Tag: Entrepreneurship

Know Your Minimum Winning Game For Startup Success

This XSeed blog was written by XSeed Capital Partner, Robert Siegel, and originally appeared on VentureBeat.

At XSeed Capital we are introduced to over 500+ new startup opportunities every year, and we directly meet or talk to 150–200 of these companies. In this context, I am sometimes asked what is the “biggest mistake” that a

Entrepreneurs: Beware Of Pursuing The Next Big Thing [Cough] IoT [Cough]

This XSeed blog was written by Venture Partner, Jeff Thermond, and originally appeared on VentureBeat.

Up until about 12 months ago, we heard every week from new startups focused on big data. Entrepreneurs were patting themselves on the back about catching a huge tailwind of market momentum and seemed surprised that we were worried that

Finding Your Tribe Is An Ongoing Quest

This XSeed blog was written by XSeed Capital Partner, Robert Siegel, and originally appeared on TechCrunch.

I am watching my oldest child explore where she will want to attend university when she completes her final year of high school. This past month my wife and daughter drove through six different states and looked at over

How To Run Your First Board Of Directors Meeting

This XSeed blog was written by Venture Partner, Jeff Thermond, and originally appeared on Forbes.

I remember my first Board of Directors meeting. It was a disaster. I made the naïve mistake of laying out several different business model options for our startup and then asked for the board’s opinion without first putting forth my

Robert Siegel And AngelList Executives Review The Changing Investment Landscape

In his Formation of New Ventures class at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, XSeed Partner Robert Siegel discussed the changing landscape of investing with AngelList COO Kevin Laws and VP of Fundraising Products Ash Fontana. AngelList was created in 2010 to help entrepreneurs recruit talent, get startup advice, and connect with potential investors online. You can view the engaging

Dave McClure And Robert Siegel Discuss Startup And Investment Strategies At The Stanford GSB

Did you know that XSeed Partner Robert Siegel is also on faculty at the Stanford Graduate School of Business?

Robert teaches Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation, Formation of New Ventures and Entrepreneurial Finance. In these classes he has led research and written cases on companies including Google, Box, AngelList, SurveyMonkey, Zuora, Minted,

How To Handle An Unexpected Offer For Your Early-Stage Startup

This XSeed blog was written by Venture Partner, Jeff Thermond, and originally appeared on VentureBeat.

You are running your first startup. You are starting to build your team and gain customer traction. You have taken advantage of a wealth of blogs about the right hygiene for starting and building a company. It is starting to

Here’s How To Nail Product-Market Fit

This XSeed blog was written by Partner, Alan Chiu, and originally appeared on VentureBeat.

At XSeed Capital, we invest in seed-stage startups that are often still searching for the right product-market fit. As they start to see the tantalizing evidence of something compelling, they need to decide what to include in the product, and, just

How To Attack A Crowded Market — And Come Out On Top

This XSeed blog was written by Venture Partner, Jeff Thermond, and originally appeared on Forbes.

In a previous article, I described many unappreciated risks in competing in a crowded market. This article explains when to try and how to succeed in attacking a crowded market.

Research has

Is Competing In A Crowded Market Worth The Gamble?

This XSeed blog was written by Venture Partner, Jeff Thermond, and originally appeared on Forbes.

One of the first things venture capitalists consider when they see a new pitch is, “How crowded is the market space in which the startup wants to compete?” If the investors express concern that the market is crowded, this should