New Business Start Up

Early Stage And Start Up Companies :

Both investors and entrepreneurs have actively sought our support in helping early stage companies develop and execute their business strategies. Start-up companies present special sets of challenges. Often the entrepreneurs have deep technical expertise, but little experience in developing and executing the business plan. Many times they want to "conquer the world," but don't know how to focus their efforts to drive successful growth. Many times they lack the ability to identify and attract the right resources. They are faced with tough choice and limited resources. Finally, they struggle in commercializing their products and services, seeking to win against established competition.

Investors have their own needs. VC's, angels and others want to develop the capabilities of their portfolio companies as rapidly as possible. They want to get their portfolio partners "into revenue" as quickly and effectively as possible. They want to mature the leadership teams in the development and execution of their strategies.

In addressing the special needs of start-up companies and their investors, Partners In EXCELLENCE has developed a number of services complementing its normal consulting offerings. We work with investors in helping assess companies they want to invest. We help them develop the capabilities of the management teams, serving as coaches and advisors. We roll up our sleeves and work in the execution of the business plan, helping the entrepreneurs establish traction.

We help entrepreneurs by bringing skills, capabilities and experiences that complement theirs, building the viability of the start-up and moving them to produce results as quickly as possible. We work with them in the very difficult task of allocating scarce resources, developing priorities, and speedy implementation.

Finally, we support both entrepreneurs and investors by serving as interim executives, actually filling operational roles to accelerate the ability of the start-up in executing its plans and achieving the targets investors and founders have established.

In addition to consulting services, many of our training programs address these areas as well. For information on the Dimensions Of EXCELLENCE training programs, follow the link.

Case Studies:

Wireless Data Acquisition Start-up: We served as advisors to the founders in business analysis, business planning and preparation for seeking funding. We helped the founders meet with potential investors to pitch there plans. Through the process we helped them in tuning the plan, improving both the quality of the plan and its attractiveness to investors.

Data Analytics Software Start-Up: This company's venture capitalists engaged us to work with the management team in building the company from one with an interesting a technology to an operational company offering differentiated products and services. One of our partners served as the interim President and COO and led the development of the company business plans, product road maps, sales, marketing, customer service, and partnership programs. He led in recruiting key personnel to execute the strategies. This company was headquartered in Europe. Part of our responsibility was to help develop the plans to expand through Europe, into North America and the rest of the world.

Early Stage Systems Integration Company: This team of founders had established initial success in building their company. However, they were struggling in driving their company into the next stage of growth. We advised them in the development of their business and market strategy. We helped focus them in the development of a unique business model to help differentiate their services from larger and more mature competitors. We helped target market and applications segments in which they could further differentiate their offerings.

Electronic Component Start-Up: An entrepreneurial team sought to commercialize a new component technology. While they had a strong scientific and technology background, they were struggling in building the strategies to manufacture, market, sell, and support these new products. We supported them in developing the business plan, the organizational structure, the operational budgets, and identified candidates to fill key positions. We helped identify and develop relationships with key flagship accounts to help introduce the new technology into the target market segments, establishing a strong base to accelerate adoption and subsequent growth.

Software Start-Up: Our VC partners asked us to work with this early stage software company in helping them develop and execute their business strategy. The founders had developed a novel technology, but did not have the experience in developing and executing the business plan. We worked with the founders and VC' in a number of areas. The project included defining the market segments, developing the sales priorities and processes, developing the organizational structure, identifying key positions and recruiting executives to fill the positions, developing the operational budget and metrics, development of product launch marketing programs. As a result of our work with this start-up, they were able to finalize the VC investment and secure initial critical orders. The company has now established a strong base of customers and is starting to expand globally.

Venture Capital Company: One of the portfolio companies of our venture partner was struggling to adapt to changing market conditions. At the same time, the venture company was concerned about the strategies the portfolio company was pursuing and their requirements for additional investment. The venture company asked us to work with the team in critiquing their new business plan, providing assessments about the new strategies and to help them in considering the additional investment that would be required to support the change in strategy. We worked with both organizations in developing a plan that maximized the likelihood of success. We identified critical shortcomings in the skills of the company in implementing the new strategy and helped them in eliminating those shortcomings.

Software Start-Up: As part of its funding, this start-up needed sound business management and leadership to execute its business plan. The VC team brought us in to act in executive roles, managing the day to day activities of the company in its very early stage. In addition to executing the business strategy, directing initial sales, driving product and market development, we helped recruit key strategic partners. Finally, in transitioning our roles, we identified and recruited key managers to replace our people and manage the company on an ongoing basis.

Edutainment Start-Up and Business Planning: Our client was in the very early stage of development of a series of Edutainment products and services, targeting the youth market. We worked with the client to clarify their thinking of who their customers were, the solutions, products and services they would offer, and the channels through which they offered the products. We worked with the Chairperson/CEO as a coach and mentor in a number of issues in developing the company, recruiting staff and pursuing strategic partnerships.

e-Tail Business Start-up: We work with several VC companies and Internet Start-ups in helping them think critically about their business plans, defining their target markets, value propositions, and differentiation. A major part of the work is establishing and implementing strategies to secure partners to provide products for sale through their e-Tail site. We help the client develop a profile of the types of partners they seek, prioritize the relationships they want to establish and develop the action plans to recruit the partners. With other companies, we are more deeply involved in the development of their business plans, recruitment of Boards of Directors or Advisors and developing plans to seek first rounds of funding.

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Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Other products and companies referred to herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or mark holders.

Dimensions Of EXCELLENCE™, EXCELerator™, and EXCELerators™ are registered trademarks.