Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2013

'For much of 2013 I watched the press write articles about how the YouTube “MCNs” (multi-channel networks) were doomed and tried to square that with the data I was watching at the one I invested in, Maker Studios, who has had one hell of a year. Maker announced it has raised $62 million this year, acquired an amazing off-YouTube distribution network and grown its business in monetary terms by almost 300% year-over-year off of an already large base.

Networking 366

Networking Media Content Customer 366

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

'A version of this article previously appeared on Forbes. The six words, which I believe encompass the key characteristics of a successful, serial entrepreneur, are: Fervent, Wily, Selfless, Optimistically Pessimistic and Self-aware. At first glance, it may appear that a number of commonly assumed attributes are missing from my list. For instance, Alan Hall cataloged 27 entrepreneurial traits in THIS Forbes article.

Resource 241

Resource Entrepreneur Training Startup 241

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 18, 2013

'Santa Monica startup Amp , led by Sarah McKinney, has launched its service into beta, saying that it is looking to help students and professionals find information on sustainability resources. According to the startup, it lets users discover resource around environmental and social progress, allowing for discovery, ratings, and reviews of everything from news sources, to conferences, and more in the areas of environmental and social areas.

Guide 236

Guide Santa Monica Resource Conference 236

Berkonomics

SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

'Not all companies are successful. The end game can be a failure of the business. In fact, many angel investors or venture capitalists look for and respect the lessons learned by entrepreneurs that have survived a failed business. The key question is how did the entrepreneur fail? And then: What lessons were learned from the failure? One VC calls this entrepreneur one who “has seen the movie before” and spends time questioning the entrepreneur on lessons learned, often praising the person for

Resource 204

Resource Entrepreneur Venture Capital Email 204

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

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

'In my last post I pointed out that many of the media commentators who have criticized the YouTube video network companies as not having strong businesses were mistaken. The main thrust of the post is that with YouTube taking a 45% of revenue and talent taking 70% of the remaining revenue, YouTube Networks didn’t have sustainable businesses unless they invested heavily in technology as a tool to increase margin and provide defensibility.

Company 339

Company Companies Technical Review Content 339

Technology Council

SEPTEMBER 18, 2013

'By Charles J. Curto, Managing Principal of Tech Coast Equity Group. At a meeting of the Technology Council’s Entrepreneur Society, Brad Leggett, CEO of the sales performance consulting firm The Leggett Group, presented Keys to Winning Sales Teams. Below are some of the key take-aways from his presentation. Brad advocates viewing the challenge of building and […].

Sales 133

Sales Equity Entrepreneur Technology 133

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

'All true entrepreneurs operate off a set of tenets that are built into their psyche, or drilled into them from training and mentors. These are represented by sayings like “You never get anywhere unless you take a chance” and “Passion and persistence are the keys to success,” Unfortunately, there are still other old, reliable tenets that don’t work anymore.

Entrepreneur 103

Entrepreneur Design Ideas Custom 103

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

'Six months ago Upfront Ventures announced its first Partner hire since 2007 – Greg Bettinelli. I wrote about him here. More importantly, he has just announced his first investment – he led a $7 million investment in Deliv – please read about it on Greg’s spiffy new blog. It’s been a really exciting time for me personally to be able to see a partner come in with the energy, enthusiasm and new ideas that remind me of myself 6 years ago.

Startup 331

Startup Competition Examples Invest 331

Technology Council

SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

'By Catrina Luedtke, Executive Director of Technology Council of Southern California The Technology Council has partnered with the Software and Information Industry Association to help provide our members with greater national and global exposure. Periodically we will share information about opportunities from SIIA that may be of value to you and your company.

Technology Council 124

Technology Council Southern California Marketing Software 124

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

'Los Angeles-based online ad serving technology provider OpenX said late Friday that it has sold of all of its interest in its legacy, open source ad serving product, OpenX Source, back to one of the software''s original developers. OpenX said it sold its interest in OpenX Source to a team led by Andrew Hill, one of the original developers of the ad serving code.

OpenX 208

OpenX Develop Development Software 208

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 18, 2013

'Marketing your startup can be one of the most daunting tasks an entrepreneur faces on their journey to world domination. Let’s face it– between finalizing your product for launch and working with developers to get the site or app up (or maybe you are a developer yourself), a marketing strategy, big or small, can feel like a bad hangover the same morning you need to go into work.

Guide 105

Guide Startup Marketing Template 105

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

'An underutilized, but valuable resource, every startup should investigate is a formal or informal connection to your alma mater, including any local university. These resources are definitely not limited to students, since every university seeks out and needs the real world exposure and experience of entrepreneurs who already are active in the real world marketplace.

Startup 95

Startup Incubator Resource Mentor 95

Technology Council

SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

By Catrina Luedtke, Executive Director of Technology Council of Southern California The Technology Council has partnered with the Software and Information Industry Association to help provide our members with greater national and global exposure. Periodically we will share information about opportunities from SIIA that may be of value to you and your company.

Technology Council 100

Technology Council Southern California Software Technology 100

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

'Glendale-based Disney Publishing Worldwide , the publishing arm of Walt Disney, is expanding into Android storybook applications, the company announced today. Disney said it has launched a line of Disney-themed storytelling applications which work on Android smartphones and tablets--the first for the publisher. Disney said the titles are based on Disney''s franchise, including Mickey Mouse, Minne Mouse, and Disney Princess themed story books and activity apps.

Glendale 194

Glendale Content Mobile Activity 194

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

'Regulations can be suffocating. Used in the wrong way they might accidentally “ Napster ” a nascent industry. Thankfully, the California Public Utilities Commission realized the value of the mobile-based sharing economy by voting to legitimize the rideshare industry statewide. As Liz Gannes of All Things D reports : The California Public Utilities Commission today approved a decision to legitimize for-profit ride-sharing companies.

Company 92

Company Companies Ideas Mobile 92

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 18, 2013

'Businesses always seem to take longer to succeed than an entrepreneur expects. Seth Godin once said that overnight success in startups takes about six years, and Seth is an optimist. Thus we all look for shortcuts. Execution shortcuts would be hidden strategies to achieve the endgame sooner, without losing 40 to 60 percent of the financial potential along the way.

Entrepreneur 94

Entrepreneur Ideas Startup Demand 94

Technology Council

SEPTEMBER 18, 2013

By Charles J. Curto, Managing Principal of Tech Coast Equity Group. At a meeting of the Technology Council’s Entrepreneur Society, Brad Leggett, CEO of the sales performance consulting firm The Leggett Group, presented Keys to Winning Sales Teams. Below are some of the key take-aways from his presentation. Brad advocates viewing the challenge of building and […].

Sales 100

Sales Equity Entrepreneur Technology 100

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

'Hamet Watt is a longtime serial entrepreneur, who just recently join LA''s Upfront Ventures (www.upfront.com) as a Venture Partner. Hamet was previously co-founder at bLife and MoviePass, founded NextMedium, and was Entrepreneur-in-Residence with True Ventures, among other experience. We thought we''d catch up with Hamet to learn about his new position over at Upfront, and what he''s working on--plus how entrepreneurs ought to understand that success is not a straight line.

Entrepreneur 191

Entrepreneur Startup Metrics Capital 191

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

'Wearable video camera firm, VIEVU , has started an Indiegogo campaign to release a new compact, feature rich, hands free, HD live streaming wearable camera dubbed VIEVU 2 (V?V? Squared). Ships this November. Expected to commercially ship this November, VIEVU 2 is the first wearable Wi-Fi video camera. It is designed for ”Prosumers”/professional workforce, and is rugged and waterproof with military grade casing.

Design 84

Design Technology Demand Resource 84

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

'Even though the world is getting smaller, due to easy global connectivity, people still feel alone if not well-connected locally. There is also more going on in every location, so this personal need and super sensitivity to the local community has spawned a new breed of Internet startups, called “hyperlocal.” The term first appeared at least five years ago, but the model is now very common.

Sites 84

Sites Content Sales Startup 84

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 18, 2013

'Los Angeles-based video crowdsourcing site Tongal is making a big move into feature films, saying yesterday that it has begun crowdsourcing a documentary, feature film on the site. The company--which has had a lot of success using its crowdsourcing process and technology for commercials--said it has launched the documentary feature film effort in partnership with Spitfire PIctures, the company behind such films as Undefeated, Foo Fighters: Back and Forth, and Martin Scorsese''s music documentar

Hollywood 189

Hollywood Sites Google Content 189

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 18, 2013

'Los Angeles-based streaming television site Hulu has just injected a huge amount of content into the service, including Doctor Who , Top Gear , Falty Towers , and much more. According to Hulu, it will begin carrying a very long list of BBC titles on Hulu Plus. Hulu will be rolling out the titles over the coming weeks, starting today with more than 170 episodes of the Doctor Who series.

Hulu 185

Hulu Los Angeles Content Sites 185

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

'Ever wish you could get a look at what your neighbor is doing with that expensive home remodeling product? A new, local startup, Porch , has just launched to let you peek over the fence at your neighbor''s home improvement projects--and also let you see what they spent, who they used, and before and after pictures. The new startup--which is split between San Diego and Seattle--said it is looking to help organize the information about home improvement projects, plus also help homeowners to find

San Diego 185

San Diego Seed Funding Organization Startup 185

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

'Santa Monica-based social analytics software developer MomentFeed announced this week that it has been accepted into the Facebook Preferred Marketing Developer (PMD) Program, Facebook''s program for linking with companies who develop technologies in the advertising, page management, social integration, and tool areas for the social networking site.

Develop 183

Develop Development Marketing Santa Monica 183

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 18, 2013

'San Diego-based online music service Slacker jumped on the release of iOS 7 today, saying it has launched a new mobile app specifically designed for the Apple iOS upgrade. Slacker said the new app includes a new "My Vibe" feature which matches a user''s mood and activity to hundreds of playlists; and a new interface specifically streamlined for iOS 7.

San Diego 168

San Diego Mobile Activity Design 168

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 18, 2013

'Los Angeles-based venture capital investor Karlin Ventures is the lead investor in mobile advertising firm StrikeAd. StrikeAd, which is based in New York City, said it raised $7M in a funding round, which was led by Karlin Ventures, and also included DFJ Esprit, Softech VC and Siemer Ventures, along with Canyon Creek Capital and Scentan Ventures. Karlin''s investment into StrikeAd was led by TX Zhuo.

Venture Capital 166

Venture Capital Invest Advertising Los Angeles 166

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

'San Diego-based Apmetrix , which provides software for video game and mobile game analytics, said Friday that it has raised a round of funding. Size of the funding was not disclosed. The round came from Analytics Ventures, La Costa Investment Group, and KI Investment Holdings. The company is headed by Lee Jacobson, and says it has developed a set of analytics tools that help its clients developing video games and mobile apps, and uses push notifications and rewards to automatically engage and r

Mobile 164

Mobile Invest San Diego Venture Capital 164

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

'Online shopping site JustFab , which just acquired ShoeDazzle , has just opened up its first, retail location, at the Glendale Galleria. The new store is the first foray by the online retailer into the traditional, retail world. The new, 3,000 square foot retail store includes many online features tied into the fashion retailer''s website. JustFab is based in El Segundo.

Glendale 159

Glendale El Segundo Sites 159

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 18, 2013

'The U.S. Department of Energy is looking to unload the loan obligations of beleagured Fisker Auto --if it can manage to find any willing buyers. The Department of Energy announced today that it was auctioning off the remainder of the $192 million loan it provided to Fisker Automotive through the department''s auto loan efforts, after "any realistic possibility for a sale that might have protected our entire investment.

Startup 157

Startup Sales Funding Invest 157

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 18, 2013

'Santa Monica-based online matchmaking site eHarmony is continuing its big marketing push, saying this morning that it will be featuring a float for the 2014 Rose Parade. eHarmony--which is in the midst of a big marketing and advertising push--said that its float will feature musician Natalie Cole. eHarmony founder Dr. Neil Clark Warren lives in Pasadena, and eHarmony was founded in the city.

eHarmony 157

eHarmony Santa Monica Pasadena Advertising 157

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

'In a resurgence of life from Southern California''s clean technology industry, Burbank-based eSolar announced this morning that it has raised $22M more in a funding round. According to the solar thermal power technology developer, the funding tranche came from Oak Investment Partners. eSolar said it will use the new funding to expand into the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, as well as development of its next generation technology. eSolar is currently working on molten salt-based, co

Burbank 153

Burbank Southern California Demand Technology 153

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

'Los Angeles, which has become a hotbed for the expansion plans of many, peer-to-peer and smartphone-enabled services in the past year, is the latest market for OneFineStay , an online marketplace for vacation rentals. Los Angeles is the second, U.S. market for the London-based startup, which also runs its marketplace in New York, London, and Paris.

Los Angeles 153

Los Angeles Angel Marketing Services 153

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

'Santa Monica-based text and voice API provider CallFire has launched a new platform, saying that it now has over 200,000 users using its platform. According to the company, which is led by Dinesh Ravishanker, the new updates include an improved UI and navigation, and new developer tools. CallFire offers up a cloud-based platform to create voice-based applications, including interactive voice response (IVR) apps, business text messaging applications, voice broadcasting, and more.

Platform 153

Platform Santa Monica Tool Mobile 153

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

'San Diego-based renewable energy developer EDF Renewable Energy reported last week that it has inked a deal with wind turbine provider Vestas , for up to 750 MW of wind turbine generators. Financial impact of the deal was not disclosed. EDF Renewable Energy said the turbines will be used in multiple, U.S. projects beginning construction in 2013. READ MORE>>.

San Diego 153

San Diego Report Develop Development 153

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

'Santa Monica-based videogame maker Activision Blizzard said late Friday evening that it has syndicated a new, $@.5 billion term loan, to help fund the company''s split from Vivendi. Activision Blizzard said the funding, plus cash on hand, is going towards its payments to separate itself from Vivendi S.A., and come in conjunctin with another $2.25M in unsecured notes.

Activision 153

Activision Santa Monica Acquisition Funding 153

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

'Los Angeles-based Wi-Fi network operator Boingo WIreless said Thursday that it has acquired Advanced Wireless Group , a provider of Wi-Fi access to airports in the United States. Financial terms of the buy were not announced. According to Boingo Wireless, Advanced Wireless Group (AWG) is the second largest airport Wi-Fi provider in the US, operating seventeen public Wi-Fi networks at U.S> airports.

Los Angeles 147

Los Angeles Networking Acquisition Angel 147