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Interview with Mike Napoli, Tech Coast Angels

socalTECH

Investors are very focused on diligence, on business models that make sense, and those companies that have a definite competitive advantage and defensibility to what they're doing. Mike Napoli: We've revised the way we review companies at the prescreening stage. The ideas and people seeking money are out there in quantity.

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Technology Roles in Startups

SoCal CTO

I’ve worked with 30+ early-stage companies in all sorts of capacities (and spoken to many, many more), so I thought it might be worthwhile trying to classify the various ways that I’ve engaged in different technology roles in startups. It depends on the business, people, technologies, etc. Each situation is just a bit different.

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Why Your Startup Doesn’t Need a COO

Both Sides of the Table

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
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People Management: Startup Teams Should Dip but not Skip

Both Sides of the Table

You’ll get sales information from your VP of Sales, marketing information from your VP Marketing, tech information from your CTO and so on. Similarly I liked to keep myself apprised of the technical decisions we were making. Dipping: As a decision maker you rely on information being passed to you by the people who report to you.

Startup 308
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Turn the tables: What’s an angel look like?

Berkonomics

Several times in our angel group, one of the largest in the United States, we have queried our group as to their motives in being active, risking their money, taking their time to research, perform due diligence and then coach entrepreneurs of young companies. The result of these surveys over time is universally the same.

Angel 191
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What Makes an Entrepreneur? Four Letters: JFDI

Both Sides of the Table

The technology team disagrees on direction and wants resolutions. Yes, I know it’s my job as the CEO to be the coach for people and that’s fine. There’s a guy in Los Angeles that I met at several tech networking events. Your head of sales thinks she should fire somebody. He wanted to be the guy who did it.

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Reflections On 2018: Matt Stodder, Startup Boost LA

socalTECH

During the holiday season, our tradition over the last few years has been to post reflections on the past year and some predictions for 2019 from Southern California's technology industry. Are there any technology innovations, gadgets, devices, software, that you found most interesting in 2018?