Tag Archives: startups

Startup anti-pattern: if you build it, they will come

Posted on September 26, 2023 by Simeon Simeonov

As part of the continued series on startup anti-patterns, we look at the battle between conviction and validation. First, a story. In 2000, Intech technology, a fledgling startup out of Israel, was building a new type of billing software for … Continue reading →

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Startup anti-pattern: elephant hunting

Posted on May 10, 2023 by Simeon Simeonov

As part of the continued series on startup anti-patterns, we look at elephant hunting: chasing big customers/deals. Continue reading →

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More startup anti-patterns

Posted on May 10, 2023 by Simeon Simeonov

It’s been a decade since I first assembled the list of startup anti-patterns, the repeatable ways startups waste time and money. The project has always been near and dear to my heart, as I often find myself directing entrepreneurs to … Continue reading →

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Unicorn pressures and startup failures

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Simeon Simeonov

The startup anti-patterns section of my blog summarizes the repeatable ways startups waste time & money and, often, fail. Learning from startup failure is valuable because there are many more examples of failures that successes. (Anti-)Patterns become more noticeable and … Continue reading →

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Startup anti-pattern: platform risk

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Simeon Simeonov

One of the fastest ways for a startup to grow has always been to ride on the shoulders of a successful platform: from Microsoft/OSS in software to AWS in cloud computing to iOS/Android in mobile to Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest in social to … Continue reading →

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Startup anti-pattern: ignorance

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Simeon Simeonov

Listening to a startup pitch a few weeks ago I had to exercise effort not to shake my head in disbelief. The presenters were describing the products and business model of an established company I was very familiar with and … Continue reading →

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Top startup anti-patterns

Posted on March 3, 2013 by Simeon Simeonov

Following my post on the value of startup anti-patterns, with the help of readers of this blog and friends from the startup ecosystem, I put together a list of the more common ones that I encounter. The list used to … Continue reading →

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The value of startup anti-patterns

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Simeon Simeonov

The TechStars Boston spring startups are looking very promising. At the mentors dinner tonight I had conversations with several of the companies and a common question came up: “What makes startups succeed?” My usual answer to this question is along … Continue reading →

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Startups and intellectual property: how much is a muse worth?

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Simeon Simeonov

Startup founder agreements has been the top post on my blog for a long time. The post has become much more valuable due to the many interesting questions & situations described in the comments. Every now and then, a comment … Continue reading →

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Startup Weekend Rocks

Posted on April 28, 2012 by Simeon Simeonov

Startup Weekend has become a real force for fostering entrepreneurship. I had the pleasure of speaking at the BostonEDU Startup Weekend kick-off yesterday. Some of the ideas were impressive and I do expect to see a couple of interesting companies … Continue reading →

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