Sat.Dec 20, 2014 - Fri.Dec 26, 2014

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Howard Marks: What I Learned This Year

socalTECH

'It''s usually pretty slow from the news front around the holidays, so every year, we feature a few "end of the year" posts from movers and shakers here in Southern California''s tech industry. We''ll be featuring a few of these every day through the New Year. Our first post over the holidays is from Howard Marks --who co-founded Activision--and recently founded startup accelerator StartEngine, and who has been very active in encouraging the technology industry in Los Angeles.

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10 Barriers To Change That Limit Entrepreneur Growth

Startup Professionals Musings

'Successful entrepreneurs are the ones who think the most creatively, not only in their initial product or service, but more importantly all through the stages of growth from startup to maturity. But even the best of them can easily slip into some bad decision habits that limit or hurt their business, due to natural human tendencies and the pressures of business challenges.

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Can’t Fit Your Cargo, Request a Buddytruk

Tech Zulu Event

'Buddytruk is the latest peer-to-peer vehicle service to hit the streets of LA. Like Lyft and Uber , the service is utilized through the use of a smartphone app to request a driver to aid you in your quests. Unlike the two ride-sharing services, Buddytruk isn’t a ride-sharing service. While Lift and Uber allow people to request a pickup and ride from screen tested drivers to transport them and their friends safely to and from their destinations, Buddytruck fills a void that the ride-sharin

FAQ 98
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j2 Global Launches $415M Hostile Bid for Carbonite

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based j2 Global has launched a hostile bid for online storage company Carbonite , and has offered $15.00 per share--or approximately $415M--to buy the company. j2 Global released a letter to Carbonite shareholders earlier this week, offering to pay all cash for the company, which offers up cloud-based data protection for both businesses and individual users. j2 Global had attempted to acquire Carbonite before, in 2012. j2 Global--despite a low profile in the overall high tech sector

High Tech 174
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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.

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Five High Tech Gifts We Wish We Had Gotten This Holiday

socalTECH

'Did you get all of the high tech gifts you wanted under your Christmas tree, Hanukkah, or your other favorite holiday? Here are five of the gifts--all from Southern California high tech companies--we wish we could have gotten wrapped in a present this year. 1. 3D Robotics X8+ Drone. The X8+ Drone from 3D Robotics is an octo-copter which can haul up to 800 grams--i.e. your GoPro Hero--anywhere you want, for the ultimate aerial photography and video platform, with up to 15 minute flight time and

High Tech 170
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Minecraft Founder's New Beverly Hill Mansion, In Minecraft

socalTECH

'The latest, high tech mogul to set up in Los Angeles is Markus "Notch" Persson , the creator of Minecraft, after he paid $70M for a huge mansion in Beverly Hills. Fans of Minecraft might enjoy this video of that mansion -- built in none other than Minecraft itself. READ MORE>>.

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NoteVault Raises New Funding

socalTECH

'San Diego-based NoteVault , which develops a cloud-based subscription product which lets engineering and construction companies takes notes by texting, typing, or speaking into their mobile devices, has raised a new round of funding, the companys said this morning. Size of the funding round was not announced. The funding came from West Partners. NoteVault is led by Peter Lasensky.

Funding 147
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TaxBuzz.com Launches Marketplace for Tax Experts

socalTECH

'Looking for a tax accountant or CPA? Newport Beach-based TaxBuzz.com has launched a new website which it says is aimed at helping people find tax professionals, and featuring client reviews, ability to make online appointments, and more. The site says it offers up appointment scheduling tools, appointment reminders, secure document sharing, marketing tools, and much more to tax accountants and CPAs, and is looking to emulate ZocDoc and Avvo, similar marketplaces for other professionals.

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Sony Releases The Interview Online On YouTube, Xbox, Google Play

socalTECH

'Sony Pictures has released The Interview online, available for streaming, on YouTube , Google Play , Google Play, Xbox Video , and on its own website, seetheinterview.com , in a surprise Christmas gift to North Korea. Google-- explaining its release of the movie on its blog--said Sony had started contacting companies last Wednesday about how they might help the company release the movie online.

Google 138
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Yuneec Launches New Video Drone

socalTECH

'Ontario, California-based Yuneec said today that it has launched a new product into the aerial drone market, with a new drone called the Q500 Typhoon. The company''s drone--which retails for $1299--offers up a 3 axis, remotely controlled camera, which can take both full 1080p video and 12 megapixel still photos. Yuneec said it is aiming at the consumer market with the drone, which it says is ready to fly out of the box.

Marketing 138
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AltheaDx Files For IPO

socalTECH

'San Diego-based biotech developer AltheaDx has filed for an IPO, saying that it is looking to raised up to $69.0M in an IPO on the NASDAQ Global Market. The company said it has applied to trade under the symbol IDGX. The IPO is being underwritten by Citigroup, Jeffries, William Blair, and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. AlteaDx is developing molecular diagnostics technology for personalized medicine.

San Diego 138
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Minecraft Creator Buys $70M Mansion in Beverly Hills

socalTECH

'In the latest, technology-driven real estate deal in Los Angeles, the creator of Minecraft --Markus "Notch" Persson--has spent $70M for a giant mansion in Beverly Hills. Persson recently sold Mojang, the company behind Minecraft, for $2.5 billion dollars. LA appears to continue to be the hot location for real estate for technology moguls, with such recent sales of homes to Google''s Eric Schmmidt , Larry Ellison , Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss , among others.

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Snapchat Scores Win As Microsoft Nixes Third Party Apps

socalTECH

'Venice, California-based Snapchat scored a big win for its security efforts over the weekend, as Microsoft removed most third party Snapchat apps from its Windows Phone store. Microsoft and Snapchat did not announce any details on the move, which helps patch a sore point over at Snapchat--the unauthorized use of its internal APIs to write third party, Snapchat apps.

Snapchat 138
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Howard Marks: What I Learned In 2014

socalTECH

'It''s usually pretty slow from the news front around the holidays, so every year, we feature a few "end of the year" posts from movers and shakers here in Southern California''s tech industry. We''ll be featuring a few of these every day through the New Year. Our first post over the holidays is from Howard Marks --who co-founded Activision--and recently founded startup accelerator StartEngine, and who has been very active in encouraging the technology industry in Los Angeles.

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Minecraft Founder's New Beverly Hills Mansion, In Minecraft

socalTECH

'The latest, high tech mogul to set up in Los Angeles is Markus "Notch" Persson , the creator of Minecraft, after he paid $70M for a huge mansion in Beverly Hills. Fans of Minecraft might enjoy this video of that mansion -- built in none other than Minecraft itself. READ MORE>>.

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The Discipline Of Execution Defines An Entrepreneur

Startup Professionals Musings

'When entrepreneurs come to me with that “million dollar idea,” I have to tell them that an idea alone is really worth nothing. It’s all about the execution, and investors invest in the people who can execute, or even better, have a history of successful execution. Execution is making things happen, and for startups it usually means making change happen, which is even more difficult.

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Driving Your Startup With Fear Has Bad Consequences

Startup Professionals Musings

'Trying to be a business leader by instilling fear in your employees and partners is never a good approach, but it is particularly devastating in a startup. Yet I see this approach used all too often by new entrepreneurs, most of whom are not natural tyrants, but who are fighting to mask their own internal fears and insecurities about starting a business.

Startup 100
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Starting A Subscription Business? | Breaking Down the Logistics of Shipping

Tech Zulu Event

'There have been a slew of subscription based startups as of late. One may think its pretty simple, someone places an order and you ship it out, DONE! Seems simple enough. Drop something off and away off it goes. However, behind the scenes, there is a large network of players involved in getting even the simplest of packages from one location to another.

Design 81
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10 Approaches to Handle the Burden of Leadership

Startup Professionals Musings

'Most new entrepreneurs don’t anticipate the burdens of being the leader, including the sense of loneliness and isolation at the top. People outside the team can’t relate to the pressures of “the buck stops here,” and everyone on the team assumes that they are the primary ones under pressure to deliver. Even in a single entrepreneur startup, the leader carries a heavy weight.

Activity 102
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Innovative Services Are A Huge Boon For Startups

Startup Professionals Musings

'Startups that sell innovative new products seem to get all the attention these days, but services may be the quicker way to larger profits and faster growth. Of course, we all love disruptive new products, like the Pebble Smart Watch and Google Glass, but recent innovative services startups, including Uber for transportation and Airbnb for lodging, have grown much bigger and faster.

Services 101