Both Sides of the Table
APRIL 28, 2012
When you work inside a startup with lots of clever and motivated staff you’re never short of good ideas that you can implement. It’s tempting to take on new projects, new features, new geographies, new speaking opportunities, whatever. Each one incrementally sounds like a good idea, yet collectively they end up punishing undisciplined teams.
SoCal CTO
APRIL 18, 2012
Todd Gitlin of Safire Partners - a go to resource here in LA for recruiting C-level positions at startups - was nice enough to compile some data again this year (see last year's Startup CTO Salary and Equity Data ). Even better, my good friend and data visualization guru Steve Wexler of Data Revelations was able to create visualizations of the data.
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InfoChachkie
APRIL 24, 2012
Article first published as Why A Prominent Start-up Executive Wants You to Get Fired and Fail on Technorati. Kim Kovaks, Founder and CEO OptionEase , recently spoke to a class of emerging entrepreneurs at UC Santa Barbara. With over 700 customers, OptionEase has become the leading enterprise class SaaS solution for stock option and equity compensation tracking and compliance.
socalTECH
APRIL 3, 2012
Laguna Hills-based Ayannah , a developer of mobile payment products for emerging markets, has scored a round of funding, according to investor Siemer Ventures. Size of the round, and details of other investors, was not announced. Ayannah also has offices in the Philippines and Hong Kong, and offers a number of mobile payment services operating in the Philippines.
Advertiser: Aggregage
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.
Berkonomics
APRIL 14, 2012
There is a natural fear of giving too much information to investors after the initial investment is received. CEO’s worry that investors will not keep the information confidential and that financial data will find its way into competitors’ hands. Others worry that investors will latch onto individual line items within financial data and engage in inquisitions regarding telephone bills, marketing costs and other tactical line items in detailed financial statements.
Technology Council
APRIL 20, 2012
By Bill Swanson, CEO Decisions Revenue is down and so is profit. You listened to your customers, assessed the competitors, enlisted the brightest of your team, and sifted through the brains of the best external experts. You’re feeling good about your decision to signed-off on that five hundred thousand dollar Sales Improvement Program; you locked [.].
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SoCal CTO
APRIL 2, 2012
Using my StartupRoar as a radar, I came across a great post by Gabriel Weinberg Do you really need a full-time hire for that? Hiring seems to be the preferred use of seed funds (by investors and founders), whereas I'd prefer a focus on customer acquisition. The problem is you don't yet have product/market fit, and until you do, you don't really know what to build.
InfoChachkie
APRIL 30, 2012
In his book Enchantment , Guy Kawasaki encourages entrepreneurs to immerse their audience in their “cause”, in order to enchant them. One of the immersion techniques Guy promotes is to offer a hands-on trial, in which the prospective customer can touch, feel and experience your product before purchasing it. If you care to learn more about the enchantment process, you may want to watch my interview with Guy HERE , in which he provides a number of enchanting tips and tricks.
socalTECH
APRIL 6, 2012
Are you a small business looking to help drum up some business? Los Angeles-based Couponler , a new website launched this week, is hoping to make it easier for small businesses to create online, printable-coupons, and share them via Facebook, Twitter, or a website. The new site was created by Baron Miller, Ian Kilpatrick, and Jason Eastwood. According to the site, its customer so far include frozen yogurt chain Golden Spoon, which posted a coupon from Couponler to its 37,000 fans on Facebook.
Berkonomics
APRIL 6, 2012
Some businesses just can’t fit within the angel capital or friends and family model for raising funds. Sooner or later these businesses will have to seek venture capital and accommodate the needs of the venture community in negotiating the terms of an investment. First, VC’s in general cannot invest in ‘S’ corporations or limited liability companies (LLC’s).
Technology Council
APRIL 10, 2012
By Jeffrey M. Kaplan As a follow-up to Greg Sikes’ blogpost entitled, “Deep Analytics Become More Relevant In Daily Life”, on March 21, I’d like to suggest that the pervasive nature of today’s powerful new forms of analytics can be found everywhere in our day-to-day lives, ranging from fantasy sports teams to smartphone apps which [.].
Both Sides of the Table
APRIL 17, 2012
Brad Feld visited Los Angeles this past week. I always enjoy spending time with Brad as the antidote to the eco chamber. He is a unique human being with original thoughts & ideas and very limited concern for having to fit into other people’s narratives. And I’ve always remembered a quote from high school, “Non Conformity is the Highest Form of Social Attainment.” That always stuck with me.
Startup Professionals Musings
APRIL 8, 2012
Did you ever wonder why some entrepreneurs always seem to have all the luck and success, while others never seem to catch a break? As an Angel investor, I quickly learned that luck has very little to do with it, and I now look for some personal characteristics and leadership styles that separate the potential winners from the losers. These differences are the reason that investors say that they invest in people, rather than ideas.
InfoChachkie
APRIL 9, 2012
This entry originally appeared at Live Your Legend. “It is difficult to see the picture when you are inside the frame.”. Eugene Kleiner, Co-founder Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers. A small percentage of people in each free-market society generate the jobs for everyone else. These entrepreneurs do not risk everything, work outrageous hours and put themselves under extreme pressure because they want to.
socalTECH
APRIL 9, 2012
Santa Monica-based Kuapay , a new startup aiming at the mobile payments and loyalty markets, has scored $2M in funding, the firm has disclosed. The startup is headed by Joaquin Ayuso de Paul, one of the angel investors in Border Stylo and co-founder of Spanish social network Tuenti.com (acquired by Telefonica). According to Kuapay, the firm's mobile apps run on iPhone, Android, and Blackberry, and allow users to make credit card purchases with their smartphone, by linking with existing point of
Berkonomics
APRIL 19, 2012
Professional investors laugh when they hear an entrepreneur state, “We have no competition.” That statement has killed more investment deals than almost any other. It is a failed litmus test for the entrepreneur, even if the plan is for a totally new device or service that could take the world by storm. Well, come to think of it, this is especially true in such an instance.
Tech Zulu Event
APRIL 17, 2012
When we think of our neighbors to the North in Canada, we think of bountiful natural resources, open land, and flannel shirts; we don’t necessarily think of tech. The major cities are dominated by industries such as oil, resource exporting, and politics. With the latest in RIMs downward spiral, Canada should be expected to leave this industry to the Valley.
Both Sides of the Table
APRIL 27, 2012
When you work inside a startup with lots of clever and motivated staff you’re never short of good ideas that you can implement.
Startup Professionals Musings
APRIL 21, 2012
One of the toughest decisions for a startup is how to price their product or service. The alternatives range from giving it away for free (like Twitter), to pricing based on costs, to charging what the market will bear (premium pricing). The implications of the decision you make are huge, defining your brand image, your funding requirements, and your long-term business viability.
InfoChachkie
APRIL 16, 2012
Article first published as Steve Blank Discusses Origin And Future Of Lean Startup Movement on Technorati. I recently spoke with Steve Blank, author of the new book The Startup Owner’s Manual. Steve is also a Stanford Professor and noted marketing entrepreneur. He is credited with pioneering the Lean Startup Movement in 2005 via the publication of his bestselling, Four Steps To The Epiphany.
socalTECH
APRIL 27, 2012
Six companies started by students at the University of Southern California's Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at USC Marshall have been awarded a total of $50,000 in seed funding, after competing in the center's New Venture Seed Competition held this week. According to USC Marshall, it awarded $15,000 in seed funding for two first place winners, and four $5,000 seed prizes to companies.
Berkonomics
APRIL 28, 2012
This important variation on “money talks” is an important consideration for entrepreneurs when seeking an investment from professionals such as VC’s. Something like a marriage (and often lasting just as long statistically), your investment partner can be a great cheerleader, coach and resource. But the moment things turn sour, including missed plans, some investors on company boards go into a predictable mode of dictating terms for emergency loans or additional investment.
Tech Zulu Event
APRIL 25, 2012
We’ve all have heard the great expression, “it’s all about who you know” more times that we can remember. But more often than not it plays very true in our daily lives. The right recommendation from someone could get you your next gig, into the hot new club, and maybe even tickets to the big summer concert. Moofacese is out to help those opportunities thrive when is comes to the jobs market.
Frank Addante
APRIL 6, 2012
In today’s digital age, it’s hard to focus. But the Not-Right-Now list can help you get things done. Most people operate with To-Do lists. If you’re like me, it seems as though that To-Do list never ends and you never check everything off of it. It’s so easy to add new things to the To-Do list. For those who use their email box as a To-Do list, it can be even worse.
Startup Professionals Musings
APRIL 22, 2012
A few angel investors have slipped or fallen from their lofty perch, so entrepreneurs must take great care to validate the character and reputation of every prospective investor. The entrepreneur’s tendency to be in a huge hurry to obtain the funding can end up being disastrous, and play into the hands of these less scrupulous investors. Many entrepreneurs believe all money is created equal.
InfoChachkie
APRIL 3, 2012
Note: This is Part IV in the Startup Team Building series. Read Part I HERE , Part II HERE and Part III HERE. This article originally appeared at Inc.com HERE. They smile, they laugh on cue and they have a rehearsed response for every conventional interview question. They profess to be entrepreneurs, but are they actually Wantrepreneurs? A Wantrepreneur is a well-intentioned person who wants to be an entrepreneur, but does not have the skills, personality and or risk profile to be successful.
socalTECH
APRIL 10, 2012
One of the most original, subscription startups to come out of Southern California's tech accelerator boom emerged last week, looking to disrupt not just another retail sector or e-commerce category, but something else entirely: the airline industry. Surf Air (www.surfair.com), launching out of the Muckerlab startup accelerator in Santa Monica, is looking to create a new way of flying, taking aviation and combining it with the subscription model.
Alon Schwartz
APRIL 10, 2012
Intro. In my previous blog post Do’s and Don’ts of a Job Interview I described the importance of the first ten seconds of a job interview from the interviewee’s standpoint. In this post I will dive into the importance, limitations and traps of the first ten seconds, but focus instead on the interviewer’s standpoint. The Caveman Brain. Have you ever noticed that when you talk with people you have never met on the phone, you always try to picture what they look like?
Tech Zulu Event
APRIL 13, 2012
Have you ever found yourself standing in a crowded bar during happy hour, waiting for what seems like hours to get a drink or food? Don’t feel bad, we’ve all been there before. You stand around hoping to catch the bartenders attention. When you finally do, you order up your round and snacks. Then you get to think about starting a tab or cashing out?
socalTECH
APRIL 5, 2012
If you're a music artist or band, and you want to create your own fan app for the iPhone, Android, or iPad, you're looking at hiring an app development firm, spending six months, and $100,000--right? Actually, no thanks to Santa Monica-based Mobile Roadie. Mobile Roadie, headed by Michael Schneider , develops tools that make easy for non-programmers to create their own mobile apps.
socalTECH
APRIL 30, 2012
El Segundo-based NanoH2O the developer of high efficiency, reverse osmosis membranes for seawater desalination, announced this morning that it has raised a total of $60M in equity and debt funding. According to the firm, it raised $40M in equity and $20.5M in credit facilities. The equity round was led by BASF Venture Capital GmbH, Total Energy Ventures International and Keytone Ventures, and also included Khosla Ventures, Oak Investment Partners, CalPERS Clean Energy & Technology Fund repre
socalTECH
APRIL 12, 2012
A new report this week from the Startup Genome Project has ranked Los Angeles as number six in a list of the world's most active startup ecosystems. The report, which used data from the Startup Genome's benchmarking tool to rank startup performance, found that Silicon Valley topped the list, followed by New York City, London, Toronto, and Tel Aviv. Los Angeles beat other startup hubs such as Seattle, Boston, and Mumbai in the rankings.
socalTECH
APRIL 5, 2012
Tired of being herded like cattle on your regular trip between Los Angeles and Palo Alto? Los Angeles-based Surf Air just launched today, emerging out of the MuckerLab accelerator, saying that it is looking to turn the airline industry on its head with a subscription-based, all you can fly airline initially targeting commuters between Silicon Valley and Los Angeles.
socalTECH
APRIL 16, 2012
Santa Monica-based Edmunds.com , the online auto information web site, said this morning that it has enhanced its site, adding a new online chat feature on the site. Edmunds.com said the online chat allows participating dealers on the site to answer questions about inventory, pricing, and to gain other information about new and used vehicles. Edmunds.com said it is tapping Contact At Once!
socalTECH
APRIL 11, 2012
Los Angeles-based Postcard on the Run , the mobile app startup which allows users to take a photo on their smartphone and turn that into a real, physical postcard, has inked a partnership with a hotel and resort operator. According to the Viceroy Hotel Group , which operates hotels and resorts in Abu Dhabi, Anguilla, Beverly Hills, Miami, New York, Palm Springs, Riviera Maya, Santa Monica, Snowmass, St.
socalTECH
APRIL 27, 2012
Hawthorne-based commercial spacecraft developer SpaceX said Friday that it will be webcasting its test firing of its Falcon 9 rocket, as it prepared for its upcoming launch to dock with the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX said it will be conducting a static fire test of the Falcon 9 on Monday, April 30th, at 2:30 P.M. The entire test will be webcast on the SpaceX site.
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