Some visualizations of startup player motivations, based on http://startup-communities.com/2012/04/06/motivations-of-the-different-players-in-a-startup-community/
Startup community motivations - crude visualizations
1. Motivations Of The Different Players In A Startup Community
Based on http://startup-communities.com/2012/04/06/
motivations-of-the-different-players-in-a-startup-community/
Visualizing some of the relationships
Keith Instone
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2. Entrepreneur
• Mission / Purpose
• Varies
• Target Clients
• Varies
• Motivations
• Fix a problem
• Change the world
• Hit it big financially
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3. Varies
Fix a problem
Varies Change the world
Hit it big
financially
Entrepreneur
4. Management Teams
• Mission / Purpose
• ?
• Target Clients
• Entrepreneur
• Motivations
• Purpose, vision
• Hit it big financially
• Part of something
• Fun
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5. Entrepreneur
Purpose, vision
Hit it big
? financially Fun
Part of something
Management Teams
6. Executive Pool
• Mission / Purpose
• ?
• Target Clients
• Entrepreneur
• VC
• Angel Investor
• Motivations
• Low risk
• Personal cash flow
• Hit it big financially
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7. Angel Investor Entrepreneur Venture Capitalist
Low risk
Personal cash
? flow
Hit it big
financially
Executive Pool
8. Venture Capitalists
• Mission / Purpose
• High salaries
• Generate large ROI
• Low risk
• Target Clients
• Start up companies
• Motivations
• Hit it big
• Fairly secure high salaries
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9. Start up Companies
High Salaries Hit it big
Generate large Fairly secure high
ROI salaries
Low risk
Venture Capitalists
10. Angel Investors
• Mission / Purpose
• No salaries
• Help entrepreneur
• Generate large ROI
• Can be a hobby
• Target Clients
• Entrepreneur
• Motivations
• Hit it big
• Intellectual stimulation
• Meet people
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11. Entrepreneur
No Salaries Hit it big
Help Intellectual
Can be a hobby stimulation
entrepreneur
Generate large Meet people
ROI
Angel Investor
12. Target Clients
Venture Capitalist
Management Team Entrepreneur Executive Pool
Angel Investor
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13. Motivation = Hit it big
Government
Management Team Venture Capitalist Angel Investor
Hit it big Business Incubators
Entrepreneur Executive Pool Universities
Chamber of Commerce
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14. Questions, comments so far
• Difference between a "mission" and a "motivation"?
• Example: VC mission is "high salary" and motivation is "fairly secure high salaries"
• Some target clients not clear
• VCs have "start up companies" as a client yet that is not a "player" - is that really the same as "entrepreneur"
or is a start up company defined as a collection of players?
• Business Associations target "everyone": not useful unless break down their motivations/missions with
clusters of players.
• Universities serve NO ONE? Ouch.
• Some missions, target clients missing, need to control the vocabulary more
• Motivations/missions per relationship could be informative
• Example: Executive Pool motivation with VC could be different than motivation with AI
• Possible uses of visualizations like this
• Abstract diagram of the whole ecosystem to help people see themselves and see what drives others’ actions.
• Focused diagrams that show key parts of how things work - e.g. perhaps illustrating a tension between what
an incubator wants vs. what the gov't wants or the entrepreneur wants
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