Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

Tracy DiNunzio isn’t your typical Silicon Valley startup founder. She’s a painter and a self-proclaimed Bohemian. She did her first tech startup after the age of 30. And she didn’t start her company in Northern California. Tracy built her company, Recycled Media , out of necessity. She hasn’t raised any venture capital. She drove her company to profitability before paying herself a modest salary.

Startup 363

Startup Entrepreneur SEO Venture Capital 363

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

Note: This is an installment in the Iconic Advice series. Other installments include: Jeff Bezos , Steve Jobs , Mark Cuban , Richard Branson , Walt Disney , Mark Zuckerberg , Michael Dell and Larry Ellison. For more than 30-years, Bill Gates has been at the pinnacle of the software industry. Like Steve Jobs, Michael Dell and Larry Ellison, he is one of the few startup Founders who remained at the helm of their respective companies throughout their entire maturation process.

Tips 275

Tips Startup IP Santa Barbara 275

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 21, 2012

Steve Jillings has a long track record of running successful startups in Southern California, ranging from such companies as FrontBridge Technologies (sold to Microsoft in 2005 for over $200M) and Vantage Media (acquired in 2007). Steve is now in charge of Marina Del Rey-based TeleSign (www.telesign.com), which has quietly become a huge force in providing authentication services to nearly every major Internet service out there.

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Marina Del Rey Startup IP Examples 238

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

I cannot tell you how many times I have seen executive summaries of business plans in which the entrepreneur seeks $5,000,000 to build the business. First, few startups can use that much money today with all of the virtual services available and increasingly inexpensive methods of development, prototyping and marketing. Second, almost no professional investor will consider putting that much into a startup until there is proof of market demand, product viability or some other mitigation of failur

Resource 180

Resource Invest Summary Startup 180

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

SoCal Tech Calendar

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

Thursday, March 1, 2012 -- Please join PwC, the Los Angeles Venture Association, and a distinguished panel of venture capitalists and industry experts for their insight into results of the MoneyTree Report. The MoneyTree Report is a quarterly study of venture capital investment activity in the United States. As a collaboration between PwC and the National Venture Capital Association, based upon data from Thomson Reuters, it is the only industry-endorsed research of its kind.

Press 124

Press Venture Capital Study Report 124

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

The days when you locked and loaded your career in school, and then blasted away down that same narrow path the rest of your life, are gone, never to return. Career survival today requires thinking and acting like an entrepreneur starting a business, staying nimble and resilient, willing to pivot, and supersensitive to the market realities of supply and demand.

Startup 108

Startup Entrepreneur Demand Competition 108

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 22, 2012

We’ve all become so used to having Microsoft in our lives that we’ve started to take their products and services for granted. We don’t think about how much Microsoft does to make our lives easier, especially at work. However, Microsoft is behind the scenes at most businesses – both large and small – enabling them to operate more efficiently and grow more quickly.

Writing 88

Writing Training Email .Net 88

SoCal Tech Calendar

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

Thursday, March 1, 2012 -- James V. Mazzo, President, Abbott Medical Optics, Inc. Entrepreneurship Course, 2012 Guest Speaker Lectures, Henry Samueli School of Engineering, UC Irvine. Free and open to the public. This series is part of a course on Entrepreneurship for Scientists and Engineers, but enrollment is not necessary to attend these guest speaker lectures Email goran@uci.edu for details.

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UCI Course Email 113

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 22, 2012

I have a certain friend who called me a while back, all excited about his latest revelation. “What if you could go to a web site and find all the recipes you could make today, with just the ingredients you already have in your kitchen? I’m going to start a website to offer this service!” I’m sure you all realize that there could be quite a distance between a great idea and a great startup.

Ideas 97

Ideas Patents Startup Google 97

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 22, 2012

Ever wish you had a better way of sharing your favorite recipes with family and friends? Wish that cookbook for your church, school, or club could enter the modern age? Los Angeles-based BakeSpace.com , the online social networking and recipe site, has a new product for you. The company, which is headed by Babette Pepaj, is launching a new, cookbook publishing tool which allows users to create their own, native iPad cookbooks, which can either be given away for free, and sold online or through t

Services 207

Services Social Network Web Tool 207

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

It’s always nice to have a map in hand when going backpacking through the mountains. Without a map it’s easy to get lost. Just like backpacking through the mountains, startup competitions such as Startup Weekend can be difficult without some guidance. The team at talkTECH put together this infographic to give you the added edge of how to be a winner in any startup competitions.

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Competition Startup Services News 80

SoCal Tech Calendar

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

Thursday, March 1, 2012 -- Schmoozd Startup Demo and Mixer. Schmoozd is back and is ready to rock the Los Angeles tech scene by showcasing a handful of killer startups at the vLounge, on Thursday, MARCH 1, 2012. Please join us for an evening of fun mingling with other startups, VCs, entrepreneurs and others.

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Startup Los Angeles Entrepreneur Angel 113

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2012

If you startup is your dream, why would you want to think about an exit? It’s going to be so successful and so much fun that you don’t need to think about what comes after. Wrong. There are two very real and practical reasons why you need to plan an exit: Outside investors want to collect their return. Remember that equity investments are not like loans with interest.

Startup 96

Startup Ideas Entrepreneur Demand 96

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 22, 2012

Camarillo-based Cool Planet BioFuels , the developer of technology to convert biomass to gasoline, is claiming a "major breakthrough" in its technology. The company said it has been able to produce 4,000 gallons of acre biomass-to-gasoline conversion in its pilot testing, which it says is about twelve times the yield than current, corn ethanol production levels.

Technology 205

Technology Develop Development Product 205

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 23, 2012

It’s that time of year again ladies and gentlemen. We’ve been talking about it week. Giving you tips and tricks to guide you towards the winner circle. Well, it’s time. Time for Startup Weekend LA. So put on your thinking caps and get ready to be closing. This year’s Startup Weekend in Los Angeles begins tomorrow February 24th and goes through the weekend.

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Los Angeles Angel Startup Tips 72

SoCal Tech Calendar

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

Thursday, March 1, 2012 -- LA CEOs, an education and support group for CEOs presents: VCs, Angels, Accelerators and Incubators. This presentation will address the latest trends and differences in VCs, Angels, Accelerators and Incubators. Our Featured speaker, John Morris is Chairman Emeritus of the Tech Coast Angels (TCA), and a co-founder and a past president of their Los Angeles network.

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Tech Coast Angels Incubator Venture Capital Education 113

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

Lack of confidence in your self, your product, and your startup is a surefire recipe for disaster. At the other extreme, too much confidence or arrogance can kill you just as fast. It’s always painful when a startup fails, but as a mentor to founders I would hope that you can learn from these failings and not stumble on the same issues: “Business plans are for dummies.

Startup 95

Startup Social Network IBM IBM 95

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 22, 2012

Los Angeles-based FlowTab , the developer of a smartphone application which allows users to order food and drink from their smartphone, has scored the top position in a competition hosted by Glendale-based startup incubator/office space Voivoda Labs. Voivoda Labs said that Flowtab was judged the top startup out of 15 companies which pitched their firms to investors and judges on Tuesday evening.

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Competition Startup Glendale Incubator 205

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

With the SOLD OUT Startup Weekend Los Angeles quickly approaching (February 24th-26th, 2012) it’s time to start getting in the creation mindset. This year Startup Weekend is branching out towards driving solutions to be created for the education industry with Startup Weekend EDU. While this is different than the traditional Startup Weekend events , it comes at no surprise as the education industry continues to push forward on advancing learning with technology. “The lines between in

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Education Entrepreneur Startup Mentor 71

SoCal Tech Calendar

FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Wednesday, February 29, 2012 -- SMERC Tutorial and Demo - EV, DR and Microgrids. WINMEC UCLA. The rapid increase in electric vehicles plugging into the electric grid coupled with the introduction of wind and solar energy resources into the grid has resulted in an unprecedented need for the power grid to be modernized.Utilities are looking for advances which have the potential to scale to their territories.

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UCLA Resource Activity 113

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 18, 2012

Being an entrepreneur these days requires an understanding of a thousand topics, many of which don’t even exist today in traditional learning vehicles, like schools and textbooks. The Internet and its information wave have changed everything – it’s the problem, with constant change, and it’s the solution, if you use it to navigate quickly and self-educate.

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Entrepreneur Startup Class Education 93

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 21, 2012

In a move which significantly broadens its market focus, Santa Ana-based RealPractice said Tuesday that it has launched a new, automated marketing software called ReplyWise. The company said the new software is aimed at all types of small businesses, and helps local businesses to respond faster to customer inquiries, track online and offline advertising, and reply more effectively to calls, emails, and social media inquiries.

Marketing 178

Marketing Product Social Media Advertising 178

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

Try to recall when it was the last time you looked at the SD or microSD card from your phone, camera, or tablet and thought to yourself: “Damn, these cards are kind of ugly. I wish they’d do something about it.” Probably not huh? So what’s the big deal with Samsung’s new line of “stylish branded memory cards?” Well. when they’re advertised to survive a proverbial triumvirate of biblical-proportioned physical abuse, the advertised brushed metal desi

Class 65

Class Writing Startup Advertising 65

SoCal Tech Calendar

FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Wednesday, February 29, 2012 -- To Plug Or Not Plug In (An EV)? That is the question. Join us to welcome Dr. Rajit Gadh, Professor and Founding Director of the UCLA Smart Grid Energy Research Center (SMERC) to the CODA Experience Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Gadh will break down smart grid technology, recent innovations and when its best to charge your EV for cost savings.

UCLA 113

UCLA Email Research Los Angeles 113

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2012

Cash is the fuel of every startup. Your burn rate is the rate at which that money is being spent, and allows an estimate of how long you can go before refueling (runway). That refueling is when you will need more investment, or when you will break even and begin that steep profitable growth curve. Investors also look at your burn rate to see how efficient and effective you are at running the business.

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Startup Outsource Development Development Team Review Equity 92

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Los Angeles-based Chill , the social video discovery site founded by Brian Norgard and Dan Gould--demonstrating its characteristic ability to quickly jump on the latest Internet trends--has taken a clue from photo "pinning" startup Pinterest, and added its own pinning ability to its video site. The latest incarnation of Chill allows users to repost, comment, and interact with videos similarly to the way Pinterest lets users interact with photos.

Redpoint 176

Redpoint Sites Los Angeles Services 176

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 21, 2012

Fanzila , a startup that makes it easy to turn your Facebook pages into mini websites with blogs, contests, photo galleries and more, has just added ”Contact Us,” “About Us,” and RSS apps to its offering. But what’s more noteworthy is how Fanzila is spreading the word. The startup, which originally launched at TechCrunch Disrupt last fall, is giving away premium one year licenses worth $1,188 to 200 bloggers and website owners who act at their virtual marketing arm

RSS 64

RSS Blogging Email Pricing 64

SoCal Tech Calendar

FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Wednesday, February 29, 2012 -- Profligate Systems Engineering. The complexity of current and future engineering endeavors continues to increase non-linearly as we demand more and more integration of and inter-relationship between our devices and our data. Because no one individual or small team can track, let alone manage, all their dependencies, we tend to build more and more "slop capacity" into each level of the stack.

Demand 113

Demand Acquisition Technology 113

Frank Addante

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

Before you waste your time with a business case, sales pitch, or SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats), put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Then, answer these three simple questions: Why do I need a product or service like this? Why do I need yours? Why do I need it now? Seems simple? Try it. Not so easy, right? The first question, “Why do I need a product or service like this?

Ideas 45

Ideas Mobile Sales Product 45

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

San Diego-based Totem , a startup which buys and recycles used iPhones, BlackBerry, Android, tablet, and other devices from consumers and businesses, has recently launched a corporate division to buy back unwanted corporate equipment. The startup--headed by entrepreneur Nicholas Fiorentino--provides an online quote to purchase used equipment from both consumers and businesses.

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Seed Funding San Diego Organization Entrepreneur 170

Steve Reich

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

One of the founders of PROnoise.com, an Indie music site that will shortly go live, confirmed that he’s getting real value out from being part of the StartEngine Accelerator. In a conversation yesterday, Chase Smiegiel, noted that he’s getting great mentoring from two seasoned entrepreneurs. Chase also said that Howard Marks has been able to open doors with key players with quick phone call.

Incubator 40

Incubator Mentor Entrepreneur Sites 40

SoCal Tech Calendar

FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Wednesday, February 29, 2012 -- Blake Irving, EVP and CPO, Yahoo! Pepperdine Dean's Executive Leadership Series. Blake Irving is executive vice president and chief product officer at Yahoo! Irving most recently was a professor at Pepperdine Universitys Graziadio School of Business and Management in Malibu, California. Previously, he served as corporate vice president of the Windows Live Platform group at Microsoft.

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Yahoo Pepperdine Malibu Platform 113

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

Southern California has seen a surge in accelerators and incubators looking to spawn new startups in the region. Among those startups is Sandalbay Life , a new healthcare IT firm which is resident at Los Angeles-based StartEngine, the accelerator being run by Howard Marks. Sandalbay Life is actually run by a serial entrepreneur with ties to Marks, Neil Malhotra.

Startup 164

Startup Platform Southern California CalTech 164

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Hollywood-based Fanattac , a developer of an online, social media platform which looks to connect music fans and artists, has raised $1M in a funding round. The firm, which is headed by Dan Faiman, did not disclose the names of the investors in the company. the firm said it is providing a "unique" social media experience for music lovers, where fans will be able to interact with artists online.

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Social Media Media Hollywood Platform 164

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 21, 2012

Beverly Hills-based Mobile Roadie , the developer of branded, mobile apps for celebrities and brands, reported today that it is powering the mobile app for soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo. Financial details of the win were not disclosed. Mobile Roadie is providing the mobile app platform for the app, published by Digital Artists Entertainment, which runs on both iPhone and Android.

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Beverly Hills Mobile Entertainment Platform 157

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 22, 2012

Los Angeles-based mobileStorm , the provider of mobile messaging and email marketing services headed by Jared Reitzin, has scored a venture debt funding, according to provider Agility Capital. Financial details of the funding and terms were not announced. mobile Storm provides email and SMS marketing tools, mobile apps, and other products to customers such as Humana, NASCAR, American Idol and Kaiser Permanente.

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Funding Email Mobile Los Angeles 157