Steve Blank

JANUARY 22, 2014

Part 2: Early-stage Regional Venture Funds. Success depends on finding startups that have identified acute customer pains in large markets where conditions are ripe for a new entrant. as a distribution channel have vastly reduced the amount of capital a startup needs at the early stage when the risk is greatest.

Early Stage 286

Early Stage Silicon Valley Oregon Technical Review 286

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2018

The resulting delays can give your competitors an edge, or the market requirements can change before you get the funding you need. Phase III is all about helping you take your innovation to market, or commercialize it. Experts are available to help, but fees are high.

Early Stage 225

Early Stage SBIR Technical Review Seed Stage 225

View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

Welcome to the first installment of the NextView Ventures Early Stage Startup Guides. Every stage of building a company comes with a certain set of challenges, and we have written a lot of content around the earliest set of challenges. The first guide we are releasing is around product. Download guide today. Click to download.

Early Stage 308

Early Stage Product Startup Hiring 308

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

Should I trust my instincts for founders and products or should I be more focused on the market size or business plan? There is one source I never liked and no early-stage VC should – investment bankers. What price? With which other investors? Should I focus on geographies or industries? Big difference.].

Early Stage 361

Early Stage Deal Flow Investment Bankers Technical Review 361

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2021

If you need funding for these early stage activities, I have some suggestions on better strategies to follow. In this context, there are at least six stages often included in the scope of R&D to narrow your focus: Search for new technologies. Specialized VCs start to jump in at this stage. Business commercialization.

Early Stage 412

Early Stage Angel Investor Incubator Government 412

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

Should I trust my instincts for founders and products or should I be more focused on the market size or business plan? But I think there is a down side that I see in startups that raise artificially at prices above what a normal market might value. What price? With which other investors? Should I focus on geographies or industries?

Deal Flow 347

Deal Flow Early Stage Investment Bankers Technical Review 347

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 27, 2018

Investing has always (and will always) come with a long laundry list of liabilities that can deter even the most experienced investors from making a generous contribution to a startup or early-stage company they believe in. Evaluate the marketing and monetization strategies set in place.

Early Stage 111

Early Stage Cofounder Startup Security 111

TechEmpower

AUGUST 7, 2023

Getting something to market and getting funding override any other concerns. That’s why the CTO’s attention is on programming for the earliest stage. Hiring a hands-on lead developer might seem like the right move for an early stage startup. But be careful, and mind the gap – the Founder-Developer Gap, that is!

CTO Hire 260

CTO Hire Fractional CTO Fractional VPE Developer 260

Steve Blank

JANUARY 17, 2023

Three types of organizations – Incubators, Accelerators and Venture Studios – have emerged to reduce the risk of early-stage startup failure by helping teams find product/market fit and raise initial capital. They do the most to de-risk the early stages of a startup. Reducing Startup Risk.

Technical Cofounder 346

Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 346

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 7, 2023

He illustrated his talk with regulatory horror stories in the telecom market , electronic health records , and Covid antigen tests. Unfortunately, for startups entering a regulated market following this advice this might not be the optimum path. But regulated markets are different. Regulation What’s regulatory capture?

Washington 271

Washington Government Silicon Valley Marketing 271

The Startup Magazine

JANUARY 31, 2022

When you’re in the early stages of your startup, it can be difficult to find funds or validate spending money on marketing and advertising or to even find the time to plan out your organic marketing strategies. The marketing world is ever-evolving and always growing. But first, what is Organic Digital Marketing? .

Social Media 115

Social Media Marketing Early Stage Metadata 115

VC Cafe

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

Seed is about showing initial product market fit. Below are just a few contributors to the rise of pre-seed in the current market: Explosion of Micro funds – In recent years, there’s been a steep increase in the number of micro funds, which are generally below $100M in size. who’s talking to customers?)

Valuation 186

Valuation Generative AI Software Review Technical Review 186

TechEmpower

JULY 24, 2023

Still, if you’re a business leader and your developers haven’t asked you these questions, look for a Fractional CTO to help navigate the critical early stage of development. How will you be taking this to market? Often this ties to marketing support. How can we leverage AI to get our product to market faster?

Developer 520

Developer Technical Review CTO Hire Fractional CTO 520

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 11, 2023

I will tell you brief details about seed stage funding, and deal sourcing on this page, so read the conclusion until the end. The following is a condensed explanation of seed funding: Seed money is a form of early-stage financing that new businesses receive from investors in exchange for a share of ownership in the company.

Seed Stage 119

Seed Stage Technical Review Early Stage Due Diligence 119

Duct Tape Marketing

JANUARY 19, 2024

The Top 5 Episodes of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast in 2023 written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing 2023 was a year of remarkable growth for the marketing industry. Despite not going to university, Ash became a serial tech founder and the first marketing director of a unicorn startup – Just Eat).

Fractional CTO 76

Fractional CTO CTO Hire Technical Review Marketing 76

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2021

Early-stage ideas fall in the same category. So what do investors look for in qualifying you for that million dollars you need to take your invention from your garage to the market? Experts and market research agree you are first. Early adopters are not a big market. Don’t get me wrong.

Technical Review 391

Technical Review Intellectual Property Early Stage Global 391

David Teten

DECEMBER 12, 2017

As a globally focused LP in early stage VC funds, we at Blue Future Partners have observed a growing trend of firms investing substantially in software tools, whether developing proprietary solutions or adopting off the shelf tools. But what tools are they using themselves to automate their own processes?

Early Stage 60

Early Stage Technical Review Software Review Venture Capital 60

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 20, 2011

In high technology, this is called “release early and iterate,” which allows you to make corrections as you go, as well as adjust for the market changes. It also shows progress to early backers. Look for ways to get some traction with a minimal product, while you are still developing the main event.

Early Stage 247

Early Stage Technical Review Elevator Pitch Due Diligence 247

The Startup Magazine

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

In this exploration, we’re diving deep into how venture capital firms like Steve Streit’s SWS Venture Capital are broadening their horizons, not just dabbling but deeply investing in both early and late-stage opportunities. The strategic importance of late-stage investments cannot be overstated.

Venture Capital 119

Venture Capital Technical Review Due Diligence Early Stage 119

The Equity Kicker

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

I’ve been a venture capitalist since the first internet bubble and what I’ve learned is that it’s hard to assess investment opportunities unless you have a thorough understanding of the company’s product and market and unless you’ve spent some serious time doing due diligence on the business.

Early Stage 119

Early Stage Development Team Review Technical Review Software Review 119

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Nevertheless, it’s an option that doesn’t cost you equity. Solicit funds from friends and family.

Intellectual Property 341

Intellectual Property Technical Review Startup Bootstrapping 341

Austin Startup

NOVEMBER 29, 2017

It follows up on my posts discussing why early stage startups should — or should not — move to Silicon Valley. Should Early Stage Startups Move to Austin because of Customers? Early adopters, especially those who are willing to pay for novel services, are the lifeblood of lean startups.

Early Stage 54

Early Stage Austin Silicon Valley San Antonio 54

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 13, 2017

Issues such as lack of managerial experience, and a weak marketing strategy – or bad timing – are often identified as reasons for failure. Who are my key competitors, what is their market share and how does my product distinguish itself? Only one in ten startups succeed. Will it disrupt an industry/sector?

Early Stage 62

Early Stage Silicon Valley Thailand Incubator 62

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 16, 2022

They couldn’t possibly understand the new social media culture, new technologies, or have the determination to beat their younger counterparts in the market. Pew says the Boomer demographic is the largest mainstream pool of experienced talent in the market today, and will be for the foreseeable future.

Advisory Board 368

Advisory Board Dividend Angel Investor Cofounder 368

ReadWriteStart

MARCH 3, 2021

Still, you need to find some way to pull your company out of this early-stage quicksand. You’ll build momentum with marketing, advertising, sales, and other strategies optimized for quick, self-sustaining growth. In some situations, that renders the marketing budget exhausted from the start. Content Marketing.

Early Stage 125

Early Stage PPC Retention Churn Rate 125

YoungUpstarts

MAY 1, 2020

Given that mindset, it’s only natural that most entrepreneurs jump at the first chance they get to secure early-stage startup funding. Most startups will need a viable product and proof of credibility before they can expect early-stage investors to really bite. Test the investor market.

Early Stage 149

Early Stage Security Angel Investor Lead Investor 149

VC Cafe

JUNE 10, 2022

The market correction has come for series A and seed startups. For the past few week I’ve been sharing here the impact of the current downturn that started in the public markets on startups and venture capital. Until now, early stage startups were relatively unaffected. How frozen are venture markets right now?

Valuation 151

Valuation Marketing Venture Capital 151

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2022

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Set expectations accordingly. Solicit funds from friends and family.

Intellectual Property 261

Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator Bootstrapping 261

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 1, 2023

As an early-stage company that just closed our seed round at $8.1 So what does an early-stage company do to avoid the doom and gloom plaguing the world of startups? Be honest with yourself VCs are now going to be looking closer at margins, cost structures and true sales, and product market fit. That includes us.

Early Stage 105

Early Stage Los Angeles Silicon Valley Cofounder 105

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2022

The key elements of leadership in a company, both individual and organizational, are less tangible, but very critical in setting a market value for investment, acquisition, or going public. Every business and brand has unique requirements to fit into their market environment. Leadership brand development.

Technical Review 323

Technical Review Due Diligence Valuation Leadership 323

Hunter Walker

MAY 13, 2023

Especially in the early days of mobile/iOS engineering, if you hired strong technical talent into your early stage company, you basically created an acquisition outcome floor. Those who do, often believe they can hire from the open market without the hassle of an acquisition. Not in today’s market conditions.

Early Stage 117

Early Stage Cap Table Acquisition Sales 117

Up and Running

APRIL 12, 2018

In the excitement to develop a product and push it to market, an entrepreneur may overlook paying all of the necessary state and federal taxes, filing licensing paperwork and paying the appropriate fees to do so, and more. Look at the market and your competition. Knowing your place in the market can help you decide your next move.

Forecast 77

Forecast Early Stage Software Review Technical Review 77

ConversionXL

JANUARY 18, 2022

In 2018, after two short years and $3 million raised in startup funds, recruitment AI company Ansaro shut down due to bad market fit. Muun found a market need but failed to compete with bigger names that provided customers with authoritative content and resources. Both companies suffered from a fatal lack of marketing.

Marketing 110

Marketing Product Audience Equity 110

Up and Running

DECEMBER 17, 2020

Is there a well-defined, sustainable market for your product? And one question that many startups overlook at the early stages of formulating their business plans: do you have a well-reasoned, effective, and budget-savvy marketing plan? Marketing Is a distinct business function. Marketing is one such function.

Marketing 142

Marketing Technical Review SEO Hosting 142

ConversionXL

APRIL 28, 2021

We stopped requiring users to provide an email address upon signing up—which ultimately meant that we ditched our email marketing efforts altogether. In the time since we decided to stop our email marketing, our business has grown exponentially. If I’m being honest, our user base was growing rapidly with email marketing.

Email 151

Email Product Marketing Cofounder 151

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 30, 2022

In fact, it’s all about the “focus” required to get early stage technology products across the deadly chasm from early adopters to mainstream customers. There are other chasms out there just as deadly as the technology one, such as the ones below: Market requirements chasm. Marketing and sales chasm.

Technical Review 375

Technical Review Startup Dilution Early Stage 375

Up and Running

OCTOBER 13, 2021

During the last few years, marketers have turned toward more personalized experiences to win customers over. What is personalized marketing? Personalized marketing is when a business delivers individualized content to current and prospective customers. Why is personalized marketing effective?

Customer 118

Customer Marketing Artificial Inteligence Technical Review 118