A technology startup which seeks primarily is to provide value to users who use that technology. Its founders detect a new need and use every means at its disposal to develop a true solution, accessible to your target audience and involving a significant advance in the area where it is located.
This type of startups has some advantages that I would like to point out:
– The technology component may allow develop a competitive advantage over the competition.
– Create new previously untapped markets.
– They tend to be very scalable startups (to double benefits need not necessarily duplicate resources invested).
Having briefly described the advantages of opting for a technology startup now gets to see what may be the dangers:
1- Patents Topic: if technology is quite revolutionary, an elementary need the idea is to try to protect against possible copies before they could return on the initial investment. If you’re in the US still’ll be lucky to buy the patent, yes, investment is large and the process is slow. This barrier makes some startups, which are not yet entirely sure business viability choose not to make the payment. In many other countries you do not have the option to protect in this direction and should pray that does not leave a strong competitive in a short time.
2- Inappropriate Country to launch startup: many of these startups need adequate ecosystem to be driven to the next level. These results in order to find mentors, investors, consultants and partners to assist the proper development of it. And most importantly, can users of that country do not have too ingrained that technological facet to arise “early adopters” figure needed to reach the great mass of people.
3- Technology business model is eaten: that technological progress is relevant, attractive and apparently need not mean that the company behind going to make money. This can occur for several reasons:
– The user is not willing to pay for it, or the cost is too high.
– There is no profile “business” within the company to analyze the market needs to be properly applied to the product or service.
4- Communication problems: you can give internally and externally:
– The department I + do product development fails to communicate efficiently to sales managers how to get the most out of the technology they have designed.
– The company itself does not communicate a clear way to market the benefits of using your product.
5- Difficulties with the first investor: when entrepreneurs closed the first round of funding made too many concessions to get the money and the investor gets too many privileges within the company. That can hinder future rounds necessary for the startup to become a profitable and lasting business over time.
As you see a technology startup is a double-edged sword file, with great benefits but also great dangers.
Do you think that these are the greatest dangers of a technology startup?