Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2020

The traditional model for hiring permanent employees who can grow their career with your company just doesn’t work, and can jeopardize your business before it even gets traction. That means starting your search through contract services sites, rather than conventional career hiring sites.

Competition 168

Competition Startup Demand Training 168

Tech Zulu Event

APRIL 30, 2014

The University of Southern California is home to many innovative students and companies. In order to support all of these teams, there are several on-campus startup competitions every year, from the Silicon Beach USC competition to the New Venture Seed Competition, with prize funds to help build the companies.

Competition 104

Competition Startup USC Southern California 104

socalTECH

JUNE 6, 2012

Crowdfunder , an online site offering up a platform to help startups raise money for their firms via crowd funding, is dangling $25,000 in a contest open to Los Angeles companies. To enter, startups hae to create a profile on the site. READ MORE>>.

Competition 200

Competition Startup Sites Platform 200

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 19, 2020

Back when we were all trying to figure out the real value of traffic on the web, investors – and acquiring companies – got a bit crazy with metrics used to value acquisitions and investments. I am an investor and advisor to one such “eyeballs” company. Remembering the insanity before 2000. And the numbers were staggering.

Metrics 296

Metrics Sites Advertising Web 296

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 19, 2021

Los Angeles-based esports- and gaming-media company New Meta Entertainment said this week that it has launched a new, esports website and media site, Raidiant, which is specifically aimed at women gamers.

Education 113

Education Entertainment Resource Content 113

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

Online job and career sites still seem to be in another decade, when it comes to both design--and user friendliness. Can a startup gain a foothold in the competitive market by designing the right UX and user experience to make a job and career site for everyone? The company recently landed a $7.9M How did you two meet?

Design 174

Design Sites Cornerstone OnDemand Startup 174

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 21, 2023

The most common proposals I hear are for yet another social networking site ( 200 on Wikipedia ), or another dating site/app ( over 1500 in the USA ). In my experience, finding real innovation in existing company environments is even tougher. Sustainable innovation is really the only sustainable competitive advantage.

Coach 137

Coach Metrics Competition Ideas 137

InfoChachkie

DECEMBER 10, 2012

Although the exact sequence of events is a bit unclear, it appears that Hacker News user "lukethomas"(who is unaffiliated with Divshot) was prompted to create the Hacker News post after reading a tweet about the initiation of the company's private beta. Be Yourself - Represent yourself, not the company in your comments. Engagement.

News 198

News Sites Startup RSS 198

Tech Coast Venture Network

AUGUST 11, 2015

Having great company culture is no longer just an option. In fact, fantastic company culture is almost expected along with other traditional benefits. It has established what the company culture is, and fitting into that culture is the most important thing managers look for when hiring. What does that culture look like?

Examples 100

Examples Company Companies Google 100

Tech Coast Venture Network

AUGUST 11, 2015

Having great company culture is no longer just an option. In fact, fantastic company culture is almost expected along with other traditional benefits. It has established what the company culture is, and fitting into that culture is the most important thing managers look for when hiring. What does that culture look like?

Examples 100

Examples Company Companies Google 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 25, 2020

The most common proposals I hear are for yet another social networking site ( 200 on Wikipedia ), or another dating site/app ( over 1500 in the USA ). In my experience, finding real innovation in existing company environments is even tougher. Sustainable innovation is really the only sustainable competitive advantage.

Coach 144

Coach Metrics Social Network Competition 144

TechCrunch LA

AUGUST 19, 2019

Mullenax said the Huron website is designed to be friendly and educational for men who don’t know a lot about personal care, but at the same time it isn’t “forcing this guy into a subscription mechanism,” and instead allows them to “come to the site and just transact on a bottle of body wash.”

Startup 217

Startup Seed Funding Los Angeles Competition 217

socalTECH

JANUARY 27, 2016

FACEIT , a online, competitive gaming site founded in London in 2012, says that it has set up shop in Los Angeles, and raised $15M in a Series A funding round. FACEIT offers up an online site for competitive gaming and esports, allowing players to compete against each other and to win prizes. READ MORE>>.

Competition 100

Competition Los Angeles Sites Funding 100

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 25, 2019

Santa Monica-based Super League Gaming , which operates its own e-sports competition site and community, is headed for the public markets, hoping to raise as much as $31.36M for the company, according to a regulatory filing by the firm.

Santa Monica 113

Santa Monica .Net Competition Sales 113

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 18, 2011

What a sweet feeling it was last week to see the launch of the photo sharing site Pose , whose application targets shoppers of apparel. I always try hard to make this blog a place where you can learn lessons rather than an advertisement for portfolio companies. He wanted to be an entrepreneur. Still, I didn’t chase the deal.

Invest 303

Invest Company Companies Web 2.0 303

socalTECH

MARCH 22, 2019

Irvine-based esports league operator Allied Esports , and GameSpot , the online site focused on content around videogames which is part of CBS Interactive , said that they are in a sponsorship deal over a new, esports entertainment show.

Entertainment 113

Entertainment Content Competition Sites 113

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 19, 2011

CapLinked , the online platform for private investment funded by members of the “ PayPal Mafia “—announced that it is launching a worldwide pitch competition for entrepreneurs to present their business ideas to a panel of all-star judges from Idealab, Rincon, Rapidfire, and Actarus. says CapLinked CEO Eric M.

Competition 70

Competition Idealab Slides Startup 70

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 12, 2021

Let me be clear – a product or consulting startup today without a blog, even with a static website, risks not being competitive in cost and time to reach and hold that critical mass of online customers. If you can’t justify both a web site and a blog, skip the old-fashioned web site, and make your blog do double duty as described below.

Blogging 135

Blogging Services Search Engine Optimization Web 135

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 22, 2022

A related “red flag” in a business plan is a missing competitive analysis section, or a short paragraph that essentially says, “this product has no competition.” My reaction is, if there is no competition, then there is no market demand for your product, so why are you building it?

Ideas 145

Ideas Startup Tips Competition 145

socalTECH

JUNE 18, 2018

The app presents a limited set of curated dating matches every day at noon, and runs a competition of sorts to narrow down a user's choices to a winner, who are given a choice to chat with you or pass. Match Group is the parent company of LA's Tinder, and runs a significant number of different dating sites and services.

Competition 100

Competition Mobile Los Angeles Sites 100

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 10, 2022

Another example is Facebook , maintaining motivation with food, stock options, collaborative office space, an on-site laundry, and a competitive atmosphere that fosters personal growth and learning with great benefits. Your team members follow your actions on integrity and follow-through, much more than any written company policy.

Examples 145

Examples Mentor Activity Product 145

TechCrunch LA

AUGUST 29, 2019

” The professional gamers who list their services on the site charge an average of $10 per session and ProGuides takes about a 25% cut. The company lowers its rates for popular gamers or gamers who are willing to spend more time on the platform either selling their services or actually coaching esports players.

Coach 180

Coach Seed Funding Training Platform 180

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 16, 2010

For this morning's interview, we talked with Noah Auerhahn , President of San Diego-based Extrabux (www.extrabux.com), an online site focused on providing consumers with comparison shopping combined with discount offers. For people who haven't heard of ExtraBux, what is the site all about? How did the company start?

USC 207

USC CPC Sites Startup 207

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 13, 2022

In these days of global competition via multiple channels, you need continuous marketing to find more customers. I continue to be amazed that more than a quarter of new businesses don’t even have a website , and many more don’t pay attention to social media, or monitor feedback on sites like Yelp. They won’t find you.

Technical Review 142

Technical Review Social Media Conference Custom 142

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 24, 2021

A large portion of your competitive advantage and your potential value to investors is the size of your intellectual property portfolio. Here are the key elements: Company name. The company name becomes your intellectual property at the moment you incorporate your startup as an LLC or a Corporation. Internet domain name.

Startup 145

Startup Patents IP Social Media 145

socalTECH

JANUARY 27, 2016

Los Angeles-based creative video crowdsourcing site Tongal has named a new, Chief Marketing Officer, saying it has named Amanda Malko to the new position. Recent projects on the site include a series of video shorts based on FIAT owners, and a competition to create two films for Mattel's American Girl line. READ MORE>>.

Marketing 100

Marketing Press Advertising Sites 100

socalTECH

MAY 15, 2013

Online dating and matchmaking asite eHarmony is looking to update the company''s image, and has gotten a makeover--looking to prove that it''s still in the dating game. The Santa Monica-based company said that it has launched a next generation site, which it had codenamed "Malibu", to drive new growth and new members for the service.

eHarmony 178

eHarmony Malibu Santa Monica Design 178

socalTECH

JUNE 28, 2017

Los Angeles-based prize competition company XPRIZE is trying its hand out as a publisher of literature, saying today that it has launched a new online science fiction anthology site, Seat 14C , which takes a look at what the year 2037 could look like.

Competition 113

Competition Los Angeles Sites Funding 113

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 13, 2014

Back when we were all trying to figure out the real value of traffic on the web, we investors – and acquiring companies – got a bit crazy with metrics used to value acquisitions and investments. And the most logical one seemed to be “eyeballs” or number of unique users finding their way to the site or registering for the service.

Metrics 207

Metrics Sites Advertising Web 207

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 19, 2010

Quite possibly your perception is the young adult working dutifully in the company mailroom. Due in large part to the current economy and an ultra-competitive job market, a Gen-Y entrepreneurial tsunami is already upon us. More and more, they choose to intern at a dynamic small company or startup. Confidence vs. Questions.

Competition 96

Competition Startup Technical Review IBM 96

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 6, 2009

Los Angeles-based Break Media , which operates a network of male-centric content web sites, said today that it has linked with home entertainment system company Yoostar in a promotion. According to Break,it is teaming up with Yoostar for a special, featured channel on the site focused on the "Yoostar Casting Tour" competition.

Break.com 140

Break.com Competition Content Media 140

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2023

If your forte is a service, like consulting or web site design, it’s harder to find guidance on what will get you funded, and how you can scale your business. With services, scaling the business often implies cloning yourself, since you are the intellectual property and the competitive advantage.

Startup 111

Startup Training Services Writing 111

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2021

If you are a young startup founder, how do you find that CEO or other executive for your “dream team” to close on funding or complement your skills to kick start your company? A great hire can make a company, but a single bad one can break it. Communicate company values and culture. But in fact, that’s just the beginning.

Startup 163

Startup eHarmony Networking Guide 163

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2023

I believe their competitive advantage is their top on-site leadership, exclusivity, and connections to investors. As well, these companies usually bring real new venture funding opportunities to the startups they sponsor. Assuming 60 companies are accepted in a specific batch, that would mean around 2000 companies applied.

Organization 92

Organization Incubator Startup Resource 92

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2023

Of course, every risk level can be mitigated by a good plan that addresses the issue, offers a credible action plan, and will convince you, as well as investors and customers, that what looks like a risk to many is actually a sustainable competitive advantage for your startup. Your startup is in a high-failure-rate business sector.

Invest 98

Invest Sites Technical Review Social Media 98

socalTECH

MARCH 17, 2015

XPRIZE , the foundation which has been running multi-million dollar prizes aimed at spurring innovation to addresss some of the world''s biggest issues, said Tuesday that it has spun out a new company, HeroX , aimed at crowdsourcing solutions to smaller and local challenges.

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Competition Los Angeles Capital 100

socalTECH

DECEMBER 10, 2010

Orange County-based DealPerk , the online daily deals site headed by Albert Ko, has been acquired by fellow daily deals site Screamin Daily Deals , based in San Juan Capistrano. Both DealPerk and Screamin Daily Deals compete in the highly competitive, and crowded, local deals business, which is led by companies like Groupon.

Orange County 157

Orange County Competition Sites Sales 157