Both Sides of the Table
FEBRUARY 27, 2010
Nature vs. Nurture. You’ve all heard the question before. Let’s talk about kids for a moment. I grew up believing that human behavior was 20% nature, 80% nurture. Now that I have two boys (4 and 7) I’m convinced it’s the other way around. There’s no question that both factors are involved. There have been many studies done on the topic including looking at twins raised in separate families.
socalTECH
MARCH 2, 2010
Alec Shankman is CEO of Santa Monica-based Gotcast (www.gotcast.com), an online site focused on casting of actors for television shows, movies, and other productions. The firm is venture and angel backed, and was co-founded by Wil Schroter, who is involved with a number of other startups here, including Affordit. We sat down with Alec the other day to hear more about the company and what it's try to do.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
SoCal CTO
MARCH 1, 2010
Here are some recent great posts that I’ve come across that generally fall in the intersection of startups and CTOs. Enjoy. Startup Killer: the Cost of Customer Acquisition | For Entrepreneurs , February 2, 2010 Looks at the critical equation around customer acquisition cost vs. customer lifetime value similar to what I discussed in Startup Metrics but in more depth.
Berkonomics
MARCH 3, 2010
You can take “everything changes&# as a rule, not an exception. You’ll recognize the truism, “No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy” first stated by German Field Marshall von Moltke in the 19 th century. This variant of the “battle plan” truism is important to internalize. A product at the concept stage contains feature-functionality that customers may not want or be willing to pay for, or which just might not work well enough for release to the public. .
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.
Both Sides of the Table
MARCH 3, 2010
Many of us in the technology, media and VC world sit on panels at lot. Many of them are painfully boring. It’s a shame since it’s such a golden opportunity for you to build awareness with your audience for who you are and what you do. And it’s a surprisingly great way to meet people in this industry who share the stage with you.
socalTECH
MARCH 3, 2010
Los Angeles-based GotCast.com , the online casting site run by Alec Shankman, said today that it has launched two talent searches for on-camera roles, for The Streamy Award, and HollyScoop, a syndicated TV show and site focused on celebrites, music, and fashion news. GotCast allows users to submit their profiles, photos, and information in hopes of getting casted for entertainment positions.
Southern California Tech Central brings together the best content for technical professionals in Southern California from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
SoCal Tech Calendar
MARCH 5, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010 -- Social Media: Beyond Branding. TCOSC. We'll share and discuss where brands fit in the wide world of social media culture and how you can use social media to drive your business results. We'll talk about each of the channels, success stories within each one as well as some must-do practices for marketers looking to leverage social media as a promotional venue.
Both Sides of the Table
MARCH 2, 2010
After a few days of controversial blog posts I thought I’d try something more light hearted today. Fred Wilson once wrote about the topic of how to introduce two people who don’t know each other via email. He called it the “ double opt-in introduction. &# He talks about the stuggles of email introductions when you’re dealing at scale.
socalTECH
MARCH 2, 2010
Torrance-based LiveOffice , a provider of email archiving services, announced today that the firm is releasing a new product specifically aimed at archiving social media sites, including LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. The firm said the new LiveOffice Social Archive software is can capture and retain content from any public web site. LifeOffice said the solution is geared toward addressing recent FINRA regulations on communications by securities firms and brokers on those social networking site
Tech Coast Venture Network
FEBRUARY 28, 2010
El. L Sanders shares the story behind his patented sports bra venture ( www.activeinneractions.com ). Tags: Snapshots introduction sanders startup story venture.
SoCal Tech Calendar
MARCH 5, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010 -- Cal Poly Pomona Technology Incubator March 2010 Showcase and Networking. Come to Cal Poly Pomona to view and network with university talent and view the Cal Poly Pomona Incubator Lab Projects. Students and entrepreneurs in residence have worked together to produce new technology and applications with an emphasis on internet software and mobile applications.
Both Sides of the Table
MARCH 5, 2010
I attended the inaugural Open Angel Forum in Los Angeles back in January and wrote about it here. Jason Calacanis started this initiative in response to the pay-to-play network of angel events that he despised. I’m a huge supporter of his initiative to help end this practice. The first event was a big success and brought out many of LA’s angel elite.
socalTECH
MARCH 4, 2010
MySpace founders Chris DeWolfe, Colin Digiaro, and Aber Whitcomb are taking the reins at a casual and social gaming venture called MindJolt, which announced its funding Wednesday. The new firm, based out of San Francisco, is being funded by Austin Ventures. The three said they acquired MindJolt, a developer of games for Facebook and other social networking sites, as part of the effort, but did not disclose financial terms of the deal.
Jason Nazar
MARCH 2, 2010
This month’s Startups Uncensored will be on “How to Persuade People”. It will be an open and frank town-hall conversation talking about the skills and techniques leaders use to influence others. This month the session will be run by Jason Nazar, in a presentation format. The “How to Persuade People&# presentation will be geared towards startups and entrepreneurs to learn and review the skills that will help them raise money, hire great talent, and land partnerships.
SoCal Tech Calendar
MARCH 5, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010 -- OCTANe Capital Series: Meet RCT Bioventures. Join us as we meet Paul Grand from RCT BioVentures. Paul is interested in meeting with early-stage medical device companies seeking start-up financing, medical device entrepreneurs, and inventors. See [link] (more).
Startup Professionals Musings
MARCH 4, 2010
I deal often with early-stage startups, and many of these don’t have any customers yet (but wish they did), so it’s not surprising they don’t have a formal customer service program in place. More disturbingly, others do have customers, but the customer service program consists of informal haphazard problem resolution efforts. The right time to put a formal customer service program in place, with measurements, is right now.
socalTECH
MARCH 1, 2010
San Diego-based Verve Wireless , the developer of the Associate Press's mobile phone applications, may benefit from the AP's announcement last week of a new business unit specifically targeted at taking advantage of the Apple iPad. Verve confirmed that it is powering the back end of the news organizations's new iPad effort, as it currently does all of the AP's other mobile products.
Jason Nazar
MARCH 1, 2010
Because of Diet Coke and Matt Cutts I’m going to give to charity every day for the next 30 days… A month and a half ago I made a bet with Sanaz that I’d stay off diet coke for a week if she refrained from coffee for the same period of time. I’ve probably averaged 1-2 diet cokes a day since I was a teenager (for the taste people, clearly not the reduction of calories).
SoCal Tech Calendar
MARCH 4, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 -- Quarterly Interactive Technology Forum Using Social Media. AWT presents an evening dedicated to the discussion of social media business practices by an impressive panel of experts who have successfully embraced this technology to grow their businesses. Here you can extend your knowledge of social media, learn from experts on integration of social media tools into your organization, discuss emerging social media trends in the industry, discover and evaluate services a
Startup Professionals Musings
FEBRUARY 28, 2010
I always love to get questions from my readers, and I answer them all, but sometimes I feel like the “Dear Abby’ for entrepreneurs. Many of the questions I get make me realize how well off most of us are, as we understand the challenges that others have to face. If you have some insights, don’t hesitate to let me know. Here are some real cases: Dear StartupPro, I am a minority looking for funding for a Home HealthCare Service business.
socalTECH
MARCH 1, 2010
Los Angeles-based Internships.com said this morning that it has launched a new web site focused on helping college students to connect with internship opportunities. The firm--the newest venture headed by Robin D. Richards , the former CEO of NTI Group and former President of MP3.com, said it will allow students to search for internship opportunities and jobs.
Tech Zulu Event
MARCH 1, 2010
Repost of SMCLA's Going Goo Goo Over Google Analytics. Below is a highlight video of the evening. To view the entire talk click here. . The Google Analytics panel was a big success with a great turnout of over 150 people at the Mahalo office in Santa Monica. Our new volunteer board pulled off a great panel full of juicy tidbits of knowledge from start to finish.
SoCal Tech Calendar
MARCH 4, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 -- Enabling the 5th Screen: Ecosystems, Networks, and Commerce Spring 2010 Executive Roundtable. USC Marshall Institute for Communications Technology Management. This spring, youll hear from experts in all of these areas about factors that affect our evolving ecosystem, Beyond the 5th Screen. Well explore the challenges and opportunities for networks, service providers, and drivers of content and commerce in the digital environment of the future.
Startup Professionals Musings
MARCH 1, 2010
Money to build the business is the number one challenge for most startups. Don’t believe the urban myth that you can sketch your idea on a napkin, and people will throw money at you. In reality, there are multiple more productive approaches you should explore in getting your startup moving forward. Of course, there are pros and cons to each of these.
socalTECH
MARCH 4, 2010
Recently, Santa Monica-based Docstoc (www.docstoc.com) launched a new marketplace on its site, for anyone interested in selling professional documents. We thought we'd get the background on the new effort directly from Jason Nazar , CEO and founder of Docstoc, to learn more about the new service. Jason is also behind the popular "Startups Uncensored" events in Los Angeles, so we also pinged him on how those events have been going.
Daradiction
MARCH 5, 2010
CitySourced has been nominated as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer. It doesn’t get any bigger than this. Davos is most well known for organizing the Annual Meetings in Davos, Switzerland in January and in the People’s Republic of China in September every year where top decision-makers from all sectors of global society are brought together to discuss current and pressing issues in the most representative way.
SoCal Tech Calendar
MARCH 4, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 -- Social Media for Business - Part ll: Private Networks. TechAmerica. Social Media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter enhance communication and foster a sense of community. But as a business the question is how can you capitalize on these benefits while at the same time avoiding the pitfalls and distractions inherent in the free-for-all of open networking. the answer - Private Social Networks.
Startup Professionals Musings
MARCH 3, 2010
At some point in their life, everyone strives to be the best at what they do. Most people think that being the best requires more intelligence, more training, and more experience. In reality, even in sports, the experts believe it is as much about how you think, as what you do. I saw this illustrated well in a sports excellence book called “ Training Camp: What the Best Do Better Than Everyone Else ”, by Jon Gordon.
socalTECH
MARCH 5, 2010
Woodland Hills-based ReachLocal 's acquisition of digital presence and reputation management firm SMB:LIVE was worth $8.8M, in a combination of cash and stock. The number had actually been disclosed through an update to the firm's S-1, although the firm did not disclose the numbers in its announcement of the deal. According to ReachLocal, it paid $2.8M in cash for SMB:LIVE, assumed $0.8M in liabities, and will pay the balance -- up to $5.7M -- on achievement of certain milestones tied to employe
Daradiction
MARCH 5, 2010
South by Southwest. Austin calls again. Last year was all time. This year should be even better. I’ll be there from March 11-19th, will you? I’m on a panel too talking about the “ RoadTwip &# we took across America last year. Here’s the event info–> [link].
SoCal Tech Calendar
MARCH 3, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 -- Media Leaders @ Rush Street. Join fellow Media Leaders in your city for an event on March 9th to share ideas and enjoy meeting new friends a week before SXSW. See [link] (more).
Startup Professionals Musings
MARCH 5, 2010
Where did this pervasive sense of entitlement in our culture come from? I’ve written about this before, but I keep hearing top business executives proclaiming an entitlement to huge bonuses while failing, startups feeling entitled to venture funding without a good business plan, and regular people crying for their entitled home ownership, pension, and health care.
socalTECH
MARCH 5, 2010
Aliso Viejo-based Evolver , the online tool for creating avatars for social web sites created by Darwin Dimensions, has scored a win with 3D cinema tool provider Reallusion. According to Reallusion, it has licensed Evolver for its iClone 4 animation tool. Reallusion said the license will allow its users to create fully animated avatars for its movie creation tool.
Daradiction
MARCH 5, 2010
“Kurty D&# Performing Live Stand Up Comedy at the Improv. Debut Live Stand Up Comedy Performance at the Improv on March 9th 7:30PM. My fear of public speaking is being purged. Amazing what a solid framework and some coaching can do! Would love to see ya, here’s the facebook event info.
SoCal Tech Calendar
MARCH 3, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 -- New Approaches in Customer Engagement. Los Angeles CMO Club Dinner. Come network and share ideas with your peers in a non selling CMO worthy environment in Los Angeles, at this special event. See [link] (more).
Startup Professionals Musings
MARCH 2, 2010
A “downer” is defined here as someone who seems to dwell on the negatives of every business challenge, and loves to highlight bad news or potential problems. No matter how smart or experienced this person may otherwise be, things must change or they will kill your startup. I’m not talking about someone who has an occasional bad day, but rather people who when asked, “How are things?
Expert insights. Personalized for you.
289 
Let's personalize your content