Christopher S. Rollyson

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Read Strategy for Start-ups and Spinouts

A Complete Launch Strategy

Launching a venture-backed start-up is like getting an airplane to fly. The business plan is the flight plan, angel funding is the tower's green light, and venture funding is the fuel that gets it down the runway. However, flight only occurs when a recognized customer (often a corporation) tries the technology and agrees to validate it by talking to others. Further, sustained flight only occurs when this customer succeeds in creating significant value with the technology: if this doesn't happen, the customer will drop development, toss the technology on its pile of "great ideas," and the plane will soon go down. 

As any B2B marketer worth his salt will tell you, a B2B can add the most value by developing a solid understanding of the value chain(s) that are relevant to its business proposition. At a minimum, they need to look at their client's needs within the context of his customers' needs. By doing so, they can anticipate his needs and add more value. 

In the case of the start-up, entrepreneurs will vastly improve their chances if they look beyond whether the solution functions correctly for the client (even though this is a challenge, it's just table stakes). Those who develop in-depth understanding of how their technology creates value in terms of the client company will earn success stories, more funding, more clients and sustainable growth.