Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2022

As a potential investor, I always think of the high rate of failure of disruptive technologies, due to the longer learning curve of customers, infrastructure change consistently required, and higher marketing costs. Technology is great, but high-tech major-step-forward solutions are not the answer to all our change challenges.

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Steve Blank

DECEMBER 20, 2011

government has been running one of the most audacious experiments in entrepreneurship since World War II. 63 scientists and engineers in 21 teams made 2,000 customer calls in 8 weeks , turning laboratory ideas into formidable startups. 19 of the 21 teams are moving forward in commercializing their technology. billion U.S.

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Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

Reading the NY Times article “ Jeffrey Katzenberg Raises $1 Billion for Short-Form Video Venture, ” I realized it was time for a new startup heuristic: the amount of customer discovery and product-market fit you need to find is inversely proportional to the amount and availability of risk capital. It’s the antithesis of the Lean Startup.

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Both Sides of the Table

JULY 6, 2016

I even prefer to fund entrepreneurs who have experience some level of set-backs in their careers or startups because I think it brings a humility to decision-making that I find healthy. Silicon Valley itself was built on the sciences with a foundation of trial-and-error and then improving the model and trying again.

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Steve Blank

APRIL 14, 2013

I just spent a few weeks in Japan and China on a book tour for the Japanese and Chinese versions of the Startup Owners Manual. This left an open playing field for Chinese software startups as they “copy to China” existing U.S. If you’re a software startup competing in China, the words that come to mind are “ruthless and relentless.”

China 323

China Silicon Valley Non-Compete Intellectual Property 323

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 12, 2012

“We need to be like Silicon Valley,” we hear many a startup community organizer around the world intone. But early-stage investor and entrepreneur Bred Feld, the co-founder of VC firms Mobius and Foundry, as well as startup accelerator TechStars , thinks trying to be Silicon Valley is a fool’s errand.

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Community Technical Review Silicon Valley Startup 174

Steve Blank

AUGUST 17, 2009

The university found government contracts profitable as the government reimbursed their overhead charges (their indirect costs.) In some cases, branches of the military contracted directly with Stanford which worked with local contractors in Silicon Valley to build these components or systems for the military.

Silicon Valley 142

Silicon Valley RSS California Government 142

Feld Thoughts

JANUARY 21, 2020

As I was reading The Atlantic article Silicon Valley Abandons the Culture That Made It the Envy of the World I kept flashing to the end of Anna Wiener’s awesome memoir Uncanny Valley. Readers of this blog and my book Startup Communities know that I’m a huge fan of AnnaLee Saxenian. And It’s a Nightmare.

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Steve Blank

APRIL 14, 2013

I just spent a few weeks in Japan and China on a book tour for the Japanese and Chinese versions of the Startup Owners Manual. This left an open playing field for Chinese software startups as they “copy to China” existing U.S. If you’re a software startup competing in China, the words that come to mind are “ruthless and relentless.”

China 215

China Silicon Valley Non-Compete Intellectual Property 215

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 5, 2014

The press around the raise & company was fantastic and the promise of their technology – wireless charging that works as easily as WiFi – would positively affect many of our lives. The beauty of Silicon Valley and the ethos it has driven in all of us is acceptance of failure and a profound respect for those who at least try.

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Technical Review South Korea San Francisco Software Review 417

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

We just had our first week of our new national security class Technology, Innovation and Modern War. If the past is a prologue, they’ll go off to senior roles in defense, policy and to the companies building new disruptive technologies. Technology to Weapons to Doctrine. And that has happened to us. As we described how the U.S.

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Steve Blank

JUNE 8, 2021

I observed that teaching case studies and/or how to write a business plan as a capstone entrepreneurship class didn’t match the hands-on chaos of a startup. Few consider opportunities to make the world safer with the Department of Defense, Intelligence community or other government agencies. Stay tuned.

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Feld Thoughts

JULY 17, 2013

As I continue to talk about Startup Communities , I say over and over and over again that the leaders have to be entrepreneurs. Everyone else – who I call the “feeders” (government, university, non-profits, big companies, VCs, angel investors) – have an important role, but the leaders must be entrepreneurs.

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Community Kansas City Technical Review Silicon Valley 163

Steve Blank

MARCH 31, 2015

BMNT , a new Silicon Valley company, is combining the Lean Methods it learned in combat with the technology expertise and speed of startups. government reengineered its approach to building weapons. In 1950, government support of basic science research in U.S. In World War II the U.S.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 22, 2018

Yet everyone has limits, and every investor implicitly has similar limits on what makes a startup investable, or one to avoid at all costs. Here is my perspective on the highest risk elements, from my years of working with investors and watching startups come and go: All the co-founders are first-time entrepreneurs. If you want U.S.

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Feld Thoughts

MARCH 13, 2020

We are leaders of 35 different technology companies with headquarters or offices in the Denver and Boulder metro areas. we are calling on government officials and other business leaders to restrict large group gatherings, including in the largest entertainment venues along the Front Range. Why are we taking these unprecedented steps?

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Colorado Fractional CTO Silicon Valley Cofounder 168

Haystack

DECEMBER 29, 2018

It’s that time of year, time to look back and reflect on the most significant storylines in the tech, startup, and VC world. And, with that warning, I offer to you, the big stories in the startup and investing ecosystem of 2018, written in ascending order of importance and magnitude…. 6/ Venture Capital In Expansion Phase.

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Startup Lessons Learned

DECEMBER 1, 2014

Guest post by Lisa Regan, writer for The Lean Startup Conference The Lean Startup Conference is next week--and now that we can step back and see all the speakers and mentors, we have to say: Wow. As the emeritus Chief Technology Officer of the United States, he still connects government and Silicon Valley.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 16, 2023

None normally work for or provide funds for early-stage startups. Startups looking for an angel investor, or a Venture Capital investment usually realize that neither of these sources of funds normally has any connection with a bank. Many investment banks even call themselves “boutiques.”

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Early Stage Silicon Valley Private Equity Initial Public Offering 182

ReadWriteStart

JANUARY 29, 2023

When it comes to launching a startup, most founders think they should reside in the United States, Silicon Valley, in particular, to have a successful business. But there are other regions in the world that might not be as fancy as Silicon Valley but have a remarkable potential for growth. billion in 2018.

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Asia Indonesia Silicon Valley Malaysia 171

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

Guest post by Lisa Regan, writer for The Lean Startup Conference. Entrepreneurs beyond Silicon Valley, including those working abroad, often have to retool Lean Startup methods to apply them in places with very different business cultures. On September 24 in the U.S. Here’s what they had to say.

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Silicon Valley Lean Puerto Rico Japan 168

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2016

Yet everyone has limits, and every investor implicitly has similar limits on what makes a startup investable, or one to avoid at all costs. Here is my perspective on the highest risk elements, from my years of working with investors and watching startups come and go: All the co-founders are first-time entrepreneurs. If you want U.S.

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New York City Silicon Valley Startup Bootstrapping 120

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 27, 2011

Asia – especially in countries such as India, China, Vietnam – is fast becoming the place where many entrepreneurs, whether locally born or lured back from Silicon Valley, are setting up shop. You’ll find out, for example, of how to tap on resources from local government.

Asia 167

Asia Technical Review Vietnam Singapore 167

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2014

Yet everyone has limits, and every investor implicitly has similar limits on what makes a startup investable, or one to avoid at all costs. Here is my perspective on the highest risk elements, from my years of working with investors and watching startups come and go: All the co-founders are first-time entrepreneurs. If you want U.S.

New York City 254

New York City Silicon Valley Bootstrapping Technical Review 254

YoungUpstarts

JULY 16, 2019

In 2018, Canada had a record-low unemployment rate and as a result we are seeing more companies, startups and online-based businesses dedicated to serving the niche-jobs industry. New emerging technologies have been the key catalyst for in-demand jobs. Vancouver has a situated tech market with a direct line to Silicon Valley.

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Austin Startup

MARCH 4, 2019

The SXSW Startup Crawl! Grab a group of friends and tour the latest and greatest of Austin’s startup community. Grab a group of friends and tour the latest and greatest of Austin’s startup community. Wednesday, March 13 Every day 10:00am-5:00pm. There will also be a constant stream of programming including official SXSW panels.

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Silicon Valley Technical Review Texas Venture Capital 50

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

We just had our first week of our new national security class Technology, Innovation and Modern War. If the past is a prologue, they’ll go off to senior roles in defense, policy and to the companies building new disruptive technologies. Technology to Weapons to Doctrine. And that has happened to us. As we described how the U.S.

Technology 228

Technology China Russia Silicon Valley 228

Steve Blank

MAY 11, 2021

Department of Defense is coming to grips with the idea that the technologies it needs to keep the country safe and secure are no longer exclusively owned by the military or its prime contractors. At the front-end of these innovations are startups – organizations the Department of Defense hasn’t previously dealt with at scale.

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Cracking the Code

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

They’ve earned this position by their incredible work and track record over the last few years helping law enforcement agencies cope with the rise of this new technology. While there’s been a number of highly publicized examples including their role in helping creditors of Mt.

Web 48

Web Silicon Valley Technical Review Artificial Inteligence 48

ReadWriteStart

MAY 3, 2018

Traveling internationally for conferences always provides a more diverse perspective on where we are headed in business and technology. Canadian Government Sees Economic Potential. At the rate it’s growing, Toronto will have more technology jobs than Silicon Valley within the next two years.

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Canada Las Vegas North America Silicon Valley 61

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JANUARY 4, 2018

The Silicon Valley-oriented technology press outlets don’t cover us because we’re not in San Francisco, even though we’re more successful than most of the startups they cover. This week we closed $250M in financing from Silver Lake , the premier technology private equity firm.

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Steve Blank

APRIL 13, 2013

I just spent a few weeks in Japan and China on a book tour for the Japanese and Chinese versions of the Startup Owners Manual. But what made the overwhelming impression for me was finding an entrepreneurial software cluster on par with the Internet software portion of Silicon Valley. All the usual caveats apply.

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Silicon Valley China Venture Capital Merger 267

Startup Lessons Learned

JUNE 14, 2011

The Federal government is being transformed - initially, in small ways - by people I think should be recognized as entrepreneurs. They are leveraging the same kinds of new technology, management thinking, and big data to improve lives that we routinely use here in Silicon Valley. I don't control any government contracts.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2020

None normally work for or provide funds for early-stage startups. Startups looking for an angel investor, or a Venture Capital investment usually realize that neither of these sources of funds normally has any connection with a bank. Many investment banks even call themselves “boutiques.”

Silicon Valley 362

Silicon Valley Private Equity Initial Public Offering Term Sheet 362

ReadWriteStart

MAY 22, 2023

Instead, the technology has been limited to niche operators and start-ups, such as Finland’s Varjo, which makes high-end headphones, and Estonia’s Ready Player Me, a cross-game avatar platform. Historically, European startups have lagged behind the US and Asia regarding nurturing unicorns.

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Finland Europe Estonia Silicon Valley 187

The Startup Magazine

APRIL 29, 2021

Technology is not typically the first on the agenda. This is down to an intense focus on digitalisation that stems from the nation’s enormous banking industry, facilitating an ecosystem ripe for technological modernisation. This allows for a certain degree of flexibility which has a positive impact on the startup ecosystem.

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Switzerland Artificial Inteligence Silicon Valley Europe 177

Steve Blank

APRIL 6, 2009

Two years out of the Air Force, serendipity (which would be my lifelong form of career planning) found me in Silicon Valley working for my first company: ESL. But part of his life that that doesn’t even merit a Wikipedia entry is that Bill Perry used Silicon Valley to help end the cold war.

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