socalTECH

JUNE 6, 2011

Although Los Angeles has become a hub for the high tech startup world, Surprisingly, one of the things which hasn't happened in the Los Angeles area is any huge, successful venture acceleration programs. Our mentors as we've built up this effort in LA are TechStars, Tech Wildcatters in Dallas, and Accelerator Labs in Chicago.

Startup 221

Startup Mentor Southern California Incubator 221

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 4, 2016

As an Angel investor and a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I’m always disappointed to see founders who seem stressed out most of the time, and more annoyed than energized by the abundance of challenges they see in building their startup.

Entrepreneur 63

Entrepreneur Product Startup Activity 63

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2021

As a mentor to startups and new entrepreneurs, I continue to hear the refrain that business plans are no longer required for a new startup, since investors never read them anyway. Pitch your company, not your product. Disciplining yourself to write down the plan is actually the best way to make sure you actually understand it yourself.

Entrepreneur 156

Entrepreneur Tips Funding Startup 156

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2020

As a mentor to entrepreneurs, I tend to see many of the same obstacles appearing in every new startup, and since I don’t want to appear to be a downer , I’m not sure how to properly warn people ahead of time to be on the alert for these challenges. Each of these can go astray as follows: Your product or service hits unexpected snags.

Startup 131

Startup Entrepreneur Examples Customer 131

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2015

The final clip is Fred & I talking about whether “the best product wins” and my assertion that the bias in today’s Silicon Valley dominated tech world there is probably too much emphasis on tech at the expense of how to sell, implement and service customers. I remember writing about online video nearly 5 years ago.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Startup Writing Blogging 150

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2014

As a startup mentor and investor, I am approached regularly by aspiring entrepreneurs who assert that business plans are a waste of time. They cite sources like the BusinessWeek story, “ Real Entrepreneurs Don’t Write Business Plans ” and this Forbes article. Writing it down promotes both understanding and commitment.

Technical Review 109

Technical Review Writing Entrepreneur Slides 109

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 2, 2011

I’m sitting at my computer now at 9.00pm writing this – which is an hour earlier than I normally write (there are about 8 women at my kitchen table having a book club (aka excuse to drink wine & gossip so I’m locked in another room writing. They could chat about it with their peers or mentors.

Email 287

Email Blogging Venture Capital Writing 287

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2017

Based on my experience as an angel investor and a mentor to dozens of entrepreneurs, having no business plan is the quickest way to define yourself as just a dreamer, or at best a hobbyist. Providing your product or service free to customers may sound attractive in marketing materials, but you need revenue sources to survive.

Startup 65

Startup Writing Patents Competition 65

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

Angels have been prolific for years now and they, too, rely on downstream money to cover their bets. I know I can’t be in every deal and I know that the easy part of being a VC is writing the first check in a deal. Products that ship late and place entire companies under serious stress. And there’s conferences.

Venture Capital 374

Venture Capital Invest Press Startup 374

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

In a collaborative effort, Ria Consulting, LLC and Los Angeles Net Developers Group are hosting this event on November 10th, 2012 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California. Jason Beres , VP of Product Management, Community, and Developer Evangeleism art eh VP of Product Management, Community and Evangelism.

JavaScript 93

JavaScript Long Beach Java .Net 93

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2015

As a mentor to startups and new entrepreneurs, I continue to hear the refrain that business plans are no longer required for a new startup, since investors never read them anyway. Pitch your company, not your product. Disciplining yourself to write down the plan is actually the best way to make sure you actually understand it yourself.

Startup 104

Startup Writing Entrepreneur Slides 104

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 18, 2014

As a mentor to startups and new entrepreneurs, I continue to hear the refrain that business plans are no longer required for a new startup, since investors never read them anyway. Pitch your company, not your product. Disciplining yourself to write down the plan is actually the best way to make sure you actually understand it yourself.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Startup Writing Slides 108

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 10, 2014

If you’re an early investor like I am that often means writing the first $2-3 million check into a business that previously had either survived on fumes or on a $500,000 angel round. You hired a head of product for a reason. You’re the coach, mentor, cheerleader. But you have him now. Let him do his f **g job.

Startup 381

Startup Resource Venture Capital Activity 381

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 10, 2010

If I AM an investor, mentor, friend or advisor I accept the email being longer. When you write your email to the person assume it will be forwarded “as is&# so ask for an intro in a way that you wouldn’t mind somebody else reading. USE AN APPENDIX: In the best case scenario you send just a really short email.

Help 332

Help Email Mentor Blogging 332

From the Venture Trenches

APRIL 30, 2013

Amplify Mentor Panel in full swing. Amplify’s close mentoring is by design. Like good mentors Paul, Jeff, Richard, Oded and David as well as Chris and Kris create an atmosphere in which the motivated founders can take advantage of the knowledge base to which they are exposed.

Web Design 103

Web Design Social Media Seed Funding Design 103

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 5, 2012

In terms of entrepreneurship, what has attracted me is social entrepreneurship: building and designing products that benefit society and have a positive impact in the world. When people look at ways to introduce their ideas to the world, they think of investors and mentors, and rarely ask the general public for their feedback and ideas.

Startup 101

Startup Ideas Platform Entrepreneur 101

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 17, 2017

He eventually founded and sold consumer health firm ViSalus to a public company and is now back making investments, in technology companies, as a venture capitalist here at Los Angeles-based HashtagOne (www.hashtagone.com). We want to have startups we can get productive or generating revenue pretty quickly. It's all about leverage.

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Technical Review Software Review 100

Tech.Co

MARCH 1, 2018

The event is open to tech enthusiasts who want to join an event filled with some of the top leaders, investors and mentors from tech industry to network, find mentors and build their companies. Their first product LexiconMD helped healthcare professionals dictate their notes into e-medical records hands- and eyes- free.

Startup 79

Startup Mentor Platform Help 79

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 16, 2018

As an angel investor, I routinely toss business plans that focus too much on today, and don’t talk about tomorrow. That may be a boon to dating today, but if your business is making money from apps, it seems like your success will convince users that they no longer need your product tomorrow. Tomorrow is never mentioned in the pitch.

Customer 57

Customer Custom Technical Review Software Review 57

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 13, 2011

Huge thank you to Steve De Long for the write up. So we can say no based on geography, we can say no based on it doesn’t fit in our themes.“… “Then we engage with the product and the entrepreneur and because we know these areas very well we don’t have to spend a lot of time understanding the market or understanding the customer.”.

Venture Capital 288

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Software Review 288

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 20, 2018

As a mentor to startups and new entrepreneurs, I continue to hear the refrain that business plans are no longer required for a new startup, since investors never read them anyway. Pitch your company, not your product. Disciplining yourself to write down the plan is actually the best way to make sure you actually understand it yourself.

Startup 65

Startup Entrepreneur Slides Content 65

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2011

A huge shout out to Ricky Wong of NYCSteals for helping me with the write-up. Seth’s interest in helping others grew out of his lack of having a mentor. He was drawn to Stanford by the people ecosystem- access to professors and mentors. Seth raised $100k in angel funding to fuel operations.

Startup 286

Startup Venture Capital Web Ideas 286

CEO Flow

MARCH 2, 2009

Aaron is also the Program Director for Entretech’s Nitro.la , a non-profit mentoring network in partnership with USC, UCLA and Caltech, to help develop LA’s entrepreneurial community by “getting more companies funded in greater Los Angeles&#. Just write me). Date & Time: Friday, March 13.

Santa Monica 40

Santa Monica Los Angeles Finaventures Angel 40

CEO Flow

MARCH 2, 2009

Aaron is also the Program Director for Entretech’s Nitro.la , a non-profit mentoring network in partnership with USC, UCLA and Caltech, to help develop LA’s entrepreneurial community by “getting more companies funded in greater Los Angeles&#. Just write me). Date & Time: Friday, March 13.

Santa Monica 40

Santa Monica Los Angeles Finaventures Angel 40

CEO Flow

MARCH 2, 2009

Aaron is also the Program Director for Entretech’s Nitro.la , a non-profit mentoring network in partnership with USC, UCLA and Caltech, to help develop LA’s entrepreneurial community by “getting more companies funded in greater Los Angeles&#. Just write me). Date & Time: Friday, March 13.

Santa Monica 40

Santa Monica Los Angeles Finaventures Angel 40

CEO Flow

MARCH 2, 2009

Aaron is also the Program Director for Entretech’s Nitro.la , a non-profit mentoring network in partnership with USC, UCLA and Caltech, to help develop LA’s entrepreneurial community by “getting more companies funded in greater Los Angeles&#. Just write me). Date & Time: Friday, March 13.

Santa Monica 40

Santa Monica Los Angeles Finaventures Angel 40

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 30, 2012

We write and create our own content for the game. Everything happens in the browser (no software to download) and the finished product looks amazing on large screens! Start Engine is a rapid accelerator focused on helping Los Angeles-based technology startups build a solid foundation for success in 90 days. Gold Sponsor. .

CalTech 91

CalTech Company Companies Idealab 91

From the Venture Trenches

APRIL 30, 2013

Amplify Mentor Panel in full swing. Amplify’s close mentoring is by design. Like good mentors Paul, Jeff, Richard, Oded and David as well as Chris and Kris create an atmosphere in which the motivated founders can take advantage of the knowledge base to which they are exposed.

Web Design 40

Web Design Social Media Seed Funding Design 40

Tech Zulu Event

APRIL 23, 2013

Founded in the summer of 2011 and their first product out a few weeks ago amSTATS wants to help users to follow fitness events and programs near them and find a great fitness trainer to help them stay fit. There are several competitors we’ve identified who have built a similar product. How unique are you from competitors elsewhere?

Social Network 92

Social Network Networking Training Summary 92

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 28, 2012

A month ago, I participated in my first ever Startup Weekend event in Los Angeles, California in the co-working spaces at Coloft. Because we are still in idea stage, it is in the best interest of the company to keep only a few key people to work on executing the product. But a wise mentor of mine said, “Go with your gut!

Startup 100

Startup Ideas San Diego Mentor 100

Tech Zulu Event

DECEMBER 5, 2013

Luckily, he was able to talk to Steve Jobs, who offered to sell their product at an event. Marks continued to talk about his past and then talked about the startup landscape in Los Angeles. As a young entrepreneur, you get introduced to mentors and successful entrepreneurs on a daily basis who want to help you.

Startup 107

Startup Los Angeles USC Southern California 107

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

I finally got around to writing it having read Fred Wilson’s post about what a CEO does. Run great meetings (don’t be a productivity drain on the company). It is such an under-discussed issue as we spend our time in startups mostly talking about products, marketing and fund raising.

Venture Capital 319

Venture Capital Startup Sales Customer 319

Tech Zulu Event

APRIL 1, 2013

Aspiring creators learn by connecting with top web filmmakers and YouTubers on a topics specific to the web: developing a web series, producing web series, writing for genres like comedy & sci-fi, directing, editing, camera, Kickstarter funding, show hosting, distribution, and marketing. Who are its founders?

Web 93

Web USC Course Guide 93

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 5, 2010

Great content again in September that meets at the intersection of startups, technology, product and being a Startup CTO. If you asked me to tell you a list of three of the best decisions in my life, I can certainly tell you that regularly writing is one of them. Why You Should Write. Why You Should Write. Kanye West.

Startup 191

Startup Product Technology Venture Capital 191

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2022

As a mentor to young aspiring entrepreneurs , I often get asked for tips on a strategy to get started. Don’t be shy about networking for advisors with business experience for coaching and mentoring. Write a business plan for your desired new business. The ability to pivot quickly is a key to success.

Startup 114

Startup Tips Coach Satisfaction 114

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 24, 2019

I have been writing a series on how startup boards get selected, who sits on them and what to avoid. Equally, put away your computer, your iPad or whatever other electronic device you use unless it’s 100% in note-taking mode and you’re using a stylus to write. The thing is?—?no I try not to be. not just management and VCs.

Startup 251

Startup Help Technical Review Writing 251

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 1, 2011

Think of Scooter as Justin’s angel investor. And he has acted as a personal mentor for Justin ever since. You have to build a product that people really love. You need to start with an amazing product and no amazing product is built without talent. Consider Usher a hard-working early-stage VC.

Entrepreneur 398

Entrepreneur Startup Writing Blogging 398