Talent, hard work and luck
“Hard work plus luck is what gets you a jet instead of just a BMW.” (Nassim Taleb, The Black Swan) Start-up success typically boils down to three elements: hard work, talent, and luck. Yet when we dissect the successes and failures of other start-ups, we tend to focus on the hard work and talent of […]
How to find funding for your hardware startup while we’re waiting for the hardware revolution
Despite the recent media buzz surrounding the hardware revolution and emerging maker space, the overwhelming majority of hardware startups have a hard time attracting financing today. Hardware requires time, money, and inventory. As a result, most venture capitalists are reluctant to touch hardware projects, opting for the lower costs and smaller risks of software. While […]
If you need to pivot, pivot hard
For many startups, there comes a time when it becomes clear that things are not going exactly as you planned. You can read the writing on the wall that you haven’t found a product-market fit, and you’ve run out of ideas on how to get there. Typically, if you don’t see signs of traction after […]
Never, ever outsource your core
It’s inevitable that any startup will lack expertise in some key areas needed to grow their business. The question is: should you hire and bring that expertise in-house or outsource it? Just last week, two startups reached out to get advice on this hire vs. outsource dilemma. The first startup, a vertical SaaS company, wondered […]
How to deal with the Series A crunch
Since CBInsights released its report in December, conversations have accelerated about the pending “Series A Crunch.” With headlines declaring that more than 1,000 seeded startups will soon be orphaned, it’s only natural that startups are concerned about the future funding landscape. While experts may differ on the implications or severity of the Series A Crunch, […]