Both Sides of the Table

MAY 17, 2012

I’m fond of saying that I look for entrepreneurs that have a chip on their shoulder. That they have something to prove. That they’re not afraid to stick their noses up to the establishment. I have always felt this way. It’s something I kind of seek out. I guess my thoughts are that if you’re part of the country club you have a vested interest in protecting the existing order and that disruption happens more from those that are on the outside wanting to change the rules.

Startup 336

Startup Entrepreneur IP Venture Capital 336

SoCal CTO

MAY 14, 2012

Ben Kuo just posted on SoCalTech: Are the good times for startups back? That seemed to be the mood running through the cloud at the more-than-sellout crowd at the Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica Thursday at the first LA Demo Day. At the event, the enthusiasm for startups was palpable. The crowd of more than 1,500 spilled out into hallways, and would-be investors were turned away from the doors, as a crush of entrepreneurs, investors, service providers, wanna-be entrepreneurs, and others looked

Los Angeles 254

Los Angeles Angel Startup Miramar 254

socalTECH

MAY 14, 2012

The UC Santa Barbara has received a big boost to the firm's technology programs with a $50M gift from the Chairman of Oracle and his wife, Jeff and Judy Henley. Jeff Henley, who is a UCSB graduate, is currently Chairman of the Board of Oracle, and served as Chief Financial Officer of the company from 1991 to 2004. UCSB said that $30M of the funds will go towards Henley Hall, for UCSB's Institute for Energy Efficiency (IEE), with the remaining $20M going to support the school's College of Enginee

Oracle 222

Oracle Santa Barbara Technology Funding 222

Berkonomics

MAY 17, 2012

It is a rule that early stage managers should find, protect and grow the core business, finding resources wherever possible to service that core in the form of variable expense, to be added to or shed at will as the company finds its niche and establishes a pattern of growth. From administrative services supplied by personal assistants located in India, to designers and producers of prototypes in China, to call centers managed and located in the Philippines, there are efficient, well organized s

Organization 168

Organization Course Resource Email 168

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

InfoChachkie

MAY 14, 2012

During my tenure at Expertcity (creator of GoToMyPC and GoToMeeting), one of my responsibilities was leading our online marketing, a role I retained until our eventual acquisition by Citrix. When we launched GoToMyPC in 2001, the rules of online marketing were still being written. Along with GoToMyPC, companies like Netflix, Classmates and ZoneLabs were learning from each other.

Content 171

Content Platform Paid Search OpenX 171

SoCal Tech Calendar

MAY 18, 2012

Thursday, May 24, 2012 -- LAVA hosts PwC's Shaking the MoneyTree. Please join LAVA, PwC and a distinguished panel of industry experts and local VCs for their insights on the results of the Q1 2012 PwC/National Venture Capital Association MoneyTree Report based on data from Thomson Reuters. The MoneyTree Report is a quarterly study of venture capital investment activity in the United States.

LAVA 113

LAVA Study Venture Capital Press 113

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2012

You can’t succeed in business without an operational model that delivers value to customers at a reasonable price, with an underlying cost that allows you to make a profit. There are no “overrides” – for example, businesses don’t thrive just because they offer the latest technology, or because everyone wants to be “green, or because their goal is to reduce world hunger.

Sales 97

Sales Custom Customer Outsource 97

Tech Zulu Event

MAY 18, 2012

In the beginning there were few variations of domain types you purchase as you had a selection of.com,net, or.org. As the Internet gained popularity with businesses and the general public domains began to expand. you had your.biz and.us or.uk. Then came vanity urls with country specific urls and who could forget the pornography specific domain,xxx. With so many options for a business owner to chose from, where do you even start.

.Net 78

.Net Education Entrepreneur Help 78

SoCal Tech Calendar

MAY 18, 2012

Thursday, May 24, 2012 -- Creating and Presenting Your Business Plan. Entrepreneurship @ RCC. If you have a business concept and want to learn more about becoming a successful entrepreneur, you are invited to attend. Email ron.pardee@rcc.edu.

Email 113

Email Entrepreneur 113

socalTECH

MAY 17, 2012

Rakuten , the Japanese e-commmerce giant which owns Aliso Viejo-based e-commerce site Buy.com , has just grabbed a stake in up-and-coming Internet sharing site Pinterest , according to reports today. Pinterest, which allows people to share pictures with their friends, comment on those pictures, and more, is expected to announced a $100M funding round, which was led by Rakuten, and also includes Andreessen Horowitz, FirstMark Capital and Bessemer Venture Partners.

Commerce 196

Commerce Journal Sites Report 196

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 18, 2012

We’ve all heard the old joke “In a bacon-and-egg breakfast, the chicken is involved, but the pig is committed.” This quote epitomizes the true essence of commitment. We all know at least one self-professed entrepreneur who claims to committed, but seems to treat it like a part-time hobby, won’t put any personal skin in the game, and is quick to give up when things are tough.

Startup 95

Startup Entrepreneur Ideas Activity 95

Tech Zulu Event

MAY 18, 2012

I can still remember the day I made a double play in a little league guy when was a kid. It was one of the great sports moment for me. Without doubt highlight reel worthy. However back then the only way you would’ve seen it is if you were there or saw the picture a reporter snapped at the game (which was in the local paper later that week). WePlay has created something to change that.

Coach 77

Coach Tool Platform Organization 77

SoCal Tech Calendar

MAY 18, 2012

Thursday, May 24, 2012 -- Salford Analytics and Data Mining Conference 2012. The 2012 Salford Analytics and Data Mining Conference is aimed at bringing together researchers, practitioners, and data mining enthusiasts to learn about data mining technology from practical and theoretical experts.

Conference 113

Conference Research Technology 113

socalTECH

MAY 16, 2012

Los Angeles-based business accelerator StartEngine has aligned itself with hosting firm Peak Hosting , the two said Wednesday, where members of the StartEngine business accelerator will gain $12,000 woth of credit for 12 months of hosting services from the firm. Peak Hosting said it will provide one-on-one mentoring plus the programs for companies in StartEngine.

Activision 190

Activision Mentor Los Angeles Services 190

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 16, 2012

Some entrepreneurs start polling venture capitalists for that multi-million dollar investment before they even have a business plan. That’s like trying to sell part of something to a stranger for big money when you haven’t fully defined it yet. It won’t work, it costs time and money, and hurts your credibility for when you need them later. Every entrepreneur needs help and support along the way, from developing the initial idea, to selling off the successful business (exit strategy).

Resource 94

Resource Startup Organization Incubator 94

Steve Reich

MAY 17, 2012

Yesterday, I joined a group of Pasadena and Tech Coast Angels for a discussion of crowdsourcing equity investments for startups. The discussion was lively, to say the least. The key takeaway–there are pitfalls here that could kill your company if you do it wrong. The JOBS Act of 2012 makes it possible to raise equity capital from small investors for the first time.

Capital 65

Capital Company Companies Tech Coast Angels 65

SoCal Tech Calendar

MAY 17, 2012

Wednesday, May 23, 2012 -- TriTech SWR Biztraction. Topic: Key Steps to forming and Running a Tech Startup, and How to Find Investors. Email Marquise Jackson marquise.jackson@rccd.edu.

Email 113

Email Startup 113

socalTECH

MAY 17, 2012

A report today from PandoDaily said that Santa Monica-based BetterWorks has terminated all of its sales and marketing staff, and half of its operations team. The move is an abrupt shift from feast to famine for BetterWorks, the high profile employee fringe benefits startup headed by prolific angel investor Paige Craig. Just nine months ago, the firm had over fifty open positions , and Craig had huge expansion plans.

Layoffs 187

Layoffs Santa Monica Acquisition Report 187

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 17, 2012

It’s great to dream big, but your startup needs a laser focus in the beginning to get market and investor attention. Google did it with search engines, Apple did it with a personal computer, and even Wal-Mart did it through low prices. A business plan I saw a while back to combine all the good features of several popular social networks on one site does not do it.

Custom 94

Custom Customer Social Network Marketing 94

socalTECH

MAY 15, 2012

A new startup focused on taming email overload has recently emerged, and looks to have some LA connections. SaneBox has recently launched an email plugin which works with Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Microsoft Outlook, and other email programs, and helps users filter, set up reminders, unsubscribe to unwanted email lists, and much more. Although based in Boston, at least one of the firm's founders are based in Los Angeles.

Email 183

Email Yahoo Los Angeles Angel 183

socalTECH

MAY 18, 2012

Planning on celebrating that Facebook IPO tonight? Los Angeles-based PromoJam just posted an amusing list of tech-themed mixed drinks to celebrate the occasion, which is now the biggest technology IPO on record, ever. PromoJam posted its list of tech-company themed drinks Friday in a tongue-in-cheek post, to help new Facebook stock owners to "drink away your jitters after you buy your inflated Facebook stock.

Los Angeles 174

Los Angeles Help Technology Angel 174

socalTECH

MAY 17, 2012

Santa Monica-based electric auto firm CODA Automotive announced Thursday morning that it has delivered its first fleet vehicle sale, to AEP Ohio, a unit of American Electric Power. CODA said the vehicle is part of a demonstration project, which will help AEP's customers learn more about electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. CODA said it is hoping that other fleets will consider its vehicle, saying that fleets account for 22 percent of all vehicles in the U.S.

Santa Monica 173

Santa Monica Sales Custom Customer 173

socalTECH

MAY 16, 2012

It's an election year in the United States, and the screens and airwaves are full of provocative sound bites, pundits, scandals, and the latest political gossip of the day. However, do you really know which political candidate you most agree with on the issues? Looking to help voters educate themselves better on the candidates, and the issues, Taylor Peck and Nick Boutleier came up with iSideWith (www.isidewith.com), a cleverly built site which lets users input their opinions on issues important

Education 171

Education Sites Startup News 171

socalTECH

MAY 15, 2012

Viddy , the Los Angeles online video sharing site which is looking to become the next Instagram, just got some big help today from celebrity Justin Bieber. Bieber threw his celebrity weight in a (gulp) shirtless post of himself posing for the camera late Tuesday, telling his followers on Twitter and elsewhere to check out the site. Viddy, which was co-founded by Brett O'Brien (former founder of Xdrive) and JJ Aguhob, is venture backed by Battery Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Goldman Sachs

Sites 170

Sites Los Angeles Help Funding 170

socalTECH

MAY 16, 2012

Los Angeles-based TeleSign , the provider of Internet fraud prevention and authentication services which is headed by Steve Jillings, has inked a partnership with Internet security provider Comodo , the firm reported this week. TeleSign said the two are offering a joint layered security solution, whic hcombines digital certificates with out-of-band, phone-based authentication.

Southern California 168

Southern California Los Angeles Report Media 168

socalTECH

MAY 15, 2012

Pasadena-based X1 Discovery , the enterprise, e-discovery spinout of X1, announced this morning that its X1 Rapid Discovery product is now available through the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Solution Provider program. Amazon said the use of AWS will allow its software to be installed and operated in an AWS customer's infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) environment.

Idealab 168

Idealab Pasadena Tool Web 168

socalTECH

MAY 15, 2012

Santa Monica-based CampusExplorer.com , the online site which helps students plan their college experience and find colleges, launched a new Facebook application Monday called Campus Explorer Connections. According to the company, which is run by Jerry Slavonia, the new app lets people figure out where their Facebook friends attend or attended college, to help improve their ability to learn about colleges.

Santa Monica 164

Santa Monica Sites Help Company 164

socalTECH

MAY 14, 2012

Long Beach-based FreeConferenceCall.com , a provider of free conference calling services, reports that it has expanded into the country of Israel. The firm said it will offer Israeli businesses its conference calling service, including free international access numbers in the countries it operates in. FreeConferenceCall.com operates an online conference calling service which is free to use, due to the vagaries of telecommunications laws--the firm recovers its costs from tariffs paid by various t

Long Beach 164

Long Beach Conference Services Report 164

socalTECH

MAY 14, 2012

Burbank-based Mefeedia , the online video discovery site headed by Frank Sinton, has launched a new app for Android Tablets, focused on kids videos. The app, Kid Videos , provides appropriate videos for kids from a wide range of video sites, including YouTube, DailyMotion, and Vimeo. The free app is also available for the iPad and Amazon Kindle Fire.

Burbank 164

Burbank Sites Guide Mobile 164

socalTECH

MAY 15, 2012

A New York-based provider of mobile consulting and development said Tuesday that it has opened up a new Los Angeles office, specifically to become part of the "Silicon Beach" startup scene in the area. Applico , which develops Android, iPhone, and mobile web software, said it specifically decided to open an L.A. office to gain a local presence to the thriving west coast technology scene.

Mobile 162

Mobile Develop Development Santa Monica 162

socalTECH

MAY 17, 2012

A San Diego entrepreneur is getting the backing of GE to help develop the "Milk Jug of the Future", after winning a competition launched by product development site Quirky. Stephanie Burns , the CEO of online site Chic CEO , which provides resources for female entrepreneurs, was selected as the winner of the GE Project, an invention competition which asked people to figure out a way to make an everyday project smarter with software.

San Diego 160

San Diego Entrepreneur Competition Resource 160

socalTECH

MAY 18, 2012

As Mountain View-based social networking site Facebook hits the market today, in what is the largest tech initial public offering in history, one question is if it will spur what has, so far, been a lackluster IPO market for Southern California technology firms. Despite the huge interest in Facebook's IPO--the firm priced at $38.00 last night, at the very high range of an already raised $34.00 to $38.00 initial offering range--it has actually been a less active year for Southern California than

Southern California 159

Southern California Activity Legalzoom Marketing 159

socalTECH

MAY 14, 2012

A familiar face in Southern California's technology industry reappeared in a high profile position this weekend: Ross Levinsohn , the former head of Fox Interactive Media and venture capitalist at Fuse Capital, has taken the reins at troubled Internet portal Yahoo , after the company decided to replace CEO Scott Thompson. Yahoo announced the appointment late Sunday evening, saying that Levinsohn will be appointed interim CEO at the company after it dumped Thompson over falsifying his resume.

Yahoo 159

Yahoo Southern California Media Capital 159

socalTECH

MAY 15, 2012

ModCloth , an online retailer of vintage fashion and decor, and which revolves around a community of independent designers, said today that it has raised $25M, in part to grow its operations in Los Angeles. The San Francisco company did not details its expansion plans in Los Angeles. The funding round was led by Norwest Venture Partners, and also included Accel Partners, First Round Capital, Floodgate, Harrison Metal, and Jeff Fluhr of StubHub.

Los Angeles 157

Los Angeles Angel Design Capital 157

socalTECH

MAY 16, 2012

Biofuels and renewable chemical technology firm Verdezyne announced Wednesday that it has named a new Chief Business Officer. The firm said that Ray W. Miller, who was at DuPont from 1972 through 2011, has joined the firm to head up business development initiatives for the company. Miller was most recently Global Business Development Manager, Biomaterials and Specialties, at DuPont.

Technology 153

Technology Develop Development Company 153

socalTECH

MAY 15, 2012

Health marketplace firm Health In Reach , which is led by Scott Sangster, has merged with competing health marketplace PriceDoc , the two firms annoucned this morning. According to the two, they will continue to operate as Health In Reach, and be headed by Sangster. Health In Reach is an online marketplace which allows consumers to find physicians, dentists, and others, gaining access to the costs of specific medical and dental procedures, particularly for those paying out-of-pocket for their me

Tech Coast Angels 153

Tech Coast Angels Pricing Angel Company 153