Both Sides of the Table
NOVEMBER 27, 2013
'One of the unavoidable realities of building a startup is having to fire people. In a normal business you can often sweep bad performers under the rug and not deal with them. When you have millions or billions of dollars of revenue you can suffer a few bad performers or bad apples. You can miss a quarter’s target and not cull the inefficiencies.
InfoChachkie
NOVEMBER 25, 2013
'A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. Adeo Ressi is a serial entrepreneur turned investor and entrepreneur advocate. Adeo Co-Founded the entrepreneur-friendly website The Funded and he is the Founder and CEO of The Founder Institute , whose goal is to create and foster local startup ecosystems across the globe. If you haven''t already subscribed yet, subscribe now for free weekly JohnGreathouse.com articles!
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Berkonomics
NOVEMBER 28, 2013
'By David Steakley. This week, David Steakley returns for another bite at the corporate apple, with just the right amount of tart comments that will keep this document legal for now. Read on! - DB. How do you judge a company’s prospects, if a corporate business-to-business sale has to be your game? If your company’s market is huge corporations, how do you convince investors you can crack the market, and how do you deliver?
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 26, 2013
'Earlier this week, a local online travel site, CheapAir.com, said that it would take Bitcoin for air reservations--the first time in the U.S. you could use the virtual electronic currency to directly purchase airfare. However, you can travel a lot farther than that today with Bitcoins--thanks to the announcement by Virgin Galactic , the commercial space tourism venture of Sir Richard Branson, which said yesterday that it has begun accepting purchases of rides to space using Bitcoin.
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Both Sides of the Table
NOVEMBER 28, 2013
'2013 has proved to be a wild year. Companies being created has continued to go up dramatically making managing dealflow nearly impossible. Thank you to Tasha for helping to keep me sane by managing the onslaught of meeting requests, board meetings and constant change. You’ve had a few difficult years outside of work – I feel confident 2014 is going to be a great one!
Eric Greenspan
NOVEMBER 26, 2013
'Years ago, I decided to invite all my customers to join me on Facebook. My thought was to give them direct access to me, the CEO of their tech services company, so to provide the highest level of customer service possible. I used the Facebook add friends feature and invited 20,000 of our clients. Many joined right away. Others would accept my invitation over time.
Southern California Tech Central brings together the best content for technical professionals in Southern California from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 26, 2013
'Los Angeles-based celebrity e-commerce startup Moonfrye , led by TV''s former Punky Brewster, Soleil Moon Frye, disclosed last night that it has raised $1.1M more in an extension of an earlier funding round. The funding came via AngelList. Moonfrye develops and sells mobile apps focused kids activities, like arts and crafts and other projects. READ MORE>>.
Tech Zulu Event
NOVEMBER 25, 2013
'Imagine it. You’re flipping through Vevo and watching a music video. But first, 30 seconds of commercial. You stare blankly wondering “what’s this a commercial of?” while watching the screen and registering nothing. Ad/Banner blindness, a talent which we’ve developed rather well as a society: The ability to subconsciously block out commercials WHILE physically watching.
Eric Greenspan
NOVEMBER 28, 2013
'Whether this is your first, tenth or hundredth holiday dinner, here are our top 10 tips for your Thanksgiving turkey: 1. Plan ahead if you’re cooking a frozen turkey. The safest way to thaw a bird is in the fridge; count on about five hours per pound for it to fully defrost (so a 20-pounder will take four days). 2. For crisper skin, unwrap the turkey the day before Thanksgiving, and leave it uncovered in the refrigerator overnight. 3.
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 23, 2013
'When I started mentoring entrepreneurs and startups a few years ago, I anticipated that I would get mostly tough technical questions, but instead I more often hear things like “Where do I start?” I find that the basics are actually the hardest to answer, just like your parents found out when they first tried to fill you in on the “facts of life” a long time ago.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 27, 2013
'Irvine-based Broadcom said this morning that it has scored another design win in China, with Chinese cellphone manufacturer K-Touch. According to Broadcom, K-Touch will use a wide range of processors and supporting chips to power its new W98 and W96 Android-based smartphones. Shipment volumes and financial impact of the deal were not announced. K-Touch''s new smartphones are based on Broadcom''s HSPA+ 1.2-GHz quad-core processor, RF Transceiver, power management IC, connectivity combo chip and
Tech Zulu Event
NOVEMBER 29, 2013
'The Rock launches their much-anticipated Kickstarter campaign that offers the public “early bird” special prices, just in time for friends and family to get the newest and most affordable smartwatch for as low as $99 for Christmas. Rock President Vak Sambath says, “We are a small company, but sometimes the most innovative ideas come from small companies.
Eric Greenspan
NOVEMBER 28, 2013
'Ingredients: 4-6 lbs. brisket. 4 cloves of garlic. minced 4 large onions. sliced 2 tbs. oil 4 small cans of tomato sauce. 4 cans of water (tomato sauce cans) 1/2 bottle of red wine. sliced 4-8 carrots. 1 bunch fresh dill. chopped salt & pepper. 3 bay leaves. 3-4 potatoes cut into chunks, if desired. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put roasting pan on stove over two burners.
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 25, 2013
'If you expect to succeed in the thrill-a-minute, roller coaster ride of a startup, let me assure you it takes more than a good idea, a rich uncle, and luck. In fact, the idea is often the least important part of the equation. Most investors tell me that they look at the people first, the business plan second, and only then at the idea. If you want some tips to beat the insurmountable odds, take a look at the following concepts, adapted from Richard C.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 26, 2013
'Anaheim-based Fisker Automotive , the ill-fated, once high flying electric vehicle company, is scheduled to outline its plans for bankruptcy today in court, after filing for bankruptcy on Friday. Fisker is currently looking to sell most of its assets to company Hybrid Tech, which acquired the rights to the large, U.S. Department of Energy loan at auction earlier this year.
Tech Zulu Event
NOVEMBER 24, 2013
'Great news for aspiring hackers, programmers, and entrepreneurs. Startup enablers and Silicon Beach hubs General Assembly, Cross Campus, Launchpad LA, and LAVA have teamed up to provide five $2,000 scholarships to General Assembly’s 12 -week Web Development Immersive Program. The program begins December 16, 2013 in Santa Monica and all entries for the scholarship must be in by December 6, 2013.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 25, 2013
'San Diego-based Realtidbits , a developer of social sharing software for publishers, has been acquired by Livefyre , the two companies announced Monday. Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced. As part of the funding, Livefyre said it will be opening up a new San Diego office, and all of Realtidbits'' team will join the company as part of its product, engineering, and design teams.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 25, 2013
'Santa Monica-based e-commerce startup The Honest Company --whose co-founders include subscription e-commerce entrepreneur Brian Lee and celebrity Jessica Alba--said today that it has launched a new line of designer, limited edition products. The Honest Company said its new line of products--called The Collective--will include both products for babies and the home, and which will be "beautiful, safe (and) eco-conscious".
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 25, 2013
'Looking for something to do with those Bitcoins burning a hole in your pocket? CheapAir.com , a Calabasas-based online travel agency, says that it has begun accepting Bitcoin payments for airplane flights. The company said it is the only place in the United States which currently lets customers purchase flights using Bitcoins. CheapAir, which is led by Jeff Klee, said it will accept Bitcoins for flight purchases on the company''s website, and plans to extend Bitcoin support for flights and hote
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 25, 2013
'Santa Barbara-based FindTheBest , the online comparison and research site headed by Kevin O''Connor, scored a legal win Friday, saying that a judge has invalidated a software patent owned by Lumen View Technology, LLC, which is in the midst of a patent battle with the company. The company has been in a quest to take down Lumen View, which it has called a patent troll.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 26, 2013
'San Diego-based Qualcomm said late Monday that it has completed its sale of OMnitracs , the company''s GPS fleet management software and products division, to private equity firm Vista Equity Partners. The deal was worth approximately $800M in cash. In a related move, Omnitracs said it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Roadnet Technologies , a provider of fleet management software.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 26, 2013
'Aliso Viejo-based Microsemi said this morning that it has completed its offer for the shares of Symmetricom , and now expects to complete the deal later today. Microsemi is paying $7.18 per share in cash for Symmetricom, or approximately $230M. Symmetricom is a developer of timing and frequency semiconductors used in electronics products. The deal had originally been announced in October.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 26, 2013
'Los Angeles-based private equity investor Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors has backed a developer of automated, machine learning and big data, predictive analytics software called ColdLight Solutions , the company said Monday. Financial terms of the investment were not disclosed. Kayne Anderson manages around $24 billion in capital. The companies did not say if Kayne Anderson took a minority or majority stake in ColdLight, which is based in Wayne, Pennsylvania.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 25, 2013
'Aliso Viejo-based semiconductor developer Microsemi said Friday that it has received early termination of the Hart-Scott-Rodino antitrust requirements for its planned acquisition of Symmetricom. Microsemi announced in October that it would pay approximately $230M for San Jose-based timing chip maker Symmetricom. READ MORE>>.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 25, 2013
'Calabasas-based National Technical Systems , a provider of testing laboratories, certification services, and related services, is now officially a private company, after the acquisition of the company by Los Angeles private equity company Aurora Capital Group. The companies said that they acquired NTS for $23.00 per share in cash, taking the Calabasas firm off the Nasdaq on Friday.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 25, 2013
'Santa Barbara-based CALIENT Technologies said Friday that it has named Jag Setler as the company''s Chief Operating Officer. Setlur will serve as COO in addition to his currently position as CFO. CALIENT Technologies develops optical circuit switching technology. The company said that Setlur will now manage all financial and operational functions at Calient.
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 27, 2013
'A popular approach for aspiring entrepreneurs these days seems to be to corner anyone who will listen, with a pitch on their current “million dollar idea.” The initial monologue usually ends with the question “How much money do you think this is worth?” In my humble opinion, ideas are a commodity, and are really not worth much, outside the context of a visionary leader and a plan.
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 28, 2013
'Many startups fail before reaching that magic “cash-flow positive” position they have been striving for, despite seemingly reasonable financial projections. A closer analysis often indicates the cause to be a lack of diligence in handling common business finances. These mistakes are usually masked by excuses, like the economy turned on me, or my competitors played dirty.
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 26, 2013
'If you want people to invest in your idea, then my best advice is first write a business plan, and keep it simple. Don''t confuse your business plan with a doctoral thesis or the back of a napkin. Keep the wording and formatting straightforward, and keep the plan short. For minimum content, see my article “ These 10 Key Elements Make a Business Plan Fundable.
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 24, 2013
'Large corporations and conglomerates, the engines of growth and vitality in the twentieth century, have lost their edge and their image. They have proven themselves unable to innovate, and they have lost more jobs than they create. My friends who “grew up” with lifetime careers in General Motors, Exxon Mobil, or even IBM, are now often too embarrassed to even mention it.
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