SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

One of the readers asked my opinion around sharing your startup concept: My first question has always been - how do you protect your idea while shopping around for feedback, partners, developers, etc.? Especially if the idea could be whipped-up by a few 24-year olds in a few weeks? This is going to be fairly specific to the company.

Startup 211

Startup IP Ideas Patents 211

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 14, 2021

A security lapse at online grocery delivery startup Mercato exposed tens of thousands of customer orders, TechCrunch has learned. A person with knowledge of the incident told TechCrunch that the incident happened in January after one of the company’s cloud storage buckets, hosted on Amazon’s cloud, was left open and unprotected.

Custom 153

Custom Customer Startup IP 153

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

One of the readers asked my opinion around sharing your startup concept: My first question has always been - how do you protect your idea while shopping around for feedback, partners, developers, etc.? Especially if the idea could be whipped-up by a few 24-year olds in a few weeks? This is going to be fairly specific to the company.

Startup 198

Startup IP Ideas Patents 198

SoCal Tech Calendar

JULY 14, 2010

Tuesday, July 20, 2010 -- How Savvy Companies Leverage Brand, Technology and IP Licensing to Leap Ahead of The Competition. See [link] (more).

IP 100

IP Competition Technology Company 100

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 17, 2019

I had just left Salesforce.com where I was VP, Products, after they had acquired my second startup. The first check I wrote was just over 10 years ago into a company called Invoca who just announced a new $56 million in funding led by Scott Hilleboe at HIG Growth Partners. We not only have our Series A funds that can write $500k?—?$15

Venture Capital 223

Venture Capital IP Startup Google 223

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 21, 2013

I recently wrote a blog post in which I pointed out that many investors & advisors discourage enterprise startups from having a professional services (PS) business and I think this is a big mistake. I think it’s important for enterprise startups to layer in professional services into your revenue stream. rollout support.

Software Review 321

Software Review Software Services Company 321

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

Like Steve Jobs, Michael Dell and Larry Ellison, he is one of the few startup Founders who remained at the helm of their respective companies throughout their entire maturation process. Great Startup Ideas Come From Everywhere. "At One Of The Most Important Startup Skills. "The " [Tweet this quote].

Tips 275

Tips Startup IP Santa Barbara 275

socalTECH

OCTOBER 11, 2018

Los Angeles-based Catalog , a startup developing artificial intelligence software to help independent visual artists scale their content production efforts, has raised $1.5M The startup--led by Patrick Ip--develops software to automate the creation of custom visual content for brands. in a seed funding round. READ MORE>>.

Artificial Inteligence 127

Artificial Inteligence Software IP Seed Funding 127

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

I find it amusing when a journalist writes an article about a prominent startup (either privately held or preparing for an IPO) and decries that, “They’re not even profitable!” Exec Summary: Most companies (98+%) in the world (even tech startups) should be very profit focused. One of them is profitability.

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

socalTECH

MAY 20, 2020

Los ANgeles-based Brainbase , a new startup developing software to help manage licensing, partnership and sponsorship agreements, has raised $8M in a Series A funding round, the company said this morning. According to the company, it will use the funding to to build its software. READ MORE>>.

IP 113

IP Software Los Angeles Capital 113

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 28, 2018

Qualcomm said the new Qualcomm Ventures AI Fund , which is worth $100M, will go towards startups who are working around "AI becoming more powerful and widespread" on devices, with an emphasis on autonomous cars, robotics and machine learning. READ MORE>>.

Artificial Inteligence 133

Artificial Inteligence Invest Funding IP 133

socalTECH

OCTOBER 20, 2020

Los Angeles-based a href="[link] , a startup which operates a platform it says connects product suppliers who dropship with Shopify e-retailers, says it has expanded its platform to provide localized content for sellers in Brazil and France. The company says its now offers country-specific websites in French and Portuguese.

Platform 100

Platform IP Los Angeles Content 100

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 9, 2018

You race back to the office to tell everybody how well it went and you wait for the follow-up call to have a partners’ meeting or talk about term sheets or at least dip into due diligence. After my board meeting I had to do an interview with a CFO candidate that one of my portfolio companies asked me to speak with. What do I do now?

Software Review 381

Software Review Startup Email Conference 381

socalTECH

OCTOBER 19, 2018

Earlier this month, Los Angeles-based Catalog (www.catalog.cc), a startup developing artificial intelligence software to help independent visual artists scale their content production efforts, announced it raised $1.5M Jacobo Lumbreras: My background for the last three years, I was at working at a company that Keith Ferrazzi had built.

Help 133

Help IP Content Google 133

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 11, 2011

What could you learn from looking at your competitors or other tech startups in a different way? Or you think their startup is a passing fad and yours is the real deal? I was at a dinner about a year ago with a few VCs and startup founders. The topic of FourSquare came up. I hear views like this all the time.

Startup 313

Startup Press Writing News 313

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 13, 2012

We spoke with Jim Franklin , the firm's CEO, to hear more about how the company went from an accelerator startup at TechStars just a few years ago, to now more than 100 employees spread across offices in Boulder; Colorado, Anaheim, California; Frankfurt; London, and elsewhere, to tackle the problems of transactional email.

Email 157

Email Startup IP Newsletter 157

TechCrunch LA

JANUARY 27, 2022

Now, a gaming startup that’s building a new kind of platform that it thinks will be a — wait for it — game changer in the category is announcing some funding as to ride that wave of attention. It included games icon Atari, which is working with PortalOne to include some of its brands and IP in that Arcade launch.

Platform 167

Platform Entertainment Netflix Content 167

socalTECH

JUNE 21, 2019

What's the hardest part of being a startup entrepreneur? Minnie Ingersoll: I grew up here in Southern California, in Pasadena, and have been in the Bay Area for a number of years, and just became a new partner at TenOneTen Ventures. Minnie Ingersoll: A few things, but most recently I started by own company, in 2013.

Southern California 133

Southern California Startup Layoffs Venture Capital 133

socalTECH

JUNE 9, 2014

Los Angeles-based Jukin Media (www.jukinmedia.com) thinks it has figured that out, and instead of trying to create viral videos, has been buying up the rights to those videos--before they really go viral--to create not just a one-hit, viral video wonder, but a sustainable business. What is Jukin Media? Can you talk about those businesses?

Media 235

Media Content Startup IP 235

socalTECH

JULY 16, 2013

As much as the idea of "Silicon Beach" wants to represent the whole of the local technology industry in Los Angeles, there are -- as one would expect in such a large metropolitan area -- many different neighborhoods and communities spread across the region, all with their own individual identities, companies, and technology focuses.

Pasadena 242

Pasadena Santa Monica CalTech Technical Review 242

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 7, 2015

I love how open Danielle has been throughout the development of her startup Mattermark including honest reflections of when she has changed her opinion. And from Nancy Hua … “Too many angels can also hurt a start-up and be taken as an indication that a company is not strong enough to attract any one “lead” investor, said Ms.

Angel 150

Angel Startup Seed Funding Invest 150

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

At our mid-year offsite our partnership at Upfront Ventures was discussing what the future of venture capital and the startup ecosystem looked like. Should SaaS companies trade at a 24x Enterprise Value (EV) to Next Twelve Month (NTM) Revenue multiple as they did in November 2021? Please follow him & welcome him to Upfront!! <==

Venture Capital 416

Venture Capital Marketing Technical Review Seed Funding 416

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 10, 2014

The venture-backed startup, which has the high profile backing of the same companies which backed free voice-over-IP service Skype (Mangrove Capital, DCM and Atomico) said it will also continue to offer up its free phone plans, which have specific minutes and data limits. READ MORE>>.

Mobile 200

Mobile IP Los Angeles Services 200

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 9, 2010

Backing Southern California's next great technology companies. We Create Demand for California's Technology Companies. Custom Insurance Programs for Technology Companies. Startups Made Simple. PricewaterhouseCoopers' Vision To Reality Program for Emerging Tech Companies. Redpoint Ventures (www.redpoint.com).

Southern California 113

Southern California Tech Coast Angels IP Orange County 113

socalTECH

JANUARY 28, 2013

If you're FreedomPop , the Encino-based startup, you start by offering up free 4G wireless data access, and then expand to offer free, voice-over-IP services, along with home-based wireless Internet services. Currently, users pay up front for data packages, and there are inefficiencies in that market.

Startup 245

Startup IP Networking Encino 245

Tech Zulu Event

DECEMBER 18, 2013

TechZulu is excited to invite you to the 2014 Startup and Entrepreneurial Forecast taking place on Tuesday Jan. We will have a line up of amazing panelist who will share their insights and forecast for startup trends in 2014. The panel is comprised of Southern California’s Top VC’s, Angels, and Startup Accelerator founders.

Startup 111

Startup Entertainment Media Santa Barbara 111

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 11, 2013

In many instances, investors simply do not have the patience to wait for an entrepreneur to sufficiently clean up their deal once a significant issue is identified during the due diligence process. As such, make it easy for investors to unequivocally evaluate the veracity of your venture's IP.

Technical Review 264

Technical Review Entrepreneur IP RSS 264

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 8, 2016

They had a new company in mind and they posed a question to me “If Walt Disney were to try and build a movie studio from scratch today — how would he do it?” But the idea that you could start a new studio today — with the hundreds of millions required just to launch one blockbuster hit — is absurd. I took the bait.

Startup 150

Startup IP Class Media 150

socalTECH

JULY 18, 2018

We caught up with Shiraz to learn more about the company's origins from within Dreamworks Animation, and what it's hoping to bring to a location near you soon. We have an expert team, marrying world-class IP from Hollywood, and videogames and bringing that into this new format. We're building attractions that are VR-enabled.

Entertainment 180

Entertainment Santa Monica IP Startup 180

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 30, 2014

As I’ve written about recently, at Upfront Ventures we started talking a couple of years ago about wanting to fund stuff with more meaning. We hired IP specialists to review prior art. We grilled their IP attorneys. The more we dug the more confident we became (and so did every advisor we used). Were they ambitious?

Technical Review 418

Technical Review Software Review CTO Hire IP 418

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 25, 2011

It’s nearly impossible to get a services company financed by VCs. And stop effing around trying to create a product company.&#. True, the 15% rates will likely go up in the future, but I doubt they will approach the income tax percentage level. You’re a small fish. Why Build a Services Business in the First Place?

Services 332

Services Venture Capital IP Startup 332

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 23, 2015

Of course you could start your own company. As I talked about in “ Is it Time to Learn or Time to Earn ” – overwhelmingly the best economics go to those that start successful companies. But not everybody has the right skills to build a highly successful and valuable startup from scratch.

Technical Review 150

Technical Review Startup Venture Capital IP 150

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 3, 2015

I often write about the best strategies for startup fundraising or how to manage startup financing and optimize for growth. Equally important, is an area many startup founders don’t always prioritize: choosing the right service providers and understanding the value they can bring, especially to early-stage startups.

Startup 40

Startup Outsource Development IP Outsource 40

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

Our interview today is with Andrew Schydlowsky , the CEO and founder of Santa Barbara-based TrackStreet (www.trackstreet.com), a startup which is backed by Okapi Capital, The Cove Fund, Early Light Ventures, SaaS Venture Capital, and Stage Venture Partners. It allows us to start peeling the onion. How did you start the business?

Artificial Inteligence 140

Artificial Inteligence Startup Commerce Sales 140

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 17, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series “ Start-up Lessons. &# If you want to subscribe to my RSS feed please click here or to get my blog by email click here. Sometimes they’re working full time at a company or sometimes they’ve already left their employer and they’re bouncing around ideas with friends.

Startup 365

Startup Technical Advisors IP Ideas 365

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 3, 2010

Intellectual property (IP) is essential to the growth and survival of start-up companies. Tuesday, November 9, 2010 -- PTO's Proposed Three-Track Examination Process.

Patents 113

Patents IP Startup Funding 113

SoCal Tech Calendar

JANUARY 26, 2010

Effective intellectual property (IP) protection is essential to the survival of start-up companies. Without strong IP protection, companies will fail to raise early stage funding and will be vulnerable to opportunistic and incumbent competitors.

Patents 100

Patents IP Startup Funding 100