socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 12, 2013

To learn more about how women are looking to change the investment climate--and get involved in investing themselves--we caught up with one of the Pipeline Fellowship''s local mentors, the CEO of Beyond Capital Fund (www.beyondcapitalfund.org), Eva Helene Yazhari , who is here in Los Angeles. What is the Pipeline Fellowship?

Angel 276

Angel Invest Mentor Technical Review 276

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 19, 2010

chapter of the Media, Entertainment and Technology Alliance (METal) and the voice of KenRadio's World Technology Roundup on CBS Radio, Rutkowski has recruited a roster of mentors to coach entrepreneurs who enroll in the institute's programs in LA. What role do the mentors play? The mentors at the L.A.

Mentor 185

Mentor Class Entertainment Technical Review 185

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 30, 2023

Over my many years of mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs and business professionals, I often hear a desire to start a new business, with a big hesitation while waiting for that perfect idea and perfect alignment of the stars. Your time is precious, so don’t waste a minute of it on useless activities or dreaming.

Technical Review 149

Technical Review Startup Entrepreneur Software Review 149

socalTECH

JANUARY 7, 2019

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. We continue to have a steady stream of industry and thought leaders raising their hands to be mentors for our upcoming cohorts.

Technical Review 157

Technical Review Software Review Startup Coach 157

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2021

New entrepreneurs, especially technical ones, are excited by early adopters, and tend to focus on their feedback, which will always suggest more product features and options. Utilize outside expertise and mentoring. Focus first on finding more of the right customers. Focus on the mainstream customer majority.

Technical Review 160

Technical Review Technical Advisors Startup Mentor 160

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2022

If you are like most entrepreneurs I know, there just aren’t enough hours in a day to get all your own work done, as well as run the many one-hour meetings each team member seems to demand for decisions and mentoring. For one-on-one coaching from the startup founder, I call this approach five-minute mentoring. Marty Zwilling.

Mentor 154

Mentor Technical Review Coach Slides 154

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2014

I reviewed a deal for a friend of mine tonight. He’s an incredibly smart investor and somebody that I actually consider to be a mentor to myself. He wanted to know what I thought of his technology deal. I always ask when somebody sends me a deal, for example, are you already a shareholder in the company?

Venture Capital 333

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Email 333

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2022

For example, TOMS shoes inspired everyone by highlighting and effectively communicating a higher purpose from founder Blake Mycoskie of helping the needy by donating a pair of shoes for every pair sold. Challenge yourself to delivering a technical innovation. Driven to reduce personal hardship and suffering.

Technical Review 143

Technical Review Coach Mentor Customer 143

socalTECH

APRIL 10, 2012

One of the most original, subscription startups to come out of Southern California's tech accelerator boom emerged last week, looking to disrupt not just another retail sector or e-commerce category, but something else entirely: the airline industry. We take your application and review it.

Startup 240

Startup Mentor Technical Review Santa Barbara 240

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 13, 2011

My initial desire to blog came from something that’s always been my approach to investing – I’m a nerd and I love to play with the technology and part of my approach has really been to understand things both at a user level and at a reasonably deep tentacle level. Brad on blogging. How did you start blogging? “My

Venture Capital 288

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Software Review 288

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2021

Almost every entrepreneur and new business owner I mentor is certain that his/her idea has a very high probability of success, and all find it hard to believe that ninety percent of startups ultimately fail. For example, I believe Bill Gates would have failed without his partners Steve Ballmer and Paul Allen.

Technical Review 131

Technical Review Case Study Mentor Software Review 131

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 22, 2019

Most of us have blind spots in our ability to build a business, due to lack of experience, too much ego, over-confidence, or unjustified faith in a subordinate. It’s fair to start with what people think they know, as long as you use that to zero in on corroborating evidence and real examples.

Technical Review 127

Technical Review Activity Mentor Entrepreneur 127

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2014

I reviewed an email from Kara Nortman, the CEO of Moonfrye who is working on putting together venture debt. I then traded emails with two former senior tech professionals in LA. You may enjoy this post as an example that talks about my first meetings with Brad Feld, Tristan Walker, Justyn Howard and more. Whom to Meet?

Networking 366

Networking Startup CTO Coach Email 366

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2020

Many entrepreneurs I have mentored make big mistakes in this area, by hiring low-cost friends and family, with minimal skills or training, and expecting them to have the same work ethic , passion, and business knowledge as the founder. Direct customer-facing non-technical roles should be the last ones outsourced. with experience.

Outsource 123

Outsource Startup Technical Review Training 123

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2022

Based on my own mentoring and investing experience, the best entrepreneurs are pragmatic problem solvers. After some review of available resources, I’m convinced that problem solving is a learnable trait, rather than just a birthright. A good alternative is to enlist the help of a business mentor you can trust.

Startup 135

Startup Mentor Entrepreneur Technical Review 135

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 1, 2011

You need to be great at something: technology back-end, front-end design, usability, sales, marketing, quantitative analysis, leadership –> whatever. But if you’re not uber talented there is always a “Justin Bieber of technology&# waiting to kick your ass. Foursquare is a great example of this.

Entrepreneur 398

Entrepreneur Startup Writing Blogging 398

socalTECH

APRIL 12, 2013

To be fair (and as other accelerators in town are eager to point out), Launchpad LA has had a head start, with a number of companies which joined the accelerator before it was an accelerator, and was a mentoring group for a mix of both funded and non-funded companies. Are these the only accelerators in town?

Southern California 222

Southern California Incubator Report Startup 222

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 16, 2022

Yet I find, as a mentor and outside consultant, that many of you focus only on working conditions and compensation as the key factors determining team engagement , health, and productivity. I will summarize these here, with my insights, for your review and implementation: Physical health. Intellectual stimulation.

Technical Review 141

Technical Review Mentor Social Media Custom 141

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2020

Many of the entrepreneurs I advise or invest with spend considerable time on the Internet, keeping up with technology, customers, and competitors, but very few feel the need for an early personal presence. Consistently review and respond to relevant online feedback. Every future entrepreneur should start by networking.

Product 127

Product Entrepreneur Technical Advisors Technical Review 127

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2015

If you are like most entrepreneurs I know, there just aren’t enough hours in a day to get all your own work done, as well as run the many one-hour meetings each team member seems to demand for decisions and mentoring. For one-on-one coaching from the startup founder, I call this approach five-minute mentoring.

Product 99

Product Mentor Startup Technical Review 99

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 19, 2018

In my role as mentor and advisor to many founders, I consistently fail in convincing them of the power in wise delegation. Even if you can learn and do everything, time is a killer in this rapidly evolving world of business and technology. You need to divide and conquer. Not trusting key team members to get required results.

Technical Review 96

Technical Review Ideas Startup Entrepreneur 96

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2022

You can review all the specifics of this approach in the classic book by Nathan Furr and Paul Ahlstrom, appropriately titled “ Nail It then Scale It: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating and Managing Breakthrough Innovation ,” but I will net it out here. Great businesses begin with a customer problem that has a big and monetizable pain point.

Technical Review 143

Technical Review Customer Custom Entrepreneur 143

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 6, 2015

Based on my own mentoring and investing experience, the best entrepreneurs are pragmatic problem solvers. After some review of available resources, I’m convinced that problem solving is a learnable trait, rather than just a birthright. A good alternative is to enlist the help of a business mentor you can trust.

Mentor 105

Mentor Entrepreneur Technical Review Satisfaction 105

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 28, 2014

Based on my own mentoring and investing experience, the best entrepreneurs are pragmatic problem solvers. After some review of available resources, I’m convinced that problem solving is a learnable trait, rather than just a birthright. A good alternative is to enlist the help of a business mentor you can trust.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Mentor Technical Review Satisfaction 102

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2019

Here I often find that you need to seek and work with a co-founder who can complement your technical skills with financial and marketing to start the business. For example, I knew Bill Gates back in the early startup days of Microsoft. Lead and mentor team members to run all business areas. The team must handle daily tasks.

Companies 99

Companies Company Technical Review Startup 99

Tech Zulu Event

DECEMBER 13, 2013

The nuts and bolts of our tech company is that CMS in the middle, the connection engine. When I went full-time, I did not have the full-time support on the tech side I wanted. So, I have no tech support right now. Which I have shown to do, but anybody who invests in tech, invests in team. It’s a huge challenge for me.

Technical Review 87

Technical Review Mobile Startup Los Angeles 87

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 20, 2012

You can review all the specifics of this approach in a recent book by Nathan Furr and Paul Ahlstrom, appropriately titled “ Nail It then Scale It: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating and Managing Breakthrough Innovation ,” but I will net it out here. Great businesses begin with a customer problem that has a big and monetizable pain point.

Startup 118

Startup Technical Review Entrepreneur Customer 118

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

You can review all the specifics of this approach in a new book by Nathan Furr and Paul Ahlstrom, appropriately titled “ Nail It then Scale It: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating and Managing Breakthrough Innovation ,” but I will net it out here. Great businesses begin with a customer problem that has a big and monetizable pain point.

Startup 114

Startup Technical Review Entrepreneur Customer 114

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2014

You can review all the specifics of this approach in a book by Nathan Furr and Paul Ahlstrom, appropriately titled “ Nail It then Scale It: The Entrepreneur''s Guide to Creating and Managing Breakthrough Innovation ,” but I will net it out here. Nail the solution. Nail the business model.

Entrepreneur 113

Entrepreneur Startup Technical Review Customer 113

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 5, 2011

For example, if your startup is building a high-tech software product, a dream team of advisors would be a former CEO or high-level exec in another software company, a former software marketing executive, and a former financial executive.

Startup 95

Startup Technical Review Software Review High Tech 95

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 23, 2012

For example, if your startup is building a high-tech software product, a dream team of advisors would be a former CEO or high-level exec in another software company, a former software marketing executive, and a former financial executive.

Startup 95

Startup Technical Review Software Review High Tech 95

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 4, 2019

Based on my recent experience as an angel investor, and advisor to new business owners, I now recommend that all entrepreneurs, especially introverts, learn and practice the discipline they need to build and nurture relationships with key constituents through the following activities: Formalize a mentoring relationship with someone you trust.

Entrepreneur 104

Entrepreneur Mentor Activity Startup 104

socalTECH

APRIL 13, 2021

The Startup Garage is an incubator which gives preference to USC teams, or startups that are USC affiliated in some way, for example, alumni-led. We don't have the resources to do typical diligence and assessment, so we just piggyback on other deals. It's not entirely exclusive, however.

Marina Del Rey 150

Marina Del Rey Startup USC Incubator 150

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 24, 2019

This is often management’s fault because a long-deck plus financials that arrive the night before a board meeting don’t allow for directors to properly review them. Knowing the broader team helps you to be more helpful to the CEO and helps you be a better mentor or debate partner. Materials should always be 72 hours in advance.

Startup 251

Startup Help Technical Review Writing 251

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 26, 2015

Great technology leads to innovative solutions that are possible, but not necessarily great businesses. For example, hydrogen-fueled engines were invented over a century ago, with a continuing promise of breathing air and exhaling pure water vapor and having over 200 companies active in the hydrogen sector today.

Technical Review 54

Technical Review Product Activity Technology 54

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 27, 2019

Based on my own mentoring and investing experience, the best entrepreneurs are pragmatic problem solvers. After some review of available resources, I’m convinced that problem solving is a learnable trait, rather than just a birthright. A good alternative is to enlist the help of a business mentor you can trust.

Mentor 85

Mentor Entrepreneur Technical Review Summary 85

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2019

For example, like me, you may be an aggressive, logical, and “get things done” type of person, who created a new product, but is easily frustrated by others around you who are committed, but tend to make decisions slowly, or rely more on emotions than the facts in any situation. Your challenge is to adapt to them.

Tips 97

Tips Technical Review Examples Coach 97