InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 3, 2011

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things. And the reason they were able to do that was that they’ve had more experiences or they have thought more about their experiences than other people.

Startup 255

Startup High Tech SaaS .Net 255

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 6, 2011

I saw a great post from Tristan Kromer Pivoting on Investor Feedback a.k.a Beware of Mentors. It was a top post on StartupRoar on Tuesday. His basic point was: If someone, including me, tells you something isn’t a great idea and there’s no market for it there are only two acceptable responses. Either: "That’s interesting. I’m going to take that thought out into the field and validate it with my customers.

Custom 227

Custom Customer CTO Coach Startup 227

socalTECH

OCTOBER 6, 2011

Santa Barbara-based Zuuka , the mobile app and story publisher behind the iStoryTime line of digital storybooks for children, is branching its efforts into digital entertainment publishing today. The firm is announcing iTalk Smurf , an iPhone and iPod Touch app based on the blue characters, which allows users to speak into their device and have Clumsy the smurf repeat everything back in a "smurfy voice".

Santa Barbara 246

Santa Barbara Entertainment Mobile 246

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 7, 2011

There are several times when stakeholder loyalty is tested to the limit. For employees, a late or missed payroll is the ultimate test of corporate loyalty, divorced even from an employee’s ability to make do without a paycheck. For investors, a subsequent down round at a lower valuation than the last, or an exit opportunity at a loss are all opportunities for the affected stakeholder to show a side that can sometimes shock an entrepreneur or CEO.

Layoffs 136

Layoffs Class News Email 136

Advertiser: Aggregage

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.

Company

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 5, 2011

Note: This is Part I in the Startup Advantages series. Startups have few advantages. One of the most significant is the ability to keep your cards close to your vest. A major disadvantage of a public Big Dumb Company (BDC), as well as one that works closely with governmental agencies, is the degree to which they are forced to publicly disclose otherwise confidential information.

Startup 216

Startup Slides Resource Organization 216

SoCal Tech Calendar

OCTOBER 5, 2011

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 -- Funding the Big Idea! TriTechs 3rd annual funding conference where businesses and entrepreneurs interact with investors and also get a chance to look into the mind of investors in order to find out what it takes to become investor ready. The event features our premier Speed Dating* program where you can personally meet one on one and present your idea to Angel Investors, Venture Capitalists, and Private and Public Equity Investors.

Ideas 124

Ideas Funding Conference Equity 124

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 7, 2011

Every entrepreneur needs to be honest about their strengths and weaknesses, and realistic about their reasons for choosing the startup route. For any entrepreneur, even the best business opportunities, if entered for the wrong reasons, will likely fail. Some of these reasons seem obvious, so forgive me for restating, but I still hear them too often.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Statistics Startup Resource 111

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 1, 2011

Synhergy Marketing originally was a company setup to be a full service marketing company for the entertainment industry – the record label, the webzine, everything you would need as an artist. The company based out of the Los Angeles area is very heavily focus towards showing support towards women. Their name even provides additional support.

Social Media 99

Social Media Startup Media Writing 99

SoCal Tech Calendar

OCTOBER 5, 2011

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 -- TriTech's 3rd Annual Funding Forum. Are you in need of financing to launch the start-up of your dreams? Funding the Big Idea! TriTech's 3rd annual funding conference where businesses and entrepreneurs interact with investors and also get a chance to look into the mind of investors in order to find out what it takes to become "investor ready".

Funding 124

Funding Conference Ideas Startup 124

socalTECH

OCTOBER 5, 2011

San Diego-based ImThera Medical , a developer of medical devices to treat sleep apnea, has raised $16M in an initial funding round from publicly held Cyberonics , plus its other investors Cyberonics said Wednesday. ImThera is developing an implantable, neurostimulation device which can treat obstructive sleep apnea. The Series C funding round includes $12M from Cyberonics, with the remaining $4M from its existing investors.

San Diego 224

San Diego Funding Develop Development 224

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2011

It would be no fun if starting a business was simply plotting a straight line between your idea and success, with no challenges along the way. Zigging and zagging amongst the obstacles is the fun part of being an entrepreneur, and it’s what sets you apart from the average worker who knows exactly what he or she has to do every day to get paid. Relish it, or if it scares you, don’t try it.

Zag 102

Zag Entrepreneur Startup Resource 102

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 7, 2011

Anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock (and assuming your rock doesn’t have WiFi access) just knows. The news of Steve Job’s passing has exploded across the internet with tribute videos, old video viewings, and news blasts in the form of tweets, posts, and updates at an all time high. With one of the most poignant and impactful memorials ever created for… ANYONE on Apple’s homepage , the news hit the tech and consumer world with an impact that exceeded that of T

News 98

News Class Study Education 98

SoCal Tech Calendar

OCTOBER 6, 2011

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 -- Idealab Job Fair. Come explore a variety of tech opportunities and network with some of LA's top startups at the offices of Idealab, the Pasadena-based technology incubator.

Idealab 113

Idealab Incubator Pasadena Networking 113

socalTECH

OCTOBER 5, 2011

One of Southern California's biggest assets are the number of world class, local universities researching and developing technology and knowledge across a large number of disciplines. Investors and universities are often very eager to figure out how to tap into those universities as a source of new companies, but often find its difficult to move research from the lab to an actual company.

UCLA 204

UCLA Research Tech Coast Angels Offshore 204

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 3, 2011

It’s time for more entrepreneurs to reset their focus, and shift their thinking to completely different ways of doing things. Everyone talks about innovation, but the majority of business plans I see still reflect linear thinking – one more social network with improved usability, one more wind-farm energy generator with a few more blades, or one more dating site with a new dimension of compatibility.

Entrepreneur 95

Entrepreneur Organization Social Media Social Network 95

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 4, 2011

That’s right folks Idealab is hosting a job fair at their offices for 10 of their startups companies. They are looking for coders, roboticist, marketing managers, and community managers, to fill the areas of their Green Tech, Social Media, Big Data, and Enterprise companies. If you are a super star you are pretty much guaranteed to find a job here.

Idealab 95

Idealab CitySearch Social Media Pasadena 95

SoCal Tech Calendar

OCTOBER 5, 2011

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 -- PMI-OC October 2011 Dinner Meeting. Erika Flora, principal consultant and co-founder of Beyond20, will present five ways to stand out as a project manager in todays economy at the Oct. 11 meeting of the Project Management Institutes Orange County Chapter. Flora will discuss effective ways to stand out, including creating a career safety net and being viewed as an expert in your field.

PMI 113

PMI Orange County Tips .Net 113

socalTECH

OCTOBER 3, 2011

A report today says that Napster , the online music service now owned by Best Buy, is being sold to Rhapsody. Citing "sources familiar with the deal", CNET said that Rhapsody is interested in acquiring Napster from Best Buy, but did not disclose if the deal was in discussions, in progress, or has closed. Los Angeles-based Napster was acquired by Best Buy in September of 2008 in a deal which was worth net value of approximately $54M.

Report 203

Report .Net Los Angeles Services 203

Eric Greenspan

OCTOBER 6, 2011

Rest in peace Steve Jobs.

100

100

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 6, 2011

What is sound art? Sound art (a term first coined in 1982), explores the dynamics relating to the experiential progression of sound from hearing, to listening, to “poetistic” perception, and finally, to aesthetic appreciation. - Soundwalk.org. In short, appreciation for sound, not in a musical sense, as the coordinators of Soundwalk made a clear distinction that music, while possible to be a component of sound art, is not sound art itself.

Long Beach 95

Long Beach High Tech Startup Organization 95

SoCal Tech Calendar

OCTOBER 5, 2011

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 -- Social Media, Social Art and TheBlu. Wemo Media and ACM SIGGRAPH invite you to a special behind the scenes look at The Blu, a new on-line social media experience in collaboration with Hollywood and Academia. A special beta code for [link] will be given to meeting attendees. The Wemo Media team is comprised of Academy award winning artists, technology innovators and execs from film, games and the web, including: Andy Jones (Academy award winner, Avatar), Kevin Mac

Social Media 113

Social Media Media Hollywood Email 113

socalTECH

OCTOBER 7, 2011

Santa Barbara-based FindTheBest --the online products comparison site headed by former DoubleClick founder Kevin O'Conner--said this week that it has launched a comprehensive smartphone comparison feature on the service. FindTheBest said it has launched a Smartphone Buyer's Guide section, which allows users to compare smartphones based on price, specs, cell phone plans, monthly access rates, plans, and more.

Santa Barbara 200

Santa Barbara Guide Pricing Sites 200

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 3, 2011

I’m often asked the question about why there aren’t more women who are entrepreneurs. On my blog I’ve been hesitant to take the topic head on. Somehow it seems kind of strange for a man to answer this question that obviously comes from a man’s point of view. But last week I noticed a blog post by a woman, Tara Tiger Brown, that asked the question, “ Why Aren’t More Women Commenting on VC Blog Posts?

Entrepreneur 341

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Startup Blogging 341

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 3, 2011

54 hours. 70+ students. 8 business ideas. One weekend we will never forget. USC hosted its first Startup Weekend from September 23rd to 25th and it rocked! We had MBAs, undergrads, engineers, designers, and visitors from all throughout the LA tech scene participate in the event. Hosted by the Marshall Business School and the Lloyd Grief Center for Entrepreneurship, the night kicked off at 6PM on Friday with food and some awesome speakers.

USC 82

USC Startup Tech Coast Angels Guide 82

SoCal Tech Calendar

OCTOBER 4, 2011

Monday, October 10, 2011 -- The M2M SIG Presents.The Carrier/Operator Perspective. CommNexus. Join the M2M SIG the evening before CTIA kicks off to hear what leading wireless carriers think about M2M services. In this panel discussion, Verizon, Sprint, and Vodfone will discuss a broad range of topics such as where they see value in Connected Devices and M2M, and the challenges and opportunities from a service and solution perspective.

Services 113

Services Technology 113

socalTECH

OCTOBER 4, 2011

Santa Monica-based eHow , the question and answer site of Demand Media, is announcing today that it has launched a new women-focused channel called Shift. eHow said the new channel is aimed at helping "inspire women who want to make changes in their lives" and "positively impact others around them." eHow said that the move will include such content as the "eHow 100" list of women who are making changes to their lives, selected by the site's editorial team and advisory board.

eHow 196

eHow Santa Monica Journal Demand 196

socalTECH

OCTOBER 5, 2011

Sharpening its focus on the electronic discovery market, Pasadena-based X1 , the enterprise search tools provider backed by Idealab, has split out a new company called X1 Discovery , headed by John Patzakis, the former President of eDiscovery at X1. X1 Discovery said today that it has launched a new, electronic discovery software called X1 Social Discovery, which is specifically aimed at helping computer forensics professionals address social media content.

Social Media 182

Social Media Media Idealab Software Review 182

socalTECH

OCTOBER 3, 2011

Los Angeles-based Napster is being acquired by Best Buy , the firms confirmed this morning, where Rhapsody will acquire both Napster's subscribers and other assets, and Best Buy will receive a minority stake in Rhapsody. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed by the companies. According to the two, the deal is expected to close on or around November 30th.

.Net 178

.Net Los Angeles Angel Company 178

socalTECH

OCTOBER 4, 2011

Santa Monica-based Nimble , the online, customer relationship management (CRM) tool developer, has tied with Simi Valley-based TeamAutomation , a business and IT consulting firm focused on customer relationship management tools. According to TeamAutomation, it will offer up Nimble's software to its customers, allowing them to manage their email, calendar, and social networking connections with contacts.

Santa Monica 174

Santa Monica Social Network Tool Custom 174

socalTECH

OCTOBER 6, 2011

Los Angeles-based Boingo Wireless , the operator of an extensive network of Wi-Fi access points, reported this morning that it has inked a deal with Towerstream Corporation to manage that firm's Internet services in Manhattan. Boingo said that the network operated by Towerstream will broadcast its Boingo Hotspot SSID, and allow Boingo users and others to access or purchase Wi-Fi across Manhattan.

Networking 171

Networking Los Angeles Report Custom 171

socalTECH

OCTOBER 4, 2011

Aliso Viejo-based Predixion Software , the developer of predictive analytics software which is headed by Simon Arkell, announced today that it has raised $6M in a Series B funding round. The new, strategic investment came from an un-named investor, and also included prior investors DFJ Frontier, Miramar Venture Partners and Palomar Ventures. Predixion said the funding will go towards further product development, plus serviec, sales and marketing.

Software 168

Software Palomar Miramar Sales 168

socalTECH

OCTOBER 3, 2011

Los Angeles-based StyleSpot , an online fashion and social shopping site founded by Rafi Gordon and Alex Amin, has been acquired by Kaboodle , the online social shopping site owned by Hearst Corp. Kaboodle announced the acquisition late Friday. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. StyleSpot was venture backed by Idealab, and had been founded in 2009.

Idealab 168

Idealab Acquisition Sites Research 168

socalTECH

OCTOBER 3, 2011

Three local universities, plus a Pasadena-based startup, have received a $360,000 grant to promote student entrepreneurship in clean technology. According to Pasadena-based green marketplace firm OnGreen , the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), UC Los Angeles (UCLA), and University of Southern California (USC) scored a grant from the U.S.

CalTech 165

CalTech UCLA Southern California Pasadena 165

socalTECH

OCTOBER 5, 2011

Irvine-based Local.com is extending out its products aimed at small and medium sized businesses today, saying it has launched a new product called Exact Match. the firm said the new product adds geo-targeted and optimized keyword advertising; a mobile website; Facebook and Twitter accounts; and increased brand advertising on its display ad network. Local.com did not detail the cost of the new product.

Product 164

Product Advertising Mobile Networking 164

socalTECH

OCTOBER 6, 2011

Irvine-based Kareo , a developer of cloud-based practice management and medical billing software, announced today that it has raised $10M in an equity investment round. The round was led by Greenspring Associates, and also included OpenView Venture Partners, Western Technology Investment, and angel investor Travis Kalanick. Kareo, which was founded by Dan Rodrigues, offers up a software-as-a-service offering aimed at physicians in small practices, and which helps them manage their practice and c

Software 162

Software Equity Sales Invest 162

socalTECH

OCTOBER 5, 2011

Los Angeles-based Factual , the data startup headed by Google AdSense inventor Gil Elbaz, said Wednesday that it has launched a new gallery of apps using data from the service. Factual said its Factual App Gallery showcases the many applications which are using data from the service, including its database of places and businesses. Initial launch partners for the gallery include BiteHunter, Conekta, CrowdSauce, DuckDuckGo, Explore To Yellow Pages, FactualShell, Fwix, Hoppit, JumpZoo, MomentFeed,

Google 160

Google Los Angeles Services Startup 160