socalTECH

AUGUST 29, 2013

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? A new, Los Angeles area startup, JumpStartFund (www.jumpstartfund.com) recently launched, offering up a combination of crowdfunding and crowd-advice for entrepreneurial ideas.

Ideas 178

Ideas Patents Funding Startup 178

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 27, 2014

In my experience, consummate entrepreneurs tend come up with more startup ideas than they can ever implement, and some of the ideas may not even make business sense. But how does any entrepreneur know which ideas to implement, and which ones are best left behind? Separate nice-to-have ideas from ones solving painful problems.

Ideas 106

Ideas Entrepreneur Technical Review Patents 106

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 11, 2019

When someone says Intellectual Property (IP), most entrepreneurs think only of patents. In reality, patents are only one of at least eight items that should be in your IP portfolio. Remember that ideas cannot be patented, only novel implementations. You need all these before you start looking for funding. Copyrights.

IP 93

IP Invest Patents Social Media 93

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 24, 2021

When someone says Intellectual Property (IP), most entrepreneurs think only of patents. In reality, patents are only one of at least eight items that should be in your IP portfolio. Remember that ideas cannot be patented, only novel implementations. You need all these before you start looking for funding. Copyrights.

Startup 145

Startup Patents IP Social Media 145

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 11, 2021

Disclosing inventions before the patent application is filed. Entrepreneurs often put off the hassle and the cost of filing a patent until first funding. Then they realize that they have talked to many people without signing non-disclosure statements, precluding a patent, or someone else has now beat them to the filing docket.

Patents 145

Patents Legalzoom Invest Startup 145

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 29, 2013

On the other hand, if you intend to patent an idea, you need a signed confidentiality agreement from everyone knowing details, or you will legally lose patent rights. An NDA is highly recommended before you talk to a similar company about a joint venture, white labeling, or any investment options. Trade secrets.

Ideas 92

Ideas Demand Patents Entrepreneur 92

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2015

As a business mentor, I sometimes feel besieged by people begging for my view and support of their latest idea. In reality, I like most ideas, but I have to tell them that the real challenge is taking the inspiration from a dream to a business. File at least a provisional patent and one or more trademarks.

Ideas 104

Ideas Mentor Resource Entrepreneur 104

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2017

Based on my own experience as a startup investor, and feedback from like-minded friends, we all get pitches for at least ten startup ideas for every one new business plan. New business founders need to remember that investors fund business implementations, not ideas. Show evidence that your solution will create a viable business.

Ideas 74

Ideas Social Media Startup Customer 74

Berkonomics

APRIL 13, 2017

A core patent or “thicket” of patents protecting your offering? Some great ideas just can’t make money and ultimately die for lack of profit potential. Can you translate an idea into a compelling product? Some great ideas just cannot be made into a product at a reasonable enough price to attract customers.

Patents 291

Patents Pricing Ideas Marketing 291

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2014

As a business mentor, I sometimes feel besieged by people begging for my view and support of their latest idea. In reality, I like most ideas, but I have to tell them that the real challenge is taking the inspiration from a dream to a business. File at least a provisional patent and one or more trademarks.

Ideas 107

Ideas Mentor Entrepreneur Resource 107

Berkonomics

MARCH 5, 2020

Professional investors will probe these five risk areas and make the decision to invest based upon comfort with each. Another is to gain the support of a core vendor who is willing to offer special extended terms to the company as its investment in creating the product in a finished state. Third: Management risk. .

Outsource Development 156

Outsource Development Ideas Resource Patents 156

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2016

Either of these qualms can ultimately sidetrack your startup as not worthy of investment, so it pays to do your homework on what you say and how to communicate effectively. This is also the place to first mention patents and any other differentiators that put you ahead of competition. Investors invest in people more than the idea.

Invest 108

Invest Startup Slides Equity 108

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2023

It’s still popular these days for startup founders to operate in stealth mode, meaning no details about the idea or progress are shared with anyone until the big reveal and rollout. The common reason given is that this prevents any competitor from stealing their idea and beating them to market. Get competitors to surface early.

Marketing 105

Marketing Startup Search Engine Optimization Ideas 105

Berkonomics

AUGUST 31, 2023

In 1994, (I know a long time ago), I invested over a million dollars (two million six hundred thousand in today’s dollars) into a company whose entrepreneurs had a vision that I bought into for many reasons, not the least of which was that I had industry experience and understood the need. Let me tell you a short story at my own expense.

Competition 156

Competition Research Summary Pricing 156

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2020

Jeff Bezos readily admits that his first career in a Wall Street-based investment banking firm gave him some keen insights into business realities, before a fear of regret and a personal passion led him to create Amazon, now the largest ecommerce site in the world. Strategic planning is a required ongoing investment.

Entrepreneur 173

Entrepreneur Patents Startup Technical Review 173

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2013

People with money to invest have choices. How do you as an entrepreneur with a new idea get to be one of those choices? Venture investing is often mentioned as the most sexy form of wealth creation, but it’s also recognized as one of riskiest. But patents and other intellectual property only go so far. Scalability.

Invest 107

Invest Startup Venture Capital Ideas 107

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 11, 2022

My first suggestion is that entrepreneurs need to forget the old myth that all they need to do is sketch an idea on a napkin, and investors will line up to invest. The most investable ventures stem from painful needs by customers who have money to spend. Investors invest in people, often more so than in the product.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Invest Funding Patents 108

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

As a new business advisor and occasional investor, I get approached regularly by people who have a dream or a new business idea, and are looking for support and money to make it a reality. Thus, I’m more impressed with entrepreneurs who ask me to review their implementation plan, rather than listen again to their idea.

Ideas 94

Ideas Slides Technical Review Patents 94

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. For example, “We just patented a new battery technology that will cut your smartphone charge time and cost in half.” Use non-fuzzy terms to quantify customer value.

Product 169

Product Summary Startup Examples 169

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 23, 2020

It’s still popular these days for startup founders to operate in stealth mode, meaning no details about the idea or progress are shared with anyone until the big reveal and rollout. The common reason given is that this prevents any competitor from stealing their idea and beating them to market. Get competitors to surface early.

Search Engine Optimization 174

Search Engine Optimization Ideas Startup Customer 174

Berkonomics

MARCH 14, 2019

Professional investors will probe these five risk areas and make the decision to invest based upon their comfort with each. Another is to gain the support of a core vendor who is willing to offer special extended terms to the company as its investment in creating the product in a finished state. Third: Management risk. .

Outsource Development 120

Outsource Development Ideas Resource Patents 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 23, 2023

This point was illustrated well in the classic book, “ The Power of Positive Destruction: How to Turn a Business Idea Into a Revolution ,” by Seth Merrin. I like his approach to first making sure the idea has the potential for a unique selling proposition, by asking yourself a few key questions: Does the idea solve a painful problem?

Startup 96

Startup Education Ideas Customer 96

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 10, 2021

A while back I received a discouraging note from an entrepreneur with a patent and a medical software application who couldn’t find a dime of investment, and was grousing that seed funding just wasn’t available anymore. It is not helpful to you for funders to love an idea that does not fit the criteria for their investing capability.

Software Review 123

Software Review Seed Funding Funding Startup 123

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

Most colleges have now added classes in entrepreneurship to include the necessary business focus to technical majors that usually drive innovative ideas. Every school recognizes the power of “hands-on” work to help you develop your own ideas into a business. Good business basics are not intuitive.

Entrepreneur 157

Entrepreneur Mentor Class Resource 157

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2020

This point was illustrated well in the classic book, “ The Power of Positive Destruction: How to Turn a Business Idea Into a Revolution ,” by Seth Merrin. I like his approach to first making sure the idea has the potential for a unique selling proposition, by asking yourself a few key questions: Does the idea solve a painful problem?

Startup 166

Startup Education Ideas Customer 166

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 9, 2013

You are an aspiring entrepreneur, eager to dump the corporate grind, and work to the beat of your own drummer, but you can’t come up with that killer idea to save the world. Of course, you get the challenge of filing patents, developing a product, and defining the revenue model. You really just want to be the boss.

Ideas 100

Ideas Startup Course Patents 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 14, 2020

My first suggestion is that entrepreneurs need to forget the old myth that all they need to do is sketch an idea on a napkin, and investors will line up to invest. The most investable ventures stem from painful needs by customers who have money to spend. Investors invest in people, often more so than in the product.

Funding 123

Funding Startup Entrepreneur Invest 123

Tech.Co

NOVEMBER 27, 2017

Maine Medical Center, Maine’s largest hospital, is investing in their employees and giving them a chance to act on their innovative ideas that could transform healthcare. They also partner with business development experts to help participants transition from idea to intellectual property into partnerships and startups.

IP 70

IP Patents Ideas Research 70

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2020

Most of you aspiring entrepreneurs have new ideas on a regular basis, and find it hard deciding which to pursue, or try to tackle several at the same time. Every investor will tell you that they invest in the person, more than the product, because they have learned that people with focus find success.

Entrepreneur 126

Entrepreneur Startup Patents Resource 126

Berkonomics

JULY 6, 2017

In 1994, (I know a long time ago), I invested over a million dollars into a company whose entrepreneurs had a vision that I bought into for many reasons, not the least of which was that I had industry experience and understood the need. Here’s where some intelligent market research might have saved the company and my investment.

Competition 266

Competition Research Summary Pricing 266

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2016

In my experience, consummate entrepreneurs tend come up with more startup ideas than they can ever implement, and some of the ideas may not even make business sense. But how does any entrepreneur know which ideas to implement, and which ones are best left behind? Separate nice-to-have ideas from ones solving painful problems.

Technical Review 58

Technical Review Ideas Patents Startup 58

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 28, 2013

Helping solicit new business ideas and patents from individuals, federal research labs, universities and other R&D organizations countrywide. It gives members access to the disruptive power of the crowd to vote, comment and refine, and impact ideas in development to help build viable companies. Social network for investors.

El Segundo 76

El Segundo Social Network Startup Patents 76

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2010

When someone says Intellectual Property (IP), most people think only of patents. In reality, patents are only one of at least seven items that should be in your IP portfolio. Remember that ideas cannot be patented, only novel implementations. Patent attorney fees start at around $5K. Trademarks. Copyrights.

Patents 50

Patents Startup IP Blogging 50

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 26, 2022

You may dream of developing a new silicon chip technology, but a bit of research should tell you that most disruptive solutions take billions in investment, and more time than you can afford for acceptance. You need intellectual property , such as a patent, trade secret, or process expertise that will be a barrier that you can defend.

Social Media 105

Social Media Writing Ideas Resource 105

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 30, 2014

Did anybody hold patents that would prevent us from using this technology? I seldom hire patent attorneys during due diligence but this was too important. Meredith Perry came up with the idea for uBeam while still in college at University of Pennsylvania and like many great inventors won her school’s business plan competition.

Technical Review 418

Technical Review Software Review CTO Hire IP 418

socalTECH

OCTOBER 22, 2020

Earlier this week, Good Growth Capital (www.goodgrowthvc.com) announced it has started looking at investments in Southern California, adding Krisztina Holly as West Coast Venture Partner for the firm. What kinds of areas does the fund make investments in? We've never not gotten into a deal that we wanted to invest in.

Southern California 124

Southern California Capital Technical Review Startup 124

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2023

List key competitors and alternatives, highlighting your sustainable competitive advantages, such as patents and trademarks. If you are still in the idea stage, meaning you have nothing but a passionate verbal description of an idea, approaching investors is a waste of time and a recipe for failure.

Product 112

Product Summary Activity Entrepreneur 112