Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 29, 2011

I expect that should seem intuitive to all entrepreneurs, but every investor I know has many stories about startup funding requests with major business model elements missing. I support her assertion that a business model consists of at least the first seven of the following ten basic elements: Value proposition.

Business Model 246

Business Model Distribution Viral Green 246

ReadWriteStart

JANUARY 13, 2024

Moreover, they must prioritize innovation and agility to differentiate themselves from many companies offering similar cybersecurity solutions. Equally important is establishing trust and credibility with customers, investors, and partners, as these relationships will be critical to their overall success and longevity in the industry.

Down Round 154

Down Round Marketing Artificial Inteligence Startup 154

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 24, 2020

A key is your differential advantage from alternatives. Small differentials and more competitors give customers higher leverage. This force adds the concept of “complementors,” and has led to the growth of partners and strategic alliances to balance the competitive environment. Bargaining power of suppliers.

Differentiation 378

Differentiation Framework Equity Business Plan 378

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2023

With pervasive access to social media, customers no longer differentiate poor product repair and replacement from a poor shopping experience or customer usage satisfaction. In reality, many companies now offer a “ clicks and bricks ” business model, with shopping online, and then completing the purchase and support at a physical location.

Differentiation 274

Differentiation Social Media Customer Matching 274

View from Seed

AUGUST 17, 2021

It’s by far the longest time I’ve spent working on any one thing, and I feel very blessed to have been able to work with my partners, colleagues, founders, and collaborators. My partners will tell you that I am an incredibly impatient person. You want someone who will challenge you and be an intellectual sparring partner.

IRR 205

IRR Dilution Founder Portfolio 205

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 20, 2023

Client cost differentials of less than twenty percent are usually not enough to incent change. Resist the urge to expand your offering during early growth with additional products, services, and business models. Focus on a customer pain that your solution satisfies better than any competitor.

Marketing 290

Marketing Leadership Differentiation Equity 290

YoungUpstarts

MAY 13, 2014

by Joshua Conran , senior partner at Deksia . Niche businesses almost always originate from an identifiable need in the marketplace. Finding your niche is a great way to differentiate your business and build a reputation within your industry. Marc Lore and Vinit Bharara did just that with Diapers.com.

Pennsylvania 224

Pennsylvania Retention Differentiation Reputation 224

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2013

Being “lifecycle investment partners” has a downside. Of course there a couple of potential down sides to this movement: As more startups are funded, without the big VCs on the other end, more companies will be looking for growth dollars and may languish trying to differentiate themselves in a crowded, but slow spending, consumer marketplace.

Angel Investor 231

Angel Investor Entrepreneur Early Stage Silicon Valley 231

View from Seed

AUGUST 17, 2021

It’s by far the longest time I’ve spent working on any one thing, and I feel very blessed to have been able to work with my partners, colleagues, founders, and collaborators. My partners will tell you that I am an incredibly impatient person. You want someone who will challenge you and be an intellectual sparring partner.

IRR 156

IRR Dilution Founder Portfolio 156

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 20, 2017

by Amanda Setili, author of “ Fearless Growth: The New Rules to Stay Competitive, Foster Innovation, and Dominate Your Markets “ Growth has always been fundamental to business success, but it’s never been more critical than it is now. Do we develop new capabilities internally or partner? Not anymore.

Technical Review 147

Technical Review Malaysia Agile Employee 147

Duct Tape Marketing

NOVEMBER 2, 2023

07:11] With so many tools claiming the same space, how does Databox differentiate itself? [08:43] I should have gotten on the partner train. I started the agency partner program that you passed on and built that up. So it's a billion dollar business at this point. What’s your take on that? [09:55]

Metrics 75

Metrics Analytics Forecast Software Review 75

David Teten

APRIL 1, 2021

Dan Kozikowski, Partner and Head of Platform, First Mark Capital , said to me, “Firms should match services to the stage-specific needs of companies. Relationships with Venture Partners, Entrepreneurs in Residence , and other non-salaried personnel who can help your companies. AskAnything.VC aggregates resources from all the VCs.

Private Equity 78

Private Equity Venture Capital Portfolio Equity 78

View from Seed

AUGUST 17, 2021

It’s by far the longest time I’ve spent working on any one thing, and I feel very blessed to have been able to work with my partners, colleagues, founders, and collaborators. My partners will tell you that I am an incredibly impatient person. You want someone who will challenge you and be an intellectual sparring partner.

IRR 136

IRR Dilution Founder Portfolio 136

Austin Startup

MAY 11, 2017

645 Ventures 645 Ventures makes deeply-researched investments in institutional Seed to Series A rounds for exceptional companies who demonstrate stellar early results in the areas of market validation, product differentiation, team strength, and brand narrative. These sectors generally leverage the Internet or software in a fundamental way.

Private Equity 48

Private Equity Venture Capital Technical Review Seed Stage 48

View from Seed

JULY 19, 2019

And additionally, my partners and I use other, more differentiated, lenses like asking if a startup has an “ unfair distribution advantage.” JDCC stands for “Jaw-Dropping customer value through a Competition-Crushing business model.”. Asking “Is it JDCC?” Go (re)read that post.

Boston 149

Boston B2B Early Stage Portfolio 149

Hearpreneur

JANUARY 8, 2023

However, working with trusted experienced partners is much better. This technology will allow businesses to better understand customer needs, automate processes, and create a more personalized experience. I'm excited to see how this technology will revolutionize the way businesses operate! 14- Business model innovations.

Artificial Inteligence 124

Artificial Inteligence Technical Review Entrepreneur Forecast 124

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2010

Being “lifecycle investment partners” has a downside. Of course there a couple of potential down sides to this movement: As more startups are funded, without the big VCs on the other end, more companies will be looking for growth dollars and may languish trying to differentiate themselves in a crowded, but slow spending, consumer marketplace.

Technical Review 215

Technical Review Early Stage Venture Capital Startup 215

SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 25, 2009

Team – higher requirements for caliber of team members Product – focus on truly differentiated and not me-too Market – is it really big enough to provide investor returns** Traction – need more users, partners, patents, etc Timing – are you building for yesterday or 2 yrs from now?

Business Model 150

Business Model SEM IP Syndicate 150

Duct Tape Marketing

APRIL 6, 2022

Steve is the CEO of Founders Space, one of the world’s leading startup accelerators with over 50 partners in 22 countries. Steve is also the author of Surviving a Startup: Practical Strategies for Starting a Business, Overcoming Obstacles, and Coming Out on Top. You know, could you look at my business plan?

San Francisco 97

San Francisco Technical Review Incubator Silicon Valley 97

Duct Tape Marketing

APRIL 2, 2024

More critically, this model positions your services as a commodity, where the only differentiator becomes your hourly rate. This approach doesn’t just elevate your services; it makes you an indispensable partner in your client’s success. Go beyond transactions to become a trusted partner in their success.

Differentiation 70

Differentiation Partner Product Marketing 70

Growthink Blog

DECEMBER 27, 2017

Carefully describe their strengths and weaknesses, as well as the key drivers of competitive differentiation in the marketplace. In describing the competitive landscape, show how your business model creates competitive advantages, and – more importantly – defensible barriers to entry. market research). Concept vs. reality.

Venture Capital 129

Venture Capital Business Plan Technical Review Private Placement 129

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 11, 2020

Budget can be spent on external partners and agencies or on hiring directly within the company to design the brand. At what point in your business trajectory is it worth revisiting your brand and putting resources into a rebrand? Your business model, target audience, or goals have changed.

Developer 182

Developer PR Differentiation Retention 182

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 31, 2019

Instead of being vague, you need to have a clear business objective and thoroughly define the products and services you’ll be offering in your chosen industry. Apart from your offerings, you also need to determine your business model. Brand differentiation mainly occurs on two fronts: price and quality.

Business Plan 122

Business Plan Startup Differentiation Balance Sheet 122

Steve Blank

APRIL 10, 2009

Reply One difference between VCs and Entrepreneurs « Lightspeed Venture Partners Blog , on April 20, 2009 at 7:06 am Said: [.] I love the way you differentiate. Reply Why Startups are Agile and Opportunistic -- Pivoting the Business Model , on April 14, 2010 at 6:32 am Said: [.]

Silicon Valley 300

Silicon Valley RSS Startup Agile 300

Version One Ventures

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

I’ve done this by surrounding myself with great friends and co-investors at other funds – a handful of them have become my best daily sparring partners (outside of Boris and Leah at V1). We all know it’s important to differentiate ourselves individually and not just as a fund. Pay it forward. Build a personal brand.

Cofounder 182

Cofounder Portfolio Capital Gains Vertical 182

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 21, 2013

Non-organic growth would include OEM relationships, finding strategic partners, “coopetition,” as well as acquisitions. Some people feel that organic growth is “better” because it requires real innovation and sustained effort to create long-term competitive advantage through differentiation and efficiency. Fresh customer base.

Merger 243

Merger Acquisition Startup Bandwidth 243

Steve Blank

MARCH 5, 2012

One of the confusing things to entrepreneurs, investors and educators is the relationship between customer development and business model design and business planning and execution. When does a new venture focus on customer development and business models ? Here’s an attempt to put this all in context.

Search 320

Search Business Model Customer Development Agile 320

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 17, 2012

Non-organic growth would include OEM relationships, finding strategic partners, “coopetition,” as well as acquisitions. Some people feel that organic growth is “better” because it requires real innovation and sustained effort to create long-term competitive advantage through differentiation and efficiency. Fresh customer base.

Entrepreneur 249

Entrepreneur Merger Bandwidth Acquisition 249

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2014

Building successful businesses still requires the ability to find and inspire the best people who “have what you haven''t,” whether that be skills, knowledge, connections, or funding. Then you must extend these alliances to vendors, partners, customers, and even competitors (coopetition). Going the extra mile. Applied faith.

Angel Investor 260

Angel Investor Differentiation Business Model Entrepreneur 260

Up and Running

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

Outline your business model. Your business model tells an investor how your idea will (or does) convert into being economically viable. The best way to show you how to communicate your business model is to show you an example of a good one. Your business model should answer the questions: What do you sell?

Sweat Equity 122

Sweat Equity Churn Rate Elevator Pitch Forecast 122

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

I believe that the resourcefulness to turn constraints into competitive differentiators and new opportunities is a trait that separates the great entrepreneurs from the “wannabes.” Find partners to complement your strengths. If you have a great product and need customers, find a partner with many customers who needs a new product.

Startup 120

Startup Venture Capital Differentiation Business Model 120

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 1, 2017

In this variation on the free model, used by LinkedIn and many other online and app offerings, the basic function is free, but premium services are only available for an additional fee. This also requires a base critical mass, and real work to differentiate and convert users to paying customers.

Revenue 166

Revenue Affiliate Advertising Retention 166

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2013

A key is your differential advantage from alternatives. Small differentials and more competitors give customers higher leverage. This force adds the concept of “complementors,” and has led to the growth of partners and strategic alliances to balance the competitive environment. Bargaining power of suppliers.

Framework 200

Framework Startup Differentiation Equity 200

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 25, 2012

A key is your differential advantage from alternatives. Small differentials and more competitors give customers higher leverage. This force adds the concept of complementors, and has led to the growth of partners and strategic alliances to balance the competitive environment. Bargaining power of suppliers.

Differentiation 235

Differentiation Framework Equity Business Plan 235

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

Non-organic growth would include OEM relationships, finding strategic partners, “coopetition,” as well as acquisitions. Some people feel that organic growth is “better” because it requires real innovation and sustained effort to create long-term competitive advantage through differentiation and efficiency. Fresh customer base.

Startup 232

Startup Merger Bandwidth Acquisition 232

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2015

Non-organic growth would include OEM relationships, finding strategic partners, “coopetition,” as well as acquisitions. Some people feel that organic growth is “better” because it requires real innovation and sustained effort to create long-term competitive advantage through differentiation and efficiency. Fresh customer base.

Merger 120

Merger Acquisition Differentiation Channel 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 29, 2013

This suggests you have lost your passion for the current business model, probably because someone suggested you change from your original concept to make it easier, or to make more money. So you made some bad hiring or partner decisions. I can’t find any investors in this economy.” The people around me are all turkeys.”

Turkey 252

Turkey Startup Bootstrapping Differentiation 252