Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 26, 2010

Competition. And the reality is that if you have no competition it will likely be perceived as a negative, not positive. And the reality is that if you have no competition it will likely be perceived as a negative, not positive. Here’s some thoughts on the competition slide and also how to talk about it: Competition.

Venture Capital 313

Venture Capital Slides Competition Education 313

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 30, 2011

As long as you don’t care about getting any press. A way to tell the press and customers what you stand for. But when I think about “stunts” and free press I think about people like Marc Benioff (salesforce.com) or Dennis Crowley (foursquare). That’s fine. So my conclusion?

Startup 289

Startup Press Software Marketing 289

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 11, 2011

Are you cynical about their chances in the market just because they seem to be hot in the press and that bugs you? I’m a news junkie and love to watch the Sunday morning talk shows like Meet the Press, This Week with Christiane Amanpour or Shields & Brooks on The News Hour on Fridays. I hear views like this all the time.

Startup 313

Startup Press Writing News 313

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 23, 2011

I was talking a month ago with a founding team who was lamenting the fact that their competitors got way better coverage than they did when they felt that their traffic numbers were > 2x the competition. I pointed out the fact that they only ever talked to the press when the had an announcement and that it was a continual process.

Startup 349

Startup Writing Press Blogging 349

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 28, 2009

I know that you keep reading about how our competitors seem to been going from strength-to-strength in the press. You’re only reading our competitor’s press releases. I promise you that inside their offices they’re reading our great press releases, wishing life was as easy for them as it was at our company.

Startup 331

Startup Press Customer Custom 331

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 26, 2013

But succinctly this press places a marker in the ground for your company. But if you’re in a competitive space where you want to get a little more engineering done before the world is ready to start researching you then you may choose to delay. But with fragmentation of the press people just miss stuff.

Startup 355

Startup Funding News Press 355

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 7, 2011

Throughout his career, Kevin has had tremendous success garnering press. More recently, Kevin has generated positive attention, as the press is anxious to see if he can replicate his multiple billion dollar exits. One thing I learned at DoubleClick, we got a ton of press attention. Ultimately, that’s what you’ve got to do.”.

Press 260

Press Software Review Startup IBM 260

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2014

It’s why in this article I advise that people “market today not futures” because you don’t want your playbook in the hands of the competition. Don’t cry wolf - There are companies who send press releases every time they launch anything – practically putting out press releases announcing they fixed a bunch of bugs.

Press 319

Press Startup Writing Training 319

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2013

For much of 2013 I watched the press write articles about how the YouTube “MCNs” (multi-channel networks) were doomed and tried to square that with the data I was watching at the one I invested in, Maker Studios, who has had one hell of a year. This revenue share comes after the YouTube split.

Networking 366

Networking Media Content Customer 366

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 9, 2011

Zipcar has been inviting the press to an event tomorrow with L.A. Car sharing startups have become immensely popular in areas such as Boston and San Francisco, with heavy competition between Zipcar, Relayrides, and Getaround.

Los Angeles 213

Los Angeles Angel Southern California Startup 213

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 25, 2013

Competitive sportswoman. Kara on one side of the table showing me market sizes, competitive dynamics, product roadmaps, pricing plans for physical products with COGS and gross margins. She helps write press releases. Remember, it’s about Lines, Not Dots. I first met Kara 5 years ago. Stanford MBA. Showing me designs.

Startup 398

Startup Design Downey Activity 398

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 5, 2011

He listed all of the product releases that were up coming, the customers that were in the pipeline and where he saw his competition moving. When you account for competition for talent, the difficulty of retention, the cost of living and the difficulty of rising above the noise – there are many advantages of staying put.

Venture Capital 317

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Press 317

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2017

So they create a task list of all the marketing activities an organization can do: press releases, web site updates, customer case studies, blog posts, daily Tweets, Facebook fan page, attending conferences, etc. You have a marketing department with three people. They’re tasked with doing … marketing.

Activity 164

Activity Conference Press Case Study 164

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 12, 2014

It’s building a product that is substantially differentiated, and, as Bill Gross, one of the most prolific tech entrepreneurs of our era says, “ It needs to be 10x better than the competition ” (because if you shoot for that then in competitive markets you might achieve 3x.

Marketing 379

Marketing Startup SEM SEO 379

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

Many questioned whether it could survive under the fail whale, inevitable competition from Facebook, founder fighting, fights with 3rd-party developers let alone become a revolutionary business that could make money. When Fred Wilson funded Twitter I guarantee you it wasn’t obvious that it was a billion dollar idea. Far from it.

Funding 362

Funding Technical Review Ideas Startup 362

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.

Competition 70

Competition Idealab Slides Startup 70

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 10, 2018

I remind founders that the no’s come early because it’s super easy to qualify out a deal that you know is unlikely due to stage, focus, geography, competitive deal you’ve done or even just the fact that you’re too busy right now. When you read about the funding in the press it sounds like it was a walk in the park.

Press 232

Press Funding Venture Capital Technical Review 232

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 4, 2014

But I would posit that in order to sustainably build great products in an intensely competitive industry with skills shortages – people management is one of the most critical soft skills organizations need. I think as a tech industry we have bred a culture that places more emphasis on product excellence than managing human behavior.

Startup 340

Startup Technical Review Course Press 340

SoCal Tech Calendar

APRIL 20, 2011

How can you stay ahead in an increasingly competitive marketplace? We invite you to join us at the event and take part in the discussion with executives, creators, investors, analysts, press and gamers who will be instrumental in shaping the future of this booming business. Tuesday, April 26, 2011 -- LA Games Conference.

Conference 124

Conference Press Hollywood Competition 124

Berkonomics

JULY 3, 2024

Each new customer, each mention in the press or online adds to the feeling of early accomplishment. Especially when starting a company with personal savings or money from relatives and friends, early signs of success are intoxicating. And it is more satisfying because it is yours, from idea to execution.

Startup 156

Startup Hollywood Writing Press 156

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 20, 2020

Therein lies the advantages of free markets and competition and if we really believed it were that easy to buy off your largest competitor and be a monopolist we’d all be surfing on AOL TimeWarner portals. ChowNow is simply a SaaS enablement product. Covid-19 has changed all of that.

SaaS 242

SaaS Customer Custom Technical Review 242

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 26, 2011

Each new customer, each mention in the press or online adds to the feeling of early accomplishment. This moment is not to be spoiled by such mundane warnings from advisors or consultants to plan carefully, research the market and competition, and execute the plan with tenacity and enthusiasm. But the excitement begins much earlier.

Press 149

Press Hollywood Writing Startup 149

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 22, 2015

But the bigger truth is the competition is important. market share today and are stuck with high real-estate costs, shitty customer service, bad value propositions and no ability to respond to competition because they have effectively become real-estate holding companies that store stuff for cashflow. Everybody reads the tech press.

Funding 150

Funding Competition Marketing Summary 150

socalTECH

JANUARY 9, 2009

Los Angeles-based social networking web site said late Thursday that it has kicked off a competition to send a MySpace user to the Davos World Economic Forum. The competition is being driven by user-submitted videos, where aspiring reporters can explain why they should be chosen to travel to Davos. READ MORE>>.

Journal 100

Journal Social Network Press Competition 100

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

Ask for help reviewing your press release. Ask them to mention you to the press, speak about you on stage when they do public events, whatever. In Rob’s spare time he always seems to be going to a boxing class or some other competitive, physical activity. Assigns tasks. Already covered. But seriously. Assign away.

Tips 365

Tips Email Venture Capital CTO Coach 365

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

Most newspapers are written at a third-grade reading level, White House press releases average a fourth-grade reading level and the New York Times is easily digestible by the average fifth grader. Competition. As best-selling author Stephen King once said, "Any word you have to hunt for in a thesaurus is the wrong word.”

Venture Capital 211

Venture Capital Summary Technical Review Template 211

SoCal Tech Calendar

OCTOBER 15, 2009

Taking your foot off the brake and pressing the accelerator at the right time can put critical distance between you and the competition. Economists debate the timing of a recovery, but theres no question that business owners can benefit from preparing for, and reacting quickly to, the recovery when it occurs.

Press 100

Press Competition 100

socalTECH

JULY 7, 2011

What has set us aside from the competition, is we built our own back end telco platform. It is a competitive environment. Since then, we did a little launch at CES for VoxOx, and although we didn't have a big booth, we had some press activity and we've almost doubled the size of our user base.

Social Network 259

Social Network Platform Networking Google 259

socalTECH

JANUARY 27, 2016

She has also served at The Associated Press and Massive Incorporated. 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.

Marketing 100

Marketing Press Advertising Sites 100

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 12, 2011

3. We then addressed competition in the context of SiteAdvisor and how it is important for journalists, customers, and the companies themselves. 4. This mention of journalists and how they frame stories led to a quick discussion of how it is important to build meaningful, real relationships with the press (i.e. “be

Technical Review 281

Technical Review Venture Capital Startup Artificial Inteligence 281

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 18, 2019

Unit Economics Accelerating One topic I heard a lot in investor circles last year and in the press a lot was that there weren’t good unit economics and therefore the scooter market was never going to perform well. They also were exclusive to Bird so they gave the company a competitive advantage.

Santa Monica 250

Santa Monica Venice Competition Software Review 250

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

You can press a button, and it scans the social media chatter and organizes highlights aroundyou, of relevant conversations around a particular location and particular time. Ali Khoshgozaran: Before we started the company, me and my partner had participated in the USC Viterbi startup competition. How did Tilofy come about?

USC 236

USC Southern California Organization UCLA 236

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 1, 2009

We spent time out in the marketplace talking with customers, looking at their solutions, comparing ourselves with our competition and then squirreling ourselves away in our offices designing our next set of features. But it seemed strange to me that we would openly talk about stuff rather than waiting for a big announcement to the press.

Organization 280

Organization Customer Custom Tips 280

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2011

I recently read this anecdote in the press (withholding company name because I actually really love the concept). I had my sales teams telling me we needed certain features to be competitive. And it seems to be creeping back into startup culture of late in a worrying way. I certainly did in my first company.

Development Team Review 374

Development Team Review Technical Review Startup Resource 374

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 21, 2018

Each new customer, each mention in the press or online adds to the feeling of early accomplishment. This moment is not to be spoiled by such mundane warnings from advisors or consultants to plan carefully, research the market and competition, and execute the plan with tenacity and enthusiasm. The intoxication of a new beginning.

Hollywood 120

Hollywood Writing Press Startup 120

socalTECH

DECEMBER 27, 2018

And a host of interesting companies in last mile have cropped up to give the Amazon ecosystem some competition, like two companies from the last Techstars LA class - Shipsi and PRZM. In 2006 she sat next to a woman on an airplane who became her business partner in her next startup, Scribble Press.

Startup 124

Startup Press Commerce Southern California 124

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 31, 2014

The competition started early February with a voting and crowdfunding portion as several teams from both schools gathered votes from fans on the host crowdfunding platform. The pitch competition was split into two categories, a technology and nontechnology section. All in all, 100% worth the effort that went into it.”.

Startup 101

Startup USC UCLA Southern California 101