Above all, maintain a laser focus
In addition to all the specifics outlined so far, your technical startup needs to maintain a laser focus in the beginning to get market and investor attention. Google did it with search engines, Apple did it with a personal computer, and even Wal-Mart did it through low prices. A business plan I saw a while back to combine all the good features of several popular social networks on one site does not do it.
Trying to do everything at once probably means that none of the items will be done well. Plus it's almost impossible to craft a message that will make your offering stand out in the minds of customers. I can't think of a company that launched to superstardom with a broad focus. Can you?
Here is a summary of the "common sense" reasons why a laser focus is key to technical startup business success:
Time to market is critical: It takes too much time to build processes and products to capitalize on a broad strategy. In the meantime, small competitors will appear...