Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2019

Do you need a board when you first start you company? 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.

Startup 236

Startup Venture Capital Tips Capital 236

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2014

Our 3rd fund began investing in March 2009 (raised in 2008) and our 4th fund started in April 2012 so this fund will naturally begin investing around March / April 2015. Our investment strategy has always been to do predominantly Series Seed & A round deals, which makes up > 85% of our first investments. I don’t know.

Venture Capital 396

Venture Capital Funding Technical Review Startup 396

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 20, 2021

The most effective teams are built from people with a strong sense of values and commitment, starting at the top of the company. Members push themselves and each other to speak up, question the status quo, take bold risks, and confront hard truths. Teams must openly deal with their own weaknesses and take action on underperformers.

Class 155

Class Develop Development Startup 155

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 13, 2012

However, at most startups, competitive advantages are derived from a combination of invention and innovation, as described more fully in Inventor Or Innovator – Which Are You? Startups often out-maneuver their larger rivals by changing the key parameters upon which competition has historically been based.

Startup 198

Startup Competition Activity Class 198

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 12, 2014

If you’re a technology startup you need to excel at product, of course. But being best-in-class at online marketing is also a sine qua non to standout from your peer group. The starting point of product IS marketing, which is what a lot of young entrepreneurs that never studied business don’t realize.

Marketing 379

Marketing Startup SEM SEO 379

socalTECH

JUNE 20, 2012

There is a large menu of startup accelerators in the Los Angeles, but one of more established efforts in the area is LaunchpadLA ([link] The effort actually started as an informal mentoring program, but has grown and expanded to follow the accelerator model. Our current class has performed incredibly well.

Class 261

Class Mentor Startup Santa Monica 261

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 20, 2014

According to a recent Forbes article , UC Santa Barbara''s Technology Management Program offers students a superior startup education over the University of Pennsylvania (home of Wharton), as well Harvard, Northwestern and even its acclaimed southern neighbor, the University of Southern California. Techpreneurs. All-Star Alumni. Am I biased?

Santa Barbara 258

Santa Barbara Technical Review Startup Venture Capital 258

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 22, 2014

It’s a fantastic startup that has had a amazing impact on society. It’s not just about people like me who can (and do) turn up in nearly any city in the US and immediately book a ride. But this is a high-class problem they solve for me. Is Uber evil? That’s silly. On that front it has revolutionized my life.

Press 418

Press Journal Startup Training 418

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 3, 2013

Let me start by saying that Clayton is one of the most influential people on my thoughts about markets that led to both the concept behind my first startup and my main theses in investing. Startup Grind was a truly awesome conference and Derek the consumate host. .” Who else does Clayton pray for?

Venture Capital 403

Venture Capital Education Offshore Outsource Development 403

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2014

The poor performance of the asset class (this analysis has largely been wrong as I pointed out here –> most analyses were clumsy rear-view mirror looks at the data). The VC market has right-sized (returned back to mid 90′s levels & less competition). On the surface the narratives have been.

Venture Capital 398

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Seed Funding 398

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 18, 2022

Don’t bash the competition. Every investor knows how vulnerable a new startup is to competitors, so investors always ask about your sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. That says you are competitive today, have a real barrier to entry, and the potential to remain ahead of the competition for a long time.

Competition 133

Competition Patents Resource Invest 133

InfoChachkie

JULY 7, 2014

Steve Benson, Founder and CEO of Bay Area Badger Maps , intends to hire so many interns this summer that he will effectively double the size of his startup. According to Steve, "Startups are, by their nature, a great place for interns, because there are more essential things that must get done than there are people to complete them.

Startup 257

Startup Santa Barbara Competition Class 257

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 16, 2010

So even within the “alternative class&# our LPs are looking at other asset investment choices such as distressed buyout funds, private equity or hedge funds. Many funds have not performed and will start to disappear. PEHub followed up their analysis with this. The VC industry has performed terribly over the past 10 years.

Venture Capital 311

Venture Capital Startup Seed Funding Rustic Canyon 311

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

August was a slow month in terms of traffic and I was away for a lot of the month, but there were some really great posts at the intersection of startups, technology, product and being a Startup CTO. He blogs to 10,000 web entrepreneurs at Software by Rob and co-hosts the podcast Startups for the Rest of Us. equity debate.

Startup 191

Startup Venture Capital Blogging CTO Hire 191

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 9, 2012

And so are most startup CEOs for that matter. He talked about how Neeleman worked at Southwest Airlines but couldn’t keep his job because at management meetings he was too impatient to sit through a bunch of corporate b t without speaking up and saying it was wrong. He picks up the phone when he wants to discuss a deal with you.

Startup 309

Startup Venture Capital Email Writing 309

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 14, 2019

Don’t bash the competition. Every investor knows how vulnerable a new startup is to competitors, so investors always ask about your sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. That says you are competitive today, have a real barrier to entry, and the potential to remain ahead of the competition for a long time.

Competition 120

Competition Patents Resource Invest 120

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 4, 2010

Let me start with Professor Christensen’s definition: “An innovation that is disruptive allows a whole new population of consumers access to a product or service that was historically only accessible to consumers with a lot of money or a lot of skill.&#. Let’s start with the incumbents position in a market.

Startup 376

Startup Framework Marketing Customer 376

Berkonomics

AUGUST 3, 2023

Some businesses require very little capital and the founder can self-finance the enterprise and retain 100% of its ownership and control from ignition through liquidity event (startup through sale). Bootstrapping: This term describes your ability to start a business with little investment and grow it using internally generated funds.

Venture Capital 295

Venture Capital Startup Class Invest 295

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 16, 2010

We talked with Noah about how the company grew out of a business plan competition at the University of Southern California, his recent funding from the Maverick Angels, as well as how the firm hopes to stand out among a crowded list of comparison shopping sites. How did the company start? Noah Auerhahn: We got started right out of USC.

USC 207

USC CPC Sites Startup 207

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 10, 2011

Other installments include: Words of startup wisdom from Jeff Bezos. People should not try to emulate him, because they will be setting themselves up for failure. He overheard me talking about Steve Jobs in conjunction with the entrepreneurship class that I teach at UC Santa Barbara. Steve’s Startup Tips.

Tips 279

Tips Startup Santa Barbara Entrepreneur 279

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

I realized a while back that creating a new company for the first time is a lot like whipping up a great dinner entrée for the first time – you need a recipe, even though it may look simple. Yet you may not be so sure where to start, and how to put it all together. You need a good cook, good marketing, and first-class service.

Startup 156

Startup Coach Metrics Marketing 156

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 23, 2016

That’s why I’m so excited to announce today that we’ve hired Kobie Fuller as a Partner at Upfront Ventures — he will move down to Los Angeles with his wife and 1-year-old son and start later this summer. Kobie then headed to Los Angeles to join LA-based startup REVOLVE as its CMO where he got his direct operating experience.

Venture Capital 260

Venture Capital Startup SaaS Social Media 260

SoCal CTO

JULY 13, 2010

Some great content around the intersection of startups and being a Startup CTO in June this year. This continues my series of posts: Top 29 Startup Posts May 2010 Startup CTO Top 30 Posts for April 16 Great Startup Posts from March There was some really great content in June. It shows a lack of interest.

Startup 175

Startup Venture Capital Slides Blogging 175

InfoChachkie

JUNE 20, 2011

There is never enough time to perform all of the outstanding tasks at the typical startup. As described in Beware The Consultant , startups should strive to conserve their most precious assets, time and money, by avoiding paying fees to third-party service providers, such as recruiters. Rookie Draft.

Startup 244

Startup Software Review Technical Review Class 244

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 27, 2010

I grew up believing that human behavior was 20% nature, 80% nurture. of all data is made up. OK, not literally made up. So going into a startup scenario you bring these innate skills or you don’t. You’re not born into being a world-class software developer. Nature vs. Nurture. Or at least 73.6%

Startup 289

Startup Statistics Entrepreneur Study 289

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 7, 2013

Since Bill Hewlett joined with Dave Packard in 1939 to create what is today one of the world’s largest computer companies, there has been an evergreen debate as to who is more important in starting a tech company: the techie or the business guy? Steve Jobs or Steve Wozniak? Bill Gates or Steve Ballmer? Jim Clark or Marc Andreessen?

Startup 189

Startup Sales Ideas Entrepreneur 189

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2013

I have long advised startup companies that if you don’t control your messaging somebody else will and your potential customers will form impressions of you shaped by somebody else or by nobody at all. My starting salary was $27,000. I can’t make this up. I have published many of these PR Tips before. ” F**k.

Technical Advisors 385

Technical Advisors Marketing Startup Venture Capital 385

socalTECH

OCTOBER 23, 2012

However, the recent surge in startup activity has attracted a lot more capital into the area, including a significant amount of capital from LA's latest fund: Karlin Ventures (www.karlinvc.com). TX Zhuo: I started my own business out of college, an e-commerce company. They're pretty competitive about deals.

Funding 253

Funding Startup Invest Commerce 253

InfoChachkie

DECEMBER 10, 2012

Divshot's Founders conceived of their innovative web development solution, which automatically generates professional-grade code during the wire framing process, during a Startup Weekend event in Kansas City. No matter how you end up on the front page of a major news site, getting there is just the first step. Engagement.

News 198

News Sites Startup RSS 198

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 5, 2011

Most technology startups seem to be funded by product people or business people. My first startup was no different. I’ve started writing up some of those sales & marketing lessons and I plan to continue to build that section out over time. Startups are the art of the possible. Here are mine.

Sales 316

Sales Startup Pricing Customer 316

InfoChachkie

JULY 2, 2012

Managerial Oversight And Performance Matter At A Startup. If they do not adequately improve over time, consider counseling them out of your startup. Prima Donna Benchwarmers – These individuals represent the worst type of startup employee. Seek CALs: Players with Class, Ability And Longevity. Share and Enjoy.

Startup 182

Startup Class RSS Statistics 182

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 30, 2014

As I’ve written about recently, at Upfront Ventures we started talking a couple of years ago about wanting to fund stuff with more meaning. Would they build a world class team. But the most important character building itself was just seeing the talent of the people who were lining up to work with Meredith.

Technical Review 418

Technical Review Software Review CTO Hire IP 418

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2021

Today you can start a new web site business for as little as $100, produce cheap smart phone apps, or lead the effort to tap the multitude of opportunities brought by capitalizing on our concern for dwindling natural resources. Consider the startup MarkForged , which takes carbon-fiber to a 3D printer.

Startup 162

Startup Resource Entrepreneur Social Media 162

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 2, 2015

Don’t bash the competition. Every investor knows how vulnerable a new startup is to competitors, so investors always ask about your sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. That says you are competitive today, have a real barrier to entry, and the potential to remain ahead of the competition for a long time.

Startup 118

Startup Competition Patents Resource 118

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2020

The new paradigm, driven by disruptive technologies, cloud-served supercomputing, and the new generation of young adults with global empathy, is partnering and giving something now for a competitive advantage in the future. A partnership was announced with the City of New York, to connect and grow NYC's startup ecosystem.

Startup 124

Startup IBM IBM Examples 124

socalTECH

MAY 11, 2011

Earlier this week, Los Angeles-based Anti-AgingGames (www.Anti-AgingGames.com), a new online game startup, announced a new service to help users improve their memory and concentration, as well as improve brain function. There is lots of competition in this area for serving retirement homes. How did you end up starting the site?

Study 252

Study Startup Design Tips 252

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2020

Most aspiring entrepreneurs look to their alma mater, or any university, as a source of classes that can help them, but neglect to think outside the box or take advantage of all the other resources to be found there. Online or evening entrepreneurship classes for anyone. Visibility to startup job opportunities and career guidance.

Class 124

Class Startup Resource Mentor 124