YoungUpstarts

JUNE 4, 2019

Most early stage startups tend to do well in this area because entrepreneurs generally launch their startups believing they have a great product idea. What does this mean for their early stage investors? Weak revenue architecture poses the greatest near-term risk of failure for most early stage startups.

Framework 127

Framework Architecture Cleveland Early Stage 127

View from Seed

FEBRUARY 9, 2022

You have an edge in the highly competitive world of early stage investing that comes from some combination of your experience, industry knowledge, and personal network. You have an authentic passion for startups and a deep respect for entrepreneurship. You act as an “ invited guest.”. consumer, etc.).

Technical Review 156

Technical Review North America Seed Stage Bandwidth 156

YoungUpstarts

MAY 24, 2019

Most early stage startups tend to do well in this area because entrepreneurs generally launch their startups believing they have a great product idea. What does this mean for their early stage investors? Weak revenue architecture poses the greatest near-term risk of failure for most early stage startups.

Framework 113

Framework Architecture Cleveland Early Stage 113

VC Cafe

SEPTEMBER 2, 2022

This may vary from fund to fund, but in general here is the top level criteria VCs would use to check initial fit: Stage – is the startup raising a round which is within the range of the fund (pre seed, seed, series A, early stage, growth, etc.). Stake – can the fund secure it’s minimum stake in the business?

Technical Review 166

Technical Review Early Stage Cofounder Portfolio 166

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2019

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 is a big gap between people who love to try new technologies, and the rest of us, who tend to be much more “technophobic.”

Technical Review 255

Technical Review Dilution Early Stage Product Development 255

The Startup Magazine

APRIL 14, 2022

While certain aspects of setting up a startup can be exhilarating, especially in the early stages of the business, there are also plenty of bumps along the road, big and small. It is what separates successful entrepreneurs from the rest. The life of an entrepreneur can be exciting and filled with ups and downs. Image Source.

Startup 144

Startup Early Stage Naming Public Relations 144

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 14, 2014

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. It always reduces risk to plan your business first. Set expectations accordingly.

Entrepreneur 283

Entrepreneur Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 283

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2017

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. It always reduces risk to plan your business first. Set expectations accordingly.

Product Development 177

Product Development Cost Developer Product 177

Steve Blank

APRIL 23, 2014

Ventures that are further along and now executing their business model are no longer startups, they are now early-stage companies. Large corporations come to the valley to looking to acquire both startups which are searching for a business model and early-stage companies which are executing.

Acquisition 332

Acquisition Intellectual Property Silicon Valley Startup 332

View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

It occurred to me that although we mentioned our new thematic approach when we raised our last fund in 2017, we haven’t really shared a broader manifesto about how we are approaching the early stage market. It’s been an interesting several years in the early stage venture eco-system, and the sands have shifted considerably.

North America 120

North America Seed Stage Early Stage Lead Investor 120

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2013

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. It always reduces risk to plan your business first. Set expectations accordingly.

Intellectual Property 309

Intellectual Property Technical Review Venture Capital Startup 309

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 12, 2018

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. It always reduces risk to plan your business first. Solicit funds from friends and family.

Intellectual Property 134

Intellectual Property Technical Review Startup Incubator 134

View from Seed

JANUARY 13, 2021

It turns out capital is not a weapon, especially in the early stages of building a business, and even experienced founders who can raise huge sums often realize this and right-size their asks. I see YC as Tiger Woods in his prime, and all the rest of the seed funds are playing to be Phil Mickelson. Consider this a hat tip.

Dilution 399

Dilution Later Stage Portfolio Technical Review 399

Berkonomics

JULY 13, 2017

I would be very, very nervous without testing the product in the market as early as possible, ready to make changes and enhancements before committing to production and release. Few early stage companies have the resources to do both. Do NOT rest until you test. Even with a perfect product, is the market ready for this?

Restful 102

Restful Early Stage Conversion Developer 102

Steve Blank

MAY 29, 2011

But he left to work on what he told me he came to do - crack the innovation code of Silicon Valley and share it with the rest of the world. Max and his partners interviewed and analyzed over 650 early-stage Internet startups. They went to work gathering deep knowledege of what makes successful Internet startups.

Technical Cofounder 333

Technical Cofounder Early Stage Startup Silicon Valley 333

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 28, 2017

A future once at our fingertips now rests at the tips of our tongues. Early stage voice-activated CRMs will consist of a basic integration with well-established virtual assistants such as Amazon Echo, Google Home and Apple HomePod.

Restful 178

Restful Artificial Inteligence Colorado Early Stage 178

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 23, 2019

Early-stage startups might want to consider local opportunities first before plunging into national awards! For instance, these are the London Business Awards available for the rest of 2019: It really is worth checking whether your particularly business sector offers regional or national awards, as these can be very niche!

Technical Review 147

Technical Review Startup Balance Sheet Early Stage 147

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 23, 2017

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 is a big gap between people who love to try new technologies, and the rest of us, who tend to be much more “technophobic.”

Customer 191

Customer Entrepreneur Technical Review Dilution 191

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2015

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. It always reduces risk to plan your business first. Solicit funds from friends and family.

Entrepreneur 120

Entrepreneur Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 120

The Startup Magazine

MAY 22, 2018

Early stage. At this stage, the hiring of employees who are customer focused is paramount. They’ll allow the rest of the staff to focus on other business processes. There are three “shiny objects” that distract most startups in the early stage.

Customer 81

Customer Early Stage Churn Rate Startup 81

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 12, 2015

It is my privilege to work with the next generation’s best and brightest in the early stages of their careers. While leadership partly rests on personality, aptitude and drive, it also rests on ways of thinking and of skills that can be learned. Rejections can be disheartening. Leadership vs. Authority.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Leadership Early Stage Technical Review 100

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 18, 2013

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 is a big gap between people who love to try new technologies, and the rest of us, who tend to be much more “technophobic.”

Entrepreneur 252

Entrepreneur Marketing Technical Review Dilution 252

Steve Blank

JUNE 27, 2017

To compete with Tesla’s direct sales to consumers, GM, Ford, and the rest of the auto industry either have to shut Tesla out of selling directly to consumers or they have to abandon their own dealer networks and sell directly as well. Instead of innovating, most industries being disrupted turn to litigation.

Startup 275

Startup New York City Valuation Distribution 275

Berkonomics

JUNE 29, 2017

The rest of us were shocked and disappointed that after weeks of work and a fair price, we were left with nothing but to follow his lead and disengage. After weeks of negotiation, the entrepreneur suddenly disengaged, claiming that he was no longer interested in a sale of his company.

Early Stage 97

Early Stage Stock Options Stock Audio 97

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 12, 2021

For the rest of us, I’ve accumulated the following additional practical strategies for surviving the scale-up challenges, and making your business profitable and sustainable: Enlist an experienced advisor to project real costs. Build your plan around resources you know. Start networking for funding before the crisis.

Dilution 404

Dilution Incubator Bootstrapping Government 404

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 10, 2012

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 is a big gap between people who love to try new technologies, and the rest of us, who tend to be much more “technophobic.”

Startup 254

Startup Technical Review Dilution Early Stage 254

Version One Ventures

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

As such, Top Hat can provide key lessons for early-stage companies: 1. We’re so proud of the progress you’ve made so far and are looking forward to the rest of your journey in disrupting education. And selling to institutions requires a long sales cycle. They took an innovative approach to distribution.

Vertical 132

Vertical Technical Review Cofounder Sales Cycle 132

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 28, 2010

Yesterday, I met with someone at the early stage of a startup. However, members of the group often post needs out to the rest of the group. Especially for an early-stage startup? He has a great concept with some complexity to it. He was struggling to find high quality developers in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles 167

Los Angeles Web Development Web Developer 167

ReadWriteStart

MARCH 8, 2021

With an effective brand visibility strategy, you can rest assured that brand recognition will be high – and that people will be capable of discovering your brand. . In the early stages of your business’s development, you’re going to notice dead weight. Memorability. But where does the relationship go from there? . Dead Weight.

Startup 127

Startup Retention Acquisition Agile 127

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 25, 2010

I talked about this in my social proof post where I gave some suggestions about how to get the early guys off of the fence. Most early-stage entrepreneurs who have worked with me (either as an angel or as a seed VC) know that I don’t rely at all on the social proof of other investors. When I’m in, I’m in.

Finance 286

Finance Term Sheet Technical Review Warrant 286

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 11, 2022

That approach may work for an entrepreneur who just sold a successful business for a huge profit, but it doesn’t work for the rest of us who are not proven successes yet, or don’t even have a business yet.

Due Diligence 271

Due Diligence Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Preferred Stock 271

Feld Thoughts

MARCH 9, 2023

I believe that boards with too many investors, without operator voices, are not what an early-stage or growth company needs. In addition, 28% of the board placements are for public companies, with the rest being private companies, although eight of those companies have gone public. They come from 25 different U.S.

Curation 162

Curation Early Stage Hosting Portfolio 162

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 11, 2016

The rest of our team included the founding CTO of Maker Studios (Ryan Lissack) and the CEO of DataSift (Tim Barker) so we seemed to all be in good company of ex Salesforce execs looking to make a difference. It’s the executives who trust you to join the early-stage startups you’ve funded.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Fractional CTO Cofounder Early Stage 150

YoungUpstarts

APRIL 1, 2014

Tripp Braden gave a great piece of advice to those venturing into a start-up business, saying “no matter how innovative an organisation is at the early stages, they require a significant partner to enhance their brand within key larger accounts”. Be the First to Market.

Acquisition 193

Acquisition Merger Europe Technical Review 193

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 13, 2011

I think you have to listen to the queue’s.” “…if you look at a lot of the early stage investors, whether it be Union Square Ventures or First Round or Jeff Clavier at Softtech or Dave McClure – we want to try the product, we want to experience the product, we want to get a sense of how the entrepreneur is thinking about it.

Technical Review 288

Technical Review Venture Capital Silicon Valley Software Review 288

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

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 is a big gap between people who love to try new technologies, and the rest of us, who tend to be much more “technophobic.”

Marketing 238

Marketing Entrepreneur Technical Review Dilution 238

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

But worse, the precedents that are set, the expectations that early customers have, and the lack of transparency related to issues these customers experience throughout the rest of the company can be catastrophic. Unfortunately old habits don’t die easily.

Technical Review 113

Technical Review Early Stage Founder Customer 113