Sat.Jul 17, 2010 - Fri.Jul 23, 2010

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Life is 10% How You Make It and 90% How you Take It

Both Sides of the Table

Startups are hard. When you read the press you only read the glamorous bits. You read about Mark Zuckerberg or the guys at FourSquare, Twitter or Zynga. But that’s a bit like reading about your state lottery winner and feeling bummed out because you haven’t won despite years of trying. The reality is that most of you will never hit it BIG yet you’ll lead fulfilled and productive lives.

Blogging 407
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Buy.com Pushes Out Returns to 45 Days

socalTECH

Aliso Viejo-based ecommerce site Buy.com said this morning that it is going beyond the industry-standard, 30-day return policy and extending out a new, 45-day return policy on its items. The firm said it has extended out the return policy to become a "more customer-friendly option" than competitors Amazon, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, NewEgg and others.

NewEgg 246
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SIGGRAPH 2010

SoCal Tech Calendar

Wednesday, July 28, 2010 -- SIGGRAPH 2010. The 37th International Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques. See [link] (more).

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Delight Starts With The Employee|Peet Guercio’s Story

Eric Greenspan

Make It Work bases all of its decisions around bringing delight. We are known for our impeccable customer service and our willingness to bend over backwards for our customers. What you may not know about us is our desire to delight our employees as well. Delight isn’t just for the customers – it starts with the employee! A perfect example of sharing delight with our employees is the story of former Make It Work-er Peet Guercio.

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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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Want to Know How VC’s Calculate Valuation Differently from Founders?

Both Sides of the Table

Back in 1999 when I first raised venture capital I had zero knowledge of what a fair term sheet looked like or how to value my company. Due to competitive markets we ended up with a pretty good term sheet until we needed to raise money in April 2001 and then we got completely screwed. It was accept the terms or go into bankruptcy so we took the money.

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Interview with Winston Damarillo, Morphlabs

socalTECH

One of Southern California's successful, serial entrepreneurs is Winston Damarillo , who founded Gluecode, which he sold to IBM in 2005. Earlier this month, his latest startup, El Segundo-based Morphlabs announced it had raised a Series B funding worth $5.5M. We thought we'd catch back up with Winston to hear about the Morphlabs. Winston, nice speaking with you again.

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Handymation, a Simple Explanation in 60 Seconds

Eric Greenspan

We needed an efficient and simple way to explain our various services at Make It Work, so we made this: Then, our customers asked us to make some for them too. So we created [link]. Want one? Tags: Eric Greenspan.

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Don’t Take the Little Things for Granted

Both Sides of the Table

Yesterday I wrote about the importance of choosing happiness. Today I want to write about a related topic: not taking the little things in life for granted. I promise not to turn this blog into a personal self-help blog! But today is a special day and I’m thinking about this topic so please humor me just one more time. More later in the post.

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Group Looks To Attract Women To Technology, Science

socalTECH

A local technology group is hoping to support women supporting technology and science education, by tripling the size of its scholarship program. According to the Association for Women in Technology this week, it has tripled its scholarship awards to three, $2500 scholarships aimed at Southern California women pursuing technology and science related education.

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Schmoozd 3

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, July 29, 2010 -- Schmoozd 3. Back by popular demand, Schmoozd 3 is scheduled to make another go-around at the Wokcano in Santa Monica on Thursday, July 29th. The last event had over 300 people from a variety of fields: entertainment, tech, medical, marketing, venture capitalists, the press and many more. See [link]. (more).

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The 3 Major Steps of the Networking Process

Tech Coast Venture Network

I never thought that networking could take over my life the way it did. For an introverted person, it turned out to be a fun and productive process. I find myself thriving on building relationships and helping others. Within the past two years, I discussed the topic of networking with multiple people and I received generous feedback from the attendees of my workshops and training sessions.

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Top Ten Red Flags To Avoid With Investors

Startup Professionals Musings

In previous articles, I have occasionally mentioned “red flags” which every potential investor unconsciously listens for. Other writers, like Guy Kawasaki, have irreverently called some of these “entrepreneur lies,” but I prefer to think of them as innocent over-enthusiasm or over-confidence that can kill your deal. At any rate, here is my summary of the top ten from my experience with hundreds of elevator pitches, business plans, and executive presentations: “ Our product is truly disruptive te

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Perfect Market Unveils New Content Monetization Tool

socalTECH

Altadena-based Perfect Market , the Idealab startup which develops software which helps traditional publishers monetize their archival and current content, said today that it has unveiled a new tool it is calling The Vault. According to the firm, which is run by Julie Schoenfeld, the new tool helps newsrooms and editors to determine the biggest demand for articles, and help publishers monetize their content based on that demand.

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Bill Walton: The Winning Mindset

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, July 29, 2010 -- Bill Walton: The Winning Mindset. SDSIC Entrepreneurs Forum. ntrepreneurship is tough. It is a game of skill, focus and team work. Bill Walton's has achieved 'superstar' status with the UCLA Bruins, in the NBA and as Broadcaster with ABC, NBC and ESPN. While he is most noted in the field of sports, he was also inducted into the Academic All-America Hall of Fame.

UCLA 100
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Let The Devices You Carry be Your Identity with Enole

Tech Zulu Event

Identity is always a big issue on the internet. Remembering passwords, which emails you used for what account and always the issue of identity theft if someone were to get a hold on that information. Well identity authentication startup Enole is aiming to change all that. Enole is providing a secure way to use the same login information to access the internet with a large number of online enabled devices.

Mobile 58
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Ten Tips to Keep Your Business Plan Simple

Startup Professionals Musings

If you want people to invest in your idea, then my best advice is first write a business plan, and keep it simple. Don't confuse your business plan with a doctoral thesis or the back of a napkin. Keep the wording and formatting straightforward, and keep the plan short. For minimum content, see my article “ Ten Tips to an Investment-Grade Business Plan.

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Sometrics Claims Growth In Virtual Goods Marketplace

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Sometrics is claiming growth in the firm's new virtual goods marketplace, GameCoins.com. According to the firm today, its publishers are seeing "exceptional growth in engagement" by using the system. Sometrics helps online game publishers to monetize their products, and encourage things such as spreading the word about their games on Facebook and other incentives.

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3rd Annual India Trade Conference

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, July 29, 2010 -- 3rd Annual India Trade Conference. The Third Annual India Trade Conference is being presented by Southern California Edison; the Port of Los Angeles; the U.S. Commercial Service, U.S. Department of Commerce; Network of Indian Professionals, and Quanta Consulting, Inc. Theme: Renewable Energy and Social Entrepreneurship July 29, 2010 - Los Angeles - Edison CTAC Conference Center 6090 North Irwindale Avenue, Irwindale, CA 91702 WHY ATTEND?

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TechZulu Live and New Things To Come

Tech Zulu Event

The TZ Crew has been working away and getting things done to better improve your TechZulu experience. We have a couple of new announcements to make and I'm really excited to finally get you all in the know. TechZulu Live Weekly. TechZulu has been at the live streaming game for quite some time now and we feel it's about time we have our own in-studio live weekly show.

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Which Comes First, Focus on Profit or Growth?

Startup Professionals Musings

A question that I often hear debated these days is whether a new startup should focus on growth or profits. First of all, the glory days of “dot.coms” are gone, when investors “didn’t care” about profitability, and all the money went to growth. In the long run, everyone wants both profitability and growth, but the question is still which comes first.

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MySpace, MTV.com Team To Stream From Comic-Con

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based social networking site MySpace and MTV.com said Wednesday that the two are partnering to stream the Comic-Con International conference to their users. According to the companies, they will feature stars from upcoming films and television shows, interviews, sneak peeks, and more with daily live shows hosted by MTV Movies Editor Josh Horowitz, along with other material.

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Getting Out of the Gate Successfully

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, July 29, 2010 -- Getting Out of the Gate Successfully. CommNexus Presents: Companies Built on DoD Tech Transfers. Foundational technology has been developed by the DoD and technology transfers from the DoD result in the building of a company that is the embodiment of the successful tech transfer. San Diegos fortunate to have three companies that will present how and why they moved technology out of the DoD and built successful businesses.

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Ryan Born of Audioo/AudiMicro on TechZulu Live

Tech Zulu Event

TechZulu Live Episode 1. In our premiere episode of TechZulu Live we had special guest Ryan Born of AudioMicro and Audioo. With Ryan we go over a few tech news highlights, dig into the Audioo experience, and learn how he gets things done in the entrepreneurial world. . Here is a quick highlight of Ryan giving a few entrepreneur tips and speaking about Audioo.

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How Dare They Block My Facebook at Work?

Startup Professionals Musings

If you are addicted to Facebook, you may be in for a big shock when you go to work in the corporate world. Based on a survey just last year by Robert Half Technology , over half of today’s companies block social networks completely, while another 19 percent only permit it "for business purposes." The blocking percentages are still going up, rather than down.

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Green Dot Up 22.2 Percent In IPO

socalTECH

Monrovia-based Green Dot , the provider of prepaid credit cards which hit the market today, closed up 22.2 percent in its IPO, at $43.99. The firm had debuted on the market Thursday morning at $36.00 per share, above initial estimates of $32.00 to $35.00 per share. The firm is now listed at GDOT on the NYSE. The IPO is the second successful, Southern California IPO in as many weeks, with Beverly Hills-based RealD also getting a similarly robust reception last Friday at its own IPO.

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Growth Capital Conference

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, July 29, 2010 -- Growth Capital Conference. Network with capital sources, advisors, deal makers and 50 entrepreneurs seeking capital and counsel. DEAL DISPLAY showcases attractive firms needing growth capital. View products, videos, on-line demos. See [link] (more).

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Samsung Galaxy S Review

Tech Zulu Event

The Samsung Galaxy S definitely deserves a double take at the least. If you are a Android smart phone junkie then the Galaxy S is the must have phone to feed your fix. A bright and beautiful screen thanks to the Super AMOLED display. Quick and responsive to the touch makes for an enjoyable experience when getting around the device and switching from task to task.

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If You Want Investors, Don’t Say ‘Research’

Startup Professionals Musings

I still get business plans, looking for an investor, that say all too clearly that the first goal of the new business is to do research and development (R&D) on some promising new technology, like superconductivity or cancer research. Investors are looking for commercial products to make money, rather than R&D sunk costs, so your investment hopes are sunk as well.

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NextWave Wireless Gets Delisting Notice From NASDAQ

socalTECH

San Diego-based NextWave Wireless , a developer of wireless technology, reported Wednesday afternoon that it is being delisted from the NASDAQ stock market, as of July 23rd. The firm said the notification came from the NASDAQ Listing Qualifications Panel, and was because of non-compliance with the minimum, $1.00 per share closing bid price requirement of the exchange.

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Southern California Venture Network General Mixer

SoCal Tech Calendar

Tuesday, July 27, 2010 -- Southern California Venture Network (SCVN) Professional General Mixer. The Southern California Venture Networks (www.SCVN.org) invites you to meet, mix and mingle with other like-mined entrepreneurs at the next professional mixer in the Irvine Spectrum. Start-up tabletop opportunities available. See [link] (more).

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Four Firms Hoping To Tap Into Facebook's 500M Users

socalTECH

On the heels of the announcement this morning by Facebook that it has officially hit 500 million users, socalTECH has mined its database of high tech companies , and identified a few of the firms here in Southern California hoping to ride Facebook's coat-tails to success and fortune. RealGifts , San Diego - a facebook application which allows users to send both real and virtual gifts to their friends.

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Amonix Expands In North Las Vegas

socalTECH

Seal Beach-based Amonix , a designer and manufacturer of concentrated photovoltaic solar power systems, said today that it has signed a lease for 214,000 square feet in North Las Vegas. Amonix said the new manufacturing facility will have production capacity of 150MWs annually. Amonix said the new plant will bring 278 clean energy jobs to Las Vegas, where it said it is seeking local residents to fill management, technical, and production jobs.

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Mogreet Ties With Oddcast

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Mogreet , the mobile marketing firm headed by James Citron, said today along with Oddcast that the firms have partnered. The two said that the two will combine Oddcast's talking avatars with Mogreet's MMS marketing and messaging platform, launching with a mobile effort with E*TRADE Financial. Mogreet and Oddcast said that E*TRADE is offering up "talking baby avatars" to mobile phones, allowing users to create their own, animated talking baby messages to share with others.

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Caltech Leads $122M Energy Effort

socalTECH

The U.S. Department of Energy is continuing its efforts to fund new energy innovation projects, saying Thursday that it is awarding up to $122M in funding to a project being led by the California Institute of Technology , based out of Pasadena. According to U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman, the DOE will award up to $122M over five years to a team which will develop "revolutionary methods" to generate fuel directly from sunlight.

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Provide Commerce Buys Personal Creations

socalTECH

San Diego-based Provide Commerce , the parent firm of ProFlowers, RedEnvelope, Cherry Moon, and other ecommerce operations, announced this morning that it has acquired personalized gifts company Personalized Creations. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed. Personalied Creations is a provider of personalized gifts. Provide Commerce said the acquisition will help complement the firm's existing products, and also help it gain marketing and manufacturing capabilities in the personalized gif

Commerce 174
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WebVisible Sees Advertising Recovery

socalTECH

Irvine-based WebVisible , the venture-backed provider of online advertising services to small and medium businesses run by Kirsten Mangers, reports today that it is seeing a recovery in advertising spending. The firm said it has seen an increase of 160 percent in SMB ad spending over a year ago, particularly in the areas of spending for businesses offering jewelry, loans, mortgages and job recruitment services.