Monthly Archives: January 2019
The 3 Talk Tracks Every Early Stage Startup Must Have
Written on January 30, 2019 at 8:00 am, by Amanda Maestri
I have had the benefit of working closely — as an operating executive or investor — with some of the top technology B2B early stage startups that subsequently went on to scale and become market leaders. This includes companies such as Oracle, Siebel, Marketo, and others. I was recently asked if there was something each of them had in Continue Reading »
Without a Category, Your Startup is Doomed
Written on January 28, 2019 at 7:02 am, by Amanda Maestri
The go-to-market phase — as outlined in the Traction GapTM Framework — begins with a startup’s first product release, and ends with market validation and a foundation to scale. Within this phase are four value inflection points: Initial Product Release (IPR), Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Minimum Viable Repeatability (MVR) and Minimum Viable Traction (MVT). However, before you can Continue Reading »
Obo launches with $8.2 million to help companies get products right the first time
Written on January 25, 2019 at 3:46 pm, by Amanda Maestri
The “move fast and break things” mantra embodied by Facebook’s rise to world dominance is one many startups try to adopt. The general idea is this: Develop your product quickly, get it out there, and keep on iterating. It’s about taking risks rather than playing it safe, and learning from mistakes after they are made. Continue Reading »
The customer is not always right: Obo survey shows the need for market data during the product journey
Written on January 24, 2019 at 4:10 pm, by Amanda Maestri
New State of the Product Journey Report shows product teams, engineers, and sales professionals believe product planning processes are “good enough” despite high product failure rate SAN MATEO, Calif.– January 24, 2019 – Obo, the world’s first product decision system, today released a preview of the findings from its inaugural State of the Product Journey Continue Reading »
Obo invents product decision system that delivers better product plans in 60 minutes or less
Written on January 24, 2019 at 3:56 pm, by Amanda Maestri
Emerges from stealth with new platform that prevents product failure and optimizes Feature Funnel™ by aligning tech companies’ product plans with strategic business objectives SAN MATEO, Calif. — January 24, 2019 — Obo today emerged from stealth to introduce the world’s first product decision system, which enables technology companies to consistently put their best product Continue Reading »
Rough Waters Ahead for Copycat and Nice-to-have Products in 2019; The Seas of Non-Differentiation & Meh Are Treacherous
Written on January 24, 2019 at 10:19 am, by Amanda Maestri
The road to startup nirvana is littered with companies that didn’t make it. Industry statistics show that at least 80% fail outright; it’s even higher for consumer-oriented products and applications. Each year we must reflect on the past and predict the future as we review investment opportunities presented by determined entrepreneurs. So, it’s that time Continue Reading »
Structuring Your Startup for Success: The Four Pillars of the Traction Gap Framework
Written on January 22, 2019 at 7:05 am, by Amanda Maestri
The Traction Gap® Framework offers a way to think about the key stages in a startup’s early life. However, the go-to-market phase isn’t a straight shot, where a startup can simply move from Initial Product Release (IPR) to scale. Most startups move in fits and starts, going through iterative cycles as they learn and adapt by Continue Reading »
From Category to Growth: How to Nail Your Go-To-Market Moment
Written on January 16, 2019 at 7:00 am, by Amanda Maestri
To succeed, every startup has to pass through three phases: Go-to-Product, Go-to-Market, and Go-to-Scale. In the go-to-product phase, founders are blessed with a massive amount of helpful information. Incubators, accelerators, and angel investors are all eager to help. Books such as Steve Blank’s The Startup Owner’s Manual and Eric RiesThe Lean Startup do a great job of exploring the challenges Continue Reading »
ROCO Real Estate Eliminates Security Deposits
Written on January 15, 2019 at 2:36 pm, by Amanda Maestri
LeaseLock Zero Deposit™ allows apartment operator to completely eliminate security deposits for more than 22,000 apartment homes MARINA DEL REY, Calif., Jan. 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — LeaseLock, the only provider of a nationwide A-rated lease insurance program that replaces security deposits in rental housing, today announced ROCO Real Estate (ROCO) is implementing LeaseLock Zero Deposit™ across its entire Continue Reading »
what3words Breaks the World Down into Phrases
Written on January 15, 2019 at 2:08 pm, by Amanda Maestri
If you’re down in ///joins.slides.predict you may want to visit ///history.writing.closets, or if you’ve got a little money to spend, try the Bananas Foster at ///cattle.excuse.luggage. Either way, don’t forget to stop by ///plotting.nest.reshape before you fly out. If things go what3words’ way, that’s how you’ll be sending out addresses in the future. Founded by musician Chris Continue Reading »
Why 80% Of All Startups Fail, And What You Can Do To Succeed
Written on January 11, 2019 at 10:25 am, by Amanda Maestri
The evidence is clear: More than 80% of startups fail. Every year, somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 startups are founded. (And the real number may be even larger; people don’t typically talk about their failures!) Of those thousands, a mere 800 ever raise their Series A investment round. Then, of those 800, less than 10 Continue Reading »
2019 Predictions And Trends: Playing Catch-Up, Checking Out, Ducking For Cover and More…
Written on January 9, 2019 at 2:44 pm, by Amanda Maestri
For better or worse, it’s popular to ask venture investors what they see happening in the new year. Alas, I am no exception, so I’ve put my predictions (which will be as accurate as entrepreneurs’ five year financial forecasts) here, instead of doing a dozen various interviews. Feel free to rip away, although your own Continue Reading »
In Reply to: The Unending Chasm, and How to Survive It
Written on January 2, 2019 at 12:36 pm, by Amanda Maestri
First of all, I want to thank Martin for this thoughtful blog posting which I am reprinting in full here, interspersed with comments from me in reply. Crossing the chasm has had the good fortune to establish itself as a meme, but as with all ideas that get spread virally, it has accumulated meanings that were Continue Reading »