Cracking the Code

FEBRUARY 12, 2007

Thoughts from a Venture Capitalist on Software, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Cloud Computing, Internet and more. Cloud Computing. (1). Unveilling of the Bessemer's 10 laws of Cloud Comp. Impact of the recession on SaaS Sales&Marketing pr. Cracking The Code. Monday, February 12, 2007. SaaS 13 Index Valuation.

Software Review 48

Software Review SEM Marketing Las Vegas 48

Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 17, 2010

Take a look and let me know what you think. Expo New York New York, NY Nov 19 The Lean Startup at MIT Boston, MA Nov 20 Lunch workshop at Dogpatch Labs Boston, MA Dec 17 Lean Startup Cohort program begins San Francisco, CA KISSmetrics KISSmetrics is loading. Take a look and let me know what you think.

San Francisco 107

San Francisco Romania Cleveland South Africa 107

Startup Lessons Learned

FEBRUARY 8, 2010

This "success theater" is occasionally useful for PR or getting through a tough board meeting. This "success theater" is occasionally useful for PR or getting through a tough board meeting. Once again, we revisit the topic of Actionable metrics and their nemesis: Vanity metrics. But how do we know which metrics to look at?

Metrics 121

Metrics San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment 121

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 4, 2010

The higher the vanity ratio, the more effective the PR. It helps companies with PR. And companies crave positive PR and control over their message – all for rational reasons. The higher the vanity ratio, the more effective the PR. It helps companies with PR. It sells newspapers and magazines.

San Francisco 167

San Francisco Lean PR Metrics 167

Startup Lessons Learned

MARCH 4, 2009

In a startup, these channels of communication are critical to understand for advertising, launch and PR purposes. In particular, Ive focused on the two channels of communication that were most commonly suggested in the first survey: conferences and books. Take a look and let me know what you think. Take a look and let me know what you think.

San Francisco 68

San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment DC 68

ConversionXL

OCTOBER 14, 2021

For example, as some of the largest providers of cloud computing (Microsoft, Google) experience an increase in market share, we all see a significant decline in competitors’ share: Image source. Mistakes, scandals and bad PR happen, and they can influence results drastically in the short term, as can positive events such as going viral.

Metrics 157

Metrics Marketing Campaign Audience 157

Babbling VC

MAY 13, 2010

Finally, folks from outside of Germany are making the trek to attend this show (if ash clouds aren’t setting their travel plans askew). Even the governments are doing their part, like it or not, as is the case in France and Germany. Basically everyone is moving their product to “the cloud”. Hey, even the wireless was good.

Europe 67

Europe Germany Greece Private Equity 67

Startup Lessons Learned

MARCH 13, 2009

Announce a new product, start its PR campaign, and engage in buzz marketing activities. Even if you must launch to your customers, avoid the urge to also launch in extra places, just because your PR firm can do it at the same time. If you are having trouble raising money, sometimes a little PR can help. Help you raise money.

San Francisco 168

San Francisco PR Lean Early Stage 168

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 7, 2008

This is completely analogous to the situation elsewhere on the internet, where launching a new website, product, or service with PR is getting harder and harder. On the web, we have many of these channels: SEM, SEO, world of mouth, PR and viral. Dont do PR upfront, dont put out a press release. My advice: dont launch big.

San Francisco 68

San Francisco Lean Retention SEM 68

Startup Lessons Learned

FEBRUARY 24, 2009

What happened when we got early press (circa 2004) in violation of our own no-PR rule. We actually lived this situation, and got to validate this answer: a process of rapid iteration can beat massive strategic investments from a big competitor. I especially enjoyed the discussion of the power of fact-based decision making.

Lean 74

Lean San Francisco Continuous Deployment DC 74

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 9, 2009

We go to mixers, buy fancy offices, focus on PR, and try to one-up each other. Is it really worthwhile spending time and money trying to impress each other with our supposed successes, especially in a business where real feedback can take five or ten years? I think its wasteful. In time, success will come.

San Francisco 94

San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment DC 94

Startup Lessons Learned

MARCH 27, 2009

Journalists, PR firms, investors, and the public at large love a scrappy come-from-behind story about two guys in a garage who figured out how to take down Goliath. Some aspects of the vision remain, but often in a significantly modified form. But the story usually features visionary protagonists who had it figured out from the start.

San Francisco 117

San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment DC 117

mashable.com

SEPTEMBER 12, 2011

After all, high-quality open source software is free, the cloud makes computer power far less expensive, and anyone with an Internet connection can learn Ruby and CSS. And no matter what the latest trends indicate, you will eventually have to spend money on PR and marketing. million in venture financing. Thanks for the great post!

Startup 79

Startup Social Media RSS Social Network 79

Startup Lessons Learned

FEBRUARY 22, 2010

Engineers are offenders in this category too, but so is any gender-segregated activity, like an all-female PR or marketing team. Engineers are offenders in this category too, but so is any gender-segregated activity, like an all-female PR or marketing team. Diversity is not the only requirement for making good group decisions.

San Francisco 167

San Francisco Lean Sweden Continuous Deployment 167

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 13, 2010

Even worse, entrepreneurs are faced with a constant barrage of vanity metrics from competitors and other companies engaged in PR. That’s what you pay PR firms for: to get an article written that is entirely factual and yet still provides positive spin for your company. The PR firm helpfully left out that context.)

San Francisco 154

San Francisco Metrics Lean PR 154

Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 7, 2010

What the PR stories tend to leave out is that we can get attached to every part of our vision, even the dumb parts. What the PR stories tend to leave out is that we can get attached to every part of our vision, even the dumb parts. Unfortunately, startup success requires getting them all right.

San Francisco 154

San Francisco Lean Metrics Design 154

Startup Lessons Learned

MAY 20, 2011

cindyalvarez Petabytes on a Budget - How to Beat the Big Guys (and Build Cheap Cloud Storage) Gleb Budman. The evening's slate: 20 Ways to Not Build Stuff Cindy Alvarez. Product management and customer development, KISSmetrics. Co-founder, Backblaze. budmang Building Community: Champions, Cheerleaders and Comrades Kimberly Dillon.

Czech Republic 114

Czech Republic Costa Rica Brazil Romania 114

Startup Lessons Learned

DECEMBER 16, 2008

You could try and drive home that positioning with an expensive PR campaign, superbowl ads, and whatnot. So you decide to try to reposition around a different value proposition, one that more closely matches what your product is best at. Take a look and let me know what you think. Take a look and let me know what you think.

Viral 140

Viral San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment 140

Startup Lessons Learned

JANUARY 30, 2009

Launch with a PR blitz, including mentions in major mainstream publications. As with many Silicon Valley failures, a flawless PR launch turned into a flawed customer acquisition strategy. Conduct constant focus groups and usability tests. Build the product in stealth mode to build buzz for the eventual launch.

San Francisco 150

San Francisco Lean Agile Continuous Deployment 150

Startup Lessons Learned

FEBRUARY 12, 2009

Why do you think outsources have been happy to generate all this PR the past few years about people losing their jobs to India? Now your crappy resume and low-grade references become a strength: youre obviously not wasting money on marketing. Take a look and let me know what you think. Take a look and let me know what you think.

San Francisco 89

San Francisco Continuous Deployment Ruby Lean 89

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 11, 2009

Have you personally visited the Content Creator forums and read through the PR thread? When new changes roll out that aren't anticipated or expected - like the whole PR deal that became a PR mess - people PANIC. PR is even worse - last week I did 200 or so and found 10 UFI and AP items available to minors.

Community 158

Community Management Lean Software Review 158