Here are equity-free options: Startup Chile offers $40k grants plus workspace and 1-year visas; Kickstarter and IndieGoGo crowdfund; Profounder lets you repay investors with perks or profits while retaining ownership; DIV grants $350k; SBIR Phase I/II up to $100k/$750k; RevenueLoan up to $500k with revenue-based repayment.
I've been nominated for Best Startup Technologist at the Seattle 2.0 Awards for the third year, spotlighting a bug in the nomination software that has remained unfixed for three years. If you know tech people, please refer them to Seattle 2.0 to fix the bug ASAP—thanks for the support.
Focus on passive, relationship-driven recruiting: 40–50 engineers in 5 years via personal networks, dev events, and coffees; for colleges, go deep at UW CSE with talks, posters, pizza, and a strong intern program; convert contractors to full-timers; keep organized follow-up and coach engineers to screen candidates.
For late-night, distributed startup work, my go-to toolbox spans: oLark live chat for customer feedback; Join.me for hassle-free screencasts; Propane for Campfire integration; FaceTime for quick face-to-face; ScreenFlow for screencasts and editing; Thinkfuse for status reporting (sold to Salesforce, now shut); CloudApp for instant screenshot sharing and GitHub feedback.
Kick off 2011 with a single, elegant resolution: wake up every morning by 7am or at sunrise, whichever comes first, and stick to it all year. Early hours boost creativity, health, and family time, plus daily sunrise moments. I’d love to hear your resolutions as well.
Fundraising should focus on why the startup matters, its early traction, and how investment fuels a validated direction—not just paying salaries. Think campfire: prepare the pit, kindling (prototypes), relationships and proof points, then add fuel to grow—not spark a short-lived blaze.
LeadsCon in New York City on July 26–27, 2010 offers hands-on, money-focused sessions to turn traffic into cash. Organizer Jay Weintraub; discount links give $250 off the full ticket until Friday, June 25 at midnight, then $150. Claim it at http://bit.ly/buoU7w.
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louver
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lovable ['lavəbl] adj. amab
lovage ['lavidz]
love [lav] s. (Bot)
amor; (fam
amar, querer intr. ama
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mundo; to make Ars
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The New York Times’ 50 Most Challenging Words get defined and used in a MediaPiston article, turning a list that stumped readers into practical usage guidance. The compendium spans entries from Inchoate to Demarche, each with concise definitions and example sentences, offering a ready reference for confident, precise speech.
Lesson: you can't read a VC. In two fundraising rounds and several term sheets, meetings were largely one-way, with interruptions and minimal direct feedback. A final partner session began at 9:00, ended by 10:15; at 11:00 I heard, "We would like a term sheet tonight."
Valuation is an output, not a target in funding. VCs aim to own 30–50% and favor larger raises to extend runway, focusing on future value. For example, raising $2m for 33% yields a $4m pre-money; a day of ‘what if’ can double valuation. Know deal math; sheets move fast.
