While driving along the other day I had an epiphany as I studied the FedEx logo on the side of a truck as I passed (specifically the cleverly hidden arrow in the negative space that I assume is meant to imply forward progress). I realized that, no matter how well-conceived the logo concept may have been, it’s a bit flawed because, depending on what side of the truck you are on, the arrow can be pointing forward or backward. In a similar fashion it struck me that despite good intentions, an entrepreneur, especially in the tech industry, can find it hard to know what direction to point in order to make forward progress. My hope is that this post, and DailyTekk in general, will be a great resource for tech startups everywhere and a one that will help get them pointed in the right direction.
To that end, I’ve compiled a huge list of tools that I think could be useful to a tech startup, especially those just getting started (at least they are useful to me). From getting inspired to hiring an awesome team to moving out of your garage into a more functional workspace, this post is designed to be a bookmark-able resource (that we’ll keep updated over time) to help you get a good start. While I did include some crowd funding resources, I purposefully left out venture and angel sources because I feel that it’s really about who you know and your own personal network when it comes to raising that kind of capital. Just build a great product and focus on making the right connections. Along those lines, I did include some great tools for researching and testing your product and pitching your ideas once the time is right.
All said, this list is really just a starting point. There was no way I could roundup every valuable startup resource and include it here (either because I don’t know about everything, the list would have been too long or I just had to be finished at some point). If I did miss something good though, please leave a comment below so we can get it added or at least so people can reference it.
POST NAVIGATION
- Random & Cool - Can’t-miss links I felt deserved to be spotlighted.
- Pitch, Present & Share Ideas – If you can’t explain your idea, you won’t go far.
- Research & Testing - For alpha, beta and continuous feedback testing.
- Incubators & Accelerators - Not comprehensive, but a good starting place.
- Build a Team - Hire talent and find interns plus keep talent happy.
- Offices & Shared Workspaces - Find a place to go after your garage.
- Web Tools for Startups - Some trendy (but useful) ways to enhance your website.
- Tech Specific Startup Blogs & Sites - Reading material (possible promotional avenues).
- Crowdfunding - When you have nowhere else to turn.
- Inspiration, Creativity & Ideas - Unstick your brain.
- Tech Friendly PR Firms - Again, not comprehensive, but a good resource.
- Miscellaneous - Lots of other great tools that didn’t fit anywhere else.
RANDOM & COOL
- Startup Quote - Daily wisdom about startups.
- Startup Compass – Benchmark your startup’s KPIs against more than 10k internet startups.
- Startups (Quora Topic) – Thousands of questions and answers. Ask your own.
- Cofounda - App platform that connects entrepreneurs and investors.
- FounderSoup - Probably the best way to meet your co-founders.
- Sprouter – Entrepreneurship and startup expert Q&A, resources and news.
- Meetup - Find meetup groups around any topic or interest such as “startups” in your area.
- StartupStats – Great for research. Launching a dashboard to spotlight & monitor startups.
- StartupDigest - Free weekly email to help you meet people and learn more.
- SecondMarket - Secondary market for alternative investments, private company stock.
PITCH, PRESENT & SHARE IDEAS
- AngelList - A platform for startups. Standardizing the pitch deck.
- Idea Flight - Get your ideas off the ground.
- SlideRocket - Create, collaborate and share stunning, media-rich web presentations.
- Bounce - A fun and easy way to share ideas on a web page.
- Screenr - Instant screencasts. Just click record.
- SalesCrunch - The next-generation online meeting platform. Apply science to the art of selling.
- HBS Elevator Pitch Builder - Tool that helps you craft the perfect elevator pitch.
- Prezi - The zooming presentation editor.
- BetaCandy - Startups pitch influencers and early adopters.
- 9SLIDES - Online presentations tools with ability to create live web experiences.
RESEARCH & TESTING
- Get Satisfaction - Deeper engagement for faster resolution.
- AYTM (Ask Your Target Market) – Market research has never been this easy.
- BetaBait – Find beta users and testers.
- Verify - Act on data, not intuition. User feedback and concept testing.
- Prefinery – Beta management software.
- Lab42 – Market research via social networks.
- AskYourUsers - On-demand micro-consultants. Take the guesswork out of business decisions.
- GutCheck – Online realtime qualitative market research.
- launchly – Feedback and analysis for web applications.
- Amplicate – Find out what users love or hate on social media.
- CustomerSure – Simple, web-based customer feedback software.
- Crowdvi.be – Get instant answers from 50 million people.
- Kampyle – Feedback form. Listen, engage and convert.
- Feedbackify – Simple, private website feedback.
- UserTesting.com – Low-cost website usability testing.
- Silverback – Guerrilla usability testing software for designers and developers.
- SurveyMonkey – Free online survey software.
INCUBATORS & ACCELERATORS
- Y Combinator - Has funded over 380 startups (3 months, Silicon Valley).
- TechStars - Mentorship-driven seed-stage investment program (3 months, 5 US cities).
- The Brandery - Accelerating startups by building powerful brands (14 weeks, Cincinnati).
- KickLabs – Ready to start acquiring customers? (3-6 months, Silicon Valley).
- i/o Ventures – Early-stage startup program focused on mentorship (3 months, San Francisco).
- Capital Factory – Entrepreneurs like entrepreneurs (10 weeks, Austin).
- NYC SeedStart – Focused on advertising, ecommerce, digital and mobile (12 weeks, NYC).
- Tech Wildcatters – Mentor-driven and led by entrepreneurs (12 weeks, Dallas).
- Seedcamp - Early stage mentoring and investment program (1 year, global).
- Excelerate Labs – Amazing mentors, Chicago resources, high-profile demo (3 months, Chicago).
- Springboard - Mentorship-led accelerator program (13 weeks, London).
- Dreamit Ventures – Helping build great companies (NYC, Philly, Israel, Summer & Fall).
- The ARK – Mentorship-driven tech startup accelerator (3 months, Northwest Arkansas).
- Betaspring – Mentorship-driven accelerator focused on tech and design (12 weeks, Providence).
- InnoSpring - Start in Silicon Valley, grow in the US and China (Santa Clara, ?)
- BizSpark - Microsoft accelerator for Windows Azure (3 months, global).
- Media Camp - Startup academy camp for media innovations (12 weeks, San Francisco).
- Founder Institute - Helping founders to build great companies (4 weeks, global).
- AlphaLab – Funding, mentorship, education and more (20 weeks, Pittsburgh).
BUILD A TEAM
- Interviewstreet Codesprints – Coding contests; streamline the hunt for programmers.
- Recruiterbox – Manage job applications to your company.
- GroupTalent – Top teams of developers and designers, on-demand.
- College2Startup – Easy way to find talent for your startup.
- BetterWorks – Employee recognition and rewards program.
- InternMatch – Works with hundreds of universities and student groups.
- JobScore – Easily track applicants. Simplify your hiring.
- SocialCheck.me – Demystifies job candidates even more effectively.
- Inside Startups – NYC startup jobs.
- Simplicant – Build great teams with social recruiting.
- HireArt - Brilliant job seekers delivered.
- BraveNewTalent – Create a free community to engage with talented people.
- Intern Avenue - Find interns. Intern directory.
- The Resumator – Recruiting software and applicant tracking system.
- BranchOut – Career networking on Facebook.
OFFICES & SHARED WORKSPACES
- 42Floors - Find office space in the Bay Area (more locations coming soon).
- Desktime – Shared desks and coworking.
- LiquidSpace - Airbnb for workspaces. Book last minute or plan ahead.
- Loosecubes - Find shared office space by the day or month.
- Coworkify – An app to connect all coworking spaces.
- OpenDesks – Find and share places to meet and work.
- Founders Den - Invite-only shared workspace and private club in SoMa neighborhood.
- RocketSpace - San Francisco coworking space dedicated to tech and media companies.
- STARTUPS XL – Coworking office space with incubation services in Vancouver.
- CoCo – Coworking and collaborative space located in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
- Projective Space – Community-centered coworking space for entrepreneurs in NYC.
- York Butter Factory – Coworking space for Melbourne Australia’s digital media entrepreneurs.
- Packard Place - Hub for entrepreneurship and innovation in Charlotte, NC.
- BLANKSPACES – Coworking office space in LA / Beverly Hills / West Hollywood.
- NextSpace – Coworking space in Venice, CA.
- New Work City – Coworking in NYC.
- Founders House – Shared invitation-only workspace for ambition tech startups in Copenhagen.
- TechHub – A physical space for tech startups in London.
WEB TOOLS FOR STARTUPS
- LaunchRock - Setup a “Launching Soon” page in minutes.
- Zendesk - Help desk software and support ticket system.
- KISSinsights - Survey visitors while they are on your website.
- WalkMe – Easily create multiple interactive on-screen walk-thrus to help users “get it”.
- Wufoo - Amazing online form builder.
- SEOmoz Tools - Search engine optimization software.
- Olark – Live chat with your customers for sales and support.
- KickoffLabs – Find new customers with a viral landing page in less than 60 seconds.
- SeeVolution – Free realtime web analytics, website heatmaps and monitoring.
- Jing – Free screenshot and screencast software from TechSmith.
- Lander – Create a landing page in minutes.
- Searchify – Hosted search-as-a-service.
- Unbounce – Easy landing page creator and tester.
- UserVoice – Feedback and online help desk software.
TECH-SPECIFIC STARTUP BLOGS & SITES
- Techcrunch - Obsessively profiling startups and breaking tech news.
- VentureBeat – Tech. People. Money.
- PandoDaily - Striving to be the site-of-record for Silicon Valley.
- BetaKit - Explaining the “what” in emerging technology and why it matters.
- GigaOM - Covering the intersection of business and technology.
- New Startups – Showcasing the brightest new startup ideas.
- Beta List – Discover new startups.
- Tech Cocktail – Tech startup events, news and resources.
- The Startup Toolkit – Tools and guidance for confused founders.
- BostInno – Boston startups and tech innovation.
- Venture Hacks – Good advice for startups.
- Shoe String Startups – Find out who is doing what on the startup scene (Australia & USA).
- KillerStartups - Vote for the startup you think will be killer.
CROWDFUNDING
- Seedrs - Equity-based crowdfunding platform.
- Crowdfunder - Equity crowdfunding for your business.
- CircleUp - Like AngelList with a crowdfunding twist.
- Grow VC - Get visibility with the right investing audience.
- appbackr - Crowdfunding for mobile apps.
- Kickstarter - World’s largest funding platform for creative projects.
- Indiegogo - Fund your passion.
- Crowdtilt - Group fund anything.
- Invested.in - Raise money, reach goals, build community.
- Funding Circle - Online marketplace where people lend to businesses.
- Sponsume - Fund your project through social networks.
- RocketHub - Launch, fund and fly.
- SellAnApp - Make app ideas happen.
- Petridish - Crowdfunding for science startups.
TECH FRIENDLY PR FIRMS
- LaunchSquad - Evernote, Cut the Rope, ShareThis, News360, Vitrue.
- The Hoffman Agency – Google, Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, ARM, Polycom.
- Kaplow – Skype, Netflix, Coupons.com, Foursquare.
- New Venture Communications – Apple, Clearspring Technologies, McAfee, Philips.
- Horn Group – BitDefender, IAB, Mojiva, Listrak.
- FortyThree PR - Slacker, Poynt, Griffin.
- Atomic Public Relations - Sony, Intuit, Verizon, Mint.com, Smule.
- Eastwick - Cisco, Seagate, Ooyala, Adobe, Fujitsu.
- Lyman PR - SanDisk, Sonos, SugarSync, Rhapsody, BitTorrent.
- Edelman - Adobe, AMD, Citrix, eBay, HP.
- Commstrat - Pandora, Squrl, Webex.
- Burson-Marsteller - LG Mobile, SAP, Symantec.
MISCELLANEOUS
- San Francisco or Palo Alto - The local low-down with Michael Arrington (Uncrunched).
- Wahooly - Rewarding influence.
- Startup Grind - Tech and startup focused networking events in Silicon Valley (and more).
- Investor Pitch Clinic - Startup coaching. Helping startups with funding, pitching, launching, etc.
- CapLinked - Making private investment easy, secure and social.
- Go BIG Network – Helps entrepreneurs find funding.
- A VC – Musings of a VC in NYC.
- StartupList – Find, follow, recommend startups.
- Term Sheet Generator – Generate a venture financing term sheet.
- The Junto – Together, we can build a startup.
- Metrically - Simple aggregated dashboards (Google Analytics, Facebook, Salesforce, etc.).
- Cardcloud - Intelligent business cards. Remember whom you met plus when, where and how.
- StartupLive – Startup videos and news.
- VCgate - Venture capital firms, angel investors and private equity firms directory.
- Envestors - Controversial pay-to-pitch investor network.
- Startup Weekend - Global network of passionate leaders and entrepreneurs.
- ifttt - Put the internet to work for you by creating tasks that fit this structure: if this then that.
Article Courtesy of DailyTekk
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