Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 31, 2010

Most people suck at presenting to big groups. It’s a shame because the ability to nail these presentations at key conferences can be once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to influence journalists, business partners, potential employees, customers and VCs. This was evident at the Twiistup pre-event company pitch last week at UCLA. Francisco Dao came up with the idea of letting 10 companies that weren’t selected for Twiistup to do a presentation the night before to a group of people and l

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Startup Twiistup Slides Screening 362

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 13, 2010

One of the topics that came up in my post Mobile Internet Apple Facebook was around open vs. closed platforms. This issue comes up at the start of almost every new startup company in a variety of forms. I’m constantly struggling with trying to figure out the best way to pull together solutions, especially with how fast things move. In this post, I want to look at just the question of when it makes sense to use Facebook Connect, Twitter Oauth, OpenID, Yahoo Browser-Based Authentication, Google Fr

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Google Startup Yahoo Email 292

socalTECH

JANUARY 7, 2010

Los Angeles-based Fandango , the online movie information and ticketing firm now owned by Comcast Interactive Media, has rolled out two mobile applications this week at CES. According to Fandango, it launched a new movie information, showtime, and ticketing app for BlackBerry phones, which is available for free for the BlackBerry Tour, Bold, Storm, Curve, and 8800.

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Fandango Hollywood Mobile Content 225

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 12, 2010

During the late 1800’s, American author Horatio Alger wrote 129 novels, most of which recount the deeds of impoverished young people who overcome their modest means to establish independent lives as self-sufficient, middle class citizens. Years after Alger created this new genre, it was derisively (and incorrectly) termed “rags to riches.” A common critique is that Mr.

Santa Barbara 191

Santa Barbara Class Ideas Organization 191

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.

Company

Berkonomics

JANUARY 20, 2010

This post will be perhaps a bit longer than usual, but certainly of great interest for those with interest in or have need for more capital… This stage is critical to many businesses and a passing option to others, depending upon the capital efficiency of the enterprise. Some businesses require very little capital and the founder is able to self-finance the enterprise and retain 100% of its ownership and control from ignition through liquidity event (startup through sale).

Venture Capital 174

Venture Capital Invest Class .Net 174

Eric Greenspan

JANUARY 14, 2010

Time to clear this up. I’m Eric Greenspan, not Eric Greenspan (or Eric Greenspan). Eric Greenspan's The Foundry on Melrose. I’m not the chef Eric Greenspan. He owns the Foundry on Melrose. He was up for the Next Iron Chef on the Food Network but lost to grasshoppers. He is the master of the grilled cheese amongst other culinary delights.

Beverly Hills 180

Beverly Hills Entrepreneur News Entertainment 180

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 26, 2010

I’ve been having discussions with several people recently about the role of the CTO (Chief Technology Officer) in very early stage companies. In December 2007, I described how I commonly take on an Acting CTO Role in a Start-up. I used an image from Roger Smith that describes the varying roles of a CTO as the company matures. However, I’ve now begun questioning how and what an early-stage / startup CTO should be.

Fractional CTO 225

Fractional CTO CTO CTO Hire CTO Coach 225

socalTECH

JANUARY 13, 2010

Yesterday, Los Angeles-based Biddees (www.biddees.com) launched a new web site, which combines gift cards, a reverse auction system, and microdonations to nonprofits. We spoke with CEO Steve Adler , and Vice President of Marketing Danielle Mead , about the firm and what it's hoping to do. What is the site all about? Steve Adler: It's a reverse auction site that exclusively sells prepaid cards.

Sites 213

Sites Startup Ideas Pricing 213

SoCal Tech Calendar

JANUARY 31, 2010

Saturday, February 6, 2010 -- New Media Revenue Models: Growing Greenbacks in the Digital Ecosystem. Caltech/MIT Enterprise Forum. The New Media ecosystem is growing rapidly with content distribution networks, mobile devices and social networks connecting and interconnecting consumers like never before. Navigating the digital landscape is more complex than ever but more profitable as well.

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Media Enterprise Forum CalTech Social Network 100

Berkonomics

JANUARY 27, 2010

Taking in angel or venture money requires a setting of an entrepreneur’s expectations that may come as a shock at least at first. From the moment such an investor looks seriously at your company, the investor or VC partner is thinking of the end game, the ultimate sale of the company or even of an eventual initial public offering. There is no middle ground.

Venture Capital 168

Venture Capital Sales Invest Class 168

Eric Greenspan

JANUARY 18, 2010

Social networking at it’s finest… I’m sitting at a local brewery watching football with my wife and friends a month back and I get an email from someone who had just visited my Meetup.com site. I created the site to make new friends and to learn things. I never imagined the Food Network would find me there. Anyhow, I called the producer back and she told me, “We are looking for a meetup group to appear on the Food Network’s new show Private Chefs of Beverly Hills as

Beverly Hills 156

Beverly Hills Networking Social Network Santa Barbara 156

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 19, 2010

I’m writing this post as part of my series with Advice on Raising Venture Capital but will file it under Sales Tips as well since it applies equally to both scenarios. Congratulations. You’ve found a VC partner or principal who has invited you to the Monday partners’ meeting. Or on a sales campaign you’ve finally gotten your project sponsor to take you to the “executive committee&# where decisions are made and budgets are agreed.

Venture Capital 318

Venture Capital Startup Sales Writing 318

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 5, 2010

The analysts at Morgan Stanley have produced a report that’s quite good reading on some of the major trends concerning mobile web. The report consists of: The Mobile Internet Report Summary Slides – a 92-slide presentation that provides highlights on the key themes The Mobile Internet Report Key Themes – a 659-slide presentation that drills down a bit more The Mobile Internet Report – a 424 page report which explores 8 major themes in depth and includes the two aforementioned slide presentations

Mobile 204

Mobile Slides Web 2.0 Social Network 204

socalTECH

JANUARY 25, 2010

J.R. Johnson , founder of Lunch.com, is an experience entrepreneur, who sold his last firm, VirtualTourist.com , to Expedia. Johnson's latest effort is Lunch.com (www.lunch.com), a web site which takes the concepts behind VirtualTourist.com beyond travel, and into lots of other subjects. We spoke with Johnson about his new startup, as well as had him fill us in on the story behind VirtualTourist, how he bootstrapped that firm, and his exit.

Content 204

Content Startup Sites Manhattan Beach 204

SoCal Tech Calendar

JANUARY 29, 2010

Thursday, February 4, 2010 -- GDP Talk Trends 2010. Come listen to some of LA's great minds (inc. Fast Company reporter Greg Ferenstein, CitySourced's founder Kurt Daradics and Adam Mefford of MindShare LA) present ideas about trends and realities facing today's world from education and finance to the blending of the personal and professional in the social media world.

Social Media 100

Social Media Education Ideas Report 100

Berkonomics

JANUARY 13, 2010

Have you ever driven a car that had no speedometer? I had that thrill when a student at the Richard Petty Stockcar School of Driving recently at a motor speedway in California. With a wide track, angled aggressively at the curves, and being told to hug the wall on the straightaways, there was little reference available to a novice driver as to speed.

Metrics 159

Metrics Screening Email Customer 159

Tech Coast Venture Network

JANUARY 29, 2010

Entrepreneur Snapshots. Tags: Live Event Snapshots Video forum snapshots video.

Entrepreneur 113

Entrepreneur 113

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 21, 2010

I recently read a post over on VentureHacks titled, “ Top Ten Reasons Entrepreneurs Hate Lawyers &# written by Scott Walker (who blogs on legal issues for entrepreneurs ). I know that people have an allergy to lawyers out of fear of being screwed. Much of this is unfounded – some is not. If you’re a startup and you don’t have a close relationship with a few law firms you’re really missing one of the most important relationships that any entrepreneur can have.

Startup 318

Startup IP Southern California Entrepreneur 318

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 28, 2010

Yesterday, I met with someone at the early stage of a startup. He has a great concept with some complexity to it. He was struggling to find high quality developers in Los Angeles. Just the kind of person I like to meet. :) But I was a bit surprised when he emphasized how hard it had been for them to find a web developer in Los Angeles. My flippant comment was, “If you do a Google search for Los Angeles web developer, you’ll find a LOT of people and firms.

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Web Development Los Angeles Web Develop 167

socalTECH

JANUARY 20, 2010

Hollywood-based Taltopia.com , an online social networking site for artists, said today that it is launching a new tool which aggregates casting calls and job postings in the entertainment and arts industry. The firm said the new service pulls together casting calls from around the web, as well as listing of real-time feeds of jobs and auditions. The firm said its service will allow members to search for jobs by area code or talent category.

Entertainment 202

Entertainment Hollywood Social Network Content 202

SoCal Tech Calendar

JANUARY 29, 2010

Thursday, February 4, 2010 -- Creating Relevant Brands. OCTANe. Defining and developing your brand  its more than just a name. When most companies, especially early stage companies, consider their brands they think about picking a really cool name and then check branding off of their to-do list. But a brand is so much more than just a name. To be valuable to customers, investors, and potential partners, your brand has to be relevant.

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OCTANE Guide Customer Custom 100

Berkonomics

JANUARY 6, 2010

Let’s spend a few moments defining a sometimes confusing set of terms. A budget should be created each year as a result of a series of negotiations between departmental managers and their superiors through to the CEO, all in support of the next year’s tactics previously agreed upon (which in turn support the longer term strategies leading to the next goal beyond). .

Startup 149

Startup Resource Email Competition 149

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 29, 2010

OK, so they tell me that Bernie is safely tucked away in prison for the next 150 years, but there are clones out there who look and act just like him. See this LA Times article from last year about a likely scammer closer to startups, and an ongoing saga of events from the victim’s perspective. Most frauds are not on the scale set by Bernie, but even a few thousand dollars lost would hurt you and me as much as a few million did for some of his victims.

Offshore 70

Offshore Tips Satisfaction Invest 70

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 31, 2010

TechCrunch ran my article yesterday as a guest post but I wanted to have a copy here for anybody who missed it and for future readers of this blog. This is a slightly longer version and also has an update at the end. TechCrunch Europe ran an article in November of last year that European startups need to work as hard as those in Silicon Valley and I echoed the sentiment in my post about the need for entrepreneurs to be maniacal about their businesses if one wants to work in the hyper competitiv

Entrepreneur 308

Entrepreneur Startup Venture Capital Conference 308

Jason Nazar

JANUARY 4, 2010

This month’s Startups Uncensored will be on the “Building an Online Brand”. It will be an open and frank town-hall conversation talking about what it takes to build and grow an online brand that’s meant to last. We are joined this month by Sean Moriarty , the former CEO of TicketMaster. During his time at Ticketmaster, Moriarty led the company through its multiple acquisitions and strategic investments.

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Ticketmaster Santa Monica Startup Acquisition 70

socalTECH

JANUARY 27, 2010

On Thursday, the City of Ventura is formally launching a new incubator, the Ventura Ventures Technology Center (www.v2tc.com), targeted at high tech businesses. The incubator so far includes startups Lottay , Geodelic , and a number of other Internet and other technology firms. We spoke with Alex Schneider, who is managing the effort, about what the incubator is and what it hopes to accomplish.

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Ventura Incubator Technology Startup 200

SoCal Tech Calendar

JANUARY 29, 2010

Thursday, February 4, 2010 -- FIRSTY- First Thursday Networking Event. OCTANe. See [link] (more).

Networking 100

Networking OCTANE 100

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 26, 2010

The stereotype of most programmers is a guy sitting in a dark room with nothing but the glow of a monitor screen keeping him company. However, that is certainly not the case with the participants of Super Happy Dev House (SHDH). Last weekend I attended the 36th Super Happy Dev House held at Microsoft Mountain View Office. What originally started as just a couple of guys getting together at a home to get help or swap ideas on a few projects they had going on, has grown to over a 400+ person eve

Tips 70

Tips Screening Startup Google 70

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 28, 2010

I’ve long believed that entrepreneurs are different. We all know successful entrepreneurs who dropped out of school, and people with high IQs that cannot manage a business. I used to call this “street smarts,” but recently I found a better explanation, called multiple intelligences. Successful entrepreneurs always seem to have several good intelligences.

Entrepreneur 49

Entrepreneur Writing Design Activity 49

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 29, 2010

This is part of my series on what makes an entrepreneur successful. I originally posted it on VentureHacks , one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs. I started the series talking about what I consider the most important attribute of an entrepreneur : Tenacity. I then covered Street Smarts , Ability to Pivot , Resiliency , Inspiration , Perspiration , Willingness to Take Risks and Detail Orientation.

Competition 296

Competition Entrepreneur Startup GRP Partners 296

Daradiction

JANUARY 1, 2010

Another @KurtyD Production. Click here to view the embedded video.

Product 62

Product 62

socalTECH

JANUARY 25, 2010

The Founder Institute , the business incubation and mentoring program started by TheFunded's Adeo Ressi , is expanding into the Los Angeles area, and is accepting applications for entrepreneurs for a Spring session, the group said late last week. The Los Angeles effort is being headed by Ken Rutkowski. In an invite to an information session on the incubation program, Rutkowski said that mentors in the Los Angeles program include Alan Friel, Bill Woodward, Brock Pierce, Dan Gould, Elon Musk, Eric

Los Angeles 191

Los Angeles Orange County Angel Incubator 191

SoCal Delicious

JANUARY 15, 2010

How to Block Unwanted Bots from Your Website with.htaccess Deny Access to Certain Bots/Programs How to Block Unwanted Bots from Your Website with.htaccess by Christopher Heng, thesitewizard.com I received requests from a few webmasters some time ago asking me if there was a way to block unwanted bots from their website.This article shows you how you can do this using.htaccess.

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IP PHP Web RSS 38

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 12, 2010

"Rock It," a device from OrigAudio, brings your music to just about anything dense enough to carry a vibration. Though not a traditional speaker in itself, when paired with another hollow object (like an empty box of Cheerios), the device sends vibrations through the object, producing sound. The Rock It doesn't produce Bose-quality sound by any means, but I liked that it's capabilities only seem limited by the objects at hand.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 25, 2010

Many people, especially those who have spent years struggling up the corporate ladder, dream of jumping ship and becoming an entrepreneur. But every job move is fraught with risk, and the move from employee to entrepreneur is on the high end of the risk curve. This is a big jump, so do your homework first on this one. According to a recent article in the Harvard Business Review, “ Five Ways to Bungle a Job Change ” there are at least five common missteps that executives make when moving to a new

Entrepreneur 48

Entrepreneur Startup Statistics Mentor 48

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 10, 2010

A couple of years ago I read the popular book, “The Four Hour Workweek &# by Tim Ferriss. It was recommended to me by my friend, Net Jacobsson , who was trying to do some basic Life Hacking. If you’re not familiar with the term it’s basically trying to help all of us who are deluged with technology to find ways to cope with the masses of information without having it ruin our lives.

Startup 295

Startup Email Technical Review Course 295