Sat.Aug 25, 2012 - Fri.Aug 31, 2012

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How Much Information Should you Give VCs for Due Diligence?

Both Sides of the Table

This is a hot topic I’ve been asked a lot about recently. You’re on a first date with a VC – how much should you tell them? You’re heading into a full partner meeting and you’ve been asked for a full data pack before – should you give it? When is it appropriate for a VC to call your customers? There is no universal answer and my discussions with various VCs on these topics have yielded many differing opinions.

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Fliptu Bolsters Artists, Celebrities

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Fliptu , the social media promotion startup headed by Jeremy Gocke, says it has started to line up a significant number of artists, bands, celebrities, and lifestyle brands for its service today. The service--which is still in beta--said it has added 50 high profile artists, brands, celebrities, and lifestyle brands reaching over 75 million fans and followers.

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Diva Startup Tips: @LadyGaga, @JLo, @Cher, @KatyPerry, @MariahCarey & @NickiMinaj

InfoChachkie

Note: This is an installment in the Iconic Advice series. Other installments include: Jeff Bezos , Steve Jobs , Mark Cuban , Richard Branson , Walt Disney , Mark Zuckerberg and Michael Dell. Make no mistake, successful entertainers are entrepreneurs. They must compete with tens of thousands of other performers who are all pursuing the same customer dollars.

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Intro to Search Engine Optimization

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, September 6, 2012 -- Intro to Search Engine Optimization. Coloft Academy. What is Search Engine Optimization? This class is designed to teach you how to drive more traffic to your web site and increase sales, by using tools suited for anyone! We?ll cover getting on the first page of search engines (results not guaranteed), getting more web traffic without spending money on advertising, and strategies for onsite and offsite website optimization techniques.

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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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Is Silicon Valley Really Coming to an End?

Both Sides of the Table

By now you probably know that David Sacks , co-founder of PayPal and founder of both Geni & Yammer made some observations on Facebook that Silicon Valley “as we know it” was coming to an end. He says. “In order to create a successful new company, you have to find an idea that. (1) has escaped the attention of the major Internet companies, which are better run than ever before; (2) is capable of being launched and proven out for ~$5M, the typical seed plus series A investmen

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Decoding the Secret of iPhone Game Popularity, With William Volk, Playscreen

socalTECH

It's an intensely competitive market in developing games for the iPhone and other mobile platforms, with thousands and thousands of titles competing for attention from users. How do you figure out how to get past all of that noise, and create a popular title? We had the chance to speak with William Volk , Chief Creative Officer of Playscreen (www.playscreen.com), who talked how his company is looking to crack the code with Crickler 2: Daily Word Puzzle , which is among the most popular puzzle ga

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Port Tech LA 2012 Expo

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, September 6, 2012 -- Port Tech LA 2012 Expo. On September 5th and 6th, PortTech Los Angeles welcomes community and industry leaders, technology entrepreneurs, university researchers, and investors to PortTechEXPO 2012. The 3rd Annual EXPO will focus on products and services, issues and opportunities for enterprises and entrepreneurs with emphasis on trade, transportation and logistics.

Research 113
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9 Ways for Entrepreneurs to Counter Negative Vibes

Startup Professionals Musings

Entrepreneurs need to listen to constructive criticism, but ignore negative vibes and complainers at all costs. If you are a complainer, and you are thinking of becoming an entrepreneur, think again. The world of an entrepreneur is tough, unpredictable, and fraught with risk. Most importantly, the buck stops with you, so there is no room for excuses and negativity.

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Wittlebee Acquires Clothing Company

socalTECH

Culver City-based Wittlebee , the children's clothing subscription firm headed by Sean Pervical and backed by Science, Inc., has acquired a clothing company, Cottonseed Clothing Company , the firm announced today. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed. Cottonseed Clothing Company is a provider of t-shirt and apparel for kids. Wittlebee said the acquisition will allow it to offer Cottonseed Clothing's product exclusively through its service.

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Story of a Startup Weekend Veteran | The Good, The Bad, and the UGLY!

Tech Zulu Event

There are so many activities and events that have sprouted this year to support the thriving tech scene in Southern California. From LA Demo Day to Silicon Beach Fest to Crowdstart LA to hackathons to Startup Weekends, companies and entrepreneurs alike have joined forces to feed the startup ecosystem. With all these many activities and so many people coming together it becomes inevitable that situations may arise that can interfere with the community’s best interest.

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LA CEOs

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, September 6, 2012 -- LA CEOs, an education and support group for CEOs presents: Monica Dodi, Managing Director of The Women?s Venture Capital Fund with Perspectives of a Venture Capitalist and How They Evaluate Potential Investments and The Benefits of Gender Diversity. This free event is for CEOs only, with at least a million dollars in sales or funding.

Education 113
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10 Keys to Startup Traction That Investors Look For

Startup Professionals Musings

Every investor expects to see some business traction, both before and after a funding event. If you have been working 20 hours a day, and spent your last dollar, but have no results to show, investors will be sympathetic, but will probably tell you that your dream doesn’t have wheels. Traction means forward progress. I hear a lot of entrepreneurs contemplating their great “idea” for several years with little discernable progress, and looking for money to start.

Startup 104
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FollowMaid Helps Clean Up, Manage Twitter Followers

socalTECH

A new online service, FollowMaid , is looking to neaten up your Twitter account, by automatically pruning out spammers and find new people to follow by keyword. The new service--created by Pacific Palisades software development firm Etronica--is aimed at both individuals and businesses. According to Etronica, the new service automatically scans Twitter accounts, and is designed to help social media managers better manage their Twitter followers.

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Startup Weekend San Diego | Veterans, Service Members & Military Families

Tech Zulu Event

On August 9th, Startup Weekend San Diego and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University partnered with Google to host the very first Startup Weekend focused on helping Veterans, Service Members and Military Families turn their visions into reality in creating a startup company. The event was held in the heart of Balboa Park at the Hall of Champions near Downtown San Diego.

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Is Your Pitch in the Strike Zone?

SoCal Tech Calendar

Wednesday, September 5, 2012 -- Is Your Pitch in the Strike Zone? Entrepreneurs, does your pitch measure up? New this year, the pitch competition for entrepreneurs with innovative clean tech applications will be held on the evening of September 5th at the 3rd Annual PortTechEXPO. Angel and venture investors, business advisors and coaches, attorneys, accountants, and port representatives will be in attendance.

Coach 113
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Adding Slides Does Not Enhance Your Investor Pitch

Startup Professionals Musings

As a member of the local Angel group selection committee, I’ve seen a lot of startup presentations to investors, and I’ve never seen one that was too short - maybe short on content, but not short on pages! A perfect round number is ten slides, with the right content, that can be covered in ten minutes. Even if you have an hour booked, the advice is the same.

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Kidworth Becomes Bizinate, Gets Funding, Expands To Older Users

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based Kidworth , the online service which makes it easy for kids to offer their services and start a business, said today that it has renamed itself Bizinate. The firm said the name change came as it found that entrepreneurs of all ages--including college students and adults--were strongly interested in its services. The company, led by Rudy DeFelice, said the name change more accurately reflects its growing user base.

Funding 185
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Collect, Organize, and Share on LoveIt | Interview with Ron LaPierre Co-Founder & CEO

Tech Zulu Event

Yes, LoveIt founders agree that their layout is familiar and to our expectation they say it is intentional but don’t raise any fingers, they have a great reason for it. They say ,” Because we’ve learned it’s an easy format for people to use.” No fuss, TechZulu caught up with Ron LaPierre , Co founder and CEO LoveIt and we bet you will love it.

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Port Tech LA 2012 Expo

SoCal Tech Calendar

Wednesday, September 5, 2012 -- Port Tech LA 2012 Expo. On September 5th and 6th, PortTech Los Angeles welcomes community and industry leaders, technology entrepreneurs, university researchers, and investors to PortTechEXPO 2012. The 3rd Annual EXPO will focus on products and services, issues and opportunities for enterprises and entrepreneurs with emphasis on trade, transportation and logistics.

Research 113
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Will the Real Crowd Funding Model Please Stand Up?

Startup Professionals Musings

The new hot topic for entrepreneurs these days is crowd funding, which is anticipated to at least supplement, if not replace, the slow and mysterious process of current Angel and venture capital investors. The problem is that crowd funding means something different to everyone, and even I have been confused by the different ways the term gets used. So I have set out here to outline and offer some practical advice on the many different models currently used with the term “crowd funding” and “crow

Funding 96
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Avalon Ventures Raises $201.6M As Part Of $250M Venture Fund

socalTECH

In what is a rarity nowadays for a Southern California venture capital fund, San Diego- and Cambridge-based venture capital firm Avalon Ventures has just closed on $201.6M in commitments for a $250M fund, Avalon Ventures X. The funding was disclosed via a regulatory filing Thursday. Avalon has backed such companies as Zynga, Ambit Biosciences, AnayptsBio, Awarepoint, Cheezburger, Inogen, MOGL, Ortiva Wireless, and others.

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Frank Gehry to Build 420,000sq ft Campus as New Facebook HQ

Tech Zulu Event

Mark Zuckerberg has hired World-renowned 83 year-old architect Frank Gehry to design the new Facebook HQ. Mark said in a post ,” I’m excited to work with Frank Gehry to design our new campus. The idea is to make the perfect engineering space: one giant room that fits thousands of people, all close enough to collaborate together. It will be the largest open floor plan in the world.”.

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Interactive Website Workshop for Startups

SoCal Tech Calendar

Tuesday, September 4, 2012 -- Interactive Website Workshop for Startups. The Sites for Friends team creates powerful, easy to maintain websites for clients like Revenue Watch Institute, Solarbuzz, Red Hat Society and Fretted Americana. They will show you how to improve your website. WORKSHOP TOPICS: How to improve dull, brochure style websites * Portals vs.

Startup 113
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6 Keys to Moving Startup Leaders From Good to Great

Startup Professionals Musings

I’ve often said that creating and building a business is not a one-man show, even though it usually springs from the mind and determination of one person – committees don’t start successful businesses. But taking an idea to a business success requires many people to work together effectively, and that requires entrepreneurial leadership. Leadership is not a skill one is born with, but it can be learned and honed from experience and failures.

Study 94
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Avril Lavigne Taps Invested.in For Crowdfunding Effort

socalTECH

Singer/songwriter Avril Lavigne has tapped online software from Los Angeles-based startup Invested.in for a new crowdfunding campaign for her Avril Lavigne Foundation , according to Lavigne. According to Lavigne, she has launched the Rockstar Room , which will use crowdfunding to tap her friends to raise money to support children and youth with serious illnesses and disabilities.

Writing 180
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Go West Young Men: Winklevoss Twins Buy $18M L.A. Mansion To Dive Into SoCal Tech Scene

SoCal Delicious

Home. Startups. Mobile. Gadgets. Europe. Video. More. Enterprise. Venture. Social. GreenTech. Gaming. Opinion. Drama. Guides. Smartphones. Tablets. Digital Cameras. Laptops. Headphones. Events. CrunchBase. Hot topics. Zuckerberg Interview. Apple. Facebook. Amazon. Twitter. Google. news. Comment. Go West Young Men: Winklevoss Twins Buy $18M L.A. Mansion To Dive Into SoCal Tech Scene.

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Bootstrappers Breakfast - San Diego

SoCal Tech Calendar

Friday, August 31, 2012 -- Bootstrappers Breakfast - San Diego. Join Other Entrepreneurs Who Eat Problems For Breakfast. * Compare Notes * Exchange Ideas * Learn from Others Mistakes * Brainstorm with Peers.

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7 Paybacks an Alma Mater Can Offer an Entrepreneur

Startup Professionals Musings

An underutilized, but valuable resource, every startup should investigate is a formal or informal connection to your alma mater, or even 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.

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Recmnd.us Takes On Service Recommendations

socalTECH

The team behind Recmnd.Me , the hiring and recommendations website, is applying its technology to recommending software tools, apps, and companies through a new service, Recmnd.us. The Newport Beach company--headed by Navid Nobakht, the former CTO of Buy.com--said the service is aimed at creating a free, crowdsourced search engine which users can edit to help others find the best business tools, apps or companies for whatever they need done.

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It Can Wait | AT&T Mobile App Hackathon

Tech Zulu Event

Texting and driving has been taboo for over a decade since the ownership of mobile phones have continuously increased. According to surveys, over 100,000 car accidents a year are caused by a driver texting. Moreover, a recent AT&T Wireless survey suggests that 75% of teens consider it “common” for friends to text while driving. On September 7th, Coloft in Santa Monica, California will be hosting the AT&T Mobile App Hackathon.

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ExecTec on the Secret of Success

SoCal Tech Calendar

Tuesday, August 28, 2012 -- ExecTec on the Secret of Success.

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Manage Your Online Reputation Before It Goes Bad

Startup Professionals Musings

Every startup fears that one angry and unfair customer who can jeopardize the business by a negative post on Ripoff Report , Yelp , or one of the hundreds of other consumer complaint and review sites on the Internet. Most entrepreneurs don’t even know how to keep track of what people are saying about them on the web, much less how to respond or remove it.

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Winklevoss Twins Set Up Shop In LA

socalTECH

Who are the latest folks looking to connecting into the Los Angeles technology scene? No other than the Winklevoss Twins, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss , according to a report from TMZ today, which said the two have purchased a house in the Hollywood Hills and are looking to launch an arm of their investment firm, Winklevoss Capital, thanks to the booming tech scene here.

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5 things Silicon Valley gets wrong about Southern California

SoCal Delicious

VentureBeat | News About Tech, Money and Innovation. Whats Hot Menu. Skip to primary content. Skip to secondary content. what’s hot? Apple. iPad Mini. Yahoo. Windows 8. Star Trek Contest. / News. Search. Primary Menu. Skip to primary content. Skip to secondary content. Store. Newsletters. Jobs. Video. Events. RSS. Share. Prev. Next. 2 hrs ago. Live at the Apple Event: iPad Mini (and more?).

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Rustic Canyon Speaks out on GaiKai Exit, Changing Nature of VC, LA Tech & More

Both Sides of the Table

Nate Redmond is the managing partner of Rustic Canyon Partners – he’s probably one of the youngest managing partners of a major fund you’ll meet. And no wonder, lately he and his partners are on a tear, investing out of their $200+ million VC fund. They recently exited their investment in Gaikai for $380 million while their rival OnLive (who had raised > $200 million) just went through bankruptcy.

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Swarms, crowd sourcing, and tiger teams. Oh my.

Berkonomics

As we grow our businesses, we inevitably run into problems that seem for a time impossible to overcome. Our development team is stumped with a problem; or the marketing organization cannot come up with a theme for the next campaign; or the team has hit a wall where further speed, size reduction, or other constraint seems impossible to overcome. No one has the resources to solve all problems in all areas of the business.

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