Real-Life Lessons From Shark Tank

North was recently quoted dropping some knowledge in the article, Real-Life Lessons From Shark Tank on Entrepreneur.com.
Here’s an excerpt:
Know when to pitch. Entrepreneurs with a well-developed product and proven financial success have the best luck with the “sharks,” says David Brody, a managing partner at the venture analysis firm North. “Nothing builds momentum like demonstrating [...]

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5 Lifelines For Your Startup

North was recently quoted dropping some knowledge in the article, 5 Lifelines For You Startup on Entrepreneur.com.
Here’s an excerpt:
Evan Solida was stuck.
Solida, founder of Cerevellum, which sells digital rearview mirrors for bicycles, had posted his business plan on several websites promising to connect him with investors in exchange for a few hundred dollars.

Time passed. Investors never [...]

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New Venture Evaluation #21

Is Your Revenue Model Automated?

The purpose of this element is to determine whether or not the company can automate the revenue model. Transactions and sales take time (time is money); even retailers spend a fortune on making checkout happen just a few seconds faster. For a business to successfully scale and grow, a turn key [...]

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New Venture Evaluation #20

Personal Financial Commitment

I had an interesting conversation with an entrepreneur last night about the fundraising process for a new company he is looking to pursue.  Although he is still riding out the transition from the sale of his current business to a large corporation, he is
beginning to take steps towards the creation of his next [...]

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New Venture Evaluation #19: Emotional Value Proposition

The purpose of this element is to determine whether or not the company has done enough consumer research into the psychographics of the target consumer to understand why they buy one brand of solution over another. Sufficient research into the demographics and psychographics of the target consumer are the starting point for understanding why [...]

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How do you Measure Up?

Innovation is the backbone of our economy.
Without it, we simply won’t have the game-changing economic growth needed to end the global financial crisis.
Even with nearly six million new businesses started every year, the process for creating American innovation remains remarkably inefficient.* The time, effort, and capital wasted on genetically-flawed businesses represents the loss of [...]

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New Venture Evaluation #18: Management Compensation

One of the most powerful forces for managing people, and determining the direction of a business is compensation. That which can be measured and that upon which people will be paid, are both core drivers of a business. The goal of this element is to seek a healthy balance between keeping the entrepreneur focused and [...]

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New Venture Evaluation #17: Debt

The purpose of this Phenotype element is to determine what if any debt the business may have at the time of the financing, and more importantly if that debt will be serviced immediately upon closure of the round. What one isn’t looking to do is to fund a company only to have all the cash [...]

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Conclusion: North’s 10 Rules For Breaking Through

As we’ve outlined on this blog over the last few weeks, the system for raising early stage capital today is fundamentally flawed. Even though the road to success for entrepreneurs trying to kickstart their visions is littered with potholes and deceptive directions, it can all be corrected with a little teamwork. If change is going [...]

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New Venture Evaluation #16: Secondary Sales Potential

The purpose of this element is to uncover what can be one common way to rapidly expand and grow a business: the second serving. One of the easiest ways to grow revenue is to sell the consumer a second offering after completing the first transaction. What to look for here are types of secondary offerings, [...]

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