Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 25, 2016

It says that selling an airplane ticket for $500 and getting paid a $5 fees by the airlines (1% gross margin) is not the same thing as selling $500 of software that you built (>90% gross margin). Sam did all this analysis before even deciding to build V1 of his software and before we put serious money behind him launching.

Startup 150

Startup Seed Money DC Software Review 150

Duct Tape Marketing

JUNE 13, 2024

She notes that comprehensive and in-depth reviews help agencies differentiate themselves and build trust with potential clients. If somebody was asking you how Clutch was different, I mean, how do you differentiate Clutch from kind of this growing space? It's one of the reasons I love working in a business model.

Technical Review 53

Technical Review Software Review B2B Demand 53

View from Seed

AUGUST 17, 2021

You’ll never have the staying power to commit when things get tough or to get really good and build real differentiation if you just keep jumping to the next new thing. But the general idea is that for software driven businesses, traction can create unpredictable upside that is hard to account for but should not be ignored.

IRR 206

IRR Dilution Founder Portfolio 206

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

Hearpreneur

JANUARY 8, 2023

If you're not set up to give employees remote work, now is the moment to invest in software and technology. 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!

Artificial Inteligence 124

Artificial Inteligence Technical Review Entrepreneur Forecast 124

Start Up Blog

APRIL 11, 2019

Gigs with Benefits: The gig economy will evolve from its current exploitative business model. Public and Private Transport Morph: The two forms of transport will continue its trajectory to differentiate from each other. Personal Operating Systems Will Arrive: Software systems will organise our personal lives.

Software Review 91

Software Review Technical Review Artificial Inteligence Non-Compete 91

View from Seed

AUGUST 17, 2021

You’ll never have the staying power to commit when things get tough or to get really good and build real differentiation if you just keep jumping to the next new thing. But the general idea is that for software driven businesses, traction can create unpredictable upside that is hard to account for but should not be ignored.

IRR 156

IRR Dilution Founder Portfolio 156

Austin Startup

OCTOBER 15, 2017

What seems to be the best way to create customers and revenue may result in a business model that is out of vogue with the investment world and shortchanges you on enterprise valuation. But, it is likely the major differentiator between a win and a loss whether you are selling B2B or B2C. No further conversations ensued.

Technical Review 48

Technical Review Software Review Nevada Silicon Valley 48

View from Seed

AUGUST 17, 2021

You’ll never have the staying power to commit when things get tough or to get really good and build real differentiation if you just keep jumping to the next new thing. But the general idea is that for software driven businesses, traction can create unpredictable upside that is hard to account for but should not be ignored.

IRR 136

IRR Dilution Founder Portfolio 136

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 16, 2011

Freshdesk First, Girish Mathrubootham from Chennai, India, pitched Freshdesk , a SaaS company that provides small and medium businesses with on-demand customer support software that offers multi-channel social support. The company already has paying customers and a validated business model.

India 123

India Bootstrapping Non-Compete Entrepreneur 123

Steve Blank

JANUARY 6, 2014

For the last 75 years products (both durable goods and software) were built via Waterfall development. This process forced companies to release and launch products by model years, and market new and “improved” versions. When customers purchased a product they understood that they were buying this year’s model.

Continuous Deployment 331

Continuous Deployment Customer Agile Cloud 331

ReadWriteStart

JULY 20, 2023

Within the tech community, a pertinent question is being raised – why aren’t software companies more profitable? Despite the allure of high-margin recurring revenue, many smaller firms that sell software products are struggling to demonstrate sustainable profitability. Startup success is not a one-size-fits-all equation.

IPO 107

IPO Startup Initial Public Offering eCommerce 107

ReadWriteStart

MARCH 8, 2016

But even hotter, according to new data from mutual fund filings and Dow Jones VentureSource, are proprietary big data software startups. Much of the investor concern over Hortonworks ‘ valuation remains a persistent concern that the company’s pure-play open source business model doesn’t work. Its reward?

Software 60

Software Open Source Valuation Analytics 60

Duct Tape Marketing

MAY 18, 2023

07:00] How do you differentiate your content based on somebody who is in a potential buying situation? [09:42] 09:42] Was there a point in time when you decided to use newsletters to fit your business model or you started it as a normal standard digital marketing tactic? [11:10] What’s your editorial strategy? [07:00]

ChatGPT 90

ChatGPT Advertising Email Viral 90

Hearpreneur

JANUARY 1, 2023

Reassess all the differentials based on demand, always prioritizing products and services with greater profitability and better cash generation. The businesses should find the most profitable revenue channels using unit economics, then guard both the revenue sources and the profits they produce. 13- Monitor macroeconomic changes.

Entrepreneur 97

Entrepreneur Software Review Technical Review Revenue 97

David Teten

APRIL 1, 2021

This typically includes: Relationships with relevant service providers in your vertical, often with pre-negotiated discounts: coaches, lawyers, accountants, common software vendors, consultants. A true industry luminary will help in deal flow & differentiation . For negotiation with providers, consider Buyer.co.

Private Equity 78

Private Equity Venture Capital Portfolio Equity 78

Duct Tape Marketing

APRIL 6, 2022

You know, could you look at my business plan? See if the business model works, all these questions. Or are you happy to run just the local restaurant that is differentiator. So you are your, your business model. How do you differentiate yourself? So they're like, captain, can you help me?

San Francisco 96

San Francisco Technical Review Incubator Silicon Valley 96

Duct Tape Marketing

NOVEMBER 2, 2023

07:11] With so many tools claiming the same space, how does Databox differentiate itself? [08:43] This company, databox, is a business analytics software company that helps companies monitor, report, predict, and improve their entire company's performance in one's spot. What’s your take on that? [09:55] Yes, exactly.

Metrics 72

Metrics Analytics Forecast Software Review 72

Duct Tape Marketing

JANUARY 4, 2024

Maybe explain how you differentiate your content based on maybe where somebody is in a potential buying situation. Was there a point in time where you said, I'm going to go all in on newsletter, this is how it's going to fit my business model? John (06:53): Yeah. What would Jerry say? Russell (07:08): Yeah.

Revenue 76

Revenue Advertising Email ChatGPT 76

Up and Running

MAY 23, 2016

Since the term “cloud computing” was coined in 1996—at least as we have come to understand its meaning—the software as a service industry has exploded. The one-page pitch format is also more suitable for SaaS businesses that are constantly testing new ideas. I started UpKeep after seeing and using traditional enterprise software.

Software Review 74

Software Review Software Delaware Forecast 74

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 15, 2008

But by taking advantage of open source, agile software, and iterative development, lean startups can operate with much less waste. I am heavily indebted to earlier theorists, and highly recommend the books Lean Thinking and Lean Software Development. Of course, many startups are capital efficient and generally frugal. No more, no less.

Lean 168

Lean San Francisco Startup Continuous Deployment 168

Entrepreneurs-Journey.com by Yaro Starak

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

You can check out part one of this series here: Part 1: Which Is The Best Business Model For Your Startup – B2B Or B2C? B2B” – means that you are selling a product or service to other businesses. In selling terms, selling a commodity is exceedingly difficult and it is very hard to differentiate from the competition.

B2B 105

B2B Business Model B2C Agile 105

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 21, 2013

Bill Gates started producing software solutions, like his Basic Interpreter and MS DOS, but quickly focused on adding thousands of small partners for applications, and major partners like IBM, Intel, and other hardware manufacturers. An example of a startup which used non-organic growth early and effectively was Microsoft.

Merger 243

Merger Acquisition Startup Bandwidth 243

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 20, 2012

A business plan is a detailed description of your business, with a bit of product description thrown in near the front. A simple differentiation is that a product plan is designed for internal use, to get the product out. For software, websites, and high-tech products, this is the “meat” of what you intend to build.

Product 230

Product Business Plan Differentiation Business Model 230

Reid Hoffman

MARCH 7, 2019

Microsoft had one of the strongest monopolies in history on desktop software, but it couldn’t block the rise of iOS and Android on mobile phones. To blitzscale successfully, you need a differentiated hypothesis about the market. Moreover, innovation and the emergence of new markets renders even the strongest monopoly moot.

Silicon Valley 46

Silicon Valley Acquisition Mobile Early Stage 46

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

NOVEMBER 17, 2012

Bill Gates started producing software solutions, like his Basic Interpreter and MS DOS, but quickly focused on adding thousands of small partners for applications, and major partners like IBM and other hardware manufacturers. Entrepreneurs, while partnering with or acquiring a new business, must check for compatibility and strategic fit.

Entrepreneur 249

Entrepreneur Merger Bandwidth Acquisition 249

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2011

A business plan is a detailed description of your business, with a bit of product description thrown in near the front. A simple differentiation is that a product plan is designed for internal use, to get the product out. For software, websites, and high-tech products, this is the “meat” of what you intend to build.

Business Plan 234

Business Plan Product Entrepreneur Differentiation 234

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

Bill Gates started producing software solutions, like his Basic Interpreter and MS DOS, but quickly focused on adding thousands of small partners for applications, and major partners like IBM and other hardware manufacturers. Entrepreneurs, while partnering with or acquiring a new business, must check for compatibility and strategic fit.

Startup 232

Startup Merger Bandwidth Acquisition 232

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2015

Yet a creative and skilled team will often find that non-organic growth techniques can better leverage these limited resources in scaling the business. 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.

Merger 120

Merger Acquisition Differentiation Channel 120

The Equity Kicker

AUGUST 28, 2012

IBM has just announced the acquisition of social recruitment business Kenexa for $1.3bn, the latest of a string of ‘social’ enterprise software businesses to be acquired this year. The first major acquisition of a social business was Salesforce’s acquisition of Radian6 for $326m nearly 18 months ago.

Acquisition 94

Acquisition Vertical eCommerce Flash 94

Version One Ventures

SEPTEMBER 12, 2023

The most powerful disruptions occur when a technology disruption and a business model disruption go hand in hand. This ‘double disruption’ forces incumbents to get up to speed with a new technology and a new business model at the same time. It was suddenly free for consumers to access content and software products.

Business Model 126

Business Model Technology Differentiation Software 126

Gust

AUGUST 12, 2012

A business plan is a detailed description of your business, with a bit of product description thrown in near the front. A simple differentiation is that a product plan is designed for internal use, to get the product out. For software, websites, and high-tech products, this is the “meat” of what you intend to build.

Product 150

Product Business Plan Differentiation Business Model 150

Hippoland

AUGUST 16, 2018

Unless you have a differentiated angle / approach to the problem AND/OR significant traction, an investor won’t be able to understand why you stand out and why to back your horse instead of someone else’s. Note: by differentiation, I’m not talking about product or feature differentiation but outcome differentiation.

Sales Cycle 54

Sales Cycle Differentiation Early Stage Bootstrapping 54

Up and Running

JANUARY 24, 2014

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 138

Sweat Equity Churn Rate Forecast Business Model 138

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 26, 2010

Bill Gates started producing software solutions, like his Basic Interpreter and MS DOS, but quickly focused on adding thousands of small partners for applications, and major partners like IBM and other hardware manufacturers. Entrepreneurs, while partnering with or acquiring a new business, must check for compatibility and strategic fit.

Acquisition 214

Acquisition Merger Startup Bandwidth 214

Hippoland

AUGUST 16, 2018

Unless you have a differentiated angle / approach to the problem AND/OR significant traction, an investor won’t be able to understand why you stand out and why to back your horse instead of someone else’s. Note: by differentiation, I’m not talking about product or feature differentiation but outcome differentiation.

Sales Cycle 48

Sales Cycle Differentiation Early Stage Bootstrapping 48