999 Posts Found

Raising money is not like applying to college, where you can assume that if you can get into MIT, you can also get into Foobar State. Because the best investors are much smarter than the rest, and the best startup ideas look initially like bad ideas, it’s not uncommon for a startup to be rejected by all the VCs except the best ones.

Content: Quotation | Author: Paul Graham | Subjects: Entrepreneurship, Venture Capital

[Investors] think they’re trying to convince investors of something very uncertain—that their startup will be huge—and convincing anyone of something like that must obviously entail some wild feat of salesmanship. But in fact when you raise money you’re trying to convince investors of something so much less speculative—whether the company has all the elements of a good bet—that you can approach the problem in a … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Author: Paul Graham | Subjects: Entrepreneurship, Venture Capital

Getting Real details the business, design, programming, and marketing principles of 37signals. The book is packed with keep-it-simple insights, contrarian points of view, and unconventional approaches to software design. This is not a technical book or a design tutorial, it’s a book of ideas. Anyone working on a web app – including entrepreneurs, designers, programmers, executives, or marketers – will find value and inspiration in … [ Read more ]

Content: Book | Author: Jason Fried | Subject: Entrepreneurship

The ideal business is one that runs without you. In such a case, you can focus your time on growing the business, rather than being an integral part of its day-to-day operations. Achieving this not only dramatically increases the value of your business, but significantly reduces your stress and allows you to take more time off.

Content: Quotation | Author: Dave Lavinsky | Source: ChangeThis | Subjects: Entrepreneurship, Management

New research offers insights into how venture capitalists make funding decisions. The Breakdown:
30.4% – Potential Return
27% – Founders’ Experience
26.4% – Market Readiness
6.6% – Regulatory Exposure
6.4% – Social Connection with Founders
3.2% – Lead investor

Content: Article | Author: Daniel McGinn | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subjects: Entrepreneurship, Venture Capital

I’ve started 4 companies and have invested in 25 more. And I can say, with supreme confidence, that I have made or seen almost every mistake possible. None of these are fun to live through, I assure you. But they are not nearly as fatal to a young company as the #1 mistake entrepreneurs make – FOCUSING ON THE WRONG THINGS. Successful entrepreneurs focus exclusively … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Michael Lazerow | Source: LinkedIn | Subject: Entrepreneurship

As Skype turns ten, a look back at how six Europeans changed the world.

Content: Case Study | Author: Toivo Tänavsuu | Source: Ars Technica | Subject: Entrepreneurship | Company: Skype

Entrepreneurs are a unique group of people, but they behave in patterns. In fact, my firm’s research shows that most serial entrepreneurs display persuasion, leadership, personal accountability, goal orientation, and interpersonal skills. But we also discovered a set of skills they do not possess.

Content: Article | Author: Bill J. Bonnstetter | Source: Harvard Business Review | Subject: Entrepreneurship

While American venture capital firms are coated with an aura of glamor they are also shrouded by a cloud of mystery. Just how do they operate? How do they raise their money? Why do some VC firms succeed while others do not? The authors of this article, who were given unprecedented access to key executives of prominent VC firms, answer these and other questions that … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Authors: Hatim Tyabji, Vijay Sathe | Source: Ivey Business Journal | Subjects: Industry Specific, Venture Capital

Every fast-growth company eventually runs into at least one of these all-too-common obstacles. How you handle them can make the difference between success and high-speed smashup.

Content: Article | Author: Kimberly Weisul | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subjects: Entrepreneurship, Management

Jesper Sørensen reveals the competitive advantages and disadvantages that startups and established companies can exploit as they compete for customers in new markets

Content: Multimedia Content | Author: Jesper Sørensen | Source: Stanford University | Subjects: Entrepreneurship, Marketing / Sales

Many companies get stuck on a plateau, unable to grow and burning through cash at a frightening rate. Frank V. Cespedes discusses how focusing on the right customers can generate growth again.

Content: Article | Authors: Frank V. Cespedes, Sean Silverthorne | Source: Harvard Business School (HBS) Working Knowledge | Subject: Entrepreneurship

Venture-capital firms have been the engine of the United States’ innovation economy. At Google Ventures, the search giant’s investing arm, Google thinks it can build a better one.

Content: Article | Author: Farhad Manjoo | Source: Fast Company | Subjects: Entrepreneurship, Industry Specific, Venture Capital | Company: Google Ventures

My rule of thumb is that someone is going to have the best seat in the house. It may not be me. But shame on me if I don’t ask for it. In every speech I give to entrepreneurs, I ask them not to make it easy for other people to say no and not to compromise.

Content: Quotation | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subject: Entrepreneurship

The greatest difference between entrepreneurs and corporate managers lies in the difference of a single belief about the future. Professional managers assume the future can be predicted; they create goals and plans and then attempt to control how things will unfold. The fundamental assumption, therefore, is that personal assumptions and learning happens primarily in the beginning of the process. Serial entrepreneurs, on … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Author: Soren Kaplan | Source: Ivey Business Journal | Subjects: Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Management

In the July/August 2010 issue of IBJ, these co-authors described the “caste system” and other secrets of venture capital (VC) firms in America. In this article, they summarize their interviews with VCs in Europe. While firms in Europe and America share similarities, the authors note that there are important differences that may explain why European VC firms perform poorly in comparison to those in America. … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Authors: Hatim Tyabji, Vijay Sathe | Source: Ivey Business Journal | Subjects: Industry Specific, International, Venture Capital

Joe Kraus says that analysts have discovered research that overturns some of Silicon Valley’s most cherished bits of lore. Take that old idea that it pays to fail in the Valley: Wrong! Google Ventures’ analysts found that first-time entrepreneurs with VC backing have a 15% chance of creating a successful company, while second-timers who had an auspicious debut see a 29% chance of repeating their … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Authors: Farhad Manjoo, Joe Kraus | Source: Fast Company | Subjects: Entrepreneurship, Venture Capital

Entrepreneurs usually find that, until they are out there selling, they really don’t know the crucial differences between early adopters and others along the relevant spectrum of opportunities.

Content: Quotation | Author: Frank V. Cespedes | Source: Harvard Business School (HBS) Working Knowledge | Subjects: Customer Related, Entrepreneurship

As an investor at Accel Partners, Theresia Gouw has heard her share of spiels from entrepreneurs. Here’s her checklist for all the right (and wrong) things to say.

Content: Article | Source: Fast Company | Subject: Entrepreneurship

They say it’s all about the team. They’re not lying about that. They’re lying because they never mention “the team” as a reason for passing…

Editor’s Note: see a related article by Brad Feld, “It’s Hard To Tell Someone They Suck” (Content: Article | Author: Josh Breinlinger | Subject: Entrepreneurship