Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 17, 2023

I know that dates me a good bit, but it also shows that I have been hanging around startups and big companies for a long time. The honest truth is that I worked directly with him in the early days of Microsoft from my “safe” perch in big IBM, during the startup of the IBM PC. Enlist community of support. That’s real viral marketing.

Startup 205

Startup Viral Software Developers Software Development 205

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2020

Today we’re announcing that my partner Kara Nortman is becoming Co-Managing Partner at Upfront Ventures and I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to welcome her to her new role. At the end of that journey she joined Upfront as a partner where she’s been for > 6 years so she now has walked in the footsteps of the people she will back.

Partner 361

Partner Management Cofounder San Francisco 361

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2023

Even though the color of their money is always green, all startup investors are not the same. Investor due diligence on a startup is not a mysterious black art, but is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of your business model, team, product, customers, and plan. Know your partner well before you get married.

Technical Review 345

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Offshore 345

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 29, 2011

A while back I talked about how and where to find a co-founder in “ Ten Steps in Choosing the Right Startup Partner ”. The feedback was good, but some readers asked me to be a bit more specific on attributes that might indicate an ideal startup partner. You may be too independent to be partner material.

Partner 240

Partner Software Review CTO Hire Fractional CTO 240

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2020

I always tell entrepreneurs that two heads are better than one, so the first task in many startups is finding a co-founder or two. The default answer, to keep peace in the family, is to split everything equally, but that’s a terrible answer, since now no one is in control, and startups need a clear leader. Now comes the reality check.

Cofounder 435

Cofounder Technical Cofounder Equity Intellectual Property 435

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2013

A while back I talked about how and where to find a co-founder in “ For a Startup, Two Heads are Always Better Than One.” The feedback was good, but some readers asked me to be a bit more specific on attributes that might indicate an ideal startup partner. You may be too independent to be partner material.

Partner 258

Partner Software Review CTO Hire Equity 258

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2022

In my years of advising startups and occasional investing, I’ve seen many great ideas start and fail, but the right team always seems to make good things happen, even without the ultimate idea. You need to have a technical genius on the team to get your startup product off the ground. Outsourcing your core competency does not work.

Technical Cofounder 309

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Startup 309

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2022

Perhaps sparked by the recent pandemic, I’m seeing a new era of the entrepreneur, with startups springing up all around. Problems will occur in every startup, simply because you are stepping into uncharted territory. Work with a partner you can trust. Don’t let it make your startup dysfunctional in resolving future challenges.

Startup 338

Startup Technical Review Partner Restful 338

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 14, 2022

This would be a mistake, and could easily cost you your startup. If you think about it, you should realize that not everyone is ‘ideal partner material.’ Most of us learn that fact from other partner relationships, like dating and marriage. Most startups can’t afford that. All decisions will be made jointly.”

Partner 351

Partner Cofounder Sweat Equity Startup 351

ReadWriteStart

AUGUST 30, 2021

Why should you hire a UI UX Development Partner? Now that you know how a professional UI UX designer may help you to gain all those amazing benefits, let’s check out how you may find the perfect designing partner for your web app and mobile app. Choosing the correct UI UX partner is critical to your project success.

Mobile 141

Mobile Partner Developer Technical Review 141

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 28, 2020

Who would not want to join the unicorns (recent startups with a current valuation of over $1 billion)? Excellent detailed resources are everywhere, including a classic book, “ The Startup Checklist ,” by serial entrepreneur and founder of the New York Angels, David S. Incorporating a business entity early through online services.

Intellectual Property 404

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Groups Social Media 404

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 21, 2021

I can think of several related aspects of starting and running a business where follow-up, or lack of it, can make or break your startup. For entrepreneurs, effective networking is required to find investors, partners, and customers. Here are a few: Business networking. Time management. Effective marketing.

Technical Review 333

Technical Review Startup Software Review Retention 333

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2019

The challenge is to recognize and recruit that ideal partner match early with minimal cost and risk. In fact, I would broaden the definition of partner from co-founder to “business partner.” The reason is that good attributes apply equally well to “external” partners, as they do to internal partners, like a co-founder or CTO.

Cofounder 221

Cofounder Software Review CTO Hire Founder 221

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 16, 2017

The challenge is to recognize and recruit that ideal partner match early with minimal cost and risk. In fact, I would broaden the definition of partner from co-founder to “business partner.” The reason is that good attributes apply equally well to “external” partners, as they do to internal partners, like a co-founder or CTO.

Partner 140

Partner Software Review CTO Hire Cofounder 140

Gust

APRIL 13, 2014

A while back I talked about how and where to find a co-founder in “ For a Startup, Two Heads are Always Better Than One ”. The feedback was good, but some readers asked me to be a bit more specific on attributes that might indicate an ideal startup partner. You may be too independent to be partner material.

Partner 179

Partner Software Review CTO Hire Fractional CTO 179

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 20, 2015

As an advisor to startups, I often get asked what to look for in an ideal co-founder or business partner. After some reflection, I now realize these attributes are necessary but not sufficient to be an ideal business partner. This means every entrepreneur needs partners who are smarter than they are in complementary domains.

Partner 120

Partner Technical Review Due Diligence Startup 120

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 1, 2023

A common challenge faced by every entrepreneur is that they don’t have the bandwidth, interest or skills to do everything that is required to build their startup. Two heads are always better than one in a startup. The challenge is how to find that elusive perfect-fit partner. Look for a partner from a different background.

Partner 249

Partner Cofounder Silicon Valley Kansas 249

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 15, 2018

Thus I find that two heads are usually better than one in a startup. Way back in the early eighties, I had the privilege of working with Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, when Microsoft was still a startup. The challenge is how to find that elusive perfect-fit partner. In fact, your ideal partner may also be an investor.

Partner 139

Partner Cofounder Silicon Valley Kansas 139

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2020

Every startup founder loves to prompt for questions from investors and potential key team members about their vision, and the huge opportunity that can be had with their disruptive technology. Early stage burn rates over $50K per month, or a runway of less than six months may indicate an inefficient or desperate startup.

Technical Review 436

Technical Review Due Diligence Sweat Equity Burn Rate 436

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 24, 2020

As a frequent advisor to new entrepreneurs and startups, I often hear your frustration with being treated differently from other startups by investors, on expectations for valuation , traction, and market size. For many years, startups featuring all-electric vehicles fell into this stage of the business lifecycle.

Artificial Inteligence 436

Artificial Inteligence Marketing Valuation Startup 436

VC Cafe

FEBRUARY 9, 2022

As you may already know, I’ve always been a fan of startup landscapes. This edition includes maps of Israeli startups building the Metaverse, Insurtech, Martitime tech, Proptech and Contech, Digital Health, Smart Logistics and Supply Chain, Sports Tech and ecommerce. Israeli founded proptech startups (credit: Proptech Zone ).

Technical Review 210

Technical Review eCommerce Startup 210

VC Cafe

APRIL 26, 2021

Readers of VC Cafe know that I collect and curate Israeli startup landscape maps. There are over 88 Israeli insurtech startups vying to be the next in line. There are more than 100 Israeli startups in the energy tech space. Source: Startup Nation Central and Ignite the Spark ( download ). July 2020 , May 2019.

Technical Review 215

Technical Review Artificial Inteligence Startup 215

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 1, 2021

Thus, based on my experience as an entrepreneur as well as a startup investor, there are indeed situations where a non-disclosure is highly recommended, and others where the potential good far outweighs the risk. Discussions with potential strategic partners. Build trust first.

Non-disclosure Agreement 399

Non-disclosure Agreement Technical Review Due Diligence Angel Investor 399

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2022

The new paradigm, driven by disruptive technologies, cloud-served supercomputing, and the new generation of young adults with global empathy, is partnering and giving something now for a competitive advantage in the future. A partnership was announced a while back with the City of New York, to connect and grow NYC's startup ecosystem.

Partner 328

Partner Intellectual Property Silicon Valley Cloud 328

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 18, 2023

Every startup founder loves to prompt for questions from investors and potential key team members about their vision, and the huge opportunity that can be had with their disruptive technology. Early stage burn rates over $50K per month, or a runway of less than six months may indicate an inefficient or desperate startup.

Sweat Equity 207

Sweat Equity Burn Rate Technical Review Intellectual Property 207

Argona

JANUARY 15, 2024

Business enterprises, including startups, aim for continuous growth and development as part of their business strategy, but challenges like limited budgets, fierce competition, skill gaps, and inconsistent marketing approaches can hinder their progress. For the year 2024, GoodFirms named Argona Partners as the “Best Company to Work With.”

Partner 52

Partner Technical Review Indianapolis B2B 52

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 25, 2018

Today, Mark Attanasio gets to flex his full range of expertise and interests as co-founder and Managing Partner of Hillcrest Merchant Partners, a Toronto-based merchant bank focused on early stage and mid market growth companies. I appreciate the startup culture and mindset,” Attanasio says. “I

Partner 113

Partner Technical Review Management Due Diligence 113

ReadWriteStart

DECEMBER 15, 2022

Startup studios continue to grow in popularity as incubators for new businesses. Rather than simply launching one startup, the startup studio model creates an organization whose business is launching startups. These can then be repeated and improved on with each successive startup.

Incubator 188

Incubator Startup Software Developers Software Development 188

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2020

The new paradigm, driven by disruptive technologies, cloud-served supercomputing, and the new generation of young adults with global empathy, is partnering and giving something now for a competitive advantage in the future. A partnership was announced with the City of New York, to connect and grow NYC's startup ecosystem.

Partner 310

Partner Intellectual Property Silicon Valley Startup 310

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2022

These have helped them build trust and confidence among team members, and effectively sell their message to partners, investors, vendors and customers. This applies to suppliers and business partners as well. As a role model, you must continuously upgrade your own skills, be alert for new developments and hone your listening ability.

Leadership 317

Leadership Founder Startup Networking 317

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2020

Too many entrepreneurs I know still believe that that their great idea will carry the startup, and they may even minimize their own value, especially if they have introvert tendencies. Everyone needs to realize that whether it’s in the workplace or in the startup community, business is a new world today with new rules.

Startup 331

Startup Technical Review Social Network Reputation 331

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2023

Yet, every business expert tells me that finding good business partners is just as tricky as a good marriage, minus the sex. As with personal relationships, unbalanced deals don’t work, since the dominating entity finds it hard to adapt and appreciate the value of a partner. Some executives prefer to operate in solo mode.

Partner 252

Partner B2B Matching Algorithm 252

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 27, 2020

Entrepreneurs are currently looking at an environment that is unlike any other seen in the history of commerce, while leaders of businesses and startups have to think on-the-fly to learn what potential customers need most right now. New business realities present unique opportunities for startups. Healthcare.

Entrepreneur 246

Entrepreneur Technical Review Startup LLC 246

ReadWriteStart

AUGUST 30, 2021

Why should you hire a UI UX Development Partner? Now that you know how a professional UI UX designer may help you to gain all those amazing benefits, let’s check out how you may find the perfect designing partner for your web app and mobile app. Choosing the correct UI UX partner is critical to your project success.

Mobile 78

Mobile Partner Developer Technical Review 78

The Startup Magazine

SEPTEMBER 12, 2023

For those new to the world of startup treasury management, it’s crucial to grasp the essence of a treasury framework. At its core, this framework is an organized approach to manage a startup’s finances while effectively mitigating risks. Why does this matter for your startup? So, how does one form such a bond?

Framework 130

Framework Technical Review Software Review Forecast 130

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2021

Startup founders are known for their passion for their startup idea, and for their passion to kill every competitor. As small companies, neither startup could afford to extend their product alone, but through creative leadership, we were able to negotiate a win-win strategic partnership for a joint product.

Partner 434

Partner Non-disclosure Agreement Intellectual Property Non-Compete 434

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2020

Based on my own experiences in startups, and many years of advising new business owners, I’m convinced that there are a few common frustrations that we all need to anticipate and prepare for, rather than let them be a surprise and a painful dent in your enthusiasm and personal satisfaction from living your dream.

Due Diligence 306

Due Diligence Entrepreneur Startup Acquisition 306