Both Sides of the Table
NOVEMBER 18, 2012
It’s 4.50am. Sunday morning. And I couldn’t sleep. I have much on my mind since I just returned from a week on the road. 5 days. 3 cities. Late night Mexican food. Beers. Airports. Delays. I left on a Sunday. I had to miss a full day with my family, camping in the mountains. I returned home Friday night at 10pm – too late to see my kids.
SoCal CTO
NOVEMBER 19, 2012
One of the recommendations I make all the time to startup founders, is to find other founders who have tackled similar problems as yours and talk to them about how they solved these problems. As an example, I'm working with two sets of founders who are both going to be dealing with Getting Started with a Two-Sided Market Business - they are variants of two sided markets, but have similar characteristics.
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InfoChachkie
NOVEMBER 19, 2012
This article previously appeared in Forbes. Note: This is an installment in the Iconic Advice series. Other installments include: Jeff Bezos , Steve Jobs , Mark Cuban , Richard Branson , Walt Disney , Mark Zuckerberg , Michael Dell and Larry Ellison. Oprah Winfrey is one of the most successful entrepreneurs of her generation. Raised by her grandmother in rural Mississippi until age six and then by her mother, who worked as a maid in Milwaukee, Ms.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 20, 2012
A new report issued this morning from the Startup Genome has ranked Los Angeles as the third top startup ecosystem, only behind Silicon Valley and Tel Aviv. The Startup Genome is an effort to benchmark startups against other startups, and figure out the keys to startup success. At number three, Los Angeles beat out Seattle (4), New York City (5), Boston (6), and other technology centers in the ranking.
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Both Sides of the Table
NOVEMBER 20, 2012
Every so often I find myself caught up in a really hectic 3-4 week schedule where it seems like I float endlessly betweens meetings. Pitches. Intros. Board Meetings. Conferences. And I get flooded with legal docs, end-of-quarter financial administration, recruiting, whatever. I get sucked up in “Do” mode. Startups Are for Doers. Now, I’m pretty on the record that being an entrepreneur is about being great at The Do.
Berkonomics
NOVEMBER 23, 2012
If you want to best describe the motivation behind the action, think “What’s in it for me”? Your employees, your shareholders, your customers, and your suppliers are all driven by this question. So why not put yourself in their shoes and develop your action plan and goals to help each of them to achieve theirs? Employees want to be challenged, appreciated, and rewarded for good work.
Southern California Tech Central brings together the best content for technical professionals in Southern California from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 19, 2012
A report this morning from Business Insider says that Irvine-based Specific Media , the parent company of MySpace , is seeking to raised $50M to turn MySpace into a "Spotify killer". The report says that Specific Media is hoping to re-launch MySpace as a competitor to both Pandora and Spotify, two popular streaming music services. Specific Media is now known as Interactive Media Holdings.
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 18, 2012
I know entrepreneurs who have suffered from the dreaded premature execution syndrome often associated with the ready-fire-aim approach. Yet I believe that many more have benefited from this approach, especially in early startup stages. If your product is highly innovative, and speed to market is critical, you won’t get it right the first time anyway, no matter how cautiously you plan.
Tech Zulu Event
NOVEMBER 21, 2012
Ever have an idea for a great mobile startup but get stuck with just a dream because you have no skills to design or develop it and no money to pay to get it done? Some business people have friends that are designers or developers but most are not so lucky. On December 8, the first ever Prototype Day will be held at DuoCampus , a co-working space in Irvine, California.
SoCal Tech Calendar
NOVEMBER 21, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012 -- Venture Science, UCI Calit2. Moving fundamental research from the lab to the commercial marketplace requires a major team effort that crosses disciplinary boundaries. Nowhere is "venture science" more beneficial than at the intersection of science, medicine and technology. Learn how these bold collaborations are producing innovative solutions to society's challenges.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 19, 2012
In a major launch, Santa Monica-based TrueCar , the online new and used car pricing website, said it has launched a redesigned website and new ad campaign. TrueCar, which is headed by Scott Painter, said it has launched a $7.7M advertising campaign developed by Santa Monica's DW+H, to help position it as a national brand. The ad launch comes as part of a redesigned website, which it says emphasizes providing "fairness for both buyers and sellers.
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 19, 2012
A while back, when a startup founder mentioned to me that he wasn’t sure he had the personality to be an entrepreneur, I realized how important that insight was. My first thought is that if you are more annoyed than energized by expert advice, team suggestions, and customer input, then you should probably avoid this line of work. Actually, it’s more complicated than that, but that’s a good start.
Tech Zulu Event
NOVEMBER 19, 2012
Often I work with business owners who think their company is in need of a traditional audit. My first question for them is always…why? In some cases, the high level of assurance of an audit is required and no other substitute will do. Third parties, like investors and lenders, may insist on assurance that the financial statements they are basing their decisions on accurately represent the state of your financial condition.
SoCal Tech Calendar
NOVEMBER 23, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012 -- Technology Outlook: A Panel of CIOs Discussing Major Trends, How They're Leveraging New Technologies, and How They're Making their Firms More Competitive Today's IT organizations are experiencing major paradigm shifts. Social and mobile technologies are unleashing unprecedented amounts of opportunity for companies willing to embrace this new era of customer personalization and employee empowerment.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 20, 2012
A report this morning from AllThingsD says that Yahoo is on the prowl for companies, and has been looking at Maker Studios. The report comes after reports that Yahoo is considering an acquisition of TVGuide from Lionsgate, in a deal worth $20M. AllThingsD said that Yahoo's M&A point person has been looking at Los Angeles-based Maker studios as part of its efforts to bolster Yahoo's properties.
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 17, 2012
Startups are usually so focused on selling more of their branded product or service to their own customer base (organic growth) that they don’t consider the more indirect methods (non-organic growth) of increasing revenue and market share. Non-organic growth would include OEM relationships, finding strategic partners, “coopetition,” as well as acquisitions.
Tech Zulu Event
NOVEMBER 21, 2012
Launched August this year in the San Francisco Bay Area and Greater Boston by Pat Kinsel , Alex Lambert , and Simon Yun , the location based application is an asset for people who want to discover what is happening around them in real time. The Team. Spindle founders led by Pat Kinsel as CEO, Alex Lambert as CTO and Simon Yun VP of Engineering say they are focused on enabling people discover interesting, relevant social content when and where it can help them the most.
SoCal Tech Calendar
NOVEMBER 22, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012 -- Maverick Angels November 2012 Open Evening for Entrepreneurs. The Maverick Angels Open Evening for Entrepreneurs is an event geared towards familiarizing entrepreneurs with the Maverick Angels process, our members, and our sponsors. At this event you will learn the advantages of becoming involved with our next-generation angel network and what it takes to navigate your company through the investment landscape.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 19, 2012
One of the fastest growing startups in Southern California in recent years was Hautelook, which went from just an ideas to a huge, $270M acquisition by Nordstrom only X years later. Hautelook was able to help define--and conquer--the online flash sales category, in record time. One of the founders of Hautelook, Brett Markinson , is now head of Sole Society (www.solesociety.com), which is looking to define the next generation of fashion-and-ecommerce brands.
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 22, 2012
Behind most great startup success stories is a long list of mistakes! Unfortunately, for every success story you see, there is an even longer list of failure stories with mistakes that you don’t see. But rather than dwell on the failures, I’ve tried to extract from them a list of practical action items that will improve your survival probability. Every startup mentor has his favorite list of basic strategies to avoid pitfalls, and I’m no exception.
Tech Zulu Event
NOVEMBER 17, 2012
techzulu posted a photo: via Instagram instagr.am/p/SJ7nSluLKk/.
SoCal Tech Calendar
NOVEMBER 22, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012 -- Open Evening for Entrepreneurs - Los Angeles. Maverick Angels. Fellow Mavericks and Friends of our Network: Come prepared with your questions for our "Ask the Angels" panel, at the next Maverick Angels Open Evening for Entrepreneurs on Wednesday, November 28, 2012. The Open Evening is an event geared towards familiarizing entrepreneurs with: Angel and Venture Capital investing strategies; Maverick Angels' unique investment process; Entrepreneur resource networks;
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 20, 2012
Irvine-based WD announced today that it is shipping a new, 4 TB, 3.5-inch, 7200 RPM hard drive, the largest capacity and performance available for its desktop hard drives. The new WD Black 4 TB is aimed at high performance desktops and workstations. WD said the new drive has a suggested retail price of $339, and is available through select distributors and resellers.
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 20, 2012
Many entrepreneurs forget that their success is more about helping other people than about personally becoming famous, or overcoming the odds and getting rich. A successful business has to satisfy customers with a strong team, by helping them solve problems, save money, or experience more pleasure. That means more focus on helping others achieve their goals.
Both Sides of the Table
NOVEMBER 23, 2012
I live in LA. And I’m a VC. So you can imagine I see my fair share of celebrities looking to get into the technology industry. And equal numbers of startups seeking celebrity endorsements in exchange for equity. For the most part my advice is simple, “don’t bother.” But as ever I’ve had to have this debate in numerous company pitches and board meetings.
SoCal Tech Calendar
NOVEMBER 21, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012 -- Red Herring Global 2012 will gather CEOs of groundbreaking startups from around the world, influential venture capitalists and investors in Los Angeles on November 27- 29. The creme de la creme of the 100 most groundbreaking global startups will be honored at this special event. Through uniting the world?s best high technology innovators, venture investors and business decision makers, Red Herring events provide an insider?
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 21, 2012
Glendale-based LegalZoom , the online service which provides legal documents to consumers and small businesses, said late Tuesday that it has filed a lawsuit against competitor RocketLawyer. LegalZoom said that the suit alleges false and misleading advertising by RocketLawyer, trademark infringement, and unfair competition. LegalZoom said the lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 23, 2012
“Will the dogs eat the dog food?” This rather crude expression weighs heavily on the mind of all good startup founders, no matter how confident they appear. We all know the products they give away, and the ones purchased by family and friends don’t count. The real milestone, proving the business model, is that first product sold for full price to a total stranger, leaving him happy.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 23, 2012
Santa Barbara-based RingRevenue , which develops call marketing automation technology, said Wednesday that it has raised $3.25M in a funding round. The round was led by GRP Partners and Rincon Venture Partners. RingCon said the new funding will go towards aggressively expanding sales, marketing, and software development. RingRevenue is headed by Jason Spievak.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 20, 2012
The latest, Silicon Valley venture capital investor trying to get into the Los Angeles technology market, Lowercase Capital , has decided to tap a former Creative Artist Agency executive to head up its efforts here. Lowercase Capital disclosed it has hired Matt Mazzeo, formerly a business development exec at CAA, to head up its investment efforts and a new fund in Los Angeles.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 19, 2012
Santa Monica-based data startup Factual now boasts more than 1.2 million restaurants, the company said this morning, after adding over 400,000 restaurants to its database. The firm--which provides a cloud-accessible, real time dataset available via APIs--said it also bolstered data on hours of operation, delivery, cuisine, and price across those restaurants, with hours for over 1 milion of the restaurants.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 19, 2012
Los Angeles-based content delivery network (CDN) provider NetDNA is making it easier for web application developers to use its CDN services, saying Monday that it has launched a new service to embed web acceleration capabilities into their web services and applications. The company said its new NetDNA Acceleration Platform gives web developers ability to control CDN provisioning--either as a way to resell CDN services, or to help boost their site performance.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 23, 2012
DogVacay , the online marketplace that connects pet owners with other people willing to watch and board their pets, said this week that it has reached the 1 millionth dollar paid out to its hosts. The startup--which just raised a $6M, Series A funding round a few weeks ago--offers a peer-to-peer marketplace which lets dog owners pet sit for other pet owners.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 21, 2012
Santa Monica-based utility-scale solar power plant developer SolarReserve announced Tuesday afternoon that it has received an approval from Maricopa County, Arizona, for a 150 megawatt solar energy project. The company said the approval came on Monday, from the Board of Supervisors of Maricopa County, Arizona. SolarReserve's Crossroads Solar Energy Project is being built in the Town of Gila Bend in Maricopa County, and is expected to provide enough power for up to 100,000 homes.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 21, 2012
Hulu , the online video streaming service, has rolled out on the new Nintendo Wii U console, the Los Angeles firm said Tuesday evening. Hulu said that the new Wii U console supports both the usual access to current TV shows, as well as a second screen experience driven by the Wii U GamePad controller. The second screen capability allows users to use the Wii U's GamePad controller as a viewer, letting users switch between a television and the controller when watching a show.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 20, 2012
Los Angeles-based Sole Society said this week that it is supporting charity Soles4Soles , by donating one pair of shoes for every pair bought through the service the week of Cyber Monday. Soles4Soles is a charity which distributes shoes to children who need them. Sole Society is the new fashion-meets-ecommerce startup headed by Brett Markinson, one of the co-founders of Hautelook, and which is backed by Nordstrom, Insight Ventures, and Nine West's Vince Camuto.
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