Both Sides of the Table
JULY 1, 2010
We all like to think of startups as “non hierarchic&# organizations and to some extent that should be true. I’m not a big believer in too much hierarchy. A good early-stage CEO needs to be accessible, to be accountable for producing results and should be establishing the cultural norms of the company through direct leadership at all levels.
socalTECH
JULY 2, 2010
Aliso Viejo-based Telogis , a developer of route planning and fleet management software, said late Thursday evening that it has acquired the assets of Remote Dynamics , a developer of GPS fleet management technology. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed. Telogis said the acquisition will further its penetration into the industry and into certain verticals.
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Berkonomics
JUNE 28, 2010
One of the most obvious observations I make with growing company CEO’s is that planning for a new office is done with an optimistic view of the future, incorporating planned space that compromises only slightly the measured needs for the next three or more years as outlined in the financial forecast. The result, signing a lease for space enough to handle the growth called for in the plan, is a predictable group behavior I’ve come to label “The tyranny of the new office.
SoCal Tech Calendar
JULY 2, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010 -- Maverick Angels Boot Camp for Entrepreneurs. Do you have a great business idea but are not quite ready to present to angel investors? Many entrepreneurs have promising business plans, but are not skilled in how to present their ideas to investors. Our full day Boot Camp for Entrepreneurs is designed to provide in-depth training to improve the way entrepreneurs present themselves and their companies, increasing their chances for funding.
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.
Both Sides of the Table
JULY 1, 2010
I think I’ve now mastered how to make images clickable so in the future you *should* always be able to click on the TWiVC image above and go directly to the video. Just in case here’s the link to this week’s episode. Our guest this week was Scott Painter. Scott is the kind of guy you could just grab a drink with, sit back and listen to him tell stories for hours.
socalTECH
JULY 2, 2010
Looking to reduce its dependence on Twitter's fickle advertising policy, Los Angeles-based Ad.ly , the Twitter advertising startup backed by Greycroft Partners and GRP Partners, said earlier this week that it has extended its platform to applications and websites. Ad.ly said it has launched a new platform called Ad.ly for Apps, which allows applications and websites to use and API to pull up targeted, in-stream apps adjacent to a streams from sources like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn
Southern California Tech Central brings together the best content for technical professionals in Southern California from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
SoCal Tech Calendar
JULY 2, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010 -- Legal Nuts and Bolts for Early Stage Companies. TriTech SBDC. In this informative and interactive program, you will hear from Crowell and Moring attorneys experienced in guiding early stage companies through the intricacies of business formation and growth. Focusing on three legal areas - corporate, human resources and intellectual property law -- participants will receive a high-level overview of issues to consider when beginning and growing a company.
Both Sides of the Table
JUNE 28, 2010
Here is the link to this week’s TWiVC with Mike Hirshland. I apologize for the audio quality – we did this in a rush because we found a last minute studio and recorded in San Francisco. But you can see & hear the entire interview well and I think it will be well worth your while. One of things I’ve loved the most about doing now 11 weeks of This Week in VC is a chance to have an hour-long recorded conversation with investors.
socalTECH
JUNE 29, 2010
Los Angeles-based Demand Media , the online media firm headed by Richard Rosenblatt, announced today that it has inked a partnership with celebrity model Tyra Banks , to create a new site focused on fashion and beauty. According to Demand, Banks' beauty and entertainment firm Bankable is in a deal to develop a Web site, online video offerings, and mobile applications.
Jason Nazar
JUNE 29, 2010
Ten Tips on How to Make it in the Meet-up Scene. The technology meet-up scene is an odd co-mingling of entrepreneurs, engineers, social media mavens, service providers, and up and comers. Here are ten actionable tips to make the most of your meet-ups. • Meet More – the key to any meet-up is first to meet others. Seems like that would be rather self explanatory.
SoCal Tech Calendar
JUNE 29, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010 -- Qualcomm Uplinq 2010. An event for mobile developers, publishers, device makers and operators to plot the course for tomorrow's mobile computing and communications reality. See [link]. (more).
Startup Professionals Musings
JUNE 28, 2010
Building a startup is hard work for low pay, it’s risky, and it requires total responsibility to make it work. Yet, many entrepreneurs are the happiest people I know. On the other hand, I know many unhappy individuals who are always partying, have minimal commitments, and little responsibility. I suspect the real parameters of happiness have eluded these people.
socalTECH
JULY 2, 2010
San Diego-based Qualcomm is hoping this week that the newly developing field of augmented reality--the layering of software and the real world via mobile phones and computers--will help bolster use of its products, and has released both a software development kit and announced a new research center around the field. According to Qualcomm, it has released a new augmented reality platform and software development kit (SDK), which can be used to power vision-based augmented reality apps, and also o
Tech Zulu Event
JULY 1, 2010
Software development company ACME AtronOmatic has just released iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch application named Bandana. Bandana is officially dubbed "The Gaydar App". This app is a social networking application for the Gay and Bisexual community. Okay, I know this is a strange one but what this company has developed is really interesting and I can really see their method of use of the iPhone Bluetooth taking off.
SoCal Tech Calendar
JUNE 29, 2010
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 -- Qualcomm Uplinq 2010. An event for mobile developers, publishers, device makers and operators to plot the course for tomorrow's mobile computing and communications reality. See [link]. (more).
Startup Professionals Musings
JUNE 30, 2010
One of the toughest challenges of an entrepreneur in building a startup is the fact that there are so many things that you don’t know how to do, or don’t like to do. Things like raising money, building a business plan, or hiring and firing people. These aren’t fun, especially for a visionary. That’s when the curse of procrastination steps in. The result is that certain things just never seem to get done.
socalTECH
JULY 1, 2010
Irvine-based Blizzard Entertainment said last night that it has launched a closed beta test of its new expansion for World of Warcraft, Cataclysm. The firm said the invite-only beta will provide the firm with feedback, find bugs, and address other issues. The company said it plans to launch the expansion later this year, which will be the third for the firm.
Tech Zulu Event
JUNE 30, 2010
Back in January of 2008 we learned that Amazon invested $4MM in the close out site Woot. Today Woot announced that they will be acquired by Amazon and become independent subsidiary of Amazon. According to Woot: "Woot HQ will remain in Carrollton, Texas, and will operate as autonomously as other Amazon companies like Zappos and Audible. More details forthcoming after we pick our eyeballs up off of the floor.
Startup Professionals Musings
JUNE 27, 2010
Fundraising is brutal. Actually, according to Paul Graham , “Raising money is the second hardest part of starting a startup. The hardest part is making something people want.” More startups may fail for that reason, but a close second is the difficulty of raising money. A while back, I outlined “ Ten Top Funding Sources for Startups ” for startups, listing angel investors as alternative #6.
socalTECH
JUNE 29, 2010
Los Angeles-based CleanGreenGuy.com , which operates an online marketplace for green business deals, said it has renamed itself OnGreen.com , and is live with its new service. The site allows users to post green investment and business deals, find investors, and connect with others in the clean technology sector. The firm is backed by Blue Marble Ventures, and is being run by Blue Marbles' Patrick McKenna.
Tech Zulu Event
JUNE 29, 2010
Just about every major event has its own iPhone app and now Lollapalooza is entering the App game for their upcoming concert in Chicago August 6-8, 2010. However, they are not just simply releasing an iPhone app for the event they have also integrated Slacker Radio into the app. Just today the partnership was announced with Slacker's Lollapalooza 2010 Radio.
socalTECH
JUNE 30, 2010
Last week, Los Angeles-based Stroome (www.stroome.com), a new startup originally spawned out of a project at the USC Annenberg School of Communications, won $200,000 in the 2010 Knight News Challenge. The Knight News Challenge is a contest which highlights digital news experiments and technology, and is closely watched by those in the news industry.
socalTECH
JULY 1, 2010
Los Angeles-based social networking site MySpace said today along with French firm Orange that they are in an advertising and content partnership. According to the companies, Orange Advertising Network will manage both premium and performance advertising sales for MySpace in France. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. The companies also said the partnership would give Orange the exclusive, French license for MySpace's trademarks and logos for online and offline communication, spons
socalTECH
JUNE 30, 2010
In what can only be good news for many a high tech professional, coffee chain Starbucks said today that it will turn on free Wi-Fi in its stores July 1st, at all of its U.S. and Canadian company-owned stores. Starbucks said that it will give Wi-Fi enabled laptops, tablets, and mobile phones with unlimited access to the Web. Starbucks said the simplified Wi-Fi offering eliminates the prior, two-hour limit and requirement that users be a member of its My Starbucks Rewards program.
socalTECH
JUNE 29, 2010
On the heels of the much heralded IPO of Silicon Valley electric car darling Tesla Motors today on the NASDAQ, investors are now looking to what other firms might benefit from the electric vehicle market--and what appears to be a growing appetite for IPOs. Many are looking towards Silicon Valley for ideas, however, socalTECH has identified a substantial number of Southern California companies--both public and private--that are also trying to take advantage of the nascent market for electric and
socalTECH
JUNE 28, 2010
Los Angeles-based Worlize , the user-generated social gaming firm headed by Brian McKelvey, has added a new Chief Technology Officer, the firm is announcing tomorrow. Worlize is adding Sabri Sansoy, former CTO for Animax Entertainment, to the position. Sansoy also has served as Vice President of Interactive Entertainment Technology at Game Show Network (GSN).
socalTECH
JUNE 28, 2010
The campaign for Republican candidate for Governor, Meg Whitman , is taking fire from an Internet startup, Cheezburger Network , for unauthorized use of its web site in a political attack ad. According to Cheezburger Network, which is run by Ben Huh and based in Seattle, Whitman used the firm's FAIL blog site without permission in its latest ad against Democrat Jerry Brown.
socalTECH
JULY 1, 2010
A Los Angeles firm, Escom LLC , has inked a deal with domain marketplace firm Sedo to sell domain name Sex.com , Sedo said today, in the latest chapter in a long drama over the domain. Sedo said it is now the exclusive brokerage firm representing the domain. The sale comes after a bankruptcy and court battle between three creditors and lender DOM Partners LLC, who had sought to force an auction of the domain through a different domain broker.
socalTECH
JULY 1, 2010
El Segundo-based imFORZA , an online Internet marketing agency, said today that it has been acquired and spun off from parent company The Design People. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. imFORZA provides search engine optimization, paid search advertising, social media marketing, and other related services. The firm said its is now owned and managed by Vinny La Barbera, who was previously President of imFORZA under The Design People.
socalTECH
JULY 1, 2010
The April funding of newest Idealab startup TweetUp was worth $3.5M, according to regulatory filings from the firm released Thursday. The amount of the funding, which came from Index Ventures, betaworks, Revolution LLC, First Round Capital, Jason Calacanis, and Jeff Jarvis, had not been announced in April. According to the filing, the funding included both equity and warrants, and included a total of 11 investors.
socalTECH
JULY 2, 2010
San Diego-based Anametrix , a developer of web analytics technology, said this week that it has signed The San Diego Union-Tribune as a customer. Anametrix said that the paper is using its platform for both web analytics, and analyzing mobile, social media, video, e-mail and other efforts. Financial impact of the win was not disclosed. Anametrix says its platform, InstaVista, is targeted at publishing firms, including newspapers, magazines, and directories.
socalTECH
JULY 1, 2010
Burbank-based Walt Disney Company said Thursday afternoon that it has acquired Tapulous , a Silicon Valley maker of music games for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed. Disney said that Tapulous will become a wholly owned subsidiary, reporting into Disney Interactive Media Group (DIMG). Disney also said it will add Tapulous founders Bart Decrem and Andrew Lacy, and the Tapulous development team in Palo Alto, to the company's mobile content group.
socalTECH
JULY 2, 2010
Pasadena-based Soliant Energy , the developer of concentrating solar energy systems, said this week that it has commercially installed one of its systems in Palm Springs, California. The firm, which is backed by Convexa Capital, GE Energy, Nth Power, Rincon Venture Partners, Rockport Capital Partners, and Trinity Ventures, has been focusing its energies on the commercial rooftop market.
socalTECH
JULY 1, 2010
San Diego-based VMIX , which provides an online video publishing platform, said this morning that it has released a new software development kit. According to the firm, the new SDK makes it easier for developers to integrate video into mobile applications for Apple's iPad and iPhone, as well as other devices. VMIX said the SDK includes sample applications for both the iPad and iPhone that supports streaming of video to those applications from VMIX; the firm also says it plans a Google Android ve
socalTECH
JULY 1, 2010
Santa Barbara-based Eucalyptus Systems , a developer of private cloud management software, said this morning that it has raised $20M in new funding. The round was led by New Enterprise Associates, and also included current investors Benchmark Capital and BV Capital. Eucalyptus said the funding will go to scale development, marketing, and sales of its commercial open source private cloud management software.
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