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According to EdgeCast, the IP deal grants the firm a license for more than thirty issued and pending patents, covering display and delivery of rich media; automated hosting and server management; load balancing; dynamic DNS, and other technology. The firm said the patents date from as early as 1994. READ MORE>>.
Patents held by startups generally have a limited ability to reduce competition. The average time required to obtain a patent is 36-to-40 months, during which there is no guarantee your adVenture will ultimately receive patent protection. Even if you are granted a patent, the scope of your claims may be significantly denuded.
Young entrepreneurs often are so excited by new technology or their latest invention that they forget to translate it into a value proposition that their customers or potential investors can understand and relate to. Customer data integrity and security. This priority applies to big companies, as well as startups.
Test yourself as to whether you can identify the size of your market niche, and whether you can overcome the many barriers to access customers within your niche. A core patent or “thicket” of patents protecting your offering? A strategic relationship with one or more of the largest customers? Are margins high enough?
Test yourself as to whether you can identify the size of your market niche, and whether you can overcome the many barriers to access customers within your niche. A core patent or “thicket” of patents protecting your offering? A strategic relationship with one or more of the largest customers? Are margins high enough?
Young entrepreneurs often are so excited by new technology or their latest invention that they forget to translate it into a value proposition that their customers or potential investors can understand. Customer data integrity and security. Every business leader knows how difficult it is to keep up with a changing market.
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.
An invalidated patent or one deemed to infringe the rights of another party can devastate a startup. Defensible Claims - Some companies take pride in the number of patents they own. However, there is not a direct correlation between a patent portfolio’s value and the number of patents which comprise the portfolio.
Santa Monica-based interactive video technology developer Fuisz Media and IP licensing firm Intellectual Ventures said yesterday that the two are in a intellectual property licensing agreement. Financial details of the patent licensing deal were not announced. Financial details of the patent licensing deal were not announced.
Every technical entrepreneur is an early adopter of technology, so naturally they build things with people like themselves in mind. Unfortunately, for most solution markets, early adopters represent only 10 to 15 percent of the total opportunity, so it’s easy to get mislead on the real requirements of mainstream customers.
Every technical entrepreneur is an early adopter of technology, so naturally they build things with people like themselves in mind. Unfortunately, for most solution markets, early adopters represent only 10 to 15 percent of the total opportunity, so it’s easy to get mislead on the real requirements of mainstream customers.
It may not be as sexy, but starting a new business that builds on an existing technology or business model is usually less risky than introducing that ultimate new disruptive technology. There is always time later for your next startup, using that disruptive technology of your dreams.
Can tapping the power of the crowd not only help you find customers and help fund your project, but also help you shape your startup idea and find funding? Dirk Ahlborn: We are coming out of the nonprofit incubator, the Girvan Institute of Technology, which has been around since 2002, and is funded by NASA Ames.
A while back, I wrote about the importance of a “ sustainable competitive advantage ,” and outlined the business plan value and limitations of patents and competitor feature comparisons. But once you start selling products, all of these pale in comparison to your level of customer service. Exceed customer expectations.
Of course it helps to have innovative technologies before you start building a business. In other words, inventions are necessary but not sufficient to create real value for investors and customers. Many great technology solutions, like hydrogen engines for cars, look great on paper, but are extremely difficult to make a business.
Test yourself as to whether you can identify the size of your market niche, and whether you can overcome the many barriers to access customers within your niche. A core patent or “thicket” of patents protecting your offering? A strategic relationship with one or more of the largest customers? Are margins high enough?
Last week, San Diego-based Confident Technologies (www.confidenttechnologies.com) announced that it had acquired the assets of Vidoop, and created a company focused on security and authentication of users. What does Confident Technologies do? The Confident authentication suite of software, which also includes out of band technology.
I thing I’ve learned over the years is that technology purists hate advertising even when it is that revenue stream that truthfully drives much of our industry. He wanted to build direct customer relationships to get product feedback but only 2% of customers would ever return their registration cards.
Pitching app developers with a new way to convert app browsers into actual customers, AppOnboard has raised $15 million in a new round of funding, the company said. Zweig claims that conversion rates have increased significantly for the companies that pay a fee for his company’s service.
Much has been written recently about the requirement to focus today on the total customer experience, as a competitive edge or even for survival. The challenge I hear from savvy business owners and entrepreneurs operating on a shoestring is that providing a superior customer experience costs money.
Some good ones already from May: "Authentic" is dead - A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks , May 3, 2010 Phrases that should be retired include - “Putting customers first” You Actually Did This? Software Patent Absurdity - Feld Thoughts , May 6, 2010 Feld on the problems with software patents. Thanks Steve!
Disclosures relative to patents. Entrepreneurs should never disclose the details of a planned or current patent application to any outsiders, even with a CDA in place. Product details in the public domain can never be patented. Sharing trade secrets. Select a reasonable agreement duration. Marty Zwilling.
The firm recently raised a $15M series C funding, and we caught up with Kevin to learn more about why its customers, and investors, are interested in its technology. We have created a wireless technology and solution, end-to-end, that allows you to cost effectively connect devices that can be very, very remote.
Don’t forget to consider customer alternatives, like trains versus airplanes. These days, you can find existing patents and trademarks through Google and the US Patent Office online site without spending thousands of dollars with your favorite patent attorney. Check for intellectual property barriers in your way.
There was even talk of some phone companies using the patented system for serving communities of guests, not just from a single hotel. In this case, the competition was not from a company but a new technology. Bell was lucky, but the pace of technology was so much slower then. Fast forward just a few years to 1996.
Along with your cash, customers and employees, a healthy startup culture will prove to be one of your most precious assets. . Unless your venture is focused on researching potential scientific breakthroughs, it is likely that your technology can be easily copied and your patents circumvented. Treasure it. Banana IP. "Intellectual
To better understand exactly where EV technology is today, we caught up with Caradoc Ehrenhalt , the CEO and founder of a Los Angeles startup, EV Safe Charge (www.evsafecharge.com), to chat a bit about his view of where EV charging technology today. Caradoc Ehrenhalt: We are charger and software agnostic. It's very exciting to me.
It may not be as sexy, but starting a new business which builds on an existing technology or business model is usually less risky than introducing that ultimate new disruptive technology. There is always time later for your next startup, using that disruptive technology of your dreams.
The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. If you don’t have a high level of commitment and passion, you customers won’t seek you out.
Thanks to all of our sponsors, who make our coverage of Southern California's technology industry possible: Sponsors. Backing Southern California's next great technology companies. Binary Pulse Technology Marketing (www.binarypulse.com). We Create Demand for California's Technology Companies. Technology.
There was even talk of some phone companies using the patented system for serving communities of guests, not just from a single hotel. Bell was lucky, but the pace of technology was so much slower then. Fast forward several years to 1996… [Email readers continue here.] Back to 1996.
It might be a patentedtechnology, but it could also be the creativity of employees or logistic competencies of the company. Van Den Berg and Pietersma point out that strategic planning no longer works as a static event that occurs once a year. What can you be the best in the world at? What drives the economic engine?
The company has created a product that can be delivered as a service to medical clinicians anywhere in the world, enhancing their ability to understand their patents’ problems and needs in less time, using the expertise built into an expert system created by the best minds in many medical specialties.
Your concept has to be understood by customers and investors in 30 seconds or less, and everyone needs to immediately see how awesome it would be, or that they would be nuts not to have it. I’m looking for the “hook” right up front, or I lose interest quickly, just like every customer and investor these days.
They are looking for startups that have a sustainable advantage over direct and indirect competitor offerings, as well as obvious value to customers living without your product today. Non-specific terms, like better usability and low cost don’t incite customers to action these days. This approach is not convincing.
What I want to hear is an innovative marketing and growth strategy that will set you apart in the minds of investors, as well as customers. Today’s customer is especially attracted to companies like TOMS , who donates a pair of shoes for every pair they sell, or Patagonia, with its support for grassroots environmental groups.
I usually envision a 50-50 ownership split for their efforts, but every engineer believes the technology side deserves the majority share. If you consider yourself a technologist, you probably believe and may be propagating one of the following myths: The first priority for funding should be to develop the technology.
You need to find the skills or experience you don’t have in business, technology, or money. Value factors include your related product breadth and depth, relationships with thought leaders, key vendors, and large potential customers. Key to required patents or trade secrets. Level of responsibility and time allocated.
One of the firms which has been active in that area is Los Angeles-based CauseCast (www.causecast.com), run by Ryan Scott , who talked us about the company's relationship with the Huffington Post, its new efforts to provide its technology to companies interested in corporate social responsibility, and other initiatives.
How an entrepreneur answers this question speaks volumes about their knowledge of business realities, customers, confidence, and their ability to handle investor funding. I like patents, trademarks, and trade secrets, so this answer is a better sustainable competitive advantage than the other five answers. Martin Zwilling.
I’m not suggesting that a startup should ever disclose patent details to others before filing, but I can’t imagine why a startup would not seek visibility and feedback for their idea and solution while they could still make changes with minimal cost. Evaluate customer response prior to development.
You see, inventing a business is about attracting money from investors and customers, rather than spending money on a challenging dream. Dyson, for example, invented over 5,000 prototypes before he perfected his bagless home vacuum technology with a constant suction. Target a higher customer need and ability to pay.
A business plan is the outward facing definition of the business you hope to drive with your hardware solution, with a hardware overview in the intro to highlight customer value and competitiveness. Use non-fuzzy terms to quantify customer value. Provide specifics on the customer business model. and trademarks.
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