top 10 reasons startups fail

Top 10 Reasons Why a Start-up FailsTop 10 Reasons Why a Start-up Fails

Caroline Cummings | vp of marketing

Small Wages.Bitter Cold,

Long Months of Complete Darkness.

Men WanedFor Hazardous

Journey.

Constant Danger,

Ernest Shackelton

Safe ReturnDoubtful.

Honour & RecognitionIn Case of Success.

By Endurance, We Conquer!

The Wrong Team1

Marketing-Heavy

Tech-Heavy1

The Single Founder

2

Finding the Right Co-FounderFinding the Right Co-Founder

What you can do

Public speaking

Press releases

Copywriting

Editing

Social Media

Email marketing

Google Analytics

Write plans

Graphic design

What you like to do

X

X

X

X

X

Missing skill-sets

Programming

SEO

SEM

Financials

HR

Biz Dev

…

Wrong Legal Team!

3

Trust Your Gut!!!

Interviewing attorneys…• Work with your industry before?• How much time for you?• Who else if they are not available?• Raised rounds of financing?• If so, create/read a Capitalization Table?• Compensation packages for new hires?• IP protection?• Global expansion?• Experience with exits – M&As, IPO?

Boiling the Ocean4

Not Talking to Customers5

Include Customers in your R&D

AskListenImplementRewardThank

Stealth to Long..

6

Slow to Launch…

6

Stuck on Original Idea7

MVP

Taking “Dumb Money”

8

8

Smart money brings…

Business experience Management experience Maturity Contacts Mentorship Challenge …

Founder-itis!

9

Ideators

Innovators

Starters

Growers

Exiters

Spending too much

money

10

How to avoid these mistakes?

Mentors, advisers Continued education Proper planning Always tracking Being agile Adjusting…

Caroline CummingsVP of Marketing, Palo Alto Software

caroline@paloalto.com

Questions?Questions?