startups Archives - Page 17 of 20

How to Write an Effective Pitch email to Angel Investors

Monday, 01 December 2014 by Paul O'Brien

The challenge of raising capital will forever frustrate us as there is no right way to raise money; it takes time, perseverance, patience, and just the right fit. But, the litany of pitch consultants, books, incubators, and Angel networks seem to direct entrepreneurs in one consistent direction, and though few of those guides speak so bluntly

Published in Raising Capital

9 Comments

What Startups Should Expect from a PR Agency

Monday, 20 October 2014 by Paul O'Brien

A couple years ago, Mark Cuban highlighted in his book, How to Win at the Sport of Business, quite clearly and famously, that “startups should never hire a PR firm.” Who am I to contest a man with a track record that makes my own impact on entrepreneurs look non-existent. But, given my work in

entrepreneurship marketing pr press public relations startups

Published in PR, Startups

No Comments

Entre to the Internet; Marketing for Startups

Thursday, 17 July 2014 by Paul O'Brien

Thanks to the incredible startup program at Houston’s Rice University, I’ve had a chance to update a popular, but out of date, post about Startup Marketing. In the process, I had a chance to meet the exceptional entrepreneurs in this year’s Owlspark program. While not too dissimilar from that startup marketing post, this update touches

Advertising Analytics austin wordpress entrepreneurs entrepreneurship growth growth hacking hacking marketing scale startups web develoment websites wordpress

Published in Advertising, eCommerce, Insights / Research, Search, Social Media, Startups

2 Comments

Startup Advisors vs. Mentors

Tuesday, 01 July 2014 by Paul O'Brien

Words tossed about so frequently in startup communities, it is easy to conclude they mean the same thing; that it doesn’t matter what such people are called, as long as you have some, you’re in good shape. But is that really so? Over the years, I’ve come to notice that startup communities collect mentors as though they are

advice advising advisors entrepreneurship mentors Mentorship startups

Published in Startups

18 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,

angel funding capital fund raising funding investors pitch pitching seed capital startups venture capital

Published in Featured, Raising Capital, Startups

13 Comments

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

Starting your Dream

Monday, 20 January 2014 by Paul O'Brien

Just the other week, I had the distinct pleasure of joining Dreamit Venture’s kick-off of their spring 2014 class. The roster of incredible teams, including Cheggin, CollaborateCloud, eyeQ, Notorious, Octane Lending, Stereo, Swan, TeleCog, and UserApp, set me wondering what role dreams play in one’s success as an entrepreneur. Thinking more about the shifting role of capital and the emigration of innovation

austin disney dream dreamit ventures inspiration pixar startups vision

Published in Austin, Startups

4 Comments