June, 2014

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Why Venture Capital is So Much More Compelling Now

Both Sides of the Table

'It’s not hard to find people willing to write the narrative that “venture capital is not an asset class” or “venture capital has performed terribly.” The most recent was 18 months ago or so called The Kauffman Report. It had an influence on the people who fund our industry in a negative way as many asset managers who fund our industry read this flawed report.

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Hugh opportunities do NOT command amazing pre-money valuations.

Berkonomics

'Dave’s note: Popular Bill Payne returns this week with a thoughtful take on valuations. By Bill Payne. One entrepreneur has a company which appears to be scalable to a $30 million exit value in five to eight years, and a second entrepreneur’s venture seems to be scalable to $200 million in exit value in the same time frame. Yet, at the pre-revenue stage of development, angel investors price both companies at a pre-money valuation of $1.5 million.

Startup 232
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How To Network With Really Busy People

InfoChachkie

'A version of this article previously appeared in The Wall Street Journal. It has never been easier to network with really busy thought leaders who can have a huge impact on your career. Ironically, the same tools that facilitate connecting with people beyond your current network, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Quora and Facebook, also make it more difficult for highly networked individuals to sort through their inbound messages and determine which are meaningful and which should be ignored.

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How Jukin Media Is Turning Viral Video Into A Real Business

socalTECH

'Viral videos are great -- attracting millions and millions of views, and spreading far and wide--but how do you monetize those viral videos? And, even more, how to do you manage the jump on the viral video train again, and keep those viral hits coming? 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

Media 235
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Can You Ask for Office Rent Relief? How to Manage Your Lease During COVID-19

Office leases are one of companies’ largest expenses, and if your whole team is working from home with no clear end in sight, you may be wondering what to do about your lease.

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These 5 Decisions Define You As An Entrepreneur

Startup Professionals Musings

'Most aspiring entrepreneurs are convinced that the strength of their initial idea somehow defines them as a leader, as well as the success potential of their derivative business. In my experience, it’s a lot more complicated than that. It takes leadership ability, as well as a good idea, to make a successful entrepreneur, and great leaders evolve from key leadership decisions along the way.

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GLAZEDcon Live! | The Dawn of the Wearable Economy

Tech Zulu Event

'Join us June 3-4 as we bring you GLAZEDcon live! That’s right! TechZulu will be onsite streaming the most inspiring and innovative executives in Wearable, IOWT, government, gaming, health and fitness, and lifestyle industries to this year’s conference. GLAZEDCon speakers bring groundbreaking business solutions to life on-stage, illustrating the newest advancements in strategic success.

More Trending

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The Rule of Thirds

Berkonomics

'It is rare when one person starts a company, supplies all the funding, and shares no management tasks or equity with others, and still grows the company to any significant size, worthy of a multi-million dollar opportunity to cash out at exit. We should think of the creation and growth of a high valued company as the sum of three parts, with three distinct classes of participants helping to make real value out of a raw start-up.

Startup 214
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Epic Fail: Worst Networking Call Ever

InfoChachkie

'A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. I just suffered through the worst "can you help me" call of my career. It was a rather hapless soul who was seeking my help networking within Santa Barbara''s startup community. Fortunately, this particular call was brief. In the fifteen minutes that we chatted, the caller made some shocking networking mistakes.

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Oculus VR Snags Naughty Dog Co-Founder As Exec

socalTECH

'Irvine-based virtual reality headset maker Oculus VR is continuing to build out its team, and has snagged one of the co-founders of game maker Naughty Dog--Jason Rubin--as head of worldwide studios. Oculus VR said that Rubin will head up first-party content initiatives in Seattle, San Francisco, Menlo Park, Dallas and Irvine for the company. Rubin is best known for his role in shaping Naughty Dog''s Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter series.

Content 227
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What Entrepreneurs Should Never Say To Investors

Startup Professionals Musings

'Don’t bash the competition. Every investor knows how vulnerable a new startup is to competitors, so investors always ask about your sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. How an entrepreneur answers this question speaks volumes about their knowledge of business realities, customers, confidence, and their ability to handle investor funding.

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15 Hacks to Raise the Most Money for Your Indiegogo Campaign

Tech Zulu Event

'Indiegogo is no longer just for filmmakers. The largest crowdsourcing campaign in history was on Indiegogo… and it wasn’t a film, it was tech; Ubuntu Edge open source , a smartphone and desktop PC device getting over 12 million dollars in contributions. There are 3 vital questions to ask when putting together a campaign; 1- Is the thing I’m raising money for a great product?

Startup 109
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Joe Perez, Founder of @tastemade, On What Makes a Great Product Manager & More

Both Sides of the Table

'Update : Bothsides TV is now available on iTunes , Soundcloud , Stitcher , or any RSS podcast player you use, and don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube. I also added a little Soundcloud widget on the sidebar (if you’re viewing on web – not on mobile or RSS reader) that you can listen to each episode with. In the most recent episode, I interviewed Joe Perez , Founder of Tastemade.

Product 292
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Find your champion.

Berkonomics

'If you seek funds from an organized investment group such as an angel fund, venture capital entity, or even an investment club, the first thing you want to do is to find one person to buy into your vision, become excited by your enthusiasm and be willing to become the internal champion for your fund-raising effort. In some groups, if you cannot find such a person, you cannot even find the way to apply for funding, as some groups make it imperative that any introductions come from the inside, fr

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A Major Step In Gender Equality – Rentable Bridesmaid Dresses

InfoChachkie

'A version of this article previously appeared on Forbes. Always the bridesmaid? While it still emotionally sucks, at least it will no longer break the bank; that is, if Kelsey Doorey has it her way. Warning: Kelsey''s idea will make you ask yourself, "Why didn''t I think of that?". Ms. Doorey, Founder and CEO of Vow To Be Chic , believes that men have had it too easy for too long.

Design 208
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Entrepreneurship In The LA Mayor's Office, With EIR Krisztina Holly

socalTECH

'Last month, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti created a new program, aimed at growing, assisting and sustaining entrepreneurs in Los Angeles. The new "Entrepreneur-in-Residence" program has appointed its first, two, EIRs--Krisztina "Z" Holly and Amir Tehrani.--both of whom are working on independent efforts in the area of bringing the city closer to entrepreneurs.

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10 Ways To Lose Your First Million As An Entrepreneur

Startup Professionals Musings

'Starting a new business is a serious undertaking. Yet many aspiring entrepreneurs I know approach it as a fun project, get-rich quick scheme, or perhaps an expensive hobby. Others quit their day jobs and commit everything to their new passion, without regard for their own well-being, or the welfare of others around them. Neither of these approaches bodes well for success.

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Tech and Entertainment Have a Home in Silicon Beach

Tech Zulu Event

'Malibu and Beverly Hills have long been hot neighborhoods for entertainment execs. But the tech culture of Los Angeles is shifting real estate’s center of gravity. As the line blurs between tech and entertainment, and as Silicon Valley seeks synergy with L.A.’s creative talent pool, Silicon Beach is the new center for both homes and headquarters. The real estate dimension of Silicon Beach is part of an undeniable economic force.

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Why I Doubled Down on YouTube Investments with MiTú

Both Sides of the Table

'Yesterday MiT̼ Networks announced that Upfront Ventures led a $10 million financing in what is now the largest producer of Latino online videos Рprimarily driven through YouTube. As you may know we co-lead the first round of financing of Maker Studios, the largest overall producer for online video content, along with Greycroft Partners. I was an early and tireless advocate for the growth of the Internet video ecosystem and as virtually every article I wrote made clear I believe the 800-

Invest 291
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Turn the tables: What’s an angel look like?

Berkonomics

'Angel investors, particularly those in organized angel groups, are typically former entrepreneurs who have had successful liquidity events in their pasts, or executives of companies who’ve retired with the funds from their stock options. Occasionally, an angel is a member of a wealthy family, having little experience managing a business. But most often these angels are skilled at growing companies, calling on their past experience to evaluate and then help entrepreneurs in their early s

Angel 191
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What This Dive Bar Can Teach You About (Not) Marketing

InfoChachkie

'A version of this article previously appeared on Forbes. Dirty Franks is a dive bar located in Philadelphia, which is also home of The Wharton School. Although only a short Uber ride away, it is seldom frequented by the business students. Too bad, as they would be well served to study Dirty Franks marketing plan, which has withstood the test of time.

Marketing 193
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CheckAlt Buys Business Unit From Diebold

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based payment processing technology developer CheckAlt , which is led by Shai Stern, said this morning that it has acquired a subsidiary of Diebold , in the area of item and payment processing. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed. CheckAlt said it acquired Diebold''s ERAS subsidiary, which provides item and payment processing solutions for regional banks, community banks and credit unions.

Mobile 213
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7 Critical Success Factors For A Services Business

Startup Professionals Musings

'The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. 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.

Services 105
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Miigle Revisited | A SoCal Startup With a Global Mission

Tech Zulu Event

'We recently sat down with Luc Berlin, co-founder of Miigle, a SoCal startup that has an aggressive global mission to bring entrepreneurs together from around the world. We first interviewed Luc in 2012, just as he was launching the prototype for Miigle. Back then, it was just him following his dream. Fast forward a year and a half later, and a lot has changed for Luc and Miigle.

SoCal 104
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Officially Announcing Bothsides TV

Both Sides of the Table

'For 2 years I interviewed VCs & founders for a show called This Week in VC. If you want to see any back interviews you can click on that link. I’ve been promising to relaunch a new show for the past 18 months but needed to find somebody to help me with cameras, filming, editing, distribution, etc. Luckily the supremely talented Kyle Taylor joined Upfront Ventures and has helped kick me in the arse to get the show going again.

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Yacha Aims At Mobile Messaging

socalTECH

'A new, Los Angeles startup, Yacha , said this week that it has launched a new, mobile app to send multimedia messages. The company said that, unlike other mobile messaging apps, users can send any combination of photos, text, audio, drawings, or video in a single message. Yacha is led by Asa De Alwis. The company''s app is currently only available on iOS, but the company says an Android version will be available soon.

Mobile 212
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Another Nearly $100M Exit In LA: Media Temple

socalTECH

'Add another, big exit to the list of the growing list of companies in Southern California: Media Temple , the premium hosting provider founded by Demian Sellfors. The company was actually acquired in October , however, no financials on that acquisition were announced at the time. However, thanks to the IPO filing of acquiring company GoDaddy last night, we now know how much was paid for Media Temple: $94.48M in cash.

Media 210
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Internet Brands Acquired By KKR

socalTECH

'El Segundo-based Internet Brands said this morning that it is being acquired by private equity firm KKR , from its current owners, Hellman & Friedman and JMI Equity. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Internet Brands said that CEO Bob Brisco and the company''s existing management team will continue to hold a minority stake in the company, and continue to run the business.

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Silicon Beach Fest Kicks Off Wednesday

socalTECH

'Silicon Beach Fest , the technology festival which celebrates everything about Silicon Beach, is kicking off Wednesday night at the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica, and runs through Saturday the 21st. The festival--which is in its third year--features a long list of keynotes, panels, showcases, and parties, as well as beach games on Saturday. The event--which is run by Kevin Winston of Digital LA, and also includes a long list of Southern California''s technology and media movers and shakers--inc

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Silicon Beach Fest: Catching Up With Kevin Winston

socalTECH

'We spoke with Kevin Winston, the organizer of Silicon Beach Fest (www.siliconbeachfest.com), which is currently going on in Santa Monica and runs through Saturday, about the energy here in Southern California, as well as a little bit about what''s going on with the event this year. Kevin is also well known as the organizer of the Digital LA networking group (digitalla.net), which hosts dozens and dozens of events in Silicon Beach every year (Editor''s note: socalTECH.com is a media sponsor of t

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AmplifyLA's Bricault Get Exit At SnappyTV

socalTECH

'Paul Bricault of the AmplifyLA startup accelerator in Venice, has scored an exit with one of his companies. Twitter said Thursday that it has acquired SnappyTV , a San Francisco developer of software which helps people capture live event video, edit that video, and post it directly to Twitter. Financial details of the acquisition were not announced.

Venice 196
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How PolarPro's Photo Filters Are Riding The GoPro Wave

socalTECH

'Anyone who is into action sports know that GoPro has absolutely changed how the market since its debut, where it''s more odd to see action sports athletes not using a GoPro than using one. As part of that, a healthy market for accessories for the camera has developed, including for the photo filters from Newport Beach-based PolarPro (www.polarprofilters.com), which makes special photographic filters specifically to fit the GoPro.

Startup 196
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Voxox Names COO

socalTECH

'San Diego-based communications service provider Voxox announced this morning that it has named Kyle Lee as the company''s new Chief Operating Officer. Lee was previously the co-founder of Enevor, a clean technology company; he also served at MIOX Corporation and Intel. Voxox said that Lee has more than 20 years of experience in finance and technology.

San Diego 196
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Washio Adds $10.5M For Laundry Pickup and Delivery Via Smartphone

socalTECH

'Santa Monica-based Washio , which operates a smartphone driven, laundry and dry cleaning pickup and delivery service, said today that it has raised $10.5M in a Series A funding round. The funding came from Canaan Partners, and also included A Grade Investments, Pejman Mar Ventures, Sherpa Ventures, and Jerry Yang (Yahoo). The company--think "Uber for laundry"--let users request that their dirty laundry be picked up and washed.

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Uber Drivers In LA Try To Organize

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based drivers for on-demand ride service Uber --with the help of the Teamsters--are looking to organize, according to a report from KPCC. According to the report, around 500 drivers for Uber are holding a demonstration this morning in Santa Monica, in front of Uber''s offices here, to protest Uber''s treatment of drivers. A spokesperson for those drivers told KPCC that Uber is "not a very good partner" and often gives drivers the "short end of the stick".

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Opoli Takes On Uber, Lyft With New App

socalTECH

'A new, Los Angeles startup has its eyes on Uber and Lyft, saying that is it looking to "one up" those ride sharing apps with its own transportation app. Opoli said its new app lets license, commercially insured professional drivers bid for your ride, letting users select the driver they prefer and get upfront pricing on a ride. The service--which is initially launching in Los Angeles County--said it avoids the issues with surge pricing, final fare surprises, and safety.

Startup 189
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TouchCommerce Plans Hiring, Growth In Agoura

socalTECH

'Agoura Hills-based TouchCommerce , which helps provide brands with online software and services for helping better connect with their customers and potential customers, said today that it is planning growth and hiring at a new headquarters in Agoura Hills. The company said it has expanded into a new, 90,000 square foot building, as part of plans to grow its headcount by more than 20 percent in 2014.

Agoura 185