Sat.Dec 05, 2009 - Fri.Dec 11, 2009

article thumbnail

How to (re) Approach People (Advice on the Eve of LeWeb)

Both Sides of the Table

Business Etiquette Tips for dealing with VCs and Corporates at Conferences. This is part of my ongoing series with Startup Advice. With the LeWeb conference about to start in Paris I thought the timing of this post would be appropriate. Right after Techcrunch50 Michael Arrington wrote this great post on how to interact at business events and conferences.

Startup 322
article thumbnail

Startup Software Development – Do Your Homework Before You Develop Anything

SoCal CTO

I just had an all-too common conversation with the founder of a startup who had spent more than a year working with a software development company who had produced a mess. The mess really comes from a developer who was willing to get started on a product that was not fully thought out. I always take a very different approach in early conversations. If I’m being asked to do startup software development, I’m going to push fairly hard on key questions that the startup needs to have answered before

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Social Networking Addiction Bears Fruit

Eric Greenspan

I’ve been engaged with social networking for some time now, starting with Myspace and Facebook and just recently (within the last 30 days), Twitter. I’ve jumped on the bandwagon, big time! I have vanity urls setup at just about every site on the web. I love Namechk.com for this. It’s been an amazing experience so far, but the best part are the relationships I’ve built since getting started.

article thumbnail

Interview with Nikhil Jain, Clean Green Guy

socalTECH

One of the industries which has seen a lot of activity lately in Southern California is clean technology, with a large amount of investment activity and new company formation. We recently ran into Nikhil Jain , CEO of Clean Green Guy (www.cleangreenguy.com), a newly launched online marketplace for green tech deals. We spoke with Nikhil, to hear why he thinks the site is important for green technology companies and investors, as well as how the effort is related to his own incubation firm, Artili

article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

How to Connect on Social Networks

Both Sides of the Table

I sometimes think that certain advice is BGO (blinding glimpse of the obvious) and doesn’t warrant mentioning. But then people’s actions tell me otherwise. I wrote recently about etiquette when you meet people at conferences or events so now that I have this done I feel I need to say some words about connecting on social networks. Let’s start with a discussion of existing social networks and then how to approach people on them.

article thumbnail

Set a realistic goal. When reached, set another.

Berkonomics

There’s a big difference between your vision for your company, your mission and your goal. Your vision tells the world what you want to be as you contemplate in advance how you will change the world for the better. Your mission merely states who you are and what you do. It is used to limit and sift your opportunities to keep you from using resources for projects outside of your core, your mission.

More Trending

article thumbnail

FastSpring Trumpets Growth

socalTECH

Santa Barbara-based FastSpring , a firm which provides e-commerce services and payment processing for online software sellers, claims that the firm had 500% growth in its revenues in 2009. According to CEO Dan Engel, the growth was driven by new clients such as AteBits (makers of Tweetie), Mailplane, BreezeTree Software, and Moonrug (makers of Moonrug Mobile for Android).

article thumbnail

User Interface Beyond the Web Site

SoCal CTO

I talk to a lot of founders of startups. My initial conversations normally focus on the core of the business, important Startup Metrics , probably marketing strategy (ex. SEO for Startups and Negative Customer Acquisition Costs ) and, of course, the product itself. Normally the product is defined as a web site. Most founders are fairly passionate about the features and functions of the web site, iPhone application, Facebook application, or whatever web application represents the product.

Web 150
article thumbnail

South Bay Tech Group Happy Hour

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, December 17, 2009 -- South Bay Tech Group Happy Hour. Strengthen your "Starbucks network" close to home by getting to know neighbors who are involved in the technology and media industry in the South Bay. Join us for a very casual free networking group for technology entrepreneurs and executives who live and/or work in El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance and Palos Verdes area.

article thumbnail

Havin’ Fun with Marsha Collier on wsRadio

Eric Greenspan

Have a listen to my chat with Marsha Collier and Marc Cohen on wsRadio. We talked about Must Haves, Farmville, Make It Work, Sonos, Lululemon and more. Tags: eric david greenspan.

145
145
article thumbnail

Advanced Bionics, Skinit Offer Personalized Skins--for Cochlear Implants

socalTECH

In an interesting twist on the popularity of personalized "skins" and covers for electronic items, Valencia-based Advanced Bionics announced today that it has partnered with San Diego-based Skinit to apply the technology to cochlear implants. Advanced Bionics said that its devices, used to help people with poor hearing, can be customized with favorite colors, sports teams, and works of art, or event a user's uploaded graphics.

San Diego 176
article thumbnail

Would you like to make Chrome your default Mac browser?

Tech Zulu Event

Guest post by Jim Alden @TechFrog. Although the Internet was invented years before on the campus of UCLA, It wasn’t until Christmas day 1990 that Tim Berners-Lee , completed the first browser for the world wide web (on a NeXT computer). As the 90’s went on, the web was growing, Mosaic, Opera , Mozilla (and others) continued to change the definition of what the browser would be.

Java 49
article thumbnail

This Week in Startups/DNAMail Meetup

SoCal Tech Calendar

Friday, December 11, 2009 -- This Week in Startups/DNAMail Meetup. Come join Jason, George Naspo (CEO of Ikano Communications) and the whole TWiST gang for a special live episode and meetup at the Mahalo.com offices. We'll be starting with the live episode, featuring George Naspo, at 4:30pm and following that immediately with a reception at 6:00pm. Come by to watch the episode with other TWiST fans and then stick around for some great networking.

Startup 100
article thumbnail

Havin’ Fun with Marsha Collier on wsRadio

Eric Greenspan

Have a listen to my chat with Marsha Collier and Marc Cohen on wsRadio. We talked about Must Haves , Farmville, Make It Work, Sonos, Lululemon and more. Tags: Eric Greenspan farmville lululemon make it work marsha collier radio sonos.

145
145
article thumbnail

Citysearch Connects Into Twitter

socalTECH

West Hollywood-based online restaurant and business reviews and listings site Citysearch announced this morning that it has created a new way for its customers to connect with Twitter, with a new API which allows local businesses on the site to connect their existing Twitter account, or create a new one, with their business profile. Citysearch said the new Twitter integration will allow consumers to view tweets tied to a business on local business listing pages, and tweet directly with businesse

article thumbnail

StrengthsFinder 2.0

Daradiction

Below are my top five themes of talent, ranked in the order revealed by my responses to the Clifton StrengthsFinder. How well do you think these themes describe me? I’m very interested to find out what yours are too so please comment if/when you have yours. Achiever. People who are especially talented in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work hard.

article thumbnail

NPA LA Holiday Mixer

SoCal Tech Calendar

Monday, December 14, 2009 -- Network Professional Association LA Chapter Holiday Mixer @ Mijare's Mexican Restaurant, 145 Palmetto Dr Pasadena CA 91105. IT Professionals to discuss re-org. and potential of LA Chapter. See [link] (more).

Pasadena 100
article thumbnail

Author Interview: Isaac Getz, “Freedom, Inc.”

CEO Flow

Recently I “sat down&# via Skype with Isaac Getz, who lives in Paris, to ask him about the new book that he coauthored with Brian Carney: “Freedom, Inc.&#. The book explores a topic near and dear to the CEOFlow heart: the journeys leaders took to build environments in which employees, without having to be told what to do, have the freedom and responsibility to take independent actions that they decide are in the best interests of the company.

Class 45
article thumbnail

Pricegrabber Releases iPhone App

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based comparison shopping site PriceGrabber has released its own, iPhone application on Apple's App store. The new, free application allows users to search for price comparisons and product reviews from Pricegrabber, including search by UPC code, MPN, or product names. The application debuted on the App store Monday. READ MORE>>. Tags: pricegrabber iphone ipod touch comparison shopping mobile.

article thumbnail

Traveling Geeks meet French Incubators at Paris Development Agency

Tech Zulu Event

DAY TWO. Today the Traveling Geeks saw presentations from 11 interesting startups at French incubator, the Paris Development Agency. Among them was Stribe , a company TechZulu originally interviewed at the TechCrunch50 conference earlier this year. Stribe offers a plug and play service for instantly creating a social network on any Web site. There will be more news on this front during LeWeb.

article thumbnail

Qualcomm Town Hall 2009

SoCal Tech Calendar

Wednesday, December 16, 2009 -- Qualcomm Town Hall 2009. CommNexus. As 3G takes off all over the world  offering advanced services from networks and devices providing multi-megabit speeds  wireless communications is emerging as the most important technology of this millennium. How will these systems and services evolve? Join us for QUALCOMM Town Hall with Dr.

Mobile 100
article thumbnail

Author Interview: Isaac Getz, “Freedom, Inc.”

CEO Flow

Recently I “sat down&# via Skype with Isaac Getz, who lives in Paris, to ask him about the new book that he coauthored with Brian Carney: “Freedom, Inc.&#. The book explores a topic near and dear to the CEOFlow heart: the journeys leaders took to build environments in which employees, without having to be told what to do, have the freedom and responsibility to take independent actions that they decide are in the best interests of the company.

Class 40
article thumbnail

Clipper Windpower Gets $206M In Equity Investment

socalTECH

Carpinteria-based Clipper Windpower Plc , a developer of wind turbines, said this week that it has reached a deal to receive $206M in an equity investment from United Technologies Corp. UTC will also purchase up to 21.8 million Clipper shares from existing shareholders. The firms said that the move will give UTC a 49.5% stake in Clipper. Clipper is listed on the London AIM exchange.

Equity 167
article thumbnail

2009 Coming To A Close, 2010 Just Around The Corner!

Tech Zulu Event

As 2010 approaches, a whole new year of exciting start-ups, tech news, gadgets, and much more is ahead. TechZulu wants to thank not only the Los Angeles tech community but the entire tech community for all the awesome support you have given us throughout this past year. Without all of you and your support, TechZulu could not be around today. We already have a jammed packed schedule for 2010.

article thumbnail

ExecTec Networking Dinner

SoCal Tech Calendar

Tuesday, December 15, 2009 -- ExecTec Networking Dinner. An event for executives in the Entertainment, Media, Technology and related business fields to come together and network and share ideas. See [link] (more).

article thumbnail

Atari_Democracy

Daradiction

So check out this excerpt in a recent Rolling Stone article on Al Gore, and I’m not necessarily a fan or advocating, but read on… So we’re starting to see the kind of digital democracy you envisioned when you entered Congress as an “Atari Democrat&# ? The Internet is now getting close to the stage where it will be possible for it to eclipse television, making it possible for people to really participate in representative democracy.

article thumbnail

Goodreads Ups Funding To $2M

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Goodreads , an online social networking site focused on book readers, said today that it has raised its Series A funding to $2M. The firm said the round was led by True Ventures. Goodreads was founded by Otis Chandler, and counts MySpace COO Mike Jones as an advisor, along with Ooga Labs' James Currier and Stan Chudnovsky, as well as Bebo's Michael Birch.

article thumbnail

Twiistup 007: All Showoff Applicants Get A Demo Night

Tech Zulu Event

Alright start-ups if you were hesitant for some reason about applying for Twiistup this should give you that extra umph! Twiistup Just announced that it has added a demo night for all showoff applicants. That's right just apply and you get to showoff! Twiistup has partnered with The MEMES Center at UCLA Anderson and has added a Wildcard Demo night.

article thumbnail

SoCalBio Business Mixer

SoCal Tech Calendar

Tuesday, December 15, 2009 -- SoCalBio Business Mixer. SoCalBio is pleased to announce that Mr. James Flanigan, Business Columinst, New York Times will keynote the December 15 SoCalBio Business Mixer at UCLA. He will speak about life-science technology commercialization in a changing global economy. See https://www.123signup.com/register?id=jygfj. (more).

UCLA 100
article thumbnail

Goldstar Launches In Seattle

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Goldstar , an online service which helps users connect with half price event, music, and other tickets, has launched in Seattle, the firm told its users today. Goldstar, which is headed by Jim McCarthy, said it is now offering tickets from more than a dozen Seattle venues. The service launched in the city last Tuesday. Goldstar offers half price tickets to upcoming events such as concerts and plays, to help venues fill their seats; the firm takes a cut of ticket sales.

article thumbnail

Virgin Galactic Unveiling Spaceship

socalTECH

Sir Richard Branson and Burt Rutan's spacecraft firm, Virgin Galactic , said today that it is unveiling its first manned, commercial spacecraft today in Mojave, the SpaceShipTwo (SS2). The firm--the offspring of SpaceshipOne, the first private spacecraft to reach space--said it will unveil the SpaceShipTwo after dark today at the Mojave Air and Spaceport.

Design 154
article thumbnail

Insights and Opinions: When the Cloud Goes Poof.

socalTECH

Paul Resnikoff , publisher of the Digital Music News , which provides news, information, and analysis of the digital music industry, published this editorial Thursday, and gave us permission to reprint it here in our Insights and Opinions section. Just think. Your entire collection in the sky, accessible from wherever, whenever, without the hassle of hard drives, synchronizations, or downloads.

News 145
article thumbnail

Calacanis Backs Mobile Social Networking Service

socalTECH

Jason Calacanis , the high profile founder of Santa Monica-based Mahalo , is one of the angel investors in a mobile social networking service, Gowalla , the company said today. According to Gowalla, Calacanis invested along with angels Ron Conway, Kevin Rose, Gary Varynerchuck, Shervin Pishevar and Chris Sacca, and venture firms Greylock Partners, Shasta Ventures, Maples Investments, Alsop-Louie Partners, and Founders Fund in a $8.4M Series B funding for the firm.

article thumbnail

True Games Shuts Irvine Offices, Moves To Texas

socalTECH

Irvine-based True Games , a publisher of multiplayer online games, said this morning that it is moving its company headquarters to Austin, as part of a consolidation of its North American offices. According to True Games, it will move its headquarters away from Irvine to Austin, Texas, where it started a game development studio earlier this year. Impact on the firm's Irvine employees, and timeline for the move, was not given.

Develop 145
article thumbnail

Interview with Aaron Crayford, Rippol

socalTECH

Recently, San Diego-based Rippol (www.rippol.com) launched its web site, a service which uses social networking to help people find and discover interesting videos related to their interests. We caught up with CEO Aaron Crayford to learn about the company. Aaron, thanks for the interview. There seem to be a lot of companies launching firms in the video discovery and search area nowadays, where do you fit in?

article thumbnail

Zogenix Ups Series B To $71M

socalTECH

San Diego-based Zogenix , a pharmaceuticals firm developing neuroscience disorders and pain treatments, said Monday that it has closed on $35M in a second tranche of Series B funding, bringing the firm's Series B to a total of $71M. The firm said the additional $20M came from Chicago Growth Partners. Other investors in the round, which had its first close in September, include Clarus Ventures, Domain Associates, Scale Venture Partners, Thomas, McNerney & Partners, and Abingworth Management.

San Diego 145