Resources

Some of our favorite blog posts by investors and entrepreneurs in the startup ecosystem as inspired by Tom Eisenmann lists (2011, 2012, 2013):

Starting Up

Eric Ries’s book, The Lean Startup, is a must-read for entrepreneurs.
Paul Graham explains why there are so many great startup ideas lying around unexploited right under our noses and how to find startup ideas by living in the future and building what seems interesting.
Fred Wilson and Dharmesh Shah each offer advice on how to name a startup.
Andrew Chen unpacks the concept of product-market fit. Brian Balfour describes indicators of product-market fit and William Mougayar comments on why achieving product-market fit should be viewed as a gradual process, not a single event.

Our thoughts on the “Two ways to create a $100 million business”
Thomas Eisenmann’s 10-part series on business model analysis covers a range of topics.
Alex Osterwalder, coauthor of Business Model Generation, which introduces the business model canvas widely used by entrepreneurs, lists eight questions you should ask about your business model.
Great analysis by Bill Gurley on how to evaluate the potential of online marketplaces.
Our post on marketplaces with complex transactions.
Fred Wilson of USV on the different business models for e-commerce sites.
David Skok of Matrix Partners analyzes key factors for success with the SaaS model and why churn matters.
Mark Suster reflects on how and why startups should use metrics.
KISSMetrics on why you should focus on these 5 customer metrics and throw away your vanity metrics.

Quora post listing resources on user growth strategies and tactics.
Akshay Arabolu offers a great compilation of posts on startup marketing.
Simon Schmid on elements of effective marketing campaigns.
Erica Swallow offers 10 tips for managing startup PR.
One of the best sales books of all times: “Predictable Revenue: Turn your Business into a Sales Machine with Best Practices of Salesforce.com” – and a summary of the key take-aways.
Holger Luedorf of foursquare presents Startup Business Development 101, offering advice on how to prioritize and manage partnerships.
“In software, the superstar is the team, not the individual” – Achival Garg on why you should focus on building 10x teams, not on hiring 10x developers.
Cliff Kuang of Fast Company presents a list of 30 essential books for product designers;

In Venture Deals, Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson offer a terrific, in-depth explanation of term sheets, funding strategy, VC motivations, etc.
Cowboy Ventures’ Aileen Lee generated a flurry of commentary with her post on Unicorn exits (>$1 billion), including posts from CB Insights and Fred Wilson.
Y Combinator’s Paul Graham on fundraising, startup investing trends, and investor herd dynamics.
Our thoughts on what makes a great investor and why geography matters less.
Roy Bahat and Hunter Walk provide advice on how to get introductions.

Tomasz Tunguz lists the 7 questions a startup should answer in their fundraising pitch.
Reid Hoffman on what he wished he knew before pitching LinkedIn to VCs and his annotated LinkedIn pitch deck.
Paul Graham on how to convince investors.
Brad Feld on how to do effective product demos.
A list of pitching resources from Ressi’s Founder Institute.

Ben Horowitz’s “The Hard Thing About Hard Things” is a must read for all start-up entrepreneurs and CEO’s
Brad Feld on founders agreements and equity splits and on the cap table impact of hiring a CTO.
Mark Suster on why a startup doesn’t need a COO and why the advantages of having a cofounder are often overstated.
Fred Wilson on the strengths and weakness of 1st-time vs. serial entrepreneurs.
FounderDating co-founder/CEO Jessica Alter provides advice to technical founders seeking a non-technical co-founder and describes the three biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make when looking for a co-founder.
Analysis by ChubbyBrain of the top 20 reasons for startup failure.
Quora thread on why startups fail.
Justin Kan’s guide to selling your company.