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FailCon is a “Must Attend” for all Startup Founders!

FailCon 2013

Join 400+ startup founders as we share our failures to better reach success. Learn more at http://thefailcon.com PLUS get 15% off with our exclusive discount code “FounderSpace”

October 21st, 9:00a - 6:00pm

Julia Morgan Ballroom, SF

After touring over a dozen cities worldwide, internationally renowned startup conference FailCon returns to San Francisco! We’re inviting 12 founders and innovators from the startup community to share mistakes with team development, product design, scaling, funding, marketing, and other lessons learned as the grew (and often lost) their startups. You can’t replicate the success of others, but you can reach it more quickly if you avoid their failures.

How do I share my vision with potential investors, partners and employees without risking someone stealing my idea?

QUESTION:

To attract talent, investors, partners and good feedback, I need to share my vision, but there is always a risk that someone will steal my idea. How open should I be prior to launch?

ANSWER:

This is a problem countless founders face. They have a great idea, but they need to share it with lots of people, some of them potential competitors, in order to get it off the ground. I’ve been in the situation many times myself, and here’s my question to you. What’s the biggest risk you actually face? Is the chance of someone stealing your idea a major risk? From what I’ve seen, the biggest risk most founders face is running out of money, time and motivation before their product even launches. Read more...

Where can I find Delaware corporate formation documents? I’m launching a startup where I plan to get venture funding.

QUESTION:

I’m launching a startup where I plan to get venture funding. Where can I find Delaware corporate formation documents? I’m looking for angel & VC funding, so I want something that would be acceptable to both.

ANSWER:

Below is a link to the formation documents for a Delaware Corporation provided by Orrick. You need to check with your counsel to make sure these work with your company.

Go see Corporate Formation Docs

Incorporation Questionnaire Read more...

Can I close that company with the active judgment?

Question:

I am the registered owner of a defunct company that has a judgment against it. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, can I close that company with the active judgment?

Ethan Stone

Answer by Ethan Stone, Stone Business Law

First, a quick but important clarification: I’m not your lawyer and this answer doesn’t establish a lawyer-client relationship. I’m giving a generic answer to a generic question to educate the users of this site. The information below is general in nature and should not be understood as a substitute for personal legal advice. Read more...

Is it legal for my company to pay its employees without giving a pay stub along with the check?

Ethan Stone

by Ethan Stone, Stone Business Law

The answer to this question depends on state law. In California, and many other states, the answer is no.

California Law requires an “itemized statement” including the following: Read more...

gross wages earned

Is going public with a penny stock a good way to raise money for a startup?

QUESTION:

I’ve heard of startups going public with penny stocks. Is this a good way to raise money? What is the downside? Should I spend my time looking into this?

ANSWER:

Ethan Stone

by Ethan Stone, Stone Business Law

What happens to any convertible debt financing if my startup gets acquired?

QUESTION:

My understanding of convertible debt is that it is designed to convert upon the next round of funding. The valuation is determined by next round of investors. So what happens to any convertible debt financing if my startup gets acquired before another round of funding takes place?

ANSWER:

Ethan Stone

by Ethan Stone, Stone Business Law

First, a quick but important clarification: I’m not your lawyer and this answer doesn’t establish an lawyer-client relationship. I’m giving a generic answer to a generic question to educate the users of this site. Read more...

Here are 14 Steps to Winning the SEO Wars

Is SEO (Search Engine Optimization) a mystery to you? Well then, take a look at this presentation by Ryan Spoon of Polaris Ventures.

Does Your Brand Have Juice?

by Steve Hans

If you think that building a brand today is any less important than it was prior to social media, SEO, or word of mouth marketing, you might be mistaken. The game has changed, and the tools are different, but the need to create a unique, powerful brand has never been more important. Good branding is about breaking through and getting on people’s radar. And, let’s face it, it has never been more difficult to make that happen as people are inundated with virtually unlimited product choice and marketing noise. Read more...

A Thought For Startups…You Don’t Need a Tagline, You Need a Brand Strategy

by Steve Hans

I think its interesting that a lot of startup CEO’s think they need a tagline. I guess having a tagline makes startups feel like they have something “official” that defines their brand. In my experience, the time spent creating a tagline could be spent much more effectively developing more important pieces of the branding and marketing plan.

I’ll bet most people can only remember a handful of taglines, at most, despite millions of dollars of marketing exposure in many cases. In my view, taglines are a legacy of the television-advertising era. “Just Do It” is probably the most memorable tagline in history and it is only relevant because Nike spent hundreds of millions on TV ads that gave it meaning. Read more...

Traffic Strategies that Work

Suzen Pettit

by Suzen Pettit at Omaginarium

My goal over the next 3 months is to quadruple the traffic to my website and blog to and to grow my list to at least 8,000 strong subscribers.

Hey ho Suzen!

Why, you might ask, am I focusing on growing my traffic to that extent? And is that even possible?

I believe yes, it’s possible. I am married to this goal with such zeal you will not be able to shake me. This past year I started out with a measly little list of under 200 and am already up to almost 2500. That’s over 100% growth. I’ve been busy. And it’s paying off. Read more...

Society, Organisations and Economies Reshaped by Mobile

Here’s a fantastic presentation by Alan Moore. It’s his keynote for Blackberry on future trends in mobile.

Also be sure to check out http://www.no-straight-lines.com

Is Your Company a Money Magnet? Show Investors How They Will Make Money with Your Startup

Are you getting the traction you need with investors? Discover how to position your startup as a money-making machine.

Sign up for Event!

Presenters: Peter Craddock of Shoreline Venture Management; Bob McDonald of R.A. McDonald Company; and Philip Engelhardt of PhilQuo Ventures.

peter_craddock bob_mcdonald

Our panel of experts will discuss: Read more...

Business models that are especially attractive to investors
The kind of returns investors expect to see on their investment
Timing expectations of investors
How to ask for investment based on goals
How to position your team as the ideal match for solving the problem

Mentors: The Key to Funding and Success

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Can having the right mentors affect your ability to secure funding and build a successful company? Silicon Valley runs on shared knowledge and the collective experience. Hear from our panel of experts how getting the right advice can provide you with opportunities, funding, ideas and new viewpoints.

Presenters: Don Butler of Thomvest Ventures; Vish Mishra of Clearstone Venture Partners; Carl Showalter of Opus Capital; and Ron Weissman, Silicon Valley venture capitalist and angel.

don_butler vish_mishra