Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 3, 2010

Paul Graham and the folks over at YCombinator have done much to reenergize early-stage entrepreneurship and encourage the creation of many new and innovative startups including DropBox, Posterous, Loopt, Justin.TV, Scribd and many others. One prominent YCombintor graduate CEO said, “Hacker News [can be] somewhat out of control.

News 258

News Tips Blogging Writing 258

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 23, 2011

You help them on stories, act as a source, develop real relationships, read their stories and eventually when you have news they’re more willing to have a conversation. In a startup this is a mistake. In this instance I typically recommend that startups NOT hire a big, well-known PR firm. There is one carve out.

Startup 349

Startup Writing Press Blogging 349

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 7, 2013

When I first started writing this blog several years ago I had less followers than you have right now. But the realist in me knew I couldn’t write daily nor could I convince you to think to check out my blog with regularity. It’s like a Pachinko machine (yes, I had one in my house growing up). I should know.

Writing 326

Writing Buzzfeed Social Media Blogging 326

Startup San Diego

OCTOBER 31, 2023

Day three of San Diego Startup Week took place at The LOT in Liberty Station, and we held the Sip N’ SaaS networking event Powered Logicboost Labs. We held a quick lightning round of “Ask/Offer,” with attendees writing down what they’re asking for (ex.

San Diego 52

San Diego SaaS Startup Writing 52

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 2, 2021

It’s March 1st as I write this*. Seems like just a moment ago it was New Year’s Day and we were all committing to our better selves for 2021 as so many of us do. A date is just a date and starting on March 5th and committing to 10 great months is just as productive as starting on January 1st. The year is two months in.

Startup 347

Startup Writing Course Coach 347

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2021

There is also more going on in every location, so this personal need and super sensitivity to the local community has spawned a new breed of Internet startups, called “hyperlocal.” What’s more difficult than building one successful startup? Try building 50 successful startups. Expanding city-by-city is expensive.

Startup 144

Startup Sites Content Sales 144

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2011

I made every textbook mistake at my first startup, which is why I believe I was much more effective at my second one. The following are some lessons I learned about early-stage startup marketing. The truth is that we work in a very small, tight-knit industry and news & plans spread fast.

Marketing 380

Marketing Startup Press Technical Advisors 380

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2011

I was recently approached by Fast Company to comment on “crisis management&# at startups in the wake of the Airbnb “ranksackgate&# story. During the 2004 election he was accused of having made up material facts from his service in the Vietnam War in an election against somebody who didn’t serve in a war.

Startup 329

Startup Press Training Media 329

SoCal CTO

MARCH 12, 2012

I've recently received several emails from people looking for a technical cofounder for their startup. I promised I would write this post with some thoughts and ideas on the topic. Make sure you go through the 32 Questions Developers May Have Forgot to Ask a Startup Founder. The good news is that likely is not what they want.

CTO Hire 211

CTO Hire CTO Coach Startup Equity 211

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 11, 2010

Recently I’ve been debating with a number of young startup companies that are raising money in the next few months, “what is the right about of capital to raise at a startup?&#. Who started this meme? I say define a strategy, test it up front and pivot if you’re not getting the traction you had expected.

Startup 319

Startup Venture Capital Capital Competition 319

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 11, 2011

What could you learn from looking at your competitors or other tech startups in a different way? Or you think their startup is a passing fad and yours is the real deal? Albert Wenger from Union Square Ventures wrote a great post the other day that reminded me I’ve been meaning to write about this topic. Eff you guys!

Startup 313

Startup Press Writing News 313

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 22, 2018

Founded by Steve Poizner last year to accelerate the growth of a startup entrepreneurial ecosystem in Southern California, The Alliance is building a network of investors, entrepreneurs and universities to provide ballast in the south to the dominance of the Northern California tech industry.

Southern California 224

Southern California Dollar Shave Club SoCal Develop 224

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 2, 2021

I’m sorry to write so much about losing weight. I promised people I would write a few posts about this and I wanted to cover eating, mental game, measurement, what gear I’ve used, sleep, water consumption / tracking, etc. I started with walking goals then got into Peloton so I had biking goals. Even a walk. That’s hard to do.

Email 293

Email Startup Writing News 293

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 22, 2021

A “downer” is defined here as someone who seems to dwell on the negatives of every business challenge, and loves to highlight bad news or potential problems. No matter how smart or experienced this person may otherwise be, things must change or they will kill your startup. Start a log on your efforts and progress.

Startup 129

Startup Mentor Satisfaction Writing 129

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 23, 2010

Where to Start? It’s pretty tough to review somebody and judge the quality of their work if you haven’t given them any guidelines for what you expect up front. So start there. I find this to be too much overhead for most startups. I next write a paragraph to describe what I mean by each comment.

Startup 297

Startup Writing Examples News 297

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 19, 2011

I recently sat down with Matt Coffin , the founder of LowerMyBills, which sold for $400 million but was very nearly a bankruptcy only a few years early, and talked “startups.&#. Matt is one of the most transparent, focused & honest startup guys you’ll meet. To make PR big you need to find a way to “make news”.

Acquisition 304

Acquisition Startup Customer Custom 304

Xconomy

NOVEMBER 8, 2017

Bose , the privately held maker of headphones, loudspeakers, and other electronics for audiophiles, has acquired Hush, a San Diego startup founded by three undergraduate engineering students to develop “smart” noise-masking earbuds designed to help users sleep. Lee did not reveal.

San Diego 72

San Diego Develop Development Newsletter 72

Tech.Co

JANUARY 26, 2024

There are just five days left to enter the digital detox competition set up by Icelandic Yogurt company Siggi’s Dairy, which has pledged to give selected contestants $10,000 to spend an entire month “detoxing” without a smartphone or social media. Instead of abstaining from alcohol for a month, we challenge you to ditch your smartphone.”

Company 228

Company Companies Social Media Writing 228

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2014

When to start PR? So my simple advice is to start PR as early as possible (and certainly earlier than most of your investors will advise) when you have your head around your product plans and are well into execution (or ready to launch) precisely because your recruiting, seed funding and initial user base may depend on it.

Press 319

Press Startup Writing Training 319

socalTECH

JANUARY 18, 2011

This morning, Pasadena-based Perfect Market (www.perfectmarket.com) announced a new, $9M round of funding for the firm's technology, which is used to help publishers monetize their content. The first thing we do, is we start with great content. So, we start with that. Right now, news organizations write off the news cycle.

Marketing 232

Marketing Funding Content Writing 232

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 22, 2015

The good news is that recent big company financial woes and layoffs have generated a flood of candidates with real experience seeking positions at startups. The bad news is that many of these frustrated employees may have already reached their level of incompetence ( The Peter Principle ). Back in 1968, Dr. Laurence J.

Startup 99

Startup Mentor Layoffs News 99

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 13, 2021

How I Shifted from Just Counting Calories to Supercharging My Fitness Workouts This is part of a weight loss and fitness improvement series that I’m writing to share how I went from 222 pounds and unable to bike more than 20 minutes on a Peloton to 153 pounds and running 8–12 miles / day in just 18 months. I was gamifying myself.

Startup 302

Startup Screening Competition Training 302

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2011

2 preamble issues having read the comments on TC today: 1: I know that the prices of startup companies is much great in Silicon Valley than in smaller towns / less tech focused areas in the US and the US prices higher than many foreign markets. I said both in the article but felt compelled to provide a statement up front for the skimmers.

Startup 336

Startup Pricing Technical Review Marketing 336

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 27, 2019

If they only ever received updates then don’t expect them to be bought into tough decisions when you inevitably have the board meeting where the news isn’t positive. They decide to wake up early to read the materials. In town board members also only scan it because they, too, have morning meetings before the board meeting starts.

Startup 226

Startup Slides Metrics News 226

Tech.Co

DECEMBER 8, 2017

December is the month where the flurry of the holidays are in full swing and students are starting to stress out in anticipation of final exams. This week in Startup Spotlight we found companies helping students get through their final exams, gift giving chatbots, getting out of email hell, and more. ChatbotsBuilder (Boston, MA).

Email 70

Email Artificial Inteligence Startup Template 70

TechCrunch LA

FEBRUARY 20, 2019

When should you start a company? What company should you start? Most startups die. We can miss the round of financing, we can start a company a year or two behind someone else and lose the first-mover advantage. Start writing down predictions about people, companies, and markets. When should a VC invest?

Venture Capital 202

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Invest 202

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 10, 2013

A “downer” is defined here as someone who seems to dwell on the negatives of every business challenge, and loves to highlight bad news or potential problems. No matter how smart or experienced this person may otherwise be, things must change or they will kill your startup. Start a log on your efforts and progress.

Startup 101

Startup Mentor Satisfaction Writing 101

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 14, 2013

Creating awareness for your brand and products is one of the lifebloods of technology startups yet in a world where so many companies are being created it becomes difficult to rise above the noise. Ever notice how some companies tend to be in the press all the time and your big new product launch struggled for inches? .”

Marketing 389

Marketing Press Blogging Startup 389

socalTECH

AUGUST 6, 2012

Santa Monica-based Demand Media (www.demandmedia.com) has seen its share of ups and downs as one of the highest visibility technology and media companies to come out of Southern California's technology ecosystem in recent years. Joanne Bradford: The first thing we start with everyday, is listening to the signal of what people are doing.

Demand 240

Demand Media eHow Content 240

socalTECH

JUNE 30, 2010

Last week, Los Angeles-based Stroome (www.stroome.com), a new startup originally spawned out of a project at the USC Annenberg School of Communications, won $200,000 in the 2010 Knight News Challenge. Tom Grasty: Essentially, we started off as a graduate school project at USC. We grew out of an interesting use case.

Journal 187

Journal USC News Startup 187

The Huffington Post

SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

Technology accelerators and incubators have sprung up around L.A., making it easier for a new entrepreneurs and seasoned Hollywood executives alike to quit their jobs and pursue the startup dream.

Writing 74

Writing Incubator Hollywood Develop 74

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2017

A “downer” is defined here as someone who seems to dwell on the negatives of every business challenge, and loves to highlight bad news or potential problems. No matter how smart or experienced this person may otherwise be, things must change or they will kill your startup. Start a log on your efforts and progress.

Startup 61

Startup Product Mentor Satisfaction 61

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 1, 2011

This is a theme that comes up in one the most influential business books for me of the past decade, The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb where he talks about the role that luck plays in business success. If you’re a tech startup person I know you know what I mean. I started blogging 2 years ago. And so it goes with startups.

Startup 391

Startup Blogging Venture Capital Writing 391

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 16, 2019

Scaling a nonprofit, startup style. Currently, All Raise manages 14 active cohorts made up of 175 women. The idea is to put women with check-writing abilities, typically partners and general partners, together in groups with newer VCs, typically with an associate or principal title, paired together.

Venture Capital 184

Venture Capital Ideas Los Angeles Tool 184

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 13, 2013

I miss blogging because it serves as a great repository for me of my current thinking, as a way of organizing my thoughts and clarifying what I think and as a conversation started with so many of you (as Hunter Walk elegantly said, “Blog not to show how smart you are, but in the hope of soliciting feedback from smart people.

Writing 313

Writing Venture Capital Blogging Startup 313

socalTECH

JULY 20, 2011

Earlier this month, Los Angeles-based HitFix (www.hitfix.com) an online news site focused on entertainment, announced it had raised $2M in a funding round. We spoke with Jennifer about what HitFix is looking to do, her own background, and how HitFix is different from the many celebrity gossip and news sites out there.

News 173

News Entertainment Startup Bertelsmann 173

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 3, 2011

We’ve hung out periodically over the past few years and I have enjoyed debating many startup topics. They switched to a flat rate model and sharing went up immediately. to $12 conversion went up! Sign me up.&# Awesome. All viral adoption starts with one thing – great content. Gregg says at $9.99

Startup 303

Startup Venture Capital Pricing Writing 303