Both Sides of the Table
JULY 25, 2011
This article originally ran on TechCrunch. tl;dr version: If you’re an entrepreneur or VC or will be working in this industry - buy this. read it. live it. When I first started as a startup CEO in 1999 there were no guides on raising venture capital. There were no explanations for all of the confusing details outlined in a term sheet. Drag along rights?
InfoChachkie
JULY 25, 2011
US High School students are taught that Samuel Coleridge conceived one of the most anthologized poem in Western literature, Kubla Kahn , in an epiphany. As Mr. Coleridge described in the poem’s preface, he dozed after smoking opium and reading Samuel Purchas’ The Pilgrimage. He suddenly awoke and manically began documenting the first few stanzas of Kubla Kahn , which he had “dreamed”, fully formed.
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socalTECH
JULY 26, 2011
San Diego-based Tealium , a firm started by Websidestory/Visual Sciences/Omniture vets, said today that it has launched a product to help web marketers manage their digital marketing products. The firm said its Tealium iQ software allows marketers to easily add, remove, and modify web page tags which are used for data collection, measurement, behavioral target, and online optimization.
Berkonomics
JULY 23, 2011
There are five major classes or niches a company should examine and make its own in calculating positioning in the marketplace. They are: Price. Quality. Service. Innovation. Elegance. Companies that compete on price rarely compete against others who emphasize service or quality. Internet resellers have a better chance to combine price and quality than those with much more fixed overhead occupying a bricks-and-mortar physical presence in the community.
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.
SoCal Tech Calendar
JULY 29, 2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011 -- Intellectual Property Workshop Series. LABTC. Introduction to Intellectual Property (IP) Law: Identify Your IP Issues and Protect Your Business During our Intellectual Property overview you will learn about the various forms of intellectual property, such as patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. You will also discover the parameters of IP protection, and gain an understanding of the types of intangible assets that IP laws protect.
InfoChachkie
JULY 29, 2011
“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.”. Roy Disney, American Entrepreneur. I recently gave some advice to a software engineer who was trying to decide between two startups. My advice is was not earth shattering, but the engineer was appreciative nonetheless. He must have read my Thank You entry, as he later sent me an awesome selection of beer and wine as an expression of his gratitude.
Southern California Tech Central brings together the best content for technical professionals in Southern California from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Startup Professionals Musings
JULY 29, 2011
Most entrepreneurs think that risk is just an “occupational hazard” that can be minimized or eliminated by a smart businessman. That way of thinking is simplistic and wrong. In reality, some risks are good and should be embraced for growth and a competitive edge, while others are bad and should be avoided completely. Traditional risk management focuses only on bad risks, and seeks to contain losses.
SoCal Tech Calendar
JULY 29, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011 -- 8th Annual ERA Summer Social @ the Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas. This annual event supports all that are involved in the electronics industry in the So. Cal. area. In recent years the attendance at this event has grown to more than 175 industry shakers and movers. If you are a distributor of electronic components, a Mfr's Rep or just work in the OEM or EMS community then you are INVITED to join us for this great evening of networking and catching up with old friends
Tech Zulu Event
JULY 28, 2011
If you love to travel and you’re all about the not so touristy stuff you may have just struck social media gold. Triptrotting is the perfect go to website for those world travelers that crave excitement off the beaten bath. Mostly geared towards college students and young professionals, users can log on fill out a profile and be paired up with users of similar interests on the site.
socalTECH
JULY 25, 2011
Agoura Hills-based videogame maker THQ is diverging from the usual, first-person-shooter and action games genre with its latest title, saying Monday that it will be publishing a new title from author Deepak Chopra. THQ said that the new title, Leela, is focused on creating "an interactive journey of mind and body" tapping into Chopra's philosophy and the features of the Xbox 360 Kinect and Wii.
Startup Professionals Musings
JULY 23, 2011
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 “ Most Startups Get No Professional Investor Cash ” for startups, listing angel investors as alternative #6.
SoCal Tech Calendar
JULY 29, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011 -- LA CEOs, an education and support group for CEOs presents: Free Traffic From the Search Engines Do you have a beautiful startup or established website for the world to see. but no one is visiting your site? Whether you have a personal blog or e-commerce website, search traffic is a crucial aspect for you to grow your business.
Tech Zulu Event
JULY 29, 2011
Ever wandered around your city with a friend on a random night trying to find something to do? Well, imagine wandering around your city and always knowing what’s going on and where it’s happening. SocialVents.com is a website and application ( Android or iPhone ) that tells you what’s going on in your area using the GPS function of your phone.
socalTECH
JULY 26, 2011
The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory , based in Pasadena, and Chevron Corporation said this week that the two are in a new partnership, to develop a range of advanced technologies for harsh environments, including both on Earth and in space. According to JPL, it will assist in demonstration, development, and commercial deployment of technology based on JPL's heritage in space exploration.
Startup Professionals Musings
JULY 25, 2011
Your marketing launch is the most important element of startup success these days, to get customer attention in this world of information overload. Yet it is the one element that too many entrepreneurs focus on only as an afterthought. Everyone assumes their product or service is so great that “word-of-mouth” will carry the day for them. Even great products need great marketing “content” to fuel the ascent of their online message.
SoCal Tech Calendar
JULY 29, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011 -- Take The Pill and Tweet Me In The Morning. California Health Institute. CHIs Take This Pill and Tweet me in the Morning: How Advances in Social Media and Mobile Health are Creating Consumer-centric Healthcare, will bring together hundreds of leaders from Californias biotechnology industry, academic research community, entrepreneurs, investors, healthcare providers, policy experts and patient advocates.
Tech Zulu Event
JULY 26, 2011
MeetingBurner is a new startup based out of Orange County that aims to simplify and improve the online meeting experience. MeetingBurner aims “to make meetings faster, easier and more efficient&#. I signed up for a beta account to see if their claims are true. While they are currently testing the beta, the sign up process was quick and painless.
socalTECH
JULY 25, 2011
Santa Monica-based LIVESTRONG.COM , the health and wellness site run by Demand Media, is trumpeting two pieces of app news today. The firm said that 10,000 people have quite smoking using its MyQuit Coach application, a smartphone app to help users quit smoking; and, the firm said it is making its LIVESTRONG.COM Calorie Tracker app free for Windows phones.
Startup Professionals Musings
JULY 24, 2011
Wouldn’t you like to be one of the lucky people who joined Google and Microsoft when these were startups, and now be a multi-millionaire? So people ask me “How many shares should I ask for when I join a startup today?” In reality, the number of shares doesn’t mean anything – it’s your percent of the total that you need to negotiate. For example, 200,000 shares may sound like a lot, but if the startup has issued 20 million (a common starting point), that’s just 1% of the company.
SoCal Tech Calendar
JULY 25, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011 -- Global Biotechnology Report 2011. SoCalBio Networking Forum. Ernst and Young will present highlights from its 25th annual industry report "Beyond Borders". Speakers during this networking forum will discuss implications for bioscience companies as they face a more uncertain future in the current business climate. Ernst and Young will also summarize the sector's performance using key metrics - financial performance, financing, deals and pipeline productivity.
Tech Zulu Event
JULY 26, 2011
Join TechZulu and Digital LA’s panel on live streaming! And guess what?!? Yup, that’s right! TechZulu will be there to stream it all for your viewing pleasure July 26th, 7:30pm PST. The panel of experts will discuss when to stream (events, premieres, concerts, weekly live shows), technical setup (bandwidth, cameras, etc), getting the word out to increase views, distribution channels, and measures of success.
socalTECH
JULY 25, 2011
Hollywood-based Bevvy.com , an invite-only site providing preferred pricing on bars and clubs, launched Monday, saying that it will provide a "Priceline for nightlife." The startup offers up 50% discounts on nightlife venues after a $10 reservation fee. Bevvy is headed by Niall Donnelly. According to Bevvy.com, users can find bars and clubs through its online reservation system, paying $10 in a reservation fee or $50 for bottle service, and then they will get a 50 percent discount at those locat
Startup Professionals Musings
JULY 27, 2011
Throughout my career in small companies and large, I’ve always been appalled by the number of people who seem to complain all of the time. These people don’t seem to realize that they are hurting themselves, as well as other people’s productivity, and the company they are working for. I’ve always thought that I might be overly sensitive, but recently I saw an old survey done by badbossoloy.com , which claims that a majority of employees spend 10 hours or more a month complaining or listening to
SoCal Tech Calendar
JULY 26, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 -- ExecTec on Organic Authenticity.
Tech Zulu Event
JULY 27, 2011
Smartphones have made everything we snap a picture of “special&#. So much in fact, that several apps have emerged to help the new feel a little bit old. You may have seen all the cool artsy iPhone apps like Instagram that capture a modern picture with that grainy old school edge and color. But, you’re not just using your iPhone on one site.
socalTECH
JULY 26, 2011
California is currently leading in terms of the number of IPO registrations, as the IPO market has reached a new high, according to a report released today. According to a report from Ernst & Young, the second quarter of 2011 saw 140 potential IPOs, representing $23.7 billion in deals, the highest since the financial crisis started in late 2007.
Startup Professionals Musings
JULY 26, 2011
Every so often a promising entrepreneur seems to freeze in the oncoming headlights and gets run over by his competition. Why is it that his idea which seemed so fundable only months ago fails to dazzle investors today? The team is the same. The company's market is the same. The only difference might be the start of another recession like the last one, resulting in a lower valuation for Internet ventures, and that makes all the difference.
socalTECH
JULY 26, 2011
Culver City-based ThinkNear , a new startup focused on helping local merchants reach consumers with mobile, location-based ads, said today that it has raised $1.6M in a seed funding round. The round was led by IA Ventures, and also included Google Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, Metamorphic Ventures, Real Ventures, ff Venture Capital, Zelkova Ventures, BoldStart VC, as well as angels David Tisch and David Cohen.
socalTECH
JULY 27, 2011
Washington, DC-based TroopSwap.com , an online site offering daily deals to military families, has scored a new round of funding from a number of Southern California investors, the firm said this week. According to TroopSwap--which is led by two Airborne Rangers who met at Harvard Business School--it received $925,000 in a new round of funding from such investors as Frank Monestere, President/COO of Los Angeles-based LegalZoom.com; Paige Craig, Founder and CEO of BetterWorks.com; and Kelly Perde
socalTECH
JULY 27, 2011
Los Angeles-based TopSpin Media , the provider of tools for helping musicians market themselves online, has scored a win with the Sundance Institute , the nonprofit which runs the Sundance Film Festival. According to the Sundance Institute, it is tapping Topspin Media for its direct-to-fan marketing tools, as part of an expansion of its Artist Services program.
socalTECH
JULY 27, 2011
Pasadena-based Idealab has made another investment in a Twitter-related service, in GoPollGo , which said today that it has launched an online polling service based on Twitter. GoPollGo, which is based in Palo Alto, said it is bringing online polling with real-time analytics, all based on posting polls to Twitter followers and gathering real-time statistics, geolocated responses, and more.
socalTECH
JULY 26, 2011
Los Angeles-based ShareSquare , the provider of QR code generation software and related mobile applications, has inked a deal with The Orchard , the independent music and video marketing and distribution firm. According to the two, they have partnered to deliver QR social discovery experiences. Financial details of the partnership were not announced.
socalTECH
JULY 27, 2011
Santa Monica-based Activision , the computer games publisher, said today that it has awarded two winners in the first round of its Activisoin Independent Games Competition. The firm said it has awarded $175,000 to Peter Angstadt for his game, Dstroyd, and $75,000 to Engient, for the game Rigonauts: Broadside. Activision says it is offering up $500,000 in prizes as part of the competition, which is aimed at independent game developers in the US.
socalTECH
JULY 26, 2011
The Los Angeles area ranks among the top markets for activity on the angel investment service AngelList , according to new statistics released by the service Monday. According to AngelList, Los Angeles was third in the list of top five locations with activity on the service. That list included Silicon Valley, New York, Los Angeles, London, and Chicago.
socalTECH
JULY 29, 2011
A report, published Friday by Wired, says that Los Angeles-based video streaming site Hulu has cut its use of web analytics service Kissmetrics -- a startup founded by former Orange County entrepreneur Neil Patel -- after U.C. Berkeley security researchers detected the use of undetectable cookie code by Kissmetrics. The report from Wired said that those researchers found that Kissmetrics tracking service cannot be evaded, even when users block their cookies, turn off storage in Flash, or use "in
socalTECH
JULY 28, 2011
Los Angeles-based Luxury Link said Wednesday that it has added Terry Jones, the founder of Travelocity, to its board of directors. The firm provides online travel services geared at five star and other upscale hotels. Luxury Link is headed by Drew Marich. Jones founded Travelocity in 1996, and served as President and CEO until 2002. He currently sits on the boards of Kayak.com, Rearden Commerce, and Smart Destinations, and is a special venture partner at General Catalyst Partners.
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