Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 23, 2015

If an entrepreneur can’t build a culture of excitement and commitment at a startup, the chances of long-term success are negligible. That’s why they insist on spending a day with your team as part of the due diligence process. As a mentor to entrepreneurs, I often get asked what you can do to build the right culture.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Technical Review Mentor Training 102

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2015

Most entrepreneurs I meet are reluctant to disclose anything about their idea to investors before getting a signed confidential disclosure agreement (CDA). Professional investors and advisors, on the other hand, usually refuse to sign these agreements today due to the risk of litigation and administrative workload, and will walk away.

Ideas 106

Ideas Technical Review Patents Entrepreneur 106

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 17, 2011

Despite this technical glitch, I opted to publish our discussion, given the high-quality content of his comments. He shared the following advice for emerging entrepreneurs who have limited time and money but an unlimited passion to give back philanthropically. So as an entrepreneur, (talent) is the most valuable currency.

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Google Technical Advisors Technical Review Equity 220

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 20, 2015

Many of the entrepreneurs I meet prefer to focus on the technology, so they desperately need a people-oriented partner for balance. This means every entrepreneur needs partners who are smarter than they are in complementary domains. Too many entrepreneurs later see their partners as working against them.

Technical Review 103

Technical Review Startup Examples Google 103

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 7, 2015

Most technical entrepreneurs focus hard on building an innovative product, but forget that an elegant solution doesn’t automatically translate into a successful business. Defining the right business model requires the same diligence as designing the right product, but the approach and skills required are different.

Technical Review 108

Technical Review Pricing Startup Software Review 108

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 19, 2015

According to the latest Kaufman Startup Activity Index , entrepreneurs are making an unprecedented comeback in America, with data showing the largest year-over-year increase in two decades. Thus a record number of entrepreneurs (and employees) are getting rich. Social media is a boon for entrepreneurs and startups.

Startup 108

Startup Social Media Entrepreneur Satisfaction 108

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 3, 2015

Lemkin (@jasonlk) January 31, 2015. In 2006 when I was a budding entrepreneur building my second startup I ran into a young (ish) enthusiastic founder of an electronic signature company called EchoSign. I know it will be hard for you to believe in 2015 but in 2006 Palo Alto (where I lived) was kind of dead. Some background.

SaaS 150

SaaS Venture Capital Conference Technical Review 150

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 19, 2015

Or they get sidetracked by a technical glitch due to poor preparation. Equally bad is a full tutorial on your new disruptive technology. Investors are more interested in your solution and your business, rather than your technology. Some entrepreneurs seem to think that their product pitch is also their investor pitch.

Slides 105

Slides Technical Review Startup Research 105

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2015

When starting a new business, an entrepreneur has to take a “hands-on” role. In the context of a startup, there are many “hands-on” attributes that every entrepreneur must demonstrate and enjoy if he or she hopes to succeed in building a new business. Marty Zwilling First published on Entrepreneur.com on 8/12/2015.

Startup 102

Startup Technical Review Paramount Entrepreneur 102

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2013

Or they get sidetracked by a technical glitch due to poor preparation. Equally bad is an extended pitch on your new disruptive technology. Investors are more interested in your solution and your business, rather than your technology. Some entrepreneurs seem to think that their product pitch is also their investor pitch.

Angel 102

Angel Funding Slides Technical Review 102

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 23, 2015

Twilio has now raised around $235 million, including a July 2015 round totaling $130 million. We typically do not ask entrepreneurs to visit our offices in Santa Barbara, but Jeff wanted to meet with Kevin, an investor in our Fund who helped us vet opportunities and occasionally invested alongside of us.

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Technical Review Software Review Southern California 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 12, 2015

Thus founders seeking funding for a good cause or a new technology often seize on grants from universities, government agencies and philanthropic organizations as free money to solve their problems. After months of preparation, you should expect another six to nine months for reviews and funding cycles. Technology is not enough.

Pricing 100

Pricing Equity Technical Review Research 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

Aspiring entrepreneurs often ask me what to do first when starting a business. Instead, entrepreneurs need to focus first on execution disciplines and timing. Your credibility as an entrepreneur is at stake. If your strength is technology, find a co-founder who has a comparable strength in business, finance or marketing.

Entrepreneur 59

Entrepreneur Startup Technical Review Ideas 59

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2015

If you are like most entrepreneurs I know, there just aren’t enough hours in a day to get all your own work done, as well as run the many one-hour meetings each team member seems to demand for decisions and mentoring. Marty Zwilling First published on Entrepreneur.com on 4/17/2015. Provide immediate direct and constructive feedback.

Product 99

Product Mentor Startup Technical Review 99

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 29, 2015

Here are four new strategies that every entrepreneur must now include in their marketing platforms to survive and thrive in this digital and highly mobile age, ranked by effort and cost on your part: Frequent new content on the web, social media and via mobile. Marty Zwilling First published on Entrepreneur.com on 8/19/2015.

Customer 103

Customer Custom Marketing Social Media 103

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 26, 2015

Great technology leads to innovative solutions that are possible, but not necessarily great businesses. Yet, due largely to non-technology business considerations, including pricing, safety concerns and support infrastructure, there are none that most people can name. Develop written business plans as detailed as product plans.

Technical Review 54

Technical Review Product Activity Technology 54

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 7, 2016

Investors have also learned not to invest in ideas but only in entrepreneurs and teams who can deliver solutions. As a result, Google has become a verb, and the company is a tech giant with record growth rates and a revenue of $74.5 billion in 2015. Optimize team efforts with the latest technology and tools.

Ideas 59

Ideas Technical Review Google Startup 59

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 22, 2012

Or they get sidetracked by a technical glitch due to poor preparation. Equally bad is an extended pitch on your new disruptive technology. Investors are more interested in your solution and your business, rather than your technology. Some entrepreneurs seem to think that their product pitch is also their investor pitch.

Tips 97

Tips Slides Technical Review Startup 97

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2011

Or they get sidetracked by a technical glitch due to poor preparation. Equally bad is an extended pitch on your new disruptive technology. Investors are more interested in your solution and your business, rather than your technology. Some entrepreneurs seem to think that their product pitch is also their investor pitch.

Slides 95

Slides Technical Review Startup Research 95

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

Too many entrepreneurs look for that one magic bullet -- an exciting new technology, perhaps, or their own determination to make the world a better place -- to override any shortcomings in their startup model. As an entrepreneur, you have the responsibility to build and execute a solid plan to turn your dream into a reality.

Pricing 100

Pricing Technical Review Entrepreneur Startup 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2015

Skip the fuzzy marketing terms, such as "easier to use," "lower cost" and "disruptive technology." " Investors want to buy into an entrepreneur with a startup that can provide evidence of an ability to double customer productivity, at half the cost, with patented technology.

Summary 101

Summary Patents Technical Review Competition 101

InfoChachkie

JUNE 9, 2015

Good news: a quick review of TechCrunch’s March 2015 List of Top 20 U.S. My Forbes co-contributor Geri Stengel concurs that something is happening in the Volunteer State, writing last month about that state’s emerging women entrepreneurs. Savvy entrepreneurs - seek out programs which incorporate these post-graduation activities.

Startup 100

Startup Class LAMP Santa Barbara 100

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 2, 2017

Anne Fulton: Fuel50 is a career pathing startup, part of the HR technology landscape. We're a disruptor, the third wave in human resources technology. Anne Fulton: I've always been a technology lover, although I'm an organizational psychologist by training. I can't help myself in being an entrepreneur. What is Fuel50?

Help 100

Help Southern California Startup Technical Review 100

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 14, 2015

Image via Flickr by Side Wages Some entrepreneurs forget that they need an innovative business model along with an innovative solution to have a successful startup. In fact, both customers and investors often avoid the perceived high risk of innovative technology pitches. Inventors alone, or business gurus alone, generally fail.

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Startup Social Media Competition 60

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

We're here to help them solve the problem of compliance and retail policy enforcement, and to understand what people are saying about their products next to their buy buttons, what kind of reviews they are getting, and to understand other things that influence sales. Andrew Schydlowsky: I'm a serial entrepreneur.

Artificial Inteligence 140

Artificial Inteligence Startup Commerce Sales 140

Xconomy

NOVEMBER 13, 2016

View the Slideshow A little more than a year ago, amid a resurgence in San Diego’s software sector, Xconomy identified a baker’s dozen of local tech companies to watch in 2016. Tim Rueth, a UC San Diego entrepreneur in residence and member of the EvoNexus selection committee, also screened the list, and offered his perspective.

San Diego 40

San Diego Technical Review Artificial Inteligence Startup 40

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2016

Crowdfunding is the hot new vehicle for raising money to support your entrepreneurial efforts, with over 1,250 website platforms around the world to help you, according to a 2015 industry report. While all this is definitely a boon to entrepreneurs, it does come with its own set of challenges.

Technical Review 58

Technical Review Platform Entrepreneur Funding 58

socalTECH

OCTOBER 29, 2015

The easiest way to look at it, from the tech perspective, is that we are very similar to LendingClub. Brett and I sat down, and said, how can we take a tech approach and create a positive impact on the existing real estate industry, particularly in the mortgage and real estate finance industry. So, what is PeerStreet?

Southern California 100

Southern California Google Technical Review Manhattan Beach 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2015

Based on my experience advising entrepreneurs, I’m convinced that success is often more a mindset than a specific set of skills or intelligence. A fixed mindset is when entrepreneurs believe their abilities and market are fixed, and the challenge is to make the best of the hand already dealt. Most experts call this a growth mindset.

Startup 55

Startup Entrepreneur Technical Review Custom 55

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2016

In business, this means an entrepreneur who never says no to any customer is doomed to a hard life and some expensive mistakes. Those entrepreneurs who wait for customers to randomly find them will be disappointed by the match, and find themselves always playing catch-up with customers who don’t fit.

Customer 65

Customer Custom Startup Satisfaction 65

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

Some of the big milestones we did, include a seed round of financing in the fall of 2015, which was led by Upfront Ventures. They were interested in the foot traffic that represented, and we provided the technology and training. What's the biggest piece of advice you'd give to other entrepreneurs? There are two things.

Training 100

Training Custom Customer Software Review 100

Xconomy

AUGUST 12, 2016

government’s Precision Medicine Initiative is an ambitious effort to collect the genomic data of 1 million Americans, and tech giant Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG ) is deeply involved. The news was a relief for Redwood City, CA-based Heron, which has been waiting for word on the status of its drug since September 2015. —The U.S.

Google 40

Google Technical Review News Research 40

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 26, 2016

In 2015 an additional 237 thousand joined the online community. As online viewership and behaviors grew in 2015 – the average U.S. As online viewership and behaviors grew in 2015 – the average U.S. In 2015, issues of online security and data privacy consumed headlines. Data Security Concerns Dominate.

Commerce 40

Commerce Mobile Technical Review Google 40

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 17, 2017

Starting back in 2015 and throughout much of 2016 people started commenting that my blog had become a lot more political. My blog has always been a mixture of what was on my mind and a blend of venture, startup life, tech views and current society events that related to my interests: Venture, startup & tech.

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Startup Blogging Technical Review Writing 197