SoCal CTO
AUGUST 4, 2011
Almost every day I'm talking to early stage startup founders (see Free Startup CTO Consulting Sessions ) about what they plan to do. I tend to ask a lot of questions, challenge aspects, make suggestions. But I've often been very surprised by one aspect of these conversations. Many of these founders have talked with several developers or development firms about their plans.
Both Sides of the Table
AUGUST 1, 2011
I’d like to start by asking each of you to consider helping under-privileged children in America get a little bit more than they have today. Sure, you can give a small amount of money. Even $10. Please. It’s better than zero. You can combine that with supporting Fred & Joanne Wilson. (if you click no other links on theis site click that one).
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InfoChachkie
AUGUST 2, 2011
“ The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man. " George Bernard Shaw, Irish Playwright, Co-founder, London School of Economics. Entrepreneurs must be unreasonable in order to dismiss the status quo and create novel solutions.
socalTECH
AUGUST 2, 2011
Last week, Los Angeles-based Bevvy (www.bevvy.com) launched on online site aimed at deals and offers for nightlife and nightclubs. In an interesting twist to the daily deals model, the site does not use printable coupons, but instead uses "secret passwords" to provide people with special deals at venues, is squarely aiming at high end nightclubs, and is striving to be venue friendly to bar and club owners.
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.
SoCal CTO
AUGUST 4, 2011
Almost every day I'm talking to early stage startup founders (see Free Startup CTO Consulting Sessions ) about what they plan to do. I tend to ask a lot of questions, challenge aspects, make suggestions. But I've often been very surprised by one aspect of these conversations. Many of these founders have talked with several developers or development firms about their plans.
Berkonomics
JULY 30, 2011
Here is a phenomenon I discovered over time when dealing with many small start-ups in their early revenue period. A very predictable series of rotating crises seemed to befall most every one of these young companies. These became so predictable that I could accurately label them as occurring about every $3 million in gross profit (or revenue for service companies).
Southern California Tech Central brings together the best content for technical professionals in Southern California from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
socalTECH
AUGUST 4, 2011
San Diego-based SkinIt , the maker of protective "skins" for electronic devices, said today that it has expanded its leadership team. The firm--which is backed by ABS Capital Partners, said that Laura Christine is its EVP Consumer Group; Jennifer Jordan its VP of Finance; John P. O'Loughlin is VP Human Resources; Lewis Chang VP of E-Commerce and Marketing; Billy Crotty as SVP Global Operations; and Rick Foukes is VP Coatings Engineering.
Startup Professionals Musings
AUGUST 4, 2011
I hear many executives and professionals in large corporations talking about their dream of jumping ship, and starting their own company. What they don’t realize is that the longer they wait, the more big-company habits they are acquiring, which will make their eventual decision harder and entrepreneurial efforts less and less likely to succeed. Certainly, the longer they wait, the greater the variety of excuses they will find for why now is not the time.
Berkonomics
AUGUST 5, 2011
Markets and competitors change. Are you being left behind? Over the years, I have often heard the complaint from CEO friends that they have become so swamped by the demands of their growing businesses that they feel themselves further and further from the center of their industry, no longer at the forefront of information and competitive development.
SoCal Tech Calendar
AUGUST 3, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011 -- Patent Protection for Technology Companies. LABTC. Discover the benefits of patent protection, and what it can offer to your business. Gain an understanding of how to navigate the patent landscape. Our presentation will illustrate various scenarios wherein patent laws are implicated, and address how technology companies can best utilize patent protection.
socalTECH
AUGUST 4, 2011
Every so often--particularly in Southern California--you run into a serial entrepreneur, with multiple successes and great track record-- yet, who very few people are aware of. Jeff Zwelling is one of those. Jeff Zwelling is the co-founder of Convertro (www.convertro.com), a Los Angeles company focused on helping companies track how their marketing efforts are leading to sales conversions.
Startup Professionals Musings
AUGUST 2, 2011
One of the toughest challenges of an entrepreneur in building a startup is the fact that there are so many things that you don’t know how to do, or don’t like to do. Things like raising money, building a business plan, or hiring and firing people. These aren’t fun, especially for a visionary. That’s when the curse of procrastination steps in. The result is that certain things just never seem to get done.
Tech Zulu Event
AUGUST 3, 2011
When you were a kid it was cool to take every poster from your favorite band and cover your bedroom walls. You probably collected every cool tee shirt, button and signed album you could get your hands on from concerts. Don’t forget those all-nighters in front of your local ticket master. Now that you’re all grown up you don’t have time to wait all night or figure out where your favorite band is going be playing next.
SoCal Tech Calendar
AUGUST 2, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011 -- HostingCon. HostingCon is the premier conference and trade show for the hosted services industry. Web hosts, ISVs, SaaS and Cloud Providers Amass at HostingCon to Shape the Future of Hosted Services. In its 7th year, HostingCon 2011 is expected to exceed 1,800 attendees, more than 150 exhibiting and sponsoring companies who provide products and/or services to and through web hosts and four educational tracks with more than 70 speakers presenting on emerging trends, mark
socalTECH
AUGUST 4, 2011
Santa Monica-based SolarReserve , the developer of utility scale solar power projects, said Wednesday that it has amended an agreement with Nevada's Nye County and its Tonopah Solar Energy affiliate, to require 90 percent of the construction workforce on that project will come from Nevada residents. SolarReserve is developing a 110 megawatt solar energy project in that county, which the firm says it expects will create more than 600 on-site jobs during peak construction.
Startup Professionals Musings
JULY 30, 2011
By Bob La Loggia, CEO StormSource Software Business is often compared to war and waging battle with enemies. Indeed, Sun Tzu’s “ The Art of War ” is one of the most popular business books ever written, and it was originally written as a military strategy guide. Battle terminology has been a mainstay in the business lexicon for decades. The list of war references used in business is almost endless, from “gathering the troops” to “losing a battle but winning the war.
Tech Zulu Event
AUGUST 4, 2011
Gone are the days of heading to your local video store and snatching up a cool indie flick or two to pair up with your take out and your summer blockbuster action flick. Netflix, Hulu, and even YouTube and other content streaming sites have all but obliterated the independent DVD rental business of yesterday. Yes, Netflix has a huge arm in the rental business and Redbox is pretty popular, but you’ll find the titles are probably pretty limited if you like the good indie stuff.
SoCal Tech Calendar
AUGUST 2, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 -- ACG 101 on 3D Technology. Vice Pace has developed new 3D technology in partnership with director James Cameron. Mr. Pace will talk about the future of film, TV and other entertainment, and the impact of technology on the entertainment industryin Southern California and worldwide. See [link].
socalTECH
AUGUST 3, 2011
Cloud-based, email infrastructure provider SendGrid , which develops cloud software to help businesses more easily deliver emails to customers, has set up shop in Anaheim, California, the firm said Wednesday. SendGrid--which is venture backed by venture capital firms Foundry Group and Highway 12 Ventures--said it has set up an Anaheim office as part of the hiring of a new Vice President of Engineering, Thomas Albers.
Startup Professionals Musings
AUGUST 5, 2011
I still get business plans, looking for an investor, that say all too clearly that the first goal of the new business is to do research and development (R&D) on some promising new technology, like superconductivity or cancer research. Investors are looking for commercial products to make money, rather than R&D sunk costs, so your investment hopes are sunk as well.
Tech Zulu Event
AUGUST 1, 2011
Union Square venture capitalist Fred Wilson received a whopping $17,000 bill for what he called a “standard set of legal documents&# for one of the startups his company was funding. Wilson believed the firm that put the documents together, and handled the transaction had earned their money, so he willingly paid for the services rendered. However, Wilson believed these fees were too costly for the average startup company and subsequently challenged the legal community to find a more afford
SoCal Tech Calendar
AUGUST 3, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011 -- Annual Venture Capital Panel. LAVA. Meet the top VCs who are investing in Southern California. Find out what they are looking to invest in. Find out what does it take to secure Venture Capital for your company. Learn about the hottest trends and the mistakes NOT to make. Moderators: Alan Spatz, Attorney, TroyGould PC; Matt Crowley, Attorney, Crowley Corporate Legal Strategy; Current Confirmed Panelists: Dana Settle, Partner, Greycroft LLC; Leo Spiegel, Managing Partner
socalTECH
AUGUST 2, 2011
Los Angeles-based ShareSquare , the QR code marketing startup run by Matthias Galica, said Tuesday that it has linked its service to the e-commerce APIs from Amazon.com and Songkick. ShareSquare said that the new link allows marketers creating QR codes using its service to link directly to a "Buy" module for Amazon, which allows those marketers to directly link to purchases on the popular e-commerce site.
Startup Professionals Musings
JULY 31, 2011
Some aspiring entrepreneurs are so desperate for funding, or naïve, that they ignore the obvious signs of scams and rip-offs on the Internet, praying for a windfall. One would think that with all the sad stories and tools published over the past twenty years, this problem would be behind us. But people are still begging for more technology or laws, often to protect them from themselves.
socalTECH
AUGUST 1, 2011
Los Angeles-based Gamzee , the HTML5 game development firm headed by Activision co-founder Howard Marks, has made a high profile hire, saying Monday night that it has hired on Michael Scholz as its CTO. Scholz was most recently at Los Angeles-based GameSalad, where he created the HTML5 game engine for the firm. Scholz had previously founded CasualCafe, and also served at WildTangent, SkillJam Technologies and THQ.
socalTECH
AUGUST 2, 2011
Looking to capitalize on the interest in electric cars in Southern California, a homebuilder building eco-friendly, urban homes in the area said today that it is planning to pre-wire its homes for home-charging equipment for Nissan LEAF electric vehicle chargers. According to homebuilder City Ventures and Nissan America , the two are pre-wiring 190 homes for EV charging systems, including a development in Long Beach Signal Hill neighborhood, representing 54 homes, and Santa Barbara, with 48 home
socalTECH
AUGUST 4, 2011
A new article published today in GQ magazine identifies Tom Anderson , the Los Angeles resident and former co-founder of MySpace , as among the 15 worst dressed men of Silicon Valley. The article--which also ragged on such tech notables as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg--said that Anderson is a "a victim of over-layering", particularly for his penchant for wearing a "T-shirt, hoodie and blazer all at once.".
socalTECH
AUGUST 5, 2011
On a hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Malibu, Internet veteran Jeff Stibel has quietly been assembling a powerhouse team of executives, gathered from his experience building companies like Web.com and United Online. His newest firm, D&B Credibility Corp. , is taking a storied brand name--Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Grover Cleveland, and William B.
socalTECH
AUGUST 2, 2011
Westlake Village-based online advertising firm ValueClick said Tuesday afternoon that it is acquiring Dotomi , a provider of real-time, dynamic display advertising technology, in a deal worth $295M. The deal is split between 55 percent cash and 45 percent common stock. Dotomi is base din Chicago, and has 160 employees. ValueClick said the acquisition will help it meet the needs of marketers.
socalTECH
AUGUST 1, 2011
Los Angeles-based LegalZoom , the online legal document provider, is the target of a class action lawsuit in Missouri, which is looking to block the ability of the firm to provide wills, leases, and other documents. The lawsuit, is set to go to trail on August 22nd in Jefferson City, Missouri, after a ruling by a federal district court judge last week.
socalTECH
AUGUST 3, 2011
Los Angeles-based private equity fund Craton Equity Partners said Wednesday that it has led a $60M round of investment in Bridgelux , a developer and manufacturer of LED lighting technology. Bridgelux, which is based in Livermore, California, develops solid state lighting light sources. Craton Equity Partners said other investors in the round included VantagePoint Capital Partners, DCM, El Dorado Ventures, Novus Energy Partners, Invus Group, VTS, Harris & Harris Group and Passport Capital.
socalTECH
AUGUST 2, 2011
Los Angeles-based Causecast , the provider of cause marketing and related tools for nonprofits and brands run by Ryan Scott, said Tuesday that it has launched a new feature aimed at connecting nonprofits and brands. The company said its new "Cause Marketing Campaigns for Nonprofits" feature helps nonprofits participate in cause marketing campaigns from brands, making it easier for those nonprofits to link into various brand marketing efforts directly.
socalTECH
AUGUST 4, 2011
Santa Monica-based GotCast is again powering the online casting call for Season 3 of Sony Computer Entertainment's "The Tester" reality series. The series--geared around video game testing--has contestants competing for a production job in Sony's Santa Monica Studio and an un-announced title for the PlayStation 3. Financial impact of the deal was not announced.
socalTECH
AUGUST 5, 2011
Los Angeles-based Poptent , which operates an online site focused on crowdsourcing commercials and videos for brands and advertisers, is powering a new effort from home rentals marketplace HomeAway. HomeAway said this week that it is partnering with Poptent, to run a contest to create an advertisement for the firm. HomeAway is known for its Superbowl commercials, including a spoof on National Lampoon's Vacation, which included Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo, and this year's Ministry of Detouri
socalTECH
AUGUST 3, 2011
Fans of the popular smartphone game Angry Birds , developed by videogame maker Rovio , can indulge their passion for the game through a new line of plush, stuffed toys, according to Century City-based Twentieth Century Fox this week. Twentieth century Fox said that Angry Birds-style plush characters based on Twentieth Century's RIO movie will be available via Toys"R"Us stores this month.
socalTECH
AUGUST 3, 2011
Los Angeles-based SocialVibe , the online advertising firm run by Jay Samit, said today that it has launched a new, political advertising solution ahead of the 2012 elections. The firm--which sells online ads based on engagement metrics, rather than the usual clicks and views--said it is applying its model to the political landscape, looking to help campaigns get their word out on social networking sites like Facebook.
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