Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Nearly every successful tech startup I’ve observed over the past 20 years has gone through a similar growth pattern: Innovate, systematize then scale operations. Innovate In the early years of a startup there is a lot of kinetic energy of enthusiastic innovators looking to launch a product that changes how an industry works.

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innovation startup board leadership 286

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2014

I had an enjoyable conversation this morning with a young team straight out of college this morning and they were calling to ask advice on how to approach fund raising (angels vs. VCs, how to select a VC, etc.) Most VCs are book smart. In fact, book smart can be a negative. Startups are hard. Startup Advice VC Industry'

VC 364

VC advice board leadership 364

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 31, 2010

She wrote the book that inspired the way that people at McKinsey and Accenture do presentations. But seriously her book is spot on. One strategy I often employ. Tags: Entrepreneur Advice Start-up Advice Startup Advice. OK, hold back on your consulting humor. People say this all the time.

advice 362

advice VC entrepreneurs education 362

American Entrepreneurship

JANUARY 5, 2025

On the business side, they face hard decisions about establishing the right marketing strategy for their products and services, gaining timely access to capital to grow their business and dealing with the day-to-day operations. They help you avoid c ommon pitfalls and introduce proven strategies that accelerate growth.

entrepreneurs 98

entrepreneurs mentorship entrepreneurship advice 98

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2014

And I realized that my place at the table isn’t always the opinionated guy debating company strategy but often it’s knowing the smartest people in the market and having close enough relationships with them and having put in sufficient time helping that that I know when I can call in favors. ” You simply need to ask.

networking 366

networking peer-to-peer advice mentorship 366

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 29, 2012

But my take: Gaikai had superior technology & a superior business strategy. We spent a bunch of time in the video talking about “disruption” as described by Clay Christensen in his seminal book, “The Innovator’s Dilemman” which I profiled here. I agree with him.

VC 279

VC culture incubation venture capital 279

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 31, 2015

The greatest book I’ve read on the topic. Every person who suspects they may have ADD should read this book. Healing ADD – I also learned a lot from Dr. Amen’s book so I recommend it as your second book. Amen’s book so I recommend it as your second book. Delivered from Distraction.

creativity 384

creativity consulting entrepreneurship energy 384

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

He had an idea for a startup that would help consumers better book service jobs and would take on Service Magic, which he believed had a business model that could be disrupted. In the same year they won Business Insider’s Startup competition. ” So Ethan went to work as a product manager at Google Video. Nice sweep!

disruption 359

disruption VC entrepreneurs strategy 359

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

Startups Are for Doers. But trust me when I say that my observations across many startups (and other companies, frankly) is that not enough time goes into thinking. If you’re not taking this zone-out down time I’ll bet you’re not having enough strategic reflection on your job, your company, your strategy.

creativity 400

creativity venture capital entrepreneurs board 400

Gust

JUNE 19, 2012

Thoughts on startups by investors that fund them & entrepreneurs that run them. Investment and startups problem : we all want disruptive and game-changing businesses. Money to build the business is the number one challenge for most startups. A large percentage of startups never apply to either. Subscribe by email.

startup 180

startup pitching disruption mix-use 180

Dream It

APRIL 3, 2020

In addition to his books, Geoffrey Moore assisted in writing “In a Downturn, Provoke Your Customers” for the Harvard Business Review in 2009. His strategy for selling in 2009 is relevant to any economic downturn. Luckily, the strategy can be broken down into 3 steps. What keeps them up at night? What are they ignoring?

pitching 221

pitching strategy advice board 221

Tomasz Tunguz

MARCH 27, 2025

As startups scale, effective sales implementation becomes the difference between stagnation and sustainable growth. After analyzing hundreds of sales organizations across startups, I’ve distilled the key pieces of advice that founders and leaders should keep in mind.

advice 72

advice founder startup enablement 72

Y Combinator

MARCH 7, 2023

YC Group Partner Surbhi Sarna has written a book called Without a Doubt , and today it goes on sale. But it's also a must-read for any founder who feels underestimated, or anyone who isn't sure if starting a startup is for them. It is the unvarnished truth of what startups are really like.

entrepreneurship 97

entrepreneurship culture advice health 97

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 7, 2014

I spend a lot of time with startups and thus hear many companies talk about their approach to sales and their interactions with customers. This was customer interaction at its finest and as a result they invited him to meet with our entire sales staff and offer advice on the sales process from a customer’s perspective.

peer-to-peer 341

peer-to-peer VC entrepreneurs support 341

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 8, 2010

I guess let’s file this under sales & marketing advice. Don’t blog about what you think would be “cool.&# I don’t think that most startup blogs should be about how to build a startup. If you’re a full time blogger and reading this then you need to go get a real book on how to blog.

advice 286

advice mix-use entrepreneurs strategy 286

Dream It

DECEMBER 10, 2020

In this guest Dreamit Dose, Jason Calacanis (@jason), a technology entrepreneur, angel investor, and the host of the popular podcasts This Week in Startups and Angel, answers the top 5 questions he gets about angel investing. First startup and no prior success? Jason advises that you should not base your strategy on outliers.

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angel investing investing investment networking 221

AsiaTechDaily

NOVEMBER 16, 2022

Register Startup founders need to be authentic and prepared when they get the chance to meet prospective investors, according to Rex Fong, founding partner at investment and advisory group Capitale Ventures. It partners with entrepreneurs in funding their growth stories through innovative market access and public venture capital strategies.

ventures 97

ventures startup VC strategy 97

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 29, 2010

We also discussed how to deal with pricing in angel rounds and a strategy I advocated in my “social proof&# blog post , which is to price your initial angel round really low and get in the best possible angels as a way to get momentum in the company. This question runs from about minute 2 – minute 8. Do it early.

venture capital 282

venture capital capital ventures angel investing 282

Smart Hustle Magazine

APRIL 24, 2021

Jill Soley, an executive at Issuu unpacks how we can get more startups to not fail. The scary startup failure rate. Take a deep breath, and some useful advice. The focus is mostly around marketing, because this is where so many startups fail. The keys to startup marketing. Or you’ve created a super-addictive app.

startup 98

startup real estate advice education 98

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 6, 2014

I should note that my friend Brad Feld has written a new book on the subject that I would recommend if you want the bible on the topic. Over time you start to figure out who you customers are and how to sell to them or how to get them to adopt your products if you’re a consumer-oriented startup. As You Start to Mature.

board 325

board media mentorship advice 325

NZ Entrepreneur

SEPTEMBER 7, 2022

Want to tap in to the best startup advice from entrepreneurs who are out there doing it? Welcome to ‘500 Founders’ where we ask innovators from around New Zealand for their top insights for first time startup founders. “Try to test and prove out your go-to-market strategy, before launch.” Never give up.”

founder 122

founder peer-to-peer advice entrepreneurship 122

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 2, 2015

Yet after a seed round of $2 million many are still doing Quickbooks entries, booking hotels & airplane tickets, negotiating offices leases and digging through employment benefits, legal contracts and such. I can’t tell you how many people have thanked me for this advice and say their productivity increased exponentially.

board 338

board energy financing finance 338

TechCrunch

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

When you are the founder of a young startup, it is always very hard to gauge the right amount of effort to dedicate to marketing. Geared toward tech startups, it boasts that it has “supercharged the growth of over 200 innovative businesses,” from fintech and SaaS to hardware. How do you collaborate with startups?

startup 102

startup SaaS advice strategy 102

Startup Blogpost

MAY 19, 2023

To understand the importance of mentorship for startup businesses, we gathered insights from 16 experienced CEOs, founders, and industry experts. From the value of experience and connections to the significance of mentors’ industry intuition, these professionals share their perspectives on why a mentor is a must for startup success.

mentorship 94

mentorship startup advice energy 94

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 13, 2011

It’s the time of year when many new startups are struggling to rise above all the noise and be heard. With all these companies vying for attention & others just here to soak up the vibe I thought I’d write a much broader piece on how startups can make the most of their attendance at conferences & events.

networking 289

networking disruption education strategy 289

Gust

SEPTEMBER 1, 2014

The universal challenge of every startup founder is to get everything done that needs to get done, and still have a life. Stever Robbins, known on the Internet as the Get-It-Done Guy, outlines his strategies in his classic book “ 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More.” To Do List Chalkboard by Mufidah Kassalias, on Flickr.

entrepreneurs 180

entrepreneurs strategy energy advice 180

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 11, 2012

But I did read a couple of books on the topic that were useful: 1. Another great example of where I saw this “floor testing” used was in the book, “ Swim with the Sharks without Being Eaten Alive. The author, Harvey Mackay, talked about his strategy. But their pricing strategy has always driven me bonkers.

strategy 305

strategy VC financing finance 305

TechCrunch

AUGUST 20, 2021

“As the venture landscape becomes more a meritocratic environment where resumes and institutional affiliations matter less, these strategies can make the difference between a successful fundraise and a fruitless meeting,” says Agya Ventures co-founder Kunal Lunawat. ” Full Extra Crunch articles are only available to members.

startup 103

startup health board VC 103

Gust

AUGUST 19, 2012

As a member of the local Angel group selection committee, I’ve seen a lot of startup presentations to investors, and I’ve never seen one that was too short – maybe short on content, but not short on pages! Even if you have an hour booked, the advice is the same. Give the “elevator pitch” for your startup.

pitching 146

pitching sustainability strategy energy 146

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 11, 2019

Part of running a board is managing the board meeting itself where you share your financial and operating progress, discuss your strategy & plans going forward and get & give information to your board members. One of the strongest bits of advice I would give you is to be super anal about the physical environment of your group meal.

networking 262

networking board construction disruption 262

TechCrunch

JULY 20, 2021

Today, her London-based firm works with startups around the world — and her startup clients have raved about the results, based on what we’ve heard in our TechCrunch Experts growth marketing survey. Nikki O’Farrell of KatKin told us that “[She has an] expert ear and eye from the world of startups/scaleups and growth.

founder 96

founder startup hospitality strategy 96

TechCrunch

NOVEMBER 24, 2020

The Netherlands’ ecosystem has been flourishing; more than $85 million was invested in regional startups in 2019 alone. Plenty of good funding rounds, a highly skilled workforce and a strong entrepreneurial culture have given Amsterdam a booming startup ecosystem. According to a study by KPMG and and NL Times , startups raised $591.2

opportunity 93

opportunity startup startup ecosystem education 93

American Entrepreneurship

JANUARY 5, 2025

On the business side, they face hard decisions about establishing the right marketing strategy for their products and services, gaining timely access to capital to grow their business and dealing with the day-to-day operations. They help you avoid c ommon pitfalls and introduce proven strategies that accelerate growth.

entrepreneurs 98

entrepreneurs mentorship entrepreneurship advice 98

TechCrunch

OCTOBER 7, 2021

When we interviewed him last July , Hughes explained that he would refer leads to EveryDeveloper when they needed to sort out their content strategy. This made us curious, so we got ourselves a copy of DuVander’s book and reached out to him for additional insights. The main takeaway? Every press release looked the same.

development 92

development education strategy consulting 92

Entrepreneur's Handbook

APRIL 24, 2021

Founders from outside a tech-ecosystem are surrounded by bad advice, since building a startup is different from other kinds of businesses. Those myths are: (1) Don’t share your idea; (2) Good ideas must be bulletproof; (3) Startups require your total commitment; (4) Live on a shoestring; and, (5) Stick to what you know.

startup 106

startup entrepreneurship advice capital 106

TechCrunch

OCTOBER 13, 2021

Advice is not a new concept, but Intro is putting its spin on access to in-demand experts through personalized one-on-one video calls. Instead of charging the experts a subscription fee, Intro makes money when they do, taking 30% commission for calls the company brings in or 10% when the expert initiates a call through their booking tool.

advice 80

advice consulting entrepreneurs opportunity 80

TechCrunch

JULY 26, 2021

The startup founded by former Farfetch executives has raised a $9 million seed round. It wants to make gardening more accessible by providing a curated list of items, relevant advice as well as inspiration. Index Ventures is leading the round in the startup with Ada Ventures and several business angels also participating.

advice 111

advice creativity strategy ventures 111