For anyone doing a capital-intensive startup (many CleanTech and Life Science ventures fall into this category), then you'll want to learn about large grants. Below are links to a lecture (broken up into 5-minute segments) where you can learn about the pros, cons, and best practices in securing this kind of funding for your startup.
This post is a part of Funding Fridays, an occasional series on best practices in raising funding as well as our collection on the Flavors Of Capital.
We all know of lots of "me too" companies and products. These companies are often run by entrepreneurs passionate about an existing product and they want to make their own version. Because of their obsession, they are sure that the differences they are building in are a true differentiation to the target market. But if you are too close, you may have a difference without a distinction for your target market – which is useless. I was guilty of this PLENTY when I started. I bet I’ll be guilty of it again, until friends and mentors correct my error .
But HERE is a podcast interview with the founder of EverPix, a company that I think HAS found a way to truly differentiate itself in the crowded marketplace of picture apps. Listen to the interview to hear how the entrepreneur expertly identifies the current competitive landscape, his differentiation, and why his differentiationmatters to a large target market.
Premature scaling is widely believed to be the #1 killer of startups. So how to avoid it? Here is a great article with 10 things you should consider before scaling up.
Highlights:
Given how much we in Northampton and the whole of Western Massachusetts love to help our communities, we thought you might find this article interesting: The Power of Giving Back: How Community Involvement Can Boost Your Bottom Line.
Some highlights:
Companies that encourage community involvement distinguish themselves from their competitors, and see many benefits, including loyal customers and happier employees. According to a May 2013 study by Cone Communications and Echo Research, 82 percent of U.S. consumers consider corporate social responsibility (CSR) when deciding which products or services to buy and where to shop.Read the whole thing here.
We are delighted to announce that Click has a full roster of awesome startups in our Lean Launchpad: Pioneer Valley course and we're ready for TAKEOFF! Stay tuned for news from them as they progress.
We'll next offer the course in February. If you are interested in being notified when the course becomes available, please contact us.
Image Credit: Bartek Ambrozik