Category: 1.6 Software Startups
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What to look for in startup co-founders and early employees
I have created and participated in several software product startups during my early industry career, and I have created and participated in several as a professor. I intend to do so for many more to come. I’m talking about startups that intend to raise venture capital and become high-growth success stories. Recruiting is job #1…
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Myopia: Is it a feature or a product?
A common mistake of inexperienced entrepreneurs is to confuse a feature with a product. The best recent illustrating example I can think of is the flashlight app: For a short moment in time, you could sell flashlight apps for mobile phones until Apple and Google came in, assimilated the flashlight function as a feature into…
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How to fund your startup (using public grants, in Germany, 2022 Edition)
In this short video, I provide an explanation of how anyone with a team and an idea can get public funding to kick off their venture. I appear to be speaking to my students, but the funding is really available to anyone (with a German address and work permit). If this is you, feel free…
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Startup funding for researchers (8min. video, slides; Oct 2021)
I recently gave a talk at YES, the Young Enterpreneurs in Science. Here is a short video version (8 min.) that illustrates how public funding is possible and aligns with a startup (out of research) timeline. The slides are also available.
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Advice to students on when to start your company
I was listening to Dave Kellog and Thomas Otter’s most enjoyable The SaaS Product Power Breakfast podcast, this time about a VC-turned-entrepreneur (in his fourties), and it reminded me about advice that I give to my students. Heads-up: The funniest ageist comment by a student, ever. Research has shown repeatedly that the biggest chances of…
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When does public funding trump venture capital?
The short answer: As long as you don’t have product market fit. In more detail: The early phases of a startup should focus on finding a viable business model and reaching product market fit so that you can start scaling out your business. This search is not predictable and you are not guaranteed to come…