Xconomy

NOVEMBER 13, 2016

View the Slideshow A little more than a year ago, amid a resurgence in San Diego’s software sector, Xconomy identified a baker’s dozen of local tech companies to watch in 2016. The idea was to feature early stage companies in the region that have not attracted much attention or raised a substantial amount of startup capital.

San Diego 40

San Diego Technical Review Artificial Inteligence Startup 40

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 20, 2017

So how did a company that provides storage grow so fast (we’ll exit 2017 with 10’s of millions in recurring revenue), why is it so defensible and is it really a tech startup? If you buy that Amazon is a tech startup then essentially you’ve already answered the question. We’ve been delighted with 8VC as a co-investor.

Technical Review 268

Technical Review Funding Software Review Artificial Inteligence 268

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 14, 2022

I know companies who collect sensitive data from consumers all the time, and still seem to keep a trusted image (Amazon.com, Ebay). There are others, like Norton LifeLock , acquired in 2017 by Symantec for $2.3 Make your company visible, reachable and responsive through social networks. Don’t take shortcuts on these.

Customer 137

Customer Custom Technical Review Symantec 137

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 12, 2018

seems like an unlikely place to grow one of the next billion-dollar startups in the booming Los Angeles tech ecosystem. The company is ServiceTitan, and its market… is air conditioners. The city of Glendale, Calif. “Silicon Beach” this ain’t.

Glendale 271

Glendale Los Angeles Startup Technical Review 271

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 21, 2020

Maven had paused service due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company sent an email to customers Tuesday that after examining the business, the car-sharing industry and COVID-19, it decided to shutter the service permanently. The company confirmed that all operations should be concluded by later this summer.

Los Angeles 215

Los Angeles Technical Review Email Services 215

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 2, 2017

s IPO filing on Thursday is the tidbit that the company more than tripled its number of employees in the last year, going from 600 full time employees on December 31, 2015, to 1,859 as of December 31, 2016. The company said in the S-1 that it expects headcount to grow in the foreseeable future.

Santa Monica 100

Santa Monica Southern California Venice Technical Review 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2017

What every investor, and every customer, is looking for is a company where everyone is focused on the same objectives, the same values, and the same customer needs I just saw some real insights on this challenge in a new book, “ Total Alignment: Tools and Tactics for Streamlining Your Organization ,” by Riaz and Linda Khadem.

Company 54

Company Companies Technical Review Coach 54

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2017

Of course, nobody really knows all of what tomorrow will bring, in terms of globalization, digital technology, or demographic shifts, but most experts agree that certain elements are already obvious, and things must be done today to get your business ready in time. Company culture drives decision making and process.

Company 55

Company Companies Artificial Inteligence Technical Review 55

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2023

If you have a different view, I urge you to see the data presented in a new book, “ The Nine: The Tectonic Forces Reshaping the Workplace ,” by Phil Simon, a globally recognized authority on technology, collaboration, and the future of work. Unions are making new inroads at sacrosanct companies, including Kickstarter and Amazon.

Layoffs 113

Layoffs Technical Review Startup Class 113

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Nearly every successful tech startup I’ve observed over the past 20 years has gone through a similar growth pattern: Innovate, systematize then scale operations. Understanding how your company will change as you move through these phases is critical if you hope to scale to a large business one day.

Startup 286

Startup Technical Review Customer Custom 286

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2017

If your company can’t satisfy their special request, be prepared to connect them to a competitor who can. Use technology to personalize and expedite requests. How many times have you been asked to repeat information when you interact with multiple people at a company? Marty Zwilling First published on Inc.com on 01/13/2017.

Customer 95

Customer Custom Services Technical Review 95

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2019

I know companies who collect sensitive data from consumers all the time, and still seem to keep a squeaky clean image (Amazon.com, Ebay). There are others, like LifeLock , acquired in 2017 by Symantec for $2.3 Make your company visible, reachable and responsive through social networks. and this black eye won’t soon go away.

Technical Review 78

Technical Review Symantec Social Network News 78

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2017

Even the most diligent investors are often surprised by apparently solid business startups that fail, while others succeed, despite the odds. Every startup I know has pivoted at least once, but successful companies make each of these a well-planned and well-orchestrated effort. Balance of technical and business knowledge.

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Startup Mentor Study 60

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 29, 2017

They seem shocked to learn that most professional investors and advisors, myself included, routinely decline such requests, due to costly litigation and administrative nightmares. Potential investors don’t need this data, except perhaps as part of a final due diligence after an initial signed agreement.

Technical Review 61

Technical Review Patents Ideas Social Media 61

TechCrunch LA

FEBRUARY 20, 2019

When should you start a company? What company should you start? When should you join a company? Anyone who has worked in a large company further knows that timing a product launch or a new marketing strategy has more to do with internal politics than reading market forces. When should a VC invest?

Venture Capital 202

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Invest 202

InfoChachkie

DECEMBER 23, 2018

As entrepreneurs think of ways to leverage the explosive sales of smart audio technology, they should take note of the following key takeaways the NPR/Edison Research survey: Rapid Adoption – 39 million adult Americans own at least one Smart Speaker, representing approximately 16% of the population. What’s Next? –

Platform 100

Platform Technical Review Research Entertainment 100

Xconomy

DECEMBER 28, 2017

ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest World Finals 2017. ICPC World Finals 2017, held in Rapid City. In 2017, it was in Rapid City, South Dakota. It was always sort of shocking to people, even on a national level, when they would hear [that Rapid City was hosting ICPC 2017],” Jensen said.

Coach 75

Coach Technical Review Carson Networking 75

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2017

Smart entrepreneurs are just now starting to look at this option again, due to its unpredictability and the challenges of running a public company. According to a recent Ernst & Young global report , the first half of 2017 was the most active first half by global number of IPOs since 2007. Increased liability risk exposure.

Startup 87

Startup Technical Review Report Entrepreneur 87

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 20, 2019

Statistica reports that almost 20 percent more companies went public in 2018 versus 2017. Crowd funding is setting new records worldwide, with $17 billion from North America alone, and VCs poured another $100 billion more into small growth companies last year. Most now routinely buy startups for new technology and new products.

Startup 128

Startup Social Media Satisfaction Entrepreneur 128

Xconomy

AUGUST 19, 2016

The CRISPR news this week doesn’t need a metaphor; the drama that MIT Technology Review reported can stand alone. Everyone is waiting until 2017, when huge studies of the drugs’ ability to prevent heart attacks and strokes start to provide data. Data from the other three trials should come in late 2016 or early 2017.

Technical Review 40

Technical Review Patents .Net Study 40

Xconomy

OCTOBER 7, 2016

military’s high-tech think tank DARPA described Safe Genes, a new program to fund safety measures that can be built into genome editing technology or counter its potential wayward effects. The funding could be as much as $100 million, and the first grants will be announced in 2017. —The U.S. THE ENVELOPE, PLEASE.

Technical Review 77

Technical Review Study Layoffs San Diego 77

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2017

A classic article in the Harvard Business Review “ The Truth About Customer Experience ” defines it as your customer’s end-to-end journey with you, not just the key touchpoints or critical moments when customers interact with your organization. Legendary companies like Amazon and Costco operate with an NPS between 50 to 80 percent.

Customer 85

Customer Custom Product Marketing 85

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 21, 2018

According to the 2017 Kauffman Startup Activity Index , the share of new entrepreneurs who started businesses to pursue opportunity rather than from necessity reached 86 percent, more than 12 percentage points higher than in 2009 at the height of the Great Recession. Most now routinely buy startups for new technology and new products.

Entrepreneur 66

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media Satisfaction 66

Tech.Co

DECEMBER 15, 2017

The largest VC backed companies in this space have raised several hundreds of millions in funding to help expand their global footprint. But I decided to give it a chance and in 2017, I moved to my first coworking space. In a coworking space, you have people working diligently all around you. So was it worth it? Distraction.

Technical Review 91

Technical Review Study Web Design Startup 91

Xconomy

AUGUST 12, 2016

government’s Precision Medicine Initiative is an ambitious effort to collect the genomic data of 1 million Americans, and tech giant Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG ) is deeply involved. Alex Lash examined the company’s role, via its biotech subsidiary Verily Life Sciences, in the massive project. —The U.S. —David H. In the U.S.,

Google 40

Google Technical Review News Research 40

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2017

Yet in this age of technology, many seem to favor tools and data to get the edge, or can’t find the time to talk to real people. Each time I mentor an entrepreneur, I learn new things about their technology, customers, and business domain. Regularly review progress and adjust focus (Review and Renewal).

Mentor 61

Mentor Technical Review LAMP Coach 61

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 24, 2017

What neither group seems to fully comprehend is that retail needs to fundamentally change to succeed, far beyond the addition of an online component, to meet the experience expectations of today’s generation, an oversupplied global marketplace, and technology for instant pricing and distribution.

Customer 52

Customer Custom Technical Review Summary 52

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 20, 2017

Jack Welch, former CEO of GE, once predicted, “When the rate of change outside the company is greater than the rate of change inside, the end is near.” Yet in my role as business advisor, I often see companies naively ignoring this reality. Marty Zwilling First published on Inc.com on 10/05/2017.

Demand 54

Demand Technical Review Pricing Customer 54

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 16, 2017

In fact, angel investing seems to be leveling off at around $25 billion annually, while crowd funding is setting new records, expected to top $34 billion in 2017. Nevertheless, according to Rose, both are poised for further growth due to online technology, and there is indeed plenty of opportunity. They will need more money.

Startup 76

Startup Angel Funding .Net 76

Xconomy

NOVEMBER 11, 2016

Drug company stocks got a boost with the defeat of Hillary Clinton, a vocal critic of drug prices. —Xconomy rounded up some post-election thoughts from several local tech and life science leaders , which included a mix of outrage, resiliency, hope, rationalizing, grandstanding, and some calls for calm and reason. Now, the U.S.

Patents 87

Patents Study Pricing Research 87

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 1, 2015

Startups and SMBs have been able to take advantage of the cloud, and all of the speed and flexibility it offers, long before large enterprise companies due to strict security and privacy standards, as well as regulations for major industries like banking, healthcare, and financial services.

IBM 40

IBM IBM Technical Review Patents 40

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 7, 2017

Reports suggest that 90% of today’s shoppers skip marketing pitches, to research online before they buy, and over 50% check user reviews before making a decision. Distribute an Executive Summary and Recommendations report, as well as transcripts of your interviews, to all the key players in your company.

Search Engine Optimization 58

Search Engine Optimization Startup SEO Customer 58

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 30, 2017

Together they set the standard for collaboration and culture that will make or break the company. In today’s world, the market evolves even faster than the technology. Every business encounters unanticipated obstacles due to economic conditions, natural disasters, and competitor challenges, so start practicing resilience early.

Ideas 72

Ideas Startup Metrics Entrepreneur 72

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 27, 2017

Hyman started his career at the preeminent search firm Heidrick & Struggles, and has built four companies, so he knows the ropes. Eighty percent or higher is a good starting point, since twenty-four months is the current national average for job tenure with a company. How will they position your company and opportunity?

Startup 72

Startup Technical Review Metrics Competition 72

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

We chatted with co-founder and CEo David Sobie about the company and the problem it's solving. That seed funding was really to let us prove the concept and build the technology to enable returns in person at retailers, and let us figure out whether or not customers wanted to return this way, and get an idea of how to scale.

Training 100

Training Customer Custom Software Review 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 15, 2017

But these days with all the resources on the Internet and elsewhere, there is no excuse for not keeping up on the latest insights, best practices, and technology in the area of hiring, motivating, and training. Define a disciplined process, take the time to find multiple candidates, and do proper reviews.

Training 58

Training Case Study Resource Statistics 58

Xconomy

AUGUST 9, 2016

Apple’s iPhone 7 is due out next month. The company might be planning something splashy for 2017, the 10th anniversary of the original iPhone. According to the Wall Street Journal, PFWTMs (“people familiar with the matter”) say the new device will look pretty much the same as the iPhone 6s. Or maybe that’s all wrong.

Software Review 40

Software Review Screening Design Mobile 40