Thanks to Cloud computing and Web 2.0 start-ups can now afford to have some of the most advanced IT systems around. You can rent servers, bandwidth, CPU, support and any kind of maintenance. You can run all manner of software either on a hosted platform or in a SaaS environment. Google and Microsoft are battling [...]
As the world gets rebooted for Web 3.0 and its ‘Social’ revolution we thought it was time to take a look at the new style – Entrepreneur 3.0. You see the concept of start-up is shifting from its traditional roots where capital is its key constraint to a new ‘DIY venture’ where knowledge is everything. [...]
A start-ups success often comes down to its marketing. And yet the vast majority of start-up founders have no marketing experience and little spend. How do you deal with this dangerous contradiction. There are a million articles out there on brand development, launch marketing, PR, viral videos and more. Reading them all would be a [...]
As a part of our series highlighting cool start-ups at Innovatrs we today focus on Appr.tv. They are a stealth mode tech company looking to redefine the concept of app store by delivering a universal version. Yep, HTML 5 means that it is possible to have just one app store for all your apps. No more [...]
Today I read an article by TNW on ‘London Taking on Silicon Valley with Major Investment’ and it got me thinking. You see David Cameron et al have the right approach getting behind the Internet economy – after all, they’ve just figured out how valuable it is.
We’re starting a weekly series highlighting some of the cooler entrepreneurs at Innovatrs, so exposing their nifty ideas and start-ups to you – the wider audience. First up is SubHub. They are a Cardiff based company offering a cost effective, Web based platform to help you easily design, publish and promote your content site and [...]
Angels beware, Pre-Seed investment funds are returning. And this time around they’re a little more sophisticated. Your average tech related start-up (that can raise money) typically goes through 3 rounds of fundraising: 1. Friend and Family 2. Seed Round 3. Series A
It used to be that if you wanted to develop a high growth company you sprinted to raise capital first and build a business second. As a result VC’s sprung up like weeds. You raised as much as possible as quickly as possible – grew at warp speed and then hung on for the ride. [...]
As entrepreneurs there are times when we need to turn to VC’s. Most of the time we do so at our peril. VC’s can be the most frustrating, greedy, calculating sons of… Well, that’s the rule. Every rule has its exception. VC’s worth partnering with are the very rare exception.
There is only one secret to a successful start-up and it’s YOU! Entrepreneurs and would be entrepreneurs spend their lives trying to figure out the secret to a successful start-up. Investors make a living out of trying to select and back the very best business models for the future. Everyone’s chasing dreams.
The big digital media news last week was AOL buying TechCrunch for somewhere between $25 Million and $40 Million. Sadly AOL’s M&A track record isn’t that good. Merging with Time Warner and swallowing Bebo are 2 classic examples.
Last week Michael Arrington, Editor of TechCrunch, shocked the cosy world of Silicon Valley with his Woodward-esque scoop about super angels colluding. Ouch. The angel investor slash start-up slash VC circle seemed broken for a moment there. What – angels turned VC’s?!
I just read a Harvard Business Review article written by Umair Haque that made me stop in my tracks. Normally I find it a load stodgy for entrepreneurs and the start-up world. Not today. The quote below sets out a series of institutions that Umair thinks are ready for re-invention.
Most entrepreneurs make the painful mistake early on of not taking the name of their start-up seriously enough. They almost always regret it later. And it’s not for the obvious reasons. It’s not necessarily because they’ll find it harder to differentiate from the competition when it comes.
Cloud computing has become one of the most talked about opportunities for start-up’s and small businesses. Today millions of SME’s use cloud computing to radically reduce their cost of IT, Web sites and social media marketing.
Traditional venture capital is at a Crossroads. The industry is still young by many standards, and like all spotty teenagers, it’s changing. The first and second generation of professional VC’s have learned a bunch of things, sadly most at the expense of the entrepreneurs they backed and the investors they sold. First up they learned [...]
Start-ups can accelerate their growth through the effective use of Crowdsourcing. Crowdsourcing brings on-tap and on-demand resources to your venture bit-time, part-time or full time. Online, flexible to the extreme and round the clock, from student to rocket scientist, 24×7. It takes the sweat out of developing your idea. But how specifically should you use [...]
Traditional venture capital is not working. Just look at the average returns of the vast majority of funds. The downturn hasn’t exactly helped. Early stage investing flew out of the pram. We asked our entrepreneurs what they would like to see as a manifesto for change. Here are some thoughts: – treat entrepreneurs like customers [...]
One entrepreneur who really gets to ‘make a difference’. ‘The hangover cure’. How’s yours?
I recently heard a successful serial entrepreneur and early stage investor state that the secret to early stage investing is to invest in ‘the chef not the recipe’. One of Silicon Valley’s greatest early stage investors, Bill Draper, used to tell me that he treated the entrepreneurs that he invested in like a stable of [...]
“You had me at hello…” So went the famous line from Zellweger to Cruise in ‘Jerry MaGuire’. “You had me at positioning…” Or not – is the reality with investors. Particularly early stage investors. Your company’s strap line and one paragraph descriptor is the most important weapon you’ll ever have. Get it right. If you [...]
Yesterday we posted a video speech by Richard Branson on how entrepreneurs can be successful in a recession. He summarized the last 2 years economic carnage pretty well – you know, bank implosions, Detroit blues, credit calamity – ya de ya da. Then explained how in fact its a good time to build a new [...]
Richard Branson talks out on how entrepreneurs should build a start-up through the recession. Are you?
innovatrs is an Innovation Exchange™ that enables corporations worldwide to discover, partner with or invest in some of the most innovative young startups and entrepreneurs globally.
