TechEmpower

NOVEMBER 23, 2015

Round 11 of the ongoing Web Framework Benchmarks project is now available! We'll keep this blog entry short and sweet. The highlights for Round 11. Three new languages are represented in Round 11: Crystal , D , and Rust. Meanwhile, the total number of frameworks has increased by 26. The new frameworks are: silicon (C++). aleph (clojure). pedestal (clojure). crystal-raw (crystal). moonshine (crystal). vibed (d). jawn (java). mangooio (java). koa (js). sails (js). clancats (php). limonade (php). a

Framework 218

Framework PHP Java JavaScript 218

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 19, 2015

I’m often asked about the differences between being at a VC and being an entrepreneur and whether I prefer one or the other. The biggest difference I cite is that Venture Capital often feels like an “individual sport” while startups are a “team sport.” The reason is that at a VC you have a group of partners who often have different focus areas of excellence, each pursues deals in their respective field, each makes investments and sits on boards and each spends their

Rancho Palos Verdes 276

Rancho Palos Verdes Santa Monica Venture Capital Startup 276

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 26, 2015

We’re talking about brand strategy here. Not advertising, and certainly not an easy grasp for amateur marketers. So how developed is your company’s brand? Is your message clear, concise and consistent? There is a process used by professionals to get to clear messaging. It starts with “discovery,” the process of finding the strengths of the company in the minds of all stakeholders.

Advertising 146

Advertising Email Help Marketing 146

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

Are you a fan of Seinfeld? Plan a visit to West Hollywood in a couple of weeks, when Los Angeles-based streaming television site Hulu is opening up its popular "Seinfeld: The Apartment" experience on Melrose Avenue. According to Hulu, its true-to-life apartment exhibit--which includes a recreation of the Seinfeld apartment, a gallery of props and memorabilia, and more from the show, will be open to the public from December 16th through the 20th.

Hulu 143

Hulu West Hollywood Hollywood Startup 143

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.

Company

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 23, 2015

A version of this article previously appeared on Forbes. There are a number of reasons why Rincon Venture Partners passed on Twilio’s Seed Round. In retrospect, our decision was both perfectly rational and completely lame. VC's love to talk about their successes. However, they seldom acknowledge their mistakes. Exceptions exist, such as the highly self-aware Paige Craig, who recently described how he missed out becoming Airbnb's first investor.

Venture Capital 154

Venture Capital Technical Review Software Review Southern California 154

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 1, 2015

Every entrepreneur thinks he can relax a bit after his business model is proven, funding is in place, and revenues are scaling as projected up that hockey-stick curve. Unfortunately, the market is changing so fast these days that any upward climb can level off quickly, as the core business growth begins to stall. This S-Curve, with no correction, can quickly lead to disaster.

Startup 116

Startup Pricing Cloud Computing Customer 116

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 3, 2015

In our industry we always talk about funding big ideas or funding things with more meaning. It’s something Yves Sisteron & I have been talking about for years at Upfront Ventures. Today we’re proud to talk more about Grove Labs – we really hope you’ll quickly check out this innovative product and we think many of you will be as impressed with Grove as we have been.

Technical Review 292

Technical Review Software Review Startup Ideas 292

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 19, 2015

Customer empowerment is moving so fast nowadays that many of us are running to just catch up. Yet if we don’t or can’t, it is a sure thing that someone else will. Blame the Internet for this rise in customer expectations. But don’t close your eyes to the fact that your customers have grown to expect your products or services in the form of…. ‘WHAT I want, WHEN I want, and WHERE I want.’.

Custom 159

Custom Customer Demand Competition 159

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

In what is good news for Southern California's venture backed startups, one of the region's most active investors, Greycroft Partners , has raised $200M in its fourth fund. Greycroft said it just closed Greycroft IV as of today, bringing its total under management to $800M. Greycroft says it now has 20 people, split between New York and Los Angeles.

Southern California 116

Southern California Funding News Los Angeles 116

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 9, 2015

A version of this article previously appeared on the Wall Street Journal. As crazy as it sounds, surfing has made me a better investor. The sport involves a surprising amount of downtime between sets. During the many hours I have stood in anticipation of the next wave (as noted in You’re Never To Old To Learn To Surf , I’m an old guy on a standup paddle board), I have come to realize that surfing and investing share a number of surprising corollaries.

Invest 181

Invest Software Review Journal Competition 181

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2015

Many new entrepreneurs are so excited by their latest idea that they can’t resist contacting every investor they know, assuming the investor will be equally excited and want to contribute immediately. Others will work hard on a business plan, and then mail it indiscriminately to every potential investor they can find on the Internet. Both of these approaches are a waste of your time and theirs.

Technical Review 109

Technical Review Entrepreneur Startup Statistics 109

Tech.Co

NOVEMBER 5, 2015

When Jacob Salamon and Jared Bauer met each other freshman year at UT-Austin, they were sitting in an astronomy class. As the two got to talking, it came out that Salamon was in the business school while Bauer attended the film school. They became fast friends, and Salamon talked about how it’d be fun to move to Los Angeles and make movies with Bauer some day; neither of them had any expectation, at the time, that they’d collaborate on Wisecrack , one of the most successful YouTube v

Education 93

Education Los Angeles Class Ideas 93

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

Make In LA begun the process of recruiting Batch 2 of their Make in LA hardware accelerator. A great opportunity for any early stage hardware startup. Make in LA is LA’s first hardware accelerator. Make in LA makes hardware less hard, working with 5 promising start-ups at a time. They de-risk hardware companies by focusing on the team, the technology, the market, and the manufacturing with their in-house experts as well as their global network.

Startup 40

Startup Invest Chatsworth Mentor 40

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 12, 2015

This one is attributed to Rod Adair, the famous oil and gas fire suppressing expert. And boy, does it apply to most of us and our offerings. “Quality” products and services should not be positioned as “cheap,” or your potential customers will question your message from the start, and will be more critical of the delivered product than if offered as one or the other, but not both.

Resource 226

Resource Sales Pricing Demand 226

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

A new report from the United Nations is pointing at the rise of mobile dating apps for an HIV epidemic among teenagers in Asia--particularly among young, gay men, according to a report from the Guardian. Two of the biggest, mobile dating apps developers, Tinder and Grindr--which are both based in Los Angeles--who have taken fire for facilitating a culture of casual hookups , are mentioned in the report.

Report 109

Report Los Angeles Mobile Angel 109

Frank Addante

NOVEMBER 23, 2015

Part of being CEO and Founder of a company is learning to navigate the different tasks, people and opportunities that are constantly competing for your time. That’s the nature of the beast. The discipline lies in being strategic about your schedule to maximize your time and productivity. Below are 10 strategies that have helped me become more productive: 1.

Software Review 40

Software Review Examples Press Help 40

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 6, 2015

Surviving as an entrepreneur requires unbridled passion, enthusiasm and a certain naiveté in the face of many unknowns. Young people are more accustomed to facing a new world each day, so they don’t worry about it, and usually actually relish the new adventure. Once the rest of us reach a certain age, we know too many things that can go wrong, so we avoid the path entirely.

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur Satisfaction Startup Social Media 106

Jason Nazar

NOVEMBER 1, 2015

I’ve been a part of dozens (maybe hundreds) of product launches And in each of these cases I ask my team to put together a simple dashboard of a small set of metrics for our paid and free products that let me know the success of our efforts. For startup entrepreneurs, you can also track these metrics with Google analytics. Paid Product Metrics.

Marketing 40

Marketing CPC Metrics .Net 40

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 25, 2015

Due to the rapid growth in technology and the internet world, there have been numerous reports about cyber security issues across the states. This technological growth has opened paths to more theft issues, abuse as well as fund embezzlement. Individuals who are detailed about the modern technological world are more vulnerable to these rampant cyber attacks.

Technical Review 40

Technical Review Organization Software Review Networking 40

Tech.Co

NOVEMBER 12, 2015

When Los Angeles, CA was listed as the fastest-growing tech startup region in 2014, many guesses were raised about the root cause of its success. Could it be the large number of new companies? Is it the culture or community atmosphere? But trying to boil it down to a single trait minimizes its impact. No, to see the strength of Los Angeles’ startup scene, you must look at the whole story.

Cornerstone OnDemand 115

Cornerstone OnDemand Startup Buzzfeed Los Angeles 115

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

Startup accelerator operator Techstars is making a big push to enroll startups in its new, Los Angeles-based startup accelerator, the Techstars Healthcare Accelerator , saying it is launching a nationwide tour to talk to prospective startups about the accelerator. The accelerator--which will be the second for Techstars in Los Angeles--is being run at Cedars Sinai.

Los Angeles 109

Los Angeles Startup Angel 109

Frank Addante

NOVEMBER 23, 2015

Part of being CEO and Founder of a company is learning to navigate the different tasks, people and opportunities that are constantly competing for your time. That’s the nature of the beast. The discipline lies in being strategic about your schedule to maximize your time and productivity. Below are 10 strategies that have helped me become more productive: 1.

Software Review 48

Software Review Examples Press Help 48

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 18, 2015

One of the business ironies that many entrepreneurs have learned the hard way in the past is that ideas which are truly disruptive carry the highest risk of failure, take the longest to gain traction, and thus are the least likely to get external funding. So some entrepreneurs stick with incremental solutions, avoiding more transformational or adaptive solutions implying disruptive change.

Startup 102

Startup Cloud Computing Ideas Entrepreneur 102

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 16, 2015

I had a bunch of topics teed up now that I’m back in LA after 2 weeks of constant travel. I felt excited to write because it’s a cathartic outlet for me and saves me from doing email. But no words would come out this weekend. After watching the terrorist activities in Beirut and Paris and blog post seemed trite. It’s terrible that a group of Islamic extremists is having some success in perverting the Muslim religion in an attempt to divide the rational world of moderate people.

Help 244

Help Writing Blogging News 244

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 23, 2015

It’s not always easy to find the right people to do the job. Holiday hiring is a little bit harder because of the hurry associated with it. Staffing for busy holidays goes beyond big business as well as retail stores. If you are in the retail sales, hospitality, technology, inventory, administrative or fall under larger commercial companies, then you know you will require extra help during the holiday season.

Tips 40

Tips Screening Custom Customer 40

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 5, 2015

A friend of mine recently told me his story of how his very career rests on his credibility with his major supplier–partners. He stated that everything rides upon his credibility when he declares that he can produce a quality product on time, especially when his competition has faltered attempting to do so. There’s little news in that statement. Until you hear of the stories of those who destroyed a good thing with one badly executed promise, or one lie, or one slip in quality or delivery.

News 178

News Email Competition Pricing 178

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

Irvine-based OpticPharma , a biopharmaceuticals firm developing treatments for ear, nose, and throat (ENT) disorders, said today that it has named Keith A. Katkin as its Chairman of the board. Katkin is the President and CEO of Avanir Pharmaceuticals. Katkin also has served at Peninsula Pharmaceuticals, InterMune, Amgen and Abbott Laboratories. He is on the boards of Avanir, Rigel Therapeutics, Carbylan Therapeutics, and CoverMymeds, among other organizations.

Organization 109

Organization Develop Development 109

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 16, 2015

Brian Epstein, the Beatles’ Manager, was tenacious and ambitious, but he was musically inept. Brian was instrumental in establishing the Beatles’ career, but he had no input on the band’s production of music. In the same way, investors can be immensely additive to an entrepreneur’s journey, as long as they know the limits of their ability to help. Effective startup investors guide management’s decision process, but ultimately they support the team’s decisions.

Startup 189

Startup Guide Venture Capital Entrepreneur 189

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2015

A popular myth these days is that successful entrepreneurs must attract investors to get their businesses going, when the reality has been that more than 80 percent of new businesses are started and grown with no outside investment at all. In fact, there is plenty of evidence that too much money can undermine a startup more quickly than squeezing pennies.

Startup 101

Startup Entrepreneur Equity Summary 101

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

Irvine-based security software developer CrowdStrike announced this morning that it has named Colin Black as its new Chief Information Officer. Black was previously CIO of Kratos Defense and Security, and also had served at Cymer and Mindspeed Technologies. CrowdStrike said Black will focus on infrastructure expansion of its platform. CrowdStrike is venture backed by Google Capital, Rackspace, Accel, and Warburg Pincus, among others, and is led by George Kurtz, the founder of Foundstone and form

CIO 109

CIO Google Software Development Platform 109

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

Los Angeles-based API management software developer Akana reports this morning that it has signed up Aeromexico as a customer. Financial impact of the win was not announced. Akana said Aeromexico is using its software for managing its application programming interfaces (APIs) for its various IT systems. In particular, Akana said it is using Akana' API management software to expand its mobile app program, and help partners such as hotel chains and cruise ship lines tap into its systems in real ti

Software Development 100

Software Development Los Angeles Software Report 100

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

Los Angeles- and London-based MakieLab , one of the companies out of Disney's recent Disney Accelerator class, started shipping its Disney-themed, custom 3D printed dolls on Friday, with clothing and designs from Disney properties. MakieLab creates custom, 3D printed dolls which the hair, skin, eye color, and other aspects of the doll are highly customized, to either match a kids' own features or for a custom look.

Design 109

Design Class Los Angeles Custom 109

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

U.S., desktop retail e-commerce spending on Thanksgiving and Black Friday both totaled more than $1 billion each, according to numbers from comScore released over the weekend. According to comScore, online shoppers spent $1.096 billion on Thanksgiving, and $1.65 billion on Black Friday, both a rise from last year. Thanksgiving sales were up 9 percent, and Black Friday sales were up 10 percent versus last year. comScore said it has tallied $23.4 billion online so far for the first 27 days of the

Sales 109

Sales Commerce 109

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

San Luis Obispo-based Shopatron , which develops e-commerce software, is being acquired by private equity investor Vista Equity Partners , according to the companies. Financial terms of the buy were not announced. Vista Equity partners said the deal combines both Shopatron and another, e-commerce software provider, MarketLive , which it is acquiring in a simultaneous deal.

Equity 116

Equity Commerce Software Capital 116

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 25, 2015

Los Angeles-based Mixcord , a startup developing a mobile app which lets performers record, synchornize, and share their vocal harmonies, dances and skits, has raised $1M in a seed funding round. The funding came from Mucker Capital, Social Starts, and angels. Mixcord was founded by Ihung Tu, and says its app, Acapella, has been used by such artists as Lil Wayne, Young Money, Austin Mahone and Von Grey, along with other celebrities, aspiring singers, and fans.

Seed Funding 109

Seed Funding Los Angeles Mobile Capital 109

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 25, 2015

Woodland Hills-based United Online announced this morning that it has embarked an a "review of strategic alternatives", including the potential sale of the company or sales of its assets, after an unsolicited takeover offer from B. Riley Capital Management. According to United Online, it is looking to "maximize shareholder value" in the strategic review, and it also has rejected, outright, the offer from B.

Woodland Hills 109

Woodland Hills Sales Capital Company 109