Sat.Aug 27, 2011 - Fri.Sep 02, 2011

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Three Factors Which Intoxicate Venture Capitalists - Why Your Startup Will (Probably) Not Raise Venture Capital Funding

InfoChachkie

Randy Churchill and his team at PricewaterhouseCoopers meticulously prepare a quarterly report detailing the venture landscape, called Shaking The Money Tree. The data consistently confirms that: (i) venture capitalists are typically not adventuresome, and (ii) most startups lack the three intoxicating factors which cause venture capitalists to pull out their checkbooks.

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Interview with Gary Bishop, Network Automation

socalTECH

Our profile this morning is with Network Automation , a Los Angeles company competing in the IT automation market. Southern California--despite the lack of huge, name brand firms-- has a significant number of enterprise software companies, of which Network Automation is just one. We spoke with Gary Bishop, the firm's CEO, to learn more about the company.

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Think of your exit as you commit your resources along the way.

Berkonomics

Each decision you make to commit resources affects the future value of the business to some degree. Minor decisions, such as replacing employees who have left the company or equipment needing updating, are usually considered operational in nature, and unless the business is changing direction, not relevant to this analysis. But each commitment of resources of any substantial size for acquisition of new products, talent, even new companies, changes the value of your enterprise perhap

Resource 184
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Intellectual Property Workshop Series

SoCal Tech Calendar

Tuesday, September 6, 2011 -- Intellectual Property Workshop Series. Trade Secret Law: Proprietary Confidentiality Discover what is necessary to maintain your companys proprietary information as a trade secret. Gain an understanding of how to avoid critical mistakes that can result in the loss of one of your most valuable assets to a competitor. Email Ingrid.Goodman@lacdc.org.

Email 124
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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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10 Funding Quotes Every Entrepreneur Should Skip

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 tec

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Ventura Among Top Social Cities, Says Report

socalTECH

An analysis of the most social-media savvy cities, released this week, ranked the City of Ventura as number 4 in its list of cities with the most social companies, based on the social media usage of business people. According to NetProspex, a provider of business contact information, its analysis found that Ventura was fourth out of the top 25 social cities, behind San Francisco, San Jose, and New York.

Ventura 208

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SDGandE's Smart Grid Deployment Plan

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, September 8, 2011 -- SDGandE's Smart Grid Deployment Plan. CommNexus. Join us as the EcoCom SIG assembles are panel of experts and stakeholders to outline the key features of the Smart Grid Deployment Plan, discuss its commercial, industrial, and residential implications, highlight challenges, and answer your questions so that you DO KNOW!

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10 Simple Ways to Maximize Business Plan Impact

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 “ Investors Expect Ten Essentials in a Business Plan.

Writing 104
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X1 Loses Competitor: Google

socalTECH

Pasadena-based X1 Technologies , the developer of desktop search software, has one less competitor: Google , as Google said Friday that it is shutting down its Google Desktop search software project. X1 had been considered a head-to-head competitor with Google's Desktop although X1 had in recent years focused on the enterprise market rather than the consumer.

Google 188
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Get It Delivered With Zipments | Los Angeles Begins Delivery

Tech Zulu Event

A number of web services has popped up in recent years that has helped cater to people with busy lives. Zipments is a web service that connects your delivery needs with couriers in your area. I recently spoke with Laura Pecherski and asked her a few questions about Zipments. What was the motivation to start Zipments and when did you open for business?

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Fall Rush and Networking Event

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, September 8, 2011 -- Fall Rush and Networking Event. ACG OC. Join us for an evening of great networking with OCs premier professionals, including ACG OC Board members and Committee Chairs.

ACG 113
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How You Talk About Competitors Speaks Volumes

Startup Professionals Musings

Every entrepreneur should spend plenty of time thinking about competitors, and how they relate to your business, but you need to be very careful what you say out loud about them to your team, your investors, and your customers. What you say speaks volumes about how you think about your startup, how smart you are, and your personal integrity. I’ve spent hours talking to startup founders, and heard a thousand startup pitches, and I always listen carefully to what is said (or not said) about compet

Startup 102
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Postcard on the Run Turns Mobile Snapshots Into Mail

socalTECH

A new, Los Angeles startup, Postcard on the Run , started by MySpace veteran Josh Brooks, has launched today, allowing users to take a photo with any mobile device, and instantly send it as a real, printed postcard. The firm--headed by Josh Brooks, a former MySpace VP--said it makes it easy to create photo postcards using their mobile phone, existing photos, or photos posted on Facebook, automatically handling printing, postage, and delivery of those cards to friends.

Mobile 187
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Los Angeles Startup Weekend August 2011 | The Complete Breakdown

Tech Zulu Event

Wow. What a weekend! Coming hot off the coat tail of earlier this year’s Startup Weekend LA where Zaarly launched, this LASW was nothing less than amazing and as someone put, one of the best tech events in LA they had ever been to. When tickets went on sale over a month ago, we expected the regular ticket sales cycle, however we were more than surprised when Startup Weekend LA sold out in 6 hours!

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The Golden Age of Mobile Wireless

SoCal Tech Calendar

Wednesday, September 7, 2011 -- The Golden Age of Mobile Wireless. CommNexus. The wireless industry is experiencing a period of rapid change due to an explosion of mobile wireless data traffic. This growth in data services is driving the need for additional bandwidth, leading to the proliferation of frequency bands and the need for improvements in spectral efficiency.

Mobile 113
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7 Reasons For Your Startup to Skip Stealth Mode

Startup Professionals Musings

Every time I hear about a new startup that is in stealth mode, I wonder what problem they are hiding from whom. Of course they pretend that they are trying to avoid alerting competitors prior to launch, but too often it becomes an excuse to move slowly in a world that’s all about getting to market fast. I believe stealth makes sense for large companies who can be sued for “pre-announcing” a new product to stall the market or kill a competitor.

Startup 101
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Paragon Software Deploys Into Space

socalTECH

Irvine-based Paragon Software Group , the developer of backup and disaster recovery software, reports today that the firm's software is now orbiting the Earth on the International Space Station. According to Paragon, the firm's software had been selected by NASA prime bioastronautics contractor Wyle, to serve as the primary backup and recovery software for an ultrasound system which was launched on Atlantis in July.

Software 180
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There are three kinds of business buyers.

Berkonomics

This is one of my favorite insights, since I lived this one in a positive exit from my computer business. Most people will tell you that there are two kinds of eventual buyers for your business: financial and strategic. A financial buyer will analyze your numbers, past and forecast, to the n’th degree, and calculate the price based upon the result, after carefully comparing your numbers with those of others in the same and similar industries.

Sales 220
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Global LAVA

SoCal Tech Calendar

Friday, September 2, 2011 -- Global LAVA. Whats Next? We are delighted to announce our guest-speaker James R. Barth, a Senior Fellow at the Milken Institute who will share with us his observations on the domestic and global capital markets and how it will affect entrepreneurial activity and businesses here in South California. As usually, our session will be highly interactive so dont be shy to ask questions that you meant to ask for probably a long time!

LAVA 113
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How Much is Your Million Dollar Idea Really Worth?

Startup Professionals Musings

A popular approach for aspiring entrepreneurs these days seems to be to corner anyone who will listen, with a pitch on their current “million dollar idea.” The initial monologue usually ends with the question “How much money do you think this is worth?” In my humble opinion, ideas are a commodity, and are really not worth much, outside the context of a visionary leader and a plan.

Ideas 98
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Savings.com Launches Community Forums, Badges

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Savings.com , the online coupon and deals site headed by Loren Bendele, has rolled out two new features today, aimed at boosting the social aspects of the site. Savings.com said it has launched a new, community forum, which will allow users to discuss topics around saving money, and to share deals. In addition, the company said that it will award "badges" for contributions made to the site, for adding a deal, interacting with others, or making comments.

Sites 176
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Guerilla Marketing Fail – What I Learned From The Austin Police

InfoChachkie

Acrobatic ninjas, the Austin Police and several livid tradeshow executives – a perfect recipe for a reality television show, but not a great combination for Seth Epstein’s startup, Social Stay. Seth discusses below what happened in Austin when he tried to rock the largest hospitality tradeshow of the year and what he learned from this humorous, but stressful experience.

Marketing 230
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Mergers and Acquisitions in a Changing Economic Environment

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, September 8, 2011 -- Mergers and Acquisitions in a Changing Economic Environment. CONNECT. Despite continuing high unemployment, debt overhang and potential regulatory and fiscal changes, opportunities for acquiring or selling a company still exist. In order to successfully navigate an MandA transaction in this economic environment, it is critical that buyers and sellers have the insight to optimize results and be adequately prepared to address questions and issues throughout the trans

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Every Entrepreneur Needs to Embrace Team Conflict

Startup Professionals Musings

Many entrepreneurs are not prepared for conflict, or actively avoid it. Their vision, passion, and focus are so strong that they can’t imagine someone disagreeing, much less fighting them to the death. But the reality is that startups are composed of smart people, with emotions as well as intellects, working in close proximity under much pressure, so conflicts will occur.

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Row 44 Inks In-Flight, MLB Streaming Deal

socalTECH

Westlake Village-based Row 44 , the supplier of in-flight entertainment and broadband equipment to the airline industry, said Tuesday that it has partnered with MLB Advanced Media , to deliver live streaming video and audio in-flight. Row 44 said the deal will make Major League Baseball video and audio to commercial airline customers who are using the company's In-Flight Broadband Entertainment Platform.

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The Problem with Collecting Logos at Startups

Both Sides of the Table

Collecting logos. It seems to be all the fad in the startup and VC world these days. VCs are paying up at enormous prices to say that they have GroupOn, Facebook and Twitter on their roster irrespective of whether they really venture funded them or bought in late stage. And entrepreneurs are working hard to make sure they have as many VC names and famous angels on their cap table for signaling value.

Startup 312
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Learn How To Avoid The Money Pitfalls Of Inventing and Sell Your Ideas

SoCal Tech Calendar

Wednesday, September 7, 2011 -- Learn How To Avoid The Money Pitfalls Of Inventing and Sell Your Ideas. Inventors Alliance. Speaker: Amy Wenslow - Produts To Profits CEO and Founder- Topic: Avoiding The Money Pitfalls Of Inventing - While Getting the Cash Register Ringing. See.

Ideas 100
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How to Score on the Entrepreneur Likability Scale

Startup Professionals Musings

You don’t have to be likeable to everyone to be a great entrepreneur, just to the people who count. Of course, we can all point to apparent exceptions, like Ted Turner or Larry Ellison, who are sometimes seen as lions, downright predators, or even jerks. Yet I’m told that even these guys are considered quite likable by an intimate group of business and personal associates.

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QAD Partners With Tugboat For Software Configuration Management

socalTECH

Santa Barbara-based QAD , the developer of manufacturing resource planning software, said today that it has partnered with Tugboat Software to offer up software configuration management (SCM) to its customers. Terms of the partnership were not disclosed. QAD said the addition of software configuration management to its offerings will help its customers with controlling their internal IT systems and meeting compliance requirements.

Software 172
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AnyMeeting Makes Webinars Pay

socalTECH

Huntington Beach-based AnyMeeting , the free, online web conferencing and webinar service run by Costin Tuculescu, has launched a new feature which allows anyone to sell tickets to their webinars. The service said that it has integrated PayPal to allow any user to sell tickets to their online webinars, with the ability to sell tickets to both live and recorded webinars.

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ValueClick Completes Dotomi Buy

socalTECH

Westlake Village-based ValueClick said Wednesday that it has completed its acquisition of Dotomi , the provider of dynamic display advertising technology. ValueClick said it paid 7.1 million in share so fits common stock, assumption of 0.5 million fully vested stock options, and $148M in cash. ValueClick had announced the acquisition earlier this month, saying it would be worth $295M.

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EdgeCast Joins Google, Others On DNS Effort

socalTECH

Santa Monica-based content deliver network provider EdgeCast Networks said today that it has joined with OpenDNS and Google, as well as a number of other CDNs, to speed up the handling of domain name system (DNS) request on the Internet. According to EdgeCast, the support for the new standard--which embeds a portion of a user's IP address into DNS requests--will help speed up Internet access for users.

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Telcentris Boosts Sales Team

socalTECH

San Diego-based Telcentris , the operator of the VoxOx and VoxOx in Business voice-over-IP services, said last week that it has bolstered its sales team, hiring a new VP of Wholesale Sales. The firm said it has hired Mark Peterson to the new position, to drive its wholesale growth strategy. Peterson reports to Tad Nikolich, VP of Business Sales for Telcentris.

Sales 162
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Kurion Sees Progress At Fukushima

socalTECH

Irvine-based Kurion , a startup which has been commercializing nuclear cleanup technology which is venture backed by Lux Capital and Firelake Capital Management, reported today that its technology has helped to drop cesium levels in the contaminated water at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant by more than 40 percent since June. The firm--which spun out of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and set up shop in Irvine in December of 2010--said its Kurion Ion Specific Media System has been working as part o

Report 162
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SolarWorld Chops Camarillo Jobs

socalTECH

SolarWorld AG , a German solar panel manufacturer which operates a production facility in Camarillo, California, said today that it is shutting down its manufacturing operations in Camarillo, and moving them to Hillsboro, Oregon. According to the company, the move was made to "expand and modernize" its production capacity. The firm did not say what the effect on local employment will be, however, it said it will retain and "further strengthen" the sales and distribution unit in Camarillo.

Web 159
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Capital Exchange Acquired By Revolution Capital Group

socalTECH

Valencia-based Capital Exchange , an online community site focused on the financial community, has been acquired by Los Angeles private equity firm Revolution Capital Group , Revolution Capital said today. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The Capital Exchange provides networking for investment banks, private equity firms, hedge funds, M&A professionals, and lending institutions.

Capital 159