Both Sides of the Table
OCTOBER 13, 2010
You know the type. You see them on Twitter, Facebook or Plancast plotting out their next 12 conference. You see their Tweets from airports across the globe. Look at me! I’m in Spain! Now I’m in France. Next week I’m speaking in Cabo San Lucas! They are professional conference attendees. They are CEO’s addicted to the schmoozing.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 6, 2010
Not happy with just keeping up with the thousands of updates from your fellow Twitter users? If not, El Segundo-based toy maker Mattel has launched a new toy this week which connects the Twitter micro-messaging service to your own pet dog. Mattel said it has launched a new gadget called Puppy Tweets , which allows users to follow their dog's activities via Twitter.
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Eric Greenspan
OCTOBER 19, 2010
Jackson Greenspan, 6 months. It’s hard to believe that my newborn is not so new anymore. The past 6 months went by faster than any I can ever remember. Jackson keeps getting bigger and the days keep getting shorter. The older I get, the faster life seems to wiz by. I’m pretty sure I used to pray to be older and for a day to finally end. Now, I just want one more minute or another week or the past 10 years back.
InfoChachkie
OCTOBER 20, 2010
Reginald Martinez Jackson was a perennial major league baseball all-star throughout most of his 21-year career. Reggie earned the nickname “Mr. October” because of his consistent ability to hit home runs during clutch situations in playoff and World Series games, which contributed to his teams winning five Championships. He was also often referred to as a “hotdog” for his self-promotional antics and lackadaisical on-field play.
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SoCal CTO
OCTOBER 5, 2010
Great content again in September that meets at the intersection of startups, technology, product and being a Startup CTO. This continues my series of posts: Top 40 Startup Posts for August 2010 Top 30 Startup Posts for July 2010 Top 30 Startup Posts in June 2010 Top 29 Startup Posts May 2010 Startup CTO Top 30 Posts for April 16 Great Startup Posts from March Some great free resources listed this month that I thought were interesting.
Berkonomics
OCTOBER 18, 2010
Plan 10% of your time for board relations. Most all leaders new to the CEO position underestimate this time requirement. It is good for the company when the CEO shares concerns, threats and opportunities with the board. The rule of “no surprises” works well for the longevity of a CEO. But there are always surprises. CEO’s should communicate with members of the board if not a committee of the whole as soon as possible when threats to the corporation arise.
Southern California Tech Central brings together the best content for technical professionals in Southern California from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 28, 2010
How do you take a business you started as your own personal web site, and turn it into an online powerhouse, completely bootstrapped, from the little town of Ojai, California--not exactly known as a technology town? Not too many people are aware of the success and story of Lynda.com (www.lynda.com), started by Lynda Weinman and Bruce Heavin , and how the firm's now grown to a double-digit, multimillion dollar business which is known as THE source for online training on such things as web design,
SoCal Tech Calendar
OCTOBER 28, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010 -- Cleantech Focus Los Angeles: Water Efficiency and the Corporate Perspective. Cleantech Group, known for a second-to-none network of investors, entrepreneurs, technologies and policy leaders, has developed a unique understanding of where commercial opportunity lies in the deployment of cleantech business models. Introducing Cleantech Focus Los Angeles, a networking event and conference focused on opportunties in water.
InfoChachkie
OCTOBER 27, 2010
In 1998, a new type of game show was aired in the United Kingdom. Rather than a panel of contestants competing to answer rapid-fire questions, the new show involved a single contestant who was often given a seemingly unlimited amount of time to ponder each question. In fact, contestants were even given a chance to call a friend and poll the audience for help.
SoCal CTO
OCTOBER 29, 2010
Just saw this tweet fly by: Unfortunately, this CTO happens to be the CTO of a restaurant chain which was probably the reason that this was tweeted. But the point is pretty simple. As a CTO, you need to always remember that you are a bit on stage and people notice what you do even when you don’t realize it. It’s important to bring a bit of caution to things as simple as going to the bathroom.
Berkonomics
OCTOBER 26, 2010
Give one percent equity to each outside board member vesting over four years of service. Many early stage CEOs and board members have asked for some guidance regarding pay and time commitments for board members. Here is my best advice, based upon many boards and many years. Pay early stage board members of companies that are not lifestyle businesses one percent of the fully diluted equity in the form of an option that vests over four years of service.
Both Sides of the Table
OCTOBER 22, 2010
On why you should be an entrepreneur, “A lot of people do what they have to do. You want to get yourself to a position where you can do what you want to do&# (Chamillionaire). Last night I co-hosted a dinner at Soho House in Los Angeles with some of the most senior people in the media industry with executives from Disney, Fox, Warner, media agencies and many promising tech & media startup CEO’s.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 4, 2010
Irvine-based Blizzard Entertainment said that its third expansion for World of Warcraft is expected to debut in stores on December 7th. The firm--which has been running a invite-only beta of the expansion pack for World of Warcraft since July--said it will make the release available for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Macintosh computers both at retail stores and online as a download.
SoCal Tech Calendar
OCTOBER 27, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010 -- Fifth Smart Grid Thought Leadership Forum. Join UCLA Smart Grid Energy Research Center for its fifth Smart Grid Leadership Forum. On November 2, 2010, this thought leadership forum will focus on research, technology development and demonstrations planned for the Electrical Power Grid in the United States and its modernization opportunity and accompanying innovations over the next decade into what is being now called the Smart Grid.
InfoChachkie
OCTOBER 27, 2010
In 1998, a new type of game show was aired in the United Kingdom. Rather than a panel of contestants competing to answer rapid-fire questions, the new show involved a single contestant who was often given a seemingly unlimited amount of time to ponder each question. In fact, contestants were even given a chance to call a friend and poll the audience for help.
SoCal CTO
OCTOBER 11, 2010
This month’s big question is Examples of Big Impact from Technology and I’ve taken it as an opportunity to go back and look at the elements of different projects that I’ve worked on over the years that have had a big impact. In this post, I’m going to focus on a common model that has been part of several of the highest impact projects. At it’s core, the model is pretty simple: Guide through setting meaningful personal goals Teach how you can hold yourself accountable to those goals Help the user
Berkonomics
OCTOBER 4, 2010
Perhaps this is the natural conclusion from the several insights previously explored. While the CEO and management offers the vision, strategies and tactics as well as the proposed budget, it is the board that controls with its votes the execution of strategy, the expenditure of cash, the taking on of debt or new equity, the very direction of the company as well as its ultimate health.
Both Sides of the Table
OCTOBER 12, 2010
A while back I wrote a bunch of posts on Sales & Marketing and have been meaning to get back to that theme for a while. Even if you don’t have “direct&# sales I would tell you that “everything is a sale&# including fund raising, hiring, getting press and doing business development. So I hope these posts will be useful to all and not just those who need road warriors.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 19, 2010
Although creating films and cross licensing videogame titles is not new to the videogame industry, it looks as if Santa Monica-based Activision Publishing and automotive maker Jeep have taken the trend of taking videogames into other product areas to a new area today: a new, Call of Duty: Black Ops-themed Jeep Wrangler. Jeep and Activision said this morning that the two are in an exclusive partnership, where Jeep will create a 2011 Jeep Wrangler Call of Duty: Black Ops Edition.
SoCal Tech Calendar
OCTOBER 27, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010 -- Foleys Emerging Technologies Conference: Do You Speak Entrepreneur?, presented with CONNECT. To succeed in the tech company world, you need to talk the talk and walk the walk. Join us for an immersion course in the language and strategies of successful entrepreneurs as Foley attorneys, tech executives, experienced advisors, and tech company investors help you become fluent in entrepreneur.
InfoChachkie
OCTOBER 1, 2010
In an episode of the popular 1990’s TV sitcom Seinfeld , Kramer, played by Michael Richards, begins “working” at the fictional Brandt – Leland Investment Firm by simply showing up, attending meetings and acting as if he is part of the team. Although the plot was obviously devised for comic effect, it serves to illustrate that non-conventional methods of infiltrating Big Dumb Companies (BDCs) are often effective.
Both Sides of the Table
OCTOBER 17, 2010
Anyone who works in the venture business or frankly just lives in Silicon Valley will be used to hearing a buzz word rise up out of nowhere to capture the technology zeitgeist and find its way into every entrepreneur’s product development plan or every aspiring entrepreneur’s pitch deck. I call this “the puck at your feet&# because it’s not where the industry is heading but rather where the industry is today.
Both Sides of the Table
OCTOBER 29, 2010
I’m often asked by people, “how do I get into VC?&# and I normally respond by saying, “there is no easy path. It’s often a combination of luck, relationships & timing. Often these jobs aren’t even publicized.&#. Well, I know 3-4 VC jobs that are publicly available. GRP Partners is looking to hire two analysts (maybe even three) to join our practice in Los Angeles.
Both Sides of the Table
OCTOBER 31, 2010
This article was originally posted in a much more concise version over GigaOm if you prefer the shorter version. This is part of my ongoing Sales & Marketing Series. In the first part of this post I talked about how sales in a startup is often evangelical , requires as consultative sale and needs constant adjustments based on customer feedback.
Both Sides of the Table
OCTOBER 26, 2010
I’m working on a larger series on “scaling sales&# that will drop this weekend or early next week so I thought I’d go for a more light-hearted topic today. I’ve always thought about writing a few posts on features in products that drive me nuts. I have a short list of what I consider the worst UX offenders and Bcc has got to top the list.
Both Sides of the Table
OCTOBER 5, 2010
I have often complained how much I hate sitting on panels. The reason is that conferences usually pack them up with speakers to maximize the number of high profile guests in attendance to sell more general admission tickets. So with a panel of 5-6 people and 30-45 minutes it’s hard to have a real conversation. Every speaker wants to get their points in so the conversation often lacks rhythm.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 11, 2010
Virgin Galactic , the commercial spaceflight venture of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group, said over the weekend that it has completed a piloted, free flight of SpaceShipTwo, the spaceship the firm is developing in Mojave. According to Virgin Galactic, it released the VSS Enterprise, its first vehicle, from an altitude of 45,000 feet over the weekend, and successfully landed at the Mojave Air and Space Port.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 14, 2010
Looking to bridge the gap between the immense amount of technology created at local universities and the commercial market, a new group--the Tech CEO Network (www.techceonetwork.com)--has quietly been working in Los Angeles to try to help spin out new companies from institutions like UCLA, Caltech, USC, UCSB, and other colleges and universities in town.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 7, 2010
The University of Southern California and wealthy engineer Fariborz Maseeh , now a hedge fund manager in Newport Beach, is announcing this week a $1M endowment, which will fund an annual, $50,000 prize for a business plan competition for the school's engineering students. The new prize, which is being funded by the Massiah Foundation, will award $50,000 each year to the best, entrepreneurial plan and idea to come out of the USC Viterbi engineering school.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 25, 2010
Kevin O'Connor is the co-founder of DoubleClick , which he took from startup to IPO on the Nasdaq in 1998, sold it to private equity firm Hellman & Friedman for around $1.2 billion in 2005, and finally sold again to Google in 2007 for $3.1 billion. After DoubleClick, Kevin eventually settled down in Santa Barbara, which is where his newest startup-- FindTheBest.com (www.findthebest.com) is headquartered.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 5, 2010
Los Angeles-based BeachMint , the stealth e-commerce startup headed by former MySpace exec Josh Berman and backed by Anthem Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, and others, has rolled out a new, fashion e-commerce site, JewelMint. According to BeachMint, the new site will feature unique jewelry designs created by actress Kate Bosworth and celebrity stylist Cher Coulter.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 6, 2010
Los Angeles-based MySpace has launched a new iPhone app, the site has announced. According to MySpace, its new 'Drawler' application allows iPhone users to draw, color, add stickers, art, and other decorations to mobile phone photos. MySpace said the free application also allows users to share those creations with friends on MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 8, 2010
San Clemente-based RateBlend.com , a new site developed by Nuvolocity , said this week that it has launched a web-based calculator site targeted at commercial real estate professionals. According to Nuvolocity, the new site helps those professionals calculate lease rental rates and rental concession savings. Nuvollicity was founded by Kris Williams, who was a former software developer at MySpace.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 21, 2010
Emphasizing the challenge that faces Los Angeles-based MySpace in taking back the initiative in the social networking industry, competing social network Facebook has seen a significant boost to its efforts to dominate social networking, as it aligned with Amazon.com, Zynga, Comcast, Liberty Media, and Allen & Company in funding a new venture fund from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Thursday.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 26, 2010
Woodland Hills-based ReachLocal , the provider of local online marketing services for small and medium sized businesses, reported its results Tuesday, saying that it had $77.1M in revenues for Q3 of 2010, up 47 percent from Q3 of last year, when it had $52.6M in revenues. The quarterly results were a 10 percent growth from the prior quarter. The firm reported a net loss of $2.8M, compared with net income of $14.9M for the quarter.
socalTECH
OCTOBER 12, 2010
Kamran Pourzanjani , the former CEO and founder of PriceGrabber.com, and Omid Rahmat , the former CEO of Tom's Hardware, have acquired Portland- and Santa Barbara-based ELC Technologies , the development firm founded by Jonathan Siegel. ELC is the firm behind startups RightScale, RightCart, and RightSignature, and also provides technology consulting and development to other companies.
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