Trust is an essential element to any successful relationship. That applies to personal friendships, choosing to participate in a startup, or investing in one

Creating an environment where people are free to express themselves through speech or otherwise, in a civil respectful manner, is critical to intellectual debate, growth and understanding. What’s more, the most challenging moments in life rarely come with warning, so its important to prepare to respond to uncomfortable or unexpected events

Nobody expected SVB to go under in a matter of days this past week. Nonetheless, unexpected events in one form or another occur regularly. How top management responds often determines whether or not a company will survive and thrive or fall by the wayside

I’m interested in hearing about your experience with unexpected events in startup or early stage technical ventures. Challenges or opportunities you never anticipated, as well as how you responded, and what was the outcome

We are not even through January yet and layoffs are all over the news. The specific circumstances may be different, but I’d been to this movie before. Aside from the specific political, economic and social issues at play, I believe the response we are witnessing now is at least partially driven by companies and investors being focused too much on short term shareholder value.

The vast majority of entrepreneurs I’ve met are trying as hard as they can to create real value by commercializing products and services that improve people’s lives and change the world for the better

Global macro-economic factors all imply tough times ahead. Early stage companies must be focused, flexible, persistent and resilient in their approach to conducting their business. They must recognize that they will have to weather a Winter of uncertain length and intensity before finding sunny days again

Early stage fundraising without a track record or an established network is really tough. You may have no choice, but at least try to do your homework, make your first impression as professional and clear as you possibly can, and try to find some common ground as a basis for discussion, or ideally, a person who can provide a warm introduction

For entrepreneurs, the ability to convey sharp, compelling and memorable messages that resonate with your audience is an absolutely critical skill

I think it’s a refreshing and healthy change that investors are now focused on real solutions and clear paths to achieving them, rather than big visions with no clear plan to achieve anything beyond an up round or two and an attractive exit for early investors.

The economic climate has turned challenging, and many are re-thinking conventional approaches to work. Having lived through several economic downturns and cultural “revolutions”, I take comfort in the fact that some of the best companies have gotten started during some of the most challenging times

Rather than fret too much over valuations, early stage companies would be wise to focus more on their plans to create value, showing clear indications of progress to date, credible milestones going forward, and near term plans to generate revenue on a capital efficient basis.

Bridge financings are meant to carry a company to their next equity offering. Investors want comfort that they are actually participating in a “bridge” and not a “pier” (a bridge to nowhere). Entrepreneurs should consider their concerns when structuring and pitching the round

All aspects of strategic marketing and sales start with positioning. And effective messaging. Your targeted audience needs to be made aware of who you are and what you have to offer. They must understand your value proposition, why it matters to them, why it's so compelling, and why it's superior to any of the other solutions that may be available to them

Valuations are always subjective. It’s about what a company can convince an investor they are worth, at that point in time, taking into consideration current market conditions and other ways in which the investor might choose to deploy their funds

Mental mindset for the startup CEO, inevitable unexpected events, and the benefits of working for a large company first

Micro-influencers: the latest incarnation of KOLs to drive brand recognition and product adoption, and a critical component of marketing programs for technology based ventures

Many new ventures intend to leverage a platform capable of addressing many opportunities, or get started with the intent to solve one problem and realize they can serve many different markets. In the majority of cases I’ve found that focusing on one market niche first enhances the likelihood of long term success

Jean “Coco” Montagu was my founding partner at Genetic MicroSystems in 1997, and our relationship literally changed my life for the better. Here are some memories shared at a recent life celebration following his passing last year

Finding the right CEO to lead an early stage company is one of the most important and difficult tasks facing a company’s Board of Directors