Opportunity Hub x Activation Capital Ideation Bootcamp and Startup Bootcamp
Ideation Master Class What Makes a Great Startup Idea? 11 Frameworks for Ideation Session Two Session Three How startups make money. Pricing, Product/Market Fit. Session Four – Go-to-Market Session Five – Final
Read MoreTrajectory: Startup—Ideation to Product/Market Fit book launches 4/13
My new book launches today, 4/13/2021. It’s been quite a journey. Five of my own startups, some success and failures. Working across different programs including Founder Institute, Techstars, and 500 Startups. A season as the SVP of Programs with UP Global (Startup Weekend + Startup America) that included 1200+ events in 120 countries with 74,000
Read MoreCrisis Framework – Applied
I attended a Board Meeting last week for Guidant Financial, a company I’ve been working with for 14+ years. As one would expect, we reviewed the company’s response to the coronavirus pandemic and its interim plan. This was not Guidant’s first crisis. The company successfully (although not perfectly) navigated the collapse of the US economy
Read MoreSurviving and Thriving – 2020 Edition
I launched my first startup in 1998. Two years later we were facing the tech bubble followed by 9/11. My fifth startup was launched in early 2008 and was growing monthly until October of that year. The first one weathered the storm and sold, though it was a very rough sale. The fifth one we
Read MorePrepping for Exit
Is it time to sell your company? Preparing to exit your startup can be an emotional process, filled with ups and downs – and that’s even before you hire a banker! This post has been promoted to a page That’s why I’ve joined my former teammate at Techstars, Jessica Ford, the Director and publisher of
Read More“Seattle Ecosystem – Leveraging the Community”
Thinking about moving to Seattle to start your company? Before you think about leaving Seattle to launch a startup, here are some things you should know about Seattle’s startup ecosystem. The presentation below is from the UW CoMotion ‘FUNdamentals for Startups’ series and was presented Feb 17, 2017. Here’s the video – uncut – Resources referenced:
Read MoreCustomer Discovery & Development – Techstars Presentation
This is the presenation used for the Techstars Seattle Jan 2017 cohort. Shoutout for SEO Research using The Topic Explorer from SEO Monitor. @SEOMonitor Customer Discovery Techstars Seattle 2017.01.25 from Dave Parker
Read MoreThe Startup Ecosystem – Avoiding the Leeches!
When I started going to China for business I was amazed how many “helpful” people who I found at events with US Business people. They all knew people, in my industry and especially in the government. It was later that I discovered that those weren’t the real people you wanted to meet. But they were
Read MoreDoes this Pitch Make My Idea Look Fat?
At the Founder Institute, everyone pitches their idea every week to the group and the mentors. Just a one minute pitch, then a chance to get some feedback and get scored by the mentor. Early in the semester, the scores are low because the pitches can be really bad. The problem is, if your pitch
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