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Your board should protect you!

Berkonomics

All other board functions are secondary. Even venture capitalists who sit on boards where they have significant investments often forget this point. They write in their investment documents that they will occupy a seat on the board for as long as they are invested in the company, thinking of this as a protection for their investment and tool for them to influence growth.

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Startup San Diego Tech Report Episode 2 Wrap Up: MWC, SXSW, & CPG AI Glow-up

Startup San Diego

The second episode of the Startup San Diego Tech report featured a conversation between Cheryl Goodman, Vice Chair of Startup San Diego, and Bryan Landers, AI Product Designer at Zapier. […] The post Startup San Diego Tech Report Episode 2 Wrap Up: MWC, SXSW, & CPG AI Glow-up appeared first on Startup San Diego.

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Framework Benchmarks Round 22

TechEmpower

We’re pleased to announce Round 22 of the TechEmpower Framework Benchmarks! The TechEmpower Framework Benchmarks project celebrates its 10th anniversary, boasting significant engagement with over 7,000 stars on GitHub and more than 7,100 Pull Requests. Renowned as one of the leading projects of its kind, it benchmarks the peak performance of server-side web application frameworks and platforms, primarily using tests contributed by the community.

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Waymo can now charge for robotaxi rides in LA and on San Francisco freeways

TechCrunch LA

Waymo received approval Friday afternoon from the California Public Utilities Commission to operate a commercial robotaxi service in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Peninsula and on San Francisco freeways. The approval removes the last barrier for the Alphabet company to charge for rides in these expanded areas. Importantly, it opens up new territory for Waymo […] © 2024 TechCrunch.

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Can You Ask for Office Rent Relief? How to Manage Your Lease During COVID-19

Office leases are one of companies’ largest expenses, and if your whole team is working from home with no clear end in sight, you may be wondering what to do about your lease.

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How to make a small problem into a big one.

Berkonomics

Allowing small problems to escalate into big ones is simple. Just ignore the signs for long enough and the job is done. It takes far more energy to regularly review the key performance indicators you’ve established for each individual and yourself. But a small excursion caught early and corrected saves massive corrective resources later. Here’s an example: Take for example the manufacturing company with a small quality problem in one component, resulting in a test failure rate above the norm.

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Company Offering $10K for a 30 Day Phone Detox, Apply Now

Tech.Co

There are just five days left to enter the digital detox competition set up by Icelandic Yogurt company Siggi’s Dairy, which has pledged to give selected contestants $10,000 to spend an entire month “detoxing” without a smartphone or social media. To be considered for the contest, you will have to write a 100-500 word essay to enter on why you’d like to digitally detox and the positive impact it’ll have on your life – but that's all that's needed to apply.

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Using Generative AI to Drive Corporate Impact

TechEmpower

Generative AI is revolutionizing how corporations operate by enhancing efficiency and innovation across various functions. Focusing on generative AI applications in a select few corporate functions can contribute to a significant portion of the technology's overall impact. Key Functions with High Impact Generative AI is revolutionizing sales by enabling dynamic pricing and personalized customer interactions, boosting conversion rates and customer satisfaction.

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Los Angeles demands robotaxi rulemaking powers

TechCrunch LA

Mayor Karen Bass says Los Angeles — not a state agency — should have the power to decide how robotaxi companies expand in the city. The impact of the mayor's calls may extend well beyond LA. © 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

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Wow! Are your relationships important!

Berkonomics

Forming business relationships at the highest level As you follow these insights from ignition to liquidity event, you’ll detect a continuing theme, emphasizing the need for deep and wide relationships that the CEO and senior staff can call upon for advice and guidance. This is the time to elevate those insights to the level of highest value for the corporation, one that cannot be listed on a balance sheet nor included in an appraisal of corporate worth.

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9 Innovative Startups To Watch For in 2024

Tech.Co

2023 hasn't been an easy year to be a startup. While the market isn't short of spritely, innovative entrepreneurs, harsh economic headwinds combined with a pullback in investor spending have made it harder than ever for budding businesses to break through. In fact, according to Crunchbase more than 212 startups closed their shutters in the third fiscal quarter alone – the highest number recorded in the firm's history.

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Intersolar North America and Energy Storage North America

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, January 18, 2024 -- ntersolar North America and Energy Storage North America is the premier US-based conference and trade show focused on solar, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure. Dedicated to accelerating the energy transition, the event delivers actionable education, invaluable networking, and an immersive exhibit hall experience.

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Selecting a Software Development Company in 2024

TechEmpower

In 2023, there were approximately 26.3 million software developers worldwide. This vast pool of talent showcases a wide range of experience and portfolios, quality of work, and inquisitiveness. Given this diversity, it's important to be selective in the development services company with whom you choose to partner. In the 25 years that TechEmpower has been in business, we’ve seen thousands of companies come and go.

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Startup San Diego Quarterly Tech Report: #CES2024, SD Startups, Cutting-Edge AI & XR Breakthroughs

Startup San Diego

The Startup San Diego quarterly tech report featured a conversation between Cheryl Goodman, Vice Chair of Startup San Diego, and Vishal Shah, GM of XR & Metaverse at Lenovo. They […] The post Startup San Diego Quarterly Tech Report: #CES2024, SD Startups, Cutting-Edge AI & XR Breakthroughs appeared first on Startup San Diego.

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Hire a consultant; ignore the advice!

Berkonomics

The ideal use of consultants… At one time or another, most all businesses use consultants to fill the gaps in knowledge or to provide guidance for management. Consultants are good in that you can sample their work with short projects, change to other consultants quickly, and stop using them when a project is completed. A personal story of ignorance of good advice.

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11 Small Business Grants and Loans to Apply For in 2024

Tech.Co

There's no denying that 2024 is a challenging year to run a business. As inflation rates spiral and consumer demand takes a hit, business owners are forced to be more mindful of their bottom lines than ever. But whether you're grappling with debt, or looking to expand, accessing third-party financing may be easier than you think. While free money may sound too good to be true, there are hundreds of grants available to small businesses in 2024 designed to make financing more accessible to busines

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Intersolar North America and Energy Storage North America

SoCal Tech Calendar

Wednesday, January 17, 2024 -- ntersolar North America and Energy Storage North America is the premier US-based conference and trade show focused on solar, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure. Dedicated to accelerating the energy transition, the event delivers actionable education, invaluable networking, and an immersive exhibit hall experience.

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Generative AI – The End of Empty Textboxes

TechEmpower

We recently completed a web-based application that uses a unique algorithm to match professionals with new career opportunities. As part of the onboarding process, the app asks both job seekers and employers what they’re looking for - in a text box - while providing a few suggestions in a pop-up. If you’ve ever used a similar application, (or if you’ve ever used the Internet at all) you’ve probably seen this approach before.

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Startup San Diego Showcase Founders at Qualcomm, SDSU, Carlsbad and Tijuana

Startup San Diego

This article was originally posted on Business of San Diego by Fred Grier on November 6, 2023. During the last week of October, four hundred people converged at Qualcomm’s headquarters in Sorrento Valley on a Friday evening, to conclude its annual “Startup Week” extravaganza organized by non-profit Startup San Diego. The week-long conference, celebrated the city’s […] The post Startup San Diego Showcase Founders at Qualcomm, SDSU, Carlsbad and Tijuana appeared first on Startup San Diego.

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How to cheat legally on your tax return.

Berkonomics

When do you cross the line between honesty and dishonesty in tax planning? Is it ethical to allocate income between periods to take advantage of tax breaks? Can expenses be put off until the next period to increase income, or accelerated into this period by prepayment to decrease net income? Where do you draw the line, assuming no intent to defraud?

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Claude 2.1: Anthropic's ChatGPT Rival Gets New Killer Feature

Tech.Co

As OpenAI hits the headlines for all the wrong reasons, Anthropic has turned Claude into an "industry-leading" AI tool.

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LA CxOs

SoCal Tech Calendar

Friday, November 17, 2023 -- Leadership - How to think about it and How it Grows and Impacts your company. Attendance is limited to qualified C Suite Executives. Confirmed RSVP required. NO service providers admitted.

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Interview with Brad Zions: Investor and Tech Veteran from Los Angeles

StartUp Beat

Los Angeles has long been renowned for the prowess of its entertainment industry, with Hollywood being a larger-than-life symbol known across the world. Yet the growth of its tech sector has also increasingly been receiving attention. We spoke to serial investor Brad Zions from Los Angeles to get a better perspective on tech trends in […] The post Interview with Brad Zions: Investor and Tech Veteran from Los Angeles appeared first on StartUp Beat.

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SSD Tech Report: Covering MWC, SXSW, and a Startup CPG AI “Glow-Up”

Startup San Diego

MWC 2024: More AI than APIakeaways that will touch consumers The Mobile World Congress (MWC) stands as the premier event for the mobile telecommunications sector. In 2024, MWC rebounded to […] The post SSD Tech Report: Covering MWC, SXSW, and a Startup CPG AI “Glow-Up” appeared first on Startup San Diego.

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Do you really need an accountant?

Berkonomics

First, let’s be sure we define our terms. Accountants are trained, certified and usually quite experienced in financial analysis, both creating and reviewing data. Bookkeepers are often trained on the job although sometimes more formally and handle the physical work of accounting for the transactions. To expect a bookkeeper to provide analytical planning is to ask for something they often cannot provide, except in a cursory way.

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What if you see juicy competitor information?

Berkonomics

Has this happened to you? Many of us belong to industry associations and find ourselves at conferences and trade shows with time to spend with competitors. Some of these are old friends, some even former associates. It is natural to want to associate with these people for many reasons, certainly socially. Most CEOs want to obtain information about their competitors in the most subtle and non-obvious ways.

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What are the costs of taking investor money?

Berkonomics

Let’s talk about the reality of taking money from professional investors. It is not the first time we’ve covered this general subject nor the last. But this time, we concentrate upon governance changes. After friends and family… Once a company founder has tapped the funds available from his or her resources and from friends and family, if the company needs more cash for growth, the most obvious next step is to look for money from angel investors and venture capitalists, typically in the $300,00

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Do you need an advisory board?

Berkonomics

Have you ever thought of creating an advisory board? As you can guess, that would be an informal group with no legal responsibilities, but one able to be called upon to act as business, industry and scientific advisors to the company or CEO. Why? Usually, you would want to create an advisory board to fill in the critical areas of need not evidenced in the board of directors or within the company itself.

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Do you even need a business coach?

Berkonomics

Everyone, even seasoned CEO’s can use a good coach who knows how to bring out the best in a person, is knowledgeable about the business process, and who has an extended list of relationships to call upon to fill needs that become obvious in the coaching process. Business coaches come in all sizes and shapes. Entrepreneurs will have a relative willing to devote time, a school friend with business experience, professionals who charge for the service, investors with a reason to prom

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Should you be optimistic about your corporate growth?

Berkonomics

Planning for future space needs after COVID. One of the most obvious observations I make with growing company CEO’s is that planning for a new office is done with an optimistic view of the future, incorporating planned space that compromises only slightly the measured needs for the next three or more years as outlined in the financial forecast. Yes, we can mitigate that with starting with a reduced size given the current remote and hybrid work environment.

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If you must lease an office, make it a short one!

Berkonomics

Avoid long-term commitments! It is statistically true that at least half of the young companies funded by angel or venture investors will not survive three years from funding to demise, and more than that percentage will die with two years if not well financed. The greatest burden of either a growing company or one needing to retract and reduce expenses is the office lease – especially in these years after COVID and remote work.

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What’s your answer? Are remote workers productive?

Berkonomics

We’ve been measuring & disagreeing since COVID. Do home-based employees work with the same dedication and productivity as those in office cubicles next to each other? That depends upon the management as much as the employee. I have a friend who was a CEO of a recruiting firm who “virtualized” her company after a decade of maintaining a fixed office location.

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Would you commit to an office lease today?

Berkonomics

Always true: Rent your first, next, or continuing office with caution. Several years ago and before COVID’s changes, I became involved with a Southeast Asian company looking to expand into the United States. During the discussions with the CEO about hiring North American managers, he made it clear that he wanted us to find a first-class office facility from which to start the search process, and proceeded to name cities that attracted him.

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Do employees value their options as ownership?

Berkonomics

How about employees all the way down the line and through the corporation? How do we align them to the goals and strategies of the enterprise? Obviously for the appropriate individuals, a bonus program aligned to the department’s goals is appropriate. But how about awarding stock options to all employees? The argument FOR… I discovered the power of ownership early in my management career, establishing an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), once popular as incentive compensation as well as a t

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Stock options or more cash?

Berkonomics

What if employee candidates ask for the moon? In 1981, Herb Cohen wrote and published “ You Can Negotiate Anything ”, an excellent guide to great negotiating. I’ve read and reread the book a number of times and find myself using the techniques often in many areas of my life. One of his lessons remains clearly on my mind and is a variant of the old “You name the price and I’ll name the terms” challenge that works so well in negotiation.

Examples 156
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Would you pay a high achiever more than yourself?

Berkonomics

Here’s a case study for yourself: Recently I was asked to review an offer letter for a senior director of business development. The CEO was concerned that he was offering far too much in the form of incentive compensation, with bonuses that could greatly exceed the base salary if all the bonus items were achieved. The critical question… I asked the CEO to imagine what the company would look like if all those bonus-expensive items were completely achieved in one year.

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Why we should fire fast, not last!

Berkonomics

Our first reaction to marginal performance. Here is one that takes a real leap for a younger manager or CEO to believe. After hiring someone with all the attendant enthusiasm followed by the training and learning curve, if an employee shows signs of weakness in the job or problems dealing with contemporaries, it is the natural tendency for most of us to go first into coaching mode and reset the observation clock to see if our excellent coaching does the job.

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