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Alchemist Blog

Alchemist Press

Alchemist Blog

Alchemist Press

How to get Momentum when Fundraising

The most powerful tool you have in closing an investor is fear of missing out (FOMO). FOMO only occurs when you have momentum in the round. Once you get that momentum, you start closing investors and a...

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Two Questions, One Answer

In 2004 I published my first book, The End of Software. At the time I was the President of Oracle On Demand, so many people found it a curious title. In the book I discussed the fundamental economic reasons...

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Use Hacker News to Source Engineers

Hacker News can be a great source of finding engineering talent for your company. Here are few ways I have found on HN to source great talent for my own startup:

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Why Startups Fail

“90% of startups fail.” - You’ve probably heard that before. But what does it mean?

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Picks — What I’m Spending Time on Now

I’ve been having a blast since we sold StackStorm to Brocade.

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3 Reasons to Scrap Your Startup

Contrary to common belief it’s not poor market timing, aggressive competition or a lack of ability to raise capital that kills the bulk of startups. Rather, according to CEOs of failed startups, it’s a lack...

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Learn forward: 4Ps for Picking Better Than a VC

This post is, like many a blog, written largely as a bread crumb — a way to track my thinking. In the weeks since closing the sale of StackStorm to Brocade I’ve set off on a great adventure — getting to know...

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5 Metrics to Run Your Business

Whether you are running a company, driving a car or flying a jet you need a dashboard to tell you how you are doing. One of the most common mistakes is to fill up your dashboard with dozens of metrics...

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