Patent eligibility 101 for software startups

What can I patent in my software startup? Can you actually patent software? Welcome to episode II of my patent 101 trilogy. Episode I was all about why to file a patent, or not. …

Patent application 101 for startups

Why would you file a patent application as a startup? Go through the hoops and expenses and actually publish all your secrets? To patent or not to patent? I often get this question …

The pragmatic visual to judge startup technology innovation

How do you best describe your technology to an investor, and make sure you stand out? The usual feature table with checks and crosses in the pitch deck or investor memorandum does …

Why startups need to set an audacious goal

In modern-day startup jargon, every startup needs to have a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG). Yes, this sounds like another Dilbert corporate word in the same light as …

Blueprint to the legal entities of a high-tech startup

At some point you want to make sure you cover the legal side of your startup. Set up the legal entities, split the equity over the team, sign that big customer or investment deal, …

10 best practices to engage your startup mentors

A good mentor can make all the difference for your startup. This goes so far that investors assess startup teams by their ability to surround them with the right pool of mentors …

10 best practices to select a startup mentor

The general view of an entrepreneur goes something like this: you have a revolutionary idea and are confident enough to pursue it despite the whole world telling you you’ll …

The rise and fall of programmable hardware startups

This post is not about software but hardware. Well, companies that create software to generate hardware that is programmed with software…and why. And how they evolve back to …