowdfunding have been adding to the momentum, some say exceeding VCs in total amount invested.

Angel Investor 314

Angel Investor Venture Capital Silicon Valley Startup 314

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2012

If your startup is looking for an angel investor, does it makes sense to present your plan to flocks of angels, and assume that at least one will swoop down and scoop you up? In reality, hitting large numbers of angels in multiple locations with a generic pitch is one of the least productive approaches.

Angel Investor 245

Angel Investor Silicon Valley Exit Strategy Boston 245

The Next Web

JULY 20, 2013

Do they really expect that the next Facebook will come knocking at their ivory towers with a polished product, proven business model and the only thing missing on the way to an IPO being their Series A investment?”. Venture capitalists and their feedback. The truth is that venture capital is not for every entrepreneur.

Silicon Valley 124

Silicon Valley Mongolia Technical Cofounder Entrepreneur 124

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2011

If your startup is looking for an angel investor, does it makes sense to present your plan to flocks of angels, and assume that at least one will swoop down and scoop you up? In reality, hitting large numbers of angels in multiple locations with a generic pitch is one of the least productive approaches.

Angel Investor 244

Angel Investor Silicon Valley Entrepreneur Exit Strategy 244

Steve Blank

JANUARY 20, 2014

Before moving to Bend last year, my career took me from engineering development roles at defense contractors in the 80’s to product management and executive marketing roles in companies like Qualcomm in the 90’s, to the world of venture capital at several firms including Bay Partners, Formative Ventures and Vulcan Ventures.

Silicon Valley 316

Silicon Valley Oregon Lean Venture Capital 316

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

Chasing funding versus chasing customers and a repeatable and scalable business model, is one reason startups fail. Is there a profitable business model? The Traditional VC Pitch Entrepreneurs who pursue the traditional product development model don’t have customer data to answer these questions. Can it scale?”

Customer Development 266

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 266

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 26, 2020

For a Series A round you want to prove you have built a repeatable and scalable sales/revenue model and understand all parts of the business model. Series B is about proving your net revenue model (can you be profitable?). Team, Product, Traction, Business Model and Market. Business Model.

Cofounder 431

Cofounder Seed Stage Valuation Metrics 431

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 27, 2014

Venture capitalists (VCs) have long been seen as the top of the pyramid for startup funding sources, but in fact angel investors now fund over 60 times as many companies, according the Center for Venture Research. Individual angel investors have been filling the gap, and now match VCs in total amount invested.

Angel Investor 260

Angel Investor Silicon Valley Startup Portfolio 260

Steve Blank

JUNE 2, 2011

Reinventing the board meeting may allow venture-backed startups a more efficient, productive way to direct and measure their search for a profitable business model. Silicon Valley, New York). Startups now understand what they should be doing in their early formative days is search for a business model.

Silicon Valley 288

Silicon Valley Business Model Early Stage Venture Capital 288

Steve Blank

JUNE 1, 2011

Reinventing the board meeting may offer venture-backed startups a more efficient, productive way to direct and measure their search for a profitable business model. Silicon Valley, New York). The combination of Venture Capital and technology startups is only about 50 years old. Here’s how.

Silicon Valley 296

Silicon Valley Business Model Venture Capital Balance Sheet 296

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 1, 2010

Storm Clouds - A VC : Venture Capital and Technology , November 12, 2010 We have enjoyed an amazing run in the web startup and investing space over the past five or six years. Competing To Win Deals - A VC : Venture Capital and Technology , November 7, 2010 The venture capital business is highly competitive.

Technical Review 175

Technical Review Technology Product CTO Hire 175

Steve Blank

JUNE 1, 2011

Reinventing the board meeting may offer venture-backed startups a more efficient, productive way to direct and measure their search for a profitable business model. Silicon Valley, New York). The combination of Venture Capital and technology startups is only about 50 years old. Here’s how.

Silicon Valley 269

Silicon Valley Business Model Venture Capital Balance Sheet 269

Professor VC

MAY 29, 2008

The last blogger in Silicon Valley. What does it take to be an Angel Investor? To the SEC, it means that you are an accredited investor and To the man (or woman) on the street, a minimum qualification would seem to be an interest and ability to invest in early stage ventures. ProfessorVC. Steve Bennet.

Angel Investor 28

Angel Investor Angel Groups Accredited Investor San Jose 28

Steve Blank

AUGUST 5, 2010

Consumer Internet investing seems to have split off from traditional Venture Capital, and is creating a new category of VC’s: Lean VC’s. Electron-based Venture Capital. When I first came to Silicon Valley the world of Venture Capital looked pretty simple. Here’s why.

Lean 262

Lean Internet Silicon Valley Venture Capital 262

Up and Running

MARCH 21, 2016

Some businesses are not a great fit for angel or venture capital funding. But, what if your startup is a good candidate, but you’re having trouble getting meetings and convincing investors that your company is the next big thing? Maybe it’s time to try a different approach. His advice?

Cofounder 60

Cofounder Metrics Angel Investor Silicon Valley 60

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017

Takeaway lesson: There’s a reason that private equity companies tend to concentrate their early-stage investments among Ivy League graduates in Silicon Valley, and that reason is reduced risk.

Private Equity 94

Private Equity Pre-Money Valuation Equity Startup 94

Professor VC

MARCH 10, 2009

The last blogger in Silicon Valley. I moderated a panel discussion last night on one of my favorite topics, bootstrapping, as part of our Silicon Valley Center for Entrepreneurship Eminent Speaker Series at San Jose State. Jon Fisher purposely avoided raising venture capital in his ventures.

Bootstrapping 28

Bootstrapping San Jose Silicon Valley Software Review 28

Professor VC

JANUARY 27, 2011

The last blogger in Silicon Valley. are investors better just rolling the dice. Ive addressed the due diligence question in previous posts, but this came up again in a debate we were having at a recent meeting of the Sand Hill Angels. The Most Important Venture Capital Statistic. ProfessorVC. work at home.

Technical Review 31

Technical Review Due Diligence Silicon Valley San Jose 31

steveblank.com

JULY 8, 2011

– Mike [link] Reply Jeff Skinner , on May 24, 2010 at 9:28 am said: Steve, you don’t know me though I use your ‘Customer Development process’ video in my classes (Entrepreneurship at London Business School). Jeff skinner Faculty, London Business School. Can we touch base on this.

Software Review 110

Software Review Startup Silicon Valley Analytics 110

Up and Running

MAY 23, 2016

The one-page pitch format is also more suitable for SaaS businesses that are constantly testing new ideas. Your pitch is going to cover your strategy (what you’re going to do), your tactics (how you’re going to do it), your business model (how you will make money), and your schedule (who is doing what and when). venture capital.

Software Review 74

Software Review Software Delaware Forecast 74

Professor VC

NOVEMBER 14, 2011

The last blogger in Silicon Valley. Last week, the House of Representatives passed the Entrepreneur Access to Capital Act (H.R. Since small businesses are responsible for the vast majority of new jobs, legislators believe that these new rules will make it easier for entrepreneurs to raise capital and ramp up hiring.

SEC 54

SEC San Jose Angel Investor Accredited Investor 54

mashable.com

NOVEMBER 3, 2010

The web and technology bubble has a lot in common with the rest of the business world in that there are essentially two disparate groups — the haves and the have nots. Gary Vaynerchuk: Personal branding master and creator of Wine Library TV, Gary Vaynerchuk is also an angel investor with an expanding portfolio of companies.

Angel Investor 80

Angel Investor Startup San Francisco Social Media 80

Professor VC

SEPTEMBER 26, 2011

The last blogger in Silicon Valley. Card Counting for Investors. How would Billy Beane have done as an early stage investor? The Most Important Venture Capital Statistic. CFO's - More Guardian, Less Angel? What does it take to be an Angel Investor? Venture News. ProfessorVC.

Technical Review 38

Technical Review Early Stage San Jose Angel Investor 38

Professor VC

APRIL 1, 2010

The last blogger in Silicon Valley. Negotiating an Angel Deal in your PJs. was part of a Dow Jones VentureWire webinar last week titled Negotiating An Angel Deal: What Angels, Entrepreneurs & VCs Need to Know. Labels: Angel Investors , fundraising , term sheets , venture capital , venture financing.

Term Sheet 32

Term Sheet Angel Investor San Jose Venture Capital 32

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 15, 2011

Startups now understand what they should be doing in their early formative days is search for a business model. The process they use to guide that search is "Customer Development" ; and to track their progress startups now have a scorecard to document their week-by-week changes – the business model canvas.

Silicon Valley 118

Silicon Valley Startup Early Stage Business Model 118

Professor VC

NOVEMBER 19, 2009

The last blogger in Silicon Valley. I attended the annual LP meeting for a venture capital firm this week and got into a discussion about the above question. While Silicon Valley covers a large amount of turf, it is very small. The Most Important Venture Capital Statistic. ProfessorVC.

San Jose 43

San Jose Silicon Valley Las Vegas Venture Capital 43

Professor VC

SEPTEMBER 16, 2010

The last blogger in Silicon Valley. The Most Important Venture Capital Statistic. CFO's - More Guardian, Less Angel? What does it take to be an Angel Investor? I am an active angel investor and on the board of Sand Hill Angels. Venture News. ProfessorVC. ► July.

Technical Review 38

Technical Review San Jose Angel Investor Silicon Valley 38

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 13, 2011

Reinventing the board meeting may offer venture-backed startups a more efficient, productive way to direct and measure their search for a profitable business model. Silicon Valley, New York). The combination of Venture Capital and technology startups is only about 50 years old. Here's how.

Silicon Valley 117

Silicon Valley Balance Sheet Metrics Early Stage 117

Professor VC

APRIL 7, 2011

The last blogger in Silicon Valley. I thought about doing this in a top 10 format, but will limit to my top 3 reasons: Misalignment of incentives - As an angel investor I want to do everything I can to help the entrepreneur succeed. The Most Important Venture Capital Statistic. Venture News.

San Jose 36

San Jose Technical Review Angel Investor Valuation 36

www.vccafe.com

MARCH 11, 2013

Venture Capital Cafe > Startup Resources (Updated Mar 2013). Boilerplate Venture Funding Documents. National Venture Capital Association â?? model legal documents. Fenwick & West Seed Investment Standard Forms, used by most angels. TechStars Model Seed Funding Documents â?? VC Experts.

Software Review 53

Software Review Technical Review Startup 53

Professor VC

JANUARY 17, 2008

The last blogger in Silicon Valley. Touched by an Angel. I think the title of this post is a TV show, but fitting as there has been much debate in the venture community as to the whether angel investors are good or bad for entrepreneurs and VCs. What would the VC corollary to Touched by an Angel, be.

Pre-Money Valuation 28

Pre-Money Valuation Angel Investor Angel Groups Valuation 28

Professor VC

DECEMBER 18, 2008

The last blogger in Silicon Valley. Some result from years of work and/or education while others are a result of trying to identify a unique solution to a consumer or business problem. We recently had our Neat Ideas Fair, which is my favorite annual event of our Silicon Valley Center for Entrepreneurship at SJSU.

San Jose 28

San Jose Silicon Valley Technical Review Angel Investor 28

Professor VC

OCTOBER 11, 2010

The last blogger in Silicon Valley. The Most Important Venture Capital Statistic. CFO's - More Guardian, Less Angel? What does it take to be an Angel Investor? I am an active angel investor and on the board of Sand Hill Angels. Venture News. ProfessorVC. ► July.

Social Network 28

Social Network Networking Software Review San Jose 28

Professor VC

JANUARY 27, 2008

The last blogger in Silicon Valley. During the next four months, we will examine over a dozen entrepreneurial ventures from a diverse mix of industries - technology, service, food & beverage, and fashion. There used to be a fairly standard career path in the venture capital industry. ProfessorVC. Steve Bennet.

San Jose 28

San Jose Technical Review Angel Investor Venture Capital 28

Up and Running

MAY 28, 2015

I’m in my seventh year now as a leader and an angel investment group where we just announced an investment last Thursday, and I’m very familiar with how this works for angel investors. Tell your angel investors a story about need. Depending on who the investors are, some want more, some want less.

Lean 60

Lean Business Plan Video Software Review 60

Professor VC

NOVEMBER 13, 2008

The last blogger in Silicon Valley. This got me thinking about the business model that Mike Keiser has built at the resort and a lecture began to form in my head. cant wait to go back, which is clearly goal #1 in the list of critical success factors if anyone is still following the business model tangent.

Oregon 28

Oregon San Jose Angel Investor Silicon Valley 28

Professor VC

APRIL 11, 2008

The last blogger in Silicon Valley. Not to worry, I was busy working on closing the Series B financing for iControl Networks. Labels: CFO , home security , M and A , venture capital , venture financing. The Most Important Venture Capital Statistic. CFO's - More Guardian, Less Angel?

San Jose 28

San Jose Angel Investor Venture Capital Balance Sheet 28