InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

From a venture capitalist’s point of view, there are no “trick” questions. However, certain questions can be tricky for an entrepreneur to answer. Below are five common questions an entrepreneur will encounter when seeking venture funding. These questions, which manifest themselves in numerous forms, all share a common underlying objective: to divine your motivations, expectations and desires.

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Entrepreneur Google Invest RSS 253

Berkonomics

SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

Who is responsible for the vision that drives the company? This is arguably the primary job of the CEO, with agreement from the board. Many entrepreneurs after taking outside investment defer to their board for matters of direction that include setting the vision, as well as executing the plan. Here is a general rule: The CEO sets the sails and points the ship, creating the vision for the company.

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Resource Email Competition Entrepreneur 217

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

What would Sesame Street look like, if it was created in the world of smartphones, tablets, and YouTube? It might look a little bit like StoryBots (www.storybots.com), the new kids educational and entertainment service just launched by JibJab (www.jibjab.com). We caught up with Gregg Spiridellis, one of the founders of JibJab, to hear about Storybots.

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SoCal Tech Calendar

SEPTEMBER 16, 2012

Saturday, September 22, 2012 -- Bootcamp for Aspiring TEDx Speakers (and others) in SoCal. The popularity and virality of TED Talks has raised the bar dramatically for any and all presentations. Whether you're preparing to speak at TED, MindShare, TEDx, or another industry event, you need to up your game. Your competition certainly has! If your goal is only to improve the way you present at group meetings or on sales calls, learning the TEDx format is going to put you in a different league.

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SoCal Southern California Competition Sales 133

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

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

The following guest post is from some of my former UC Santa Barbara students. I thought this post might be of interest to some of my readers, as it offers a glimpse into my approach to teaching entrepreneurship. . Fall quarter of Sr. year proved to be a crucial time for the progression of brightblu – Ben, Sid, and Taylor see this as the period that sparked their entrepreneurial passion.

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2012

I’m sure we have all seen entrepreneurs with high levels of passion and confidence touting an idea that seems to make very little sense to us. Of course, we never see ourselves in this mode, yet we need to recognize that all humans see reality differently through a built-in set of “cognitive biases,” based on their own unique background of experiences, training, and mental state.

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SoCal Tech Calendar

SEPTEMBER 15, 2012

Friday, September 21, 2012 -- Lean Startup Machine. Lean Startup Machine is a three-day workshop where attendees use Customer Development and Lean Startup principles to validate an idea for a new product or service.

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Startup Custom Development Ideas Customer 124

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

Its time for Round 3! The Tech Crawl is back and in full swing heading to Santa Monica Silicon Beach area! For those of you who may have missed out you can checkout what Mediapost and D&B had to say about it: TZ Tech Crawl Takes Participants on a Tour of Silicon Beach. 2012 TechZulu Tech Crawl – Technically Awesome. A tour of some of the hottest Silicon Beach tech companies Santa Monica Edition.

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

If you have had some success in a business, I’m sure you bristle just like I do when someone says “You were just lucky…” I’m a strong believer that we all make our own luck, which means that the harder we work, the luckier we get. In reality, “hard work” is just a catch-all term for a list of principles that good entrepreneurs follow, allowing them to work smarter and improve their odds of success.

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Entrepreneur Startup Networking Resource 101

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 21, 2012

SpaceX , the privately held, Southern California developer of spacecraft and rockets, said Friday that NASA and the firm have announced October 7th, 2012, as the target launch date for its first resupply mission to the International Space Station. According to SpaceX, the launch of its Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft will be 8:34 p.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral.

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SoCal Tech Calendar

SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

Tuesday, September 25, 2012 -- Want to Start A Business? GITLA's SMW LA Panel is the hottest ticket in town. Aspiring entrepreneurs: Get Motivated! Women are not new to the tech space, although within the last few years have we seen an impressive increase in the number of women entering the industry. If you've ever dreamt of building a start up, now is the time!

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WITI Startup Incubator Los Angeles 113

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

Have you ever wanted to learn Javascript? Have you ever found yourself in a conversation with developers and found yourself lost or even overwhelmed with new information? If so, then JS Saturday is the event you can’t miss! In a collaborative effort, Ria Consulting, LLC and Los Angeles Net Developers Group are hosting this event on November 10th, 2012 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California.

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 21, 2012

Fundraising is brutal. Actually, according to Paul Graham , “Raising money is the second hardest part of starting a startup. The hardest part is making something people want.” More startups may fail for that reason, but a close second is the difficulty of raising money. A while back, I outlined “ The 10 Best Sources of Cash to Start Your Business ” for startups, listing angel investors as alternative #6.

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socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 18, 2012

San Diego-based Sense4Baby , a brand new starting spawned out of the West Health Institute, has licensed a wireless fetal monitoring system from West Health, and moved into that firm's new incubator. West Health Institute also said that Sense4Baby has received a "significant" funding commitment from the West Health Investment Fund. Sense4Baby is developing wireless, remote fetal monitoring systems, which are designed to allow an OBGYN to monitor the health of a mother and her baby remotely, avoi

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Funding Incubator San Diego Startup 204

SoCal Tech Calendar

SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

Tuesday, September 25, 2012 -- Digital LA - Startups Go Social (SMW LA) Join us for our panel with startups which focus on social media - and are savvy about using social media themselves. Speakers from LA-based startups PromoJam, Planana, TicketMob and more will share how their business incorporates social media, and how they use Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media to reach fans, build buzz, engage audiences, sell tickets/products, decrease customer acquisition costs, and measure

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Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

Social Media Week (SMW) helps organizations connect and share the latest social media findings through social, cultural and economic talks and workshops in major cities worldwide. Created by founder Toby Daniels , Social Media Week Los Angeles will focus this series of discussions around the theme of “Empowering Change Through Collaboration.” SMWLA will take place next week Sept. 24-28. 2012.

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

It takes a great entrepreneur with a great vision to start a business, but it takes a collaboration of many people to make it a success. That’s where leadership comes in as a key ingredient, to drive the collaborative process to make the whole team better than the sum of the parts. I remember a book from a while back by Amilya Antonetti, titled “ The Recipe: A Fable for Leaders and Teams ” which illustrates the key concepts with stories and specific guidance on how to develop your natural leader

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Tips Coach Competition Entrepreneur 97

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

It looks like all that bacon paid off. Los Angeles-based Scopely , the startup co-founded by Eytan Elbaz , Eytan Elbaz , Walter Driver and Ankur Bulsara, which is developing social and mobile games, said this morning that it has raised $8.5M in a new, seed financing round, from Anthem Venture Partners, The Chernin Group, Greycroft Venture Partners and New Enterprise Associates (NEA), as well as angels.

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SoCal Tech Calendar

SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

Monday, September 24, 2012 -- Digital LA - Celebs Go Social @ Madame Tussauds Hollywood (SMW LA). Join our panel where we'll discuss how celebs use social media to promote their projects, create buzz, partner with brands, and drive fans to action, from buying tickets to supporting a cause. We'll discuss best ways for celebs to reach fans, which social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) works better for which kind of actions, and more.

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Hollywood Social Media Media 113

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 18, 2012

If you ever have the opportunity in life to check out the Mall of America, a United States icon, I highly recommend it. Heir to the largest mall in America, and an empire started by his grandfather that now includes banks and manufacturing companies, Mark Ghermezian joined the family business but left the family empire last year to jump on the tech startup bandwagon.

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Startup Mobile Platform Ideas 82

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 18, 2012

Even though I love technology, I always cringe when an entrepreneur starts his pitch by touting his new technology. He has forgotten that new technologies are perceived by most customers as causing more pain than the problems they hope to eliminate. I chastise these startups to highlight the solution created by the technology, rather than highlight the technology itself.

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Custom Customer Technology Marketing 95

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

San Diego-based Nik Software , the developer of a popular set of photo filters and plug-ins for photo editing, has been acquired by Google. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Nik Software has its corporate headquarters in San Diego, and also has operations in Germany. The firm's photo filters connect into Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, and Aperture, and includes such products as Dfine, Viveza, HDR Efex, and more.

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SoCal Tech Calendar

SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

Thursday, September 20, 2012 -- The City and the Book will explore the dynamic world of storytelling in interactive, virtual spaces on September 20 and 21, 2012. 5D Institute, in association with the USC of Cinematic Arts, will gather a diverse, creative network of technologists, writers, architects, game designers and artists to explore the possibilities of dynamic environments in digital publishing and virtual architecture across media.

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Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

Armed with a BSc, Chemistry from The University of Manchester, Jason Njoku, CEO and Co-founder of iROKO Partners left London for Lagos in what could have seemed a wrong move. But Jason Njoku with his fearless determination saw success ahead, the CEO and Co-founder of Iroko Partners, world’s largest digital distributors of Nigerian music and movies, with a library of over 1600 licensed movies.

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Netflix Marketing Technical Review Content 82

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2012

Angel investors and venture capitalists don’t invest in non-profits. The simple reason is that it’s impossible to make money for investors when the goal of the company is to not make money. Yet I still get this question on a regular basis, so I’ll try to outline the considerations in common-sense terms. A non-profit organization is generally defined as an organization that does not distribute its surplus funds to owners or shareholders, but instead uses them to help pursue its goals.

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Technical Review Organization Equity Startup 87

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 21, 2012

What is the biggest issue that local event organizers--health and family fairs, sports events, and so on--have? Los Angeles-based Planana (www.planana.com) found out it's getting sponsors for their events. Anna Sergeeva is co-founder of the company, and tells us how the firm pivoted from its former life as trueRSVP, focused on event RSVPs, into instead helping event organizers round up sponsors.

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Tech Coast Angels Organization Platform USC 191

SoCal Tech Calendar

SEPTEMBER 18, 2012

Monday, September 24, 2012 -- Turbo-Charging Social Media Engagement for Retail in Time for the Holidays. Social Media Club. How does social media drive engagement for retail marketers? Our panelists will explore current practices and emerging trends for delivering social media engagement that gets results. Speakers will share tools, techniques and tips for using social media to build retail brands, manage customer relations and generate sales.

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Social Media Media Mogreet Tips 113

The Huffington Post

SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

Technology accelerators and incubators have sprung up around L.A., making it easier for a new entrepreneurs and seasoned Hollywood executives alike to quit their jobs and pursue the startup dream. Read more: Los Angeles Startups , La Tech Incubators , La Startups , Los Angeles Tech , Venture Capitalists , Tech Accelerators , Tech Incubators , Venture Capital , Slideexpand , Silicon Valley , Los Angeles News.

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Writing Incubator Hollywood Develop 74

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 21, 2012

For all of you that’s always had ideas and never knew what to do with them, Startup Weekend is where you can make it happen! It’s a 54 hour frenzy, bringing together business people, developers and designers in one room to compete for awesome prizes! On Friday, September 28, University of Southern California is hosting Startup Weekend spearheaded by organizer, Kishan Patel.

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USC Southern California Startup Design 73

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 18, 2012

Technology giant Microsoft has detailed its new Los Angeles production studio, officially announcing that it has created a new production studio headed by former CBS Network Television Entertainment president Nancy Tellem. Microsoft said the studio will develop interactive and linear content for Xbox and other devices. Microsoft said the effort is part of an effort to "collaborate with the creative community" to create content for the Xbox brand.

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Product Entertainment Content Los Angeles 191

SoCal Tech Calendar

SEPTEMBER 21, 2012

Thursday, September 27, 2012 -- OnHollywood 2012: Where Innovation Meets Entertainment, is a two day executive event featuring high-level debates on which forces are disrupting user behavior and creating new opportunities, content strategies and monetization schemes in the video, music, gaming, search, and mobile industries. See https://www.eiseverywhere.com/ereg/index.php?

Entertainment 100

Entertainment Content Mobile 100

SoCal Delicious

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

Follow PandoDaily: Search. Main menu. Skip to primary content. Skip to secondary content. Deals. People. Products. Culture. PandoList. Events. Back Page. Books. Ten Tech Entrepreneurs Who Are Putting LA on the Map. Post navigation. ← Previous. Next → For one reason or another, people in this country tend to look down on LA. If a person from outside Los Angeles is a fan of the city, dig a little and you’ll probably find that they like it for the celebrities, Hollywood not LA.

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Technical Review Entrepreneur Riot Games Southern California 75

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 21, 2012

Students and teachers could rarely be friends on Facebook and no student would want their Physics or Math teacher telling them to study thoroughly for their term paper, but things change and so do we. Ann Arbor SPARK Accelerated. A new startup Meritful, out of Michigan Univeristy and accelerated and funded through Ann Arbor SPARK has launched into public beta to unite both students and mentors or even teachers.

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Help Social Media Mentor Study 68

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 18, 2012

Are you overwhelmed with too many emails in your inbox? A new startup, Contur , launching out of the StartEngine accelerator program today, said that it has created a service which helps users organize their emails by task, projects, and more. The startup--which bills itself as a "virtual assistant for email"--said it will offer up its service to professional power users who receive more than 100 emails per day, via a Windows desktop application.

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Email Organization Services Startup 191

SoCal Tech Calendar

SEPTEMBER 21, 2012

Thursday, September 27, 2012 -- Get Qualified Traffic and Increase Conversions for your Business/Startup/Company Los Angeles Online Marketing for Entrepreneurs. After spending hard earned money and countless time on SEO and Social Media, you see traffic, but you don't seem to see any conversions(sales/leads/signups). If this sounds like you, then this presentation is perfect.

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Los Angeles Entrepreneur Marketing Angel 100

Frank Addante

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

I was asked to talk about the Future of Automated Trading at the ExchangeWire ATS conference in London, here is my presentation. ATS Presentation from robcoop.

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