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ConTraps Part III – Contract Traps Entrepreneurs Should Avoid At All Costs

InfoChachkie

This series describes how entrepreneurs can craft company-changing agreements with BDCs, while avoiding Kiss of Death contract provisions. Intellectual Property (IP) provisions should ensure that both parties maintain the IP rights that they respectively own at the outset of the relationship.

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How to Make Sure Professional Services Don’t Take Over Your Software Company

Both Sides of the Table

So when I meet with GRP portfolio companies that do enterprise sales I try to emphasize the following: 1. Often your sales engineers can do the customizations without bugging the core eng team. Importantly, make sure that you retain IP rights to your custom work which needs to be part of the engagement contract.

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Ten Rookie Startup Mistakes You Won’t Make

InfoChachkie

1) Expect Independent Channel Sales Reps To Perform Missionary Sales. Rationale: I cannot afford to hire a direct sales force. Fallacy: Third-party, OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturing) representatives succeed once the sales process is defined, proven and documented. Public relations at a startup is a sales process.

Startup 242
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Interview with Elizabeth Cholawsky, HG Data

socalTECH

For this morning's interview, we caught up with Elizabeth Cholawsky , the new CEO of Santa Barbara-based HG Data (www.hgdata.com), which develops software which helps marketers and salespeople understand the "technology stack" of their potential customers and prospects. I've been in product, product development, marketing, and management.

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Interview with Thomas Russell, ETC Solar, Improving Solar Cell Efficiency

socalTECH

For this morning's interview with an entrepreneur, we spoke with Thomas Russell , the Ceo and co-founder of ETC Solar (www.etc-solar.com), a Los Angeles startup developing technology to improve the efficiency and cost of solar cells. What does ETC Solar do? How far along are you in bringing this to market?

CalTech 113
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How Great, Operationally-Focused CFO’s Can Transform Your Business

Both Sides of the Table

What I love about my job is getting to see teams of super-early-stage companies develop ideas that while raw have potential to make an impact on the market. It freed up Ophir to grow out our sales organization, to work more closely with agencies, to innovate on product and to raise capital. It literally can put you out of business.

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NDA Stealth Mode and Sharing Your Startup Concept

SoCal CTO

One of the readers asked my opinion around sharing your startup concept: My first question has always been - how do you protect your idea while shopping around for feedback, partners, developers, etc.? You’ll refine your sales and investor pitch. Especially if the idea could be whipped-up by a few 24-year olds in a few weeks?

Startup 211