Sat.May 05, 2012 - Fri.May 11, 2012

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To Be Successful You’ll Need to Shake Hands and Kiss Babies.

Both Sides of the Table

It’s Wednesday late afternoon. I’m aboard Delta flight 1833 from Cincinnati (actually, Northern Kentucky for what it’s worth) to Los Angeles. I had a very enjoyable day in Cincinnati meeting many local entrepreneurs, angels and accelerators. I was here to see one of our LPs (limited partners are the people who invest money in VC funds) called Fort Washington.

Press 364
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Interview with Sean Broihier, Fine Art America

socalTECH

If you're a photographer or artist, what's the easiest way to display, print, frame, and sell your photos or artwork to. customers? You could handle all the details of printing, framing things, collecting payments, dealing with shipping, and. more--or you can go online and use Fine Art America (www.fineartamerica.com), a Santa Monica company which is doing. all of that for more than a 100,000 members.

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Don’t Pitch Your Idea To Venture Capitalists, They Don’t Care

InfoChachkie

This entry originally appeared on Forbes HERE. Although it is tempting to overly intellectualize modern-day venture capital, its underlying construct has been part of human society for thousands of years. From the earliest days of seafaring traders, affluent dilettantes have been entrusting their capital to less-affluent, enterprising workers willing to share a portion of the resulting gain with their benefactors.

Ideas 251
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Find your core competency.

Berkonomics

Consider your core. It is the one skill, process or advantage you have over your competition. Then think of all the things you do to surround that core with people and assets that complete the company and allow you to release your product or perform your service. Now consider how many of those surrounding assets and services are really necessary for you to perform in order to protect and grow your core.

Resource 174
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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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Marketing Presentation from Blue Glass Conference

Both Sides of the Table

I recently spoke at the Blue Glass conference on the topic of marketing. I’ll write up some thoughts in a blog post format soon. I’ve been spending time looking at marketing conversion metrics at portfolio companies lately. We’ve been testing things like: How do Facebook “Likes” perform relative to FB ads that drive you directly to a web page.

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Virurl Raises $1.2M

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Virurl , a new startup headed by former Titan Gaming foundder Francisco Diaz-Mitoma and co-founded by Tim Symington of LAST.VC, has raised $1.2M in a funding round, and launched its service. According to Virurl, it will pay users to share links to videos, articles, and games, awarding those users with points which can be redeemed for cash and prizes.

More Trending

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How to Succeed in Living the Entrepreneur Lifestyle

Startup Professionals Musings

As we recover from some tough economic times, more and more people seem to be turning to entrepreneurship as an alternative to traditional employment. I applaud this trend, but caution all of you thinking this direction to approach entrepreneurship with your eyes wide open. It is not for everyone, as the entrepreneur’s path is fraught with challenges.

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Online Masters: Infographic

Technology Council

Filed under: Internet, Marketing Tagged: business, facebook, google, infographic, Internet.

Google 124
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Mobile Roadie Powers San Diego Zoo Safari Park App

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Mobile Roadie , the developer of a mobile app development platform being used by brands, celebrities, companies, and others to easily create their mobile apps, is powering a new app today from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The app is the second app using Mobile Roadie's platform for the zoo. Mobile Roadie also powers the official app for the San Diego Zoo.

San Diego 237
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TriTech SBDC Freestyle Forum

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, May 17, 2012 -- TriTech SBDC Freestyle Forum. Topic: marketing for startups.strategies and tactics for rapid growth. Email Marquise Jackson at marquise.jackson@rccd.edu.

Email 113
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Startup Investors Bet on the Jockey, Not the Horse

Startup Professionals Musings

In the beginning all businesses are just people playing out an idea. It’s never the other way around – there is no idea so big that it doesn’t need people to make it succeed. Investors know this, hence the saying “Bet on the jockey (founder), not the horse (idea).” A great jockey is a great role model. Like it or not, everyone looks to the entrepreneur as the jockey role model in a new business.

Startup 107
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Announcing Silicon Beach Fest! | June 21-23

Tech Zulu Event

TechZulu is proud to team up with Digital LA and accelerators Amplify, StartEngine, Launchpad, local companies BetterWorks, PromoJam, start-ups and co-working spaces, all working together to create the first-ever Silicon Beach Fest to celebrate startups, tech, and entertainment! This fest will include panels, workshops, cocktails and keynotes for startups, content creators, developers, social media marketers, designers, entrepreneurs, and more.

Startup 106
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Interview with Gary Beer, StarCast Auditions

socalTECH

How do you help aspiring actors and actresses break into the film industry? Gary Beer is a longtime film industry insider, having been Managing Director of the Sundance Film Festival from its beginnings until 1999 , and founder documentary cable programming service Smithsonian Networks, which he started while he was CEO of the business enterprises of the Smithsonian Institution.

Startup 229
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Bulidling Your Marketing Plan

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, May 17, 2012 -- Bulidling Your Marketing Plan. Entrepreneurship @ RCC. If you have a business concept and want to learn more about becoming a successful entrepreneur, you are invited to attend. Email ron.pardee@rcc.edu.

Marketing 113
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10 Tips on the Value of Collaboration in Startups

Startup Professionals Musings

Any entrepreneur with a vision can postulate a new business, but it takes a collaboration of many people to make it a success. Today the complexity of forces required for success include multi-disciplinary skills, competencies, and experiences in which the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Entrepreneurs who embrace the “lone wolf” approach usually live to regret it.

Tips 99
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TechZulu Presents Tech & Entertainment: Disruption versus Destruction

Tech Zulu Event

If you’ve ever played with a Tarot deck, you may have noticed people cringing at the sight of the Tower card. Admittedly, a tower aflame from a lightning bolt with people plummeting to their death isn’t very welcoming, but looks can be deceiving. While these pictures may initially conjure thoughts of ruin and destruction, they also carry a deeper meaning: CHANGE.

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Viddy Confirms $30M Funding

socalTECH

Looking to become the next Instagram--but for video, instead--Los Angeles-based Viddy has just added $30M in funding to its warchest, confirming today reports that it has scored a huge new funding for the mobile video sharing site. Viddy said the Series B funding comes from New Enterprise Associates, Goldman Scahs, Khosla Ventures, and Battery Ventures.

Funding 217
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Star Performer

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, May 17, 2012 -- People usually pay more than $100 to hear Dr. Relly Nadler give this inspiring presentation on how to become a "Star Performer." But he is presenting for the Ventura Chamber's Young Professionals Group (YPG) for just $15, which includes lunch. This is a perfect event to send your most promising young employees.

Ventura 113
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6 Reasons Why Startup Prototypes Attract Investors

Startup Professionals Musings

It’s a long way from an entrepreneur’s “idea” to a working product with a real market and paying customers. A necessary intermediate step for proof of concept, credibility with potential investors, and communication with your team, is a working prototype. Building a prototype should be an early and high priority task for every startup. A prototype doesn’t need to look great, or be built to scale, but it better accurately translate your vision into something real and tangible.

Startup 97
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Catch #Mindshare50 Talks Live on TechZulu

Tech Zulu Event

We are just days away from celebrating Mindshare in its 50th consecutive month of salons and workshops by exploring, “What Comes Next?” for ourselves, our culture, and our planet. Campbell and team are pulling out all the stops with some of Mindshare’s most fascinating speakers and performers. Here are just a few: Nolan Bushnell , a seasoned entrepreneur who founded both Atari, Inc. and the Chuck E Cheese’s Pizza-Time Theater chain.

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LA Demo Day Crowd: The Good Times Are Back

socalTECH

Are the good times for startups back? That seemed to be the mood running through the cloud at the more-than-sellout crowd at the Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica Thursday at the first LA Demo Day , organized by Docstoc's Jason Nazar. At the event, the enthusiasm for startups was palpable. The crowd of more than 1,500 spilled out into hallways, and would-be investors were turned away from the doors, as a crush of entrepreneurs, investors, service providers, wanna-be entrepreneurs, and others look

Miramar 215
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TechAmerica Financial Stars of the Year Awards

SoCal Tech Calendar

Tuesday, May 15, 2012 -- TechAmerica Financial Stars of the Year Awards. Congratulations to this year's Finalists! Join us for a Finance Star filled evening at the Skirball Center where Los Angeles joins TechAmerica to recognize the vast contributions our nominees have made to the industry, their companies and their communities! This inaugural event will feature dozens of Sr.

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An Entrepreneur Has to Learn the Art of Saying No

Startup Professionals Musings

Entrepreneurs have to know when and how to say ‘no,’ and be good at delivering the message. All startup leaders are besieged with requests for their time, attention, talent, money, or influence, and sometimes even good requests won’t fit into the time and energy you have available. Startups require focus, so you need to say ‘no’ to some things, in order to do the important things well.

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Want to Dump Your Ad Network? Dear Ad Network: It’s Not You, It’s Me.

Frank Addante

Would you ever go to your sales team and say? Sell whatever you want to who ever you want. Sell it for whatever price you can. By the way, when you make calls, you can’t use our brand or tell them anything about our users. So, here’s my question… Why in the hell would you ever let someone else do that? My roots are in the Internet advertising industry.

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SimplyPetals.com Takes On Floral Subscriptions

socalTECH

It seems you can just about get anything via a subscription now from a Los Angeles e-commerce startup. The latest? Weekly or monthly floral deliveries from SimplyPetals.com , which delivers fresh flowers via three different subscriptions. The new startup--headed by celebrity florist Kevin Lee--said it will allow users to receive exclusive designs from Lee, by selecting a price point and frequency of delivery.

Commerce 203
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Mobile Broadband: LTE and Beyond

SoCal Tech Calendar

Tuesday, May 15, 2012 -- Mobile Broadband: LTE and Beyond. CommNexus. The need for mobile broadband grows every day, as enterprise use and various applications (especially video) drive demand for high-speed, low-latency data. Prompted by that increasing need, operators are working to roll out LTE, which enables higher peak data rates, lower latencies, better mobility and spectrum flexibility.

Mobile 113
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How to Show Your Customers a Little Extra Love

Startup Professionals Musings

I deal often with early-stage startups, and many of these don’t have any customers yet (but wish they did), so it’s not surprising they still don’t think of customers as their friends. More disturbingly, others do have customers, but the customer service program consists of an informal focus on “problems,” rather than a proactive effort to establish a positive relationship with friends.

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63 Los Angeles Entrepreneurs To Be Proud Of

SoCal Delicious

Our Best Interviews Via Email: Monthly. Weekly. Idea Mensch. where entrepreneurs share their stories. Home. About. Events. Contact. Subscribe to RSS. Subscribe to RSS. 63 Los Angeles Entrepreneurs To Be Proud Of By mario on May 2, 2012 in Features , grid. Free Corporations For First-Time Entrepreneurs. Thank you eMinutes. Tweet. Tweet. Features like this, as well as our daily interviews wouldn’t be possible without the amazing support of our sponsor eMinutes – a law firm here in Los Angeles th

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FindTheBest Partners With Lijit

socalTECH

Santa Barbara-based FindTheBest , the online comparisons site headed by former DoubleClick founder Kevin O'Conner, has inked another distribution deal, this time with ad network and widget provider Lijit. According to Lijit, which is part of Federated Media, it has linked with FinDTheBest to provide customizable widgets and Wordpress plugins which allows blogs and other sites to embed comparisons of different products within those sites.

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ProVisors Technology Industry Group

SoCal Tech Calendar

Tuesday, May 15, 2012 -- ProVisors Technology Industry Group. The ProVisors Technology Industry Group's mission is to provide a networking, educational, and referral driven forum to one another through personal knowledge and expertise in the Technology sector. The group's intent is to be purposeful and accountable, in forming relationships and driving business to other group members who are trusted professional advisors working primarily with companies in the technology sector.

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Hands Free Parking Assistance | ParkMe & Magnifis Announce Partnership

Tech Zulu Event

Its always great to see your local startups making big moves. Today former Spotlight: LA Tech company ParkMe announced their partnership with Magnifis. ParkMe, a leading provider of parking information to navigation companies and smartphones, and Magnifis a voice-based driver assistant application. Magnifis’ Android app, called “Robin,” is a challenger to Evi and Apple’s Siri.

Study 70
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The Best Entrepreneurs Are Undaunted by Failure

Startup Professionals Musings

If you haven’t had a failure, you aren’t pushing the limits. If you are really an entrepreneur, you are a risk taker and less cautious by nature, so failures should be expected. Wear you startup failure as a badge of courage. Don’t go after failure, but embrace it when it does happen and grow from it. People who are afraid of failing should not become entrepreneurs.

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LegalZoom Files For IPO

socalTECH

Glendale-based online legal documents marketplace LegalZoom filed for an IPO Friday, saying that it is looking to raise up to $120M on the New York Stock Exchange as "LGZ". The firm's IPO is being underwritten by Morgan Stanley, BofA Merrill Lynch, Stifel Nicolaus Weisel, RBC Capital Markets, William Blair, and Montgomery & Co. The firm is venture backed by Polaris Venture Partners (35.1 percent ownership), Insitutional Venture Partners (14.7 percent), and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byer

Legalzoom 196
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Cleantech Investor Forum

SoCal Tech Calendar

Monday, May 14, 2012 -- Cleantech Investor Forum. Join CleanTechOC and OCTANe for the inaugural Cleantech Investor Forum on May 14. The Forum will bring together over 250 innovators and experts in the cleantech space across California. The event will feature: --Keynotes from top cleantech industry experts --A panel on cleantech financing --Insight into the "funders and funded" perspectives from recent VC-backed companies and their investors --Investment presentations from the region's most promi

OCTANE 113
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University Students Get $200K For Clean Technology Startups

socalTECH

A group of university students from across the region were awarded a total of $200,000 in prize money via a business plan competition for clean technology businesses being driven by the California Institute of Technology and other local institutions, The First Look West regional business plan competition being run by the California Institute of Technology, and including efforts from the USC Stevens Institute of Technology and the LA Cleantech Incubator, said it has awarded $200,000 to three team

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Fisker: We're The Number Two Luxury Car Maker! (In The Netherlands)

socalTECH

Anaheim-based electric auto firm Fisker Automotive bragged Tuesday that it was the second-highest selling brand in the segment for high-end four-door models in Dutch luxury vehicle sales for the first quarter of the year. The car company said that it beat BMW, Mercedes and Audi for the position. Fisker did not say how many autos it needed to outsell the BMW 7-series, Mercedes S-class and Audi A8 in that market, or how large the Dutch market represents for luxury automobiles.

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