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http://www.examiner.com/article/tech-startup-vocabulary-101-for-real
Growth hacking is when you leverage existing  platforms to gain critical mass (see critical mass). This method entails  figuring out a way to grow your startup  with little to no money quickly. Think AirBnB and how they leveraged  Craigslist to get an influx of millions of users until they were sent a  cease-and-desist letter. You can't stop the bomb though, once they  gained critical mass, they were happy to cease and desist since they  already grew exponentially. 

Critical mass is the moment that your startup  reaches a tipping point where you potentially cannot even afford your  servers or you have reached a number of users that is driving your  company a lot of revenue or a lot of investors. For a new tech startup  this could mean reaching 10 million users in just one year or less. 

Acqui-hire is when a large player in your space  (Facebook, Google, eBay, Match.com, etc.) buys your company because of  the talent it has. They mostly go after engineers, developers, growth  hackers. Then they use that talent to beef up their own products while  usually leaving the product they purchased from you in the dust. 

Failure is simply a learning experience, every time  you fail in a start up, you learn many lessons that you use for the next  one, not to be repeated. As in anything in life, failure is not an  option, so learn from your mistakes, and you will be successful. 
When you pivot your startup, it is normally because  you found a vertical, or horizontal, that makes more sense for your  business model. Or it simply means that what you intended your product  to be is not what your users are using it for. So you pivot to a new  idea, to ensure the company’s’ success.  For example, say your tech  startup is text messaging for pets.  After a few weeks you find out that  pets can't really text on the phone.  But somehow they're able to  access the camera with their paw, and they like taking Selfies.  Well  then you pivot to a dog Selfie app.

SaaS stands for Software as a Service: think  Salesforce, or cloud based services.  Really anything that provides a  service that you would normally have to install a bulky program for.   Then you are limited to use that program on the computer that you  installed it on.  Whereas SaaS you can access from any computer or  device and it is linked/synced throughout all the platforms. 

When you hear the term pre-money valuation, it means  how much is your company worth before you get money from investors.  Yes, this number tends to be challenging to come up with, but if you do  the research on your market, and look at valuations for other companies,  how much technology  you've built, how many users you have, any IP that you own, patents,  and other types of variables, you can come up with a fairly accurate  pre-money valuation. 

A post money valuation is what you are worth after  receiving an investment. For example, if your pre-money valuation is  $500,000 (a common amount) and you receive $100,000 in funding for 10%,  your post money valuation will then be $1.1 million. 

An exit is when you successfully reached critical  mass, built a product people love, received investments (usually), and a  larger company in your market purchased you for a large amount of  money. For example, Instagram exited for $1 billion when Facebook  acquired them. Same goes for when they bought WhatsApp for $19 billion,  which was a huge exit. Typically, when founders exit in a big way, they  build more products since now they have exit potential and credibility  backing them.  Of course there is always the possibility of being  acquired before you even launch.  Twitter bought Vine before they  launched, and Google buys companies pre-launch all the time (see  Acqui-hire).

I've been a serial entrepreneur since 1988. When I  was in eighth grade, I sold accessories and music that I purchased in  Europe to my classmates in Philadelphia. I created a comic book that I  sold to classmates in ninth grade. I became a DJ in high school and  started an event hosting company  in college that made me a decent income (more than the job I got out of  college at a software company). In 2003 I started my own tech consulting company.  In 2004 I wrote and published a sci-fi fantasy  novel, as well as a publication that could save FedEx billions of  dollars a year.  I opened my own eBay brick-and-mortar franchise that I  invented (Stuff Sold) in 2005 (3 stores).  In 2009 I wrote, produced,  and directed a feature length film  that won audience choice award at a film festival in 2010 that is being  currently distributed worldwide. And for the past four years I've been  building and launching tech startups, whereas I'm in the middle of  raising a seed round for my current tech startup.  That’s what a serial entrepreneur is.

A Seed Round is usually the first institutional  round typically from angel investors (wealthy individuals who usually  invest $100k to $500k). Usually when you are raising your Seed Round  you’ve already gone through what's called a Friends and Family Round  (just what it sounds like). The Seed stage is typically less than  $500,000 but sometimes goes all the way up to $1 million. 

Next in line is the Series A round where you typically approach VCs (venture capitalists) for anywhere between $1 million and $5 million…and sometimes more. 

Scalability is whether or not your business can  handle the influx of millions of users, whether your software is  capable, your server infrastructure is capable, or if you can meet the  demand of the widgets you are trying to sell with the manufacturing  process that you currently have. So maybe today you can create 100 units  of your new Smart Toilet, but can you make 100,000 tomorrow?  Another  example is if your new mobile app has 10,000 users on it, and receives  funding, can it handle 10 million users in a few months?  Investors like  a company that is scalable. 

Agile development typically means that it is fast to  change, adaptable, and that you are continuously improving your  product. When something is agile, it is light on its feet, meaning you  can move fast with effective results.

A very popular term is lean methodology. If anyone has ever read the book by Eric Ries “The Lean Startup”,  you'll realize that running a business of any type, is really like  running a laboratory.  You have to constantly run micro experiments,  learn fast, and fail fast. The more you can do with little to no money,  and the more results you can analyze the better.  Then use those data  you gather to help make your decisions properly.

Iteration is the process that the founders of a tech  startup use to continuously change and improve their product.  As an  example, you come up with a new idea for a drone rental service, and you  test out your new app with the rental service to 100 beta testers.   Then using the feedback from these 100 users, you iterate your app and  platform to what they think works best. Then you show them the product  again, get their feedback, and change it (iterate) again. Repeat this  process over and over (iteration), until you have a platform that  everyone is happy with.  Then you can gain critical mass and close a  Series A round!



Keywords: Customer, User, Bubble, Recession, Failure, Better Place, Pivot


Bill Gross - The single biggest reason Startups succeed (TED talk)

00:00:25.063 --> 00:00:27.212
I believe that the startup organization

00:00:27.212 --> 00:00:30.970
is one of the greatest forms
to make the world a better place.

---

00:00:43.679 --> 00:00:45.799
But if the startup
organization is so great,

00:00:45.799 --> 00:00:47.281
why do so many fail?

---

00:01:59.864 --> 00:02:02.140
So much about a team's execution

00:02:02.140 --> 00:02:05.900
is its ability to adapt to getting punched
in the face by the customer.

00:02:05.900 --> 00:02:07.588
The customer is the true reality.

---

00:04:42.020 --> 00:04:45.299
That company came out
right during the height of the recession

00:04:45.299 --> 00:04:47.117
when people really needed extra money,

00:04:47.117 --> 00:04:48.931
and that maybe helped people overcome

00:04:48.931 --> 00:04:51.777
their objection to renting out
their own home to a stranger.

---

00:04:57.174 --> 00:04:58.656
But the timing was so perfect

00:04:58.656 --> 00:05:00.805
for their need to get drivers
into the system.

00:05:00.805 --> 00:05:03.927
Drivers were looking for extra money;
it was very, very important.


Lecture 3 - Before the Startup (Paul Graham)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii1jcLg-eIQ

00:03:53.468 --> 00:03:55.551
So sorta, what YC is,

00:03:55.551 --> 00:03:59.833
is like business ski
instructors, except for

00:03:59.833 --> 00:04:03.693
going up the slopes instead
of down them.

---

00:12:29.340 --> 00:12:33.870
And all users care about is
whether your software

00:12:33.870 --> 00:12:35.390
does what they want, right?

00:12:35.390 --> 00:12:36.610
They're like sharks.

00:12:36.610 --> 00:12:39.180
Sharks are, like, too stupid
to fool.

00:12:39.180 --> 00:12:41.330
You can't, like, wave a red
flag at a shark and fool it,

00:12:41.330 --> 00:12:43.507
it's like, meat or no meat.

---

00:14:34.130 --> 00:14:36.470
Startups are all consuming.

00:14:36.470 --> 00:14:39.620
If you start a start up, it
will take over your life

00:14:39.620 --> 00:14:41.600
to a degree that you cannot
imagine.

---


Startup is the New Black
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJWMvgnmh8g


00:14:06.959 --> 00:14:08.339
- You really have to have the mindset

00:14:08.339 --> 00:14:12.579
that it's not a failure,

00:14:12.579 --> 00:14:14.299
it's an opportunity to learn.

---

00:14:26.139 --> 00:14:29.518
it's not a failure,
actually that's a success

00:14:29.518 --> 00:14:31.658
because knowing when to stop is an art

00:14:31.658 --> 00:14:34.498
and takes quite a lot of intelligence

00:14:34.498 --> 00:14:36.018
knowing when to quit something.

00:14:36.018 --> 00:14:38.098
- Yeah, the fail fast
strategy is really just a way

00:14:38.098 --> 00:14:41.118
of saying you need to
have validated learning

---

00:15:50.778 --> 00:15:52.918
And at this critical stage in our growth,

---

00:17:47.778 --> 00:17:49.798
It's always hard to use
the "F" word and say,

00:17:49.798 --> 00:17:51.398
oh, I failed at something.

00:17:51.398 --> 00:17:54.138
And I think that whenever
you make a pivot,

00:17:54.138 --> 00:17:55.998
you're essentially saying,
well, this thing failed.

00:17:55.998 --> 00:17:59.718
But, at the same time, when you
think about failing quickly,

00:17:59.718 --> 00:18:03.498
and kind of the entire motto
of the startup community

00:18:03.498 --> 00:18:08.183
right now is fail quickly,
because you just learn so much,

00:18:08.183 --> 00:18:10.258
and can move fast.
---

00:19:40.033 --> 00:19:42.018
Don't copy, don't steal,

---

00:20:17.998 --> 00:20:22.147
- There's a lot of advice that
a new entrepreneur can use.

00:20:22.147 --> 00:20:25.298
The practical advice would
be to point them towards

00:20:25.298 --> 00:20:30.298
the lean startup resources,
put them on the right track,

00:20:30.298 --> 00:20:32.179
do things like failing fast

00:20:32.179 --> 00:20:35.938
and understand concepts
of validated learning.

---

00:20:47.118 --> 00:20:51.978
number one, make sure that
you believe in yourself

00:20:51.978 --> 00:20:55.298
and that you have the
confidence in your own abilities

00:20:55.298 --> 00:20:57.558
and in your ideas so that you can

00:20:57.558 --> 00:20:59.858
actually see it through to the end;

00:20:59.858 --> 00:21:01.998
and then, perhaps more importantly,

00:21:01.998 --> 00:21:04.178
is make sure there's someone in your life

00:21:04.178 --> 00:21:08.278
who believes in you more
than you believe in yourself.

00:21:08.278 --> 00:21:09.958
So in my case, it's my wife,

00:21:09.958 --> 00:21:11.379
but it doesn't have to be a wife.

---

00:21:27.458 --> 00:21:29.918
I think a lot of people fail.

00:21:29.918 --> 00:21:32.998
I think a lot of people
fail or they give up

00:21:32.998 --> 00:21:35.059
before they get to the destination

Marc Andreessen on Big Breakthrough Ideas and Courageous Entrepreneurs

00:00:08.591 --> 00:00:13.790
Many of us, are aspiring entrepreneurs, so
we'd really quite like to be like you.

00:00:13.790 --> 00:00:17.168
And, many others, would also like to pitch
to you.

---

00:00:55.040 --> 00:00:57.787
You mentioned last month at the
Goldman-Sachs

00:00:57.787 --> 00:01:00.710
conference, that tech was not in a bubble.

00:01:00.710 --> 00:01:03.620
Rather, it was in a mature deployment
phase.

---

00:02:00.410 --> 00:02:04.615
I think that, people are much more highly
sensitized to bubbles after a bubble.

00:02:04.615 --> 00:02:09.360
If you could be sensitized to them before
a bubble, you could make a lot more money.

---

00:12:28.790 --> 00:12:33.277
And you've built up a, a very disruptive
model within the venture capital industry

00:12:33.277 --> 00:12:35.362
where you provide a lot of value-added

00:12:35.362 --> 00:12:39.440
services including hiring and marketing,
to portfolio companies.

---

00:20:03.670 --> 00:20:06.178
You know, there's there's one of my
partners

00:20:06.178 --> 00:20:08.110
quotes, he quotes Nietsche a lot on these,
he

00:20:08.110 --> 00:20:10.665
says it's, it's will to power, it's, it's

00:20:10.665 --> 00:20:12.890
you know, it's people who simply will not
stop.




Brussels start ups

Talentsquare - Energy is key (monologue)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IJSLH8PjKs

0:20
Energy is key. Besides your experience, beside your competences,
0:25
beside your expertise, you need more than that to drive those expertises to the top level.
0:45
Energy is communicative.
0:47
IQ and intelligence is not communicative.

Managing First Impressions   
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwF189mAsb8

The Importance of Knowing Yourself 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azP_sevlJdo

Feedback as a Source for Growth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GmGe7fADHc

Understanding Innovation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zafvaVYHQYQ


less useful for now..... 
BetterStreet 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhuPXshHG1g

1:52
they know they need this game solution in the future to be performed to be
1:57
transparent
1:58
to be efficient so that they would probably be embraced
2:02
scan solution maybe the tomorrow but certainly in the in two years
2:07
chrome I'm pretty sure solutions that but as we will be

OpenRBF
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1fdJpKFHn0

1:45
make your health system in your country more efficient and transparent and visit