Getting Started
- The Lean LaunchPad Online Class – FREE
- How to Build a Web Startup – Lean Launchpad Edition
- How to Create a $1M Web Business – Noah Kagan
Lists of Tools from Others
Groups
- Startup Weekend – Launch a Startup in 54 hours
- Startup Monthly – Launch a Startup in a month
- Meetup – Meet people you’re interested in
Find a Co-Founder
- CoFoundersLab - find a co-founder in any city
- YouNoodle - founder matching
- wellfound – Start-up jobs board
- Startup Weekend - Launch a Startup and meet a co-founder
- Meetup - go to a Meetup!
- Foundrs - co-founder equity calculator
Business Model Canvas/Customer Development Tools
- Business Model Canvas – free downloadable Canvas
- Business Model Designer – a web Canvas tool
- Customer Development Tutorial - steve blank
Website Domain Names
Create Websites Automagically
- Voog - Create a website
- Squarespace - build an exceptional website
- Wix - free website builder
- Pagelines - build a website with WordPress
- GoogleSites - simple web host provider
- Weebly – get a website up quickly with no tools
- Yola - get a website up quickly with no tools
Landing Pages
- Ion – create landing pages that convert
“How Big is the Market?” Tools
- Google Trends - what are the search trends for key items
- Google Insights - breaks down the search data by location
- Facebook ads - check out the total available market
“How Do I Contact Customers?” Tools

Product Launch Tools
- KickOffLabs - another viral “coming soon” landing page
- Prefinery- Beta and Launch Mgmt software
Product Demo Videos
- Apptamin – App videos and websites
- Grumo Media – product demo videos
- Loose Keys – product videos as stories
- Piehole.tv - product demo videos
- Epipheo Studios - animated product videos
- How to roll you own - Grumomedia
On-Line Advertising Platforms (SEO)
Traditional Media
Search Engine Optimization and Tools
- How Does Google Adwords Work?
- Ad Contrarian - Grumpy old ad guy with great insights
- SEOBook Tools - Free SEO tools
- SEMRush - SEO and campaign management tool
- Clickable - Pay per click management
- Spyfu - tells you how much adwords cost
SEO and Analytics Tutorials
- Startup Metrics for Pirates – read this before you spend time elsewhere
- SaaS Metrics Tutorial – worth reading as well
- The Noob Guide to Online Marketing – great graphic and tutorial
- Analytics review – mixpanel vs kissmetric vs google analytics review
- Analytics blog – good analytics tutorials
- SEO for Startups – good tutorial
Web/Mobile/Social Analytics Tools
- Google Analytics – web analytics and optimizer from the borg
- Kissmetrics– actionable analytics
- GetClicky – real-time web analytics
- Leadlander – marketing automation analytics
- Seomoz – SEO and social monitoring
- Wordtracker – find the best keywords and links
- Mixpanel– real-time event tracking
- Webtrends – analytics and segments
- Chartbeat – website analytics for doers
- Verint – web, mobile, social, contact center analytics
- Comscore – ad agency/enterprise analytics
- Cyfe – monitor social media, analytics, marketing, sales, support
- Mention – media and social monitoring
- Geckoboard – widget-driven business dashboard
Mobile Apps Analytics / Ad Platform
Online Marketing Suites
- HubSpot - online marketing and web analytics system
- Salesforce – marketing automation for multi-touch sales
- Acoustic – end to end marketing automation
- Zoho – free/cheap web customer relationship mgmt software
- Pipedrive – sales pipeline management
- Genoo – marketing automation software
- HootSuite – social media dashboard
- Intercom – CRM and web messaging tool for web apps
Email Marketing/Blasting
- Best email Subject-lines
- MailChimp - free basic email blast software
- Adobe For Business – email blast and mgmt software
- Constant Contact – email, event promotion, social campaigns
- Campaigner - email marketing suite
- Salesforce – social media and email marketing
- Postmark – email blast and mgmt software
- Go Daddy Digital Marketing – email blast software
- JangoMail – marketing and transactional email
- Twilio – email blast software
- GroupVine – email marketing, community engagement, surveys
- Amazon Simple Email Service (SES) - pretty cool
- Campaign Monitor – basic email software
- Litmus – email previews and email analytics
- Emma – basic email marketing
- Postcron – schedule posts on Twitter or Facebook
- Mailjet – bulk and marketing email
Surveys
- Google Consumer Surveys
- AYTM - Ask Your Target Market
- Ethnio - Recruit real people from your website for user research
- Qualtrics – cloud-based survey, free account
- Wufoo - create contact forms, online surveys and event registrations.
- AskYourTargetMarket – market research surveys
- SurveyMonkey- granddaddy of on-line surveys
- QuestionPro – on surveys, plus templates
- SnapSurveys – online and mobile surveys
- Amazon Mechanical Turk – you can set up a question and get answers
- PickFu – A/B testing $5 for 50 opinions
- Alchemer – free version, survey creation and data integration tools
- SmartSurvey – UK’s leading survey tool, complies with the Data Protection Act
Gamification
- Hoopla – motivate employees, increase sales productivity
Loyalty Programs
- NextBee - customer referral and loyalty programs
Collaboration
- Dropbox – free store, sync, and, share files online.
- Box – online file sharing
- LibreOffice – free wordprocessor, spreadsheet, drawing, presentation, pdf maker and database office suite
- Skype- free voice and video communication tool
- Evernote - remember everything
- Campfire – Merged with Basecamp, team collaboration
- Slideshare – share Powerpoints and docs with customers
- Goto – free screen sharing
- Ning – Create your own social network
- Doodle – online group scheduling
- Freeconferencecall.com – Free conference calls – awesome!
- Piktochart – make infographics
On-line Q&A Communities
- Stack Overflow - questions and answers for programmers
- StackExchange – expert answers to your questions
- Social Source Commons Q&A/tools for non-profit programmers
- Social Source blog- blog for non-profit programmers
- Quora – questions and answers for non-programmers
- Yahoo Answers - post questions, sometimes get answers
Blogging Platforms
Wireframing Tools
- Keynotopia – use PowerPoint/Keynote to create web/mobile apps – Cool!
- Balsamiq– rapid wireframing tool. software mockups in minutes
- Napkee - export Balsamiq Mockups to HTML/CSS/JS and Adobe Flex 3 at a click of a button
- Draw.io – draw diagrams online
- MxGraph – client side JavaScript diagramming library
- Pencil- Firefox add-on to do GUI prototyping and simple sketching
- CSS Hat – Turn Photoshop layers into CSS3
- Mockflow – online/offline, extensible wireframing tool w/design library
- OmniGraffle – it’s been around before the web even existed
- JustinMind– define web and mobile apps with interactive prototypes
- JustinMind UserNote - get user feedback/test usability
- Wirify – turn any webpage into a wireframe
- LucidChart – Cloud-based drawing tool
- InVision – UX Prototyping from jpg, .png or .gif files
- Cacoo – free online drawing tool
- Gliffy – Online Diagraming
- Keynotopia - wireframing + high fidelity (pixel perfect) prototyping tool
- Wireframing Tutorial
Web Drawing Libraries
- Paperjs - vector graphics scripting framework runs on HTML5 Canvas
- Raphael – vector graphics JavaScript library – best for older browsers
- Processingjs - vector graphics scripting framework runs on HTML5 Canvas
Website Usability Testing/Heatmaps/Mouse Tracking
- Usertesting – $39 live users testing your site – cheap
- FiveSecondTest – fine-tune landing pages
- Trymata- watch videos of users using your site
- WhatUsersDo - UK live usability testing
- Survey Monkey – Micro usability tests
- OptimalWorkshop – tool suite for remote user research
- Labs Media – heat map of a website (where do users click)
Website A/B and Landing Page Testing
- A/B Testing Tutorial - read first
- Landing Page Tutorial
- Fivesecondtest – Landing page optimization
- VisualWebSiteOptimizer - A/B testing (split tests)
- Optimizely - A/B testing (split tests)
- 37Signals Advice on A/B testing
Website/Browser Testing
- Sauce Labs - cross-browser testing in the cloud
- Browerstack - test websites across all browser w/debugging tools
- Testling - cross browser testing
- 99Tests - Crowdsourced software testing
Phone/SMS Cloud Apps
- Twilio - add mobile and sms to your app
- Callfire – add voice and sms to your app
- PlumVoice- IVR Systems
Mobile Testing/Build Tools
- Pusher - hosted API for realtime mobile/web apps
- PerfectoMobile - mobile app testing
- Device Atlas - testing tool evaluates website mobile-readiness
- DynaTrace - test your website for “mobile ready”
- Splunk - test/monitor performance of mobile apps/websites
Website Designers
- 99 Designs - marketplace for crowdsourced graphic design
- FreePik - great way to find free graphic icons on the web
- xScope - measure, align and inspect on-screen graphics and layouts
- Scoutzle - curated community for the best mobile designers
Website Design Tools
- Twitter Bootstrap - Twitter toolkit for development of slick, intuitive webapps and sites
- Bootsnip- - free HTML snippets for Bootstrap
- WrapBootstrap – Themes for Bootstrap
- Bootswatch – More themes for Bootstrap
- Buttons for Bootstrap
- Google Web Fonts - open API of 613 web fonts
- Google Font Pairs - how to mix fonts and finding ideal pairings
- Subtle Patterns - free tileable textured patterns
- iStock Photos - Royalty Free stock photos and images
- ColourLovers – share colors, palettes, and patterns
- Meteor - open source platform for building web apps
- ThemeForest - site templates cheap
- Microsoft WebMatrix - Web server, database, and ASP.NET and PHP
- AppMakr – Mobile Ap Creator create quick mobile apps
- EditMe - create collaborative websites
- NewRelic - manage and tune website performance for Rails
- GooglePageSpeed - optimize your web pages
- Zencoder – online video converting/encoding/transcoding service
- Google: HTML, CSS and Javascript from the Ground Up
Web Application Frameworks
- Web Application Frameworks - start here
- Comparison of Web Application Frameworks – continue here
- PHP
- CakePHP – a PHP open source framework
- Symfony – another PHP framework
- Zend – yet another PHP framework
- PHP Tutorial and PHP Manual and Freaks
- Python
- Ruby
- Ruby on Rails – open source framework for Ruby
- Capistrano - Rails deployment tool
- Ruby on Rails Tutorial - Michael Hartly
- Ruby on Rails Guides - great tutorials
- RailsCasts – Ruby on Rails Screencasts
- Sinatra - another Ruby framework
- Ruby on Rails – open source framework for Ruby
- Node.js - event-driven I/O server-side JavaScript environment based on V8
- Express - web development for Node.js
- JSON - lightweight data-interchange format, subset of Javascript
- SproutCore - open-source JavaScript framework
- Drupal – open source content management platform
- Joomla – another open source content management system
Cloud Services and Tools
- Web Hosting Tutorial
- Heroku - Ruby, Node.js, Clojure, Java cloud platform - Platform as a Service
- Amazon Web Services - Amazon’s cloud solution - Infrastructure as a Service
- Amazon Web Services very basic primer
- Amazon CloudWatch - Monitoring for Amazon EC2 and RDS DB
- Scalr - Tool to manage scaling servers in Amazon’s cloud.
- Amazon EC2 developer tools
- Amazon AWS developer tools
- Joyent – high performance cloud - Infrastructure as a Service
- Rackspace - Managed and cloud hosting- Infrastructure as a Service
- Linode - Linux virtual servers in the cloud
- Google App Engine - Googles version of a cloud solution
- Google SQL – Googles version of MySQL in the cloud’
- Windows Azure – Microsoft Cloud Platform
- Contentful – content mgmt for web & mobile apps
- Armor – secure Cloud hosting
- Wowrack – managed Cloud hosting
- Wistia – video hosting for businesses
- Splunk - Cloud Performance Mgmt
- Epicnms - flexible data collection and plots
- Engine Yard - Ruby and PHP Cloud Hosting platform
- Netflix experience in moving from datacenter to cloud
NoSQL Databases
- NoSQL list – start here
- Hadoop - distributed processing of large data sets across clusters
- Hive - data warehouse for Hadoop
- Cassandra – scalable database no single point of failure
- Couchdb – document database
- Redis - data structure server
- MongoDb – NoSQL database
- Riak - NoSQL database implementing Amazon’s Dynamo
- Single Store – SQL in memory
Development Tools
- Twisted – easy to implement custom network applications, event-driven networking engine written in Python
- Perl Object Environment - Perl framework for reactive systems, cooperative multitasking, and network applications
- jQuery - cross-browser JavaScript library
- jQuery UI - official jQuery user interface library. interactions, widgets, effects
- Javascript tutorial – jQuery
- JSFiddle - preselect/add JavaScript frameworks and test your code
- Kodingen – cloud development environment, code editor, hosting service, collaboration platform
- CircleCi – Continuous integration and deployment tool for web apps
- TeamCity – continuous integration and unit testing, code quality analysis, pre-tested commits, reporting on build problems
- yUML – sketch uml diagrams.
- WebSequenceDiagrams -sketch sequence diagrams. automatic links to generated images
- Rietveld - asynchronous code reviews on changesets
- Fluid – turn webapps into Mac OS X apps
- TextMate – code and markup editor
- Coda - one-window web development app for the Mac
- Coderunner - Edit/run code in any programming language with a click
- SourceLair & SourceLair API- cloud coding platform C, Python, Ruby and API
- WebBiscuits – framework for web apps for smartphones and tablets
- CodeAcademy - learn to code
Project Management
- Github - Free public repositories, collaborator management, issue tracking, wikis, downloads, code review, graphs
- Unfuddle - Git and subversion hosting
- Bitbucket – cloud hosting for Git or Mecurial projects
- Mercurial – free, distributed source code control management system
- Kanban Tools
- Kanban Tool – Another Kanban tool
- KanbanFlow – free Kanban tool
- Swift-Kanban - enterprise Kanban
- Scrum Tools
- Basecamp- web-based project management and collaboration tool
- Trello - team collaboration around “boards”
- Planview - cloud project management tool
- ChiliProject - web based project management
- Preceden - simple way to make timelines for presentations
- Intervals - time tracking and task management
- Asana - shared task list for your team
- Teambox -combines social networking and project management
- Milestone Planner - planner for deadline/outcome driven environments
- 5pm – Online project management tool
- GoPlan – collaborative project management
- Unfuddle -hosted project management solution for software teams
- Lighthouse – Issue Tracking Tool
- Toggl Trak – time tracking tool
- Tabb – online time mgmt and to-do
- Jira – Bug, Issue and Project tracking tool
- Kantata - manage project communications, documents, schedules, budgets, payments
- Industrial Logic – Agile eLearning
Web Server Stress Testing
Digital Asset Management
- MediaValet – for agencies, creatives, enterprise
- Celum – digital and video asset mgmt.
- Canto Cumulus – digital asset mgmt
- ThirdLight - digital asset mgmt
Billing/Subscription Management/E-Store
- Square - accept credit cards from ipad/iphone/android
- Stripe - accept credit cards on the web
- Maxio - Recurring billing without the headaches
- Recurly - Subscription billing
- Paypal – the standard for payment
- Enterprise Payments - online credit card merchant processing
- Aria - online billing platform
- Shopify – create an online store
- EStoreApp - a webstore in 5 minutes
- Vindicia - on demand billing and fraud management
- Volusion – shopping cart software
- CheddarGetter - online recurring billing
- Spreedly - sell subscriptions on your site. signup, upgrade, trial pricing
- Zuora - online subscription management
- FeeFighters - find the cheapest credit card processors
- HealPay - Collections made easy
Customer Support/Feedback
- Tender - support, knowledgebase tool for your site
- Zendesk – web help software
- Clickdesk – Help desk, live chat, social toolbar
- SnapEngage - live chat integrates with your apps
- Freshdesk – completely unique never seen before web help software
- Kayako – Help desk
- UserVoice - turn customer feedback into action
- Medallia – turn customer feedback into sales and relationships
- Olark - live customer chat and customer loyalty
- Salesforce - Support customers by Web, email, chat, and social networks
- Vision Helpdesk - Support for multiple companies from one place
- OneDesk – ideation to delivery and support issues, tickets, tasks
- HappyFox – collate, categorize and respond to all requests
- HelpSpot – Helpdesk software
- Webengage – website survey, feedback and notification tool
Recruiting Tools
- JobVite – recruiting software, applicant tracking
- Zoho Recruit – applicant tracking
- JazzHr - applicant tracking and social recruiting
- Trakstar Hire - recruitment software, applicant tracking
- Zartis – social recruiting
- VidCruiter – video interview software
- LinkedIn – the uber connector
Misc Office Help
- Grasshopper – virtual phone system
- Ringio – cloud phone system
- RingCentral – cloud based phone system
- Freedom Voice and FreedomIQ - $3.95 800 #’s, hosted VoIP telephony
- InDinero – easy business finance software
- gusto – delightful employee payroll software
- Expensify – billing, expenses, receipts
- BambooHR - Employee Records, Benefit Information, Payroll Data, etc.
- pandadoc – create, deliver and negotiate proposals online
Outsourcing/Freelance Help
- Amazon Mechanical Turk - set up any task and get answers
- upwork - find/hire freelancers, hire low-cost international engineering talent
- Freelancer - outsourcing for small business
Chip/Hardware Resources/Tools
- Adafruit - embedded applications and kits
- Arduino - open source hardware platform
- Raspberry Pi – $25 credit-card sized computer board
- library.io – free circuit editor/pcb layout in your browser
- OSH Park – community circuit board design
- Advanced Circuits – one day printed circuit boards
- Fritzing – opensource hardware community
- Microsemi (Actel) smartfusion: A low power development board full of peripherals and an FPGA chip
- Digikey, Mouser, Newark, Arrow, Avnet, Allied, Sure and Sparkfun for general components
- Sunstone - Printed Circuit Boards
- TI, Infinion, and Analog devices for microcontrollers and IC’s
- Baskville- if you need parts in New Zealand
- Low Cost CAM software Deskproto, mecsoft, madCAM, grzsoftware
- Guerrilla guide to CNC machining, mold making, and resin casting- awesome
Custom Machine Parts/Industrial Supplies
- makerbot – Replicator 3d printer
- RepRap – open source 3d printer
- eMachineShop – machine custom parts online
- Protolabs -
- Hackerspaces -
- TechShop – Bay Area and Raleigh N.C. open machine shop
- Instructables – shared maker community
- i.materialize - 3D parts printing service
- 3-D Prototype Design – 3D professional parts printing
- McMaster-Carr - 480,000 parts of hardware heaven
- RepRap – open source 3D Printing
- MakerGear – homebrew 3D Printing
- W.W. Grainger - Industrial supplies
- Fastenal - more industrial supplies
Manufacturing Resources
- Digikey - Electronic components distributor that offers products including semiconductors, passives and interconnects.
- Custom Circuit Boards - Printed circuit board manufacturer (USA) for prototype and production quantities
- Alibaba.com
- GlobalSources.com
- Smart China Sourcing
Medical Device Resources
__________
Market Research Tools
- ScreenClip – Camera for the web/great research clippings
- Private “pay for market research” firms
- Gartner, Yankee - IT
- Frost & Sullivan – mulitple industries
- IQVIA – health care
Your local business school, should have a subscription to some or all of these
- Public or University library Resources:
- Standard & Poor’s Industry Surveys
- Encyclopedia of Emerging Industries, Gale Research
- Encyclopedia of American Industries, Gale Research
- Encyclopedia of Associations, Gale Research (find Trade Associations)
- Harris InfoSource Business Directory
- Lifestyle Market Analyst, SRDS – used for collecting psychographic data
Market Research Resources Online
- Edsurge – educational software
- Alexa – competitive website info
- Silicon Valley Bank Analytics
- SEC EDGAR – research on public U.S. firms
- Thomas – find any company in any industry
- BizStats.com – free business statistics and financial ratios
- U.S. Bureau of the Census
- EASI – estimated demographic statistics within a user-specified radii for any address
- Claritas – psychographic information and analysis of zip code areas
- Standard and Poors – Industry Surveys
- NVCA – venture capital industry data
- Chemical Industry data
- FDA News – medical device and drug data/news
- Asymco – great market intelligence blog
__________
Starting and Running a Startup Advice
Entrepreneurship Reading List
- Books for Startups my favorite business books.
Entrepreneurship Online
Angel/SuperAngel Investors
- Venture Hacks Angel List – raise money with angel investors
- Gust – Platform for Startup Funding
Crowdfunding
- Kickstarter - crowdfunding
- Indiegogo – crowdfunding
- CoFoundersLab – crowd funding
Incubator List/ Startup Jobs
- List of Startup Incubators
- A Quora list of Incubators
- Lunch with Entrepreneurs
- CoFoundersLab – find a technical cofounder
Advice on Raising Startup Capital
- Seed Stage Valuation Guide - Jordan Cooper
Cap Tables / Valuation
Education Financing
- Edsurge - educational software
- K-12 Education VC Blog - Jennifer Carolan @ NewSchools
Venture Capital Financing
- NVCA – National Venture Capital Association
- Venture Capital Survey – San Jose Mercury News
Boilerplate Venture Funding Documents
- National Venture Capital Association - model legal documents
- Network Solutions- Fenwick & West Seed Investment Standard Forms, used by most angels
Intellectual Property Advice
- Patents – U.S. Patent Office
- Trademarks - U.S. Patent Office
- Intellectual Property in the “Real World”- Antone Johnson
- “Nuts and Bolts” of Intellectual Property - Antone Johnson
- Intellectual Property for Startups - Mashtag
Best Startup Advice
- Tom Eisenmann Platform & Networks – Harvard Business School
- Uber list of Startup Resources – Legal, Equity, etc. – Bottom Line Law Group
Founder Equity Issues
- Fred Wilson Advice and spreadsheet
- Intro to Stock and Options – David Weekly
- Venture Hacks equity section
- Awesome Valuation/Equity Calculator - OwnYourVenture
- Splitting the Founders Pie - Frank Demmler
- Valuation on Revenue – Bill Gurley Above the Crowd
Executive / Advisory Board Compensation
- Comp Study – Executive Compensation Website- unbelievably useful
- SaaS Sales Team Compensation – Philippe Botteri, Bessemer Venture Partners
- VentureHacks on Startup Advisory Boards – great basics
Public Relations (PR) For Tech Companies
- How to get media coverage - Leo Widrich
Finance 101 for Entrepreneurs
- MBA Mondays – Fred Wilson’s Tutorials
Web/Mobile Revenue Models
- Advertising Revenue Models – Fred Wilson
Product Pricing 101 for Entrepreneurs
- Product Pricing Wiki Page – great links to pricing models
- How to design Web Pricing Pages - from Smashing Magazine
Lawyers/Legal
- Yoichiro “Yokum” Taku – Startup Company Lawyer
- Orrick – Startup Legal Tool Kit
- Goodwin, Proctor – Founders Workbench
- Law & Disorder: ARS Technica Legal Blog
- Likelihood of Confusion-trademark, copyright and Internet Law
- Technology & Marketing Law Blog
- American Bar Association Best Legal Blogs
- Music Law – one of the best legal blogs period. Read all of it.
List of Investment Platforms
- CapLinked - manage and close business transactions





