Sat.Jun 18, 2011 - Fri.Jun 24, 2011

article thumbnail

On Bubbles … And Why We’ll Be Just Fine

Both Sides of the Table

This post originally ran on TechCrunch. I recently spoke at the Founder Showcase at the request of Adeo Ressi. I asked what the audience most needed to hear. He said, “They need an unbiased view of the fund raising environment because there is too much misinformation and everything seems to be changing fast.&#. This was an audience of mostly first-time entrepreneurs.

Pricing 309
article thumbnail

Why You Should Hire A Gaggle Of Interns At Your Startup - And It’s Not For An In-house Wait Staff Or Free Labor…

InfoChachkie

“If I had to, I could clean out my desk in five minutes… and nobody would ever know I’d ever been here. And I’d forget too.”. Ryan Howard, the fictional Intern on the TV comedy, The Office. Michael Scott, the fictional head of Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton office, hires an Intern for all the wrong reasons. Driven by low self-esteem, the hapless Mr.

Startup 244
Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

W4 Scores $10M In Funding

socalTECH

Santa Monica-based W4 , an online advertising marketplace founded by former Hydra Network executives, said this morning that it has raised $10M in debt funding. The firm said the funding came from Silicon Valley Bank. W4 is headed by Jason Durant Walker. W4's co-founders include three former Hydra Network founders. READ MORE>>.

Funding 229
article thumbnail

Visual Basic Reinvented

SoCal CTO

Back in 2006, I posted about the Promise of Web 2.0 - Comparison to Macros, IDEs, and Visual Basic and pointed out that Visual Basic was a huge innovation that allowed many new developers to build applications. We've been using Google Apps as the basis for developing some very interesting online applications. The announcement today Building UI in Apps Script just got a whole lot easier that shows how you can use a drag and drop - Visual Basic like.

Web 2.0 175
article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

There is always a bottleneck. Sometimes it is you.

Berkonomics

At many board meetings, I can be counted upon to ask, “Where’s the bottleneck this month?” Senior management is usually prepared with an answer, and a good discussion of resource availability and application follows. Sometimes, the bottleneck is not so visible to the CEO. In those instances, I follow with: “Do you notice people waiting at your door, telling you that they were waiting for your response or decision, even if you were unaware of this?

Resource 179
article thumbnail

Interview: Jason Lehmbeck, Co-Founder and CEO of DataPop

InfoChachkie

Messenger : Jason Lehmbeck , Co-Founder and CEO of DataPop , former VP of Emerging Ad Products at Overture Services and Yahoo! Value Prop Twitter Style : DataPop simplifies the lives of marketers and gives them the tools they need to build ads that people love to click on. You can watch the video below or on YouTube here: [link]. What follows is a summary which paraphrases Jason’s responses.

Yahoo 210

More Trending

article thumbnail

Meet the Angels

SoCal Tech Calendar

Tuesday, June 28, 2011 -- Meet The Angels. The San Diego Tech Coast Angels is pleased to invite entrepreneurs and startups to meet influential angel investors in an informal social setting. Join us for an evening of food, drink, and conversation. Learn how angel investors evaulate deals; try out your elevator pitch, and get informal feedback on the spot!

article thumbnail

Ten Action Items to Reduce Entrepreneur Stress

Startup Professionals Musings

One of the most common complaints I hear from entrepreneurs is that they are overwhelmed by the workload and stress of starting their company. Then there are the additional challenges of balancing the demands of family and friends. Having too much on your plate can turn your dream into a nightmare. Some people will tell you to just get a bigger plate, meaning hire some help.

article thumbnail

TaskRabbit Lets You Outsource Tasks To The Community

Tech Zulu Event

Let’s face it, a lot of us working professionals are extremely busy these days. Long hours at the office, quick work out at the gym and a few errands before stores close and before you know it, you haven’t eaten yet. Or you meet up with friends for some drinks after work and didn’t get a chance to pick up your clothes from the dry cleaners.

article thumbnail

Clearstone Tops CalPERS IRR List

socalTECH

CalPERS (the California Public Employees' Retirement System), one of the biggest limited partners in venture capital funds, has released its best and worst performing venture capital and private equity funds as of December 31st, showing that two Southern California venture funds were tops in terms of internal rates of return (IRR). Topping the list of IRR investments was Clearstone Venture Partners I-B, L.P. , a 1999-vintage fund from Santa Monica-based Clearstone, which had an IRR of 154.7 perc

article thumbnail

Government Funding for Your Business

SoCal Tech Calendar

Tuesday, June 28, 2011 -- Government Funding for Your Business. Learn how to gain a competitive edge in winning Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) funding through our workshop series.

Funding 124
article thumbnail

How You Can be Viewed as a Fundable Entrepreneur

Startup Professionals Musings

Investors are people too. They evaluate you like you should assess a possible co-founder or first employee. What are your credentials? What have you done that would convince me that my money is safe in your hands? Only after they see you as fundable, do they want to assess your plan for fundability, not the other way around. Even with great credentials, it is all too possible for an entrepreneur to come across as a high risk investment.

article thumbnail

RescueTime Seeks To Introduce Great People To Great Companies

Tech Zulu Event

RescueTime , the makers of a web-based time management tool, has come up with another service aimed to help companies find potential new employees. Touted as the “CarFax report for potential new employees&# , RescueTime Introductions promises not to find a candidate that is 100% perfect for a position. Rather, it narrows down the field to a number of potential hires based on a broad range of factors.

Company 61
article thumbnail

BetterWorks Expands To San Francisco Bay Area

socalTECH

Santa Monica-based BetterWorks said today that it has expanded its services into San Francisco and the Bay Area, and is planning on opening up in New York and Boston soon. The firm--headed by Paige Craig--helps provide employee benefits and perks using web-based software and technology. Craig's co-founders include Zao Yang, the creator of Farmville, and George Ishii, co-founder of Geni and Yammer.

Yammer 218
article thumbnail

Win an SBIR/STTR Award

SoCal Tech Calendar

Monday, June 27, 2011 -- Win an SBIR/STTR Award. Learn how to gain a competitive edge in winning Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) funding through our workshop series. Morning Session: Learn How to Make a Successful Proposal Topics covered during this session include: Submitting proposals to the appropriate agency Confidently identifying technologies the government is interested in Preparing your proposal Planning for your firms succ

Report 124
article thumbnail

You Never Learn Anything While You are Talking

Startup Professionals Musings

When you are not presenting to investors or your team, try to spend more time listening than talking. You can’t learn anything new while you’re talking, yet many entrepreneurs seem to never stop. It’s a sad spiral, since the more you talk, the less people really hear, meaning they don’t learn anything either. If someone left this article on your desk, read extra carefully.

article thumbnail

Sure wish I was testing driving this #fordtrends [Flickr]

Tech Zulu Event

techzulu posted a photo:

63
article thumbnail

TabJuice Takes On Facebook E-Commerce

socalTECH

San Diego-based TabJuice , a new startup aimed at social e-commerce, said today it has launched a new, Facebook e-commerce application. The firm said its application allows businesses to create their own storefronts within a Facebook page. The firm is backed by J. Christopher Capital, and headed by Dylan Whitman, who also heads up CheapSally.com and digital marketing agency Flank Digital.

Commerce 213
article thumbnail

How Not to Bore an Angel Investor

SoCal Tech Calendar

Monday, June 27, 2011 -- How Not to Bore an Angel Investor, Pitch Tips Every Presenter Must Know. Tech Coast Angels. Join Barbara and Frank Peters (Angel Investor, talk show host and much, much more) as we explore the importance of capturing the Angel Investor's imagination during your presentation. If you want to land a second meeting.this show you will not want to miss!

article thumbnail

How to Activate Your Entrepreneurial Leadership

Startup Professionals Musings

I’ve often said that creating and building a business is not a one-man show, even though it usually springs from the mind and determination of one person – committees don’t start successful businesses. But taking an idea to a business success requires many people to work together effectively, and that requires entrepreneurial leadership. Leadership is not a skill one is born with, but it can be learned and honed from experience and failures.

article thumbnail

After an awesome keynote with @gladwell [Flickr]

Tech Zulu Event

techzulu posted a photo:

58
article thumbnail

VIZIO Enters LED Lighting Market

socalTECH

Irvine-based VIZIO , the maker of LCD HDTVs, is again expanding into a new market, saying today that it has launched into the LED Lighting market. The firm said it will be rolling out a collection of LED lighting products in Q4, offering up new, high performance, energy saving, LED bulbs. VIZIO is tapping LED lighting manufacturers Epistar and Seoul Semiconductor for the new line of products.

Marketing 196
article thumbnail

805 Startups #2 - Rock Out With VCs!

SoCal Tech Calendar

Wednesday, June 29, 2011 -- 805 Startups #2 - Rock Out With VCs! You're not gonna want to miss this event. In addition to all the local startup folk, we're gonna be joined by a bunch of VCs, have a SHORT talk about Venture Capital, Fundraising, etc. from VC Frank Foster of DFJ Frontiers Santa Barbara office and Gregg Lavin from uSamp, a 101 corridor company that is kicking butt and works with local VCs Greycroft and DFJ Frontier.

article thumbnail

Social Media Isn’t Free to Entrepreneurs or Anyone

Startup Professionals Musings

If you are an entrepreneur today, and not using social media to promote your business, you are missing out on a huge opportunity. But, contrary to what most people preach, it isn’t entirely free. Most social media outlets don’t require a subscription charge, but they certainly require an investment – in people, in technology, your reputation, and your time.

article thumbnail

Keynote by @Gladwell [Flickr]

Tech Zulu Event

techzulu posted a photo:

45
article thumbnail

Namesake Bolsters Technical Team

socalTECH

West Hollywood-based Namesake , the real-time, conversation and community site founded by Brian Norgard and Daniel Gould, has started expanding its team, saying today that it has hired Jeff Potter to head up development and operations at the startup. Namesake said Potter's experience includes running his own ISP, and authoring the book "Cooking For Geeks".

article thumbnail

New World F.E.S.T.

SoCal Tech Calendar

Sunday, June 26, 2011 -- New World F.E.S.T. This large-scale, outdoor festival and exposition, will kick off summer on the beach with a celebration of eco-friendliness and forward-thinking science and technology. Cool Science, a Smart Future and the Greening of the Planet. See [link].

article thumbnail

You Can’t Afford to Stifle Innovators in a Startup

Startup Professionals Musings

Entrepreneurs are usually highly creative and innovative, but many innovative people are not entrepreneurs. Since it takes a team of people to build a great company, the challenge is to find that small percentage of innovative people, and then nurture the tendency, rather than stifle it. A while back I read a book titled “ The Rudolph Factor ,” by Cyndi Laurin and Craig Morningstar, which is all about finding the bright lights that can drive innovation in your business.

Startup 92
article thumbnail

Opening remarks [Flickr]

Tech Zulu Event

techzulu posted a photo:

40
article thumbnail

Online Learning Company Ties With UCLA Extension, CAA

socalTECH

A new, venture backed online education company, Encore Career Institute , headed by Steve Poizner, said today that it has linked with the UCLA Extension to offer up professional certificates and career counseling online. The firm said it has raised $15M in a Series A venture capital funding from InterWest Partners and Granite Ventures. Encore explained that its offerings will be based on UCLA Extension's content and courses.

UCLA 182
article thumbnail

New World F.E.S.T.

SoCal Tech Calendar

Saturday, June 25, 2011 -- New World F.E.S.T. This large-scale, outdoor festival and exposition, will kick off summer on the beach with a celebration of eco-friendliness and forward-thinking science and technology. Cool Science, a Smart Future and the Greening of the Planet. See [link].

article thumbnail

Men and Women Start Businesses With Unique Styles

Startup Professionals Musings

Do you think men make better entrepreneurs than women, and why? I did some research on this subject a while back, and I found some interesting perspectives. Everyone seems to agree that women think differently than men, and run their businesses differently, but there is a lot less agreement on which styles are better or worse. First of all, it is evident that there are fewer women entrepreneurs today than men.

Study 99
article thumbnail

See if customers scream [Big Idea Series]

socalTECH

Founders I interview keep telling me to focus on the One Thing, the key feature that's so important to users that they'd put up with the bugs which are a natural part of a startup's early days, but I often wonder, "how can we find that One Thing?" David Cohen gave me the answer.

Ideas 172
article thumbnail

FastSoft Wins FilesAnywhere

socalTECH

Pasadena-based FastSoft , the developer of Internet traffic acceleration technology, reported today that online file storage service FilesAnywhere has selected its web acceleration software. Financial details of the win were not disclosed. FastSoft develops appliances which optimize the TCP/IP protocol, increasing speed of access to files across the Internet.

CalTech 162
article thumbnail

Transphorm Gets $25M From Soros

socalTECH

Santa Barbara-based Transphorm , a developer of high efficiency, power conversion technology, confirmed today that it has raised $25M in a Series D funding round. The firm said the round was led by Quantum Strategic Partners Ltd., a private investment fund managed by Soros Fund Management. Prior investors Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Google Ventures, Foundation Capital and Lux Capital also participated in the funding.

article thumbnail

GameSalad Unveils HTML5 Game Publishing Support

socalTECH

GameSalad , the developer of Apple iPhone and iOs games which has operations in Los Angeles, Austin, and San Francisco, said today that it has added HTML5 game publishing support to its software. HTMl5 is the next-generation, HTML standard which brings a new level of interactivity to web browsers. The firm said the support will allow games developed using its tools within any web browser.

HTML 160