Sat.Apr 14, 2012 - Fri.Apr 20, 2012

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Don’t Try to “Pull an Instagram.” Here’s Why …

Both Sides of the Table

Instagram. It’s understandably on everybody’s mind these days. Clichés abound about, “You know what would be cool? …” I’ll write soon on my views of why I believe Instagram took off as a social network and what I think comes next. Instagram happens to be one of the few social networks I regularly use along with Twitter.

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CTO Salary and Equity Trends 2009-2011

SoCal CTO

Todd Gitlin of Safire Partners - a go to resource here in LA for recruiting C-level positions at startups - was nice enough to compile some data again this year (see last year's Startup CTO Salary and Equity Data ). Even better, my good friend and data visualization guru Steve Wexler of Data Revelations was able to create visualizations of the data.

CTO Hire 294
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Steve Blank Discusses The Origin And Future Of The Lean Startup Movement

InfoChachkie

Article first published as Steve Blank Discusses Origin And Future Of Lean Startup Movement on Technorati. I recently spoke with Steve Blank, author of the new book The Startup Owner’s Manual. Steve is also a Stanford Professor and noted marketing entrepreneur. He is credited with pioneering the Lean Startup Movement in 2005 via the publication of his bestselling, Four Steps To The Epiphany.

Startup 229
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Edmunds.com Adds Live Chat Feature

socalTECH

Santa Monica-based Edmunds.com , the online auto information web site, said this morning that it has enhanced its site, adding a new online chat feature on the site. Edmunds.com said the online chat allows participating dealers on the site to answer questions about inventory, pricing, and to gain other information about new and used vehicles. Edmunds.com said it is tapping Contact At Once!

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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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Some Thoughts on Branding Startups and Communities

Both Sides of the Table

Brad Feld visited Los Angeles this past week. I always enjoy spending time with Brad as the antidote to the eco chamber. He is a unique human being with original thoughts & ideas and very limited concern for having to fit into other people’s narratives. And I’ve always remembered a quote from high school, “Non Conformity is the Highest Form of Social Attainment.” That always stuck with me.

Startup 304
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How much information do you give to investors?

Berkonomics

There is a natural fear of giving too much information to investors after the initial investment is received. CEO’s worry that investors will not keep the information confidential and that financial data will find its way into competitors’ hands. Others worry that investors will latch onto individual line items within financial data and engage in inquisitions regarding telephone bills, marketing costs and other tactical line items in detailed financial statements.

Class 202

More Trending

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Southern California Bucks VC Trend, As Firms Raise $924.13M In Q1

socalTECH

The latest numbers from the MoneyTree Report from PricewaterhouseCoopers, The National Venture Capital Association, and Thomson Reuters have tallied up just under a billion dollars in venture capital investments in the Southern California region in Q1 of this year, a very significant uptick from Q2 of 2011. Southern California's investment totals bucked a downward national trend in venture capital investing.

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SMWCon Spring 2012: Play with Data

SoCal Tech Calendar

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 -- SMWCon Spring 2012: Play with Data. Semantic MediaWiki Conference (SMWCon) brings developers, users and organizations around the world together to share knowledge about social semantic web technologies in a semantic wiki. It has tutorials, presentations, demos and discussions for new and seasoned developers, researchers and data analysts, business managers and sales marketers, come to join us to play with data and share knowledge!

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Be careful how you define your competition.

Berkonomics

Professional investors laugh when they hear an entrepreneur state, “We have no competition.” That statement has killed more investment deals than almost any other. It is a failed litmus test for the entrepreneur, even if the plan is for a totally new device or service that could take the world by storm. Well, come to think of it, this is especially true in such an instance.

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Keep It Down Up There | The Canadian Tech Scene in Toronto

Tech Zulu Event

When we think of our neighbors to the North in Canada, we think of bountiful natural resources, open land, and flannel shirts; we don’t necessarily think of tech. The major cities are dominated by industries such as oil, resource exporting, and politics. With the latest in RIMs downward spiral, Canada should be expected to leave this industry to the Valley.

Startup 109
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Curbsy Launches iPhone Food Ordering App

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based startup Curbsy said Friday that it has launched a new, photo-driven food ordering app for the iPhone, West LA Takeaway. The startup said the app very specifically aimed at consumers on the west side of Los Angeles--will let consumers order from favorite area restaurants, view dishes, browser user reviews, and order for takeout or delivery.

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Southern California Venture Network General Mixer

SoCal Tech Calendar

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 -- Southern California Venture Network General Mixer. Meet and mix with other professionals at southern California's premier emerging growth company focused organization. Hors d'oeuvres and cash bar. Sponsorship and tabletop opportunities available for qualified companies. Email bruce.wilson@cox.net.

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10 Smart Risks That Every Business Should Seek Out

Startup Professionals Musings

Being a risk taker in business is not the same as being reckless. Nevertheless, the word “risk” has a negative connotation to most of us, implying danger and possible loss. For true entrepreneurs, risk is viewed as a positive, with its implied challenge to overcome the unknown and hitting the big return. In fact, risk is an integral part of life, as well as every business, yet so few people learn to manage it properly, or even want to think about it.

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Punchcard | Rewarding Loyal and Providing Incentives

Tech Zulu Event

Customer loyalty, one of those seemingly innocuous facets of both large and small scale businesses that can be easily overlooked, but generally understood as ultra important to how well a business thrives. You’ve taken care of the 1) product, 2) marketing, 3) overall experience (to garner positive reviews), but then what? How do you guarantee a simply favorable review versus a regularly returning loyal customer?

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Zillow Plans Jobs, New Office In Orange County

socalTECH

Real estate website Zillow , known for its "Zillow Zestimate" home valuation tool and other related real estate services, is planning to open a new office in Orange County, and also plans to ramp up hiring in the new office. According to Zillow, it plans to open a new office at 2600 Michelson Dr. later this summer, where it will be hiring sales people with experience in Internet marketing and software.

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Workforce Development, Bioscience Alliance

SoCal Tech Calendar

Monday, April 23, 2012 -- Workforce Development Interest Group (WDIG) Meeting. Bio Science Alliance. WDIG seeks to work closely with the 101 Corridor life science industry to identify its short and long term technical and management needs; convey those critical needs to the region's educational institutions, who can then develop courses and programs to develop the skills to meet the needs of the 101 Corridor life science industry in the coming years.

Develop 113
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Entrepreneurs Have to Move Fast or Get Run Over

Startup Professionals Musings

In today’s business startup environment, if you don’t move fast, you get run over. Without a sense of urgency, people and businesses just can’t move fast enough. Speed is the driver because customers have a zero tolerance for waiting, and there are always competitors gaining on you. John P. Kotter in his book, " A Sense of Urgency ," delves into the how-to required of entrepreneurs on that first step, avoiding pitfalls along the way.

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Tupac Brought Back to Life Thanks to Hologram Technology

Tech Zulu Event

For those that didn’t make it out to this year’s first Coachella weekend get ready for you mind to be blown. Thanks hologramic technology of which we’ve only seen like this in Star Trek or Science Fiction movies, we got to enjoy Tupac being back for one night. On Sunday evening the late Tupac Shakur rose from the stage to join Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg for his hits, “Hail Mary” and “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted.” #TupacBACK #unbelievable #IWASTHERE #STORY4myGr

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The Search Agency Opens Office In San Francisco

socalTECH

Search optimization and marketing firm The Search Agency , which is based in Los Angeles, said todsay that it has expanded its operations and has opened up a new San Francisco client service office. The company said the new office will help support its Bay Area client base, plus provide it with local access to agency representatives at Google and Yahoo.

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Tech Coast Angels Open Forum

SoCal Tech Calendar

Monday, April 23, 2012 -- Tech Coast Angels Open Forum. Listen to Angels, Investors, Venture Capitalists and Catalysts and what they have to say about investing and being investor ready. Pitch your business, idea or concept through live video feed and hear feedback from industry veterans. Ask questions and learn. Do you have a business idea you want to pitch via live video?

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6 Key Actions to Keep Your Startup From Thrashing

Startup Professionals Musings

Successful startups are all about turning ideas into action quickly and efficiently. These actions must be the hard part, since entrepreneurs always seem to come to me with ideas, and ask me for help on the actions. That has always seemed strange to me, since the magic is supposed to be in the ideas, and the actions are the same for every business. In fact, the actions required to start and run a business are well documented, the subject of many books, and taught in college courses across the la

Startup 96
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Creator…Know Thine Users! | Making Apps the Markets Want

Tech Zulu Event

So far, I’ve covered how to decide which type of app you’re looking to create and how to use your market research to decide what features you want your app to have. The next phase in making a great app is the creation of solid User Stories. Part of this will help you continue defining your feature-set, but it will also help you know what sort of brand you need to create and how you’ll eventually market your application to those users.

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DinnerDate.com Launches Group Dating Service In San Diego

socalTECH

Are you single, but really hate setting up those one-on-one dates? Wish there were a more relaxed way to meet people? That's the idea behind DinnerDate.com , a new service which looks to connect singles with others in informal, group dinner dates. The startup recently launched a beta of its service in San Diego, hoping to allow local singles to meet each other in a group environment over food and drink.

San Diego 194
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LADOTNET

SoCal Tech Calendar

Monday, April 23, 2012 -- 3Ps (Principle, Patterns, and Performance) with Chander Dhall. LADOTNET Special Event. This talk incorporates S.O.L.I.D. principles, commonly used and misused patterns, and gives an insight into both C# and website performance. Emphasis is on writing highly modular, scalable, high-performing enterprise software. In this talk you will learn how to use common patterns and principles in real-world scenarios.

Writing 113
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Lessons For Entrepreneurs on How to Accomplish More

Startup Professionals Musings

The universal challenge of every startup founder is to get everything done that needs to get done, and still have a life. Even outside of business, everyone wants to accomplish more, while working less. I’ve been a student of these techniques for some time, but recently I saw a great summary that seems to pull all the key principles together. Stever Robbins, known on the Internet as the Get-It-Done Guy, outlines his strategies in his book “ 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More.

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Hands-On with Nokia’s Lumia 900 and Windows Phone 7

Tech Zulu Event

For the past week, I’ve been graced by the mobile-Gods with the new Nokia flagship cellphone, the Lumia 900. My immediate impression was, “what the heck is it with this awful blue color?” I also wasn’t expecting much, if anything, from the Windows Phone 7 (WP7) platform in terms of available apps in their marketplace. The Hardware.

Google 77
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2tor Gets $10M Line Of Credit

socalTECH

2tor , the provider of online, graduate program and courses which has strong links to the University of Southern California , has scored a $10M revolving line of credit, the firm said today. According to 2tor, the credit line comes from Comerica Bank, and will be used to fund growth and its strategic initiatives. 2tor--which maintains an office in Los Angeles near USC--is venture backed by The Hillman Company, SVB Capital, WestRiver Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Highland Capital, Redpoint

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Digital Kids Conference

SoCal Tech Calendar

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 -- Digital Kids Conference. Now in our 6th year, Digital Kids Conference (formerly Engage!) 2012 takes place April 25-26, 2012 in Los Angeles, CA. Digital Kids provides companies the critical information they need to reach digital kids and connected youth through online and mobile technologies. Coverage will include social games, mobile and tablet apps, virtual worlds, social media and marketing and more.

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Early Predictors of Long-Term Survival for Startups

Startup Professionals Musings

I’m always looking for evidence of early startup characteristics that might be predictors of long-term success. Every investor has his own list, usually based on his own very small sample, or simply his gut feeling. Of course, we would all like to have a magic list based on more definitive tracking of many real startups over time. In that context, I recently came across an old study of 27 startups featured in Inc’s annual “Anatomies of a Start-up,” done for “The Journal of Business Venturing,” a

Startup 99
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Banjo Hits 1 Million Users | Aims to Claim Social Discovery

Tech Zulu Event

Mobile social discovery is all the rage as evidenced by the early success of apps like Banjo , which achieved an astounding 500,000 downloads in its first six months alone. Apparently the momentum is continuing. Earlier this week, Banjo announced it doubled its users in the last three months. For those of you who don’t do math, that’s one million people using Banjo in just nine months since launch.

News 77
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X1 Discovery Hits The Cloud

socalTECH

Pasadena-based X1 Discovery , the electronic discovery offshoot of X1 and Idealab, reported Tuesday that it has launched a fully cloud-deployable version of its software. The firm said the new X1 Rapid Discovery search product can be deployed anywhere in the cloud "within minutes", including deploying through Amazon Web Services. X1 Discovery said the new product, X1RD, is a "sister product" to the firm's more traditional, software installed X1 Social Discovery application.

Idealab 182
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Engage! 2012

SoCal Tech Calendar

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 -- Engage! 2012. Engage!, the leading event on digital kids and youth, April 25-26, 2012. Engage! provides attendees the critical information to reach kids and youth through digital technologies.

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10 Ways That Entrepreneurs Need to be More Open

Startup Professionals Musings

The emergence of social networking and the Internet has caused a new focus and value on “openness,” which leads to a new element of leadership, called “Open Leadership.” The mantra of open leadership is “Be Open, Be Transparent, and Be Authentic.” This is counter to the traditional business premise of “control,” so many companies are still pushing back.

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Join Us At Variety 2012 Venture Capital & New Media Summit

Tech Zulu Event

You all remember that one summit, you know the one where Kate Middleton and Prince William attended. Yup That’s the one! TechZulu is proud to announce that we are a sponsor of the Variety 2012 Venture Capital & New Media Summit and will be there in full force bringing you all the action. Variety is pleased to announce the return of its Venture Capital and New Media Summit on June 27 at the Sofitel Hotel in Los Angeles.

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HomeMint, with Justin Timberlake, Takes On Home Fashion

socalTECH

Santa Monica-based BeachMint , the social commerce firm headed by Josh Berman, has launched yet another celebrity e-commerce site--this time, HomeMint.com , a home fashions site launched in conjunction with Justin Timberlake and interior designer Estee Stanley. According to BeachMint, the new HomeMint site will offer up curated home goods and accessories, plus art and photography.

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The Next Big Thing in Computing and Energy

SoCal Tech Calendar

Wednesday, April 18, 2012 -- The Next Big Thing in Computing and Energy. San Diego MIT Enterprise Forum. Special presentation with guest Tom Simonite. What would make your home smarter? How much money could you save if you were more energy efficient? What has to happen before you are willing to live a greener, more energy efficient lifestyle? These and other questions will be explored at this special program that looks at the convergence of computing and energy as a means to a greener future.