Both Sides of the Table
APRIL 30, 2011
This article originally appeared on TechCrunch. Banner Ads. They first started in 1994 and are therefore almost as old as the Web itself. They were very effective back then, with the original ad garnering a 78% click-through rate (CTR) ! I guess from there we had nowhere to go but down. Nowadays banner ads get on average 0.2% CTR meaning for every 1,000 ads that are served up only 2 people click on them.
socalTECH
MAY 4, 2011
One of the stealthiest Los Angeles startups to emerge in the last few months has been Namesake (www.namesake.com), headed by Brian Norgard and co-founded by Dan Gould. Norgard has been keeping Namesake close to the vest, but we were able to visit him at the firm's headquarters in West Hollywood, where he gave us an overview of what the firm is doing.
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InfoChachkie
MAY 5, 2011
Note: This is part I of a three part series. Access part II HERE and part III HERE when they are posted. Agreements with Big Dumb Companies (BDCs) are like DC Comic’s evil villainess, Poison Ivy. Both are seductive and alluring and both are potentially fatal. A startup’s most meaningful agreements are often struck with BDCs. You will no doubt craft agreements with companies of similar or even smaller size to your own.
Berkonomics
MAY 2, 2011
Years ago, when I was CEO of my record manufacturing company in Hollywood, I happened to walk around the plant into the press room just as Bobby, one of the employees’ favorite coworkers, was offering stolen merchandise to his fellow pressmen from a bag he was carrying. He halted, and waited for me to react, obviously caught in the act. Everyone loved Bobby, a hard worker and good friend.
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
MAY 5, 2011
This article originally ran on TechCrunch. I’m in Seattle this week. People keep asking me if I’ve “seen anything interesting.&# Of course I have. I’m an entrepreneur at heart so I’m always inspired when I hear stories about innovation. I really liked BigDoor, MediaPiston, OpsCode, BuddyTV, SEOMoz and much more. Can’t list them all.
socalTECH
MAY 2, 2011
In recent weeks, online ticketing has seen a surge in interest and funding. Los Angeles-based SaveFans (www.savefans.com) recently raised some funding for its take on secondary ticketing, so we thought we'd speak with founder Wes Brodsky about the company and where it's going. Describe SaveFans and what it does? Wes Brodsky: SaveFans is a negotiation model for the ticketing space.
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
MAY 4, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011 -- TEDxAFC. San Diegans know there's more to our city than Shamu and perfect weather. Technology is being innovated, humanitarian leaders are making real change in peoples lives, and a thriving community of artists and designers are waiting for their chance to speak. They are encouraged to give the best talk of their lives and they eagerly step up to the challenge.
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 2, 2011
Although every startup is unique, there are certain common avoidable mistakes that can lead to legal complications which jeopardize the long-term success of the business. I’m not suggesting that every startup needs a lawyer, but you should definitely pay attention, and not be afraid to consult legal counsel if any of these raise qualms for you. Like other environments, most legal issues don’t result from fraud, but from ignorance on specific requirements, or simply never getting around to doing
socalTECH
MAY 2, 2011
Santa Monica-based GotCast , the online casting site run by Alec Shankman, told its users today that it is gearing up to launch a new, spin-off website for its social media contest platform. GotCast said the platform--MediaBlastr--is the softare it uses to power its casting community on GotCast, as well as its various social media contests it has been running for TV networks and brand clients.
Tech Zulu Event
MAY 6, 2011
At its release, email was heralded as the best thing since the facsimile aka the fax machine. Well email may be the savior of the Western world’s time, but like all great inventions of the last century, it could use a little help. DueToDos is a web based business productivity platform that seeks to save you time and increase efficiency whether you’re solo or on a team.
SoCal Tech Calendar
MAY 3, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011 -- Harvard Business School Association of Orange County (HBSAOC) Business Growth Conference 2011. For over a quarter of a century, the Harvard Business School Association of Orange County (HBSAOC) has made the mission local to Southern California, by extending that knowledge to their professional peers who look to take their businesses to the next level, via the annual Business Growth Conference.
Startup Professionals Musings
APRIL 30, 2011
Effective communication is an absolute requirement for successfully starting a business, but it doesn’t come naturally to many entrepreneurs. Communication is considered a social skill, and inventors and engineers, for example, aren’t known to be social butterflies. Founders have to communicate their ideas and products to investors, business partners, and the rest of the team.
socalTECH
MAY 4, 2011
Sherman Oaks-based SodaHead , the online polling and questions and answer site, said today that it has launched an integrated campaign with the Slurpee brand. SodaHead did not disclose details of the win, but said the campaign includes a poll question, skinned homepage, email newsletter and banner ads. SodaHead is venture backed by Mission Ventures and Mohr Davidow Ventures, and was founded by former MySpace exec Jason Feffer and friend Michael Glazer.
Tech Zulu Event
MAY 2, 2011
There’s one thing that I find to be extra inspirational to witness even over watching successful professionals speak about pursuing their passions, and that is to see younger individuals following similar paths to success. At the Technovation Challenge LA Pitch Night hosted by Iridescent , we saw six teams of high school girls from various Los Angeles City Schools pitch a number of mobile app ideas to a panel of venture capitalists and entrepreneurs.
SoCal Tech Calendar
MAY 3, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011 -- Business Growth Conference 2011. Harvard Business School Association of Orange County (HBSAOC). At this point in your career, you may think you know it all. You were fortunate enough to survive the recession, and perhaps this is not your first recession, either, so you believe you are well-poised to capitalize on the new economy.
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 5, 2011
Every startup faces a myriad of challenges that are well beyond the scope of any founder, so you need a few guiding lights to illuminate the road ahead. These should be carefully selected, with a proven track record, willing and available to help, and be completely trustworthy. Make sure they are willing to check their egos at the door. Let’s talk specifics.
socalTECH
MAY 5, 2011
Santa Barbara-based FindTheBest.com , the online comparison site headed by DoubleClick founder Kevin O'Connor , has turned to a Google and DoubleClick vet to serve as President. The firm said that Rabin Yaghoubi , who previously launched and led content, commerce, and local partnerships at Google, will join the firm in New York at a new office. Yaghoubi was also an executive serving under O'Connor at DoubleClick, where he was Vice President of Global Media.
Tech Zulu Event
MAY 2, 2011
Interested in the growing industry of Augmented Reality? We’ve got an event coming for you. This year’s second annual Augmented Reality Event (ARE) is promising to be an event to attend for all those interested in Augmented reality (AR). Last year’s ARE event was the largest event ever focused on advancing the Augmented Reality industry, with 520 attendees, 90 speakers, 30 hours of sessions, and one of a kind activities such as the ARt Gala, The Auggies Best AR Demo Award, and AR Startup Launchp
SoCal Tech Calendar
MAY 4, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011 -- Health 2.0 Mixer. Health 2.0 networking event for Internet, mobile, and healthcare professionals. Meet peers, share insights, mingle with investors and recruit talent. Proudly sponsored by Health In Reach, Health 2.0 Conference, Tech Coast Angels, and RockHealth. See https://www.healthinreach.com/blog/?p=248.
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 3, 2011
A large portion of your competitive advantage and your potential value to investors is the size of your intellectual property portfolio. When someone says Intellectual Property (IP), most entrepreneurs think only of patents. In reality, patents are only one of at least eight items that should be in your IP portfolio. You need all these before you start looking for funding.
socalTECH
MAY 5, 2011
West Hollywood-based CityGrid Media , the unit of IAC formerly known as CitySearch, said today that it has acquired BuzzLabs , a social media monitoring and sentiment analysis software developer. Financial terms of the deal were not announced. CityGrid said the buy would help it aggregate and analyze millions of pieces of content across its network, and provide that data to its publishers and merchants.
Tech Zulu Event
MAY 2, 2011
The best of the best in Augmented Reality to compete for top industry award. Industry icons Bruce Sterling, Vernor Vinge, Will Wright and Jaron Lanier to judge the Auggies – at the world’s largest AR event. SANTA CLARA, CA (April 26, 2011) – The Augmented Reality industry is getting ready to show off a new round of innovation to the technology, media, and marketing communities.
SoCal Tech Calendar
MAY 2, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011 -- CommNexus Town Hall 2011. Mobile is now the most predominant technology platform in the world. Already, there are more than 5 billion mobile wireless subscriptions worldwide. As wireless transcends the handset, it's changing the way we interact with consumer electronics and the way consumer electronics allow us to interact with the world at large.
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 6, 2011
Every entrepreneur wants to know how they can improve their odds on the road to success, and why some entrepreneurs seem to be able to squeeze success out of even a marginal business case. Most experts agree that is has lot to do with your level of passion, determination, and innovation, modulated by a strong focus on reality, common sense, and street smarts.
socalTECH
MAY 4, 2011
Agoura Hills-based videogame maker THQ said Tuesday that it has named Angela Emery as the firm's Vice President of Corporate Communications. Emery joins the firm from Disney Interactive Studios. Emery also has served at such firms as Fox Interactive, Sega Interactive, and Edelman PR. Emery replaces Julie MacMedan, who the firm said has left to pursue a new opportunity.
Tech Zulu Event
MAY 5, 2011
We’re going to open this article with some quick statistics on the online dating industry: The online dating industry is worth $1.049 BILLION per year. The industry is projected to be worth $1.3 billion by 2013. The mobile phone dating market is worth $550 million. In the United States, there are 40 million online dating users. (And just for fun) , there are 140 million online dating users in China!
SoCal Tech Calendar
APRIL 30, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011 -- Alternative Clean Transportation Expo. Launching in Southern Californiaa region with twenty five years of groundbreaking alternative fuel vehicle technology successACT Expo provides a sharp focus on the world of Alternative Clean Transportation. Plan to attend for the latest information on funding opportunities, regulatory policies, and inside details on new and emerging technologies.
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 1, 2011
If you are new to the entrepreneurial world of startups, you are likely confused by the terminology of seed-stage, lean startups, micro-VCs, and Super Angels. Don’t be embarrassed, since even professional investors are often confused these days by the new terms, as well as old terms used with new meanings. In any case, it’s time to look again at the options you really have.
socalTECH
MAY 5, 2011
Santa Ana-based SRS Labs , which develops surround sound and audio technology, reported today that EchoStar has renewed a multi-year licensing agreement with the firm. Financial details of the win were not disclosed. EchoStar is using SRS Labs' technology on its set-top boxes. SRS Labs develops technology to remove volume fluctuation in television programming and commercials, particularly the annoying switch to loud commercials between shows.
Tech Zulu Event
MAY 5, 2011
The CalTech Enterprise Forum presents Renewable Energy & The Smarter Grid: Opportunities for the Entrepreneur this Saturday May 7th. The creation of a smarter and greener grid is driven by the opportunity to create significant efficiencies while balancing a new urgency to integrate and accommodate new sources of renewable generation. As aggressive policies and vigorous investments take hold, newer and smarter technology is rolling out.
SoCal Tech Calendar
MAY 6, 2011
Thursday, May 12, 2011 -- ACGOC Annual Awards Night. Each May, the Orange County chapter of the ACG (ACG OC) recognizes and honors a select group of companies who have demonstrated outstanding growth and leadership in their respective industries. This year, up to five awards will be given. Categories for Awards may include but are not limited to: The Founders Award, The Emerging Growth Award, The Growth Award, The Global Award, The Spotlight Deal of the Year Award, Corporate Responsibility A
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 4, 2011
Companies today are paranoid, afraid that even their friends will steal their business. Yet a creative collaboration with your biggest competitor may be the best opportunity for revenue and survival. But remember that “dancing with the wolves” can also get you eaten for lunch. You have to take the risk, but keep your wits about you. Your goal is “ coopetition ” - to find a way to partner with your competitor in such a way that both parties can substantially benefit from the other's resources - w
socalTECH
MAY 4, 2011
Glendale-based LegalZoom said last week that it has added Institutional Venture Partners and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers as investors in the firm. No details on the investment were disclosed. KPCB and IVP join Polaris Venture Partners as backers of the company, which has been rumored to be prepping for an IPO since at least August of last year, according to multiple sources in the Los Angeles technology community.
Daradiction
MAY 6, 2011
Meeting Geography Pioneer Roger Tomlinson at Esri HQ was a memory. We had some fun telling jokes, talking about koala bears, and hearing the story about how Roger and Jack Dangermond met in Santa Barbara in the late 60’s. Now I just need to pick up a copy of Thinking About GIS.
SoCal Tech Calendar
MAY 6, 2011
Thursday, May 12, 2011 -- MIX@SIX. The Butterfly Effect of Volunteerism This special mixer will be accompanied by a short and informative presentation that is sure to INSPIRE and EMPOWER you! Learn HOW TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS by making a difference to those around you.
socalTECH
MAY 3, 2011
A set of three, well known Los Angeles investors with military connections are funding a new startup, Troopswap.com , focused on providing daily deals to the military community. According to Troopswap.com, based in Hampton Road, Virginia, it has scored $585,000 in private funding from investors that include Frank Monestere , President/COO of Legalzoom.com, Paige Craig , CEO of BetterWorks.com, and Kelly Perdew , CEO of FastPointGames.
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