Diversity in startups Over 50 business owners in Austin have signed a diversity initiative called The Startup and Inclusion Pledge. Firstly, the pledge calls for all signees to make a commitment to diversity in startups. For example, diverse hiring standards. Secondly, to commit to unconscious bias training and a diverse workforce. The pledge also calls ...
SEO Changes If you’re stranded on an island, it’s probably not smart to go into hiding and just hope someone finds you. You’re better off dedicating your time to making a fire, spelling HELP with logs, or sharpening your hunting skills. During this pandemic, it would best serve your company’s future to dedicate your time ...
PPP loans for startups Unless you’ve been vacationing on Mars for the past six months, you know that a $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was recently approved by Congress. Business owners are sifting through the fine print to see if they qualify for PPP loans for startups. The stimulus ...
Biotech startups stand tall At a time when the business world is reeling, biotech companies are still hanging on. Many biotech startups have successfully pivoted their entire platforms to focus on coronavirus-related work. Of course, these companies aren’t without their struggles. Clinical trials have come to a pause, finding investors has become more difficult and ...
Finding funding tougher than ever Almost eight months in to the pandemic and many startups are still fighting to survive. Finding funding has become harder in an era the New York Times calls “The Great Unwinding.” But not every startup is succumbing to a bleak fate. Some have shown unique strategies for attaining funding. Here, ...
Startups struggling during pandemic There are startups struggling to keep their heads above the deluge of a pandemic-induced depression. Between 2016 and 2018, the global startup economy generated over $3 trillion. A far cry from today’s economic value. Today, startups struggle to keep operations running during the pandemic. Web companies throughout Europe have lost close ...
Fighting COVID-19 Fighting COVID-19 has become priority number one for everyone, everywhere. As the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the nation’s economy, startup companies are now feeling those effects. Startup layoffs and furloughs have begun to take place en masse. Startups have reached a point where they are worried about demand for their services ...
Startup killers Startup killers destroy 90% of companies that aspire to be the next big thing in tech and science. But before we dive into that, let’s start by looking at a connection between our fascination with real life killers and those that kill startups. It’s no secret that one of the biggest “guilty pleasures” ...
Startup Hotbed Houston Cowboys use the term ‘giddyup’ to get moving. It’s a way to push horses to get going. And that’s exactly what Houston is doing when it comes to establishing itself as a startup hotbed. They’re a-movin’. Houston’s push to become one of America’s top startup destinations and an all-around startup hotbed is ...
Startup budgeting for beginners According to Jean Murray, a business professor at Palmer College where she taught business startup and finance, the most important thing an entrepreneur must meet head on is budgeting. Startup budgeting is important because it allows you to make an educated guess as to what your expected income and expenses will ...
The best city isn’t always your city Choosing the best city for your startup can mean the difference between success and closing up shop prematurely. It’s important to think outside your home city for a startup launch because your home city may not have the ecosystem set up for your particular startup. If you give ...
Intro to the lean method There are few things riskier than launching a new business. You could run through a mine field and have a better chance at living than launching a successful, long-lasting business. In fact, the Harvard Business School even reported that three out of every four startups fail. Fortunately, a new process ...
Personality traits in leaders It’s no secret that every successful business leader has multiple personality traits. It seems everyone has a fantasy about starting a business. “I’d open up a record store.” “I’d sell my famous meatball sandwiches my family loves so much.” “I would totally own a comic book shop.” In fact, according to ...
Why should your startup pivot? Imagine your startup is getting ready to present its product to the world at a tech exhibit. Right before you present, another company shows off their own product. And it’s just like yours in every way. Is all lost for your company? No. Because now is the time where you ...
Startup design matters If you want a work environment conducive to a nice flow of ideas, creativity, freethinking, and finding a work groove, then your startup design and workspace matter. When it comes to a startup’s office design, you want to create spaces with a purpose. You need to be certain what you want with ...
Remote work by the numbers According to the State of Remote Work 2017 report, over 60% of engineers working in product development work remotely about once a week. That’s 20% more than average. The report also sheds light on why startup settings are particularly ideal for working remotely. The report found that small businesses are ...
Board meetings can be taxing on CEOs. Think about it. You’re standing in front of a group of suits that can fire you on the spot if they feel you’re underperforming. You’re out in the open. Naked. Vulnerable. Insecurities exposed for all to see. One wrong move and you could be back on the bread ...
Importance of the investor pitch Pitching to a venture capitalist is not only the most challenging part of building a startup, it’s also the most important. You can have the next pet rock idea, but nobody will ever experience it and you’ll never make a dime if the genius of this product cannot be expressed ...
It’s All in the Pitch During your pitch, investors will be looking to see what your startup’s value proposition is. What can you offer that your competitors cannot? Imagine if you will, your startup develops a watch that can detect when you’re about to have a heart attack, and automatically sends an alert with your ...
One of the most common questions that pops up in startup circles is, “Why did they turn me down?” There are myriad reasons why a venture capitalist might turn down pitches and decline funding. Here, I’ll present the three most common. Understanding your business. Einstein once said, “If you cannot explain it to a six-year ...
Why Watch for Investor Red Flags? Venture capitalists give you plenty of reason to be on the look out for investor red flags. In The Parable of the Scorpion and the Frog, the frog entrusts the scorpion not to sting it while it helps the scorpion cross a lake. The scorpion promises not to sting ...
Think of customer churn as a robust balloon, ready to touch the sky as soon as you let go. Every day you hold on to that balloon, air molecules will diffuse through the knot. Your balloon will become flabby. This exodus of air is known in business as a churn. Customer churn is the amount ...
Silicon Valley has been a tech startup paradise for decades. It has been described as the modern day Florence in the Renaissance. Tech gods from Apple and Google to Facebook and Twitter were born here. We can credit Silicon Valley as the birthplace for such world-changing innovations like smartphones, microprocessor chips, Tesla automation, and WIFI-enabled ...
To walk through the valley of death means that death and misery are low points (valleys) in the human experience through which we all must inevitably walk and experience. Although not as morbid, in the world of startup businesses, the valley of death is still grim. It is a low point in your startup’s life ...
Patience Pays Everyone wants to know how to build a startup. Venture capital, hiring employees, marketing, all happen once you’re in the process of actually launching your startup. But nobody ever talks about what needs to happen before you start a startup. What do you have to do to position yourself to be ready to ...
Start Me Up In 1970, the Rolling Stones’ long-standing deal with Decca Records expired. This opened a giant door for the band, which I assume they painted black. Because the band had achieved such success, they were able to form their own record label, dubbed Rolling Stones Records. This was done in an effort to ...
A Cadillac with an empty gas tank is just a really nice, really expensive decoration for your driveway. Change my mind. A startup company without funding is just a really great idea. A dream. Just like a car without gas will never get out on the road, a startup without funding will never get its ...
A startup accelerator provides promising companies with an opportunity to boost their chances of marketing their technologies. These programs help small companies pivot their technologies strategically, interface with industry sectors and engage with mentor network to better pitch their ideas to the market. Unfortunately, most startups will never have the chance to participate in an ...
It’s every inventors dream to commercialize a product and be rolling in the dough within a couple of years. But in the real world, most startups take at least five to seven years to turn profit. If manufacturing, try 10 to 12.
When looking out over the commercialization landscape, the vast space a product has to travel from discovery to the marketplace appears to be growing.
