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It’s one of the classic phrases of the startup universe. We’ve all heard it a million times. It’s so ubiquitous, it inspired a Cards Against Humanity card:

“I have a great idea for a startup.”

If you’re anything like the Startups team, chances are you’ve caught yourself saying this more than a few times. If you’re really like the Startups team, you find yourself saying it a few times a day.

But what exactly is a “great idea?” How do you know when that idea you scribbled down on a cocktail napkin or a post-it note has the makings of a full-blown business? Is it really just a matter of “you know it when you see it”? Or is there more to it than that – something structured and systematic, a template of sorts that you can follow, time and time a...

What is an angel investor?

Angel investors are typically high net worth individuals who invest very early into the formation of a new startup company, usually in exchange for convertible debt or equity. The role of angel investors serves as a critical bridge between the startup financing needs of a company and their larger capital needs later on.

Who can be angel investors?

In order to be an angel investor, a person does not have to be an accredited investor. However, a lot of angel investors are accredited investors.

In order to be an accredited investor, according to the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), a person must:

1. Have made at least $200,000 a year (or $300,000, for a couple) for the past two years and must have the expectation...

There are many examples of beautifully designed decks from startup companies that successfully raised funds from investors and became multimillion-dollar businesses—all thanks to a few presentation slides. So, in order to come up with a perfect pitch deck, it would be good to take a look at what worked well for other founders.

The ideal investor presentation for a company would depend on its product, needs, vision, team, and audience. These are the best ones picked based on different criteria.

Best Business School-Approved Deck: YouTube

YouTube’s 2005 pitch deck is a classic. It closely followed Sequoia Capital’s suggested deck template for startups with excellent results, since YouTube was la...

You can’t throw a rock these days without hitting a company that practices corporate social responsibility. You want proof? The Harvard Law School study “CEO Materialism and Corporate Social Responsibility” revealed that Fortune 500 firms spend more than $15 billion on philanthropy and CSR.

On a personal note, giving back has always been part of my company’s DNA; it’s a policy that my father started and that I’ve continued during my own leadership tenure. CSR is near and dear to me because I’ve seen the amazing work we’ve done affect communities and influence and change the culture within our own offices.

For businesses looking to make a philanthropic mark, implementing CSR strategies won’t be an overnight overhaul. For small businesses and...

A lot of people want to start a startup — but they don’t know where to start. And where there’s plenty you can do to get the ball rolling, there’s actually one place that everyone has to start: The idea.

But, what are the best startup ideas? What are the worst?

Before we dive into that big question — one disclaimer:

This is not a plug-and-play list of startup business ideas that you can cherry pick from in order to create the next unicorn startup. (That doesn’t exist. If it did, everyone would actually be killing it, all the time.)

Instead, we’re going to talk about some general categories of startups that are more or less difficult to start, help you figure out how to pick your best startup idea, and talk to some founders about their expe...

WHAT IS AN LLC?

LLC means “limited liability corporation,” which is a type of business structure that creates a legal entity for the business that is separate from the business owner(s), meaning that the owner(s) are usually not personally liable for the company’s debts or lawsuits. Other common business entity structures such as corporation, general partnership, or sole proprietorship do not offer the same protections.

LLCs, which can be owned by one person (a single-member LLC) or more than one person (a multiple-member LLC), are essentially hybrid entities that combine the asset protection of a corporation with the flow-through taxation benefits of a partnership or sole proprietorship.

LLCs are a popular business entity type for new and...

Like doing any deal, getting good angel investment deal structures is all about creating a win-win situation. Once you get an angel investor interested in your deal and agree on basic terms, you will need to discuss the best way to structure the investment.

This is a critical juncture in every startup’s evolution, as the provisions you agree on here will be carried with you for the life of the angel investment deal.

How to get angel investor Agreements with win-win deal structures

1. Be Cautiously Optimistic

At this stage, many entrepreneurs get so excited that they forget to dot the i’s and cross the t’s on their deal.

Make sure you thoroughly review any term sheet with a lawyer to make sure you completely understand the deal structure an...

The first step to find venture capital is to make a smart introduction to the venture capital firm you’re interested in meeting.

Venture capitalists rely heavily on trusted connections to vet deals.

You’re not trying to contact as many people as possible; you’re trying to find venture capital firms that are the best possible fit for your deal. The more closely aligned you are with the needs of the venture firm, the more likely you’ll find venture capital firms willing to write you a check!

Getting Introduced to VC Firms

Every pitch to a venture capital firm starts with an introduction to someone at the firm. It helps to know the exact profile of a venture capitalist to know which level of introduction makes sense. Typically you’ll start wit...

It’s hard to rattle Tristan Walker. Maybe that’s because he grew up one of three kids, kept on the straight-and-narrow by a hardworking single mother in the projects of Queens.

Or maybe that’s because he constantly worked his ass off to build a better life for himself, always beating the odds, whether it was his scholarship to attend the elite Hotchkiss boarding school, attending Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, getting an early internship at Twitter, and then jumping to Foursquare to lead business development when it was scorching hot, before then grabbing an entrepreneur-in-residence slot at top venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. And that level of success frequently meant being the lone African American man in the room.

O...

We can all agree that bringing qualified customers to a new website is no easy feat. To add to that, most of your customers won’t be willing to pull out their credit card the first time that they reach your site.

Yeah, we know. It sucks to hear, especially since half of the people who stumble upon your site probably won’t come back for a second visit.

So how do you actually sell to these online customers?

Well, you don’t.

You give them insane amounts of value for free and make it easy for them to buy when they’re ready.

That’s right. The days of bombarding your potential customers with sales tactics and TV commercials are coming to a close. The secret to winning customers is to offer them exactly what they’re looking for when they actively ...