Both Sides of the Table
MAY 9, 2012
It’s Wednesday late afternoon. I’m aboard Delta flight 1833 from Cincinnati (actually, Northern Kentucky for what it’s worth) to Los Angeles. I had a very enjoyable day in Cincinnati meeting many local entrepreneurs, angels and accelerators. I was here to see one of our LPs (limited partners are the people who invest money in VC funds) called Fort Washington.
SoCal CTO
MAY 14, 2012
Ben Kuo just posted on SoCalTech: Are the good times for startups back? That seemed to be the mood running through the cloud at the more-than-sellout crowd at the Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica Thursday at the first LA Demo Day. At the event, the enthusiasm for startups was palpable. The crowd of more than 1,500 spilled out into hallways, and would-be investors were turned away from the doors, as a crush of entrepreneurs, investors, service providers, wanna-be entrepreneurs, and others looked
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socalTECH
MAY 23, 2012
In what is a huge blow to Silicon Beach, Santa Monica-based BetterWorks , the software-and-technology-meets-employee-perks startup run by Paige Craig, told its users today that it is sunsetting its site on May 31st. According to an email from Craig, the company decided to close down the BettterWorks perk platform, and will not longer be active after next Thursday.
InfoChachkie
MAY 7, 2012
This entry originally appeared on Forbes HERE. Although it is tempting to overly intellectualize modern-day venture capital, its underlying construct has been part of human society for thousands of years. From the earliest days of seafaring traders, affluent dilettantes have been entrusting their capital to less-affluent, enterprising workers willing to share a portion of the resulting gain with their benefactors.
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Berkonomics
MAY 2, 2012
Some of us remember things better when given a catchy phrase or rhyme. Here’s one to help you with squeezing the most out of your available resources. It reflects the new reality in our business world, one with little room for mistakes and no room for bloat within our companies. The first “P” stands for people. The wrong person in a job causes all below or above that person in the production system, that depend upon that person, to operate at a reduced rate or quality of output.
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 6, 2012
As we recover from some tough economic times, more and more people seem to be turning to entrepreneurship as an alternative to traditional employment. I applaud this trend, but caution all of you thinking this direction to approach entrepreneurship with your eyes wide open. It is not for everyone, as the entrepreneur’s path is fraught with challenges.
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Frank Addante
MAY 23, 2012
A good product is always more valuable than the free alternative, even when you sell yo-yo upgrades. I recently visited a colleague at home, where I met his 10-year-old son. When prompted by his dad, the boy--let's call him Andrew--told me about the yo-yo business he had founded with a classmate. Andrew and his partner offer services to repair and upgrade yo-yos for tricks with new parts like extra-long string and inner-gear modifications.
socalTECH
MAY 7, 2012
If you're a photographer or artist, what's the easiest way to display, print, frame, and sell your photos or artwork to. customers? You could handle all the details of printing, framing things, collecting payments, dealing with shipping, and. more--or you can go online and use Fine Art America (www.fineartamerica.com), a Santa Monica company which is doing. all of that for more than a 100,000 members.
InfoChachkie
MAY 22, 2012
“One of the big misconceptions in baseball is that playing the game keeps you in shape to pitch. I wish that was true. It’s not.” Steven Ellis, Professional Pitcher. Major League baseball pitchers spend far more time preparing to pitch than they actually do pitching. The same should be true of an entrepreneur who is attempting to secure money from sophisticated investors.
Berkonomics
MAY 10, 2012
Consider your core. It is the one skill, process or advantage you have over your competition. Then think of all the things you do to surround that core with people and assets that complete the company and allow you to release your product or perform your service. Now consider how many of those surrounding assets and services are really necessary for you to perform in order to protect and grow your core.
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 4, 2012
If you can’t solve problems and enjoy it, you won’t make it as an entrepreneur. By definition, an entrepreneur is the first to undertake a given business, and firsts never happen without problems and people frustrations. The toughest problems are people problems, like personnel issues, but there are tough operational problems as well, such as vendor delays.
Both Sides of the Table
MAY 17, 2012
I’m fond of saying that I look for entrepreneurs that have a chip on their shoulder. That they have something to prove. That they’re not afraid to stick their noses up to the establishment. I have always felt this way. It’s something I kind of seek out. I guess my thoughts are that if you’re part of the country club you have a vested interest in protecting the existing order and that disruption happens more from those that are on the outside wanting to change the rules.
Tech Zulu Event
MAY 7, 2012
TechZulu is proud to team up with Digital LA and accelerators Amplify, StartEngine, Launchpad, local companies BetterWorks, PromoJam, start-ups and co-working spaces, all working together to create the first-ever Silicon Beach Fest to celebrate startups, tech, and entertainment! This fest will include panels, workshops, cocktails and keynotes for startups, content creators, developers, social media marketers, designers, entrepreneurs, and more.
socalTECH
MAY 23, 2012
A new Los Angeles startup, MergeLocal , launched this week, releasing an iPhone app which pays users to check into their favorite places around town. The app--created by Michael Wong, Steven Elliott and Rusty Jenkins--allows users to check into restaurants, bars, spas, and alons, and receive points for checking into those locations. Those points can be exchanged for cash payments through PayPal.
InfoChachkie
MAY 29, 2012
Because Your Big Break May Start As A Little One. This article originally appeared on Forbes HERE. Ever heard of the band “Five Cool What?” No? I am not surprised. When opportunity knocked, rather than busting open the door, they first asked, “What do you want?”. In 1987 the band was discovered by Ron Fair, a rising executive at Chrysalis Records. Ron brought the band into Chrysalis’ headquarters and introduced them to his staff.
Berkonomics
MAY 17, 2012
It is a rule that early stage managers should find, protect and grow the core business, finding resources wherever possible to service that core in the form of variable expense, to be added to or shed at will as the company finds its niche and establishes a pattern of growth. From administrative services supplied by personal assistants located in India, to designers and producers of prototypes in China, to call centers managed and located in the Philippines, there are efficient, well organized s
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 10, 2012
If you haven’t had a failure, you aren’t pushing the limits. If you are really an entrepreneur, you are a risk taker and less cautious by nature, so failures should be expected. Wear you startup failure as a badge of courage. Don’t go after failure, but embrace it when it does happen and grow from it. People who are afraid of failing should not become entrepreneurs.
Both Sides of the Table
MAY 10, 2012
I recently spoke at the Blue Glass conference on the topic of marketing. I’ll write up some thoughts in a blog post format soon. I’ve been spending time looking at marketing conversion metrics at portfolio companies lately. We’ve been testing things like: How do Facebook “Likes” perform relative to FB ads that drive you directly to a web page.
Tech Zulu Event
MAY 7, 2012
If you’ve ever played with a Tarot deck, you may have noticed people cringing at the sight of the Tower card. Admittedly, a tower aflame from a lightning bolt with people plummeting to their death isn’t very welcoming, but looks can be deceiving. While these pictures may initially conjure thoughts of ruin and destruction, they also carry a deeper meaning: CHANGE.
socalTECH
MAY 8, 2012
Los Angeles-based Virurl , a new startup headed by former Titan Gaming foundder Francisco Diaz-Mitoma and co-founded by Tim Symington of LAST.VC, has raised $1.2M in a funding round, and launched its service. According to Virurl, it will pay users to share links to videos, articles, and games, awarding those users with points which can be redeemed for cash and prizes.
InfoChachkie
MAY 14, 2012
During my tenure at Expertcity (creator of GoToMyPC and GoToMeeting), one of my responsibilities was leading our online marketing, a role I retained until our eventual acquisition by Citrix. When we launched GoToMyPC in 2001, the rules of online marketing were still being written. Along with GoToMyPC, companies like Netflix, Classmates and ZoneLabs were learning from each other.
Berkonomics
MAY 31, 2012
Even the smallest business can now reach throughout the globe to find resources for design, development, support and consultation. There are people and companies everywhere willing to work by the hour, providing great skill sets as needed, able to be shed when the job is complete. Some of the best companies I have become involved with are composed of a few critical people who have relationships with a number of service suppliers around the world to add to the team as needed.
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 19, 2012
People with a victim mentality should never be entrepreneurs. We all know the role of starting and running a business is unpredictable, and has a high risk of failure. For people with a victim mentality, this fear of failure alone will almost certainly make it a self-fulfilling prophecy. I’m sure you all know someone who is the perennial victim. The problem is that most of these people aren’t likely to accept your assessment, so it’s hard to help them.
Frank Addante
MAY 9, 2012
Would you ever go to your sales team and say? Sell whatever you want to who ever you want. Sell it for whatever price you can. By the way, when you make calls, you can’t use our brand or tell them anything about our users. So, here’s my question… Why in the hell would you ever let someone else do that? My roots are in the Internet advertising industry.
Tech Zulu Event
MAY 2, 2012
Its tagline is “enlightened debauchery.” Its been called what would happen, “if TED and Burning Man had a lovechild that went to MIT and became an artist.” Its curator, Doug Campbell, is a Tuxedo Tyrant , a founder of Syyn Labs , and a purveyor of social good. It’s called Mindshare , and it’s taking downtown LA by storm.
socalTECH
MAY 3, 2012
San Diego-based Qualcomm has renewed its investment in Visage , as part of a Series C funding for the enterprise mobility management software provider. According to Visage, the round was led by Motorola Solutions, and also included Palisades Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures and Worldview Technology Partners. Qualcomm was the lead on the February 2010 round for Visage, whose software is used to manage the security and mobile policy for enterprise customers.
Steve Reich
MAY 17, 2012
Yesterday, I joined a group of Pasadena and Tech Coast Angels for a discussion of crowdsourcing equity investments for startups. The discussion was lively, to say the least. The key takeaway–there are pitfalls here that could kill your company if you do it wrong. The JOBS Act of 2012 makes it possible to raise equity capital from small investors for the first time.
SoCal Delicious
MAY 6, 2012
Our Best Interviews Via Email: Monthly. Weekly. Idea Mensch. where entrepreneurs share their stories. Home. About. Events. Contact. Subscribe to RSS. Subscribe to RSS. 63 Los Angeles Entrepreneurs To Be Proud Of By mario on May 2, 2012 in Features , grid. Free Corporations For First-Time Entrepreneurs. Thank you eMinutes. Tweet. Tweet. Features like this, as well as our daily interviews wouldn’t be possible without the amazing support of our sponsor eMinutes – a law firm here in Los Angeles th
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 5, 2012
In the beginning all businesses are just people playing out an idea. It’s never the other way around – there is no idea so big that it doesn’t need people to make it succeed. Investors know this, hence the saying “Bet on the jockey (founder), not the horse (idea).” A great jockey is a great role model. Like it or not, everyone looks to the entrepreneur as the jockey role model in a new business.
Frank Addante
MAY 23, 2012
A good product is always more valuable than the free alternative, even when you sell yo-yo upgrades. I recently visited a colleague at home, where I met his 10-year-old son, Andrew. When prompted by his dad, the boy told me about the yo-yo business he had founded with a classmate. I recently visited a colleague at home, where I met his 10-year-old son.
Tech Zulu Event
MAY 23, 2012
Is a mobile health app a medical device? Should an app that shows you how many steps you’ve taken be regulated exactly the same way as a blood glucose monitor? According to the FDA the answer is yes, and if pending legislation passes in the U.S. House of Representatives it could sound a death knell for innovation in the healthcare sector. Here’s the issue.
socalTECH
MAY 25, 2012
If you were a student in college, working on a startup idea, what would spur you to drop your education plans, and go full time on your startup? For Scott Ferreira , the founder of MySocialCloud.com (www.mysocialcloud.com), it was an investment from Sir Richard Branson and Jerry Murdock. We talked with Scott--who until recently, was a student at the University of Southern California--about how he created his company and how that investment from Branson pushed him to take his startup full time.
socalTECH
MAY 7, 2012
Los Angeles-based Mobile Roadie , the developer of a mobile app development platform being used by brands, celebrities, companies, and others to easily create their mobile apps, is powering a new app today from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The app is the second app using Mobile Roadie's platform for the zoo. Mobile Roadie also powers the official app for the San Diego Zoo.
socalTECH
MAY 10, 2012
How do you help aspiring actors and actresses break into the film industry? Gary Beer is a longtime film industry insider, having been Managing Director of the Sundance Film Festival from its beginnings until 1999 , and founder documentary cable programming service Smithsonian Networks, which he started while he was CEO of the business enterprises of the Smithsonian Institution.
socalTECH
MAY 23, 2012
A new startup, headed by entrepreneur Wil Schroter, has launched this week, looking to make it easier for startups to raise funding. Santa Monica- and Columbus, Ohio-based Fundable said that it is looking to provide a crowdfunding platform for "serious startups". The site allow early stage startups to gain capital from anyone, using the new JOBS Act to raise money from anyone interested in a startup, and not just professional investors and banks.
socalTECH
MAY 30, 2012
If you're a startup business owner, how do you get to the next step, and build your first product? One way is getting funding from your potential customers. That's the idea behind a new startup, Fundable , headed by serial entrepreneur Wil Schroter , which allows you to use rewards -- product, company schwag, an even equity -- as a tool to get your startup to the next stage.
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