August, 2010

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Do you Suffer from the Urgency Addiction? It’s More Common Than you Think

Both Sides of the Table

I suffer from the “urgency addiction.&# I know it sounds like one of the falsely humble things like telling somebody in a job interview that your weakness is that you’re too much of a perfectionist. But the urgency addiction is a bad thing that I’m fortunate enough to get away with. When I first discovered the concept I found it enlightening.

Slides 374
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Intellectual Property – Worthless To A Startup, Priceless To A Big Dumb Company

InfoChachkie

“Good Lord Boyet, my beauty, though but mean, Needs not the painted flourish of your praise: Beauty is bought by judgment of the eye, Not uttered by base sale of chapmen’s tongues” . William Shakespeare, British Playwright, from Love’s Labour’s Lost , 1598. Intellectual Property (IP) is an ugly thing at a startup. It requires you to expend your two most valuable resources, your time and your money.

IP 256
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Calacanis Invests $25K In StorkBrokers

socalTECH

Jason Calacanis , the high profile CEO of Mahalo, and angel investor, has made an investment in Georgia-based StorkBrokers , an online community site focused on new mothers and fathers. The investment was worth $25,000, and Calacanis has joined the firm's board. The investment commitment was actually made live, on the air on This Week In Startups back in June, but had not been otherwise widely covered, The funding officially closed Friday, according to regulatory filings from StorkBroker filed W

Invest 231
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Consultants are only as good as the advice you take.

Berkonomics

At one time or another, most all businesses use consultants to fill the gaps in knowledge or to provide guidance for management. Consultants are good in that you can sample their work with short projects, change to other consultants quickly, and stop using them when a project is completed. I have a partner in a consulting practice that specializes in the travel industry.

Sample 189
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Can You Ask for Office Rent Relief? How to Manage Your Lease During COVID-19

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.

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Six Personality Traits of Serious Entrepreneurs

Startup Professionals Musings

A while back, when a startup founder mentioned to me that he wasn’t sure he had the personality to be an entrepreneur, I realized how important that insight was. My first thought is that if you are more annoyed than energized by expert advice, team suggestions, and customer input, then you should probably avoid this line of work. Actually, it’s more complicated than that, but that’s a good start.

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Gerry Campbell of Collecta on TechZulu Live

Tech Zulu Event

Click here to watch live on Thursday 4pm PT. This week on TechZulu Live we have special guest Gerry Campbell Founder and CEO of Collecta. Collecta delivers real-time streaming news, via widgets, APIs and its Site Search Platform. It gives you a real time stream about what is happening right now at this very moment on the internet. Gerry has been an angel investor and advisor to some really amazing early-stage companies, including Summize (acquired by Twitter), Tweetdeck , StockTwits , Outside.

Tips 90

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TEDxSB – Inspired Environments

Daradiction

My TEDxSB talk on Inspired Environments. After watching this video I got inspired to get a tan, hit the gym, and cut down my sugar intake by 80%. What a positive difference this has made in my energy levels and well being. Click here to view the embedded video.

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MINDBODY Signs Customers For Booking Technology

socalTECH

San Luis Obispo-based MINDBODY , a developer of software-as-a-service for the yoga, pilates, wellness, and spa market, said today that wellness businesses are signing up for its MINDBODY Finder product, technology which allows consumers to book and pay for fitness classes and wellness appointments online. According to the firm, partners IDEA Health and Fitness, TeachStreet, RoamingQ, Yogoer, FindYoga.com, Yoga Tampa Bay and Kidzmet are among the customers who will be rolling out the technology t

Customer 223
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Guide to the LA Startup Community

SoCal Delicious

Join Blog Mission Leaders Classifieds Conference Deals Contact Your Guide to the LA Startup Community by Founders on August 20, 2010 Submit to HN The following is StartupDigest ‘s second edition of “Your Guide to the Startup World&# with LA’s own Matt Sandler , Curator of the LA StartupDigest, Project Manager at CitizenNet , and Founder of Chromatik Music , which seeks to revolutionize music learning on the web.

Guide 42
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Great Entrepreneurs Have Vision, Not Just Ideas

Startup Professionals Musings

A popular approach for aspiring entrepreneurs these days seems to be to corner anyone who will listen, with a dialogue on their current hot “idea.” The initial outburst usually ends with the question “How much money do you think this is worth?” In my humble opinion, ideas are a commodity, and are really not worth anything, outside the context of a vision and plan.

Ideas 98
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Another Success For ITVFest! Winners, Panels and More

Tech Zulu Event

TechZulu had the pleasure of being part of the fifth annual Independent Television Festival (ITVFest). Held from July 30, 2010 to August 5, 2010 at Laemmie Sunset 5, attendees had the opportunity to view independent television series and web series, panel discussions from industry experts, and mixers galore for the duration of the event. According to AJ Tesler the Executive Director of ITVFest: "ITVFest will allow people who have previously had little or no access to television decision makers

OCTANE 78
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Fight When it’s Time to Fight. Be Gracious When It’s Time to Give In.

Both Sides of the Table

There are times to fight. I must admit it’s part of my DNA to enjoy a good fight (not as much as does Jason Calacanis, mind you ahem: Facebook. Er: Comscore , Cough: Angel funding payola ). But there are times to given in and compromise. Don’t confuse the two. When you give in, do so graciously. Take the high road. Act and feel zen.

Demand 340
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Top 30 Startup Posts for July 2010

SoCal CTO

Some great content around the intersection of startups and being a Startup CTO in June this year. This continues my series of posts: 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 The following are the top items based on social signals. 5 Lessons from 150 startup pitches - A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks , July 11, 2010 I just reviewed several hundred startup pitches for Capital Factory.

Startup 217
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NextWave To Sell PacketVideo To DOCOMO

socalTECH

San Diego-based NextWave Wireless announced late Sunday evening that it is in an agreement with NTT DOCOMO , to sell the remaining 65 percent equity interest in subsidiary PacketVideo. The deal is worth $111.6M. NextWave and DOCOMO have been partners in PacketVideo since July of last year, when DOCOMO acquired about 35 percent of PacketVideo. PacketVideo develops mobile phone software used for providing multimedia services from mobile operators.

San Diego 216
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How To: Quickly Enable Social Logins with JanRain Engage

SoCal Delicious

JanRain Engage provides a convenient way to enable social logins on a site via a single API. This includes support for Facebook, Google, Twitter, LinkedIn and over a dozen additional services. Implementing JanRain Engage on your site is a lot less work than implementing each login provider one by one. Also, as any changes to each login will be handled by JanRain, you won't have to keep updating your authentication code if changes are made by the login provider.

Class 41
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Gen-X May Be Forgotten, But They Run Business

Startup Professionals Musings

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 Millennials (Gen-Y). Gen-X has just 46 million members, making it the lost child demographic. Gen-X is the group that will bridge the two larger generations of Boomers and Millennials. I guess the bridge isn’t as exciting as what has happened on one side or what might happen on the other, so they are often referred to as the “forgotten” generat

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Techclusive: Launchpad LA Opens Their Doors To TechZulu

Tech Zulu Event

Click here to watch live on August 11, 2010 at 5:30pm PST. TechZulu has covered Launchpad LA before they opened their doors to entrepreneurs looking for mentorship in the Los Angeles area. However, they do not allow just anyone to be part of Launchpad. You must first go through an application process, then be selected to be part of and gain access to some of the brightest minds in Los Angeles.

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How to Ask for Help, Favors and Intros

Both Sides of the Table

An entrepreneur recently sent me an @ reply message on Twitter asking for some help with a decision coming up in his business. I get these frequently via Twitter, Facebook or email. I don’t mind. I can’t always get to them. Basically a request like this is stacking on top of my already large to-do list. But I do like to try and make time for some and I’ll admit I’m a bit random about it.

Help 332
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Know When To Declare Defeat And Toss Out A Bad Idea – Do Not Be Afraid To Say, “That Baby Be Ugly!”

InfoChachkie

As Founder and CEO of Motown Records, Berry Gordy devised an effective methodology to objectively evaluate and critique the label’s music. Gordy created a unique culture which deemphasized cronyism and encouraged open and honest debate regarding the subjective quality of the company’s creative output. During the 1960’s, Motown’s artistic success was unprecedented.

Ideas 187
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GotCast: 10,00 Job Postings To-Date On Site

socalTECH

Los Angeles-based GotCast , the online casting call and talent site run by Alec Shankman, said it now has now reached nearly 10,000 job postings to-date on the site. GotCast--which allows anyone to submit their photo, profile, and other relevant information in hopes of attracting the attention of Hollywood talent agents and casting directors--said the site is looking to fill the role of traditional employment tools and job search resources, as they continue to dry up.

Sites 215
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Quickly Enable Social Logins with JanRain Engage

SoCal Delicious

ReadWriteHack ReadWriteWeb ReadWriteStart ReadWriteBiz ReadWriteEnterprise ReadWriteCloud ReadWriteHack International ReadWriteBrazil ReadWriteChina ReadWriteFrance ReadWriteSpain ReadWriteHack Home Archives More Articles & Blogs RSS Twitter Facebook How To: Quickly Enable Social Logins with JanRain Engage By Ben Barden / August 31, 2010 8:40 AM / Loading Comments Tweet This post is part of our ReadWriteHack channel, which is a resource and guide for developers.

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If Money Is Your Goal, Don’t Be An Entrepreneur

Startup Professionals Musings

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the best entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and elsewhere. On the average, the entrepreneurs I know are broke. But one thing they all seem to have in common is a love for learning and change. They rush in with a passion to better the world, and money is just an indication of their progress.

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Attention Startups! Startup Demo Hits Social Media Week

Tech Zulu Event

TechZulu and Schmoozd have joined forces to bring you Startup Demo during Social Media Week. We are selecting 10 startups to demo during the event and the lucky chosen get to do so completely free! Each startup will also gain access to the TechZulu Startup Corner during the event. Each company will have 5min in the hot seat with Amanda Coolong as she gives you the opportunity to tell thousands of viewers in the TechZulu network about your company live.

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Is Convertible Debt Preferable to Equity?

Both Sides of the Table

Seth Levine of Foundry Group addresses this important topic this morning on his blog with a post, “ Has Convertible Debt Won ?&# Seth was basing this on a Tweet by Paul Graham that said&#. “Convertible notes have won. Every investment so far in this YC batch (and there have been a lot) has been done on a convertible note.&#. I have to say that I didn’t take the question to mean that convertible debt had won for the entire market, but either way it’s clear that convertible

Equity 319
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I Buy Dead Magazines (the art of the intro …)

Both Sides of the Table

The life of an entrepreneur is filled with 20 second opportunities. Some get converted into 5 minute opportunities or into a lifetime. Most are squandered. It starts in a crowded room at a conference or networking event. You bump into the person you’ve always wanted to chat with or your perfect business development partner who can “make” you. What are you going to say in the moment?

Startup 315
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The Power of Quora & Why Benchmark was Right to Pay Up

Both Sides of the Table

I was an early user of Quora and like all new technologies they take a bit of playing with them for a while, discussing them with others and reflecting on them to let them sink in. I’m no wall flower so when something doesn’t resonate I’m usually pretty vocal about it. With Quora , it was the opposite – something has always felt right but it took me a while to. really understand it.

Blogging 301
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Quick Hack to Make Your Boss (and you) More Productive

Both Sides of the Table

Yesterday I wrote a post about the " Urgency Addiction ” and how many people start important tasks late and then motivate with a huge wave of productivity and inspiration driven by deadlines and commitments to others. In the comments section Bill DAllesandro offered some insight that he had seen from Microsoft on "interruptions”. “A study by Microsoft showed just how lethal interruptions are to productivity.

Product 301
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Understanding a VC’s Seed Funding Policy is Critical

Both Sides of the Table

There has been much discussion about VCs doing seed funding in the past year. I’ve written about it myself (Is VC Seed Funding Dead?) and (Is There Really a Signaling Problem with VC Seed Funding?). Short summary of my posts: 1. There is a structural reason that VCs are investing at early stages, 2. Many (Union Square Ventures, Foundry Group, True Ventures, GRP Partners, Mike Hirshland at Polaris Ventures) do it the right way – we treat it as a normal investment and we don’t h

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The 1/9/90 Rule of UGC & Why It’s OK to Have Lurkers

Both Sides of the Table

Two days ago I wrote about Quora. I’ve been loving the product even if it sucks up some of my time. I prefer my time go into a very focused Q&A website than into a more generic Facebook. What Quora has done is wrap social networking around Q&A with the more clever next-gen UX I’ve seen. But my post today is not about Quora, it’s about an answer that I wrote on Quora.

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Twitter’s “Who to Follow” – Bad English, Great Functionality

Both Sides of the Table

Around a month ago I heard people talking about Twitter’s bucket test ( definition ) of their new personalized suggested user list and this past week I actually got to experience it myself. The results for me have been excellent and in this post I’ll explain why this is critical to Twitter’s continued adoption. Twitter has implemented its recommended users on your Twitter.com home page as the “who to follow&# (see graphic above) and you have a list of two recommended peo

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Beware of Premature Merge Elation

Both Sides of the Table

There is a telltale sign of an inexperienced startup entrepreneur. They get premature merge elation. You know, they get so excited about doing deals all the time instead of doing the hard work of figuring out their businesses. I understand this. I was a premature merge elater once. Here’s what I learned: 1. As a startup you shouldn’t focus on buying other companies until you’ve figured out your own business.

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My Chat with Dan Primack of PEHub

Both Sides of the Table

In the technology world there are a few websites that most startups track to keep up with the latest financings, acquisitions, product announcements and gossip: BusinessInsider, TechCrunch, Mashable, GigaOm, etc. In the VC & Private Equity world there’s a small number, too, with one of the most respected being PEHub. That’s thanks to Dan Primack , founding editor.

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Gevo, With Ties To Caltech and UCLA, Files For IPO

socalTECH

Gevo , a startup which is developing renewable chemicals and biofuels technology, has filed for an IPO, according to an S-1 filing by the firm Thursday afternoon. Gevo--which is now based in Englewood, Colorado--was started in Pasadena, and has licensed technology from both the University of California, Los Angeles, and Caltech. Gevo is using both technology from UCLA to produce next-generation biofuels through genetically modified Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria, as well as technology from

CalTech 210
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uSamp Appoints Two Executives

socalTECH

Encino-based uSamp , the online sampling and panel firm headed by former goZing founders Matt Dusig and Gregg Lavin, said today that it has named Chuck Miller as Chief Research Officer at the firm, and appointed Melanie Courtright as Vice President, Client Services. Miller is the president of DMS Insights, which uSamp acquired in June from AOL. Courtright was also at DMS.

Sample 208
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Maverick Angels Founder John Dilts Dies

socalTECH

John Dilts , founder of angel group the Maverick Angels and co-founder of the BioTech Forum, a group promoting biotechnology industry development in Ventura County, has died. No details of Dilts' death was given, however, the Maverick Angels said that Dilts passed away on the morning of August 2nd. The group said that Dilts viewing is Thursday. Tags: john dilts maverick angels investor.

Angel 203
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Integrien Acquired By VMware

socalTECH

Irvine-based Integrien , a developer of enterprise IT monitoring software, has been acquired by VMware , according to VMware this morning. Although VMware did not announce financial details of the acquisition, sources close to Integrien said the acquisition was worth $102M. The acquisition was a big win for Southern California's investors, particularly from Clearstone Venture Partners and the Tech Coast Angels.