Both Sides of the Table
MARCH 10, 2012
When I started my first tech company in 1999 I had pretty good tech chops and had led teams but had very little exposure to many other things that matter in a startup including sales, marketing & business development. Like most first-timers, I learned the hard way. Negotiating was a subset of every activity in a startup – it really was a way of life.
SoCal CTO
MARCH 12, 2012
I've recently received several emails from people looking for a technical cofounder for their startup. I promised I would write this post with some thoughts and ideas on the topic. Here's an example of that kind of email. "I'm looking for a partner / cofounder who can not only head the technical aspects and build a working model of the site, but someone with the connections to put a great development team together when we need it.
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socalTECH
MARCH 15, 2012
Last week, Santa Monica-based Docstoc (www.docstoc.com), the online business documents site headed by Jason Nazar, launched a new website, called License123 (www.license123.com). The new site is a separate brand, offering up help to businesses trying to make sure their companies are properly licensed in whatever city and state they are operating in.
InfoChachkie
MARCH 14, 2012
While working, I often listen to YouTube videos in the background, much like a podcast. Depending on what I am working on and the degree to which the video is compelling, my focus on the video’s content fades in and out. Occasionally a video compels me to take a break and devote all of my attention to it. This occurred while I was listening to the embedded video below.
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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.
Berkonomics
MARCH 15, 2012
In the creation of a new enterprise, there are five principal risks to be addressed by the entrepreneur. Professional investors will probe these five risk areas and make the decision to invest based upon comfort with each. So it is important for the entrepreneur to identify, address and mitigate each of these in order to increase valuation and decrease the risk of ultimate loss of the business.
Technology Council
MARCH 12, 2012
By Barry Lieberman A “lead” means many things to many people. To some it’s a list of contacts based upon a specific location, industry, age group or other demographic. While to others it’s the contact that has completed an online form or responded to an advertisement. Yet to many sales people it’s a person who [.].
Southern California Tech Central brings together the best content for technical professionals in Southern California from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
SoCal Tech Calendar
MARCH 16, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012 -- Small Business Breakfast Series Presents: Building a Brand Through Social Media. Building a brand is a key cornerstone to the success of a small business. In this generation of social media, companies have a plethora of social networking channels that can be utilized to build and sustain brands. Featured speakers include Jason Nazar of Docstoc and Kevin Winston of Digital LA.
Startup Professionals Musings
MARCH 12, 2012
One of the biggest red flags I see in many Internet-related business plans today is advertising as the initial revenue stream, or a key part of it. If challenged, the founder usually cites the Facebook business model (free service to users, revenue from ads), but forgets that Facebook has had several hundred million in funding, and has been profitable only in the last couple of years.
Tech Zulu Event
MARCH 16, 2012
This week during SXSW we learned of all sorts of the new startup scenes around the country, even the world. One in particular we talked with was startup accelerator The Gig Tank out of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Chattanooga has recently begun to blossom in the world of design, startups, and tech. So here’s an infographic breaking down some of the exciting things to come summer 2012.
socalTECH
MARCH 12, 2012
Los Angeles-based Invested.in , the developer of web-based software for managing crowd funding efforts, has connected its service into the popular AngelList service, saying last week that it is launching Crowdcelerator.com , a new service which uses AngelList's API to help startup companies raise funds and close their fundraising rounds. The new service, which is in private beta, uses AngelLists's API and Invested.in's social fundraising platform to drive angel investment deals.
SoCal Tech Calendar
MARCH 16, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012 -- From Founder to CEO: What are the Critical Steps in Growing Your Business and Securing Funding? TCVN. What are the Critical Steps in Growing Your Business and Securing Funding? Evolving as a startup company is critical. Evolving as a Founder to CEO is just as critical. In March, TCVN will have an interactive exchange of information and real life steps of growing from the Founder of your startup to a well-rounded CEO This valuable Forum may be the difference in success
Frank Addante
MARCH 15, 2012
The hot topic in digital advertising today is real-time ad buying. Even for a fast-evolving industry, it felt like real-time ad sales swept through the industry quickly last year, with lots of companies activating real-time exchanges that enabled advertisers to plug in, find their desired audiences, and buy ads within fractions of a second. Even with all the attention, today’s real-time market remains inefficient and disproportionate, because of the exclusion of two major role players in digital
Tech Zulu Event
MARCH 10, 2012
Time is a valuable commodity. Worded a bit more starkly by Benjamin Franklin: “Time is money.” For we live in speed. McDonald’s IPOed 46 years ago with a market cap today of over $100 billion, why? Because, they make food faster. Time is money. Google’s current market cap sits at just over $200 billion (Yahoo! Finance), because they save us hours-upon-hours of searching, indexing, and for today’s student, researching.
socalTECH
MARCH 16, 2012
Los Angeles-based Crosscut Ventures , the early stage, venture capital investment firm run by Rick Smith and Brian Garrett, looks to be kicking off a new fund, according to an SEC filing this week. Details on the fund size were not included in the filing, and the firm has not commented on the filing. Crosscut Ventures invests in digital media businesses, and has invested in such companies as GraphEffect, Postcard On The Run, ShoeDazzle, Zadspace, GumGum, DocStoc, CircleStreet, Verve Wireless, am
SoCal Tech Calendar
MARCH 14, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012 -- How To Get Your App Built.Correctly! SCV Startup #5. So many of you have asked me how you get your product built. You know what you want to create but you don't know where to start. Ready? The 11 MUST-KNOWS about building a great app for 2012. Learn them before you start! Email Erick@TimeshareJuice.com.
Steve Reich
MARCH 16, 2012
Tuesday, I had the good fortune to meet a roomful of Mechanical Engineering Master’s students at CSLA, and was throughly impressed. Mark Lieberman, of BTC fame and a Regional Economic Development Manager for LA County, team teaches a prototype Entrepreneurship class there. Mark asked Kevin Scanlon, Chairman of the Pasadena Angels, to critique his student’s draft business pitches, and I joined the two of them.
Tech Zulu Event
MARCH 11, 2012
techzulu posted a photo: via Instagram instagr.am/p/ICglT1uLOX/.
socalTECH
MARCH 15, 2012
Who says that Southern California companies aren't at the core of the technology business? A new teardown of the Apple iPad 3 , just posted by iFixit, shows that at least three semiconductor companies with Southern California connections are doing the heavy electronics lifting inside Apple's new device. San Diego-based Qualcomm , Irvine-based Broadcom and Skyworks Solutions , with operations in both Irvine and Newbury Park, have major chips in the new Apple iPad 2, based on the information uncov
SoCal Tech Calendar
MARCH 14, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012 -- Startup Ideation Bootcamp. The Startup Ideation Bootcamp provides expert advice with real-world practice. The evening begins with talks by leading startup Founders designed to teach you the components of good and bad startup ideas. For example, is your market big enough, is there organic growth potential, and a clear path to profitability?
Steve Reich
MARCH 13, 2012
This week, I helped a young entrepreneur at a “stealth startup” evaluate his progress on the sales front. His small team is moving rapidly thanks to the thoughtful approach he’s taking. There are lessons here for all of us. The critical foundation: Research- He networked to find friends or their contacts who had successfully built sales teams, and interviewed them in detail to pick up their best, field-tested ideas.
Tech Zulu Event
MARCH 11, 2012
techzulu posted a photo: via Instagram instagr.am/p/ICaZSNOLNE/.
socalTECH
MARCH 15, 2012
A number of local angels have backed a technology-driven, weight loss program operator called RETROFIT. According to RETROFIT, it raised $2M in a financing round, which came from I2A Fund, New World Ventures, and FireStarter Fund, as well as angels. Those angels included Renee LaBran , a partner at local investor Rustic Canyon / Fontis Partners, and Howard Lindzon , the founder of San Diego-based StockTwits.
SoCal Tech Calendar
MARCH 14, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012 -- Social Media School. Do you have questions about Facebook or Twitter but don't know who to ask? Are you interested in learning more about how social media can help make you more productive at work and at home? Have you heard about Evernote, Pinterest and Google+ but don't understand what all the hype is? Social Media School is in session.
Startup Professionals Musings
MARCH 16, 2012
After the idea, it’s all about execution. In fact, it’s not clear that even the idea is all that important. Most investors tell me that an A entrepreneur with a B idea is much more fundable than a B entrepreneur with an A idea. It’s great to be a visionary, inventor, thinker, or a dreamer, but none of these matter in the business world if you are not also a do-er.
socalTECH
MARCH 13, 2012
Are you really into fashion, clothing, and style? A new Los Angeles startup, StylePin , is hoping that its highly visual user interface will inspire you to organize and share your fashion inspirations and personal style with others. The new startup, headed by John Diep, is hoping to capitalize on the fascination users have for visual sharing sites like Pinterest, the Silicon Valley site which allows users to share photos, "pin" them to a profile, vote up, and more with others.
socalTECH
MARCH 13, 2012
Santa Monica-based MomentFeed , the location-based analytics firm headed by Rob Reed, has scored a win with retailer Cinnabon , the firm revealed today. The firm--which helps companies analyze the engagement of consumers at retail locations based on their interaction on sites such as Facebook, Foursquare, and Twitter--said that Cinnabon saw a 671 percent increase in customer engagement across its u.S. locations from using MomentFeed's platform.
socalTECH
MARCH 12, 2012
Are you an entrepreneur looking for funding or to help get your business started? Santa Monica-based Docstoc has a new iPhone app for you, focused entirely on how to raise venture capital and get a business started. The firm, which is headed by Jason Nazar, said its new, free iPhone and iPad application, Starting a Business with Venture Capital , features videos of experts to help guide entrepreneurs along the path of starting a business and raising venture capital.
socalTECH
MARCH 14, 2012
San Diego-based ID Analytics , the developer of risk and identification management services, which is venture backed by Canaan Partners, Investor Growth Capital, Mission Ventures, and Trinity Ventures, has been acquired by LifeLock , the firms said today. Exact financial deals of the acquisition were not announced, however, LifeLock said it has raised over $100M in new, preferred equity in order to complete the acquisition.
socalTECH
MARCH 14, 2012
The deal between streaming music service Slacker and ESPN , which the two brokered in September last year, is about to go into overdrive this week, as Slacker said it will provide free, streaming radio access to all 67 games of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship via its service. Slacker said that the coverage--which started yesterday--will be available via a "NCAA Broadcasts" section on its Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, and iPad applications, live.
socalTECH
MARCH 15, 2012
Los Angeles-based ticketing and concert management firm Live Nation is getting into the early stage investment business, announcing Wednesday that it has established the LN Labs Fund , which will invest in early stage technologies and entrepreneurs. The firm said the company is interested in funding "great new products that further engage fans and enrich the concert experience.
socalTECH
MARCH 14, 2012
Irvine-based Broadcom reported this morning that it is contributing $100,000 in a donation to an Israeli team looking to win Google's $30M Lunar X Prize contest. Broadcom said it is donating the money to the Israeli group SpaceIL for its efforts. The donation will go towards the Weizmann Institute of Science to help support its efforts with SpaceIL.
socalTECH
MARCH 15, 2012
Los Angeles-based textPlus , the developer of the popular free texting app on the iPhone and Android, has rolled out Windows Phone support, the company said yesterday. textPlus, which is venture backed by Matrix Partners, GRP Partners, and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, said that the new version of the app for Windows Phone supports all of the features of its iPhone and Android versions. textPlus offers up an app which lets users send texts for free to users in the U.S. and Canada, and is
socalTECH
MARCH 16, 2012
Huntington Beach-based AnyMeeting is trying to make it easier for people to try out its free webconferencing service with a new feature called "AnyMeeting Now". The newly launched feature allows users to instantly start a free web conference session, even without creating an account on the service. AnyMeeting said the new service--available via a "Start A Meeting Now" button on its home page--is aimed at encouraging new users to experience its free web meeting service.
socalTECH
MARCH 14, 2012
Irvine-based Diverse Solutions , the developer of products to help real estate agents market their businesses and websites, which was acquired by Zillow last November, have gained a fun new employee perk from their acquisition: an annual "Ski Day". Zillow posted pictures from the Irvine group at Big Bear Lake this morning, as part of a push to recruit employees at the company.
socalTECH
MARCH 16, 2012
Are you really, really tired of getting calls from that telemarketer, or your ex-boyfriend? Well, you can now permanently make it so they can't call you--if you're using the newest Android app from YouMail. Irvine-based YouMail makes a voicemail replacement system, which includes a number of nifty enhancements, including voice transcription, personalized greetings, and much more.
socalTECH
MARCH 15, 2012
Who says that Southern California companies aren't at the core of the technology business? A new teardown of the Apple iPad 2 , just posted by iFixit, shows that at least three semiconductor companies with Southern California connections are doing the heavy electronics lifting inside Apple's new device. San Diego-based Qualcomm , Irvine-based Broadcom and Skyworks Solutions , with operations in both Irvine and Newbury Park, have major chips in the new Apple iPad 2, based on the information uncov
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