Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 30, 2010

Seth Levine of Foundry Group addresses this important topic this morning on his blog with a post, “ Has Convertible Debt Won ?&# Seth was basing this on a Tweet by Paul Graham that said&#. “Convertible notes have won. Every investment so far in this YC batch (and there have been a lot) has been done on a convertible note.&#. I have to say that I didn’t take the question to mean that convertible debt had won for the entire market, but either way it’s clear that convertible

Equity 319

Equity Pricing Venture Capital Entrepreneur 319

Berkonomics

AUGUST 30, 2010

At one time or another, most all businesses use consultants to fill the gaps in knowledge or to provide guidance for management. Consultants are good in that you can sample their work with short projects, change to other consultants quickly, and stop using them when a project is completed. I have a partner in a consulting practice that specializes in the travel industry.

Sample 189

Sample Report Course Conference 189

socalTECH

AUGUST 31, 2010

Irvine-based Integrien , a developer of enterprise IT monitoring software, has been acquired by VMware , according to VMware this morning. Although VMware did not announce financial details of the acquisition, sources close to Integrien said the acquisition was worth $102M. The acquisition was a big win for Southern California's investors, particularly from Clearstone Venture Partners and the Tech Coast Angels.

Tech Coast Angels 197

Tech Coast Angels Clearstone Southern California Acquisition 197

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 2, 2010

I’ve updated my earlier post on Networking Events Los Angeles with some great suggestions from Lorin Cha who I just met through LinkedIn. Here were the new ones: LeanLA Startup Circle Meetup I’ve gone to a couple of these. Often the presentations are pretty basic because of a fair number of newbies in the audience. However, there are some great folks who have lots of experience also attending so the networking and discussion is generally pretty great.

Los Angeles 167

Los Angeles Web Angel Social Media 167

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

SEPTEMBER 3, 2010

Thursday, September 9, 2010 -- San Diego/Orange County Founder Institute Information/Networking Event. Founder Institute. On Thursday evening, September 9th @6pm, the Founder Institute is hosting an information/networking event in San Diego at the offices of Cooley LLP. Anyone interested in becoming a world-class founder is invited to learn how the Institute can help.

Orange County 113

Orange County Networking San Diego Class 113

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2010

The universal challenge of every startup founder is to get everything done that needs to get done, and still have a life. Even outside of business, everyone wants to accomplish more, while working less. I’ve been a student of these techniques for some time, but recently I saw a great summary that seems to pull all the key principles together. Stever Robbins, known on the Internet as the Get-It-Done Guy, just published his book “ 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More ,” which outlines his strategies.

Startup 98

Startup Organization Sample Summary 98

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 31, 2010

Click here to watch live on Thursday 4pm PT. This week on TechZulu Live we have special guest Gerry Campbell Founder and CEO of Collecta. Collecta delivers real-time streaming news, via widgets, APIs and its Site Search Platform. It gives you a real time stream about what is happening right now at this very moment on the internet. Gerry has been an angel investor and advisor to some really amazing early-stage companies, including Summize (acquired by Twitter), Tweetdeck , StockTwits , Outside.

Tips 90

Tips Commerce News Media 90

SoCal Tech Calendar

SEPTEMBER 3, 2010

Thursday, September 9, 2010 -- Driving Revenue thru Relationships: The New Social Business Model that Works. TCOSC. Learn how companies such as Cisco, SAP, Intel, NIKE Inc., Lufthansa, Swiss Re, T-Mobile and Yum! Brands have expanded their business by connecting with millions of customers and prospects in a more authentic way. This program will include an overview of the social business model, social business software and resulting business opportunities that are driving some of the biggest chan

Technology Council 113

Technology Council TCOSC Case Study Study 113

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 3, 2010

Most people think innovation is all about ideas, when in fact it is more about delivery, people, and process. Entrepreneurs looking to innovate need to understand the execution challenge if they expect their startup to carve out a profitable niche in the marketplace, and keep innovating to build and maintain a sustainable competitive advantage. Everyone thinks they know how to make innovation happen, but I can’t find much real research on the subject.

Startup 93

Startup Ideas Resource Research 93

socalTECH

AUGUST 30, 2010

Los Angeles-based X Prize Foundation , the group which manages a series of competition-based prizes aimed at advancing science and technology, said today that it is running an eBay auction for a zero gravity flight with Avatar producer and director James Cameron. According to the foundation, the fundraiser will allow guests to purchase seats next to Cameron, as well as other X Prize board members, on a ZERO-G Experience flight taking off from Van Nuys airport in October.

Van Nuys 190

Van Nuys Competition Los Angeles Technology 190

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 1, 2010

StartupDemo partners Mixergy & AsAble.com have just announced their VC/Angel investor panel for the event. This Panel is filled with investing super stars who will be going over amazing content for all the startups and entrepreneurs out there. Panel speakers: Paige Craig , aka. Adrenaline Fueled Angel. Allen Morgan , Mayfield Ventures. Stewart Roberts , President of Orange County of Tech Coast Angels.

Venture Capital 58

Venture Capital Mixergy Orange County Tech Coast Angels 58

SoCal Tech Calendar

AUGUST 31, 2010

Wednesday, September 1, 2010 -- Social Media Marketing. German American Business Association. The German American Business Association (GABA) and Epic States, invite you to an exciting workshop and panel discussion focusing on the social media industry followed by a reception at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Over the past few years, social networking sites have experienced explosive growth.

Social Media 100

Social Media Media Marketing UCLA 100

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2010

By Adam Hoeksema According to a report distributed by the Angel Capital Education Foundation , total startup funding from venture capital funds, state funds, and angel investors totals approximately $20.8 billion annually. Surprisingly, friends and family contributed nearly three times the amount of capital to thousands of startups each year. With approximately $60 billion in startup funding coming from friends and family, entrepreneurs must consider this as an option as they seek to launch new

Funding 90

Funding Startup Blogging Invest 90

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 2, 2010

Santa Barbara-based Eucalyptus , which develops cloud computing management software, and Jamcracker , a developer of software for provisioning public and private cloud services, said today that the two firms have integrated their software. According to the companies, the integration allows enterprises to self-provision private and hybrid clouds. Business terms of the effort were not disclosed.

Cloud Computing 184

Cloud Computing Santa Barbara Software Capital 184

CEO Flow

SEPTEMBER 2, 2010

Want the peace of mind and freedom that comes with knowing you have all the support you need from your own people? Now you can buy the book! Chip Conley, best-selling author of “PEAK: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo From Maslow&# and CEO of Joie de Vivre Hospitality: Tags: Featured Books.

Company 53

Company Companies 53

SoCal Tech Calendar

SEPTEMBER 2, 2010

Wednesday, September 8, 2010 -- Real Estate and Securities for Corporate Finance. ACG 101. See https://www.acg.org/101. (more).

ACG 113

ACG 113

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 29, 2010

Even though 1984 passed uneventfully over 25 years ago, there is still a large population out there worried about George Orwell , and the animals taking over the farm. Why is everyone so paranoid these days? My plea to entrepreneurs and startups is to recognize it as an opportunity, and go the extra mile to make people comfortable rather than paranoid.

Entrepreneur 85

Entrepreneur Technical Review Social Network News 85

socalTECH

AUGUST 30, 2010

Pasadena-based TweetUp , the Twitter advertising startup started by Idealab's Bill Gross, said this morning that it has added LinkedIn and Facebook updates as part of its service, and as a consequence changed its name to PostUp. The firm allows users to increase the prominence of their Twitter and other updates in searches on third party Twitter clients, web sites, and other applications.

Idealab 183

Idealab Advertising Pasadena Web 183

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 30, 2010

Android Users Rejoice! You can now be part of the BuzzVoice Club. TechZulu has been following BuzzVoice for quite some time. From release date to name change , and their BuzzVoice 3.0 update. We do so because they have a great product that not only the techno savy can enjoy but those who just want to keep up to date with the latest and greatest news.

News 53

News Blogging Sites Email 53

SoCal Tech Calendar

SEPTEMBER 3, 2010

Thursday, September 9, 2010 -- High Tech Night at the Padres. CommNexus. Contact Megan Leonard at mleonard@commnexus.org. (more).

High Tech 100

High Tech 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 2, 2010

My introduction to startups really came when I first worked in IBM with Philip Donald Estridge back in 1981. Known as Don Estridge, he led development of the original IBM Personal Computer, and thus is known as "father of the IBM PC" He’s gone now, but I still remember him fondly. He and Bill Lowe somehow managed to convince then CEO Frank Cary to give them a dozen engineers, a small budget, and a few months, to set up a small skunk-works called Entry Level Systems in Boca Raton, Flori

IBM 74

IBM IBM Startup Software Review 74

socalTECH

AUGUST 30, 2010

Los Angeles-based Mail.com , the online media network run by Jay Penske, is being sued by The Gross Family Foundation, a New York-based charity, over its use of "FASHION ROCKS" to advertise and promote its own multimedia services. According to a lawsuit filed Monday in the New York Southern District Court (The Gross Family Foundation, Inc. v. Mail.Com Media Corporation), the Gross Family Foundation claims that MMC is using "FASHION ROCKS" to advertise and promote its own services, including clai

Advertising 182

Advertising Entertainment Media Competition 182

SoCal Delicious

AUGUST 31, 2010

JanRain Engage provides a convenient way to enable social logins on a site via a single API. This includes support for Facebook, Google, Twitter, LinkedIn and over a dozen additional services. Implementing JanRain Engage on your site is a lot less work than implementing each login provider one by one. Also, as any changes to each login will be handled by JanRain, you won't have to keep updating your authentication code if changes are made by the login provider.

Class 41

Class Sites Startup Examples 41

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 30, 2010

This post was originally published in a shorter (more sensible) format in the Wall Street Journal online. If you’re short on time click on the WSJ link and read the 990 word version there. Otherwise, grab a cup ‘o coffee … Clicking on any graph below will take you to that article. One year ago I predicted that in 2010/11 the economy, far from being on the path of permanent recovery was on a temporary resurgence and there was a strong possibility of a “double dip” recession.

Entrepreneur 298

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Technical Review Startup 298

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 30, 2010

The first question most people seem to ask when contemplating a new startup is where they will get the money. That’s certainly a valid question, but all the money in the world won’t make your business a success if you hate what you are doing, and you aren’t prepared to do the job. I suggest that there are several other questions even more important than the money one.

Training 84

Training Entrepreneur Startup Ideas 84

socalTECH

AUGUST 30, 2010

Playa Vista-based X Prize Foundation , the nonprofit which is running a series of competitions to advance science and technology, has unveiled it latest prize under development: clean-burning cookstoves. The group said the new effort, which it is developing with the Government of India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, looks to spur the development of clean and efficient cookstove technology.

Technology 178

Technology Competition Education Develop 178

SoCal Delicious

AUGUST 31, 2010

ReadWriteHack ReadWriteWeb ReadWriteStart ReadWriteBiz ReadWriteEnterprise ReadWriteCloud ReadWriteHack International ReadWriteBrazil ReadWriteChina ReadWriteFrance ReadWriteSpain ReadWriteHack Home Archives More Articles & Blogs RSS Twitter Facebook How To: Quickly Enable Social Logins with JanRain Engage By Ben Barden / August 31, 2010 8:40 AM / Loading Comments Tweet This post is part of our ReadWriteHack channel, which is a resource and guide for developers.

Software Review 40

Software Review PHP Class Startup 40

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 1, 2010

The Web. Open, democratic, leveling, freeing information from closed networks. The wisdom of the crowds. Or so it seems. I originally came from the entreprise software world (for 10 years) and before that I was in mobile & telecoms (8 years) so the last three years of immersing myself in consumer Internet, digital media & advertisings has been very eye opening.

News 284

News Blogging Search Engine Optimization SEO 284

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 28, 2010

By Ernst Gemassmer Most of us view weekly staff meetings today with a degree of trepidation and frustration. Without clear expectations, two-way communication, and effective execution, they are too often a waste of time for all participants. Many have suggested that it is time re-engineer this process, or eliminate the meetings entirely. In an old survey on staff meeting obstacles conducted by GroupSystems , I found the following not-so-surprising statistics for the average 50 minute staff meeti

Startup 84

Startup Statistics Coach Report 84

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 1, 2010

Los Angeles- and Atlanta-based SocialVest , a developer of a caused-driven shopping site, said today that it has launched a new service which allows users to raise and give money to non-profit organizations, through shopping. The startup, which has its team split between Atlanta and Los Angeles, said it will rebate 1 percent to 15 percent of purchases made by its users with participating retailers to a "Giving Account", which users can then redirect to the non-profit of their choice.

Los Angeles 176

Los Angeles Organization Sites Angel 176

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 1, 2010

Los Angeles-based GameFly , the provider of online video game rentals, is looking to spur subscriber signups, saying today that it is looking to give away one year, free memberships to a new subscriber every day this month. The firm said it is looking to reward new members of its community with the promotion. Gamefly offers a videogame rental service which allows users to rent one or more video games concurrently via mail, using a similar model to Netflix.

Netflix 165

Netflix Content Los Angeles Services 165

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 1, 2010

San Diego-based Active Network said this week that it has signed the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) and Saint Paul Parks and Recreation, the two largest parks and recreation organizations in Minnesota, as a customer. According to Active, the two organizations are using its software to manage and automate their daily operations. Financial details of the win were not disclosed.

Activity 164

Activity Networking San Diego News 164

socalTECH

AUGUST 31, 2010

Mojave, California-based Masten Space Systems , a developer of experimental space vehicles, is one of two firms sharing in $475,000 in a NASA award. According to NASA, it has selected Masten, along with Texas-based Armadillo Aerospace, to perform test flights of their experimental vehicles near the edge of space. The awards are part of a NASA effort to foster the development of commercial, reusable transportation to near space, between 65,000 and 350,000 feet.

Funding 164

Funding Develop Development 164

socalTECH

AUGUST 30, 2010

Santa Monica-based CODA Automotive , the developer of electric vehicles, said today that it has named Mark Jamieson as its Chief Financial Officer. According to CODA, Mark was most recently Executive Vice President and Chief Financial officer at HD Supply, and also served as CFO of Ryder Systems and GE Industrial Systems. The company said that Jamieson will manage the company's finance, human resources, information technology, and recruiting.

Santa Monica 162

Santa Monica Equity Resource Capital 162

socalTECH

AUGUST 31, 2010

San Diego-based DexCom , a developer of continuous glucose monitoring systems, said Monday afternoon that Donald A. Lucas has resigned from the firm's board of directors. Lucas is Founding Managing Member at RWI Group, which was an investor in DexCom before the firm's IPO in 2005. Dexcom President and CEO Terry Gregg said in a statement that Don's committment to the firm "far exceeded that of a typical venture capital investor.".

San Diego 157

San Diego Venture Capital Capital Develop 157

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 2, 2010

Santa Monica-based CODA Automotive , the electric vehicle startup, said Thursday that it intends to distribute its CODA Sedan to customers in Hawaii in Q3 of 2011. According to CODA, the effort is part of an effort to support the Hawai'i Clean Energy Initiative launched by Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle. That initiative aims to have clean energy account of 70 percent of Hawaii's total energy needs by 2030.

Santa Monica 157

Santa Monica Pricing Los Angeles Report 157