Both Sides of the Table
NOVEMBER 25, 2010
This is an updated post from my ongoing series on Startup Advice that I learned from founding two companies. . I HATE LOSING. I hate it. I really, really, really hate it. It chaps my hide. It rips at my core. I don’t get over it easily. I lose sleep. I fucking hate losing. It’s not so much the actual outcome that I hate – it’s the process.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 22, 2010
Pasadena-based OnGreen , the online marketplace for green and clean technology businesses, said today that it has launched a new, patent marketplace focused on allowing users to license or sell their intellectual property (IP). According to OnGreen, the new marketplace will provide additional funding avenues for entrepreneurs. OnGreen said the patent exchange will focus on promoting the sale and licensing of green and clean technology patents and other form of IP.
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Berkonomics
NOVEMBER 22, 2010
Let me tell you the story of the first investment made by a newly organized formal group of angel investors. It was thrilling for these angels to find a young entrepreneur with an idea for a business that seemed so destined for greatness that the angels invested over $1 million on the condition that the group receive two board seats and one observer seat on the start-up’s board.
SoCal Tech Calendar
NOVEMBER 26, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010 -- 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 Q3 2010 PwC/National Venture Capital Association MoneyTree Report based on data from Thomson Reuters. Moderator: Randy Churchill, Director, Emerging Company Services, PwC; Current Confirmed Panelists: John Babcock, Partner, Rustic Canyon Partners; Jonathan Funk, Managing Director, Allegis Capital; Klaus Ko
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.
Both Sides of the Table
NOVEMBER 25, 2010
This is an updated post from my ongoing series on Startup Advice that I learned from founding two companies. . I HATE LOSING. I hate it. I really, really, really hate it. It chaps my hide. It rips at my core. I don’t get over it easily. I lose sleep. I fucking hate losing. It’s not so much the actual outcome that I hate – it’s the process.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 24, 2010
Irvine-based Broadcom said this morning that it has completed its acquisition of Beceem Communications , a developer of systems-on-a-chip (SoC) products for the LTE and WiMAX 4G market. The deal was worth $316M, and had originally been announced on October 13th. Beceem was backed by DoCoMo Capital, Global Catalyst Partners, Intel Capital, KTB Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Mitsui & Co., NEC, Samsung Ventures, Sequoia Capital, and Walden International, to the tune of around $127M in funding, and
Southern California Tech Central brings together the best content for technical professionals in Southern California from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Tech Zulu Event
NOVEMBER 21, 2010
CallFire allows entrepreneurs and Marketers to send interactive voice and SMS messages that make doing business more efficient. Visit TechZulu for full story. Tags: Business Development Events Startup Video CallFire SMS Spotlight.
Both Sides of the Table
NOVEMBER 22, 2010
I recently wrote about my philosophy of minimalism that “ less is more &# with the mantra “when in doubt, leave it out.&#. I’ve had a long-standing rule of thumb in product design, which I call “design for the novice, configure for the pro.&# I started saying this back in 2001/02, long before the era of Web 2.0, lean startups or even the advent of AJAX.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 24, 2010
Santa Monica-based CODA Automotive , the developer of electric cars, said today along with Essex Credit Corporation , a subsidiary of Bank of the West, to provide financing to customers of the 2011 CODA Sedan. According to CODA, financing from Essex can be found directly on CODA's website, or at retail locations at kiosks. Essex is a provider of direct consumer loans for the purchase and refinance of vehicles and luxury boats in all 50 states.
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 23, 2010
Mid-level or even top executives who “grew up” in large companies often look with envy at startups, and dream of how easy it must be running a small organization, where you can see the whole picture and it appears you have total control. In reality, very few executives or professional stars from large corporations thrive in the early-stage startup environment.
Tech Zulu Event
NOVEMBER 21, 2010
Geni is solving the problem of genealogy by inviting the world to build the definitive online family tree. Using the basic free service, users add and invite their relatives to join their family tree, which Geni compares to other trees. Visit TechZulu for full story. Tags: Events Social Media Startup Video Geni social Spotlight.
Both Sides of the Table
NOVEMBER 23, 2010
Everybody has some portion of their life that is repetitive. For these cases we want software that is optimized for massive iteration. I recently wrote a post about design simplicity where I encouraged technology design teams to think about “designing for the novice, configuring for the pro&# users. I wrote this post because I feel that too many products let features creep sink into the design under the guise of making the product more powerful but in turn they make their products less u
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 23, 2010
Irvine-based Specific Media , which operates an online advertising network, said today that it has gained three new exclusive publishing partners. The firm said it has signed a deal to gain sole, third party advertising placement access to ClassicCars.com, CarDomain.com, and Zeroto60times.com. Financial detaills of the arrangements were not disclosed.
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 26, 2010
The conventional wisdom is that “early adopters” are the ideal target for startups, to get business rolling. I see two pitfalls with any concerted focus on early adopters; first, the size of this group may not be as large as you think, and secondly, their feedback may lead you directly away from your real target market of mainstream customers. The term “early adopters” relates to the people who are eager to try almost any new technology products, and originates from Everett M.
Tech Zulu Event
NOVEMBER 21, 2010
Distribber.com isa new-model flat-fee distribution service that places independent films on digital sales platforms such as iTunes, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and Cable VOD while allowing filmmakers to keep 100% of their revenue. Visit TechZulu for full story. Tags: Arts & Entertainment Business Culture Entrepreneurship Events New Media Startup Video Amazon Distribber Hulu ITunes Netflix Spotlight.
Both Sides of the Table
NOVEMBER 21, 2010
It’s counter-intuitive – especially to Americans. But often less is more. Minimalism beats clutter. Substance trumps verbosity. For years I’ve been offering advice on how to better communicate and for years I’ve seen most people commit the same universal mistake: Including too many details. Less is more effective. Less has more impact.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 22, 2010
Los Angeles-based Rotohog , the online games developer headed by Kelly Perdew, has renamed itself FastPoint Games , according to the firm. According to Perdew, FastPoint has repositioned itself as a company focused on building live, data-driven, multi-platform games for clients to engage, reward and monetize their audience. The move broadens the firm's prior focus on fantasy sports and related games.
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 24, 2010
First things first – your startup needs a name! This may seem a silly and frivolous task, but it may be the most important decision you make. The name of your business has a tremendous impact on how customers and investors view you, and in today’s small world, it’s a world-wide decision. Please don’t send me any more business plans with TBD or NewCo in the title position.
Tech Zulu Event
NOVEMBER 22, 2010
Namesake aims to create a better way to match and route opportunities that come across your desk every day. Create a network on the platform by importing your Twitter and Facebook contacts. Visit TechZulu for full story. Tags: Entrepreneurship Events Startup Video Namesake Social network Spotlight.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 22, 2010
Los Angeles-based HauteLook , which operates an online, private sales website which offers up deals on fashion and other items to users, has expanded into Facebook, the firm said today. ACcording to HauteLook, it will begin offering up private sale events on Facebook starting tomorrow. The firm said it has created a new dedicated shopping page on the social networking site, and will also allow consumers to shop directly in-stream posts from their friends.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 22, 2010
Hawthorne-based SpaceX , the commercial rocket firm headed by Elon Musk, has scored a license from the Federal Aviation Administration, NASA said Monday. According to NASA, the license is the first-ever, commercial license to reenter a spacecraft from Earth orbit. The FAA license was a requirement of the firm's launch of its Dragon capsule, which is being designed as a commercial cargo delivery vehicle for the International Space Station.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 23, 2010
Irvine-based WebVisible announced Tuesday that it has named a new Chief Financial Officer. According to the provider of local online marketing services, it has appointed James A. (Jamie) Harper to the position. Harper joins the company from Move Networks, where he was CFO. Harper also has served at Stamps.com, where he spend a decade, eventaully becoming Chief Accounting Officer and Vice President of Finance.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 23, 2010
Santa Monica-based Rubicon Project , the online ad network optimization firm, told its customers today that it has just optimized its one trillionth display ad. In a coincidence, Rubicon Project founder and executive Frank Addante said in his Twitter stream that the record comes exactly three years to the date from when the firm hit one billion display ads optimized.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 24, 2010
Aliso Viejo-based Buy.com , the online e-commerce site, said today that it has extended its free shipping offer to nearly 2.7 million of the products on its site. The firm said the free shipping requires no minimum purchase, and now includes books, jewelry, home and outdoor products, electronics, videos, toys and games. The firm is gearing up for Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping days.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 22, 2010
Los Angeles- and Austin-based GameSalad , a developer of iPhone and other iOS platform game creation software, said Monday that the firm has launched a new version of its software which allows users to create their own Apple iOS games without a fee. GameSalad said it also has rolled out a new, $499 Professional level account which provides ads and promotional links for games.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 22, 2010
Los Angeles-based SVnetwork , which operates SocialVibe and other pay-for-performance advertising sites, said Monday that it has named Anna Seibert as its SVP of Sales Development. Seibert was most recently at AOL, where she was VP of Agency Development for AOL Advertising. The firm said Seibert headed up accounts with Disney, American Express, Delta, Kraft, InterContinental Hotel Group, GM,and Wal-Mart.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 22, 2010
Los Angeles-based Gaikai , which develops a cloud-based, game streaming services, said today that it has named Nanea Reeves to the position of Chief Strategy Officer. Reeves joins the firm from Electronic Arts, where she was Senior Vice President/COO Global Online. She also served as SVP of JAMDAT Mobile. Gaikai is venture backed by Benchmark Capital, TriplePoint Capital, Rustic Canyon Partners, Limelight Networks and Intel Capital.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 22, 2010
Santa Monica-based electric car manufacturer CODA Automotive and The Hertz Corporation said this morning that the two are in a deal to provide CODA's Sedans at "select" Southern California Hertz locations. According to the two, Hertz will allow users to rent the all-electric CODA as part of an EV Rental program it expects to roll out in 2011. Neither the number of locations or number of cars involved in the program, were announced by the two companies.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 21, 2010
San Diego-based Peregrine Semiconductor , a developer of RF integrated circuits for the wireless and other markets, filed for an IPO late Friday, saying it is looking to raise up to $100M on either the Nasdaq Global Market or New York Stock Exchange. The firm's IPO is being underwritten by Deutsche Bank Securities, J.P. Morgan, Jefferies & Company, Needham & Company, LLC, and Oppenheimer & Co.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 22, 2010
The acquisition of El Segundo-based iSuppli , worth $95M, has completed, according to acquiring firm IHS Inc. IHS said late Friday that the deal also included Screen Digest, a digital media and technology research company which was recently acquired by iSuppli. iSuppli is a provider of analyst services for the consumer electronics and other industries, and is well known for their tear-downs of electronic products.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 22, 2010
Beverly Hills-based RealD , the developer of 3D movie projection technology, has filed for a secondary offering worth $242.16M. According to the firm's filing, it is looking to offer up 7,815,001 shares of its common stock, with proceeds going to existing shareholders of the firm's stock. The firm said it is not selling any shares of its common stock, and will not receive any proceeds from the sale.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 22, 2010
Calabasas-based DTS , a provider of high definition audio technology, said last week that it has inked deals with the top five TV brand manufacturers in China. DTS said the brands include Skyworth, Hisense, Haier, Konka, and TCL. Financial details of the wins were not disclosed. DTS said those brands will incorporate its DTS audio in their HDTV models.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 22, 2010
Irvine-based Broadcom , the developer of networking and communications semiconductors, announced this morning that it has signed a definitive agreement to buy Gigle Networks , a provider of systems-on-a-chip for home networking over power lines. Broadcom said it would pay approximately $75M to acquire all of the outstanding stock and rights of Gigle Networks, with up to $8M in earn out.
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 20, 2010
By Mark F. Herbert Making the transition from individual contributor to manager, or entrepreneur to “corporate” executive, is one of the most difficult shifts most of us will face in our careers. A study conducted by a national management consulting firm a few years back indicated that more than 40% of newly appointed managers fail in their first 18 months on the job!
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 22, 2010
One of the keys to maximizing the productivity of your team, as well as yourself, is motivation. It has been estimated that the average team member at any given time works at less than 50% of his capacity. Thus mastering the art of employee motivation could double your chances of success over the average competitor. While there are many books written on this subject, most entrepreneurs I know simply assume that their own vision, motivation, and drive will be adopted and maintained by partners an
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 25, 2010
If you live in the USA, today is the national Thanksgiving Holiday. But no matter where you live in the world, you should use the opportunity to give thanks for the positives in your life and your business. High on my list is the joy and satisfaction of having helped many entrepreneurs face-to-face this year, and hopefully many more by my blog reaching out over the Internet.
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