Both Sides of the Table

MAY 7, 2011

Sometime around 2003/04 my technology team turned me on to “Spolsky on Software&# a periodic newsletter served up blog style from Joel Spolsky of FogCreek Software, a maker of bug-tracking software. Blogs weren’t popularized yet so it was an oddity for me to read the founder of a software company spewing out advice.

Software Review 285

Software Review Software Blogging Startup 285

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 30, 2012

Jackson added, “FinTech has traditionally lagged behind the innovation that’s happening in other areas of enterprise software. 25 Years of Writing Code. Sroka earlier worked at Industrial Logic,where he developed programs in test-driven development, refactoring, and object-oriented design for HP, Yahoo!,

Technical Review 88

Technical Review Software Review Bertelsmann Technology 88

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2009

Very few people fund individuals. I’m a software guy so I’m sure there are cases where building isn’t feasible. Professional angels / former entrepreneurs / seed funds – In Silicon Valley there are people like Ron Conway, Jeff Clavier, Mike Maples and many more. Team: You need a team.

Angel 291

Angel Funding Venture Capital Startup 291

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 31, 2021

Tech companies have spent the past decade or more developing innovations that can be applied to old-world industries like agriculture, construction, energy, education, manufacturing and transportation and logistics. A Biden presidency doesn’t need a Green New Deal to make progress on climate change. ” Climate resiliency .

Startup 229

Startup Technical Review Invest Research 229

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 6, 2013

TechZulu caught up with co-founder Calvin Schemanski chat about their upcoming launch, their product and why Long reviews suck. myfab5 is a platform that reinvents the restaurant review. Unlike typical review sites, our platform does not use star ratings or long reviews. What is myfab5?

Software Review 79

Software Review Technical Review Writing Startup 79

SoCal CTO

MARCH 3, 2011

Many of the founders of these companies are surprised to learn that I'm willing to review what they are doing (maybe an hour) and get on the phone for an hour with them and provide free advice. Maybe you are wondering if you have a Weak Development Team ? Do you have a Startup Founder Developer Gap ? Can you help me get funding?

CTO Hire 264

CTO Hire Startup Technical Review Development Team Review 264

SoCal CTO

MARCH 3, 2011

Many of the founders of these companies are surprised to learn that I'm willing to review what they are doing (maybe an hour) and get on the phone for an hour with them and provide free advice. Maybe you are wondering if you have a Weak Development Team ? Do you have a Startup Founder Developer Gap ? Can you help me get funding?

CTO Hire 259

CTO Hire Startup Technical Review Development Team Review 259

socalTECH

JUNE 11, 2018

For our interview this morning, we caught up with Scot Lawrie , the President and technical Co-founder of Los Angeles-based Coverfly (www.coverfly.com), and John Rhodes , Coverfly's head of Marketing and Business Development, to learn a bit more about the early stage, bootstrapped startup focused on Hollywood script writers. What is Coverfly?

Technical Review 100

Technical Review Hollywood Platform Competition 100

socalTECH

OCTOBER 31, 2011

Now, it's perfect, both because I'm a big iPhone guy, and soon will be an Android guy, as we're developing a version for Android. There are lots of knowledgeable people that we find to write these guides--people who grew up there, and who are experts in the area. That's really empowering. It's working out really well.

Guide 203

Guide Software Review Twiistup Technical Review 203

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2013

Define milestones for cost review and sign-off. Change requests must be visibly reviewed by executives frequently. If the features are interesting but not necessary for initial release, they can be scheduled for further development on later releases of the project, whether it be new software, a car, or any other sort of device.

Technical Review 110

Technical Review Startup Software Review High Tech 110

socalTECH

OCTOBER 4, 2010

Last week, Santa Monica-based Revolution Prep announced its first, institutional round of funding, worth $15M, from Kennet Partners. The company provides SAT, ACT, and other similar test preparation courses and related software. I had worked as a tutor for Princeton Review, and Jake for Kaplan. We started in 2000.

Software Review 178

Software Review Technical Review Education Startup 178

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 11, 2011

I recommend you first review Dharmesh’s article and then listen to Naval’s thoughts. Value Prop Twitter Style : AngelList is the productization of raising startup funding. These days, thanks to code and community, we can productize almost any process done by humans. What follows is a summary which paraphrases Naval’s responses.

Startup 273

Startup Software Review Summary Technical Review 273

socalTECH

JULY 22, 2016

For our interview today, we have an interview with Gabe Grifoni , CEO and founder of Rufus Labs (www.getrufus.com), which has has developed an Android-based, wearable device which is aimed at use in the enterprise, warehouses, and factories. Plus, they don't collect data, and use really old, limited software.

Technical Review 100

Technical Review Startup Software Review CTO Hire 100

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 23, 2015

For a high-volume seed fund that adds many portfolio companies every year (such as our friends at 500 Startups who invest in over 100 distinct companies annually), the cost of a bad affirmative decision (a false positive) is quite low, since it accounts for a relatively small portion of their total fund. Unicornless. com> 4/25/08.

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Technical Review Software Review Southern California 100

socalTECH

OCTOBER 30, 2008

to the business of script writing, and is looking to combine a free online tool for writing scripts with matching those scripts with content producers. Sunil Rajaraman: We provide free, web-based screenwriting software to aspiring writers and professionals in the community. You mentioned funding--you're raising a round?

Content 138

Content Writing Software Review Hollywood 138

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 8, 2009

Your friends and advisers tell you that this means you need revenue because in this economy VC’s will only fund businesses with revenue. It is code word for “I’m not ready to invest for whatever reason … I need more proof.&#. Fund raising is an ongoing process and not an event on a workplan.

Venture Capital 309

Venture Capital Guide Startup Technical Review 309

socalTECH

APRIL 29, 2014

We were looking at it, and saw that if we could take all these off-the-shelf sensors, and put it all together, and write some code, and make a user interface, it''s basically done. We thought we could deliver that 3D image as a software-as-a-service. Unfortunately, UCLA''s money dried up due to legal issues.

Startup 262

Startup Competition Software Review UCLA 262

SoCal CTO

AUGUST 3, 2010

5 Lessons from 150 startup pitches - A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks , July 11, 2010 I just reviewed several hundred startup pitches for Capital Factory. How to raise money with no lead - Venture Hacks , July 31, 2010 Paul Graham says “The future [of funding] is no fixed amount, no fixed closing date, and no lead.”

Startup 217

Startup Venture Capital Blogging Software Review 217

socalTECH

MAY 11, 2010

We have almost a thousand bloggers who are writing reviews about the products we offer, and we also review them from our own point of view, to help support parents decisions and learning about products in the real world. I was speaking with a friend of mine, at a much later stage fund, to help make introductions.

Software Review 200

Software Review Commerce Startup Sites 200

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 1, 2010

It makes no sense to meet in August or December due to travel schedules of most investors. For the record, this is not a secret, coded messages to companies for which I am on the board! Feel free to have color coding for each member with companies for which you think they might be able to help with intros. Be prudent.

Startup 301

Startup Venture Capital Software Review Email 301

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 27, 2019

If you develop a strong set of KPIs for how you manage your business and then develop a regular pack that the board is used to seeing it shouldn’t require extra work to prep the quarterly board metrics pack. You can write this as a narrative in 3–5 key bullet points. But what are the KEY ISSUES management is grappling with.

Startup 226

Startup Slides Metrics News 226

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2009

I had seen many cycles and decided that since I was going to do it all over again I should write about it. I decided to write about my experience and to be blunt. It became a huge kerfuffle with many VC partners writing to thank me for the post, which exposed those that gave their industry a bad name.

Venture Capital 274

Venture Capital Blogging Startup Slides 274

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 1, 2010

aka: An Open Letter to the Next Big Social Network) - 500 Hats , November 1, 2010 I've held off writing this post for a long time, because I couldn't quite get my head around all the issues. The United States is now a debtor nation to China and that the bill is about to come due. Was it a Startup Founder Developer Gap ?

Technical Review 175

Technical Review Startup Product Technology 175

socalTECH

MARCH 12, 2013

The company--which is in the business of operating a content delivery network (CDN) to accelerate the delivery of web graphics, multimedia, applications, and more to end users-- recently disclosed it more than doubled its revenues in 2012, and has grown to over 230 employees--all due to a huge amount of demand for CDN services by its customers.

CTO Hire 248

CTO Hire Content Networking Web 248

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

I find it amusing when a journalist writes an article about a prominent startup (either privately held or preparing for an IPO) and decries that, “They’re not even profitable!” To grow faster businesses need resources in today’s financial period to fund growth that may not come for 6 months to a year.

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

socalTECH

MAY 18, 2010

For our interview today, we caught up with Al Eisaian , CEO of Pasadena-based IconApps (www.iconapps.com), which is developing mobile applications for the iPhone market. How did you end up in the mobile market from last running an enterprise software firm? Can you talk about the status of the company in terms of funding and backing?

Mobile 168

Mobile .Net Pasadena Software Review 168

socalTECH

APRIL 25, 2011

Scott Lahman is co-founder of Los Angeles-based GOGII (www.gogii.com), the developer of group text messaging application textPlus. Lahman is also one of the co-founders of JAMDAT Mobile, the immensely successful developer of mobile games, which had an IPO in 2004, and eventually became part of Electronic Arts in 2006.

Gogii 200

Gogii Mobile Activision Electronic Arts 200

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 11, 2012

The multi-tiered platform allows for money to be transferred between Facebook friends, the ability to click and purchase any item that you see on Facebook and through the published API’s, developers can integrate and write their own applications on top of the ZunguZ platform. Why the name? The name just stuck!

Software Review 92

Software Review Social Network Platform Technical Review 92

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 19, 2012

The industry had seen unprecedented growth in the past decade due to a combination of factors, one of which was the United States’ economic recession. Due to the combination of these factors, marketers began to more heavily fund digital platforms. Resolving Mobile Couponing’s Redemption Pitfalls.

Mobile 85

Mobile Software Review Statistics Technical Review 85

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 29, 2009

For parents, if you're interested in how your kids are doing, you can find out what their schedule is like, what homework is due when, what their grades are, and how they are progressing, plus you can communicate with their teachers. They have developed this from a need. How is the company funded? Talk about your background?

Education 124

Education Startup Course Tool 124

socalTECH

DECEMBER 17, 2018

Richard Wolpert is a well known investor in the Los Angeles technology community, through his own fund, Chance Technologies; as a Venture Partner at Amplify.LA I have sold companies of my own, companies I have invested in, and helped companies I've run or invested in with corporate development partnerships to help their business.

Startup 147

Startup Technical Review Entrepreneur Software Review 147

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 25, 2009

I write this post as a warning to pick your VC’s carefully. Below is a quote about Gus from The Funded. Many years ago I worked at Andersen Consulting, originally developing software for large corporations and then as a strategy consultant. He also had experience in setting up tech development centers in India.

Venture Capital 297

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Entrepreneur 297

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 28, 2011

You want somebody who can raise $15 million to build out your R&D, business development and sales organizations. I am a strong believer that leadership and team development comes from these daily interactions. I’ll write that post one day – it is a very interesting story. They fund people with no customers.

CTO Hire 363

CTO Hire Technical Review Startup Demand 363

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

He said, “They need an unbiased view of the fund raising environment because there is too much misinformation and everything seems to be changing fast.&#. I will write more about this in the next 2 weeks. – you’re very well positioned as a fund. This post originally ran on TechCrunch. I believe that.

Pricing 309

Pricing Marketing Startup Venture Capital 309

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2010

No rule is ever absolute no matter how it sounds when one writes a blog. But in these years I learned how to sell software – necessity is the mother of all invention. I learned how to integrate customers into our product development process. Finally, I made clear that there are ALWAYS exceptions to the rule.

Startup 285

Startup Venture Capital Sales Software Review 285

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 29, 2009

My firm GRP Partners recently funded a young LA based company named Ad.Ly Wordpress), video (YouTube), pictures (Flickr), review sites (Yelp) and collaborative content (Wikipedia). Because they wouldn’t have the enormous amounts of profits that they’ve been able to sink back into research & development.

Ideas 286

Ideas Advertising Google Technical Review 286

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 25, 2016

It says that selling an airplane ticket for $500 and getting paid a $5 fees by the airlines (1% gross margin) is not the same thing as selling $500 of software that you built (>90% gross margin). The questions that a VC mulls before writing a check are precisely the questions you should be asking yourself. Market Size.

Startup 150

Startup Marketing Study SEO 150