Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2023

I always tell entrepreneurs that two heads are better than one, so the first task in many startups is finding a cofounder 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.

Technical Cofounder 247

Technical Cofounder Equity Distribution Cofounder 247

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 6, 2023

For the elite startups and entrepreneurs who manage to attract the investor they dream of, and survive the term sheet negotiation, there is still one more hurdle before the money is in the bank. Make sure everyone accurately posts their role with your startup on social media profiles, resumes, and references.

Technical Review 296

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Bankruptcy 296

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 25, 2018

Toronto’s Mark Attanasio has spent some 20 years advising businesses at various stages in their development on what it takes to position themselves for growth – whether it’s through traditional transactional activities like management buyouts and mergers and acquisitions or via a public listing on a Canadian stock exchange.

Partner 113

Partner Technical Review Management Due Diligence 113

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 17, 2021

Whether you are contemplating an investment in your favorite startup, or a little-known stock on a public exchange, there is “big data” out there that can’t possibly be evaluated by you without predictive analytics. Companies need the same service on partner and acquisition candidates, even vendors. Investment risk management.

Analytics 248

Analytics Retention Social Media Startup 248

VC Cafe

JANUARY 14, 2022

2021 was a banner year for Israeli startups, breaking new records in fundraising, new unicorns, and exits. Israeli startups are on fire. According to the 2021 Tech Review report by IVC , Israeli tech startups attracted a record of $25.6 Exits of Israeli startups in 2021 reached $82.4 What comes next? Where are we now?

Technical Review 158

Technical Review Lock-up Period South Korea 158

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.

Lean 335

Lean Burn Rate Startup IPO 335

ReadWriteStart

JULY 12, 2023

Canoo, an EV startup based in California that debuted its futuristic-looking electric van in 2021 , is having a hard time making ends meet. In spite of this, the federal government has kept doing business with the startup, saving it from certain doom. The state of Canoo’s finances has been preoccupying for some time.

United States 127

United States Government Startup California 127

The Startup Magazine

MARCH 14, 2022

And with the technology available these days, it is convenient to invest in emerging startups. Are you wondering how to invest in startups in India? The digital startup craze. The world is about to see a new generation propagating the Indian startup investing industry. Sectors witnessing a startup boom. Media tech.

Technical Review 145

Technical Review Due Diligence India Startup 145

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 9, 2011

Venture Capitalists typically have partners’ meetings on Mondays. So the industry formed around a day of the week when all partners could avoid having company board meetings or traveling. I introduced my partners, we spent weeks with the team and felt good rapport. Risks of these two factors to the stock market.

Stock 305

Stock Technical Review Marketing Greece 305

ReadWriteStart

JULY 5, 2023

The private clinics that Neko Health operates, which are stocked with both in-house and commercially available diagnostic tools, are the backbone of the company’s service offerings. The compatibility of Neko Health’s goals with those of its partners provided the basis for the company’s future achievements.

Sweden 126

Sweden Artificial Inteligence Cofounder Technical Review 126

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2021

For the elite startups and entrepreneurs who manage to attract the investor they dream of, and survive the term sheet negotiation, there is still one more hurdle before the money is in the bank. Make sure everyone accurately posts their role with your startup on social media profiles, resumes, and references.

Technical Review 379

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Bankruptcy 379

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2022

As a long-time mentor to entrepreneurs, here is my collection of smart risks that investors and I look for in new startups: Focus on a tough customer problem rather than a fun technology. Find a strategic partner to accelerate growth. Investors know that startups with too much money fail just as often as those with not enough.

Forecast 304

Forecast Stock Options Technical Review Metrics 304

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 9, 2020

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 308

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Stock Options 308

VC Cafe

JULY 21, 2020

If you’re a startup founder, you’re probably looking at Google in some way, maybe in terms of partnership or acquisition, but maybe some level of suspicion and fear. In this post, I’ll try to organise the various startup engagement and outreach programs at Google. How can startups engage Google (credit: VC Cafe).

Technical Review 131

Technical Review Startup Early Stage Cloud 131

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2014

If you think you are the perfect fit for the entrepreneur lifestyle, but you’re not yet sure if you’re ready to start your own, then I recommend that you take a job with an existing startup first to validate the culture realities against your dream. Running or working for a startup is more of a lifestyle than a career choice.

Technical Review 250

Technical Review Stock Options Due Diligence Silicon Valley 250

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 1, 2017

In his Harvard Business Review article summing up his tenure, Immelt recalls that the two things that influenced him most were Marc Andreessen’s 2011 Wall Street Journal article “ Why Software Is Eating the World, ” and Eric Ries’s book The Lean Startup. Are lean innovation and the Startup Way a failure in large companies?

Institutional Investors 233

Institutional Investors Dividend Stock Technical Review 233

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 18, 2018

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 144

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Startup 144

The Startup Magazine

SEPTEMBER 14, 2023

With third-party eBay fulfilment, you can maintain accurate inventory records and gain real-time visibility into stock levels. This eliminates the risk of overselling or running out of stock, as eBay order fulfilment providers can sync inventory data with your eBay store. Best of luck!

Partner 148

Partner eCommerce Reputation Stock 148

Steve Blank

JUNE 27, 2017

As more and more companies face disruption from globalization, new technology, and startups that have more capital than the incumbents, the continuing cry from Wall Street investors is, “Why can’t companies be as innovative as startups?”. Here’s one reason why: Startups can do anything. Startups can do anything.

Startup 275

Startup New York City Valuation Distribution 275

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 11, 2014

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 245

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Startup 245

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2019

If you haven’t raised any money or if you raised a small round from angels or friends & family I would suggest you avoid setting up a formal board unless the people who would join your board are deeply experienced at sitting on startup boards. just having a sparring partner with a vested interest in your success can be useful.

Venture Capital 236

Venture Capital Startup Angel Investor Silicon Valley 236

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2014

As a long-time mentor to entrepreneurs, here is my collection of smart risks that investors and I look for in new startups: Focus on a tough customer problem rather than a fun technology. Find a strategic partner to accelerate growth. Investors know that startups with too much money fail just as often as those with not enough.

Startup 283

Startup Forecast Stock Options Technical Review 283

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 27, 2022

In my role as an angel investor to startups, I’m struck by the broad variety of advisor strategies I see in investor presentations and business plans that cross my desk. If your startup team is highly technical, an advisory board member with a strong financial and business background clearly adds value.

Advisory Board 308

Advisory Board Angel Investor Startup Later Stage 308

VC Cafe

OCTOBER 31, 2022

This is largely due to several major stock market crashes and global economic uncertainties. It’s a tough time for a lot of startup founders right now. The pressure to protect portfolio startups seen as potential fund returners will be profound. Startups, Don’t Pin Your Hopes on VC Dry Powder ( Source ).

Founder 173

Founder Technical Review Down Round Liquidation Preference 173

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 24, 2016

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.

Equity 120

Equity Cofounder Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property 120

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2020

As a long-time mentor to entrepreneurs, here is my collection of smart risks that investors and I look for in new startups: Focus on a tough customer problem rather than a fun technology. Find a strategic partner to accelerate growth. Investors know that startups with too much money fail just as often as those with not enough.

Management 322

Management Entrepreneur Forecast Stock Options 322

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 10, 2018

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.

Equity 238

Equity Cofounder Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property 238

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 24, 2017

We’ve had an amazing first week following publication of The Startup Way. A few thing as we move into Week 2 of my book tour: I'm now in Los Angeles and San Francisco to promote The Startup Way. WSJ ) (nice piece about our efforts with The Long Term Stock Exchange) One final reminder! See you there!

San Francisco 107

San Francisco Los Angeles Software Review Silicon Valley 107

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 13, 2022

People today put great stock in the online feedback from other customers, and they note how and if you appear to be listening and responding. Trade shows and conferences can produce hundreds of new qualified leads for your business, as well as build relationships with industry leaders, outsourcing vendors, and potential partners.

Technical Review 355

Technical Review Social Media Channel Flash 355

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 16, 2010

The VC industry grew dramatically as a result of the Internet bubble - Before the Internet bubble the people who invested in VC funds (called LPs or Limited Partners) put about $50 billion into the industry and by 2001 this had grown precipitously to around $250 billion. What accelerated this was the collapse of the public stock markets.

LP 311

LP Technical Review Early Stage Silicon Valley 311

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 6, 2020

Along with my partner Stuart Lander, who runs operations at Upfront and is a former lawyer, we have scoured through, debated and helped scores of companies make this determination. It’s slightly harder if you’ve only done an A-round and therefore have just one VC around the table who owns more than a majority of the preferred stock.

Programming 279

Programming Affiliate SBA Government 279

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 23, 2014

In reality, so-called “Founder’s” shares are simply common stock, issued at the time of startup incorporation, for a very low price, and normally allocated to the multiple initial players commensurate with their investment or role. Here are some typical special terms and considerations for Founder’s stock: Negligible real value.

Stock 256

Stock Vesting Common Stock Founder Vesting 256

VC Cafe

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

Taking stock of the venture capital market in 2023, it’s clear to see that we’re in a transition point. For the past 10 years, with interest rates near zero, VC investors plowed record amounts into tech startups and enjoyed a seemingly ‘easy’ investing environment.

Venture Capital 215

Venture Capital Technical Review LP Institutional Investors 215

Duct Tape Marketing

APRIL 3, 2024

” Martin Gonzalez is the creator of Google’s Effective Founders Project, a global research program that decodes the factors that enable startup founders to succeed. ” Martin Gonzalez is the creator of Google’s Effective Founders Project, a global research program that decodes the factors that enable startup founders to succeed.

Startup 59

Startup Cofounder Technical Review Founder 59

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 12, 2013

This is a whole new world for startups seeking enterprise application opportunities, as well social media trend challenges. Whether you are contemplating an investment in your favorite startup, or a little-known stock on a public exchange, there is “big data” out there that can’t possibly be evaluated by you without predictive analytics.

Analytics 246

Analytics Retention Startup Social Media 246

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 21, 2010

If you’re a startup and you don’t have a close relationship with a few law firms you’re really missing one of the most important relationships that any entrepreneur can have. I write about some of the lessons in my post on Startup Mistakes. I know that people have an allergy to lawyers out of fear of being screwed.

Southern California 318

Southern California Silicon Valley IP Stock Options 318

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2015

For the elite startups and entrepreneurs who manage to attract the investor they dream of, and survive the term sheet negotiation, there is still one more hurdle before the money is in the bank. Make sure everyone accurately posts their role with your startup on social media profiles, resumes, and references.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Due Diligence Startup Term Sheet 120