January, 2015

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Be Honest About Whether Your Product Really Makes a Difference

Both Sides of the Table

'Startups in a world of massive markets can be confusing. The law of large numbers, platforms that can make your company blow up unexpectedly and the trendy nature of tech markets can be deceiving. Success for many is ephemeral. I have written about the deceiving nature of early successes before – in particular in the SaaS or B2B world leading to a phenomenon called “shelfware.” If you didn’t read it I recommend it.

Product 256
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Stay in touch with your investors.

Berkonomics

'Investors as a group have a common gripe – almost universal. Information flows from the company irregularly, in fact most often when the company is urgently in need of more money. Investment documents usually call for quarterly reporting by the company to the investors. Less than a quarter of companies receiving early stage investment voluntarily fulfill this promise.

Invest 166
Insiders

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IDrive Rolls Out Full System Image Backups

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based online storage and backup service IDrive is extending further into the enterprise side of the disaster recovery and backup market, saying this week that it has added disk image backup--the backup of entire system drives and operating systems--to its suite of services. The company said the service is aimed at allowing its users to recover their systems in the event of system crashes and other disasters, which it says is specifically important for larger organizations with busin

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Sorry Professor, The American Dream Is Not Dead

InfoChachkie

'A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. I recently came across a disturbing article entitled, "The American Dream Is An Illusion," written by a college Economics Professor. The Professor argues that, ". recent evidence suggests that, in reality, social mobility rates are extremely low. Seven to ten generations are required before the descendants of high and low status families achieve average status.".

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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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Many Entrepreneurs Are Too Busy, But Not Productive

Startup Professionals Musings

'If you define your self-worth as an entrepreneur by how busy you are, it’s time to find another lifestyle. We all know people who are extraordinarily busy, but never seem to accomplish anything. For survival, entrepreneurs need to be all about accomplishing results that matter for themselves, their team, and their customers. That’s productivity. Why is this so hard?

Product 111
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Bindo POS | A Simple and Affordable iPad POS System for Businesses

Tech Zulu Event

'Retail lives by the point-of-sales (POS) systems. Without it, the world of retail would simply not exist. One glaring problem arises for many POS systems, and it’s the technology its built on. POS systems are coded on old tech and causes many problems and expenses for a lot of businesses. Bindo created a POS system to create a cheaper and simpler system for businesses to use.

Sales 77

More Trending

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The five “Whys” a manager should ask

Berkonomics

'This is a trick headline. There can be three “whys” or twenty, depending upon the issue and the responses. To make the point, the word “why” has to be one of the more powerful words in a manager’s vocabulary. Asking the question forces the other person to think beyond the usual “what” that generated a response to “why.”. It sure is a way to get to the bottom of an issue.

Resource 202
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Microsemi, Rambus Link In Cryptography Deal

socalTECH

'Aliso Viejo-based Microsemi has linked up with Rambus , in a deal where Microsemi will resell advanced security technologies from Rambus into the government and military market. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. The two said the deal covers certain differential power analysis (DPA) technologies developed by Rambus in its Cryptography Research division, plus AES cryptogrpahic cores.

Research 125
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Do Not Obsess On Names – Obsess On Delivering Awesome Customer Value

InfoChachkie

'A version of this article previously appeared in the Wall Street Journal. “With a name like Smucker’s, it has to be good.” Really? If Smucker’s can annually generate hundreds of millions in sales for a variety of food products, there is little risk that a mediocre company or product name will preclude you from achieving similar success. The value of an ideal name, attached to a product or company that does not deliver an economically viable value proposition, is zero.

Customer 152
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Startups Without Business Plans Are Expensive Hobbies

Startup Professionals Musings

'If you sold your last startup for $800 million, you probably already know how to build a business, and even conservative investors won’t worry about the quality of your next business plan. But, for the rest of us, don’t believe the Silicon Valley myth that all you have to do is sketch your million-dollar idea on the back of a napkin, and investors will line up to give you money.

Startup 109
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How to Take Control of Your Hive of HDMIs

Tech Zulu Event

'Christmas morning probably saw more than a few gift recipients searching fruitlessly for just one more HDMI port behind the television. High-Definition Multimedia Interface cables have quickly become the standard for connecting all audio/visual equipment to our televisions, but with everything from your cable box to your PlayStation to your BluRay player to that new streaming media device you found under the tree all vying for one of those precious ports, how do you deal with a lack of them?

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The Most Misunderstood Facts About Building a Business on YouTube

Both Sides of the Table

'Any reader of this blog for a period of time will know that I’ve been long YouTube for years. Along with Greycroft, I was the first institutional investor in Maker Studios (sold to Disney for nearly $1 billion) and am still the largest investor in Mitu Network , the largest online video producer of Latino content. We have made 5 online video investments in total – some we will talk about later this year.

SEM 288
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Hire slowly. Fire fast.

Berkonomics

'New hires can shore up the weak areas of a business in ways existing employees cannot, if hiring is done to fill true needs. Some employees lose their drive, or remain behind as the company grows, failing to gain the experience or knowledge needed to manage expanded processes or numbers of subordinates. Sometimes, there is just too much work for one person, and a second is needed to continue growth.

Course 166
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WiSpry Gets Antenna Design Win

socalTECH

'Irvine-based WiSpry reported Thursday that it has landed a design win with radio frequency identification product maker SkyeTek. WiSpry said thata SkyeTek has leveraged its tunable radio frequency micromechanical (RF MEMS) semiconductor products to develop an RF-tuned, UHF RFID antenna. The company''s products are used to optimize the signal between SkyTek''s RFID readers and the antenna so that they work across the full RFID range.

Design 125
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Startup Pricing: Are You Selling A Giffen Product?

InfoChachkie

'A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. In his premier film appearance in the blaxploitation send-up “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka,” Chris Rock inadvertently addresses a key pricing challenge faced by most entrepreneurs. Watch this 93-second clip and see if you can identify the pricing pitfall addressed in this humorous snippet. Caution: contains a bit of profanity (it is Chris Rock, after all).

Pricing 159
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How Introverts Like Mark Zuckerberg Build A Startup

Startup Professionals Musings

'You can’t win as an entrepreneur working alone. You need to have business relationships with team members, investors, customers, and a myriad of other support people. That doesn’t mean you have to be a social butterfly to succeed, or introverts need not apply. It does mean that you need to look, listen, and participate in the business world around you, and network through all available channels, like business-oriented social networks online (LinkedIn), local business organizations (Chamber of C

Startup 108
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BYOD Policies: Why Healthcare Must Avoid Workarounds

Tech Zulu Event

'Technology is transforming entire industries, including Healthcare. The shift from legacy Electronic Health Records to cloud-based EHR systems containing massive volumes of private patient information is one sweeping example of that change. Using big data analytics, healthcare providers can now leverage patient data on EHR systems for insights that can lead to improved standards of care and better outcomes.

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Blogging for the Hell of It, Not Blogging to Stay Relevant

Both Sides of the Table

'I used to love blogging. For me it was always a creative outlet. I love sitting down – often in “one take” like a classic film – and capturing what was on my mind at the moment. What I loved about it was that my thoughts were instantly in the ether, I would get quick feedback from readers and I would know where my ideas stood in the world of ideas.

Blogging 253
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You may burn your first professional manager.

Berkonomics

'It seems to be a rule, not an exception. The first professional senior manager that an entrepreneur hires to share the growing workload does not last more than a year. Why? Entrepreneurs start businesses with a strong vision of what and how , involved in every process from buying supplies to hiring and directly supervising early employees. The culture of the company is built day by day by those actions, often centering on the founder’s vision and management style with little room for deviati

Metrics 157
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3D Robotics Brings Drones Into The Schoolroom

socalTECH

'Are unmanned aerial vehicles the next hot ticket in education? San Diego-based consumer drone developer 3D Robotics is hoping to bring its unmanned aerial vehicles to school, with a new program it launched Thursday called DroneEDU , saying that it will offer free and discounted hardware and support to the classroom. According to 3D Robotics, the new program is aimed at assisting students, teachers, and schools in deploying their own, unmanned aerial vehicles for learning and STEM exploration. 3

Education 135
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American Entrepreneurs – Be Happy You Are Not In Spain

InfoChachkie

'A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. One of my top former students, Fredi Fernandez , recently sent me a compelling email. After studying at UC Santa Barbara''s entrepreneurial program , he returned to Spain, excited to start a venture and make a positive impact on his homeland. He founded Alpha Origins in 2011. Although he has helped a number of startups gain traction, he is now questioning if he should flee Spain, given the recent passage of the unprecedented Exit Tax, whi

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How Smart Startups Survive Investor Due Diligence

Startup Professionals Musings

'For the elite startups and entrepreneurs who manage to attract the investor they dream of, and survive the term sheet negotiation, there is still one more hurdle before the money is in the bank. This is the mysterious and dreaded due diligence process, which can kill the whole deal. In reality, it is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of the business and the team.

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7 Ways to Detect, Diagnose and Resolve Network Performance Issues and Outages

Tech Zulu Event

'You have several options at your disposal when trying to detect, diagnose and resolve network problems. Listed below are the basic troubleshooting tips that you can go through to eliminate hours without Internet connectivity. However, the most serious of problems need to be solved by a network technician, but you can avoid technicians if you follow the steps listed below. 1.

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Here’s What The @NYTimes Should Teach Its Writers About Social Media

Both Sides of the Table

'Not everybody likes the NY Times. I happen to be a long-time fan and paid subscriber. I mostly read the op eds and have for years. I count amongst my favorite people to read from the left & the right as David Brooks, Thomas Friedman & Paul Krugman (and was a big fan of the late William Saffire). I also read almost every Maureen Dowd post even though I don’t always agree with her politics or viewpoints I find it interesting to get other perspectives than my own.

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Curb Dangles Deals For Taxi Service

socalTECH

'On-demand taxi service Curb has put on a renewed push to capture some of the Los Angeles on-demand ride market, launching a new promotion today on Groupon offering up to 85 percent off on its services. The company--formerly known as Taxi Magic--competes again Uber, Lyft, Sidecar, and Flywheel in allowing users to summon rides using their smartphone.

Pomona 131
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Ouya Wins $10M From Alibaba, Eyes China

socalTECH

'Santa Monica-based game console developer Ouya has just scored $10M in an investment round from Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba , as part of an effort to take the company''s technology to China, according to a report citing people familiar with the matter. Ouya''s game console leverages the Android operating system. Ouya ha previously raised funding from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Mayfield Fund, NVIDIA, Shasta Ventures, and Occam Partners.

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BlackLine Sees 50 Percent Rise In Revenues

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based financial automation software develper BlackLine continues to see its revenues grow, saying Thursday that its 2014, year-over-year revenues were up more than 50 percent. The company did not disclose its financials for the year. Blackline has been trumpeting its revenue growth and customers for the last few years, most recently announcing it has more than 1,000 clients using its product.

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Nativo Taps NBCUniversal Vet As Exec

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based native advertising technology developer Nativo has tapped a NBCUniversal veteran as its new Vice President of Product Development, the company said today. Nativo said that Carlos Sapene previously was VP of Digital and New Media at NBCUniversal, and worked on such properties as E! Online, Style Network, and Bravo. Nativo said Sapene will help the company to expand its offerings.

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Tech Coast Angels: Record Amount Invested In 2014

socalTECH

'Southern California''s biggest organized, angel investment group, the Tech Coast Angels , said this morning that the group had its biggest investment year ever in 2014, investing a total of $16.37M across 61 total deals. The group said the investments make 2014 its largest ever since 1997 in terms of deals funded and amount raised. The Tech Coast Angels said that it saw five more exits in its portfolio in 2014, with the exits of AIRSIS, Allylix, Bluebeam Software, Hookit (formerly Loop''d Netwo

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Cargomatic Raises $8M For Shipping Marketplace

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based Cargomatic said Thursday that it has raised $8M in a Series A funding round, for its online marketplace for shipping services. The startup, led by Jonathan Kessler, offers up a service which helps connect local shippers with carrier companies who have extra space on their trucks. The funding came from Canaan Partners, Volvo Group Venture Capital, Morado Venture Partners, SV Angel, Sherpa Ventures, Winklevoss Capital, Structure Capital, along with angels.

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HelloTech Finds $2.5M For Tech Support

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based HelloTech said this week that it has raised $2.5M in a seed funding round, to bring remote, technology support to consumers. The startup, led by Richard Wolpert, scored the funding from Upfront Ventures, Accel Partners, Crosscut Ventures, Amplify.LA, Ron Burkle, and others. The startup was incubated from within Amplify.LA. HelloTech is taking an Uber-like approach to its technology support services, tapping into an external network of IT support providers, rather than its own

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Uber Used In Drug Deal In Thousand Oaks

socalTECH

'The Ventura County Sheriff''s department reported this morning that it arrested two suspects in Thousand Oaks, who were using Uber to help conduct deals. According to the Sheriff''s Department, Cody Jens (24) of Agoura Hills, and Luke Karasiuk (22) of Thousand Oaks were arrested after local police made a vehicle code enforcement stop on an Uber driver on Wednesday morning.

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Seriously Launches Best Fiends Onto Amazon

socalTECH

'Santa Monica- and Helskini-based mobile games and entertainment startup Seriously said this morning that it has launched its popular Best Fiends mobile game onto the Amazon Appstore. The game already is available for iOS and Android. Seriously said that it currently has one million, daily active players using the game. Seriously''s Amazon title runs on Amazon''s Fire tablets and Fire Phone, as well as other Android devices.

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SEKUR.me Looks To Connect With Mobile Commerce Firms

socalTECH

'Santa Ana-based SEKUR.me , a startup developing multi-factor, mobile authentication and payment technology, said today that it has launched a new Strategic Alliance program to help enable mobile e-commerce payments. The startup, led by Jack Bicer, said it is aiming at telecoms, financial institutions, social media, smartphone manufacturers, healthcare, and large systems integrators.

Commerce 138
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Gem Bolsters Security Partnerships

socalTECH

'Venice, California-based Bitcoin security developer Gem said Wednesday that it has bolstered its security partnerships, via a link with companies Thales e-Security , CryptoSigma , and Bitmo. Gem, which is led by Micah Winkelspecht, said the link adds support for custom Hardware Security Modules (HSMs) to offer up military-grade protection of encryption keys.

Venice 131
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Takehollywood Links With Mobli

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based Takehollywood , a new startup offering up online short form videos around different topics about acting, said Wednesday that it has linked with Venice-based Mobli , the developer of a social sharing app. The two said the move will help offer up Takehollywood''s content library to Mobli''s users. Takehollywood offers up a large library of videos where actors, acting coaches, agents, casting directors, directors, and producers provide their advice on a wide range of areas.

Coach 125