A post by Fred Wilson pointed me to Dave McClure's Startup Metrics presentation. In fact, this often becomes the mantra that we live by. Define what you need from a metrics and reporting standpoint. Quite often the goal is to get them into an excel spreadsheet in a form that allows people to easily play with them. Startup Metrics for Pirates (SeedCamp, Sept 2009) View more documents from Dave McClure . What Dave McClure's presentation does is point to This is a great presentation and one that I'm going to point out to startup / early stage company CEOs. Normally, when I am talking to the founder of any startup trying to figure out what they need to do, one of the things I always try to do is understand their business at its core.

Part of those questions are around Startup Metrics . This aligns with understanding the the core business model: Get Users (= Acquisition, Referral) Drive Usage (= Activation, Retention) Make Money (= Monetize) (and Lifetime Value is a good one) Of course, that’s a big part of what the investor wants as well. And you definitely should have ideas around important proof points for the business. Tim Berry has a great post on Why I Hate Those Huge Market Numbers tells us that he doesn’t like to see business plans with multi-billion market numbers used as the basis for projections.

One of the things I am passionate about is analytics and metrics. It was this experience that gave me the appreciation for the importance of metrics and the greater importance of making meaning of the data for decision making. While at one of my recent startups I developed a framework for startup growth metrics (focused primarily on user metrics). UPDATE:  I’m setting up a new project on analytics.  If you are interested in collaborating ping me on twitter @gammill. 

Then, I Review existing materials Business Plan Marketing Plan Marketing Materials Product Plan / Roadmap Current and Projected Financials Business Pipeline Team Member Bios / Resumes Current Metrics Roadmap Normally there are crude documents for each of these areas that can be quickly read / scanned. I generally am working as an acting CTO for about 3-4 start-ups or other companies at any one time. I was just talking with someone who asked me to define how that could work and what they meant.

Santa Monica-based Image Metrics , a venture-funded developer of facial animation software, announced Tuesday that the firm has signed on a UK-based studio as a client. According to Image Metrics, Double Negative is a beta client for the firm's facial animation technology, and will use the firm's "self-service" offering to use Image Metrics' facial animation process in-house. Image Metrics uses video Financial impact of the win was not disclosed. Image Metrics is backed by Saffron Hill Ventures.

Santa Monica-based Image Metrics , a developer of facial animation technology, said Monday that the firm is behind the facial animation for the Ubisoft title Assassin's Creed II. Image Metrics said it helps deliver 28 minutes of facial animation for 23 different characters in the game, using its facial animation and rigging technology. Tags: assassin ubisoft animation facial metrics imag The firm did not disclose the financial impact of the win. READ MORE>> ...Tags:

Last Friday, the LA CTO Forum hosted a discussion on the various metrics used to measure ourselves and our companies. found a bunch of old examples, sanitized them, and was struck by how much metrics evolve over the lifecycle of a company. was inspired enough to put together a diagram that describes how the metrics for a product or startup company evolve over time. I was asked to participate, and eagerly dug into my archives.

Los Angeles-based Image Metrics, which is developing facial animation products for the entertainment industry, announced Tuesday that it has raised $6.5M Image Metrics develops technology for facial animation, being applied to the film and video game industry. Image Metrics said the new funding will go towards developing new technology and to execute its plans. in a Series B funding round. The firm said the round came from Saffron Hill Ventures, its original investor.

Santa Monica-based Image Metrics , a developer of facial animation software and services, has raised $8.0M According to Image Metrics, it has entered into an exchange offer with International Cellular Industries, an OTC BB firm traded as ICLA, to become a pubicly traded company. Image Metrics said that ICLA will change its name to Image Metrics, and will change its stock symbol as part of the merger. in funding and gone public through a reverse merger. Source of the new financing for the company was not disclosed.

Los Angeles-based Image Metrics said Monday that it has launched its facial animation technology product, FACEWARE. Image Metrics' FACEWARE works with existing 3D software packages. READ MORE>> ...Tags: Tags: image metrics facial animation halo bungie videogame content softwar The new software is based on existing services the firm offers to game developers. The company also said the new package is being used in-house by game developer Bungie, the developer of HALO.