Both Sides of the Table
OCTOBER 13, 2010
You know the type. You see them on Twitter, Facebook or Plancast plotting out their next 12 conference. You see their Tweets from airports across the globe. Look at me! I’m in Spain! Now I’m in France. Next week I’m speaking in Cabo San Lucas! They are professional conference attendees. They are CEO’s addicted to the schmoozing.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 11, 2010
Virgin Galactic , the commercial spaceflight venture of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group, said over the weekend that it has completed a piloted, free flight of SpaceShipTwo, the spaceship the firm is developing in Mojave. According to Virgin Galactic, it released the VSS Enterprise, its first vehicle, from an altitude of 45,000 feet over the weekend, and successfully landed at the Mojave Air and Space Port.
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SoCal CTO
OCTOBER 11, 2010
This month’s big question is Examples of Big Impact from Technology and I’ve taken it as an opportunity to go back and look at the elements of different projects that I’ve worked on over the years that have had a big impact. In this post, I’m going to focus on a common model that has been part of several of the highest impact projects. At it’s core, the model is pretty simple: Guide through setting meaningful personal goals Teach how you can hold yourself accountable to those goals Help the user
Berkonomics
OCTOBER 11, 2010
I first heard this in a governance seminar for a non-profit higher educational board upon which I sit, years ago. It made an impact and stuck with me through the years. I have repeated it often to boards deliberating action and to individual board members seeking to get their hands dirty inside the corporation by giving advice and helping at levels beneath the CEO.
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
OCTOBER 12, 2010
A while back I wrote a bunch of posts on Sales & Marketing and have been meaning to get back to that theme for a while. Even if you don’t have “direct&# sales I would tell you that “everything is a sale&# including fund raising, hiring, getting press and doing business development. So I hope these posts will be useful to all and not just those who need road warriors.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 14, 2010
Looking to bridge the gap between the immense amount of technology created at local universities and the commercial market, a new group--the Tech CEO Network (www.techceonetwork.com)--has quietly been working in Los Angeles to try to help spin out new companies from institutions like UCLA, Caltech, USC, UCSB, and other colleges and universities in town.
Southern California Tech Central brings together the best content for technical professionals in Southern California from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
InfoChachkie
OCTOBER 13, 2010
In 1266, the Emperor of China, Kublai Khan, granted the Venetian merchant, Marco Polo, a life-saving letter of recommendation. The reference was in the form of a gold tablet that stated, “By the strength of the eternal Heaven, holy be the Khan’s name. Let him that pays him not reverence be killed.”. The tablet allowed Marco Polo and his fellow travelers to transverse nearly 7,500 miles unmolested during their three-year return trip to Italy.
Startup Professionals Musings
OCTOBER 13, 2010
If you are looking for an outside investor, you need to know how they see you. Different types of investors look for startups at different levels of maturity. If your startup is at the wrong stage for the investor you are approaching, the courting is a waste of time for both of you. For instance, if your company is only a few weeks old and you have zero customers and your product offering is still in design, don’t expect someone to hand over $10 million to fund your efforts.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 12, 2010
Kamran Pourzanjani , the former CEO and founder of PriceGrabber.com, and Omid Rahmat , the former CEO of Tom's Hardware, have acquired Portland- and Santa Barbara-based ELC Technologies , the development firm founded by Jonathan Siegel. ELC is the firm behind startups RightScale, RightCart, and RightSignature, and also provides technology consulting and development to other companies.
SoCal Tech Calendar
OCTOBER 15, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010 -- Immersive Technology Summit 2010. On October 21th, 2010, the worlds first Immersive Technology summit will be held at LA Center Studios to showcase industry leaders of immersive technology and collaborate on themes of innovation, applications, and future development. Media will cover cutting-edge technologies and science-fiction brought to life.
Jason Nazar
OCTOBER 14, 2010
Here is the video interview I did with Paige Craig on TWIST this week. We talk about topics like how to raise angel investment, the qualities entrepreneurs should demonstrate and Paige’s new business.
Startup Professionals Musings
OCTOBER 9, 2010
By Roger S. Robinson, Ph.D. Can an intangible like a company’s culture make a difference in your business? That is a tough question. After all what is culture? And can it impact your bottom line? The concept of culture really entered the world of business through Peters and Waterman’s “ In Search of Excellence.” They defined it in terms of successful organizations permeated with strong and sustaining systems of beliefs.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 12, 2010
Los Angeles-based Demand Media , the online content publishing empire of Richard Rosenblatt, has updated its S-1 filing with the SEC, saying that it has applied to list its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange, under the symbol "DMD". The firm had not yet specified an exchange where it hopes to take the company public before today. In addition, Demand Media revealed it had executed a 1-for-2 reverse stock split of its common stock ahead of its planned IPO, and also that it plans to use $50 to $75M
SoCal Tech Calendar
OCTOBER 14, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010 -- Meet Ben Huh, I Can Haz Cheezburger. This time Ben (@benhuh) is in Los Angeles hosting a book launch with Fatburger (@fatburger) as our burger sponsor. Meet Cheez CEO Ben Huh, help some animals in need, and eat free Fatburgers! All proceeds from ticket sales will be given to Ace of Hearts. Ben Huh will be signing copies of our new book, Teh Itteh Bitteh Book of Kittehs.
Tech Zulu Event
OCTOBER 10, 2010
TechZulu's latest web show, TZ Law, premiered this week with co-hosts Lisa Borodkin and Christina Gagnier. We had special guest Denise Grayson of The Social Network. Denise is an intellectual property attorney who portrays Gretchen, Eduardo Saverin's attorney in the movie. Denise talks about how her work in the movie brought a deja vu from her experiences dealing with ambitious Internet entrepreners on Wall Street during Web 1.0.
Startup Professionals Musings
OCTOBER 12, 2010
By Akira Hirai We can measure success in many ways. In business, one important measure is the value of the company. That’s because a company’s value is a composite of all of the quantitative and qualitative factors that comprise a company: revenues, expenses, risks, growth prospects, quality of the management team, competitive advantages, strength of the intellectual property, and so forth.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 14, 2010
Venture capital investments in Southern California in Q3 totaled to $464.18M, according to the latest numbers released by the PricewaterhouseCoopers/NVCA Money Tree Report this evening, based on data from Thomson Reuters. Nationwide, there was $4.8 billion invested in 780 venture capital deals for Q3. The investment totals nationwide were down 31 percent in dollars, and 19 percent in terms of the number of deals from Q2, as investment in all sectors slowed.
SoCal Tech Calendar
OCTOBER 13, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010 -- The Art, Technology, and Business of 3D. AccessEn. The content industry has spent over 100 years developing tools and techniques to tell engaging stories and cover real-world events in two dimensions. The CE and distribution industries have similarly spent generations developing products and resources to connect consumers to entertainment and to each other.
Tech Zulu Event
OCTOBER 10, 2010
TechZulu Live Episode 10. This week on TechZulu Live we had special guest Brittany Laughlin of Gtrot. Gtrot makes it really easy for college students to book trips and share their travel experiences. They provide structure to the valuable social information that emerges, helping them connect with the information they need to plan trips and enjoy richer, more social travel experiences.
Startup Professionals Musings
OCTOBER 11, 2010
If you are an entrepreneur these days, or trying to grow an existing business, everyone is telling you that you need to use social media. There are many ‘experts’ out there telling you how to do it, or even offering their services. But very few are talking about how to measure your results, and the right metrics for optimizing your marketing environment.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 14, 2010
Westlake Village-based ValueClick said today that it has launched a new, vertical advertising network focused on the Home and Garden sector. ValueClick said its new Modern Living Media network will deliver targeted consumer audiences for home and garden marketers and agencies, and has a potential reach of 8.5 million unique visitors per month. According to Valueclick, its network includes adults 25 to 54 years old, who are homeowners and have household income greater than $75,000.
SoCal Tech Calendar
OCTOBER 13, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010 -- Digital Hollywood. Video Everywhere to the consumer! Its happening on all platforms - TVs, Tablets, PCs and Smartphones. Meet the Advertisers, the Technology Companies and Networks! See [link] (more).
Tech Zulu Event
OCTOBER 11, 2010
Our good friends Brad Feld and David Cohen over at TechStars from Boulder, Colorado will be in town this week, Thursday October 14th, for a Do More Faster Book launch event. As part of the TechStars / Do More Faster book tour, they will hold a one hour "About TechStars" meetup hosted by Microsoft at their Los Angeles downtown location. If you're interested in learning more about TechStars or possibly applying, this is a great chance to come and learn from the co-founders of TechStars.
Startup Professionals Musings
OCTOBER 10, 2010
For those of you looking for startup ideas that are hot today and recession proof, consider anything to do with saving energy, sustaining the environment, or solutions to the global warming problem. These are especially good for Gen-Y (millennials) who have the passion, or every Gen-Y “wanna-be” (over 25 but not yet fulfilled). Especially during a recovering economy, these will get you extra attention with investors, as long as basic business principles are not forgotten.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 13, 2010
Los Angeles-based Break Media , the online video and content firm headed by Keith Richman, said this morning that it is targeting Hispanic males with a new site, TuVez.com. According to Break, the new site will provide content focused on entertainment, gaming, sports, and culture, all in context of Hispanic males. Break said the new site's premier sponsor is Toyota.
SoCal Tech Calendar
OCTOBER 12, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010 -- Digital Hollywood. Video Everywhere to the consumer! Its happening on all platforms - TVs, Tablets, PCs and Smartphones. Meet the Advertisers, the Technology Companies and Networks! See [link] (more).
Both Sides of the Table
OCTOBER 10, 2010
Yesterday I went to see the film Waiting for Superman. It’s the story of what’s broken with the education system in the US. It’s an important film and the most important topic of our generation if we as a country want to remain competitive in a world that has globalized. It’s a documentary including personal stories of people caught in the system.
Startup Professionals Musings
OCTOBER 14, 2010
It seems like many entrepreneurs are becoming so technology addicted to their iPhones and email that they forget to listen to what their customers want, or even forget to ask. Attention spans have compressed to seconds, and face-to-face conversations, with the hugely important body language, are avoided in favor of texting and anonymous Internet surveys.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 13, 2010
Santa Monica-based DailyD , an online operator of a daily, local deals site, has raised $5.0M in a funding round, according to a regulatory filing by the firm. DailyD is the latest startup of LowerMyBills founder Matt Coffin; the firm also lists Business.com's Jake Winebaum as a board member of the firm. Source of the new funding was not disclosed, however, Jim Simons, a venture capitalist at Split Rock Partners, is listed as a board member of the firm.
SoCal Tech Calendar
OCTOBER 10, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010 -- Twitter and Facebook Marketing Summit. This event is perfect for Los Angeles small biz owners, bootstrapped startups, motivated corporate ladder climbers, real estate agents, restaurant owners, or anyone wanting to wear the social media hat in their organization. This grassroots workshop is designed for small businesses to harness social media and to make it more manageable so they can use it to help increase their bottom line.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 13, 2010
Los Angeles-based ResumeBucket , the online resume site headed by Josh Stomel, reported today that management and sales are the highest typed keywords of recruiters searching the site. The site--which allows users to post their resumes, search for jobs, and also allows recruiters to look for resumes--said that the top keywords for Q3 were for management and business executives (Manager, Management, Supervisor, Product Manager), with 13,878 searches in Q3.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 12, 2010
Los Angeles-based Arktos Entertaiment Group , a firm which says it provides investment, creative and production management support, and other services to interactive and online entertainment firms, said today that it has led a $5M investment round in firm Online Warmongers. Online Warmongers is based in San Francisco, and is developing online war games.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 11, 2010
Los Angeles gossip and technology blog Lalawag , run by Sean and Laurie Percival, has been sold. The blog--which the Percivals had announced on September 16th that they would shut down--has been acquired by Valley Girl Inc. , a publication that is run by Jesse Draper, the daughter of venture capitalist Tim Draper. Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 11, 2010
Search engine giant Google said over the weekend that the firm has been developing technology for self driving cars, driving automated cars across California, including Los Angeles and Santa Monica. According to Google, it has hired what it says were some of the very best engineers from the DARPA Grand Challenge, DARPA's robotic vehicle competition, and applied them to develop its own, automated cars.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 14, 2010
Sherman Oaks-based Brilliant Digital Entertainment , operator of the Kazaa peer-to-peer digital music service, has sold its Kazaa peer to peer network and brand, according to New York-based Altrinsic. Altrinsic said it has entered into an agreement to acquire Kazaa's assets from Brilliant Digital Entertainment Thursday afternoon. Altrinsic said it would issue 4,161,130 shares of its common stock to Brilliant Digital as part of a marketing agreement related to the deal, in addition to 7,125,665 s
socalTECH
OCTOBER 11, 2010
Los Angeles-based venture capital firm GRP Partners --which has been very active in the local technology startup market--has made its latest investment, in an interesting industry: mortgage lending. GRP is the lead investor in Skyline Financial , a Calabasas-based provider of mortgage banking and lending. According to Skyline, the investment, $8.2M in a Series B, was led by GRP Partners and also included Chaparal Investments and Dallas Capital Management.
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