Sat.May 29, 2010 - Fri.Jun 04, 2010

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Some Tips to Improve the Civility on Hacker News

Both Sides of the Table

Paul Graham and the folks over at YCombinator have done much to reenergize early-stage entrepreneurship and encourage the creation of many new and innovative startups including DropBox, Posterous, Loopt, Justin.TV, Scribd and many others. They also gave us Hacker News , which for me was a welcome addition for discovering tech stories. HN and Techmeme are the main two tech aggregators that I frequently skim.

News 258
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Interview with Alon Goren, Invested.in

socalTECH

This morning's interview is with Alon Goren , co-founder and President of Los Angeles-based Invested.in , an online site which allows users to run fundraisers for their projects. Invested.in launched earlier this year at DEMO. We had a chance to sit down recently with Alon to better understand the firm and where it is nowadays. What is the idea behind Invested.in?

Sites 237
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Does even a taste of ownership make a difference?

Berkonomics

How about incentives for employees all the way down the line and through the corporation? How do we align them to the goals and strategies of the enterprise? Obviously for the appropriate individuals, a bonus program aligned to the department’s goals is appropriate. But how about awarding stock options to all employees? . Tech companies, particularly early stage and startups, still award options aggressively.

Slides 216
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Social Media, the Customer Service Spectator, or Superstar?

Eric Greenspan

Using social media to increase your company’s touch and reach with each of your customers may be the most important reason to jump in to this game changing strategy. Social media can help bridge a long standing gap between customers and the companies they trust with their hard earned cash. There are many ways to use social media for this purpose, but the main thing to keep in mind is to make sure you are using the tools to listen and engage, while considering making changes to how your com

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Can You Ask for Office Rent Relief? How to Manage Your Lease During COVID-19

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.

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This Week in VC with Farb Nivi, Founder of Grockit

Both Sides of the Table

This was really a fun week at TWiVC because we decided to have an entrepreneur come and talk about raising capital rather than having a VC come on. We had Farb Nivi , who is the founder & CEO of Grockit , a website that enables online group learning. It’s always such a pleasure for me to spend time with Farb because he has all of the enthusiasm and energy you love to see in entrepreneurs.

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SpaceX Launches Falcon 9 From Cape Canaveral

socalTECH

Hawthorne-based SpaceX , the commercial rocket firm headed by Elon Musk, has seen a successful launch of its Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral this morning. The spacecraft--which is being designed to deliver payloads to the International Space Station and to orbit--took off from Cape Canaveral at 11:45am Pacific Time, after a delay due to a "out-of-limit startup parameter" at its earlier 8:00am launch time.

SpaceX 190

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Digital LA - Games Go Hollywood panel

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, June 10, 2010 -- Digital LA - Games Go Hollywood panel. Join us for our pre-E3 panel on Games Go Hollywood! Our expert panelists will discuss: Best practices in making a video game based on a movie, and making movies based on games: development, timing, story, art and more. Can video games make you cry like movies do? What can games learn from movie marketing?

Hollywood 100
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Ten Tips For Startup Job Search Success

Startup Professionals Musings

These days I see a surge of new startups as we fight our way out of the recession. If you are not starting one yourself, the next best thing is joining one as a partner, or being an early employee. Believe me, there is no better way to get the experience you need for your own venture. According to Ford R. Myers, a noted career coach, and author of “ Get The Job You Want, Even When No One’s Hiring ,” many job seekers and career changers make the mistake of halting all their efforts during the sum

Tips 93
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SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch Set For Today

socalTECH

Hawthorne-based SpaceX , the commercial rocket firm headed by Elon Musk, is set for its first test launch attempt of its Falcon 9 launch vehicle this morning, at 8am Pacific. The launch--out of Cape Canaveral--is being webcast on SpaceX's website. SpaceX said that it has a 40 percent chance of "no go" conditions due to weather this morning, due to thunderstorm conditions, and that it has an alternate test launch date set for Saturday, as well if needed.

SpaceX 185
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SwearJarr: Swear On Twitter For A Good Cause

Tech Zulu Event

Remember the good 'ole days of mom catching you saying a swear word then washing your mouth out with soap then making you put your allowance in a jar? Well maybe not the soap part but surely putting money in a jar. Lately it just seems like the norm to hear swear words come flying out of a persons mouth and no consequences are attached. When all hope seems lost in comes SwearJarr.

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The Power of Relationships

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, June 10, 2010 -- The Power of Relationships: Building, Leveraging and Maintaining your Network. CONNECT. Join us for this two-hour interactive workshop featuring a panel of area leaders offering insights and best practices for effectively building and maintaining a strong professional network. See [link] (more).

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Ten Reality Check Themes for Entrepreneurs

Startup Professionals Musings

I’ll confess up front that I’m a big fan of Guy Kawasaki’s humor and writing style. Back when he was writing to entrepreneurs, he published the book “ Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition.” It’s basically a compendium of the best blogs he has ever written on the subject of startups, and it has something for all of us.

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Arena Pharmaceuticals Raises $35.5M In PIPE

socalTECH

San Diego-based Arena Pharmaceuticals , a firm developing biopharmaceuticals, including a compound targeted at weight loss and weight management, said today that it is raising $35.5M in an equity investment from Deerfield Management. Publicly held Arena said the funding will go towards helping it get FDA approval of its lead compound, lorcaserin. Arena said that Deerfield will pay $3.23 per share for 11 million shares of its common stock, which is traded on the NASDAQ as ARNA.

San Diego 178
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Top Deals of the Week: Electronics, Games, and More!

Tech Zulu Event

Listed below are some of the top picks from CheapCheapCheap.com , a bargain hunting webpage based out of Southern California, CA. Offers typically don't last long - either they run out of stock, or they change the prices due to high demand! Act quickly if you're interested, or you may be too late. Games. Ever wanted the Nintendo Wii? It was extremely high in demand a few years back, but the game sales are still thriving.

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Digital LA -THR Key Art Awards - Finalist Cocktails

SoCal Tech Calendar

Wednesday, June 9, 2010 -- Digital LA -THR Key Art Awards - Finalist Cocktails. Join us for our toast to congratulate digital category finalists for the Hollywood Reporter's 39th Annual Key Art Awards for best theatrical and home video online campaigns. See [link] (more).

Hollywood 100
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Don’t Be Too Busy for Social Media Marketing

Startup Professionals Musings

I have a friend who runs a nationwide “traditional” business, and business is down, like it has been for most people. I suggested that he add some social network marketing initiatives, and his answer was he is “too busy.” According to this study from last year, over 65% of existing small businesses still ignore social media for marketing, so he is still the rule rather than the exception.

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Burstly Adds SoftBank, Founder Collective

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Burstly , the mobile ad management firm run by Evan Rifkin, said this week that it has added SoftBank Capital and Founder Collective to its Series A funding round. Size of the additional investment was not disclosed. Burstly recently announced a $1.8M investment from Rincon Venture Partners and GRP Partners. Rifkin was the founder of TagWorld/Flux, which he sold to MTVN in 2008.

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SendSocial: No Address, No Problem

Tech Zulu Event

Sending out a package is always a hassle and especially when you don't know the recipients address. SendSocial wants to make the shipping process just a little bit easier by removing the address equation out of the problem. As long as you know their Twitter ID or email address you are golden, and SendSocial will handle the rest by sending the recipient a request for their address.

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Venture Investing in IT Security

SoCal Tech Calendar

Wednesday, June 9, 2010 -- Venture Investing in IT Security. Menlo Ventures and Altos Ventures Talk IT Security. Consumers and enterprises continue to expand their use of the Internet for a broader range of personal and business applications. At the same time, we are using an expanding set of connected devices to access and use the Internet. What does all of these mean to IT security start-ups?

Invest 100
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Single Sign-on Startup Opportunity Has Passed

Startup Professionals Musings

For as long as I can remember, computer users have been complaining about the array of names and passwords required to get work done – a different unique user identification name and password are required to start the computer, email, social networks, banking, read online news, connect to the office, or check your phone bill. Computer jocks all fantasize about having one magic password or bionic finger that will eliminate the “sticky notes” that normally line the displays of avid computer users.

Startup 79
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MySpace, Ad.ly Link On In-Stream Advertising

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based MySpace and startup Ad.ly , also based in LA, said today that they have linked in an in-stream advertising deal. According to MySpace, it will use Ad.ly to enable content creators to reach fans in the MySpace stream. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The deal comes shortly after Twitter said it would not be allowing other companies to automatically insert ads into its service, which looked to most direclty impact Ad.ly.

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Find Your Nearest Workspace With WorkSnug

Tech Zulu Event

With the amount of Coworking office spaces popping up all over the world it would be nice to find one and find out which one would suite you best wherever you may be. WorkSnug helps you find a spot by essentially being a directory of modern workspaces (Cafe's, restaurants, etc.) as well as Coworking office spaces. The site alone will give you tons of information of a location such as power provisions, WiFi connectivity, noise level, refreshments, community and even if they have formal areas f

Sites 40
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Mobility is Changing the Way We Do Business

SoCal Tech Calendar

Wednesday, June 9, 2010 -- AWTs Quarterly Interactive Technology Forum presents Mobility is Changing the Way We Do Business. Mobile Communications is changing the way we do business. Mobility offers easy-to-use services to people who no longer use their PCs as the primary way of accessing the Internet, and instead use their mobile devices for managing large forces of enterprise field workers, conducting financial transactions, and for entertainment, shopping, and other activities.

Mobile 100
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A Financial Model Investment Has a High Return

Startup Professionals Musings

Most entrepreneurs tend to avoid this area of the business, and as a result are badly surprised by cost realities, and investor expectations. They seem to think that financial projections are simply invented numbers for investors, and not useful. Nothing could be further from the truth. What is a business financial model, really? In most cases, it is merely a Microsoft Excel spread sheet loaded with your cost and revenue projections for your startup, starting now in time and extending at five ye

Invest 71
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Billshrink's Pham Lands At Trinity Ventures

socalTECH

Billshrink CEO Peter Pham , who is well known in Southern California for his efforts to organize and connect local entrepreneurs, has left his firm and become an Entrepreneur-In-Residence at Trinity Ventures , one of Billshrink's backers, Pham said last week in a blog post. Pham said that he would be "moving on to pursue new entrepreneurial opportunities," at Trinity Ventures, which led BillShrink's Series B funding round.

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I Don’t Get the Buzz about Buzz – Do You?

Both Sides of the Table

I sent out a Tweet tonight asking whether anybody uses Google’s Buzz product independently of Twitter. I got a pretty luke warm reaction. The overwhelming majority of people who responded gave one of three answers (paraphrased): It was turned on by default by Gmail. It’s annoying. I don’t get it? I use it to communicate with some Gmail friends who aren’t on Twitter (this was the minority).

Yahoo 252
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An Evening with Internet Companies

SoCal Tech Calendar

Tuesday, June 8, 2010 -- An Evening with Internet Companies. LAVA. Hosted by Jim Andelman and Hamet Watt. Please join LAVA, Jim Andelman of Rincon Venture Partners, Hamet Watt of True Ventures and a distinguished group of Internet Company experts for their insights on capital sources for Internet Companies. Special focus on: * Trends and investment opportunities * Challenges for early-stage capital formation and recent success stories * Old model vs new models.

LAVA 100
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Feature Creep Turns Leading Edge Into Bleeding

Startup Professionals Musings

This insidious disease kills more good startups than any other, especially high-tech ones, and yet most founders (who may be the cause) never even see it happening. “Feature creep” (or scope creep) refers to the penchant to add just one more feature to the product before first delivery. The instigators are all well-intentioned – executives talk to potential customers who “must have” a few more things; or the technical team edicts some “technically elegant” options that they can’t resist adding b

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HauteLook Snags $31M For Luxury Private Sales Site

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based HauteLook , an online private sales site backed by Insight Venture Partners, has raised $31M in a Series C funding round, the firm said today. The round also came from Insight. HauteLook said the funding will go to expand the company. HauteLook was advised by J.P. Morgan Securities in the deal. HauteLook is one of a number of private sale sites, which offer limited time sales deals on women's fashion, fashion brands, accessories, kids' clothing and toys, beauty, and other categ

Sales 164
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Hello Music Links With PlayNetwork

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Hello Music , the online music firm funded by KVG Partners and founded by Wilshire Media Group, Zack Zalon and Brendon Cassidy, said today that it has signed a partnership with PlayNetwork, a provider of music for the retail, hospitality, health and fitness, banking markets. According to Hello Music, the two will collaborate to find opportunities for Hello Music's artists to gain distribution through Playnetworks' 65,000 business subscriber locations.

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MySpace Launches Developer Services Program

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based social networking site MySpace is further ramping up its efforts to attract developers, saying this afternoon that it has announced a new Developer Services program. The firm said the new program will provide discounts and promotions on services to developers, to make it easier for them to build games and apps on the site. MySpace said it has named Manu Rekhi as General Manager of MySpace Games and Developer Program as part of the effort.

Develop 159
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PriceGrabber.com Adds Cost-Per-Click Option

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based PriceGrabber.com , the online shopping comparison site now owned by Experian, said today that it has switched up its pricing model, and moved to a new, cost-per-click bidding platform. PriceGrabber said it will now allow it merchants to bid for cost-per-click rates, changing product rankings and traffic exposure on its site. The firm said the switch will allow merchants to cost-per-click for specific products within the site, allowing merchants to list their entire catalog of p

Sites 159
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Giiv Confirms $3.35M Fundraising

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Giiv , which operates a mobile gifting service, has confirmed its recent $3.35M funding round , saying that the funding came from Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Saban Ventures, Founder Collective, and SK Telecom Ventures. The firm allows its users to text gift certificates to others. Giiv.com is headed by Michelle Crames. The round had been revealed in a regulatory filing in May.

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RingRevenue Signs Affiliate Firm PartnerWeekly

socalTECH

Santa Barbara-based RingRevenue , the pay-per-call technology firm headed by Jason Spievak, has signed on a new, cost-per-auction affiliate network, the firm said this week. According to CPA affiliate network PartnerWeekly , it is launching an inbound, pay-per-call program powered by RingRevenue's technology. Financial details of the deal between the firms was not disclosed.

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Edgecast Wins WordPress, Technorati

socalTECH

Santa Monica-based content delivery network provider EdgeCast announced this morning that it has won blogging site Wordpress.com and blog search site Technorati. Financial impact of the deal was not disclosed. EdgeCast said that Automattic, the parent firm of WordPress.com and the software firm behind the popular blogging software of the same name, used the firm's CDN services for its recent WordCamp San Francisco video streaming, in addition to using the firm's CDN services for its blog site.

Blogging 157
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Life Technologies Invests in Synthentic Genomics

socalTECH

Carlsbad-based Life Technologies said Wednesday that it has made an equity investment in Synthetic Genomics , a firm commercializing synthetic genomic advances. Terms of the investment were not announced. Synthetic Genomics develops technology for assembling synthetic genomes and DNA. Life Technologies said SGI is applying its technology to bienergy, food production, clean water, and vaccine development.

Invest 154