startup

Without a Category, Your Startup is Doomed

The go-to-market phase — as outlined in the Traction Gap Framework — begins with a startup’s first product release, and ends with market validation and a foundation to scale....
Bruce Cleveland Bruce Cleveland
3 min read

Structuring Your Startup for Success: The Four Pillars of…

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...
Bruce Cleveland Bruce Cleveland
5 min read

Funding & Exits – Chapter 12: Venture Debt

Some use “venture debt” to describe any loan provided to a venture backed startup — whether it be the seed stage convertible note, the commercial bank...
Tom Mohr Tom Mohr
6 min read

From Category to Growth: How to Nail Your Go-To-Market…

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...
Bruce Cleveland Bruce Cleveland
2 min read

Why 80% of All Startups Fail, and What You…

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...
Bruce Cleveland Bruce Cleveland
3 min read

Funding & Exits –  Chapter 11: Commercial Banking

  Your commercial banking relationship is important to your financial health. Any business bank provides critical financial infrastructure: your bank accounts, credit card services,...
Tom Mohr Tom Mohr
7 min read

Funding & Exits –  Chapter 10: Venture Capital

Once you have passed Minimum Viable Product and are closing in on Minimum Viable Repeatability, you enter the realm of early-stage VC investing. As...
Tom Mohr Tom Mohr
5 min read

Funding & Exits  –  Chapter 9: Incubators, Accelerators, Angels…

The journey of company building is marked by value inflection points. As you progress from Minimum Viable Category to Initial Product Release to Minimum...
Tom Mohr Tom Mohr
7 min read

Not for the faint of heart

The unparalleled challenges of the MedTech industry As an industry, MedTech is gratifying and fulfilling. But launching a startup in this ecosystem is not for...
Anabelle Budd Anabelle Budd
4 min read

Funding & Exits – Chapter 8: Startup Funding: From…

Six steps take you from term sheet preparation to a closed financing. They are: Prepare for term sheet negotiations Hold term sheet negotiations Line...
Tom Mohr Tom Mohr
7 min read

From One-on-One Relationships to a Trusted Network

Bob Bausmith shares 4 impactful networking practices you can start implementing right away   For many, the thought of networking, or attending a networking event,...
Anabelle Budd Anabelle Budd
3 min read