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Startup Sagas
angels, devils & other gargoyles




             @ksrikrishna

       krishna[at]zebugroup[dot]com
Startup Sagas
angels, devils & other gargoyles
         employees,
         customers




             @ksrikrishna

       krishna[at]zebugroup[dot]com
Startup Sagas
angels, devils & other gargoyles
         employees,              VCs, partners &
         customers                 suppliers,




             @ksrikrishna

       krishna[at]zebugroup[dot]com
Startup Sagas
angels, devils & other gargoyles
              employees,              VCs, partners &
 you & me     customers                 suppliers,




                  @ksrikrishna

            krishna[at]zebugroup[dot]com
Start ups are hard!
        Losing weight is harder!




                 raginiart.posterous.com
Eat less & Exercise More




    You know this stuff
Devil is in
the details*
  *from Bill Philips Body for LIFE!
1. Build Product/Service
2. Get customers
3. Repeat
darn devilish details*
              *from dave mcclure’s AARRR!
Note to self*
     *have a life!



Call mom

Talk to {boy|girl}friend

Get married

Stay married

Get a job

  Or was that the other way around?

Save some money
Entrepreneur, Writer,
       Father

     @ksrikrishna
      http://ksrikrishna.com/
What have I done*                                      *lately

              Kicked some
              butt & built                        06 Sold
                 $50M                           1st Business   09 Zebu
                                                                       10-11 Angel
              business at                                      Started
                                                                       Investments
               Synopsys


                                                                     10 Killed 11 Killed
                                                          06-08
                                                                     Product Service
                                                        Stagnated
                                                        with buyer

   96-99
 Struggled
   at two
startups as
  #2 guy                      00-06 Boot-strapped
                                tech business and
                             survived valley of death
Devilish details
Set out to build a      Angel investments
SAAS business
                          dMobili - defunct
Marketing automation
http://dog-earz.com/      Althea Shufflr.tv
                          post Series A
Q&A Service
http://sirsir.in          IndianStage -
                          pre-Series A
Mistake mania
Suspended in May 2010     MobStac* - post
Supended in Feb 2011      Series A
And you?

Have already started up

  have revenue or profitable

Plan to start up this calendar year

Looking to join a start up

Not sure why I am here
Changing how we snack
   Althea Systems                                        shufflr.tv
                            Internet video

                      Taking Performing Arts to the
   IndianStage.in                                      indianstage.in
                               next level

                         Mobile sites in under 2
   Mobile Motion                                       mobstac.com
                                minutes

                        The fastest way to create
Zebu Communications                                    dog-earz.com
                              newsletters


                      Power Electronics for the alt-
 Amberroot Systems                                     amberroot.com
                            energy systems

   Muddy Boots              Active vacations           muddyboots.in
It boils down to
Know what you want
  are you going to stick it out come what may


Get good partners
  keep one another honest & take other folks help


Stay hungry & honest
  build a business that makes real money


Raising men & money
  It’ll take longer and you’ll need more - than you think


Focus on Delivery, Execution, Measurement
What do you want
We’re building a life-style business
  we’ll change world


Building the next Google
  we plan to flip


We’ll boot strap
  we’ll raise a boatload of capital


Question & air all assumptions
Get good partners
Folks who’s

  thinking aligns with yours
     attitude trumps all; they challenge you whenever needed


  skills complement yours
     they do stuff you don’t & do it better


  commitment challenges yours
     prepared to work harder than you


  values & vision match
     in both every day action and exhibited beliefs
Stay Hungry & Honest
 Complacency will kill you
   measure yourself and be ruthless in reviewing performance


 Stay externally focused at all times
   don’t built did, till someone wants to pay for it


 Know what to measure in which scale
   daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually


 Prune ruthlessly & if needed pivot
   business models, employees, features, products
Raising men & money
You need fewer (wo)men than you reckon
  Sure it’s hard to hire for startups - suck it up!


You need more money than you reckon
  and you ain’t getting it - suck it up


It’ll take longer than you reckon
  so start doing it pretty soon and keep at it


Money is rarely the right answer
  for most problems you’ll encounter - so think past it
Focus & Execution
Paying customers (or advertisers)
  don’t lose sight of this and keep everyone focused on it


There’s a reason you have a schedule
  Triage if need be, but ship soon and ship often


Your people come first but be demanding
  Fair always trumps nice - output trumps likeability


Question your assumptions at least Qtrly
  you’d be surprised at what you were prepared to believe
Don’t do the following
Wonder how & why the other guy got funded
  it’s neither useful nor healthy*


Avoid confrontations inside your organization
  if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t


Build more than one product/service at a time
  or address more than one market segment at a time


Take your eye of the ball
  milestones slip hours/days at a time not weeks or months

  if customers are not prepared to pay for it, the value is missing
Parting thoughts
You are building businesses
     not just products or services

     keep your eye on the money, customers & their problems


You are building the business
     not your angels, partners or VCs


Focus on what you can control &

Don’t forget to have fun*
*quit reading TechCrunch or VC circle & start coding when you’re not selling
Raising kids is hardest

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Srikrishna angels devilsgargoyles_kn

  • 1. Startup Sagas angels, devils & other gargoyles @ksrikrishna krishna[at]zebugroup[dot]com
  • 2. Startup Sagas angels, devils & other gargoyles employees, customers @ksrikrishna krishna[at]zebugroup[dot]com
  • 3. Startup Sagas angels, devils & other gargoyles employees, VCs, partners & customers suppliers, @ksrikrishna krishna[at]zebugroup[dot]com
  • 4. Startup Sagas angels, devils & other gargoyles employees, VCs, partners & you & me customers suppliers, @ksrikrishna krishna[at]zebugroup[dot]com
  • 5. Start ups are hard! Losing weight is harder! raginiart.posterous.com
  • 6. Eat less & Exercise More You know this stuff
  • 7. Devil is in the details* *from Bill Philips Body for LIFE!
  • 8. 1. Build Product/Service 2. Get customers 3. Repeat
  • 9. darn devilish details* *from dave mcclure’s AARRR!
  • 10. Note to self* *have a life! Call mom Talk to {boy|girl}friend Get married Stay married Get a job Or was that the other way around? Save some money
  • 11. Entrepreneur, Writer, Father @ksrikrishna http://ksrikrishna.com/
  • 12. What have I done* *lately Kicked some butt & built 06 Sold $50M 1st Business 09 Zebu 10-11 Angel business at Started Investments Synopsys 10 Killed 11 Killed 06-08 Product Service Stagnated with buyer 96-99 Struggled at two startups as #2 guy 00-06 Boot-strapped tech business and survived valley of death
  • 13. Devilish details Set out to build a Angel investments SAAS business dMobili - defunct Marketing automation http://dog-earz.com/ Althea Shufflr.tv post Series A Q&A Service http://sirsir.in IndianStage - pre-Series A Mistake mania Suspended in May 2010 MobStac* - post Supended in Feb 2011 Series A
  • 14. And you? Have already started up have revenue or profitable Plan to start up this calendar year Looking to join a start up Not sure why I am here
  • 15. Changing how we snack Althea Systems shufflr.tv Internet video Taking Performing Arts to the IndianStage.in indianstage.in next level Mobile sites in under 2 Mobile Motion mobstac.com minutes The fastest way to create Zebu Communications dog-earz.com newsletters Power Electronics for the alt- Amberroot Systems amberroot.com energy systems Muddy Boots Active vacations muddyboots.in
  • 16. It boils down to Know what you want are you going to stick it out come what may Get good partners keep one another honest & take other folks help Stay hungry & honest build a business that makes real money Raising men & money It’ll take longer and you’ll need more - than you think Focus on Delivery, Execution, Measurement
  • 17. What do you want We’re building a life-style business we’ll change world Building the next Google we plan to flip We’ll boot strap we’ll raise a boatload of capital Question & air all assumptions
  • 18. Get good partners Folks who’s thinking aligns with yours attitude trumps all; they challenge you whenever needed skills complement yours they do stuff you don’t & do it better commitment challenges yours prepared to work harder than you values & vision match in both every day action and exhibited beliefs
  • 19. Stay Hungry & Honest Complacency will kill you measure yourself and be ruthless in reviewing performance Stay externally focused at all times don’t built did, till someone wants to pay for it Know what to measure in which scale daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually Prune ruthlessly & if needed pivot business models, employees, features, products
  • 20. Raising men & money You need fewer (wo)men than you reckon Sure it’s hard to hire for startups - suck it up! You need more money than you reckon and you ain’t getting it - suck it up It’ll take longer than you reckon so start doing it pretty soon and keep at it Money is rarely the right answer for most problems you’ll encounter - so think past it
  • 21. Focus & Execution Paying customers (or advertisers) don’t lose sight of this and keep everyone focused on it There’s a reason you have a schedule Triage if need be, but ship soon and ship often Your people come first but be demanding Fair always trumps nice - output trumps likeability Question your assumptions at least Qtrly you’d be surprised at what you were prepared to believe
  • 22. Don’t do the following Wonder how & why the other guy got funded it’s neither useful nor healthy* Avoid confrontations inside your organization if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t Build more than one product/service at a time or address more than one market segment at a time Take your eye of the ball milestones slip hours/days at a time not weeks or months if customers are not prepared to pay for it, the value is missing
  • 23. Parting thoughts You are building businesses not just products or services keep your eye on the money, customers & their problems You are building the business not your angels, partners or VCs Focus on what you can control & Don’t forget to have fun* *quit reading TechCrunch or VC circle & start coding when you’re not selling
  • 24. Raising kids is hardest

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