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'Happy Halloween fans of web development frameworks! After a several-month hiatus, Round 7 of our project measuring the performance of web application frameworks and platforms is available! Round 7 includes many new framework test implementations contributed by the community. They are Falcore, Grizzly, HttpListener, PHPixie, Plain, Racket-WS, Start, Stream, and Treefrog.
'I’ve been involved with technology product design in one form or another for nearly 25 years and seen one mistake consistently repeated. The single biggest mistake most product teams make is building technology for what they believe the user would want rather than what the actual end-user needs. From the experience in my earliest days of designing products for Windows and OS2 machines in the early 1990′s I developed a product philosophy, “Design for the novice, configure for t
'Tired of handing out your business card at local networking events? A Los Angeles startup has just launched a new Kickstarter project, aimed to make your necktie double as a business card--using the ubiquitous QR code. QRtie launched its Kickstarter project on Monday, looking to raise $40,000 for its ties, which feature a QR code sewn into the back of the tie.
'A version of this article previously appeared in The Wall Street Journal. The good news for entrepreneurs is that there have never been more office space options for early stage companies. The bad news is that it is often difficult to determine which of these alternatives is ideal, since the definition of "ideal" changes as your venture matures. If you haven''t already subscribed yet, subscribe now for free weekly JohnGreathouse.com articles!
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.
'Many CEOs have asked me if I felt an investment banker adds value if the buyer has already been identified. Investment bankers sometimes slow the process by requiring a “deal book” to be prepared containing considerable information about a company to help a buyer. Deal books are expensive to create. Other investment bankers insist that the company create competition for a deal, even if the buyer has already submitted a letter of interest to the seller.
'BUSINESS PITCH COMPETITION. Friday, November 8, 2013 from 5:00 – 9:00 PM. Please join us for our annual fast-pitch competition offering entrepreneurs unprecedented opportunity to compete for funding, gain visibility and network with investors. The event will feature a catered dinner, top shelf cash bar, live music, prizes, complimentary parking and exclusive networking with prestigious Orange County entrepreneurs and business professionals.
'“Scope creep” (or feature creep) is an insidious disease that kills more good startups than any other, especially high-tech ones, and yet most founders (who may be the cause) never even see it happening. This term refers to the penchant to add just one more feature to the product or service before first delivery, just because you can. The instigators are all well-intentioned – executives talk to potential customers who “must have” a few more things; or the technical team edicts some “technicall
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'“Scope creep” (or feature creep) is an insidious disease that kills more good startups than any other, especially high-tech ones, and yet most founders (who may be the cause) never even see it happening. This term refers to the penchant to add just one more feature to the product or service before first delivery, just because you can. The instigators are all well-intentioned – executives talk to potential customers who “must have” a few more things; or the technical team edicts some “technicall
'Look, if you had, one shot. Or one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted. In one moment. Would you capture it, or just let it slip? [ Eminem, Lose Yourself ]. I’ve often said that to run a startup you almost have to abstract yourself from the daily stresses and grind just to exist. You almost have to have an out-of-body experience as though it’s not really your life but it’s just a game you’re playing in order to not be buried by the burdens of your decisions.
'The United Talent Agency is ramping up its outreach to early stage, digital media companies, with a new hire from the Los Angeles technology industry. According to the United Talent Agency, it has hired Robyn Ward as part of its Digital Media practice, to work closely with its existing portfolio of early stage companies and help identify new investment, incubation and representation opportunities.
'A version of this article previously appeared on Forbes. Popular and prolific and blogger James Clear recently shared with me why Richard Branson started Virgin Airlines. Not surprisingly, a beautiful, young girl played a prominent role in encouraging Richard to "screw it, just do it.". An entrepreneur, weightlifter and travel photographer, James'' work can be found at JamesClear.com, where he offers entrepreneurs leadership advice and insights.
'Now you have worked for months to get this deal to the closing, anticipating the wire transfers to the shareholders that will come any minute. This could change your life style and give you that much needed pause in your life you have been looking forward to. All the documents were signed in a rolling series of emailed scanned signature pages during the past week or more, with each party signing their own set, never having to be in the same room to sign the single signature page for each agre
'Be Great Partners , a Los Angeles technology incubator, has recently released a report on the startup community in LA and the information shows a positive growth for startups here in LA. Los Angeles is 3 rd in the global startup ecosystem, behind Tel Aviv and Silicon Valley. 94 new startups have launched since January 2013 to June 2013 and the startup ecosystem has raised $500 million in funding in 2013 so far.
'Too many entrepreneurs I know still believe that that their great idea will carry the startup, and they may even minimize their own value, especially if they have introvert tendencies. Yet most investors agree that the “idea” is worth nothing alone, and it’s the entrepreneur execution that counts. That means that selling yourself is more important than selling your idea.
'Most people suck at presenting to big groups. It’s a shame because the ability to nail these presentations at key conferences can be once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to influence journalists, business partners, potential employees, customers and VCs. So I thought I’d write a piece on how not to suck when you give a presentation. 1. Show some energy!
'Santa Monica-based online advertising analytics firm Adomic has scored the top prize--and $160,000 in cash plus services--as part of the annual Siemer Silicon Beach Summit awards. Adomic, which is headed by Gabe Gottlieb, was one of dozens of companies that presented to investors at the private investment pitch event in Santa Monica Wednesday and Thursday.
'It’s stunning to me how quickly we take for granted certain conveniences in our lives that go from Eureka to minimum expectation. Take OpenTable. In the old days we used to call a restaurant to book. The hostess worked from 4-10pm so you had to call during these hours. Between 7-10 she was busy seating guests so had to put your on hold. After hours there was the answering machine.
'There''s been a revolution in the last few years with the dropping price and increasing accessibility of 3D printers--those devices which let you print practically anything using just your own personal computer, 3D software, and a special printer. One of the startups to come out of that 3D printing revolution is Deka Sounds (www.dekasounds.com), which is based in Orange County.
'Pasadena-based discount event ticketing service Goldstar announced this morning that it has launched a new, iOS app to help its members discover events and purchase event tickets. The company, which was co-founded and is led by Jim McCarthy, also revealed that the company will have over $100 million in sales this year. Goldstar said the new app includes integration with Apple''s Passbook, includes user reviews and event information, search tools, and more.
'Southern California technology companies raised $709.8M in venture capital in Q3, according to the latest numbers from the MoneyTree Report from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and the National Venture Capital Association, based on data From Thomson Reuters. The amount raised in the region was up from Q2, when $627.4M was raised in the area, and slightly lower than Q3 of 2012, when $724.9M was raised in venture capital.
'Wish you had a better way to view your favorite online videos on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV? A new, Los Angeles startup, Pheebo --started by two former Apple Store employees--said that it has launched a brand new app which looks to let users access their favorite videos from such sites as YouTube, Reddit, Vimeo, and other sites, all from a single place.
'In today''s mobile world, SMS has widespread, near ubiquitous adoption, which is great for consumers who want to communicate with their friends and family. However, that''s a huge problem for enterprises, who face compliance and data security issues with their data when their employees turn to SMS for business related communications. To solve that issue, Santa Monica-based TigerText (www.tigertext.com) has been developing smartphone applications which replace SMS, and provide companies with the
'Who are the top 100 up-and-coming individuals in Southern California''s technology industry? We''re looking to identify the individuals here in the technology industry, across all sectors, who are most likely to create the next big thing, produce the next big exit or to influence the industry in a significant way. If you''d like to nominate an individual (not company) for this award, we''ve just started collecting your nominations online.
'A new, Los Angeles-based startup, Townhang.com , announced Wednesday that it has raised $700,000, and launched a new site to help people find interesting events, happenings, and activities in their city. The startup--founded by Alexey Karpov--said the funding came via equity crowdfunding efforts by the company. Townhang.com said it has so far launched its event discovery service in Los Angeles, Portland, London, and Luxembourg.
'Los Angeles-based hosting provider Media Temple has been acquired by GoDaddy , the two companies announced Tuesday. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Media Temple was founded in 1998 by Demian Sellfors, and is currently headed by Russell P. Reeder. According to GoDaddy, the two companies will continue to operate independently. Media Temple''s customers include Sony, Nordstrom, The Wall Street Journal, Starbucks, IBM, Volkswagen, and many others.
'SlimSurveys , the new startup headed by former TweetPhoto founder Sean Callahan, has launched a new product, aimed at collecting data from website visitors. According to the company, its new Customer Insights product lets website owners add a widget to their website, to help collect real-time, customer insights. The new product lets marketers and website owners run surveys in-line with their websites, without requiring developers to constantly interact with the website.
'The battle for control over LA''s streets--and transportation--continued today, as one of the major taxi providers in the city-- United Independent Taxi Drivers (UITD), has filed a lawsuit claiming Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar pose unfair competition to the company--and have resulted in a "sharp drop" in business for the company. UITD--which is one of the companies working with competing smartphone app provider Flywheel to counter the other ridesharing companies--told the LA Weekly it has seen at le
'What do you get when you combine a team with a deep roster of executive talent from such companies as Cisco, Apple, and Nokia, and apply that to the world of "Internet of Things"--connecting your entire home to the cloud? You get Greenwave Reality (www.greenwavereality.com), a new startup based in Irvine, which is looking to apply the company''s consumer experience to the world of connected devices.
'Irvine-based online auto information and leads site Autobytel has expanded into the mobile communications market, with the acquisition of Advanced Mobile, LLC , a provider of mobile apps, mobile websites, text messaging, and other mobile communications services for automotive manufacturers and dealers. Autobytel said it would pay $2.5M in cash, plus up to $1.5M in earn out based on revenues and profits for Advanced Mobile.
'San Diego-based Sotera Wireless reports today that it has received FDA clearance for its continuous, patient blood pressure monitoring system. The venture backed startup said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared its ViSi Mobile wireless patient monitoring system, which lets clinicians continuously monitor patient vital signs without the use of a catheter or blood pressure cuff.
'We''re trying to identify the top 100 up-and-coming individuals in Southern California''s technology industry? We''re looking to identify the individuals here in the technology industry, across all sectors, who are most likely to create the next big thing, produce the next big exit or to influence the industry in a significant way--the next generation of entrepreneurs and leaders across all of Southern California.
'Los Angeles-based Myspace is ramping up its support of artists and musicians today, with two new features it says will help spotlight members of its community. Myspace said it launched two new initiatives, "Portfolio" and "Artist Films", which lets artists build their personal brand on the site. Portfolio is a multimedia tool aimed at helping artists showcase their work; Artist Films are personalized, short films which spotlight different artists.
'San Diego-based TakeLessons , which has been operating an online marketplace to connect students with music instructors, has made a major expansion this week, saying that it will now make its tools available to any private instructor, in any field. The site now offers up connections to tutors, ballet teachers, and instructors in many other fields. TakeLessons said its tools now let anyone who manages a roster of students to handle scheduling, billing, and lesson management.
'Maybe you have not heard the term, “deal book.” That’s a comprehensive piece on a company for use by a buyer in determining fit. A “deal room” is an electronic or physical space dedicated to storing the massive amounts of data to be used in due diligence by a buyer, lender or by an investor. Deal rooms contain access to or copies of all significant contracts with suppliers, customers, consultants, and others.
'Los Angeles-based Fliptu , the social media software developer headed by Jeremy Gocke, is targeting the music industry with its social service, and is launching a new platform that lets the music industry share the pictures, video clips, and other social items that fans are sharing before, during, and after concerts. The company said its new "social hub as a service" helps bands and artists aggregate that fan-created content, and also ties that content into merchandise, special ticket offers, a
'Irvine-based semiconductor developer Broadcom has completed its acquisition of the LTE assets of Renesas Electronics Corporation , the company said this morning. The deal was worth $164M. Broadcom had announced the deal in early September. Broadcom said the deal is expected to accelerate availability of a multimode, carrier-validated LTE SoC platform from Broadcom.
'San Diego-based BioNano Genomics announced this morning that it has raised $10M in a funding round, to commercialize its system for human genome analysis. The funding came from Batelle Ventures, Domain Associates, and Gund Investment Corporation. BioNano Genomics says it is developing a system which uses imaging of molecules to directly observe native genomic structure.
'Internet giant Google has made another alternative energy investment in Southern California, investing $103M in a utility-scale, solar photovoltaic generating plant in Imperial County. According to Google, the investment in the Silver Ridge Power, 265.7 MW Mount Signal Solar project is the thirteenth energy investment by Google. The plant is expected to be fully operational in 2014, and will supply power to San Diego Gas & Electric.
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