Published on: May 16, 2013 – 11:53 am
“Why San Francisco?” Why not start a company in a place where the cost of living is lower and real estate prices make you feel like an extra zero was left out.
By Dr. Danielle Applestone (CEO, Otherfab)
I love to be in the factory. I love thinking about what can be made via which method, in what quantity, at what cost, and how fast? I am CEO of a hardware company that makes desktop CNC machines, and I am frighteningly close to having a fully staffed and humming production line in the Mission District of San Francisco. My team is amazing, our Kickstarter campaign is going swimmingly, but yesterday I was asked: “Why San Francisco?” Why not start a company in a place where the cost of living is lower and real estate prices make you feel like an extra zero was left out. Read More »
Published on: May 6, 2013 – 9:00 am
Two wealth management experts explain the inspiration and economic value of an investment portfolio focused on companies that recognize women’s contributions..
By DeAnne Steele and Mariia Eroshin (U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management)
There’s a new ad from Hyatt floating around the internet targeting a very specific consumer group: the female business traveler. The ad, with bold text that reads “Introducing a new menu designed with you in mind,” is promoting a lighter, healthier menu geared towards female travelers. With women making up almost 50% of the business traveler demographic, up from just 16% in 1979, Hyatt is smart to tailor their message and their menu – and they are just one of the many companies recognizing the often untapped, and increasingly powerful, potential of the female consumer.
This is the new reality of the economics of women or “womenomics.” Read More »
Published on: April 24, 2013 – 10:00 am
In Hewlett’s new book, Winning the War for Talent in Emerging Markets: Why Women are the Solution, she says the reason is that opportunities arise in periods of rapid economic transitions.
By Rachel Lehmann-Haupt (Editor, Women 2.0)
Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In has resurrected that sad fact that women hold only 14% of the top corporate jobs and that number hasn’t changed in a decade. We shouldn’t give up on making this change in the US, but it’s heartening to hear from economist Sylvia Ann Hewlett that in the so-called emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, that women are climbing ahead of American women to the top of corporate leadership. Read More »
Published on: April 22, 2013 – 6:00 am
The more money you raise the greater the chance of your startup being successful, right? Nope, says VC Cindy Padnos, who warns that too much funding can actually be bad for your fledgling business.
By Cindy Padnos (Founder & Managing Partner, Illuminate Ventures)
Which do you think is a better predictor of your company’s future? To have such a great concept that investors throw $400 million at you to bring it to life? Or to face enough skepticism that you can squeeze out just $9 million over multiple rounds of funding?
Okay, you knew it was a trick question, but the facts are pretty surprising. History shows that capital efficiency — raising no more than you need — has been a better indicator of success than capital access. Read More »
Published on: April 15, 2013 – 6:00 am
Women now have an advantage in this new way to access capital. Here’s where things stand a year after the JOBS Act was signed into law.
By Elizabeth Smith Kulik (Co-founder & CEO, ProHatch)
On April 5, 2012, President Obama signed the JOBS Act into law, which legalized equity and debt-based crowdfunding, and paved the way for private small businesses to raise capital via the crowd.
Now, one year later, entrepreneurs and investors alike are still waiting on the rules to be put in place for Titles II and III of the JOBS Act.
Though there have been regulatory delays, the crowdfunding industry has made immense strides over the past year. Read More »
Published on: April 11, 2013 – 9:00 am
A financial advisor to startups believes all entrepreneurs can quickly and easily get a handle on their financial operations.
By Lili Balfour (Founder & CEO, Atelier Advisors)
One of the top reasons companies fail is that they run out of money. That seems easy to avoid, right? Oddly enough, many entrepreneurs do not have clarity around their revenue sources and even fewer have a strong grasp of their operational costs.
How can so many brilliant and tenacious entrepreneurs fail to get a clear picture of their business operations? Unfortunately, most entrepreneurs dread building financial models, as the process is rarely laid out in an easy-to-follow format. Read More »
Published on: March 8, 2013 – 8:00 am
An entrepreneur with two successful crowdfunding campaigns under her belt explains what you need to make your crowdfunding effort a success.
By Linda Franco (Co-Founder, MACHINA)
As an entrepreneur, crowdfunding is something you hear a lot about, but few take the plunge. After doing this twice I can understand why.
I’ve been through two different crowdfunding campaigns on two different platforms, with two different products. Read More »
Published on: March 28, 2012 – 8:00 am
“A good company never lets its Sales, Marketing and General Operating Expenses (SG&A) get too big.”
By Teresa Dentino (Founder & CEO, The Financial 411)
Whether it’s “cutting edge”, “leading edge”, “bleeding edge” or “burn rate”, the terms we hear volleyed around deal-making may sound straight out of an Grey’s Anatomy episode, but it all comes down to this equation to the ears of your third-party funding sources: New Technology = How much Cash Needs to Burn + How Long it will Last before the Bleeding Edge Technology is Profitable.
So to get you on the right edge, where you’re not only fluent with the terms, but aware of how to maximize your breakthrough concept’s financials, let’s talk numbers that really count.
Initially you have a lot of R&D (Research and Read More »
Published on: March 27, 2012 – 8:00 am
How to structure your early-stage startup: founder equity, legal stuff, financial plans…
By Rama Katkar (Co-Founder, Hipiti)
When you first set out to start a new company, it can be easy to get bogged down learning about all the things you didn’t even realize you needed to know. Serial entrepreneurs have an advantage, because they have been there and done that, so they can easily sidestep some of the early hurdles.
But if you’re a first-timer, you can waste a lot of energy focusing on seemingly small things that distract you from what you really want to be doing – building and executing your business idea.
When my co-founder and I recently set out Read More »
Published on: February 11, 2012 – 10:00 am
By Teresa Dentino (Founder & CEO, The Financial 411)
Women’s vast economic power having finally been recognized, it’s time to think differently and own our relationship with money and our business finances.
Having a clear understanding of the nuts and bolts of finance that affect your bottom line gives you a leg up over any competitor, and, not least, with every potential investor or funding source.
Financial literacy is within reach of every woman, and not just those who excel in math. (When was the last time you Read More »
