First, let’s define a strategic investment. A strategic investment is one that’s made most often by a company in your industry, and in some cases a competitor. I don’t think most startups look at strategic investment opportunities – they pursue angel and VC investors first – but in a downturn economy, do strategic investors become […]
Sun Startup Essentials Sponsors Montreal Tech Entrepreneur Breakfast
Tomorrow is the Montreal Tech Entrepreneur Breakfast. It’s at a new location (Boccacinos on McGill College). Click the link above for all the details. In the meantime, I have a great announcement… Sun Startup Essentials is sponsoring the breakfast! That’s right, breakfast is free. But please be reasonable…we don’t need any abusing their goodwill. I […]
Startups Launching at TechCrunch50 and DEMO Fall 2008
Launching a startup at a big event is a great idea. There are many advantages. Hard Launch Date: Launching at an event forces you to launch. There are many examples of startups that delay their launch (several times over) because they can. An event means you’ve got to launch. Granted, I’ve seen a lot of […]
Startup Fundraising According to Paul Graham
Paul Graham is well-known in the startup world for his past successes and most recently, the launch of Y Combinator. Y Combinator continues to garner a ton of attention, from a combination of the sheer volume in startups being launched through the program, the successful exits, and the way in which they’re shaking up the […]
The Big Bang Theory of Launching a Product
Many people will tell you the best way to launch a product is to do so early and iterate constantly. I’ve said the same thing, and generally agree with that sentiment. You don’t want to spend a year building a product without any serious customer feedback, without putting your feet to the fire in the […]
5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists
Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of pitching to investors, including angel investors and venture capitalists. It’s a fact of life when you run a venture-backed startup. It’s one of those things that no one ever tells you about raising money — once you start, you never stop. It will take on average 4-6 months […]
Technology to Sales: The Evolution of a Software Startup
Software startups always start out very heavily focused on technology. They have to be; they’re building some kind of software application and most of their time has to go into doing that properly. Most software startup teams are made up entirely of developers or weighted in that direction. Have a team of 4? I bet […]
Data: A Startup’s Secret Money-Making Asset
The pervading approach to launching a startup is to do it quickly, iterate constantly and make as much noise as possible throughout the process. It’s not a bad way of doing things, and given the lower cost of startup operations, and the nature of consumer web startups in particular, and it’s completely doable. But be […]
The Challenge of Staying Focused in a Startup
Startups have a hard time staying focused. It’s the nature of the beast. The enthusiasm founders have for their startups can very quickly lead to chasing too many opportunities. The big risk? Running in every direction, chasing every lead, idea and opportunity only to realize at the end that you’ve made very little progress. And […]
How Startups Can Use PR Successfully
One of the biggest challenges for startups is keeping in the public eye – getting the word out on a consistent basis to drive an audience, customers, buzz, etc. There are lots of marketing techniques for startups but one that I think is under used and under appreciated is PR. Public Relations is all about […]
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