TechEmpower
APRIL 5, 2013
'Last week, we posted the results of benchmarking several web application development and frameworks. The response was tremendous. We received comments, recommendations, advice, criticism, questions, and most importantly pull requests from dozens of readers and developers. On Tuesday of this week, we kicked off a pair of EC2 instances and a pair of our i7 workstations to produce updated data.
Both Sides of the Table
APRIL 21, 2013
'This article originally appeared on TechCrunch. If you don’t like it hot, use less,” he said. “We don’t make mayonnaise here.” . This morning I was reading my social media and came across an article that Christine Tsai had posted on Facebook. It was about the founder of Sriracha sauce, David Tran, displaced from Vietnam when the North’s communists took power.
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socalTECH
APRIL 11, 2013
'One of the biggest areas where the Internet has been shaping our everyday life, is how it has begun to empower people to earn money and a living in brand new ways. There are now a large number of online, peer-to-peer marketplaces which all aim at one thing; helping connecting people with others, so that they can offer their services or goods (a room for rent, a ride, a vacation timeshare, a dog sitter, etc.) to others, in a highly efficient way.
InfoChachkie
APRIL 9, 2013
'A version of this article previously appeared on Inc. The worlds of standup comedy and business presentations are not as disparate as they may appear at first glance. Comedians are entrepreneurs. They often write their own material, book their gigs, arrange their travel and negotiate and collect their compensation from club owners. In addition, both comedians and entrepreneurs must engage and entertain their demanding audiences.
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.
Berkonomics
APRIL 18, 2013
'How many of us have “hired” independent contractors over the years, a bit worried over the gray area between employee and contractor as defined by the IRS? I’ve experienced the results of a wrong decision, and the IRS and state agencies are not forgiving in their pursuit of penalties, interest and most damaging, assessing a company with the on both employer and employee taxes when reclassifying the person as an employee.
Eric Greenspan
APRIL 9, 2013
'I continue to be fascinated with Best Buy. I am an absolute believer that this organization can rebuild its brand and re-establish a cult like following. Techies, geeks, nerds and the rest of us need a place to get our tech on. We love to browse the latest and greatest technology and touch it and we will buy it if we know its fairly priced and sold by a reputable firm.
Southern California Tech Central brings together the best content for technical professionals in Southern California from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Both Sides of the Table
APRIL 25, 2013
'Note: if you’re a parent please check out their website. Kara called me on a Tuesday. She was leaving IAC to start a company. “Tasha, clear some space on my calendar tomorrow. OK?” “I want you in my offices tomorrow, Kara. Does that work for you?” Kara came. She didn’t tell me she was bringing anybody. I didn’t ask her for a deck.
socalTECH
APRIL 4, 2013
'How do you take a process--recruiting of athletes--and make it more efficient, without getting in the way? That''s what Los Angeles-based FieldLevel (www.fieldlevel.com) has been working on, making it easier for coaches to network and exchange information on athletes. We spoke with co-founder Brenton Sullivan about the company''s platform, and how it''s hoping to transform the athletic recruiting process.
InfoChachkie
APRIL 1, 2013
A version of this article previously appeared on Forbes. How did a small, open source software company from Finland capture billions in market share from Oracle? Marten Mickos, CEO of Eucalyptus Systems , knows the answer and he delights in telling the story of how MySQL ate Oracle's lunch and dinner. You can watch Marten tell his entertaining story in the following 15-minute excerpt from his UC Santa Barbara talk.
SoCal CTO
APRIL 2, 2013
I'm presenting Making Sure You Are Ready to Begin Building Your MVP next week at Coloft ( Details/Registration ). I'm going to be looking at aspects like: Things to consider before building your MVP Features often overlooked when documenting an MVP for developers Understanding important metrics you want to measure Risks and challenges in developing an MVP.
Berkonomics
APRIL 11, 2013
'It is an unfortunate truism that most of us become a bit stale in our jobs after some time, even if we are most successful at it and appreciated by all who work for or with us. It is human nature to start in a new position with enthusiasm, lofty goals, new ideas, and a heightened awareness of those around us and their ideas for the business. And it is equally human for anyone to become complacent to some degree after an initial flurry of effort, ideas, reorganizations, brilliant decisions, and
TechEmpower
APRIL 22, 2013
'We''ve previously posted two rounds of results of benchmarking many web application platforms and frameworks. The community''s response remains strong! We have really enjoyed your comments, advice, questions, criticism, and pull requests. Speaking of pull requests, we received tests for several additional frameworks since Round 2 and we have posted Round 3.
Both Sides of the Table
APRIL 17, 2013
'I’m sure you’ve all heard saying derived from Voltaire, “don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good” which in a way is encapsulated in the lean startup movement and the ideology of shipping a “minimum viable product” (MVP) and then learning from your customer base. Or to borrow a simple life lesson from Gretchen Rubin , “The 20-minute walk I take is better than the 3-mile run I never start.
socalTECH
APRIL 3, 2013
Online web conferencing provider AnyMeeting has a challenge: it believes its services are better suited for small business than both WebEx and GoToMeeting, the incumbents in the web conferencing space. To prove it? The company said it will provide six months of its ad-free business plans to any small business owner, employee or independent professional who will show them a copy of their most recent WebEx or GoToMeeting invoice.
InfoChachkie
APRIL 21, 2013
'A version of this article previously appeared on Forbes. How did Sarah Penna create one of YouTube''s most successful networks? Consistently working 14-to-16-hour days had something to do with it, along with a service-oriented mentality built upon a foundation of integrity. You can watch Sarah tell her compelling story in the following 15-minute excerpt from her recent UC Santa Barbara talk.
SoCal CTO
APRIL 9, 2013
'I''ve written before about finding Web Development Firms in Los Angeles. What I didn''t discuss was how you should go about selecting the right company. I just got an email asking about exactly this: I''m with a new company that needs some software built, but doesn''t need (or have the resources for) a large staff of software developers. They''ve been in talks with some consulting companies, but don''t quite the know the criteria for evaluating them and things like references(and where to get t
Berkonomics
APRIL 25, 2013
'Reduce the emotion; reduce the threat of lawsuit. You’ve certainly experienced the angry outburst from an associate or employee who has just learned of an event that the person took as “unfair,” no matter how rational the explanation by the decision maker. Most emotional responses to decisions in business are generated not because the person making the response feels the decision was unwise, but rather unfair.
Eric Greenspan
APRIL 1, 2013
There’s a ton of talk about TED today. You know, the organization behind TED Talks. Not the movie or the defunct division of United Airlines. The real TED. See? It’s not confusing at all. But wait, what’s TEDGlobal? TEDActive? And what in the heck is TEDx? Ok, here’s the rundown. TED : this is the official conference founded by Richard Saul Wurman 30 years ago and was acquired by its current curator, Chris Anderson, in 2001.
Both Sides of the Table
APRIL 27, 2013
'I travel the country a lot. And I am often approached by entrepreneurs in cities which don’t have a vibrant VC community. They often ask whether they have to move to SF, NY or LA to get financed. I have the same response always, “Where do you want to live? Where do you want to build your community, your relationships, your family?” I’m trying to get a feel for their commitment to local community versus being in a place where financing is easiest.
socalTECH
APRIL 8, 2013
'A few weeks ago, the University of Southern California announced a new startup incubator, the Viterbi Startup Garage ([link] backed by such notable investors as Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and the United Talent Agency. What''s the idea behind the incubator--which gives its startups $20,000 in capital, education, mentoring, working space, and more--and how is it tied to USC?
InfoChachkie
APRIL 29, 2013
'A version of this article previously appeared on Inc. For many small businesses, their online reputation is their passport to virtual word-of-mouth referrals. Unfortunately, an articulate and engaging negative review on Yelp!, TripAdvisor or Amazon can have an outsized impact on a small business. You operate your business from a small boat in the remote waters of northern Fiji and your customers are spread across the globe, residing in the US, Europe and Asia.
Tech Zulu Event
APRIL 24, 2013
'Guest article by Richie Hecker, Founder of Bootstrapper Media. For about 50 years, (…cough M) Ad Men, or marketing and sales individuals, have been the kings of organizational hierarchy … and then came the Internet of things and engineers took over the throne. Yet, winter is always coming for a startup and thus a new breed has arisen from the ashes and honed a new set of skills, the Growth Hacker.
Berkonomics
APRIL 4, 2013
'It is hard to separate this kind of advice from economic lessons in running a business, when office politics can threaten a business in ways that are subtle, but sometimes just as devastating as economic shocks or continuing poor management. Most any office with more than one level of management (more than ten employees) can become a Petri dish for office politics.
Eric Greenspan
APRIL 22, 2013
'There are over 4,500 influential Mommy Bloggers covering topics from pregnancy to child raising to education. Some write about relationships and others about sex. Recently I was approached by a writer of erotica and quality pornography requesting a spot on the TEDxAmericanRiviera stage. I declined but I was intrigued just the same. Each of these “moms” spend their days researching products and services that may benefit their respective audience.
Both Sides of the Table
APRIL 13, 2013
'Just back from 2 solid weeks on the road in Boston, New York & Philly. I spent countless hours with VC firms, startups & LPs (the people who invest in VC firms). I find these trips invaluable both from a relationship-building perspective as well as stretching my mind about our industry. I ask questions, test theories, debate topics of the day and then reflect upon what I’ve learned.
socalTECH
APRIL 16, 2013
'Snapchat , the hot Venice-based startup which lets users send self-destructing photos to each other, has been hit by a spam attack, the firm said this morning. According to posts on Twitter, a large number of posts of a "naked lady" were sent to users on the service. Snapchat said that it believes an individual created multiple accounts and sent snaps to Snapchatters with public accounts.
Startup Professionals Musings
APRIL 22, 2013
'I’ve noticed that some entrepreneurs seem to have no trouble attracting investors, while others with a great business plan struggle with it. The reality is that angel investors are humans, and personal traits often make or break the relationship, even before the investment is considered. On the top line, angel investors look to invest in entrepreneurs that have an almost unwavering passion and sense of urgency.
Tech Zulu Event
APRIL 30, 2013
'Ladies and Gentlemen. Geeks, Tinkerers, Intellectuals and Nerds of all ages, we are delighted to present to you, Two Bit Circus and their highly anticipated S.T.E.A.M. Carnival ! A wondrous place designed for kids to learn that Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math are not only interconnected, but fun to boot. Starting today , Two Bit Circus’ Kickstarter Campaign goes live and gladly invites you to help make this truly amazing concept become a reality.
From the Venture Trenches
APRIL 30, 2013
'For the first three months of this year, I have had the pleasure of breathing the same air as the crew from Amplify , the Venice based accelerator. As a member of NextSpace I have witnessed Amplify in operation and it is a shop that definitely believes in good rewards stemming from hard work. As a fourteen-year veteran of the venture industry I have often heard the phrase, “value added investors”, which is usually touted by certain VC’s as their biggest differentiating quality.
Eric Greenspan
APRIL 4, 2013
'You can tell a lot about a person by the apps they keep and how they keep them. Some try to cram as much as possible into the home page. Some, keep it simple. Is this how their mind works? Or is it the opposite? Do the cluttered minds like simple desktops? Well, I’m not doing a research project here, I’m just presenting a few facts. Here’s the screenshots of some great people I know.
Both Sides of the Table
APRIL 15, 2013
'This is my third post in a series on Enterprise Software. In part one I covered the need for early-stage enterprise software companies to build up professional services staff to ensure successful implementation projects. This goes against the conventional wisdom of VCs. In part two I talked about how to ensure that your professional services practice doesn’t take over your software company although I’m on record that there is nothing wrong with a services company as long as youR
socalTECH
APRIL 1, 2013
A new, Los Angeles startup hopes its service will help users simplify life choices, by asking other users to comment on different questions. ChoicePunch , founded by Hamid Saify, recently launched its services, letting users post their own questions and answers to such questions like "What's the safest car?", and "What should I buy my sister for her birthday"?
Startup Professionals Musings
APRIL 6, 2013
'What happened to Generation X? They are generally defined as anyone born between 1965 and 1980, sandwiched between 80 million Baby Boomers and 78 million Gen-Y (Millennials). Gen-X has just 46 million members, but they continue to lead the way and set the standards in the startup world. Gen-X is the group that will bridge the two larger generations of Boomers and Gen-Y.
Tech Zulu Event
APRIL 25, 2013
'Marketing executives are increasingly tasked with analyzing more and more channels and tactics. Let’s take a look at some promotional tactics and spends in this infographic for an overall look at cost per impression. Remember marketing folks, this is impression, not conversion — a metric slowing losing it’s sheen amongst the nation’s web savvy marketers.
socalTECH
APRIL 30, 2013
'Who says that there aren''t powerful women in Silicon Beach''s startup ecosystem? A new infographic highlights some of the women who are making waves along Silicon Beach, for their efforts in creating new companies and businesses. The new infographic shows the educational background and companies of some of the women who will be talking at an upcoming Broads Circle event on their experience running companies here.
socalTECH
APRIL 22, 2013
'If you''re the developer of a mobile application targeted at young girls, how do you monetize that application? A new, Los Angeles ad network, MobiGirl Media recently launched its niche, mobile ad network, specifically aimed at advertisers and app developers targeting girls between the ages of 6 and 16. The ad network said it is providing COPPA-compliant advertising to such popular mobile apps as Singing Daisies, Teen Dream House, My Pet Hospital, Pony Girls and Pop Star Dress Up.
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