Most startups fail for one of the following reasons:
Poor Management Acumen
Many entrepreneurs start relatively early and consequently do not have a lot of management experience under their belt. Often they are technical experts and lack business acumen, and either cannot or will not bring in the resources necessary for success. This one is key, because [...]
Looking over the SBA’s report on the “State of Entrepreneurism in the United States” it occurred to me that their criteria may not necessarily be what an entrepreneur considers as their information is funneled. However taking a step back and gaining a broader view of the options available can make a difference. I thought this [...]
I’ve seen this scenario, and it drives me bonkers.
Two people pitch their ideas to insert appropriate decision maker: upper management, venture capitalists, city council, and if you could put them on mute and study the ideas objectively you would see that one is clearly superior. The problem is that on more than one occasion, [...]
I recently attended a panel on start-up funding, and while this information is mostly common sense, its always good to be reminded. So here’s a quick summary of my notes along with my own commentary thrown in.
Prepare, prepare, prepare
Be ready for the pitch, and remember you are making a sale, but at the end of [...]
KISS plays an important role (Keep It Simple Stupid)
You do not need many slides and they should be to the point. These slides will probably not fall into place but result from a lot of sweat and tears to get them down to their core message. This may be challenging as everyone is excited about [...]
I attended ASTIA’s Doing It Right last week in the role of advisor. One panel, I sat in on featured several Angel Investors, and I wanted to pass along their advise and comments.
The panel included
Sam Angus: Fenwick & West (Moderator)
JoAnne Miller – Golden Seeds
Ann Nigam – Sand Hill Angles
Sue Preston – Clean Energy, CalCef Angle [...]
I’ve long bitten my tongue when I see entrepreneurs outsourcing the writing of their business plan because they are speaking with (insert as appropriate) the VCs, the bank, other investors in two weeks, but no more. I have some things I must get off my chest. This document – a business plan – is [...]
If not, you are not alone – its an interesting alternative to other legal structures
What is a B Corporation (B stands for Benefit)?
meets transparent and comprehensive standards of social and environmental performance
legally expands their corporate responsibilities to include consideration for stakeholder interest
amplifes the voice of sustainable business and for-profit social enterprise through the power of [...]
In the Valley, Silicon Valley that is, finance for start-ups is often assumed to begin and end with VCs (Venture Capitalists). That is certainly not always the case, and in fact in these financially challenging times, searching out alternative funding is a necessity. One alternative available, depending on the type of start-up is to look [...]
A news article recently spoke of the number of public companies have been on the decline in recent years, and certainly before the current financial situation. One obvious reason might be Sarbanes-Oxley. How does this impact VC business in the Valley? Opinions are mixed, but since a lot of VCs invest for that “pop” at [...]
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