Both Sides of the Table
FEBRUARY 14, 2010
How to Interpret Analyst Reports. The headlines in the media are filled with that latest stats. Stats sell. The stats are often quoted from the latest reports. People then parrot them around like they’re fact when most of them are complete bullsh*t. People throw them around at cocktail parties. Often when they do I throw out my favorite statistic: 73.6% of all statistics are made up.
Eric Greenspan
FEBRUARY 2, 2010
How many BBB logos are there? What is the Better Business Bureau? It’s not a government agency. It’s not policed by a government agency. It’s not even run like a top down corporation. It’s a franchise model, run by local “owners&# or “President/CEOs.&# It is a private institution run by local presidents that make their living on selling local merchants on becoming a member.
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socalTECH
FEBRUARY 1, 2010
This morning, Fullerton-based iChange (www.ichange.com) is announcing that it has raised a round of funding, and has appointed Stuart MacFarlane as its CEO. Stuart is a Managing Director at Momentum Venture Partners , and former CEO of Insider Pages. Momentum is also the source of the new funding. Momentum Ventures is a firm which has been very active providing management expertise in Southern California, helping promising technology firms.
Berkonomics
FEBRUARY 17, 2010
Know your market and competition, or don’t spend a dime on anything else. I have stated previously that I love absolutes – statements with no wiggle room for gray-area responses. Well, here is one of those, and it deals with market research first and foremost. . Let me tell you a short story at my own expense. In 1994, (I know a long time ago), I invested over a million dollars into a company whose entrepreneurs had a vision that I bought into for many reasons,
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SoCal CTO
FEBRUARY 25, 2010
I just got done reading a post by Roger Ehrenberg Advice for CTO Founders: Don't Let Business Kill the Business where he suggests that CTO Founders should not move too early in finding a business cofounder: Too often, however, I have found CTO / Founders paired with business people who not only don't add value, but frequently detract from the value of the business.
Tech Coast Venture Network
FEBRUARY 18, 2010
Manal Richa Being an entrepreneur and a business owner, a crucial part of your daily life is to concentrate on building relationships that last and which you can hopefully leverage on the long run. How? you may ask… Well, obviously through networking , attending events and mixers, following up with people and helping others. Some of us, who are not “ born &# with the skill to network, need to understand that networking is a skill that can be taught, learned or developed.
Southern California Tech Central brings together the best content for technical professionals in Southern California from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Eric Greenspan
FEBRUARY 23, 2010
140conf LA Meetup hosted by Jeff Pulver and Eric Greenspan. Hello again! We had a blast together in December at our first #140conf LA Meetup at Yahoo! didn’t we? Thanks to Jeff Pulver for another great event. Well, we couldn’t leave well enough alone so we’re gonna do it again and this time, it will be bigger and better. Once again, I’ll be your co-host and emcee.
socalTECH
FEBRUARY 24, 2010
San Diego-based Castle Access , a provider of enterprise data center services, said today that it has received a multi-million dollar, strategic equity financing. The amount of the investment was not disclosed. The firm said the equity funding will go to increase its investments in its data center services, and for infrastructure expansion. Piper Jaffray & Co. advised the firm in the funding.
Berkonomics
FEBRUARY 23, 2010
So you have a great new product or service that you and your associates love. Early adopters should climb all over each other for a look. But what have you done to test the concept against the realities of the marketplace? Have you developed a prototype, alternate pricing schemes, even a PowerPoint mockup to show to potential buyers? I would be very, very nervous without testing the product in the market as early as possible, ready to make changes and enhancements before committing to
SoCal CTO
FEBRUARY 2, 2010
I love blog conversations. Based on my posts Startup CTO or Developer and Acting CTO , Chris O’Meara wrote an interesting post Startup CTO: Could It Work? Chris starts with a description of the person that pretty much every startup is looking for: Their primary characteristics are deep technical skills and a hacker mentality. They tend to have the knack for architecture.
InfoChachkie
FEBRUARY 9, 2010
The man at left built the first personal computer. He also spearheaded a number of fundamental software breakthroughs, including creating the basic hardware / software architecture which resulted in the creation of the third-party personal computer (PC) software industry. If this gentleman was such a pivotal player in the early days of the PC revolution, why is he essentially unknown to most entrepreneurs under forty years old?
Both Sides of the Table
FEBRUARY 17, 2010
Absolute Power Corrupts, Absolutely. I was living in Europe in 2000 when the first WAP phones (Wireless Access Protocol) were introduced. These phones were so over hyped. They were going to bring the Internet to your mobile phones ushering in the era of “m-commerce.&# Gag. I had just returned from living in Japan where I witnessed the hugely successful launch of i-mode by NTT DoCoMo so I knew the potential that the mobile web would ultimately bring, but I saw so many flaws in the launch
Eric Greenspan
FEBRUARY 25, 2010
Curious how you get so many spam messages in Twitter? It’s not rocket science. I just got this one: “hi, i’m 24/female/horny… i have to get off here but message me on my windows live messenger name…&# You probably did too. I know @mayhemstudios, @marshacollier and @TopBrokerOC did (thanks you three!). So, how does this happen?
socalTECH
FEBRUARY 26, 2010
It's been awhile since we caught up with the folks at Los Angeles-based Oversee.net (www.oversee.net), which has a very big businesses in the domain name area, so we thought we'd sit down and hear how things are going for the firm. We talked with Jeff Kupietzky, CEO of Oversee. What businesses is Oversee.net now in? Jeff Kupietzky: There are three primary areas we play in, but what ties them all together, is the mission to increase the value of Internet real estate.
Berkonomics
FEBRUARY 9, 2010
This statement could be considered controversial. We have previously made the case that professional investors demand more in the form of restrictive covenants and lower valuations. Now we explore the other side of that coin. Professional investors usually bring “smart money” to the table, defined as money that comes along with good advice and great relationships for corporate growth.
SoCal Tech Calendar
FEBRUARY 17, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 -- Networks In Motion "A Success Story In The New Economy". Orange County Venture Group is pleased to announce our first breakfast program of 2010! Everyone's heard about "The Big Sale." Now you can hear about the deal first hand from the masterminds behind the scenes of the recent Networks In Motion/Telecommunications Systems M and A.
Both Sides of the Table
FEBRUARY 3, 2010
This is part of my series on Startup Advice. When I worked in London there were a ton of Aussies. I love working with Aussies because their outlook on life seems very similar to what I grew up with in California. Pretty laid back and non-hierarchic. I also loved learning all of their sayings. My favorite was when I guy told me to beware of Crocodile Salesmen.
Both Sides of the Table
FEBRUARY 25, 2010
A reminder that it is important for all entrepreneurs is to remember to be careful about “deal drift.” I think the perfect saying to have as a reminder is “time is the enemy of all deals,” or as my wife is all too tired of hearing me say, “Don’t pop the champagne until the ink is dry on the contract and the money is in the bank.”. So, where does this all come from and how can you apply it in practice?
Both Sides of the Table
FEBRUARY 4, 2010
This is part of my series on Entrepreneurial DNA that was originally published on VentureHacks. I know this series has been running for a while (and is getting long in the tooth) – I promise it’s nearly over. I started with a “top 11″ list – only because I couldn’t fit them into a top 10. But in the end I ended up with 12.
Both Sides of the Table
FEBRUARY 23, 2010
This is part of my ongoing series on startup advice but also filed under my sales & marketing posts. No advice I give will ever apply to 100% of companies, 100% of startups or even 100% of tech startups. I just want to state that up front because while I believe that this post will apply to most startup technology companies out there, I’m sure there will be exceptions.
Both Sides of the Table
FEBRUARY 27, 2010
Nature vs. Nurture. You’ve all heard the question before. Let’s talk about kids for a moment. I grew up believing that human behavior was 20% nature, 80% nurture. Now that I have two boys (4 and 7) I’m convinced it’s the other way around. There’s no question that both factors are involved. There have been many studies done on the topic including looking at twins raised in separate families.
Both Sides of the Table
FEBRUARY 8, 2010
This is part of my ongoing series on Raising Venture Capital. I often tell people that raising money is worse than getting married. I have to be careful in how that sounds because I love my wife and am happily married. But the truth is that in marriage if you’re unhappy you can at least get divorced (in most countries). Not so in venture capital.
Both Sides of the Table
FEBRUARY 21, 2010
One of the investment themes I’ve been focused on in the past 3 years has been Performance-Based Marketing. When I started investing the US advertising market was $300 billion with only 10% of it ($30 billion) of it being online and measurable. One recession later and the US advertising market is about $245 billion – but still only 10-12% is online and measurable.
Both Sides of the Table
FEBRUARY 14, 2010
Back in November I agreed with Nivi over at VentureHacks to do a series on the ten most important attributes of a successful entrepreneur. This is the last post in that series. This is actually an addendum to my list rather than “on&# my list. That in itself will be controversial, I know. When Nivi published the series he titled it “the top 10 things I look for before I write a check.&# As a result I felt compelled to add this final attribute because it matters a lot to me.
Both Sides of the Table
FEBRUARY 7, 2010
This is the final part of my series on Entrepreneurial DNA that was originally published on VentureHacks. OK, it’s not really my final part. I started with a Top 10 list for Nivi (at VentureHacks), but I couldn’t cram it into 10 so it became a Top 11 list. I originally conceived it as the Top 11 things that I believe “all entrepreneurs need to succeed.&# If it stuck to this theme then I would stand by my top 11.
socalTECH
FEBRUARY 18, 2010
Los Angeles-based My Damn Channel , the online original video site run by Rob Barnett, said Thursday that it has been selected by Fox as a premium distribution partner for the network's original web series. According to My Damn Channel, it will also start developing and producing original new series together with Fox. Financial details on the partnership were not disclosed.
socalTECH
FEBRUARY 16, 2010
For this morning's interview, we talked with Noah Auerhahn , President of San Diego-based Extrabux (www.extrabux.com), an online site focused on providing consumers with comparison shopping combined with discount offers. We talked with Noah about how the company grew out of a business plan competition at the University of Southern California, his recent funding from the Maverick Angels, as well as how the firm hopes to stand out among a crowded list of comparison shopping sites.
socalTECH
FEBRUARY 24, 2010
Equipois , the developer of a mechanical arm--based on Hollywood's Steadicam--for reducing the weight of tooling and other objects, took the top prize and was ranked in 1st place overall in Wednesday evening's Tech Coast Angels Fast Pitch. The annual Fast Pitch competition pitted 10 companies against each other in 90-second, elevator pitches to a panel of 10 judges.
socalTECH
FEBRUARY 17, 2010
Demonstrating the sheer money making power of the online gaming space, Irvine-based Blizzard Entertainment is making a $1.1M donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the nonprofit which helps to grant wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. According to the Make-A-Wish-Foundation, the donation is part of an effort run by Blizzard for two months--November and December--within the firm's massively multiplayer online game, World of Warcraft, where the firm designated 50 percent
socalTECH
FEBRUARY 19, 2010
The Founder Institute (www.founderinstitute.com), an entrepreneurial training program that originally launched by Adeo Ressi in Silicon Valley, recently announced that it is setting up shop in Southern California, with branches both in San Diego and Los Angeles. Ken Rutkowski is the man making happen here. As President of the L.A. chapter of the Media, Entertainment and Technology Alliance (METal) and the voice of KenRadio's World Technology Roundup on CBS Radio, Rutkowski has recruited a roster
socalTECH
FEBRUARY 24, 2010
Los Angeles-based CitySourced , the developer of a mobile tool for helping involve citizens in local government headed by Jason Kiesel and Kurt Daradics, has linked up with Microsoft and its Windows Azure platform, the firms said Tuesday. CitySourced is an angel-funded firm which develops a smart phone application which allows citizens to report potholes, graffiti, and other issues directly to local governments.
socalTECH
FEBRUARY 3, 2010
We thought today for our interview, that we'd get an update on the angel investment environment here in Southern California from Scott Sangster , the incoming President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Tech Coast Angels , the biggest angel investment group in Southern California. Scott sat down with us last week and gave us some hints and tips about finding angel investment nowadays, and how the economy has affected local angel investors.
socalTECH
FEBRUARY 16, 2010
Hollywood-based Friendgiftr , a developer of a social media service which allows users to send gift cards to their friends, family, and others, has extended its service beyond Facebook and onto MySpace, iGogole, Ning, and Bebo, the firm announced today. The firm said it now offers gift cards from 120 different brands, including such companies as Gap, Dominos Pizza, Pottery Barn, Starbuck's, Chili;s and others.
socalTECH
FEBRUARY 10, 2010
The UCLA School of Public Health is looking to tap into the power of social networks, in an attempt to encourage adolescents from 13 to 17 to take better care of their health. According to health care insurer Health Net and UCLA, the two are looking to study the use of Web-based, social media to improve preventative care and decrease emergency room visits among adolescents.
socalTECH
FEBRUARY 4, 2010
Los Angeles-based RotoHog , the fantasy sports game development firm run by Kelly Perdew , said Thursday that the firm has entered into a strategic partnership with NASCAR.COM. According to Rotohog, it will build a fantasy exchange game for the sports brand, starting in February with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Daytona. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
socalTECH
FEBRUARY 11, 2010
San Diego- and Los Angeles-based video sharing site veoh Networks has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, according to web site Mashable. Dmitry Shapiro, CEO of Veoh, did not respond to emails requesting comment, the PR firm listed on the firm's site said it no longer represents the company, and socalTECH was unable to reach anyone via phone at the company.
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