Knowledge Base

The MESA Knowledge Base is an evolving and expanding resource for entrepreneurs, investors, and those looking to build or help build the next great technology company. We bring together content developed by MESA mentors and other experts across the startup ecosystem that  will help MESA mentees and others running young technology companies.

Topics vary greatly but are focused on what it takes to start, run, and grow a young technology company.  The majority of our content is derived from The MESA Frameworks.

Over the last ten years,  MESA’s mentors were seeing young founders and CEOs seeking or needing guidance on many of the same operational or business issues repeatedly. In response to these knowledge gaps, MESA developed a set of frameworks. The MESA frameworks are a resource used by its community to discuss and work through specific operational issues. Mentors use the frameworks as quick reference tools.

Framework Podcasts

The MESA Growth Story: What does it take to startup and build a company designed to help startups? In this edition we’ll hear that story, the growth story of the MESA Group, a firm founded in the middle of the great recession to help nurture and grow software startups in Minnesota… read more. Alternative Sources of Capital: As important a resource as VC and angel investors are, this type of startup financing is accessible to a very small population of entrepreneurs. Only about 0.05% of startups raise venture money or .91% of young companies raise angel money… read more. The Selling Framework for Startups: Given that ninety-eight percent of startups never raise venture or angel money, raises the question — why do so many entrepreneurs put off making sales, a critical source of capital, a core part of their daily ritual? read more. The Cash Management Framework for Startups: A cash crisis is the number two killer of startups with one out of three startup failures attributed to it. Do you know what to do cash wise to keep from crashing in a cash crisis and becoming one of these statistics? In this podcast, we’ll discuss with two highly respected and season tech CFOs the Cash Management…read more.