Increase your chances of startup success by a factor of 10 with the Founders Course We’ve all heard the gloomy statistic that ninety percent of all startups fail. With the right support, it doesn’t have to be that way. Startups are working against the odds. They are trying to displace much larger and better-funded competitors with strong brands and a loyal customer base. Many battle on with a fraction of the resources they need and only a vague idea of where they are heading.  We’ve found that most startup founders stumble by making predictable and avoidable mistakes. They simply (and un ..read more

Guest post by Stefan Knight - Account Manager, Startups at Amazon Web Services (AWS) Statistically, only 1 out of 12 startups make it. How can you ensure your startup is the odd one out? In this post we’ll discuss 13 reasons most startups fail. Check your startup against this list and make sure you’re setting yourself up for success. Startup mistakes usually fall into three categories: 1. Fundamental mistakes in the setup of the business 2. Product and go-to market mistakes 3. Investment/equity mistakes that leave you nowhere to grow Fundamental Fails #1: You and the team don’t have the skill ..read more

Good startup ideas have a few things in common. In this post we’re going to look at four attributes shared by some of the most successful startups. At the end of the post, see how many of these attributes your startup (or startup idea) has, and this might tell you something about where to focus your efforts going forward. 1. Address a significant customer pain point You may have heard of “painkiller” companies versus “vitamin” companies. Painkillers are the ones that are solving a really significant pain for customers, whereas “vitamin” companies are making products that might be useful to cu ..read more

Everyone knows that the best startups are based on an amazing idea. . . right? Actually, no. The reality is that most successful startups started with a half-baked idea, and in a lot of cases actually a pretty rubbish idea. Take Airbnb for example. They started as “Air Bed & Breakfast”. The original idea was to offer literally an air bed on the floor of the host’s house so that travellers who were attending conferences in peak times could have a cheap place to stay. It was only later that the founders realised the potential for Airbnb to become the marketplace for accommodation in the for ..read more