Both Sides of the Table

JULY 1, 2010

He calls it his “Tom Sawyer&# company. Scott’s first big foray into industry-changing companies came with CarsDirect, an IdeaLab company where he was the initial founder & CEO. Scott left the company, which eventually IPO’d and became Internet Brands. Incubated by Clearstone Ventures in 2008.

Zag 248

Zag Truecar Venture Capital CarsDirect 248

socalTECH

JUNE 1, 2011

One of the biggest forces that has emerged in the Internet in recent years has been crowdsourcing, the way the web has empowered users to drive the creation of content and information online. I sold that company, eCRUSH, which operated espin.com, to Hearst at the end of 2006. What's the story behind Ranker?

Startup 195

Startup Platform Sites Java 195

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 1, 2009

In my previous post, The VC Ice Age is Thawing (for now) I wrote about the reasons why the VC market came to a screeching halt in September 2008 and remained largely shut until at least April 2009. There have been a number of high profile tech IPO s in the recent months including companies such as OpenTable and more recently LogMeIn.

Venture Capital 255

Venture Capital Marketing Startup Social Network 255

socalTECH

JUNE 30, 2010

Interested to hear more about how the company came about--and why it has been getting some attention for its efforts--we spoke with Tom Grasty , co-founder of the company. It ran in April of 2008. We got lots of traction on the web, and the story was picked up in many places.

Journal 187

Journal USC News Startup 187

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 18, 2010

We also talked about how brands are increasing driving much of their traffic to Facebook and away from their own web pages. Founded in November 2008 by Jack Moffitt and Patrick Mahoney; CEO is Gerry Campbell (ex-AOL, ex-Reuters/OpenCalais). Online service offering privacy certification for web sites. 406 Ventures.

Venture Capital 225

Venture Capital Google Web Sites 225

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2010

It’s always fun debating companies with Dana because she’s always so knowledgeable on deals – particularly those in the digital media, ad-tech and eCommerce spaces. But having different funds available for different stages of one’s company is actually a really good thing. DEAL OF THE WEEK: Gilt Groupe – We both admired this company.

Venture Capital 240

Venture Capital Startup Platform Technical Review 240

Xconomy

JANUARY 19, 2017

StockTwits, the Twitter-like social media platform for sharing stock market tips and ideas, has acquired San Diego’s SparkFin, a fintech mobile app for discovering and sharing stocks and other investment ideas. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Lindzon led StockTwits as CEO until last year, and continues as chairman.

Mobile 40

Mobile San Diego Social Media Services 40

socalTECH

APRIL 1, 2010

in a venture round from GRP Partners and Rincon Ventures, for the firm's mobile ad management platform. We caught up with founder Evan Rifkin --who previously founded and sold TagWorld/Flux to MTVN in November of 2008--to learn more about the startup. Evan Rifkin: Basically, we are an open and free ad management platform.

Startup 164

Startup Platform Advertising GRP Partners 164

Xconomy

OCTOBER 16, 2016

In a recent interview, Certona CEO Meyar Sheik said the company has taken a measured approach since he founded Certona in 2004 with CTO Geoffrey Hueter. The company now has about 130 employees, and counts Petco, Advance Auto Parts, Pier 1 Imports, and Charlotte Russe among its 500-plus retailer customers in over 70 countries.

Artificial Inteligence 40

Artificial Inteligence Commerce San Diego Web 40

Tech.Co

MAY 25, 2018

The barriers to entry when it comes to launching a company require less tension and a lot less capital. In 2006, a passion to help startups grew into Tech Cocktail , a company whose mission was to showcased burgeoning companies in bars around the country. Indiegogo has brought more than 800,000 ideas to fruition since 2008.

Startup 140

Startup Technical Review Competition Software Review 140

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 26, 2018

If you're a large, enterprise company, in recent years, cloud computing has become an increasingly large--and expensive--piece of your information technology (IT) mix. Enterprise cloud budgets are growing astronomically as companies adopt many cloud techniques. How did the idea for the company come about?

Cloud Computing 133

Cloud Computing Resource Startup Software 133

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

That results in huge savings--up to 75 percent--in price, and you can also do it all in about ten minutes, because we've integrated directly with your course schedule, and filtered through the entire web simultaneously. How did you come up with the web site? They act as mentors and help companies grow.

UCSD 185

UCSD Course Startup Sites 185

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 3, 2012

Coincident has created a platform that will allow storytellers and producers to create robust second screen stories on the fly that incorporate video, images and other web content. Each of these platforms represents a variety of “screens” to view from. People are not simply watching the TV anymore. WOW, right? has accomplished.

Screening 109

Screening Content CTO Hire Platform 109

socalTECH

AUGUST 27, 2012

It's an intensely competitive market in developing games for the iPhone and other mobile platforms, with thousands and thousands of titles competing for attention from users. In 2010, we sold the game assets and name PlayScreen, which we had acquired, and formed a new company with some solid financial and technology guys.

Mobile 216

Mobile Startup Software Review Platform 216

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2010

And so it happened that between 2000-2008 I was the biggest buzz kill at dinner parties. But all of this increased company creation has to go somewhere. It costs less money to start companies so the world should have way more startups.&# I’ve heard the “world is different&# argument in every bubble I’ve ever seen.

Invest 299

Invest Angel Technical Review Venture Capital 299

socalTECH

MAY 24, 2011

We're creating a platform that highlights musicians, venues, and local fans. I actually worked in the offline business world until Web 1.0. I ended up doing consulting work for high tech companies in the San Francisco Bay Area in the software messaging area, and then came back to Los Angeles doing corporate sales for 3M, of all things.

Social Media 241

Social Media Startup Sites Advertising 241

SoCal CTO

MARCH 5, 2007

However, there are lots of companies that are making money from open source and freemium models. A friend of mine has a company that builds open source applications in spaces that are a bit less innovative than Elgg, but they do very well financially through the packaging and support models.

Southern California 150

Southern California CTO Coach CTO Hire Social Media 150

socalTECH

AUGUST 20, 2010

Patrick Kennedy: Sidebar is a company that was founded to bring consumers personalized content, focused on mobile delivery of that content. We did a successful trial in 2008. When I joined the company, I found an amazing technology platform and analytics capability. How is the company funded?

Content 189

Content Screening Mobile Customer 189

SoCal CTO

MAY 15, 2009

Social networking sites and microblogs are used not only to build company brands, but to foster productivity; social media tools help build communities around the question, "What are you working on?" This Panel will explore issues such as: How can companies best utilize social networking media? What are the risks and rewards?

Social Network 150

Social Network Networking Yammer CTO Hire 150

socalTECH

APRIL 30, 2013

We caught up with Jennifer Noonan, one of the company''s founders, to learn more. We spent the last few years building our advertising ad serving platform, and launched about two months ago. Carol Hall and I started our business Absentminded in 2008, making iPhone applications. What are you all about?

Mobile 208

Mobile Networking Media Advertising 208

socalTECH

MARCH 3, 2011

Last week, we talked with Fouad ElNaggar of Redpoint Ventures about some of the interesting companies in Southern California. We thought we'd create a platform that was as powerful and rich as Youtube is for video, or Flickr is for pictures, or Docstoc is for documents. How is the company funded and backed?

Redpoint 201

Redpoint Startup Content .Net 201

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 19, 2012

The rise of couponing in late 2008 coincided with the recession of the late 2000s;” this factor combined with an increased consumer interest in mobile technology and devices led to an unprecedented decline in print media. Due to the combination of these factors, marketers began to more heavily fund digital platforms.

Mobile 85

Mobile Software Review Statistics Technical Review 85

socalTECH

JANUARY 25, 2010

Johnson's latest effort is Lunch.com (www.lunch.com), a web site which takes the concepts behind VirtualTourist.com beyond travel, and into lots of other subjects. Johnson: Back in 1999, we started a company called VirtualTourist.com. It was a local, SoCal company right here in Manhattan Beach. Lunch.com is based in Los Angeles.

Content 204

Content Startup Sites Manhattan Beach 204

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 20, 2012

Although this is a core competency that must be honed over time, there is a cadre of SaaS hiring tools that the world’s leading tech companies deploy to their advantage. The company launched its social media management system in 2008, growing to over 4 million users by the start of 2012.

SaaS 209

SaaS Tool Startup Screening 209

Xconomy

OCTOBER 30, 2016

The program provided each company with $25,000 in financing, and a spot for three months in the startup camp program at the Plug and Play Tech Center in Sunnyvale. Companies that participated in the program include Airbitz, Rock My Run, TipNetwork, Vioozer, Raynforest, Stretchr, and Ahorro Libre.

San Diego 40

San Diego Incubator Avalon Mentor 40

Tech Zulu Event

JULY 16, 2012

CallFire simplifies telephony, making sophisticated, expensive carrier-class telecom capabilities available through an easy-to-use GUI and API platform, which the company pioneered in 2007. Ron Paul’s presidential bid, the Arizona League of Conservation Voters and the 2008 California No on Prop.

Venture Capital 89

Venture Capital Cloud Computing Class Education 89

socalTECH

APRIL 28, 2010

Dave Waldman: We started quite a while ago, back in almost September of 2008. I was one of the early folks there that came on and was there as the company grew. But, what I think has happened is you see a lot of companies that have really gone after that corporate market. How long has Bccthis been around?

Email 185

Email Startup Mobile Ideas 185

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 30, 2009

Los Angeles-based Crosscut Ventures (www.crosscutventures.com) is one of the newest venture capital funds in the area, and has quietly been working on funding local companies over the last year. The fund--started by Brian Garrett and Rick Smith --has been focused on digital media investments, and so far has made investments in six companies.

Southern California 153

Southern California Startup Palomar Rustic Canyon 153

socalTECH

JULY 20, 2011

It was the fall of 2008, when Lehman Bros. However, it was an idea and concept which had been brewing for awhile, and besides, I had a personal interest in starting my own company and wanting to be an entrepreneur. However, 18-34 year olds have been in high demand by marketers, TV advertisers, and consumer companies as an audience.

News 173

News Entertainment Startup Bertelsmann 173

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 28, 2010

Other players such as Obopay have set out to focus on mobile person-to-person cash transfers, mFoundry (a GRP portfolio company) has focused on mobile banking and a mobile wallet and one of my favorite companies m-via is focusing on mobile remittances (right now between the US and Mexico). 15mm in Series A. Wildfire Interactive.

Venture Capital 270

Venture Capital Capital Rustic Canyon Mobile 270

SoCal Delicious

AUGUST 23, 2010

Southern California companies are second to only Silicon Valley in raising venture capital , there are three major universities to recruit talent – UCLA, Caltech, and USC – and a thriving startup community to mingle with. What are some examples of successful companies that were started here? LowerMyBills, Inc.

Guide 42

Guide Startup Mahalo GRP Partners 42

SoCal Delicious

MAY 6, 2012

Features like this, as well as our daily interviews wouldn’t be possible without the amazing support of our sponsor eMinutes – a law firm here in Los Angeles that focuses on helping entrepreneurs structure their companies. a perks platform for small and medium sized businesses. Thank you @eminutes. .

Los Angeles 78

Los Angeles Entrepreneur Angel Fractional CTO 78

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 13, 2009

We happened to be talking at the time with Dave Newmark, CEO of Encino-based Bid4Spots (www.bid4spots.com), about how the firm's reverse auction service for remnant radio was going, and Dave us gave his insights into Google's moves, how it affects his company, as well as an update on how things are going for Bid4Spots.

Google 124

Google Advertising Media Startup 124

SoCal Delicious

SEPTEMBER 22, 2008

Where it might look something like: 1000, profile.photo.update, 1, 9:30AM 3/14/2008. Every web product ultimately has a bunch of user flows contained within it. September 18th, 2008 at 8:00 am. « Open mobile platforms and Facebook developer refugees. Get the company names of your website visitors.

Startup 29

Startup IP Email Report 29

Frank Addante

MAY 24, 2007

► February (1) Building and Developing an A++ Team ► 2008 (14) ► December (1) Develop a Culture Roadmap ► November (2) Green Week - Save the Environment and Your Cash Creating a Culture of Innovation: Cultural Values. This one is so new, we dont even have an official company name, yet. Startup 3.0: Be scrappy.

Advertising 40

Advertising Startup Venture Capital Outsource Development 40

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 12, 2010

Spark Capital is relatively new to VC (founded in 2005) yet has become one of the hottest new VCs having invested in Twitter, Tumblr, AdMeld, Boxee, KickApps and many more companies. Company grew by more than “400% each year” for past few years [assume growth metric = revenues]. Founded in 2008 by Mehdi Maghsoodnia.

Venture Capital 217

Venture Capital Capital Metrics Competition 217

Frank Addante

MAY 12, 2007

► February (1) Building and Developing an A++ Team ► 2008 (14) ► December (1) Develop a Culture Roadmap ► November (2) Green Week - Save the Environment and Your Cash Creating a Culture of Innovation: Cultural Values. ► October (1) New Video! . I'm 30, now will you take me seriously? Startup 3.0: Be scrappy.

Outsource Development 40

Outsource Development Outsource Software Review Startup 40