Both Sides of the Table
SEPTEMBER 30, 2010
I was recently involved with a company (not as an investor) where an embarrassing mistake was made. One of the leaders took a sort of “heads will roll&# approach. It’s not my company so I basically stayed out but tried to encourage him to think differently about the “punishment.&# I didn’t stick around for the repercussions so I hope the process was balanced.
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 27, 2010
Last week, Santa Monica-based Tecca (www.tecca.com) launched a consumer electronics, consumer information service, backed by Fuse Capital and Best Buy. The service--currently only available on iPhone and Android--allows users to find reviews and information about consumer electronics products. We caught up with Mickie Rosen , the firm's CEO, about the company, its links to Best Buy, and how it was incubated out of Fuse Capital.
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InfoChachkie
OCTOBER 1, 2010
In an episode of the popular 1990’s TV sitcom Seinfeld , Kramer, played by Michael Richards, begins “working” at the fictional Brandt – Leland Investment Firm by simply showing up, attending meetings and acting as if he is part of the team. Although the plot was obviously devised for comic effect, it serves to illustrate that non-conventional methods of infiltrating Big Dumb Companies (BDCs) are often effective.
SoCal Tech Calendar
OCTOBER 1, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010 -- Meet The Angels. Tech Coast Angels. Stephanie Hanbury-Brown, Chairwoman of Golden Seeds, will share how they empower and fund female entrepreneurs. Followed by experience and advice from two women CEOs who have just recieved funding from TCA. It's an event you can't afford to miss! Online [link] (more).
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Both Sides of the Table
SEPTEMBER 27, 2010
What do you get when you combine 7 panelist plus one moderator on to a stage for 30 minutes to talk about a serious topic? Answer: Not much. And that was evident on today’s Angel vs. VC panel. It’s a shame. There are real changes in the venture capital industry and it would have been fun to talk about them. I said almost nothing in the 30 minutes.
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 29, 2010
Santa Barbara-based Sonos , the developer of the Sonos wireless, multi-room music systems, said Wednesday that it has released its Apple iPad application. The application--which users had been eagerly awaiting, particularly since a slip of its release date in August--is available for free on the iTunes App Store. The Sonos Controller for iPad allows owners of Sonos equipment to control that equipment using the iPad's touch screen.
Southern California Tech Central brings together the best content for technical professionals in Southern California from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
SoCal Tech Calendar
OCTOBER 1, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010 -- 2010 NAE Grand Challenges National Summit. The Summit will bring together leading scientists and engineers, educators, policy leaders, innovators and corporate executives to address the 14 Challenges articulated by the National Academy of Engineering. The discussions will be organized around the four thematic threads of the challenges, namely sustainability, vulnerability, health and the joy of living, which represent key societal issues of the 21st Century.
Both Sides of the Table
SEPTEMBER 25, 2010
When I first read Paul Graham’s blog post on “High Resolution&# Financing I read it as a treatise arguing that convertible notes are better than equity. As I’m generally a believer in ‘pricing rounds’ I initially didn’t agree with the premise of the post. Photo credit: D. Story/J. Blanchard/O’Reilly Media. I just re-read it and on second reflection, I’m surprised just how much I found myself in near TOTAL agreement with Paul.
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 29, 2010
In what looks to be a banner year for IPO filings for Southern California, Santa Monica-based Cornerstone OnDemand filed for an IPO this morning, saying that it is looking to raise up to $115M in an IPO. The firm has not yet specified an exchange it plans to list on. The IPO is being underwritten by Goldman, Sachs & Co., Barclays Capital, William Blair & Company, Piper Jaffray, Pacific Crest Securities, and JMP Securities.
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 26, 2010
When someone asks me for the best way to fund a startup, I always say bootstrap it, meaning fund it yourself and grow organically. Bootstrapping avoids all the cost, pain, and distractions of finding angels or VCs, and allows you to keep control and all your hard-earned equity for yourself. Last year I interviewed a serial entrepreneur, Rich Christiansen , who has done almost 30 businesses wholly by bootstrapping.
SoCal Tech Calendar
OCTOBER 1, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010 -- Digital Music Forum West. Over 300 of the most influential decision-makers in the music industry gather in Los Angeles each year for this incredible 2-day deal-makers forum to network, do deals, and share ideas about the business. Digital Music Forum West now in its 4th year features a lively and fun debate on timely cutting-edge business topics, demos as well unrivaled access to some of the most progressive companies in Hollywood, Silicon Valley and beyond.
Tech Zulu Event
SEPTEMBER 27, 2010
Comparison shopping is great when you are out and about looking for the best deals on a product or even looking for reviews. However, I catch myself wondering about the reviews on occasion. "This is an awesome product, and is a must buy!", says dbz09. For all I know this could be an intern working for the product maker going around putting up great reviews for a crappy product.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 1, 2010
For today's profile, we decided to talk with Taher Scherzay , Founder of FavRav (www.FavRav.com), a Los Angeles-based firm which has created a Facebook application to help small businesses find customers through social media, and also allow consumers to better tap the referral network of their friends. Taher tells us about his journey from Silicon Valley to Southern California, the inspiration behind the site, and where he hopes to take the business next.
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 27, 2010
What if your Google search for ‘Paris Hilton’ listed your top result as the Hilton Hotel in Paris, because it knew your interests were not in the other direction? This is the current dream of Tim Berners-Lee , the man who invented the (first) World Wide Web. He calls his dream ‘Web 3.0’ or the ‘Semantic Web,’ meaning it understands user context. He and many other experts believe that the Web 3.0 browser will act more like a personal assistant than a search engine.
SoCal Tech Calendar
SEPTEMBER 30, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010 -- Digital Music Forum West. Over 300 of the most influential decision-makers in the music industry gather in Los Angeles each year for this incredible 2-day deal-makers forum to network, do deals, and share ideas about the business. Digital Music Forum West now in its 4th year features a lively and fun debate on timely cutting-edge business topics, demos as well unrivaled access to some of the most progressive companies in Hollywood, Silicon Valley and beyond.
Tech Zulu Event
SEPTEMBER 27, 2010
The USC Alumni Club of West Los Angeles is putting on an amazing seminar and networking event with host Sasha Strauss. The seminar is due to have rich content on all thing branding. Naming and brand architecture to visual design and brand extension. They will look at why brands matter, who they matter to, how you can build them into your marketing, advertising and public relations strategies.
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 27, 2010
Santa Monica-based Geodelic , the location-based mobile application development firm run by Rahul Sonnad, confirmed its relationship with Verizon last week. Verizon has been an investor in the firm since June, and Geodelic has been developing applications with Verizon over the last year. Geodelic has been privately discussing its relationship with Verizon with investors all year, but had not officially confirmed the relationship until last week.
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 25, 2010
These days, if your startup does not have an Internet web site up and running, you are not ready for business or potential investors. Customers go there to check on the details of your offerings, investors look there to check out your management and sales approach, partners go there to see how they might fit, and suppliers expect to find contact information.
SoCal Tech Calendar
SEPTEMBER 29, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010 -- MOTM Dinner with Don Levy. Don Levy is Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications at Sony Pictures Digital. For more than 25 years, Don has worked at the intersection of entertainment and technology, helping to position everything from Hollywood blockbusters to groundbreaking digital policy. Beyond Don's executive capacity, he enjoys voice over narration, which is a natural extension of his ability to explain often complex subjects in terms people understand.
Tech Zulu Event
SEPTEMBER 29, 2010
Finding great applications and tools is a task within itself. First you need to know exactly what you are looking for, then find out from all the options which is the best suited for you and your startup, and you can't forget about pricing. You may find a application that seems perfect from the description page, buy it and come to find out it was not what you were looking for.
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 27, 2010
San Diego-based The Active Network , the operator of online sports registration and related sites, said today that it has launched a new survey panel. The firm said the Active Lifestyle Panel, which it is launching via a strategic alliance with Survey.com, will offer targeted and custom market research on active consumers. The firm said it is looking to serve brand customers interested in health and wellness, exercise, sports, diet, family activities, and outdoor activities.
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 30, 2010
Many entrepreneurs are convinced that banks are not worth the effort for startups, especially early-stage ones that still don’t have a revenue stream, or collateral to back up their financing needs. A question I get all the time is “Can I ever expect any backing from my bank for a great opportunity?” The short answer is that some banks will help, if you do your homework.
SoCal Tech Calendar
SEPTEMBER 28, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010 -- StartupCamp: Comm Edition. StartupCamp is a fast-paced, ready, set, pitch event that gives early-stage entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their communications innovations to an audience of industry leaders, media and investors. Four early-stage companies chosen to present include VAL9000, AdelaVoice, Vokle and GroupMe.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 1, 2010
According to a report today from VentureWire, Aliso Viejo-based Predixion Software has added $3M to the firm's Series A funding round, from Palomar Ventures. Predixion is developing data mining and analytics software, and is headed by Simon Arkell, formerly of Triton Pacific Capital Partners and Gramercy Ventures. Predixion's board includes Bob Holmen of Miramar Venture Partners and Jim Schraith of DFJ Frontier, as well as former DatAllegro CEO Stuart Frost.
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 30, 2010
San Diego-based Qualcomm said yesterday that it has opened up a new office in Lagos, Nigeria, which will serve as a hub for the firm's West Africa business operations. According to Qualcomm, the office will serve mobile operators and device manufacturers serving Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Cameroon. The new office is for QCOM Wireless Technologies Limited, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 1, 2010
Los Angeles-based Break Media , the online video site run by Keith Richman, has scored a win with NFL.com , the firm said Friday. According to the two, they have launched a new, NFL.com channel on Break, which will feature content that is concurrently available on NFL.com. Financial details of the partnership between the two companies were not announced.
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 28, 2010
Los Angeles-based Hulu said Tuesday that the video site is in new distribution partnerships with both Roku and Tivo. According to Hulu, its Hulu Plus service will be available through both platforms, extending its coverage beyond existing desktop, Apple iPad, iPhone 3GS, iphone4, and 3rd generation iPod Touch, along with Sony PlayStation 3 and certain Samnsung Blu-ray players and TVs.
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 27, 2010
Santa Monica-based Demand Media , the online content publishing empire of Richard Rosenblatt, announced this morning that it has launched a new, specialized offering for food advertisers. The firm said it has combined part of Demand Media's network, eHow.com, and LIVESTRONG.com to reach consumers making food-related choices. Demand said it has created a special offering--which includes both premium video, contextual integration, and display advertising units--to help reach consumers on its site.
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 29, 2010
Los Angeles-based Shopzilla annoucned today that the firm has inked a strategic partnership with Google , to include its Bizrate ratings and review within Google's Product Search and Google AdWords ads. Financial details of the relationship were not disclosed. Shopzilla operates a program which lets consumers provide ratings and reviews of sellers who use the firm's comparison shopping engines.
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 29, 2010
The U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) said today that it has awarded $6M in grants to the University of California, Los Angeles, focused on energy conservation technologies in microelectronics and nanotechnology. According to the NIST, the grants are part of a $50M grant award to five institutions nationwide.
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 28, 2010
Los Angeles-based Namesake , the latest startup of Dan Gould and Brian Norgard, has revealed that it is working on a service to help users use their social networks to find a job or promote jobs opportunities. Gould co-founded Newroo and Ad.ly and was at Fox Audience Network, and Norgard also was a co-founder at Ad.ly and Newroo. The firm presented its offerings at TechCrunch Disrupt last night, saying that it service will allow friends and connections of users to help route them to the right jo
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 29, 2010
Santa Monica-based TigerText , a new startup focused on mobile messaging applications, said Tuesday evening that it has raised $1.9M in an angel funding round. The round came from Silicon Valley investors Herb Madan and Randall Kaplan. Kaplan is co-founder of Akamai Technologies, and Madan has joined the company's board of directors. TigerText said it is developing mobile applications aimed at creating a secure way to send mobile messages, as a resplacement to SMS.
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 29, 2010
Move, Inc. , which operates the online home sales site Realtor.com , said today that it has launched a redesigned site, built on a entirely new platform. According to Move, which has operations in Thousand Oaks but now says its headquarters is in Silicon Valley, the new site is powered by a new platform and a new property database, including access to new construction, rentals, and off-market listings, a new search box for active listings, and an overall streamlining of the site.
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 30, 2010
Los Angeles-based AccessDNA , the online health startup headed by Lee Essner, announced today that it has renamed itself Inherited Health , as it has shifted its business to provide a place to gather and store family health information. According to Essner, the name change came because it better reflects its vision of helping people to safely and securely gather and store their family health history online, and to help use that information to help identify disease risks.
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 30, 2010
Woodland Hills-based ReachLocal , which provides online marketing products for small- and medium-sized businesses, reported today that it has named Jeff Hagins as Chief Technology Officer, and promoted Steven Power, former Australia CEO, to Executive Vice President of Global Sales Operations. Hagins was most recently Vice President of Engineering for Digital Presence for the firm, and had previously served at SMB:LIVE, in addition to roles at Mural Consulting, Dynix, Apptix, TeleComputing, J.D.
socalTECH
SEPTEMBER 29, 2010
The list of Southern California companies who have filed, have been rumored to file, or have successfully completed IPOs has gotten a little longer this morning, after Santa Monica-based Cornerstone OnDemand filed for an IPO. Other firms currently in registration include Santa Monica-based Demand Media ; San Diego-based Zogenix ; Inphi Corp. , which has most of its employees in Westlake Village; Los Angeles-based Gamefly ; City of Industry-based NewEgg ; San Diego-based Fallbrook Technologies ;
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