Is it a bad idea to go public for a startup to raise funding, and why do we rarely see startups doing this?

It is almost always a bad idea. Usually its a reverse merger or some sort of wizardry to make it work. The public markets are hard to understand and highly regulated. Its better to not go down that path until the business is ready for it.

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trying to get exposure for a start up i'm working for, suggestions? tried sending press kits to media, no responses.

Answered by Saul Colt – WOM Expert

Trying to get exposure for a start up is hard work. Instead of focusing on the media why not focus on who your possible customers will be. If you know your customers you wi... (more)

If you have a product idea, yet no expertise in the design aspect of it, what is the best way to go about getting a prototype?

Answered by Raymond Luk – Partner, Year One Labs

First off, if you just have an idea then mock it up on paper or in powerpoint then get out and validate it. Read www.steveblank.com and buy his book, 4 Steps to the Epiphan... (more)

What are some immediate criteria you might use to evaluate business plans? Or, put another way, what are some obvious signs of a good/bad idea?

Answered by Michael Garrity – Founder, CommunityLend

Don't confuse a good/bad idea and a good/bad business plan. Pet rocks were a bad idea, but someone made off like a bandit. The key with a good business plan is to be able... (more)

For a consumer/SMB SaaS product, should a company try to get to public beta as soon as possible, or is there an advantage to staying in private beta if the community is act...

Answered by Jen Evans – Founder, Sequentia Environics

There are many things you need to consider in order to give you an accurate answer to this question. How big a traffic source are the blogs? How critical to acquisition are... (more)

1.) What is the best location to find some partners? I'm independent right now, I go to different networking events, sprouter events, but i still find it tough to find part...

Answered by John Laramie – Founder of ADstruc.

bring somebody with you who can talk about the idea so you can cover more ground at these events! they don't expect you to put capital in but they do expect you to be tied ... (more)

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