Start Up Contents Archive

Angel group asking to see $10k to $20k MRR for $500k Pre-Seed

I pitched to an angel group for a $500k pre-seed. We have a completed product and some early paying business customers. They told me we have a great pitch and deck, but I found it shocking that they are asking for $10k - $20k MRR first. If I had that, I would be raising a seed round. Our product is a complex B2B2C tool, so it's hard to convey all the details in a short amount of time. I'm curious if you see this as a "sign of the times" that investors aren't deploying, or if you see this as a pitch with holes in it?

Creating a start-up in landing page optimization - is it too niche?

I've recently been thinking of creating a start-up that doesn't clash (too much) with my current employers work (digital marketing agency, specifically, email marketing). I want to work B2B and have come to the conclusion that Landing page optimization may be a good niche to start in. Do you agree? or do you think it may be too niche and would a more general 'sales funnel optimisation' work better?

A Reminder to Startups: 87% of Sales Still Happen Offline

Thoughts on Consultants?

I have been doing some consulting on and off for the last few years, but I'm curious what people think about hiring that either: A. Works with you and your business to grow, increase profitability, and optimize operational flow. B. Works with you like a coach (I was an jr marketer 4.5 years ago and now a growth exec) to help you improve your marketing skills and help you learn and think about what you need to continue moving up in your career? Is one more attractive than the other? I would appreciate any help!

Startup offering me equity based on EVA (Economic Value Added)?

A startup has offered me a role with equity based on the EVA (Economic Value Added) under my tenure. EVA is basically the change in profit YoY. For example if the profit jumps $1M in Y2 vs Y1, I get 20% of that or $200k worth of equity. Has anyone dealt with equity in EVA? Should I insist on a portion of equity which is guaranteed (with vesting period), regardless of EVA?

A Reminder to Startups: 87% of Sales Still Happen Offline

Struggling with customer interviews

Hi, I’m working on a marketplace startup that would be a competitor of Angi, Thumbtack, TaskRabbit, etc. except it’s for a very specific industry, house cleaning. I’m wondering how to validate my idea and how to find customers that currently do not use those marketplaces for house cleaning services in order to discover their pain points and how I can make the user experience better (that would make them want to use mine). The problem is that I don’t know how to find the customers and there isn’t really a “place” for them where I can find them. For example, if I were doing a tech startup, I would find people shopping in electronics or in specific stores like Best Buy or Apple. But for my target customer, I don’t know where to start. Any advice is appreciated!

Now is as good a time as any to start a startup – especially if you get into YC. But what about joining a startup in this economy? We’re obviously biased, but we think it’s a great time to join a startup too. YC's @rchoi shares why it's worth considering: https://t.co/HD0VGO1uCK

Indie Hackers who are churning out these SaaS businesses that plugin Chat GPT and/or DallE APIs, how are you managing the cost?

​ So ever since Chat GPT became popular I see so many people posting here with their AI-powered tools to automate a lot of things; writing blogs/ copy, chatbots, logo generators and so much more. Obviously, these tools don't have 100s of users and probably will take a long time if at all to get a lot of users. And the pricing is usually anywhere from 9-20 dollars (or less) in the cases I've seen. I've seen some free tools as well. I myself have used free business idea generators and whatnot. My problem is, in the words of ChatGPT itself "As of February 2023, the starting price for commercial API access to GPT-3 is $0.008 per token, with a minimum commitment of $5,000 per month." So how are yall keeping up with this $5000 dollar commitment or am I misunderstanding something?

DPIIT looks forward to working with Incubation Centre IIT Patna from Patna, Bihar, on the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme for financial assistance to early-stage startups. @iciitp https://t.co/OMLQ0NGR4F

School Project

Hiya, I hope I am right on this Sub, I know it's not what one usually posts here but I thought I'd give it a go. So here are the facts: -i am in school -im in the economy performance course -we got a project, which is to create a company and make money -its meant to teach us how a company works and we have to keep books, budget etc. -we have full liberty and about 1/2 year to get the most profit possible -we are located in Germany -we have to find ways to fund anything we do Now my question: Any ideas what we can do? Or any tips rally anything is appreciated. We've already had some ideas but that would mostly be low risk low reward stuff. I can't wait to hear what the collective mind of Reddit has to say or to get completely shit on if someone thinks I posted in the wrong sub (if that's the case: sorry and please relay me to smth more fitting) Cheerio

what are my options if I don't fund to employ a sales resource and when me the CEO is not good at sales

A diverse startup ecosystem is key to building strong companies with the best solutions. Look at the impact our Black Founders Fund recipients are making in @Pitchbook's “82 Black founders and investors to watch in 2023” feature: https://t.co/eEVJBNvmc3

How to find suppliers?

I have been using websites like Alibaba to try and find a supplier that makes a product that I can put my own branding onto. Our startup is more focused around what to do with the product and support / training then the product itself. How do I go about finding a trusted supplier that offers customisation of products? Are there other websites? The product I’m after is a portable thermal printer. I don’t mind paying more for the printer as our model is based around the income from the training and support than the printers themselves. Thank you 🙏

Why do people stop using Quora?

Wondering if there’s anyone here that have used Quora before? Wondering why did people stop using it since I find it a useful platform to get startup- related advice and to ask any kinds of questions? Also, what are the next best alternatives to ask questions to “successful people”