Both Sides of the Table
NOVEMBER 14, 2011
I recently gave a talk about the Future of Television. I’m still planning to write some in depth pieces on the topic but I thought, “given that this is about how video will consume the Internet over the next 5 years, what better way to exemplify this than with a 10-minute video.” Here’s a link to watch it or click the image below.
InfoChachkie
NOVEMBER 28, 2011
Note: This is Part IV in the Startup Team Building series. Read Part I HERE , Part II HERE and Part III HERE. A Fortune 500 CEO once told me that I was a Bank Robber. Initially, I was offended. However, once he explained what he meant, I was flattered. Entrepreneurs are law-abiding Bank Robbers. They enjoy the hours spent plotting and scheming and pulling together a team of skilled specialists to accomplish the heist.
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socalTECH
NOVEMBER 9, 2011
Los Angeles-based Yowie , the online video chat site headed by Jay Snider, which allows Internet users to interact with celebrities, bands, and others, looks to be playing a bigger role in the campaign of U.S. presidential candidate Gary Johnson. Yowie said today that, due to the success of a "town hall" with Johnson last week, Johnson is holding another town hall on the service, this time with FairTax.org's Phil Hinson.
Berkonomics
NOVEMBER 12, 2011
As I look back over more than fifty years as an entrepreneur, I can think of the financial focus of my three entrepreneurial businesses as a prime driver in my life during the early stage of each. And yet, as I recall the greatest thrills, the memorable events, the best of memories, almost none are about the money. The stories of people rising to the occasion, victories in the form of great sale successes, great continuing relationships, occasional awards from valued indus
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SoCal Tech Calendar
NOVEMBER 23, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011 -- Tablets: The New Media Platform. How will we use tablets next? How will they evolve? How will carriers need to adapt? What will the evolution of apps look like? Will next-generation processors spawn super tablets? Find out the answers to these questions and more by joining us in a panel discussion with key industry players, Rob Chandhok of Qualcomm, Christy Wyatt of Motorola Mobility, Diana Zaccardi of Verizon Wireless, and moderated by Lucy Hood of USC, for a livel
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 14, 2011
Many budding entrepreneurs struggle mightily with that first step – out of their comfort zone and into the unknown. They keep asking people like me whether the time is right, and the truth is that there’s never an ideal time to start your own business. It’s like starting a personal relationship, if you wait for exactly the right time, you’ll never do it.
Southern California Tech Central brings together the best content for technical professionals in Southern California from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
InfoChachkie
NOVEMBER 7, 2011
Nearly one year ago, I published my first infoChachkie interview, with Kevin O’Connor , Co-Founder of FindTheBest. At that time, I was not utilizing video. Thus, I was very excited when Kevin graciously agreed to make an encore appearance via Skype. If you care to review my prior discussion with Kevin, you can do so HERE. Before starting FindTheBest, Kevin was the Co-Founder and CEO DoubleClick (sold to Google, $3.1B and a seed investor ISS (sold to IBM, $1.3B).
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 2, 2011
In an interesting diversion from our usual interviews with startup entrepreneurs and investors, we had the chance to sit down earlier with Republican Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson , the former Governor of New Mexico, to talk about his online town hall with Los Angeles-based Yowie later today (at 5pm PST). Johnson spoke to us about his online outreach efforts, and how he's hoping those efforts will bring some visibility to his campaign.
Berkonomics
NOVEMBER 26, 2011
There is nothing quite as thrilling in business as igniting a startup and watching it blossom. Especially when starting a company with personal savings or money from relatives and friends, early signs of success are intoxicating. Each new customer, each mention in the press or online adds to the feeling of early accomplishment. And it is more satisfying because it is yours, from idea to execution.
SoCal Tech Calendar
NOVEMBER 9, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011 -- The Startup Conference. The Startup Conference is one of the largest entrepreneur conferences in Silicon Valley, and is coming to LA. on Nov 15th. Join 300+ entrepreneurs to discuss fundraising, launching your startup to the press and more. See [link].
Both Sides of the Table
NOVEMBER 9, 2011
I’ve often wanted to let people see what a VC pitch is like to help new entrepreneurs have a better sense of what it’s like to present. Obviously having a camera on will add a small bit of an artificial result because I don’t want to ask as much confidential information and with the camera on people are obviously a bit nicer. But this interview is fairly authentic.
Both Sides of the Table
NOVEMBER 3, 2011
I will be giving a speech today on The Future of Television at the PaidContent conference in LA. I will write way more details about this in the coming months but I thought I’d give you a sneak peak at my presentation for today. Future of TV. Feel free to leave comments and we can have a discussion about the topic in the Disqus comments section.
Both Sides of the Table
NOVEMBER 8, 2011
Launchpad LA today announces it will accept applications for its third class of Los Angeles-based tech startups. We have significant VC commitments (listed below) – every entering company will get $50,000 in funding, mentorship from top VCs and successful entrepreneurs plus free office space. For any company interested in applying please visit the website.
Both Sides of the Table
NOVEMBER 8, 2011
The tech market is filled with many stories of early-stage funding. It’s even more exciting when you can report an exit of a company that is a major win. That’s why I’m proud to announce today that HealthDataInsights (founded by Victor Chaltiel), where GRP Partners was a 30% owner, has been acquired for $400 million. It maps to several themes about “solving bigger problems,” “taking more meaningful ownership positions” and “women in entrepreneurs
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 3, 2011
Highlighting the continued growth in demand for technical talent, a group of ten San Diego startup is banding together to attract job seekers to their companies, According to San Diego's SweetLabs , the software developer behind Pokki and OpenCandy, it and another nine startups will run an event December 1st called 10 Startups, $100 Million in Funding, 100 New Jobs.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 15, 2011
Santa Monica-based Unsubscribe.com , the startup headed by James Siminoff, which helped consumers unsubscribe from unwanted email, has been acquired by TrustedID. TrustedID, which provides credit and identity protection services, announced the acquisition on Tuesday afternoon, but did not disclose financial terms of the buy. Unsubscribe.com was venture backed by Charles River Ventures, First Round Capital, DFJ Frontier, and angel investors.
InfoChachkie
NOVEMBER 10, 2011
“Contrariwise,” continued Tweedledee, “If it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn’t, it ain’t. That’s logic.”. Lewis Carroll, from Through The Looking Glass. Entrepreneurs often must take counter-intuitive, contrarian positions in order to succeed. As noted in Entrepreneurship Is A Compulsion , entrepreneurs often view the world from a slightly different vantage point, rejecting the oxymoronic term Conventional Wisdom. .
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 17, 2011
Los Angeles-based Postcard on the Run , the startup headed by Josh Brooks, announced this morning that it has raised $750,000 in an angel round, which included actress Selena Gomez, Crosscut Ventures, Mike Jones, Yves Sisteron, Chris DeWolfe, Aber Whitcomb, Brian Fitzgerald, Ryan Steelberg, Colin Digario, Brian Lee, and Jarl Mohn. The firm--which develops iOS and Android apps which easily allow mobile users to take pictures and turn them into real, physical postcards mailed to their friends and
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 8, 2011
Adconion Media Group , the European advertising network firm which as significant operations in Los Angeles, said today that it has acquired smartclip , a European digital video advertising firm. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed. Adconion said that the acquisition will "significantly strengthen" its position in online video. Smartclip adds around 500 new publisher sites to Adconion's network.
InfoChachkie
NOVEMBER 17, 2011
Len Short is truly an online marketing pioneer, heading up marketing at Charles Schwab, AOL and then (PRODUCT)RED. He is now leading Chug , a car buying search engine, as its Founder and CEO. Before his career moved online, Len worked on major marketing campaigns for credit card companies and rolled out MCI’s highly successful “Friends and Family” marketing campaign.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 15, 2011
In an unprecedented surge in startup support activity in Los Angeles this morning, another venture startup accelerator, Start Engine , formally launched this morning, applying the accelerator model to startup in the Los Angeles area. Start Engine, started by Activision co-founder Howard Marks and investor Paul Kessler, said today that it is looking to provide mentorship, funding, and other resources to startups in the area, starting with a first class in January.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 9, 2011
It looks like Los Angeles is set to get access to peer-to-peer car sharing service Zipcar , as it plans to open an office in Hollywood tomorrow. Zipcar has been inviting the press to an event tomorrow with L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti, to mark its entry into Los Angeles, the 16th market covered by the company. The introduction of Zipcar to the Los Angeles market would be a first for the mainline, peer-to-peer car sharing movement, which allows car owners to rent out their cars on an
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 1, 2011
Adobe Systems said today that it has acquired Auditude , a provider of video ad management and monetization technology. Auditude, although now based in Palo Alto, had originally been developed for a UCLA MBA business plan competition, by Nicholas Seet. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed. Seet founded Auditude for the KNAPP competition at UCLA, while he was at the UCLA Anderson School of Management at its fully employed MBA program.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 15, 2011
(Editor's note: Los Angeles has always had strong ties to business in the UK, and the UK government has been very active in reaching out to Los Angeles technology firms in recent years. On the invitation of UK Trade and Investment, socalTECH Contributing Editor Travis Oberlander has traveled this week to London for us, to compare and contrast the efforts in the UK to establish their own technology center with our own efforts in Southern California.).
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 28, 2011
Neville Spiteri is co-founder of Venice-based WEMO Media (www.wemomedia.com), a new, digital studio whose flagship product is TheBlu (www.theblu.com) an online, interactive experience focused on the world's oceans. WEMO Media is an interesting combination of Hollywood, computer games, and deep technical experience, one of the few companies we have seen which seems to combine both the worlds of high tech and software with content, interactive, and Hollywood.
InfoChachkie
NOVEMBER 15, 2011
Article first published as Why Selling To The Government Can Downgrade Your Startup on Technorati. First Greece, now Spain and Italy. Across Europe, historically solvent sovereign governments are suffering from an acute case of systemic deficits. Now, more than ever, government agencies in the US and abroad are lousy startup customers. I am not a government contracting expert.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 10, 2011
Woodland Hills-based ReachLocal , the provider of services to help small and medium sized businesses advertise online, said Thursday that it has opened up a new office in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The firm said the new office will serve as its European headquarters. ReachLocal said it now has over 800 consultants in North America, Australia and Europe serving over 18,000 advertisers.
InfoChachkie
NOVEMBER 3, 2011
As an Instructor of entrepreneurship at UC Santa Barbara, I welcomed the chance to read Brad Feld & Jason Mendelson’s Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer And Venture Capitalist. As the authors make clear in the book’s preface, their goal is to create a “definitive guide to venture capital deals” and “demystify the venture capital financing process.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 7, 2011
As automotive web sites go, there are lots of review and information sites giving you information about new and used cars, magazines and information sites for auto enthusiasts, and discussion sites and groups for all kinds of cars. But, it turns out, there are not any automotive sites specifically geared towards women. That's something which Los Angeles-based VroomGirls (www.vroomgirls.com) is looking to change--with the backing of sponsors like Toyota, Ferrari, and Lamborghini.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 17, 2011
Los Angeles-based startup accelerator MuckerLab , which is headed by Erik Rannala, has tapped Brea-based Dreamhost , the web hosting company, as the "official" web hosting and application hosting provider for the accelerator, the firm is announcing today. According to Dreamhost, all of the startups accepted into MuckerLab's program throughout 2012 will receive one year of free web hosting services from Dreamhost, including fully managed servers.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 22, 2011
Los Angeles-based Anybeat , the alternative social networking site created by former MySpace Music VP Dmitri Shapiro, has opened up broad, public access to the service. The firm--which had been in invite-only, beta mode--said it is looking to create a "third place"--different from home and work--for people to get away, relax, and socialize. Anybeat is taking a very different approach to Facebook, which is centered around people you know, and instead trying to create an online space where you can
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 21, 2011
The Los Angeles area has seen a surge in the last month in companies and organizations looking to bolster entrepreneurial activity and startups in Southern California. Joining that surge last week in startup activity was Science, Inc. (www.science-inc.com), headed by Mike Jones , the former CEO of Myspace. Science is looking to incubate its own set of companies, make investments, and otherwise work to create the next successful startups.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 15, 2011
Are you an entrepreneur hoping to startup a company in the Los Angeles area? In what has been an unprecedented surge in interest in helping entrepreneurs, there have been more than a half dozen accelerators--most patterned after the successful YCombinator and TechStars programs elsewhere in the country--established in Southern California in the last month or so.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 16, 2011
Aliso Viejo-based Quest Software , which develope IT management software, has bolstered its lineup of products for the virtualization and cloud computing space, saying Wednesday afternoon that it has acquired VKernel. VKernel is a privately held developer of virtualizatoin mangaement products, based in Boston. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 14, 2011
For today's interview, we spoke with Dat Do , the founder and CEO of Derivitas (www.derivatas.com), a new startup in Los Angeles looking to address some of the financial issues that CFOs of privately held firms have to deal with. Dat told us about the issues with valuation, how his experience in a Big 4 accounting firm led to starting the company, and where the company is going next.
socalTECH
NOVEMBER 18, 2011
La Jolla-based biomedical research nonprofit Scripps Research Institute and IBM said this morning that they are looking for the public's help, in volunteering to donate their computer time to help a new effort to cure malaria, funded by IBM Watson's $1M prize from Jeopardy! According to the two, they are encouraging anyone with a personal computer to join the World Community Grid , which will crunch numbers and perform simulations to help fight malaria.
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