Topic: Startups

Will Dave McClure Save the VC Industry?

One man in Silicon Valley is trying to turn the venture capital industry on its head--by going outside Silicon Valley. Dave McClure, founder of the new SuperAngel/VC fund 500 Startups, travels all over the world looking for ideas and deals.READ»

Why You Should Start a Company in ... Atlanta

It used to be, if you were serious about starting a tech company, you went to Silicon Valley. But emerging entrepreneurial hubs around the country are giving startup aspirants options. In this series, we talk to leading figures in ...READ»

Clinton to Tech Innovators and Entrepreneurs: "We Want You"

Feeling cooped up in that dingy old cube? Life seem a little meaningless? No worries. The State Department will be happy to send you to the far reaches of the planet to end violence, empower citizens, and bring peace and prosperity to the rest of the world.READ»

Investing in Post-Conflict Zone Startups Just Might Save the World

When Kevin Braithwaite tells fellow Silicon Valley types that he's investing in entrepreneurs in Lebanon, they usually look at him like he's crazy.READ»

Too Young to Know It Can't be Done

Ask people what makes entrepreneurs successful and you'll hear a familiar list of adjectives; agile, tenacious, resilient, opportunistic, etc. What you don't hear is that often they didn't know any better.READ»

Why You Should Start a Company in... Washington, D.C.

Serious about starting a tech company? It used to be that Silicon Valley was the only place to go. But emerging entrepreneurial hubs around the country are giving startup aspirants options. In this series, we talk to leading figures in those communities about what makes them tick.READ»

Strategy Is Not a To Do List

I had breakfast with two of my ex-students from Singapore who were building a really interesting startup. They were deep into Customer Discovery and presented a ton of customer data on the validity of their initial hypothesis--target ...READ»

The Four Main Things That Investors Look for in a Startup

Almost all VC investments in early stage technology & Internet investments come down to just four key factors. And they're easy to remember because they all begin with an M: management, market, money, and above all else, momentum.READ»

Why Pioneers Have Arrows in Their Backs

First-Mover Advantage is an idea that just won't die. I hear it from every class of students, and each time I try to put a stake through its heart.READ»

Exclusive: New Seed Fund Offers Startups Up To $10,000 Each

Starting Monday, startups that use the crowdsourced labor service Crowdflower will have the chance to receive investments of up to $10,000 each, courtesy of startup accelerator and seed fund 500 Startups. READ»

AOL and Google Gobbling Israeli Startups

U.S. and European tech firms have been snapping up startups in Israel for the last few months. Here's why they're hot. READ»

• The Top 10 Websites You Never Heard Of
• Facebook Adds Face Detection to Photos; Recognition Next?
• Israel and Palestine Leveraging Network Effect in Latest Peace Talks

What I *Would Have* Said at TechCrunch Disrupt

What do you get when you combine 7 panelist plus one moderator on to a stage for 30 minutes to talk about a serious topic? Answer: Not much. And that was evident at the Angel versus VC panel.READ»

Interested in Africa's Innovation Scene? Catch the Entrepreneurial Safari This December

Forget Asia--here's your chance to get the scoop on Africa.READ»

Y Combinator, TechStars: Investor Mentorship and Leverage Outweigh Capital

Has investor mentorship, leverage, and brand value become more important to start-ups than seed money?READ»

You Negotiate Commodities, but You Seize Opportunities

It took losing something important to understand the difference between a commodity and an opportunity. Along the way I also learned yet another way entrepreneurs see the world differently from their investors.READ»

Job Titles That Can Sink Your Startup

Job titles in a startup mean something very different than titles in a large company.READ»

My Life as a CEO (and VC): Chief Psychologist

My primary role as a CEO was "chief psychologist," and as I've learned over the past few years, the same has been true as a VC. Both are basically people businesses.READ»

Why Should You Be an Entrepreneur?

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I will say it again: if you want to create jobs, you have to create new companies. And why not? It makes perfect sense. As young companies grow, they inevitably need people. Often they ...READ»

Get "Startup Experience" in That Big Company

Are you an "intrapreneur" or an employee? Here are 13 ways to tell.READ»

Why Product Managers Wear Sneakers

I gave a talk last night to the Silicon Valley Product Management Association. The title of the talk, and this post, refers to the amount of running around outside the building (with the founder) product managers will need to do in a startup. Here is the gist of that talk.READ»

Serious Questions for Super Angels

In the beginning, there were angel investors. And it was good. As individual angel investors made more and more investments, they became super angels. One day a super angel woke up and thought to himself, "Gosh, I could do a lot more investments if I had a fund." And so the super angels became micro-VCs (or "institutionalized super angels").READ»

Too Few Women in Tech? Stop Playing the Blame Game

You ask the question, "Why aren't there enough women in tech or launching startups?" From some you get answers like, "Because it's an exclusive white boys club." But others say, "Not true! It's because women don't promote their expertise enough and they are more risk averse." How can we truly address the lack of women in tech and startups if we continue to play this silly blame game? READ»

The Non-Dummies Guide to Customer Discovery

Customer Development is a stupidly simple idea. It's one that you can describe in 30-seconds or less. Unlike a traditional business book, "The Four Steps to the Epiphany" is more akin to a reference manual for how to "engineer" a startup--from the initial search for a repeatable business model all the way through the management techniques to transition to a company.READ»

America's Looming Tech Crunch: Blame Venture Capital, Immigration Law

The U.S. likes to think of itself as a cradle for the world's newest and cleverest tech. But Intel's CEO Paul Otellini is now foretelling a looming high-tech crunch, and the nation's venture capital association is equally worried.READ»

Kidpreneur$ Offers Business Advice to the Juicebox Set

How young is too young to start grooming the next generation of young entrepreneurs? According to the authors of a new book for pre-teen magnates-in-the-making, "It's never too early."READ»