Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 7, 2021

Some pundits argue that the E-Myth principle is now outdated, due to the instant access to information via the Internet, pervasive networking via social media, and courses on entrepreneurship at all levels of education. Hence most fail. Perhaps an innate business savvy is no longer a requirement for starting a successful business.

Technical Review 136

Technical Review Startup Social Media Satisfaction 136

socalTECH

DECEMBER 15, 2015

San Diego-based Qualcomm says that its board of directors has decided to stay the course, and will make no change to the company's corporate and financial structure, after a strategic review by a special committee of its board.

Technical Review 100

Technical Review Layoffs San Diego Course 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 12, 2022

Of course, Jeff Bezos no longer needs investors, but he worked hard in his early days courting potential investors, building relationships and credibility that allowed him to get the money he needed to scale his company quickly. Quality of your technical and business teams. Proprietary technology with a high barrier to entry.

Technical Review 147

Technical Review Social Media Entrepreneur Startup 147

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2023

Some analysis and due diligence along the following lines should be performed on every idea, as a reality check, before committing your efforts and other people’s money to building a business: Look for places where competitors are few. Of course, existing patents don’t stop you from innovating, but charging ahead into a wall is no fun.

Ideas 106

Ideas Technical Review Patents Startup 106

SoCal CTO

MARCH 9, 2010

In my post, Technology Roles in Startups , I described some of the different ways I engage with startup companies such as CTO Founder , CTO , Part-Time CTO , Acting CTO , Consultant, Advisor and Advisory Board Member. Now, most often technical advisors are part of a broader advisory board. In Why assemble an advisory board?

CTO Coach 150

CTO Coach Technical Review Technology CTO Hire 150

Xconomy

JUNE 24, 2019

These can be positive attributes in an entrepreneur, but in a more rational world, technology investors wouldn’t overvalue them. In the real world, of course, proof is hard to come by. Risk capital would be allocated based mostly on evidence, data, progress towards milestones—in short, on proof.

Technical Review 107

Technical Review Course Capital Entrepreneur 107

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse due diligence on the investors. 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.

Technical Review 103

Technical Review Innocal Offshore Entrepreneur 103

Tech.Co

APRIL 26, 2019

Nearly 17 percent of tech workers admit to being under the influence of marijuana while at work at some point in their careers, according to a new study. The stats come from CBD publication Remedy Review , which surveyed 1,000 workers across the nation to learn more about how the modern employee incorporates marijuana into their working life.

Study 120

Study Technical Review Class Education 120

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. uBeam’s tech does work and I have safely seen it demo’d in the real life many times. Of course the naysayers are out again.

Technical Review 417

Technical Review Startup Software Review Course 417

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 27, 2016

Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse due diligence on the investors. 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.

Technical Review 63

Technical Review Innocal Offshore Entrepreneur 63

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Of course, the response depends upon lots of variables, including whether the company is in a fund-raising mode (in which case the CEO may be spending up to 80% of their time on this alone).

Class 194

Class Organization Technical Review Activity 194

Tech.Co

JULY 22, 2016

Over the course of a month we put Enclave’s CineHome system to the test with dinosaurs, a few zombie games, and a touch of bass nectar. The subwoofer, though large, does pack a punch, but due to the factory tuning is limited in its abilities. Bluetooth is sort of a drunken technology. Personally I sort of hate it. out of 5.

Technical Review 70

Technical Review Design Startup Networking 70

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 25, 2021

Partially due to the pandemic, but also due to longer, healthier lives and changes in job tenure, Boomers are now expected to stay in the labor force longer, and according to projections , could actually dominate the labor market by 2024. In terms of job creation, innovation, and productivity, entrepreneurs drive growth.

Technical Review 126

Technical Review Technical Support Entrepreneur Startup 126

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2022

Of course, this requires some discipline and focus on your part, as well as the willingness to trust team members and allow them to do their jobs. I have personally used this approach in leading startups as well as large organizations, in highly technical roles as well as business development and marketing.

Mentor 154

Mentor Technical Review Coach Slides 154

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 17, 2013

As the end of the year approaches, it’s a good time for every startup to assess the metrics, technology, and platforms they’re using to manage the business. Of course, everyone is happy when the numbers keep going up, but the data needs to be mined constantly for deeper meanings and trends. Variable cost percentage.

Metrics 100

Metrics Technical Review Sales Customer 100

TechCrunch LA

JANUARY 11, 2021

Healthvana , a health tech startup that began with a specific focus on providing patient information digitally for individuals living with HIV, is helping Los Angeles County roll out mobile vaccination records for COVID-19 using Apple’s Wallet technology. “We look and feel like Instagram.

Technical Review 201

Technical Review Software Review Startup Los Angeles 201

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 17, 2013

We will have to build (or buy) technology in this area.” The thing is … what I see many sales execs do is burn up countless hours on mid-level campaigns that get torpedoed when the go up the organization due to lack of budget, a desire to own that core IP or other more pressing organization priorities.

Sales 375

Sales Technical Review Organization Case Study 375

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 23, 2015

Of course you could start your own company. Of course I’m not suggesting people shouldn’t start a company. For some aspiring to be tech entrepreneurs, I often suggest a two-step process, as I argued in this post that “ The First Startup Founder You Need to Invest in Is You.” ” (Warren Buffett).

Technical Review 150

Technical Review Startup Venture Capital IP 150

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 3, 2010

We thought today for our interview, that we'd get an update on the angel investment environment here in Southern California from Scott Sangster , the incoming President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Tech Coast Angels , the biggest angel investment group in Southern California. Of course not.

Tech Coast Angels 182

Tech Coast Angels Technical Review Angel Southern California 182

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

Periodically we do portfolio reviews to evaluate whether we have enough diversified risk across the fund. We look at stage, geography and of course sector. One such theme was “water conservation” and we morphed it into a broader theme of agriculture technology or “ag tech” for short. 6SensorLabs.

Funding 362

Funding Technical Review Ideas Startup 362

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 26, 2010

I’ve been having discussions with several people recently about the role of the CTO (Chief Technology Officer) in very early stage companies. Of course, I have an advantage because I organize the LA CTO Forum. Of course, since you know those questions, you can just collect up the answers and provide them to your developers.

Fractional CTO 225

Fractional CTO CTO CTO Hire CTO Coach 225

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021

Although the major crowd funding sites today, including Kickstarter and Indiegogo , don’t technically require a business plan, they do demand essentially the same information in a project format. Of course, building a plan is not an alternative to getting out there and doing something. You need money, and plan to do crowdfunding.

Technical Review 126

Technical Review Writing Entrepreneur Slides 126

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 8, 2014

Industry reviews. So the “VC associate” is largely a launching pad job for exceedingly bright and hard-working young tech professionals. a really wide angle view of the tech industry since you see so many concepts / so many pitches and REAL data points on how startups perform financially. Deal screening.

Help 365

Help Invest Venture Capital Technical Review 365

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

Many times they also pick up product and tech, too. Often times you find the CEO who really just likes to do product or tech. Similarly I talk to CEOs who can’t do a sales pipeline review with me. I once did due diligence on a potential investment where the CEO was projecting $9 million in sales for his next 12 months.

Startup 325

Startup Technical Review Sales Report 325

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2014

Of course it’s much harder to identify “emerging managers” who it turns out have been some of the best performers over the past 5-7 years such as Union Square Ventures, Spark Capital, First Round Capital, True Ventures, Greycroft, Foundry Group, Thrive and Upfront Ventures. .” 2007 was the watershed year.

Venture Capital 398

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Seed Funding 398

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2020

Of course, it still pays to consider the impact of cultural norms and languages, as well as time zones, particularly in areas that present your image to customers, such as customer service. Direct customer-facing non-technical roles should be the last ones outsourced. The terms are clear, and there is no entitlement to deal with.

Outsource 123

Outsource Startup Technical Review Training 123

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 19, 2018

Even if you can learn and do everything, time is a killer in this rapidly evolving world of business and technology. Of course, full trust must be earned, but it is critical to do some due diligence before hiring new team members, or establishing partnerships. You need to divide and conquer.

Technical Review 96

Technical Review Ideas Startup Entrepreneur 96

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 31, 2021

The sweeping infrastructure package put forward today by President Joe Biden comes with a price tag of roughly $2 trillion (and hefty tax hikes) but gives startups and the broader tech industry about $1 trillion worth of reasons to support it. ” Climate resiliency . Given the steady drumbeat of climate disasters that hit the U.S.

Startup 229

Startup Technical Review Invest Research 229

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 16, 2017

Every tech or major news journal in the country is preparing to write their Snap, Inc (creators of Snapchat, Spectacles, etc) stories and many of them seem to want a “How does it feel to have missed this investment story.” Of course that was a wrong narrative for both companies. Mostly kidding. Another firm funded them.

Snapchat 214

Snapchat Invest Technical Review Dollar Shave Club 214

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 25, 2013

Tech entrepreneurs' consternation with MBAs does not rise to the level of loathing. Rather, entrepreneurs' frustrations are often due to an incongruence between an MBA's expectations versus the value they can deliver to a startup. As I stated in my Quora answer, "hate" is the wrong word. Startups Need Execution, Not Administration.

Entrepreneur 279

Entrepreneur Technical Review Case Study Class 279

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 7, 2019

Partially due to the economy, but also due to longer, healthier lives and changes in job tenure, Boomers are now expected to stay in the labor force longer, and according to a USNews article, will likely dominate the labor market by 2024. In terms of job creation, innovation, and productivity, entrepreneurs drive growth.

Startup 119

Startup Technical Review Technical Support Entrepreneur 119

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

Some analysis and due diligence along the following lines should be performed on every idea, as a reality check, before committing your efforts and other people’s money to building a business: Look for places where competitors are few. Of course, existing patents don’t stop you from innovating, but charging ahead into a wall is no fun.

Ideas 83

Ideas Technical Review Patents Startup 83

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 8, 2023

When I dig deeper, I find that many of you are easily excited by a great new idea, but fail to diligently follow a validation process to test the limits of your thinking, before proceeding to rollout. Start with a real problem, rather than a technology or solution looking for a problem.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Ideas Study Social Media 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2022

On the other hand, if you are into solar technologies, there is probably an advantage to being in Arizona or a similar location. Of course, there are always exceptions, but how much added risk do you need for your startup? Of course, there are always exceptions, but how much added risk do you need for your startup?

Technical Review 123

Technical Review Oracle Software Review Ideas 123

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 13, 2020

Leading edge technology software and manufacturing require constant course corrections and iterative restarts. In any case, before you select a specific outsourcing or contract alternative, there is no substitute for doing thorough due diligence. Don’t count on contracts and non-disclosure agreements to save you.

Outsource Development 122

Outsource Development Outsource Software Review Technical Review 122

socalTECH

DECEMBER 28, 2012

For the last week of the year, we're featuring the thoughts and reflections of some of the movers and shakers of Southern California's high tech community. We asked the same four questions of a variety of top technology entrepreneurs, investors, and others, to hear what they're thinking about, and are sharing it here over the next week.

Southern California 215

Southern California Technical Review High Tech Venice 215

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 27, 2012

David encourages entrepreneurs to stay away from the big tech firms (such as Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple) because they are hard to compete with. I believe entrepreneurs should, in David’s words, “build big businesses on the outskirts” but I don’t believe that Silicon Valley tech giants will outmaneuver startups.

Technical Review 299

Technical Review Venture Capital Yammer Google 299