Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2012

For the past several years I’ve undertaken many initiatives to “get more organized,” which basically means to make another attempt at implementing and running a solid task list that I can share with others with whom I collaborate. I seem to be really good at kicking off well-structured lists, but less good at “working them.” I know there’s no real point in creating a task list if you’re not actually going to open it up and parse through tasks.

Technical Review 332

Technical Review Tool Organization Startup 332

socalTECH

AUGUST 1, 2012

How do you crack the code and make online video easier to find and use? Last week, Los Angeles-based Chill (www.chill.com) made a stab at that, debuting a new front page meant to guide user to the most interesting videos on the web, through an easy-to-use interface. Brian Norgard , co-founder of Chill, sat down with us to talk about the new front page, and also how the company has made a name for itself with a highly product focused, agile development of its service.

Startup 254

Startup Guide Redpoint Content 254

Berkonomics

AUGUST 9, 2012

Over the years I have heard many stories from entrepreneurs, students, news reporters, even my children, all telling me that they could not get someone’s attention they wanted or needed until they used the words, “Help me.” The simple request is disarming, enlarging the object of the request to a status of importance in respect to the questioner that is difficult to ignore.

Help 217

Help Training Report Class 217

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 20, 2012

Rapidly and repeatedly hiring star employees is a competitive advantage. Although this is a core competency that must be honed over time, there is a cadre of SaaS hiring tools that the world’s leading tech companies deploy to their advantage. No matter how rapidly a startup is growing, it can never afford to sacrifice employee quality as a means of achieving its hiring goals.

SaaS 209

SaaS Tool Startup Screening 209

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.

Company

SoCal Tech Calendar

AUGUST 3, 2012

Monday, August 6, 2012 -- Digital LA, TCIO and UKTI are teaming up in London for a panel on how the Olympic Games are using digital and social media. This year's Games has been called the most digital / social / mobile yet, with BBC streaming on Facebook, games-related apps, athletes using Twitter, and more. We'll discuss how startups and other digital partners have created games-related apps and digital tools.

Social Media 140

Social Media Tool Mobile Media 140

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2012

Every startup founder feels the pressure of the thousands of things that need to get done, all seemingly at the same time. There is just not enough time! The real solution is better productivity and less procrastination, to put you back in control of your business. You need to spend time on important things, as well as the urgent. Many entrepreneurs waste too much time on low-priority administrative tasks, procrastinating on higher priority but tougher tasks, resulting in last minute crises, and

Product 117

Product Entrepreneur Email Customer 117

socalTECH

AUGUST 9, 2012

Los Angeles-based Postcard On The Run , the developer of mobile apps which let people send their mobile phone photos to people as real, printed postcards, has raised $1.8M in an ongoing funding round, according to a regulatory filing from the company. The filing indicates the company is in the midst of raising $2.3M in a round. Postcard On The Run is the startup headed by former MySpace exec Josh Brooks.

Mobile 242

Mobile Los Angeles Funding Software 242

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 8, 2012

We had such a great response from July’s TZ Tech Crawl Silicon Beach Santa Monica edition, that we decided to get another one in before the summer was out and this time focus around the Venice area. For those of you who may have missed out you can checkout what Mediapost and D&B had to say about it: TZ Tech Crawl Takes Participants on a Tour of Silicon Beach. 2012 TechZulu Tech Crawl – Technically Awesome.

Venice 111

Venice Mogreet Santa Monica Incubator 111

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 27, 2012

Note: This is an installment in the Iconic Advice series. Other installments include: Jeff Bezos , Steve Jobs , Mark Cuban , Richard Branson , Walt Disney , Mark Zuckerberg and Michael Dell. Make no mistake, successful entertainers are entrepreneurs. They must compete with tens of thousands of other performers who are all pursuing the same customer dollars.

Tips 204

Tips Startup Entertainment Entrepreneur 204

Frank Addante

AUGUST 18, 2012

Why you should hire the absolutely best person you can find, and not a whole bunch of average ones. People are a company’s most expensive asset. It costs a lot to recruit, train, manage, communicate with, and retain employees. I’m a fan of quality over quantity with everything I do, but I find that with people it’s especially important.

Training 73

Training Invest Product Networking 73

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2012

Some people are not cut out to be entrepreneurs. This is a good thing, or the business world would be chaos, with everyone trying to do their own thing. So what about you? How do you know if you should be running your own company, or concentrating on that queue of work that someone else has built for you? I’ve hit this before, but I still hear from too many unhappy entrepreneurs.

Startup 113

Startup Entrepreneur Satisfaction Organization 113

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 27, 2012

By now you probably know that David Sacks , co-founder of PayPal and founder of both Geni & Yammer made some observations on Facebook that Silicon Valley “as we know it” was coming to an end. He says. “In order to create a successful new company, you have to find an idea that. (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 investmen

Technical Review 299

Technical Review Venture Capital Yammer Google 299

socalTECH

AUGUST 8, 2012

There's been a lot of press about the name "Silicon Beach"--the name the local community has taken up to describe the high tech renaissance happening in Santa Monica and surrounding cities in Los Angeles. However, until now, there hasn't been a mobile app to go with the name. However, a stealthy, local mobile developer--better known for their Santa Monica focused local business guides--apparently has released the first app to try to provide information about the Silicon Beach startup scene, Sili

Santa Monica 235

Santa Monica High Tech Press Guide 235

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 28, 2012

There are so many activities and events that have sprouted this year to support the thriving tech scene in Southern California. From LA Demo Day to Silicon Beach Fest to Crowdstart LA to hackathons to Startup Weekends, companies and entrepreneurs alike have joined forces to feed the startup ecosystem. With all these many activities and so many people coming together it becomes inevitable that situations may arise that can interfere with the community’s best interest.

Startup 100

Startup Ideas San Diego Mentor 100

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 13, 2012

Successful Olympic athletes share a number of common qualities with entrepreneurs; including boundless energy, uncompromising tenacity and a willingness to innovate. Such innovations include new training routines, inventive diets, and novel gameplay tactics. Entrepreneurs are well served to pay particular attention to two of the most innovative Olympic athletes: Dick Fosbury and David Berkoff, the former of which I discuss in the following 2-minute video.

Startup 198

Startup Competition Activity Class 198

SoCal Delicious

AUGUST 28, 2012

Home. Startups. Mobile. Gadgets. Europe. Video. More. Enterprise. Venture. Social. GreenTech. Gaming. Opinion. Drama. Guides. Smartphones. Tablets. Digital Cameras. Laptops. Headphones. Events. CrunchBase. Hot topics. Zuckerberg Interview. Apple. Facebook. Amazon. Twitter. Google. news. Comment. Go West Young Men: Winklevoss Twins Buy $18M L.A. Mansion To Dive Into SoCal Tech Scene.

SoCal 77

SoCal Southern California Startup Tips 77

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2012

People ask me if they really need ANY business plan, unless they are looking for an outside investor. In fact, a business plan is needed more by you than investors, as the blueprint for your company, team communication, and progress metrics. Things that make it investment-grade for outside investors will also benefit you, since you are the ultimate investor.

Competition 113

Competition Metrics Startup Invest 113

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 15, 2012

I recently read Brad Feld’s thought provoking piece encouraging founders to sit on the board of another startup company. I found it thought provoking because I’ve always believed startup founders need extreme focus on only their company to succeed. We live in an era where the press espouses the entrepreneurs who have five startups. I’m not one who has subscribed to the “superman founder” narrative.

Startup 294

Startup Carson Summary Press 294

socalTECH

AUGUST 30, 2012

Los Angeles-based Fliptu , the social media promotion startup headed by Jeremy Gocke, says it has started to line up a significant number of artists, bands, celebrities, and lifestyle brands for its service today. The service--which is still in beta--said it has added 50 high profile artists, brands, celebrities, and lifestyle brands reaching over 75 million fans and followers.

Social Network 223

Social Network Startup Social Media Media 223

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 25, 2012

On August 9th, Startup Weekend San Diego and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University partnered with Google to host the very first Startup Weekend focused on helping Veterans, Service Members and Military Families turn their visions into reality in creating a startup company. The event was held in the heart of Balboa Park at the Hall of Champions near Downtown San Diego.

San Diego 96

San Diego Startup Services Google 96

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 8, 2012

The following guest post is from Laurie Barkman, Marketing Lead at The Resumator , a SaaS applicant tracking system and hiring platform trusted by many of the fastest-growing companies in the world, including: Pinterest, Tumblr, Hootsuite, Klout, Posterous, Bitly, Atari and Mashable. I am a Board Member and an investor in The Resumator via Rincon Venture Partners.

Entrepreneur 191

Entrepreneur RSS Conference Training 191

SoCal Delicious

AUGUST 28, 2012

VentureBeat | News About Tech, Money and Innovation. Whats Hot Menu. Skip to primary content. Skip to secondary content. what’s hot? Apple. iPad Mini. Yahoo. Windows 8. Star Trek Contest. / News. Search. Primary Menu. Skip to primary content. Skip to secondary content. Store. Newsletters. Jobs. Video. Events. RSS. Share. Prev. Next. 2 hrs ago. Live at the Apple Event: iPad Mini (and more?).

Southern California 57

Southern California PHP Technical Review Orange County 57

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 23, 2012

Assuming no one would demotivate their team intentionally, then why do we see it happen so often? I believe it’s because too many entrepreneurs and leaders are so self-centered that they really don’t see what impact their actions have on others. What these leaders need to do is spend more time eliminating their own demotivating habits, rather than delivering more motivation.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Email Competition Startup 105

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 16, 2012

It has always surprised me that founders were so quick to fight over how many board members there were and so quick to agree to have as many board observers as people wanted. I have always been vehemently against board observers and wrote some of the reasons in this previous post. But over the past couple of years I’ve slightly modified my views, which I’d like to explain: The Case Against Board Observers.

Summary 289

Summary Venture Capital Help Course 289

socalTECH

AUGUST 17, 2012

Modern Meadow , a firm whose founders were previously co-founders of San Diego's Organovo , has scored funding to make manufactured, 3D printed meat a reality. The funding came from Breakout Labs and The Thiel Foundation, Breakout Labs said Thursday. Modern Meadow is looking to developing "high value, food grade animal protein"--including meat and hide--using 3D bioprinting technology.

Funding 220

Funding San Diego Ideas Technology 220

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 17, 2012

Who doesn’t like to save a little dough on texting? Well for those with limited texting plans anyway. The Hallo app from Developer Hallo, Inc. will allow you to do just that and much more. Compatible with the iOS and Android Hallo allows you to send quick voice messages privately to individuals and groups or publicly to followers within the app as well as to Facebook and Twitter.

Social Network 93

Social Network Google Platform Advertising 93

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 22, 2012

The following guest post comes from Sean Percival, CEO of Wittlebee , a kids clothing club that sends its customers a new customized box of clothes every month, based on their children's age, color preferences and geographic location. I am an investor in Wittlebee via Rincon Venture Partners. In case you missed it, Pinterest is a new website capable of curing the common cold, solving world peace and doing your taxes.

Blogging 178

Blogging RSS Social Network Screening 178

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 23, 2012

This is one of the best episodes of This Week in VC for a long time. I had the chance to speak with Andrew Siegel who runs corp dev & strategy for Condé Nast (aka Advance Publications). In case you don’t know, they are one of the biggest media companies in the world. They are best known for their magazine titles such as The New Yorker, Wired, Vanity Fair and Vogue.

Media 285

Media Company Companies Venture Capital 285

socalTECH

AUGUST 15, 2012

A team for the California Institute of Technology has scored the top prize, and $100,000, in a major technology effort--funded by Bill Gates--to reinvent the toilet. Gates, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, announced an effort to help advance the technology of toilets, saying that current flush technology is "irrelevant, impractical and impossible for 40 percent of the global population".

CalTech 217

CalTech Organization Technology Invest 217

socalTECH

AUGUST 27, 2012

It's an intensely competitive market in developing games for the iPhone and other mobile platforms, with thousands and thousands of titles competing for attention from users. How do you figure out how to get past all of that noise, and create a popular title? We had the chance to speak with William Volk , Chief Creative Officer of Playscreen (www.playscreen.com), who talked how his company is looking to crack the code with Crickler 2: Daily Word Puzzle , which is among the most popular puzzle ga

Mobile 216

Mobile Startup Software Review Platform 216

socalTECH

AUGUST 28, 2012

Culver City-based Wittlebee , the children's clothing subscription firm headed by Sean Pervical and backed by Science, Inc., has acquired a clothing company, Cottonseed Clothing Company , the firm announced today. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed. Cottonseed Clothing Company is a provider of t-shirt and apparel for kids. Wittlebee said the acquisition will allow it to offer Cottonseed Clothing's product exclusively through its service.

Culver City 215

Culver City Company Companies Acquisition 215

socalTECH

AUGUST 8, 2012

Realtime , a startup developing technology to help power real-time web applications, said today that it has raised $100M, launched in the U.S., and opened up a new office in Santa Monica. The firm, which was previously known as Internet Business Technologies, said that it has developed a language, xRTML, that helps convert existing, static HTML into real-time, live web applications.

Santa Monica 214

Santa Monica PHP HTML JavaScript 214

socalTECH

AUGUST 31, 2012

A new online service, FollowMaid , is looking to neaten up your Twitter account, by automatically pruning out spammers and find new people to follow by keyword. The new service--created by Pacific Palisades software development firm Etronica--is aimed at both individuals and businesses. According to Etronica, the new service automatically scans Twitter accounts, and is designed to help social media managers better manage their Twitter followers.

Pacific Palisades 207

Pacific Palisades Help Social Media Software Development 207

socalTECH

AUGUST 23, 2012

Chip giant Intel is looking to bolster its mobile talent with a new office in San Diego, and has just begun posting a number of new jobs in the location. Intel--which said it was opening an office in San Diego earlier this month--now lists a significant number of engineering positions focused on HSDPA and LTE. Intel explained earlier this month that it would be setting up the office as part of its Mobile and Communications Group, to bolster its operations in Munich.

San Diego 204

San Diego Mobile 204

socalTECH

AUGUST 20, 2012

Almost everyone has had some situation where you wanted to give someone a phone number, but only temporarily--think Craigslist, or maybe at that bar or business conference, where you want to hand out a number, but only have it work for a short while. It turns you, you can actually do that, with Burner , a new iPhone app developed by Los Angeles startup Ad Hoc Labs.

Yahoo 200

Yahoo Startup Mobile Ideas 200

socalTECH

AUGUST 7, 2012

San Diego-based Telcentris , the developer of cloud-based communications and voice services, said this morning that it has named Pertti Johansson as its Executive Vice President, overseeing Global Business Development. Johansson was previously at Powerwave Technologies, Monitise Group, and also was President, Europe/MEA at Qualcomm. Johansson also has served at Motorola.

Develop 197

Develop Development San Diego Social Network 197