Startups Archives - Page 29 of 36

Why Startups Need Consultants & Advisors

Monday, 02 June 2014 by Paul O'Brien

Silicon Valley thrives on fractional teams. I speak from experience as one of those consultants. There are two fairly unique characteristics of the Valley, unique in that I’ve not found them to work exactly the same way in other communities: Knowledge is freely available. You don’t pay for what & how, you pay for talent – execution. Lean

Published in Startups

4 Comments

Raising Capital: The Perfect Startup Pitch

Tuesday, 06 May 2014 by Paul O'Brien

Having been a part of, easily, over 100 venture pitches, it’s hard not to put myself in the shoes of the venture capitalist; listening to entrepreneurs talk about their ventures as though I intend to invest more than I could possibly manage. The marketer in me, having listened to far more pitches than I’ve given,

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Published in Featured, Raising Capital, Startups

13 Comments

The Ancient Startup Communities of Greece and Rome

Wednesday, 16 April 2014 by Paul O'Brien

Recently, I had the honor of addressing a group of investors from Shenzhen, China, exploring opportunities in Texas and asking the question, why? Why here? Why Texas? Why Austin? Fostered by DB Business Group (a multi-sector global business development group), and a program called Invest Austin, a veteran of Silicon Valley like myself can’t help

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Published in Austin, Industry, Startup Ecosystems, Startups

10 Comments

Why Do Startups Work in Silicon Valley?

Thursday, 27 March 2014 by Paul O'Brien

One of the most frequently asked questions of today’s startup economy, no? Invariably, we discuss capital, talent, and ambition, frustrated with our own communities’ lack thereof, perhaps. And yet, is that really what’s at the heart of making a startup community work? When you think about it, the access to and significance of capital available

capital culture entrepreneurship Industry innovation silicon valley talent

Published in Regional Development, Startups

15 Comments

The Social Intelligence Industry is in Austin

Wednesday, 19 February 2014 by Paul O'Brien

A short time ago, I started exploring the significance of industry on an economy; the role that it plays in creating awareness of, drawing talent to, engaging capital on behalf of, and focusing a community around, innovation and entrepreneurship. If you’ve read here before, you know I’m something of a Druckerist, a student of Peter

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Published in eCommerce, Industry, Startups

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The Role of Ruby on Rails

Tuesday, 18 February 2014 by Paul O'Brien

Austin, Texas is a hotbed of mobile and traditional software development, startups, and Rails shops, and given my history in Silicon Valley, where Ruby on Rails has been the framework of choice for years, I wanted to find out from Lance Vaughn, CEO of CabForward, what makes Ruby on Rails in Austin. Why CabForward? The

austin developers development ruby on rails startups texas

Published in Industry, Startups

1 Comment

The Single Most Important Trait that all Successful Business Owners Have

Thursday, 13 February 2014 by Paul O'Brien

Progress can only be made through unanswered questions. One can’t find success by doing the same thing everyone else does, or making the mistakes others have answered. In starting with unanswered questions, you must agree that some, perhaps many, of your hypothesis, will prove wrong. You will fail, you might succeed. The alternative is that

entrepreneurs entrepreneurship growth progress success

Published in Startups

6 Comments