TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 19, 2019

Popular messaging app Kik is, indeed, “here to stay” following an acquisition by the Los Angeles-based multimedia holding company, MediaLab. It echoes the same message from Kik’s chief executive Tim Livingston last week when he rebuffed earlier reports that the company would shut down amid an ongoing battle with the U.S.

Social Network 153

Social Network Los Angeles Social Media Blogging 153

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 23, 2011

But some CEOs then try to have more junior people in the company take the interview. In a startup this is a mistake. Heck, even in a big, successful company like Salesforce.com the CEO, Marc Benioff, still takes many of the interviews himself. There is one carve out.

Startup 349

Startup Writing Press Blogging 349

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

Today they say its Africa’s largest and fastest growing social networking utility with over 4,000 daily new sign-ups. They also add that LAGbook ranks #2 in the city of Yaba-Lagos, where the social network was incepted, and #37 in the city of Hirtshal, Denmark. What inspired you to come up with LAGbook?

Social Network 100

Social Network Networking Advertising Startup 100

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 24, 2016

And I’m going to cross post this entire post on Facebook as an experiment rather than just posting a link on FB and trying to drive people to my blog. So if you’re reading this on Facebook (or on my blog!) I signed up for Facebook before many – in 2005 – when I first moved back to the US.

Startup 150

Startup Blogging Newsletter Social Network 150

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 1, 2009

It is also a result of pent-up demand. It affects even B2B companies because ultimately most must sell to companies who sell to consumers and if they suffer they cut back on suppliers. So we loaded up on flat screen TVs, multiple generations of iPods and trips to Hawaii. Consumer spending is where I’m dubious.

Venture Capital 269

Venture Capital Startup Funding Technical Review 269

SoCal CTO

JUNE 9, 2010

Continuing my series of posts that I’ve been collecting that live at the intersection of Startups and being a Startup CTO : Startup CTO Top 30 Posts for April 16 Great Startup Posts from March here are the top posts from May 2010. You could just outspend. It is to out friend. Enjoyed this post? Disruptive. We get it!

Startup 248

Startup Venture Capital Conference Social Media 248

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 26, 2022

Now, even the earliest stage startup can rise to visibility or be forever lost by their first media spotlight, so it behooves us all to know the rules early. People judge you and your company in the first few seconds. These days the media formats range from email, phone, radio, television, to social media. Marty Zwilling.

Media 118

Media Tips Social Media Startup 118

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 17, 2014

The traditional mode of starting a company has been to plan a serial process, where you complete once all the steps, leading to the “big bang” launch of the company. If you launch fast, you can be working with real customers in 4-6 months from your start, rather than 1-2 years. Use social networking to start the wave.

Startup 101

Startup Search Engine Optimization Social Network Customer 101

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 2, 2022

In fact, businesses need to adapt even more completely to the changes in the buying and social behavior of consumers. High-technology product startups, without customers, don’t make a business. Survey results show that more than 80% of consumers now receive advice through social networking sites prior to a product purchase.

Customer 122

Customer Custom Social Media Technical Review 122

SoCal CTO

MARCH 22, 2007

skip to main | skip to sidebar SoCal CTO Thursday, March 22, 2007 Discussion Creation Among Bloggers - LinkedIn, Blogging and Discussion Groups Ive been participating in a Yahoo Group that are users of LinkedIn and who are Bloggers: [link] Its an interesting group of folks from diverse backgrounds. See Five Things Meme as an example.

Blogging 150

Blogging CTO Coach CTO Hire Southern California 150

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 25, 2015

If you are one of the many professionals still trapped between jobs by circumstances outside your control, or are about to dump the loser job you have now, you should be actively defining and starting your own business, in parallel with looking for that ideal job. Use social networking and blogging to get your message out.

Startup 101

Startup Social Network Activity Ideas 101

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 21, 2011

Fred Wilson wrote a blog post yesterday called “Real Names” in which he talked about a commenter on his blog who preferred not to comment because he didn’t want to use his real name. As I did a deeper dive reflection on the topic I started thinking I wanted: Anonymity + Authority. It’s a powerful concept.

Social Network 329

Social Network Startup Blogging Venture Capital 329

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2015

Social media is so pervasive in today’s world that every entrepreneur believes instinctively that they know how to use it for their startup. When it comes to social media for your business, expect a high learning curve, but rest assured it’s not rocket science. Top social networks are Facebook (1.2 billion users).

Social Media 108

Social Media Media Startup Tips 108

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 9, 2013

The traditional mode of starting a company is to plan a serial process, where you complete once all the steps, leading to the “big bang” launch of the company. If you launch fast, you can be working with real customers in 4-6 months from your start, rather than 1-2 years. Use social networking to start the wave.

Startup 105

Startup Search Engine Optimization Social Network Customer 105

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 4, 2011

One of the things I discuss the most with the portfolio companies I’m involved with is that “you manage what you measure.”. It’s a very important concept for me because in a startup you are constantly under pressure and have way too many distractions. Commitment & urgency are key drivers of success in startup businesses.

Metrics 346

Metrics Startup SEO Customer 346

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 17, 2007

On Ben Kuo's blog, he posted about Entrepreneurs in Southern California and pointed to a post by Will Johnson, a Southern California entrepreneur and blogger. b) history of success; and c) abundance of start-up companies (so if one fails there is another to jump on). .); willing to go work for startup companies.

Southern California 150

Southern California Startup SoCal El Segundo 150

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 23, 2011

The last startup he did raised $70 million for the online video space before being sued for more than $1 billion by Universal. We talked about how his new company, AnyBeat , will be a difference kind of social network. I had the pleasure of sitting down for an hour with Dmitry Shapir o of AnyBeat this week. Or does he?

Veoh 269

Veoh Netflix Social Network Blogging 269

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 18, 2010

Everyone is talking about how social media can help you jumpstart your business at no cost, and experts are springing up on all sides to help you do it at a high cost. So who do you believe, and what are the keys to success for your startup? Understand the basic tools – the social media trinity. Then set your goals.

Social Media 95

Social Media Media Startup Blogging 95

Tech Zulu Event

DECEMBER 5, 2011

Worlize is a user-created social gaming and chat platform for Facebook and social networks including Twitter, MySpace and OpenSocial. Their latest addition to Worlize is the ability to for a “Chat Now” badge to be placed on your blog.

Blogging 84

Blogging Paramount Social Network Entertainment 84

Tech Zulu Event

DECEMBER 13, 2012

We’re excited to announce TechZulu is officially partnering with New Media Expo (formerly BlogWorld) to create a Startup Launchpad at their next event taking place January 6-8, 2013 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Conference Center in Las Vegas. What does this mean for you ? Ballroom carpet included. Leo Laporte (Owner, TWiT.tv

Media 109

Media Startup Conference Social Network 109

SoCal CTO

MARCH 18, 2010

I started out as screenwriter, went into local television, ran ad sales in the west for AOL and joined Facebook in the companies very early days. I also serve as CEO of a small media companies that profile “Tomorrow’s Most Exciting People Today”. With that as a start it rarely feels burdensome. What keeps you up at night?

Startup 225

Startup Los Angeles Social Network Twiistup 225

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2013

When my friend’s small business was struggling a while back, I suggested he add some social media marketing initiatives, and his answer was that he was “too busy.” According to a study of 1700 CEOs last year, only 60% of companies today use social media for marketing, and only 12% of those feel that they are using it effectively.

Social Media 106

Social Media Media Startup Social Network 106

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 3, 2021

In the past, if your startup had a website presence, the company was credible by definition. Yet most startups I know experience the same shock of disappointment when they first open up their website to offer their “million dollar idea” product, and nobody comes. Set up an award, and show winners.

Web 117

Web Search Engine Optimization eBook Advertising 117

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2013

It’s not uncommon for me to see a startup business plan “mission” to be the “premier brand” for their product, yet their marketing budget in the financials is trivial. In fact, the average spent by Inc 500 companies for sales and marketing expense continues to hover around 10% of overall revenues. Get exposure for your expertise.

Marketing 106

Marketing Startup Social Media SEM 106

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

In his quest to better connect with new friends, Alex Capecelatro had a problem: none of the existing social networking sites were really designed to connect people with who you didn't know, and might share your hobbies and interests. Alex Capecelatro: Hyphos is a social discovery platform. How did the company come about?

UCLA 187

UCLA Culver City Startup Social Network 187

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 11, 2010

I haven’t written a blog post in a week. I travelled for a couple of days for work and decided to get some sleep on those days rather than staying up into the wee hours as I often do when I travel. And for the last few evenings I decided to get through email rather than blog. But what has really killed me is email.

Email 265

Email Startup Writing Blogging 265

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 28, 2012

According to a recent Harvard Business Review article , only 60% of companies today use social media for marketing, and only 12% of those feel that they are using it effectively. I suspect that a good part of the problem is that startup and small business owners still don’t know where or how to start. What’s the problem?

Social Media 115

Social Media Media Startup Social Network 115

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 24, 2011

I invested in LA-based Gogii , one of the fastest growing, most exciting mobile social networking companies you’ve never heard of and maker of a product called textPlus. And if you are – what on earth are you reading such a boring blog as this?!? But I never gave up. See, I originally lost this deal.

Gogii 310

Gogii Invest Blogging Startup 310

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2013

In fact, businesses need to adapt just as completely to the changes in the buying and social behavior of consumers. High-technology product startups, without customers, don’t make a business. Survey results show that 81% of consumers now receive advice through social networking sites prior to a product purchase.

Customer 100

Customer Custom Startup Social Media 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2012

Herein lies an opportunity for startups to beat the big guys. I think these tough economic times and social networks have re-awakened consumers to the fact that there is more to a business transaction than price. Customers say it takes ten good experiences to make up for one bad one. Loyalty works from the top down.

Customer 104

Customer Custom Startup Competition 104

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2010

If you are one of the many people who lost your job during these tough economic times, you should be working on starting your own business, in parallel with looking for that ideal replacement job. You have probably secretly always wanted to run your own show, but with a full-time job, never had the time to consider a startup.

Startup 98

Startup Social Network Ideas Commerce 98

socalTECH

MAY 27, 2010

For this morning's interview, we have an interview with Kieve Huffman , the co-founder of Dather (www.dather.com), a new Los Angeles startup which has created a tool which helps to aggregate social networking web sites and media. What's your background, and how did you start Dather? The reception has been phenomenal.

Startup 213

Startup Buzznet Entertainment Social Network 213

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

If you are one of the many professionals still trapped between jobs by circumstances outside your control, or are about to dump the loser job you have now, you should be actively defining and starting your own business, in parallel with looking for that ideal job. Use social networking and blogging to get your message out.

Help 56

Help Startup Social Network Activity 56

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2014

If you are one of the many people still searching for that job lost during or after the recent depression, or about to dump the loser of a job you have now, you should be working on starting your own business, in parallel with looking for that ideal job. Also, for most of us, not having done it before, we have no idea where or how to start.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Startup Social Network Ideas 102

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2019

In fact, businesses need to adapt even more completely to the changes in the buying and social behavior of consumers. High-technology product startups, without customers, don’t make a business. Survey results show that more than 80% of consumers now receive advice through social networking sites prior to a product purchase.

Customer 85

Customer Custom Social Media Technical Review 85

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2011

I suggested that he add some social network marketing initiatives, and his answer was he is “too busy.” He is not alone, according to a recent study , which concludes that only 47% of companies use social media today for marketing, despite the fact that 78% of executives polled feel it’s critical for success.

Social Media 104

Social Media Media Marketing Social Network 104

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 29, 2010

I explain in the video what happened in my first company (e.g. Down rounds are psychologically really difficult on companies and can make it harder to do later rounds. In the video I also covered why you shouldn’t raise too much money too early in your company’s existence. I eventually needed more money.

Venture Capital 282

Venture Capital Capital Startup Pricing 282