socalTECH

NOVEMBER 26, 2018

With all the complexity of the IT environment, how do you convince customers to add one more piece into this puzzle? The competitive advantages of doing this are very exciting, and we get a powerful response from both audiences. Tim O'Neal: There are many compelling elements. How has the startup experience been for you versus Intuit?

Cloud Computing 133

Cloud Computing Resource Startup Software 133

socalTECH

AUGUST 11, 2011

If you try to use daily deals or directors, or even handouts of fliers for marketing, that only brings customers when you're already busy. What we have done, instead, is figure out when business is slow, and use that as a parameters to create campaigns on their behalf, to drive customers into their stores. The third, is distribution.

Startup 177

Startup Mobile Culver City Los Angeles 177

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 25, 2016

After a year in the market, MakeSpace was growing rapidly and our biggest issue was CAC (customer acquisition costs) relative to payback period (when we get our marketing investment back) and relative to LTV (lifetime value). But that’s harder to build in 2016 than it was in say 2005. Our centralization is their achilles heel.

Startup 150

Startup Marketing Study SEO 150

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

by Michael Woolf that is worth any startup founder reading to get a sense of perspective on the reality warp that is startup world during a frothy market such as 1997-1999, 2005-2007 or 2012-2014. You are particularly vulnerable if: You have revenue concentration (few customers each providing a large total of percentage of your revenue).

Startup 383

Startup Company Companies .Net 383

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 31, 2011

1) Give Your Customers (And The Media) What They Want. He used this term so often that it eventually became the title of his 2005 book on business advice. Thus, the Virgin brand has come to represent a maverick company that strives to deliver maximum value to its customers by pursuing creative and disruptive business models.

Tips 264

Tips Startup Guide Media 264

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 17, 2010

At VT KnowledgeWorks we screen prospective clients for their Market opportunity, for the Magic that they offer to their prospective customers, and for the Moxie displayed by the start-up team. Paul Graham built the mold at Y Combinator , which he founded back in 2005. Relationships , I said back then. And I stand by that assertion.

Incubator 80

Incubator Mentor Capital Startup 80

socalTECH

MARCH 12, 2009

If you are a premium customer, we charge for the calls. The premium customer can buy that premium service in denominations of $25, $50, $100, or $200 dollars. Dialpad was acquired by Yahoo in 2005, and became the voice engine for Yahoo's VoIP services. It's 5 cents per call. John Nahm: Freemium has been working spectacularly.

Startup 100

Startup Southern California Yahoo Organization 100

socalTECH

JANUARY 15, 2009

We also allow the users to have a custom URL, for example, resumebucket.com/joshstomel. I had early success working in-house with Matt Coffin at LowerMyBills in 2005, and then I was brought on by Yahoo to build out the Yahoo Publisher Network Team. Is this at all competitive with LinkedIn? What's the idea behind the site?

Startup 140

Startup Yahoo Sites Oversee.net 140

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2009

I had previously raised VC in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2005. It included one firm who I asked not to call Salesforce.com as a reference (they were our largest pilot customer) and in their kindness they called Marc Benioff (the CEO) and asked his opinion. I thought, what would I do if I was trying to sell to a customer.

Venture Capital 274

Venture Capital Blogging Startup Slides 274

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 19, 2008

The second customer is the social networking sites. Historically, it was something that started to develop before our launch with operators back in 2005, and it now serves as a laboratory for development of our product. What's your opinion on how well that works, and how much competition are they? So it's a white label offering.

Social Network 113

Social Network Anthem Mobile Java 113

socalTECH

JULY 20, 2009

One of the big, open source successes in both Southern California and the software world was Gluecode Software , which was based in Los Angeles and acquired by IBM in 2005. All of those three vary by customer, but we're seeing that we're headed towards a mix of service offerings and a mix of licenses between commercial and open source.

IBM 100

IBM IBM Mission Ventures Venture Capital 100

socalTECH

MARCH 29, 2010

Marketers use that data, for example, to only sell BMWs to those who can afford it and are their target customer. I left that environment with that mindset, to create first AdExchange, and then AdECN around 2004-2005. We assume this is well beyond the standard demographic data provided right now, i.e. male/female, age group, etc.?

Advertising 157

Advertising Startup Media Marketing 157

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

An obvious example is Google who may have gotten less market attention if there would have been 8 well-financed competitors during the 2001-2005 timeframe. When your competition does irrational things to grow fueled by low-cost capital it makes it harder for you to compete by playing by the conventional rules.

Pricing 309

Pricing Marketing Startup Venture Capital 309

socalTECH

AUGUST 20, 2009

In 2005/2006, I really saw that the trend was shifting from television to the Internet. You'll be able walk around with and chat with people, and earn points in the in-world currency within the game, but you can't spend that currency on purchasing items for your avatar, customizing your avatar, or your home, until you become a premium member.

Media 150

Media Tech Coast Angels Social Network Content 150

SoCal Delicious

MARCH 1, 2010

The city has, however, quietly been home to some of the most successful online companies to date, including CitySearch (sold to Ticketmaster for $260 million in 1998), Overture (acquired by Yahoo for $2 billion in 2003), eHarmony and LowerMyBills (bought by Experian for $330 million in 2005). Register Now! Be extra productive. Learn more.

Los Angeles 50

Los Angeles Company Companies Angel 50

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 9, 2009

The proof nowadays is certainly in winning customers--whether that is a consumer or in the enterprise. Between 2005 and 2008, there were lots of companies raising half a million, and selling for 15 million. It's also good to talk somewhat about the competition, and why this ideas is different from the others.

Tech Coast Angels 100

Tech Coast Angels Ideas Entrepreneur Invest 100

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 6, 2015

The first of question is about qualifying your potential customers aka leads. Assume competition and assume within the buying organization you have enemies. One thing I observed was that many customers wanted an “on premise” version of our software and were willing to pay extra money for it. Why Buy Anything ?

Sales 150

Sales SaaS Startup Venture Capital 150

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 5, 2011

He listed all of the product releases that were up coming, the customers that were in the pipeline and where he saw his competition moving. When you account for competition for talent, the difficulty of retention, the cost of living and the difficulty of rising above the noise – there are many advantages of staying put.

Venture Capital 317

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Press 317

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2012

I raised money as an entrepreneur, like you, in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2005 for two different companies. These include building products, recruiting, managing your finances, marketing, selling, getting feedback from customers and … fund raising. I’ve raised seed rounds and A-D rounds. Call it your functional pie chart.

Develop 366

Develop Development Funding Venture Capital 366

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 23, 2012

Yes, it’s true that FOMO (fear of missing out) is driving some irrational behavior and valuations amongst uber competitive deals and well-financed VCs. Try charging customers for your product when you have 12 competitors giving the product away free finances by $20 million of VC. The Exit Problem.

Venture Capital 347

Venture Capital Capital Technical Review Startup 347

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 12, 2017

Around 2001 Jonah was studying at MIT Media Lab and began running experiments in viral stories in an era before smart phones (2007) and before social networks took off (2004–2007) and before YouTube (2005). Jonah was working on his masters thesis and he asked Nike to produce a customized shoe with the word “Sweatshop” on it.

Buzzfeed 210

Buzzfeed Media Content News 210