Medvantx Names CTO, Compliance Head
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 2, 2021
San Diego-based Medvantx, a provider of pharmacy services, said this week that it has named Nabil Badr as Chief Technology Officer and Darlene Mitchell as Chief Compliance Officer.
Tillster Names Betfair, Shopzilla Vet As Chief Technology Officer
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 15, 2013
Los Angeles-based Tillster , the provider of restaurant and casual dining ordering systems which is the combination of EMN8 and Snapfinger, said today that it has named Phil Dixon as its new Chief Technology Officer. The company says its customers include Boston Market, Burger King, California Pizza Kitchen, and many others.
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Appetize Names New VPs
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 20, 2019
Playa Vista-based Appetize , which develops cloud-based, point-of-sale (POS) software for enterprise customers such as stadiums and other venues, has named a trio of new executives, as it continues to grow its business.
Using Generative AI to Drive Corporate Impact
TechEmpower
MARCH 4, 2024
Key Functions with High Impact Generative AI is revolutionizing sales by enabling dynamic pricing and personalized customer interactions, boosting conversion rates and customer satisfaction. Post-sale, AI analyzes customer data to improve service and loyalty, making it a cornerstone of modern sales methodologies.
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53 Questions Developers Should Ask Innovators
TechEmpower
JULY 24, 2023
Even when they have talked to multiple developers or development firms, we’re often the first to ask basic questions like “Who are your customers?” Who are the customers? Can you provide specific examples of different types of customers, what they need, and what the system will do for them? will you leverage?
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Free Startup CTO Consulting Sessions
SoCal CTO
MARCH 3, 2011
I talk to roughly 2 or 3 new startups every week who need advice from an experienced CTO. Of course, I provide part-time CTO services. So, I wanted to use this post to make it official - we are offering free startup CTO consulting sessions. Is it a sourcing question around whether you need a Startup CTO or Developer or both?
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Startup Metrics
TechEmpower
JULY 31, 2023
How does it meet customers’ needs? One way to approach that last question is to use this simple model: Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) How will your business reach prospects? Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) How much money will your business generate from each converted customer? What does the business do?
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Free Startup CTO Consulting Sessions
SoCal CTO
MARCH 3, 2011
I talk to roughly 2 or 3 new startups every week who need advice from an experienced CTO. Of course, I provide part-time CTO services. So, I wanted to use this post to make it official - we are offering free startup CTO consulting sessions. Is it a sourcing question around whether you need a Startup CTO or Developer or both?
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Pitching access management on the fly, Los Angeles-based Britive raises $5.4 million
TechCrunch LA
SEPTEMBER 10, 2020
For chief executive Artyom Poghosyan and chief technology officer Alex Gudanis, Britive is simply the latest initiative in a decades-long effort to reshape security technology. The company already has over a dozen customers using its technology after launching merely two years ago.
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Want to Know the Difference Between a CTO and a VP Engineering?
Both Sides of the Table
APRIL 20, 2010
Because more technology people probably read startup blogs I’m guessing this post will come under more scrutiny. The terms “CTO&# and “VP Engineering&# have such stigmas associated with what they are that I’m sure some people will feel uncomfortable with the definitions I’ve put forward. Experience.
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Startup CTO Speaking
SoCal CTO
MAY 21, 2012
So, here goes: Dr. Tony Karrer Over the past 15 years, Tony has been a part-time CTO for more than 30 startups. Most notably, he was the original CTO for eHarmony for its first four years making him partly responsible for more than 4% of the marriages every year. What is our lifetime customer value and how can we drive that up?
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Customer Validation - 33 Great Articles
SoCal CTO
OCTOBER 6, 2011
I’m going to take that thought out into the field and validate it with my customers." I’ve spoken to dozens of customers, I have a validated customer persona, built an MVP to test key behavioral hypotheses, and the data doesn’t back what you’re saying." Customer Validation 101. " OR… "You’re wrong.
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Generative AI – The End of Empty Textboxes
TechEmpower
NOVEMBER 13, 2023
So instead, we fill it with a completely custom blurb, written just for him: Hello! Thanks to his custom blurb, instead of closing his browser and feeling inadequate for the rest of the day, Mark completes his bio and becomes a happy customer. Which means better conversions and happier customers.
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295 Stitch Fix CTO Polinsky Says Its Style Shuffle App Makes Data Fun
Xconomy
JUNE 25, 2018
When Cathy Polinsky became chief technology officer of Stitch Fix in late 2016, she knew one of the San Francisco-based company’s key challenges was continually refining its core software algorithm to make sure customers received the right tailored suggestions in their monthly wardrobe boxes. So, she made it into a game.
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The brains behind one of marketing’s biggest hits are out to reshape the industry again… with direct mail
TechCrunch LA
JULY 3, 2018
Postie uses a combination of online data collection and an on-demand print and mail technology to give its customers turnaround times on print orders in as little as 24 hours and what the company boasts is the equivalent of online ad-targeting.
Emotive Finds $50M In Series B
socalTECH
FEBRUARY 24, 2021
Motive provides conversational text messaging used by e-commerce brands to simulate human interaction with customers, with the aim of preventing cart abandonment, promote new sales and product releases, and more. Wald was previously at SalesLoft and Salesforce, and Pylnev was formerly at Honest Company and SpaceX.
Putting the band back together, ExactTarget execs reunite to launch MetaCX
TechCrunch LA
DECEMBER 5, 2018
Scott McCorkle has spent most of his professional career thinking about business to business software and how to improve it for a company’s customers. If customers are doing the things i want them to be doing through my product. . “MetaCX sits above any digital product,” McCorkle says.
Seven Great Startup CTO Posts so far in May
SoCal CTO
MAY 18, 2010
Continuing my series of posts that I’ve been collecting that live at the intersection of Startups, Startup Development and being a Startup CTO. Here are a couple of the other collections: 16 Great Startup Posts from March , Startup CTO Top 30 Posts for April. SaaS Conversion: Which metrics matter?
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Google spinoff Cartken and REEF Technology launch Miami’s first delivery robots
TechCrunch LA
MARCH 30, 2021
“We want to show how future-forward Miami can be,” Matt Lindenberger, REEF’s chief technology officer, told TechCrunch. Customers would receive a text when the robot arrives so they could go outside and meet it. “This is a great chance to show off the capabilities of the tech.
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Mzima Networks Acquired By PacketExchange
socalTECH
JANUARY 18, 2010
According to PacketExchange, the acquisition will merge both companies' customer base and operations. Grant Kirkwood , CTO of Mzima Networks, will become Chief Technology Officer for the merged company. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.
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Canoo takes the covers off of its debut electric vehicle
TechCrunch LA
SEPTEMBER 24, 2019
Kranz, who initially came on board as the company’s chief technology officer, took over the day-to-day operations of Canoo after Stefan Krause, Canoo’s co-founder and chief executive, stepped away from the company in August for personal reasons, as The Verge previously reported. .
Glossier just laid off one-third of its corporate employees, mostly in tech
TechCrunch LA
JANUARY 26, 2022
In numerous interviews throughout the past two years, Weiss and other executives have emphasized the company’s focus on its direct-to-consumer online shipping model and obsession with iterating the customer experience based on feedback. billion valuation from Lone Pine Capital, Sequoia, Forerunner Ventures and others.
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AutoAlert Buys MotoFuze
socalTECH
DECEMBER 2, 2015
Irvine-based AutoAlert , a provider of data mining and lead generation tools for auto dealerships, said Tuesday that it has acquired MotoFuze , a company developing customer experience management software for the auto industry. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed.
Privlo Raises $2.1M For Private Mortgage Marketplace
socalTECH
MAY 17, 2013
Among executives at the firm are Kenn Stearns (eRealty), who joins as Chief Product Officer; Saro Vasudevan (Capital One), Chief Customer and Credit Officer; David Subar (BreakMedia, Interthinx), as Interim Chief Technology Officer; and Michael Barton (Startup Exchange, TicketMaster-CitySearch), who joins the firm as Chief Operating Officer.
OpenGate Capital Acquires InRule Technology
socalTECH
AUGUST 19, 2019
InRule provides decision making software to enterprise and government customers, including in the financial services, public sector, IT and business services, healthcare and insurance areas. READ MORE>>.
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Boulevard books $70M to help beauty and wellness salons with their bookings
TechCrunch LA
AUGUST 9, 2022
Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but when it comes to getting ahold of an appointment for your hair or another treatment…that’s a different story: The bespoke nature of a lot of the work has meant that a large swathe of the professionals providing these services have stayed offline when it comes to interfacing with customers.
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Pragma is a back-end toolkit for gaming companies, so game developers can focus on games
TechCrunch LA
MARCH 11, 2020
“In a world where gaming studios have long used third-party engines to power their front-end development, it makes no sense for the same studios to spend millions of dollars to build their own custom back-end,” said Kevin Zhang, partner at Upfront Ventures and board member at Pragma, in a statement.
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135 Hiring Developers Before Product/Market Fit?
SoCal CTO
APRIL 2, 2012
Hiring seems to be the preferred use of seed funds (by investors and founders), whereas I'd prefer a focus on customer acquisition. In many cases, during my Free Startup CTO Consulting Session with them, we discuss where they are in in the process. The startup founder is definitely not ready to hire a CTO. Far from it.
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Funraise Finds $9.7M For Nonprofit Fundraising
socalTECH
JANUARY 31, 2018
Funraise was founded by Justin Wheeler (CEO), Tony Sasso (CPO), and Jason Swenski (CTO). The company said it already has 28 full time employees, and nearly 400 customers. According to Funraise, the funding was led by Toba Capital, and also included angel Blaine Vess, the founder of Student Brands.
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Relativity, a new star in the space race, raises $140 million for its 3-D printed rockets
TechCrunch LA
OCTOBER 1, 2019
Relativity Space chief technology officer Jordan Noone next to one of the company’s 3-D printers. Relativity Space signs the satellite transportation company Momentus as a new customer.
Exym Gets Funding From Alpine Investors
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 9, 2017
As part of the deal, Exym founder Matt DeBeer will become CTO of the company, focused on product strategy and customer advocacy, and Alpine'sd Nick Horn will become CEO. Terms of the deal were not announced. According to Exym, the transaction is with Alpine Investors V, VI, and VI-A, LP. Exym was founded in 2004. READ MORE>>.
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Pricing Customer Acquisition Sunk Costs and More - Ten Recent Great Startup Posts
SoCal CTO
MARCH 1, 2010
Startup Killer: the Cost of Customer Acquisition | For Entrepreneurs , February 2, 2010 Looks at the critical equation around customer acquisition cost vs. customer lifetime value similar to what I discussed in Startup Metrics but in more depth. Great stuff. " The emotions around sunk costs run deep. Good stuff from Jason.
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Nirvanix Grabs Google Exec
socalTECH
JUNE 27, 2011
Nirvanix said it has appointed Paul Froutan as its Chief Technology Officer, reporting to President and CEO Scott Genereux. Nirvanix is a provider of cloud storage services, in particular for SMB and enterprise customers. Froutan was responsible for building and managing Google's worldwide green data center operations.
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133 MakeItWork Signs Radio Syndication Deal
socalTECH
APRIL 23, 2010
Both shows are hosted by Make It Work co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Jeremy Anticouni. The firm's efforts in the radio area were originally a way to attract customers to the firm's home computer repair services; the firm has since extended into the radio content and podcast business, as well.
HMBradley Raises $3.5M For Digital Banking Startup
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 6, 2019
The company's co-founders are Germain Cassiere, CTO; Zach Bruhnke, CEO; and Dmitry Gritskevich, COO. According to HMBradley, it is creating a new banking experience which will pay up to 3% APY to savers who automatically save a portion of their monthly deposits on its platform.
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How to Use Generative AI and LLMs to Improve Search
TechEmpower
OCTOBER 9, 2023
So let’s summarize what we've already found to be different about searching with LLMs: What’s Different About Search with LLMs Search methods powered by LLMs stand out as transformative tools, offering businesses an edge in their information retrieval and customer engagement processes. cto , infotech , innovation , product , project , saas
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CrowdStrike Rolls Out Cybersecurity Search Engine
socalTECH
JULY 28, 2017
The company specifically said it has launched a new, malware search component within the tool, CrowdStrike Falcon MalQuery, which it says gives its customers access to more than 560TB of malware for use in malware research. CrowdStrike is led by security veteran and former McAfee CTO George Kurtz.
Clearlake Capital Acquires NetDocuments
socalTECH
MARCH 2, 2017
Santa Monica-based private equity investor Clearlake Capital Group announced this morning that it has acquired NetDocuments , a provider of cloud-based document management, email management, and collaboration software for law firms and corporate legal and compliance customers. Financial details of the acquisition were not announced.
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SPIDR Tech Lands $2.5M For Law Enforcement Software
socalTECH
APRIL 9, 2018
Manhattan Beach-based SPIDR Tech , which is developing software for law enforcement which provides customer relationship management (CRM)-type features for police departments, has raised $2.5M The company was founded by Rahul Sidhu (CEO) and Kenaniah Cerny (CTO). in a funding round.
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100 Fashion Comes To Social VR As Sansar Launches User-Created Avatar Clothing Market
socalTECH
DECEMBER 24, 2017
Fashions created with Marvelous Designer can now be exported directly to Sansar, where users can take advantage of realistic cloth simulation as they customize the fit and style on their avatars. For example, you can roll up your sleeves, loosen your collar, and arrange your scarf just as you like it.”
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160 Bitvore Brings Latest Funding Round To $14.2M
socalTECH
FEBRUARY 2, 2018
Bitvore has created an intelligence gathering and analysis system--originally developed for secretive intelligence agencies--but is now being used by finance and Wall Street customers to mine data for tracking investments. The company's President, Jeff Curie, was also an executive at Access360, IBM, and SupplyFrame.
Document Your MVP for a Developer
SoCal CTO
DECEMBER 19, 2012
I asked some of the same questions I ask in my Free Startup CTO Consulting Sessions and then I get to a very common conversation: Me : Do you have specs? This should be an iterative process with advisors and customers providing feedback on the product. Founder : Ummm. what do you mean? You likely are writing your first one of these.
Develop 354
354 
10 Attributes Of The Perfect Partner For Your Startup
Startup Professionals Musings
APRIL 17, 2022
The reason is that good attributes apply equally well to “external” partners, as they do to internal partners, like a co-founder or CTO. The passion has to be in the business context – meaning results oriented, customer oriented, and sensitive to competition. Is your project seen by both as an end in itself, or a means to another end?
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154 Jeda Networks Debuts Product
socalTECH
APRIL 24, 2013
Jeda said its product sill start shipping to early customers in May, with general availability in summer. Berman is the former CTO of Emulex. Jeda says its software installs as a virtual appliance for VMware ESX, and uses Ethernet switching and FcoE servers and storage arrays to define a storage network in software. READ MORE>>.
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