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Startup Strategies: The Strategic and Financial Significance of Intellectual Property

Intellectual Property for Startups in the Real World

Given that 2011 is already behind us, I’d like to take a brief time-out from the usual legal and financial wonkery to wish you and your loved ones a Happy New Year.  Many thanks to David Rose, Ilana Grossman, Justin Stanwix, and the whole Gust team for making the Gust Blog such a valuable platform and resource for entrepreneurs […]
Antone Johnson
Antone Johnson , Founding Principal , Bottom Line Law Group
4 Jan 2012
Does My Startup Need A Tos B0093ba2f1b6d42314dc72572586824d36d374153cdeb467e597362ef8ee243d

Good Sources on the Pros & Cons of Convertible Notes

Entrepreneurs: if you’re looking seriously at angel investment, and you have the kind of product-market fit and management experience investors will like, you need to take a good look at convertible notes. Do yourself and the investors you want to talk to a favor: take a few minutes and do some homework on this issue. […]
Tim Berry
Tim Berry , Founder , Palo Alto Software
4 Jan 2012
Importance Of Being Connected To The Right Lawyer 19b40253621670f0ad1f91895285a6afc9f3c0bb0c10c2164765c28ef5aa885d

Get a mentor, not a critic.

The dictionary definition of a mentor is “an experienced and trusted advisor,” or “leader, tutor or coach.” The definition of a critic sounds similar, “a person who offers reasoned judgment or analysis.” The big difference, of course, is that a mentor looks ahead to help you, while a critic looks backward to tell you what […]
Martin Zwilling
Martin Zwilling , Founder and CEO , Startup Professionals
3 Jan 2012
Startups Need Option Plan To Hire Employees A22ae849e242af5b43b604e1ece450ef528cfd82a66946aa35f256c030709f7d

3 Good Reasons to Recheck Your Profitability Projections

One of my pet peeves in pitches is the triple whammy of absurdly high profitability projections. I’ve seen entrepreneurs promising 30, 40, even 50 percent profitability in their projections. Why triple whammy? Projecting excess profits, at rates way beyond the normal, are bad for at least three reasons: Kills credibility regarding industry knowledge and realistic […]
Tim Berry
Tim Berry , Founder , Palo Alto Software
28 Dec 2011
What Are Contracts 445793d0c238315dfbb0ef2084ad3e07d48488b1f03a8df2f6092f7f229c495d

IPOs, M&As, Liquidity, & You. (the entrepreneur)

In the “good old days,” angels invested in seed-stage startups and teed up promising companies for subsequent venture capital financing. If the company was successful, this quickly led to an IPO – a very happy ending for the entrepreneur, the angels, and the venture capitalists. My, my…how the world has changed. The two major differences in […]
Bill Payne
Bill Payne , Angel Investor , Frontier Angel Fund
28 Dec 2011
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