Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2014

In their passion and excitement about a new product or service, entrepreneurs tend to continually narrow the scope of potential competitors, and often claim to have no direct competitors. Competition for your new hydrogen fuel auto engine is not limited to other hydrogen auto engine offerings, or even other autos.

Competition 93

Competition Startup Patents Slides 93

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 12, 2010

Then competition. You put some update slides on things like key hires or biz dev deals being negotiated and you didn’t plan to talk about them. But they were in a slide and people asked you questions so it ended up chewing up 30 minutes. Tags: Entrepreneur Advice Start-up Advice Startup Advice.

Startup 331

Startup Slides Guide Writing 331

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2021

In their passion and excitement about a new product or service, entrepreneurs tend to continually narrow the scope of potential competitors, and often claim to have no direct competitors. Competition for your new hydrogen fuel auto engine is not limited to other hydrogen auto engine offerings, or even other autos.

Competition 166

Competition Funding Startup Patents 166

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 5, 2011

As noted in RIP RFPs , entrepreneurs should generally avoid RFPs because they cannot afford to expend the time and resources required to participate in such regimented and lengthy sales processes. As noted in Competitive Sleuthing , some partners routinely share information about the companies with whom they are working. .

Startup 216

Startup Slides Resource Organization 216

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 19, 2011

CapLinked , the online platform for private investment funded by members of the “ PayPal Mafia “—announced that it is launching a worldwide pitch competition for entrepreneurs to present their business ideas to a panel of all-star judges from Idealab, Rincon, Rapidfire, and Actarus. The deadline for entering is November 15.

Competition 70

Competition Idealab Slides Startup 70

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 11, 2013

I “second the message” that chaos never subsides, from a couple of successful entrepreneurs, Clate Mask and Scott Martineau, in their book “ Conquer the Chaos.” Technology keeps improving at a rapid rate, so you fall behind in technology, driving costs up, and you become non-competitive. Your income drops. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Slides IP Technology 105

SoCal CTO

JULY 13, 2010

Just because a product has a patent, deep complexity and an obvious competitive advantage does not mean that it can fly by itself into the market. How-to learn about angel/vc term sheets - Gabriel Weinberg , June 28, 2010 I think every startup entrepreneur (and angel investor) should have a good understanding of financing term sheets.

Startup 175

Startup Venture Capital Slides Blogging 175

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2011

I second the message that chaos never subsides, from a couple of successful entrepreneurs, Clate Mask and Scott Martineau, in their book “ Conquer the Chaos.” Technology keeps improving at a rapid rate, so you fall behind in technology, driving costs up, and you become non-competitive. Your income drops. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 95

Entrepreneur Slides IP Technology 95

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 19, 2010

I have a few slides later that address that.&# (obviously if you say that you need to come back to the question either later or after the meeting. If it’s OK with you I’d love to answer it in just a couple of minutes after the next few slides. Do you mind if I answer that a little later in the presentation?

Venture Capital 318

Venture Capital Startup Sales Writing 318

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 21, 2014

For what ever reason we’re wired to have amnesia during the run up and prescient memories of how we ‘knew it all along’ as soon as the slide begins. You need to listen to your product team, watch your competition and work hard on determining whether you’re truly providing value to your customers.

Marketing 354

Marketing Case Study Metrics Sales 354

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2014

The VC market has right-sized (returned back to mid 90′s levels & less competition). Note the full presentation deck with additional slides can be found on SlideShare here or you can simply scroll through it at the bottom of this post.]. We’re all socially connected (so great businesses spread faster).

Venture Capital 398

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Seed Funding 398

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2013

Send me in a corner to work on slides, graphs, spreadsheets and charts. When I started my second company I was a serial entrepreneur. I introduced myself as a serial entrepreneur. I was a serial entrepreneur. When I decided to start blogging again (I had done so as an entrepreneur) I thought about how to brand myself.

Technical Advisors 385

Technical Advisors Marketing Startup Venture Capital 385

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

You’ll learn about competitive products that exist or are being built. I also will point out that in the The 15 Mistakes of First Time Entrepreneurs : 9. Someone Stole My Startup Idea – Part 2: They Raised Money With My Slides?! Entrepreneur: Following is an email describing my idea.

Startup 211

Startup IP Ideas Patents 211

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 3, 2010

Packaging, pricing & discounts – In the early days of my first company we always had “list prices&# we quoted to customers and of course we were always willing to negotiate based on who the client was, how important the business was to us, who the competition was and how well the deal was negotiated. We called it PUCCKA.

Sales 296

Sales Pricing Startup Custom 296

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2020

As an advisor to new hardware entrepreneurs, I often hear the myth that a business plan is no longer required to find an investor, if your idea is good enough. What you don’t realize is these famous investors only deal with entrepreneurs who sold their last company for a $100M dollars or more. and trademarks.

Product 169

Product Summary Startup Examples 169

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

You’ll learn about competitive products that exist or are being built. I also will point out that in the The 15 Mistakes of First Time Entrepreneurs : 9. Someone Stole My Startup Idea – Part 2: They Raised Money With My Slides?! Entrepreneur: Following is an email describing my idea.

Startup 198

Startup IP Ideas Patents 198

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2015

When pitching to investors, entrepreneurs always seem to start with a customer pitch, then add a slide or two about the business. In reality, they need a separate pitch about the business, carrying over only a slide or two about the solution. Competitor positioning and sustainable competitive advantage.

Product 103

Product Slides Custom Customer 103

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 10, 2011

A perfect round number is ten slides, with the right content, that can be covered in ten minutes. Here are the ten slides you need: Problem and market need. Competition and sustainable advantage. List and position your competition, or alternatives available to the customer. Give the “elevator pitch” for your startup.

Slides 93

Slides Competition Sample Sales 93

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 6, 2010

Join because you know you’ll be earning less than you could elsewhere at some meaningless job cranking out non-core code, producing Powerpoint slides or shuffling paper. rounds and still be competitive. We’re a meritocracy. You can always earn more. But join here if you want to grow. Join because you like the culture.

Startup 294

Startup Sales Venture Capital Slides 294

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 23, 2014

I “second the message” that chaos never subsides, from a couple of successful entrepreneurs, Clate Mask and Scott Martineau, in their book “ Conquer the Chaos.” Technology keeps improving at a rapid rate, so you fall behind in technology, driving costs up, and you become non-competitive. Your income drops. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 100

Startup Slides Entrepreneur IP 100

socalTECH

OCTOBER 11, 2016

We take a really friendly, Shark Tank approach that promotes young entrepreneurs, and lets them pitch to a group of seasoned investors and venture capitalists on a panel, and where they not only get an actual investment, but also go through a retail challenge, to get consumer feedback. How did you get involved with angel investing, initially?

Startup 100

Startup Entrepreneur Invest Competition 100

socalTECH

APRIL 26, 2017

One, is an upright, traditional looking microscopes, where you look at glass slides. Eugene Cho: We had a seed round for less than $3M, and we did a note round with the Tech Coast Angels for $2M after we won their Quick Pitch competition, over about 150 other companies. There are typically two types of microscopes.

Tech Coast Angels 124

Tech Coast Angels Startup Sales Slides 124

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2019

In my work with new and aspiring entrepreneurs, I find that most struggle with putting together a written business plan, often pointing out that someone they know started a business without anything written down. This section is especially important if you intend to attract outside investors or strategic partners.

Ideas 126

Ideas Slides Sample Examples 126

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2016

Entrepreneurs who are looking to attract investors need to develop and pitch a plan -- preferably written -- that answers every potential investor question about your startup before it is asked. This is also the place to first mention patents and any other differentiators that put you ahead of competition.

Invest 108

Invest Startup Slides Equity 108

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2020

As an aspiring entrepreneur, one of the most important things you need is a memorable “ elevator pitch ,” to communicate your startup value proposition and leave a great first impression on friends, investors, employees, and future customers. Describe technology and features, not competitiveness.

Sample 127

Sample Summary Startup Slides 127

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 24, 2012

But many entrepreneurs don’t realize that Angels are also extremely discerning in the projects that they will invest in, rejecting approximately 97% of the proposals submitted to them, according to the California Investment Network. File a patent and trademarks to show real intellectual property. Build a prototype product.

Angel 104

Angel Screening Summary Startup 104

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2015

Every entrepreneur needs a value proposition statement for his or her startup that can hook potential investors and partners in less than a minute -- the short time you might join them in an elevator on the way to their offices. Your second sentence should acknowledge competition, but highlight your added value.

Startup 104

Startup Summary Patents Examples 104

socalTECH

APRIL 26, 2017

One, is an upright, traditional looking microscopes, where you look at glass slides. Eugene Cho: We had a seed round for less than $3M, and we did a note round with the Tech Coast Angels for $2M after we won their Quick Pitch competition, over about 150 other companies. There are typically two types of microscopes.

Tech Coast Angels 100

Tech Coast Angels Startup Sales Slides 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

Having a defensible competitive advantage or “barrier to entry” is another critical step to funding, and another common stumbling block during all phases of the funding process. Investors expect a one or two-page executive summary sheet for the initial screening, backed up by a ten-slide Powerpoint investor presentation.

Invest 99

Invest Angel Technical Review Summary 99

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

Having a defensible competitive advantage or “barrier to entry” is another critical step to funding, and another common stumbling block during all phases of the funding process. Investors expect a one or two-page executive summary sheet for the initial screening, backed up by a ten-slide Powerpoint investor presentation.

Angel 89

Angel Funding Technical Review Startup 89

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2017

Unless you are a serial entrepreneur with a string of successes behind you, you need a business plan to convince investors that you can build a business out of the dream that has been driving your passion to change the world. Opportunity segmentation and competitive environment. No mention usually means no plan and not competitive.

Startup 65

Startup Writing Patents Competition 65

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 1, 2010

The 11 Harsh Realities Of Being An Entrepreneur - OnStartups , November 1, 2010 There's always talk about the end game in the form of an acquisition, funding announcement, or eventual flame out. think his slides are great (and by far much easier on the eye then mine.). Put likable, competent and passionate people on the front line.

Technical Review 175

Technical Review Startup Product Technology 175

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2018

Now is the time to be an entrepreneur and create a business from your passion. On the other hand, everyone is doing it, so that means more competition, and the market and technology are changing faster than ever before. Advisors and investors need to see your whole story in as few as ten slides.

Funding 73

Funding Social Media Slides Platform 73

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 19, 2010

I second the message from a couple of successful entrepreneurs, Clate Mask and Scott Martineau, in their book “ Conquer the Chaos ” that chaos never subsides. Technology keeps improving at a rapid rate, so you fall behind in technology, driving costs up, and you become non-competitive. Your income drops. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 57

Startup Slides Entrepreneur IP 57

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2018

I’m still amazed at how many technical entrepreneurs don’t have a business pitch, and offer me their product pitch or product spec instead. Certainly a slide or two needs to carry over describing the product and features at a high level. Solo entrepreneurs have a hard time finding an investor. But it’s critical to have one.

Product 58

Product Slides Entrepreneur Invest 58

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 28, 2012

From LA Demo Day to Silicon Beach Fest to Crowdstart LA to hackathons to Startup Weekends, companies and entrepreneurs alike have joined forces to feed the startup ecosystem. I faced the same challenge not being able to form a team because most people joined the competition with friends that they had already planned on working with.

Startup 100

Startup Ideas San Diego Mentor 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 16, 2016

Whether you are talking to peers, competitors or investors, you as an active entrepreneur will be judged on your familiarity with today’s startup and funding jargon. In that context, I offer you my latest collection of popular investor-to-entrepreneur terms and concepts. Frothy is good for entrepreneurs. Seed-round investment.

Startup 57

Startup Software Review Equity Invest 57