Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 8, 2014

” It’s the most common refrain I hear from investors and even entrepreneurs these days. Let me start with the obvious baseline that most people probably know instinctively: Los Angeles is the 3rd largest technology startup ecosystem in the US. “There’s something going on in LA.” acquired Overture for $1.63

Entrepreneur 376

Entrepreneur Snapchat Startup Google 376

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

The world around us is being disrupted by the acceleration of technology into more industries and more consumer applications. Technology solutions are now used by authoritarians to monitor and control populations, to stymie an individual company’s economic prospects or to foment chaos through demagoguery. Are we in a bubble?”

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

Technical entrepreneurs love their technology, and often are driven to launch a startup on the assumption that everyone will buy any solution which highlights this technology. These founders all seem to be pushing their technology, rather than highlighting their solution to a painful need.

Technology 114

Technology Startup Social Media Customer 114

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2011

Equally, I encouraged entrepreneurs to spend time getting to know their future VCs early because getting a feel for your chemistry is far more important than how the VC is ranked in some survey. Equally, I encouraged entrepreneurs to thoroughly reference check their VCs – you’ll learn much more from this than anything else.

Entrepreneur 330

Entrepreneur Marketing Venture Capital Hulu 330

socalTECH

DECEMBER 26, 2017

During the holiday season, our tradition over the last few years has been to post reflections on the past year and some predictions from Southern California's "movers and shakers" in the technology industry. Our team has an eye for identifying legacy industries and nascent trends, and creating platforms for innovation.

Dollar Shave Club 140

Dollar Shave Club Userplane Tsavo Southern California 140

socalTECH

AUGUST 22, 2018

Sherman Oaks-based Serviz , the on-demand home services company founded by serial entrepreneurs Zorik Gordon and Michael Kline, has been acquired by Porch , another online marketplace for home services. Porch, which is based in Seattle, said it will integrate the Serviz technology platform into its own site, Porch.com.

Sherman Oaks 100

Sherman Oaks ReachLocal Demand Acquisition 100

TechCrunch LA

DECEMBER 11, 2018

Based in Los Angeles, AppOnboard sees itself as one of a new breed of LA startup that’s steeping itself in the local ecosystem and trying to be one of the cornerstone’s for a new technology hub in the southern California region. Company co-founder Jonathan Zweig has already had one hit as a Los Angeles-based entrepreneur.

Google 213

Google Los Angeles Southern California Platform 213

socalTECH

MAY 2, 2013

Despite a growing technology industry here in Southern California, local investors and entrepreneurs tell us there''s still a shortage of local, venture capital. In particular, funding for companies developing deep technology--software and cloud, as opposed to content and media--seems to be lacking.

Invest 159

Invest Technology Startup Venture Capital 159

socalTECH

APRIL 25, 2013

In the arms race of search technology, only the big guys -- Google, Microsoft -- seem to be able to keep up with all of the innovations in the space. How can the rest of us get the kinds of features consumers expect with search elsewhere? Most consumers know how this works if they use Google, which launched this two years ago.

Technology 216

Technology Google Commerce Southern California 216

socalTECH

MAY 17, 2018

The insurance industry is an old industry, with a lot of contradictions--it's one where the more claims insurers pay to help customers, the less money the insurers make--and it's also one that hasn't been disrupted much yet by technology. Is it possible to use technology to replace the age-old system currently in use in insurance?

Technology 165

Technology Startup West Los Angeles Platform 165

socalTECH

AUGUST 12, 2014

These companies were each offering a product or platform that really addressed one of those areas. warner bros media camp mediacamp technology startup content hollywood accelerator incubator interview' Are you going to do this again? Debra Baker: Yes, we''re planning to run another program next year. READ MORE>>.

Startup 159

Startup Technology Hollywood Media 159

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 19, 2013

Silicon Valley’s 9+, an accelerator founded by serial entrepreneur and company builder Peter Relan is investing $110,000 into game developers to quit developing games and shift to consumer, mobile, Big Data and wearable apps. 110,000 to quit developing games for wearable apps. 2 million raised. 2 million raised.

Startup 79

Startup Develop Development Incubator 79

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2023

Most of the entrepreneurs and aggressive business owners I meet in my consulting practice are focused on finding new disruptive solutions and killing competitors as the key to success. This starts with debunking the existing assumptions that have concealed the opportunity and then reframing it with today’s technology to find a solution.

Capital 142

Capital Netflix Resource Customer 142

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 8, 2019

Responding to Elizabeth Warren’s call to regulate and break up some of the nation’s largest technology companies, the venture capitalists that invest in technology companies are advising the presidential hopeful to move slowly and not break anything. One issue is do we need regulation on the full platform companies.

Technical Review 144

Technical Review Startup Chief Technology Officer Social Media 144

socalTECH

AUGUST 12, 2019

We've helped entrepreneurs raise over $225M in early stage, venture funding. Their goal is to partner in really unique ways with entrepreneurs, accelerators and investors, to create businesses and brands in new categories for P&G. So what you're working with them is very much focused on consumers?

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Metrics Los Angeles Help 124

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2013

If you are an entrepreneur today, and not using social media to promote your business, you are missing out on a huge opportunity. Most social media outlets don’t require a subscription charge, but they certainly require an investment – in people, in technology, your reputation, and your time. Pick the right platform for your business.

Social Media 101

Social Media Media Entrepreneur Metrics 101

socalTECH

DECEMBER 30, 2016

All this holiday season, we have been sharing the reflections on 2016 from Southern California's technology ecosystem. Wannier is a longtime Southern California entrepreneur, having founded MyShape, Enfish, and co-founding Gemstar, the maker of VCR Plus. She also founded CEO Circle, a confidential forum for early-stage technology CEOs.

MyShape 113

MyShape Southern California Education News 113

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 10, 2018

One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” On the other hand, there are many additional creative options available for starting a business that you might not find for buying a car, home, or other major consumer item. Start a crowdfunding campaign online.

Entrepreneur 96

Entrepreneur Startup Equity Funding 96

socalTECH

DECEMBER 27, 2018

Editor's note: All this week, and into the start of next year, we'll be featuring reflections on 2018 from notable investors, entrepreneurs, and others from Southern California's technology community. Over the last four years, I watched numerous entrepreneurs raise equity. What was the biggest news for your company in 2018?

Southern California 133

Southern California SoCal Culver City Venture Capital 133

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 27, 2010

Last week, Santa Monica-based Tecca (www.tecca.com) launched a consumer electronics, consumer information service, backed by Fuse Capital and Best Buy. The service--currently only available on iPhone and Android--allows users to find reviews and information about consumer electronics products.

Incubator 239

Incubator Startup Web Technical Review 239

socalTECH

DECEMBER 27, 2018

Editor's note: All this week, and into the start of next year, we'll be featuring reflections on 2018 from notable investors, entrepreneurs, and others from Southern California's technology community. Our investment in PlayVS and the subsequent launch of their Season Zero high school e-sports platform was very exciting.

Dollar Shave Club 113

Dollar Shave Club Userplane Tsavo Malibu 113

SoCal Tech Calendar

MAY 1, 2011

Saturday, May 7, 2011 -- Renewable Energy and the Smarter Grid: Opportunities for the Entrepreneur. As aggressive policies and vigorous investments take hold, newer and smarter technology is rolling out. Caltech/MIT Enterprise Forum.

Enterprise Forum 100

Enterprise Forum Entrepreneur CalTech Startup 100

socalTECH

AUGUST 15, 2012

Encino-based uSamp , the provider of survey and sampling technology and services, said Tuesday that it has named Leslie Warshaw as Vice President of Research Solutions. uSamp provides a platform and network of survey respondants used by companies to gain insights into consumers and businesses. READ MORE>>.

Encino 133

Encino Sample Research Platform 133

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2014

One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” On the other hand, there are many additional creative options available for starting a business that you might not find for buying a car, home, or other major consumer item. Start a crowdfunding campaign online.

Startup 113

Startup Entrepreneur Funding Equity 113

TechCrunch LA

JUNE 3, 2022

After all, Glossier’s founder and CEO Emily Weiss is very, very far from the first entrepreneur to profit off of our desire to look good. Like with many consumer brands geared toward women, we buy in not just because of the marketing, but because of the product itself. “It’s not a compliment. And who cares?

Startup 280

Startup Netflix Los Angeles Innocal 280

socalTECH

JUNE 23, 2017

The insurance industry today is one of the last industries to fully jump into adopting technology for offering up their products, says Wayne Slavin , CEO and founder of SURE (www.sureapp.com), and just needs some help in getting there. Consumers, obviously, are moving to digital, and it's a no brainer that their industry is going to change.

Southern California 244

Southern California Technical Review Startup Commerce 244

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

Sandalbay Life is actually run by a serial entrepreneur with ties to Marks, Neil Malhotra. Neil Malhotra: Our mission is to empower consumers to know and manage their health. The challenge for those manufacturers is providing a software platform for those devices to run on for the consumers. What's your background?

Startup 164

Startup Platform Southern California CalTech 164

socalTECH

APRIL 2, 2014

Pasadena-based Smartify (www.getsmartify.com)''s CEO, Carla Bourque , recently talked to us about the company''s online marketing platform, and how it differentiates itself from a lot of other competitors in the market. As you might imagine, I started as a brand manager in the consumer product goods market. What is Smartify?

Marketing 196

Marketing Pasadena Platform Email 196

socalTECH

AUGUST 8, 2018

Dave Fink: Postie is a building a technology platform with a mission of making direct mail marketing behave as easily and dynamically as your favorite, programmatic channels. However, there just hasn't been the underlying technology to make it possible to pull all of that together. What is Postie? Both of us are purely digital.

CTO Hire 100

CTO Hire Artificial Inteligence Technical Review Marketing 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 3, 2012

Entrepreneurs always work hard to create an innovative product or service, but often count on standard seller marketing for sales. Every business needs to take advantage of the new tools and technologies which can assist you in making this shift in strategy and measuring effectiveness.

Tips 93

Tips Search Engine Optimization Summary Startup 93

socalTECH

DECEMBER 30, 2019

Every year, at the end of the year, we share some reflections on the past year from our readers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, sponsors, and others in the local technology community. What new technology area, startup, service, or app did you find most interesting or useful this year, and why?

Dollar Shave Club 100

Dollar Shave Club Activity Organization News 100

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 17, 2015

Entrepreneurs and startups operate within a David versus Goliath environment. The idea is that all the information we create every day, whether on social media or in-store purchases, could help companies better understand things like consumer behavior. Entrepreneurs and Flexibility. Challenges Facing Entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneur 40

Entrepreneur Tool Organization Social Media 40

socalTECH

DECEMBER 11, 2018

And, if you're a social platform, is there a way to monetize all that activity happening on your service? Jordan Glazier: Wildfire has developed a platform for monetizing social messaging. Yet, the ways that enterprises and businesses are monetizing that user interaction is sort of archaic, compared to the evolution of the technology.

San Diego 159

San Diego Social Media Commerce Snapchat 159

socalTECH

DECEMBER 27, 2016

This holiday season, we are again sharing the reflections on 2016 from Southern California's technology ecosystem. Brad Brooks: The biggest news from TigerText this year is that we're evolving from what was a pure secure messaging product to a comprehensive clinical communications platform.

Southern California 113

Southern California Social Media News Entertainment 113

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 18, 2011

If you are an entrepreneur today, and not using social media to promote your business, you are missing out on a huge opportunity. Most social media outlets don’t require a subscription charge, but they certainly require an investment – in people, in technology, your reputation, and your time. Pick the right platform for your business.

Social Media 93

Social Media Media Entrepreneur Platform 93

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 21, 2023

One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” On the other hand, there are many additional creative options available for starting a business that you might not find for buying a car, home, or other major consumer item. Start a crowdfunding campaign online.

Startup 106

Startup Capital Equity Funding 106

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 29, 2020

One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” On the other hand, there are many additional creative options available for starting a business that you might not find for buying a car, home, or other major consumer item. Start a crowdfunding campaign online.

Funding 174

Funding Startup Equity Examples 174