Sat.Nov 22, 2014 - Fri.Nov 28, 2014

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Why I Look for Obsessive and Competitive Founders

Both Sides of the Table

'Obsession. The drive to succeed at all costs. When second place isn’t good enough because we live in winner-take-most markets. The desire to be better than anybody else in one’s field. This blog started from a series of conversations I found myself having over and over again with founders and eventually decided I should just start writing them.It would often make my colleagues laugh because they’d hear me like a broken record and then the next week read my ramblings in a post.

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The 12 Laws Of Entrepreneurial Power

InfoChachkie

'A version of this article previously appeared on Forbes. A number of my UC Santa Barbara entrepreneurial students have asked my opinion of Robert Greene''s The 48 Laws Of Power , prompting me to check it out. Given the book''s commercial success, I had high hopes. Sadly, I was disappointed by Greene''s Machiavellian cynicism. When I later learned that Mr.

Hollywood 227
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Sony Pictures Corporate Network Shut Down By Hacker

socalTECH

'Operations over at Culver City-based Sony Pictures have apparently been completely shut down by a hacker, who apparently hacked into and disabled the company''s corporate network. According to reports, a hacker is apparently holding the company''s data hostage, giving the company a deadline of 11pm tonight to meet unspecified demands. Sony Pictures employees are apparently unable to access their corporate email or any computers.

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Two reasons to attack critical issues first.

Berkonomics

'There are two reasons to consider reordering your priorities to attack your most critical issues first, before the easiest ones to knock off the list. First, you are fresher at the start of a day, and your best efforts should come when you are best prepared to address these issues. Remember how easy it is to put off those final decisions at the end of a tiring and long day?

Sales 166
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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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Surround Yourself With People Smarter Than You

Startup Professionals Musings

'Helpers do what you say, while good help does what you need, without you saying anything. People who can help you the most are actually smarter than you, at least in their domain. Top entrepreneurs spend more time putting the right team in place to accomplish their objectives than they spend on any other components of their job. Some entrepreneurs are so in love with themselves (narcissistic) that they insist on answering every question, and making every decision.

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Ultimate Ears Pro | Most Accurately Sculpted for Most Accurate Sound

Tech Zulu Event

'If you are a musician I’m sure you have heard of Ultimate Ears. If you are not, but have been to any concerts lately and happen to notice some perfectly fitted headphones that never fall out of the performers ears during his/her performance no matter how much they move around. Then you’ve probably seen the Ultimate Ears Pro. Ultimate Ears Pro have been making in-ear monitors for over 20 years now.

Startup 107

More Trending

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In Defense of Uber: An Unbiased Opinion

Both Sides of the Table

'The story on Uber has been written about ad nauseam, which is why I’ve been reluctant to weigh in. But enough people have asked my perspective so I decided to weigh in with my non-conformist view. I love Uber and I don’t believe there has yet been a real scandal. Grievances – yes. But scandal? I’m not so sure. For starters – I’m not an investor in Uber.

Press 418
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Focus On Profits Is Not Enough For A Great Business

Startup Professionals Musings

'It’s always been tough to start a new business, even when the bottom line was just making a profit to stay alive. A few years ago, a second focus of sustainability (“green”) was added as a requirement for respectability. Now I often hear a third mandate of social responsibility. Entrepreneurs are now measured against the “triple bottom line” (TBL or 3BL) of people, planet, and profit.

Startup 104
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Honk: Disrupting Roadside Assistance's 800 Pound Gorillas

socalTECH

'Stuck on the side of a road, and need some help? Traditionally, you either had to be a member of a membership service for roadside help--or you had to pay an arm and a leg for a tow. Enter HONK (www.honkforhelp.com), a new startup which is looking to bring fast, easy, and affordable roadside assistance via mobile phone--without the need for a membership.

Startup 173
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Interoute Opens Cloud Hosting In LA

socalTECH

'European cloud services operator Interoute has opened up a new location in Los Angeles, the company said today, part of a U.S. expansion for the provider of cloud computing and hosting services. Interoute--which says it is Europe''s largest cloud services provider--says its new Interoute Virtual Data Center (VDC) is the eighth location for the company, and only the company''s second U.S. location, following a New York operation opened in June.

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codeSpark Launches Game That Teaches Coding To Kids

socalTECH

'Looking for a way to help kids better learn how to code software? Pasadena-based codeSpark has rolled out a new game which it says is aimed at helping kids learn about coding. The startup rolled out a new game called The Foos , which it says is aimed at helping kids to learn about coding for the first time. The startup led by Grant Hosford--said its game revolves around a "whimsical virtual world" involving programming cute characters.

Pasadena 153
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Jukin Gets Big Win With Fox

socalTECH

'Can a digital media startup compete in the big leagues, and move a YouTube brand to prime time? It looks like at least one local startup-- Jukin Media --has made the leap to prime time, after selling a primetime TV show called the World''s Funniest Fails to Fox. Fox announced it had picked up the World''s Funniest Fails from Jukin as part of its new season earlier this week.

Media 147
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Amazon Takes On Local Service Referrals In LA

socalTECH

'Amazon.com is in a bid to take a share of the Los Angeles market for local referrals for handymen and service providers, as Los Angeles continues to be a major launch market for on-demand, services marketplaces. According to the WSJ, Amazon.com has already started connecting its users with plumbers, electricians, stereo installers, and others in Los Angeles, after they purchase specific items from the e-commerce site.

Services 147
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OneRoof Energy Backer Pulls Funding

socalTECH

'San Diego-based OneRoof Energy reported Monday that one of the backers of the company, Hanwha Holdings (USA) Inc., said it will not provide additional debt funding to the company. Reason for the pullback was not announced. OneRoof said that Hanwha Holdings will not provide its additional portion of a $16.7M working capital line of credit, which had been announced October 3rd.

Funding 147
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ZIRX Expands To LA

socalTECH

'On demand valet parking service ZIRX said today that it has expanded into the Los Angeles area, and will begin offering up its on-demand, valet parking downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica. The startup has previously been offering up its on-demand, valet service in San Francisco and Seattle. ZIRX charges a flat $15 for its service, which uses crowd sourced "Agents" who have been vetted and trained by the company.

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Kofax Wins $775,000 Contract

socalTECH

'Irvine-based document management software provider Kofax reports this morning that it has scored a big, $775,000 contract win, to automate the accounts payable operations for a U.S.-based, multinational conglomerate. Name of the customer was not disclosed. Kofax said the contract covers multiple ERP systems. Kofax said the sale is split between $330,000 in software licenses and $445,000 in professional services and maintenance.

Customer 138
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Newegg Dangles Black Friday Deals At LA Location

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based online electronics retailer Newegg has kicked off its holiday promotions, saying that it will be offering up a number of "Black Friday" deals--including special set of deals available only in person at its City of Industry-based "Hybrid Center". Newegg said it is inviting Los Angeles area customers to visit its center between 10a and 4pm for coffee, cake, and special deals that are available only in person.

NewEgg 138
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Hush Nears $200K In Crowdfunding Campaign

socalTECH

'San Diego-based Hush has nearly doubled its original, $100,000 goal on its Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign , with over $196,000 in commitments--and growing--for its smart earplug project. Hush is developing smart earplugs which are controlled by a smartphone app, allowing users to specify which alarms can be heard through the earplugs. The company has doubled its fundraising in less than a week.

UCSD 138
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Rincon Backs Rentlyics In $4M Round

socalTECH

'Santa Barbara-based venture capital investor Rincon Ventures is one of the leads on an investment in rental management software developer Rentlytics , on a new $4M funding round for the company. San Francisco-based Rentlytics disclosed today that the new funding was led by Trinity Ventures and Rincon Venture Partners. The company also counts Cue Ball and Daher Capital as investors.

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Savings.com Launches New Price Comparison App, PriceJump

socalTECH

'Los Angeles-based deals and shopping site Savings.com has thrown itself into the comparison shopping market with a new mobile app called PriceJump , the company said this morning. The new app lets users scan bar codes and get pricing comparisons both from nearby stores, Amazon.com, and other online retailers. Savings.com claims users can save up to 70 percent on products by using the new app.

Pricing 138
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Digital Family Reunion 2014: Don't Miss This Year's Biggest Holiday Event!

socalTECH

'Southern California has had a banner year this year, with a huge number of successful exits, fundings, and more. It''s the season to celebrate the technology and media industry''s success here with the Digital Family Reunion on December 10th at the Skirball Cultural Center. Join us to honor the socalTECH 50 , our list of the "ones to watch" in the local tech community, and network and drink, eat, and celebrate with the local technology and media community!

SoCalTech 133
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Tinder Employees Launching Competitor, Bumble

socalTECH

'A group of former Tinder employees--including former marketing executive Whitney Wolfe--are apparently getting set to launch a direct competitor to the dating app, called Bumble. According to Bumble''s Facebook page, it is just about set to launch in the App Store, and says it is "the easiest way to recover from all of your dating fumbles." Wolfe had previously been listed as a co-founder of Tinder, but then had a falling out with Tinder''s other executives over alleged sexual harrassment, whic

Mobile 113
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Technical Entrepreneurs Often Fail By Early Adopters

Startup Professionals Musings

'Every technical entrepreneur is an early adopter of technology, so naturally they build things with people like themselves in mind. Unfortunately, for most solution markets, early adopters represent only 10 to 15 percent of the total opportunity, so it’s easy to get mislead on the real requirements of mainstream customers. Psychologists call this the confirmation bias.

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The Best Business Leaders Are Visible At The Front

Startup Professionals Musings

'True leaders realize that, by definition, the word "leader" places the leader at the front, and not the rear. Yet many, many executives try to lead through fear and intimidation. This isn’t really leading at all. It’s pushing. In all businesses, leading from the front means that you are not afraid to get your hands dirty, pitching in to get the job done.

News 101
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Digital Marketing Is A Great Equalizer For Startups

Startup Professionals Musings

'Most technical entrepreneurs cringe when they finally realize that marketing is still king, despite the power of technology, and they are up against competitors who have a hundred times their spending power. Luckily, the digital revolution has been a great equalizer in the marketing world, if used effectively to target the audience, engage the customer, and measure results.

Marketing 101