Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2021

As a business advisor, I have to recommend even to established companies that they review and revamp their competitive strategy now, even if it appears to be working today. The old approaches of controlling distribution channels, saturating retail, and methodically scaling your brand awareness don’t protect you anymore.

Competition 142

Competition Software Review Social Media Custom 142

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 6, 2020

government national security panel, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which reportedly told the Beijing-based parent company that its ownership of Grindr constituted a national security threat. The deal is subject to shareholder approval and a review by CFIUS.

Los Angeles 321

Los Angeles Software Review Acquisition Report 321

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 31, 2021

These are industries where structural impediments to technology adoption have only recently been broken down by the advent of incredibly powerful mobile devices. “It would present a huge opportunity for a variety of climate tech sectors, ranging from clean electricity to carbon management to vehicle electrification.”

Startup 229

Startup Technical Review Invest Research 229

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 12, 2018

Now following a $62 million round of funding led by Battery Ventures last month, the company is worth roughly $800 million, according to people with knowledge of the investment, and is on its way to becoming Los Angeles’ next billion-dollar business. These kinds of technologies, unlike AI, don’t automate away workers.

Glendale 271

Glendale Los Angeles Startup Technical Review 271

socalTECH

AUGUST 23, 2017

Serial entrepreneurs--those who have started and successfully sold or exited startups in the past--have been outsized contributors to the local technology industry, due to the experience they had in their prior companies. Here's a quick look at just a few of the new companies who are led by serial entrepreneurs from the LA ecosystem.

Entrepreneur 113

Entrepreneur Company Companies Technical Review 113

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 19, 2013

Founded by Alessandro Petrucciani from Italy, Alex Napetschnig from Austria,Baris Tamer from Turkey, Emiliano Saurin from Argentina and Roland Heuger from Germany, Klash App recently closed its first ever investment round and revamped its iOS App which is now online. Klash for iOS was released last fall and had good reviews with a 4.9

Invest 68

Invest Slides Ideas Mobile 68

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

Mobile first is becoming an important part of our daily lives. We interact with the world through our mobile devices, and they are quickly becoming our main vehicles for accessing and sharing information. Hence the emergence of Source13, a new mobile conference produced by Flurry. How do you discover the right people to follow?

Mobile 71

Mobile Technical Review Platform Startup 71

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 20, 2020

Photo by Viktor Forgacs on Unsplash I was listening to Dan Primack’s podcast on Pro Rata and he was interviewing Senator Klobucher who is now publicly and vocally speaking out against Uber purchasing Grubhub and has tried to mobilize against this.

SaaS 242

SaaS Custom Customer Technical Review 242

Xconomy

DECEMBER 6, 2018

But when it comes to new investments, venture capitalists can’t be so short-sighted. In July 2018, my venture capital firm, Alumni Ventures Group (AVG), encountered an investment opportunity in RealSelf, a marketplace that features reviews of providers of medical aesthetics and cosmetic treatments.

Technical Review 97

Technical Review Venture Capital Software Review Platform 97

Tech.Co

MARCH 8, 2018

Lisha is a member of Pipeline Angels , a social impact angel investing group focused on women and non-binary femmes, and serves as the Deal Flow lead. At NextGen Venture Partners, Ashley discovers and vets potential investments. She began her career as an engineer at Cisco Systems and later cofounded a mobile gaming company.

Technical Review 70

Technical Review Startup Software Review Entrepreneur 70

Xconomy

JUNE 23, 2016

Google is making major improvements to Android Studio, while Apple is continuing to invest in Swift and announced Playgrounds, an exciting new way to learn how to program in Swift. Two customer-focused announcements stood out: the reviews API and the customer case studies. Success of the app stores starts with developers.

Artificial Inteligence 55

Artificial Inteligence Google Software Review Case Study 55

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 9, 2015

During the many hours I have stood in anticipation of the next wave (as noted in You’re Never To Old To Learn To Surf , I’m an old guy on a standup paddle board), I have come to realize that surfing and investing share a number of surprising corollaries. Gnarly Corollaries Between Surfing And Investing. Time in the water matters.

Invest 100

Invest Software Review Journal Competition 100

socalTECH

JULY 31, 2013

In the world of mobile app and Internet startups, it''s not that often that you see companies who touch the hardware side of the world get funding nowadays. We also operate the network software than runs and manages the entire network layer, from access point to end point. We have Renaissance making our chips.

Technical Review 213

Technical Review Software Review Networking Technology 213

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 7, 2011

If you care to review my prior discussion with Kevin, you can do so HERE. Due to his stellar track record, Kevin is routinely approached by people who want to work with him so they can learn his secrets. According to him, mobile is a trend, but, “…apps are more of a fad than a trend. At that time, I was not utilizing video.

Press 260

Press Software Review Startup IBM 260

Xconomy

MARCH 20, 2018

Mythic, based in both Redwood City, CA, and Austin, TX, is one of the upstart companies benefiting from a surge of investing in the chip-making field, where the growing computational demands due to the use of AI are creating an opening for young entrepreneurs with out-of-the-box ideas.

Artificial Inteligence 77

Artificial Inteligence Technical Review Venture Capital Software Review 77

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 6, 2014

With small amounts of money invested (sub $3 million) the risks are reasonably low for most VCs and the consequences of bad decisions or decisions a VC has limited say in is tolerable. Reviewing financial & operational performance. As we have invested millions in building out our sales organization efficiency really matters.

Startup 325

Startup Sales Technical Review Software Review 325

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 25, 2015

I have many investments with early traction and I the entrepreneurs I work with must tire of my constantly saying, “Are we really making a difference? Or app companies that went viral due to spammy friend requests to download in an app store only to have a community backlash and subsequent crash.

Product 150

Product Startup Metrics Technical Review 150

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2010

Fortunately I was mostly a technology consultant, which meant that I coded computers, designed databases and planned system integration projects. We were looking at all sorts of strategic decisions that Sony was considering, which required analysis and data on broadband networks, Internet portas and mobile handsets/networks.

Statistics 415

Statistics Startup Report Research 415

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 11, 2011

I recommend you first review Dharmesh’s article and then listen to Naval’s thoughts. These days, thanks to code and community, we can productize almost any process done by humans. 5) Rincon Venture Partners recently invested in The Resumator , which we identified via AngelList. Capital is very mobile, but capitalists are not.

Startup 273

Startup Software Review Summary Technical Review 273

InfoChachkie

JUNE 20, 2011

Due to their lack of practical experience, this delegation/efficiency tradeoff is especially acute with respect to hiring Interns. In several cases, we eventually productized summer Intern projects, including a mobile version of GoToMyPC which we called PocketView. Invest – Frugality is a core competency at successful startups.

Startup 244

Startup Software Review Technical Review Class 244

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 1, 2009

Consumer spending is 70% of the economy and will continue to be stretched – We can look all we want at tech innovation, VC funding cycles and hot M&A deals, but ultimately growth and therefore investment must be underpinned by revenue. This has a tangible impact on the valuation of start-ups and the pace of investment.

Venture Capital 269

Venture Capital Startup Funding Technical Review 269

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 28, 2018

Until recently it was headquartered 2 blocks from our offices in Santa Monica so we literally saw it emerge under our feet and we proudly invested in the last 3 rounds of financing. Today the company officially announced its most recent round of capital ?—?having having raised $300 million?—?less

Santa Monica 256

Santa Monica Funding Startup Course 256

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 27, 2012

1) has escaped the attention of the major Internet companies, which are better run than ever before; (2) is capable of being launched and proven out for ~$5M, the typical seed plus series A investment; and. (3) We once thought Microsoft was a monopoly on the Internet due to IE. How many ideas like that are left?” ” My 3.5

Technical Review 299

Technical Review Venture Capital Yammer Google 299

socalTECH

MAY 21, 2013

Darren Clark: It was officially May 9 of 2012, when David and I and others within YP and AT&T decided that given where we were with AT&T, their core focus on wireless, we should figure out how to take the business out of AT&T, so that we would not be constrained on our investments, and we could go after markets in a more strategic way.

Technical Review 223

Technical Review Glendale Advertising Google 223

SoCal Delicious

AUGUST 28, 2012

Huge news: Millions of PHP developers can now build mobile apps for iOS and Android — in PHP. Aiming to head off Apple, Microsoft shows off Xbox SmartGlass mobile app and Xbox dashboard update. Motorola Solutions shows off its hands-free mobile computer. Live at the Apple Event: iPad Mini (and more?). 11 hrs ago.

Southern California 57

Southern California PHP Technical Review Orange County 57

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 4, 2014

It’s almost been a work week since Techzulu and Gadget Review’s REACH | The Connected Future and we’re still reeling with excitement. Tom Soto – Managing Director/Investment Committee Member, TCW/Craton. Tom comments on the state of affairs as someone in the trenches, investing real dollars.

UCLA 99

UCLA Technical Review Software Review Incubator 99

socalTECH

MAY 21, 2013

Yelp and Agie''s List has been fantastic in the reviews path. But, going down that review path was not where we wanted to take it, or at least, not where we wanted to start. It''s interesting to look into the user behavior when you allow them to go out anonymously via mobile. READ MORE>>.

Technical Review 211

Technical Review Glendale Advertising Google 211

socalTECH

DECEMBER 1, 2008

In what looks to be a challenging funding climate for entrepreneurs, we thought it would be interesting to talk to one fund which is still making investments--Saban Ventures (www.saban.com)--a new, digital media focused venture capital fund located in Los Angeles. We're looking to build out our investment portfolio.

Southern California 100

Southern California Media Venture Capital Invest 100

socalTECH

DECEMBER 1, 2008

In what looks to be a challenging funding climate for entrepreneurs, we thought it would be interesting to talk to one fund which is still making investments--Saban Ventures (www.saban.com)--a new, digital media focused venture capital fund located in Los Angeles. We're looking to build out our investment portfolio.

Capital 100

Capital Southern California Media Venture Capital 100

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 26, 2016

This will also drive mobile usage and the growth of industries such as e-commerce and fintech, with a focus on streamlining and online task management integration tools supporting business use. In 2016, the price of mobile data will remain relatively stable. Efforts of product integration between online softwares are set to continue.

Commerce 40

Commerce Mobile Technical Review Google 40

Tech Zulu Event

DECEMBER 4, 2013

Luckily we have been able to self-fund our operation so far and we haven’t taken any outside investments. As far for Android, you have to be careful of making an app for the mobile phone or the tablet. Mobile has been increasing the amount of information we get. What challenges did you face when creating Pheebo?

Startup 106

Startup Design Mobile Software Review 106

socalTECH

MAY 23, 2017

Our interview this morning is with Jonathan Zweig , the CEO of Los Angeles-based AppOnboard (www.apponboard.com), which has created software which allows mobile app developers--and in particular, mobile game developers--to create demos of those games which can be played without having to download and install those apps.

Startup 113

Startup Southern California UCLA Technical Review 113

Xconomy

NOVEMBER 13, 2016

View the Slideshow A little more than a year ago, amid a resurgence in San Diego’s software sector, Xconomy identified a baker’s dozen of local tech companies to watch in 2016. million in a Series D round of investment capital, according to founder and chairman Tony Farwell. The results were so encouraging, we’re doing it again.

San Diego 40

San Diego Technical Review Artificial Inteligence Startup 40

SoCal Delicious

OCTOBER 8, 2012

CODE=DJII-DJN SYMBOL=FB CODE=DJII-DJN SYMBOL=GOOG CODE=DJII-DJN SYMBOL=I/DRG CODE=DJII-DJN SYMBOL=I/HOM CODE=DJII-DJN SYMBOL=I/ISV CODE=DJII-DJN SYMBOL=I/MED CODE=DJII-DJN SYMBOL=M/TEC CODE=DJII-DJN SYMBOL=MDA.T October 5, 2012.

Los Angeles 44

Los Angeles Software Review Technical Review Journal 44

socalTECH

JANUARY 17, 2017

due to a less developed financial system, lack of credit tracking, and oftentimes and informal economy. We've developed software, which seamlessly brings that information in, and it's really accurate, valid information. What kind of information are you able to assess using just a mobile phone? How did you end up starting Tala?

Startup 100

Startup Santa Monica Custom Customer 100

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 13, 2012

As Google starts offering more consumer products (read: mobile devices) I assure you they will find ways to take customer service calls from you. This is consistent with data I see from RingRevenue , a company in which I invested and sit on the board. But What About Mobile? And what form of ad unit totally KILLS it on mobile?

Mobile 311

Mobile Technical Review Google Screening 311

Inverted Software

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

The investment management firm Alliance Bernstein even downgraded its rating of the company from “outperform” to “market perform” Sears. Millennials do their shopping online using a mobile device. said Inverted Software’s CEO Mr. Gal Ratner. This could spell serious trouble for the US motorcycle maker.

Company 48

Company Companies Sales Education 48