Startup Basics with Milan is a series that provides you with a framework to start your own startup. Even though I believe that customers are the best investors, many startups need to raise money from angel investors or venture capitalists in order to be able to grow fast and keep the pace of its competitors. […]
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What are the fundraising options for your new startup?
Do you have an idea for a startup and you want an investor? There are different fundraising options for different stages of an early stage startup and it’s good to go after the right ones. Before I explain the difference between them, I want to tell that the best source of funding are customers. That’s […]
Improve your startup pitch, avoid these usual mistakes
A startup pitch is usually your 5 minutes of glory that can help you attract investors (or potential customers). The investors hear a lot of pitches and don’t have much time to do any further research on your company. Therefore, the pitch is usually what gives you an opportunity to present your startup to the […]
Startup Basics with Milan #1: Introduction
Do you remember that day when you were taking a shower and an amazing idea that would change the world popped into your head? And soon you realized that you didn’t really know how you could bring that idea to life. My goal with the “Startup Basics with Milan” series is to provide you with […]
My quick tip for approaching investors
Fundraising is not easy. If you don’t know any investors, getting them interested in your startup is one of the toughest things to do. Even if you may think so, it’s not because the investors don’t want to hear your pitch. It’s mostly because they hear so many pitches that it’s quite overwhelming. So when […]
Turn your idea into a startup. These 7 steps worked for me.
Turning an idea into a startup is a long and exciting journey. When I had my first idea, I spent weeks on figuring out every detail of how the app was going to work. I prepared the wireframes, specification and paid the programmer to build the prototype. I was a project manager, so I knew exactly how […]
5 different ways to find a startup idea that work for me
Getting the right startup idea that would be worth pursuing is, obviously, one of the most important steps in starting your business. I’m not a very creative person and coming up with ideas wasn’t always easy for me. And I was definitely not alone who was struggling with finding the right idea. If you are […]
4+1 tools that increase productivity in your startup
Creating a startup can bring all sorts of hassle. Not only will it be hard to get good funding at first, but staying organized can be challenging as well. The primary focus you need to have when you run your startup is productivity. That means delivering results quickly and well. While it might take a bit […]
7 tips to help you win Startup Weekend
I should probably say “7 tips to help you maximize your chance to win Startup Weekend”, because if more teams follow my advice, there will only be a one winner anyway. And quite frankly, it still doesn’t guarantee anything because there are judges that decide and pick the winners. I’ve mentored a lot of teams on […]
When is the right time to start talking to investors?
There is only one basic rule on when to start talking to investors. Most people think that it’s when you are ready and want to raise money, but it’s not. It’s too late, because fundraising takes time. It’s usually 3 to 6 months for the VC funds investing in early stage companies (angel investors can […]