Both Sides of the Table
JULY 19, 2011
Middle Men. Middle People? They exist in all forms of work and life. They’re essential in helping us get our jobs done because they specialize in something we do not. They do a routine task over-and-over again all year long that we do only periodically. Lawyers. Recruiters. Bankers. Real Estate professionals. PR firms. You name it. And yes, VC’s, too.
socalTECH
JULY 13, 2011
Today's interview is with Los Angeles-based Miso Media , a developer of iPad-based music education software, which uses note detection to help users learn guitar, ukulele, and banjo. The firm is backed by Google Ventures, as well as a number of well known angels. We caught up with founder Aviv Grill to dig deeper into what the firm is doing. First off, let's talk a little bit about your software.
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InfoChachkie
JULY 25, 2011
US High School students are taught that Samuel Coleridge conceived one of the most anthologized poem in Western literature, Kubla Kahn , in an epiphany. As Mr. Coleridge described in the poem’s preface, he dozed after smoking opium and reading Samuel Purchas’ The Pilgrimage. He suddenly awoke and manically began documenting the first few stanzas of Kubla Kahn , which he had “dreamed”, fully formed.
Berkonomics
JULY 30, 2011
Here is a phenomenon I discovered over time when dealing with many small start-ups in their early revenue period. A very predictable series of rotating crises seemed to befall most every one of these young companies. These became so predictable that I could accurately label them as occurring about every $3 million in gross profit (or revenue for service companies).
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.
Tech Zulu Event
JULY 15, 2011
I decide to start off these series of interviews highlighting some of the female founders and CEOs from around the country with Los Angeles’s own Cameron Kashani Rasouli ( @CamRasouli ) of CoLoft. I’ve had the honor of knowing Cameron for quite sometime now and she’s a wonderful person. She’s also half of the team that built the ever growing Coloft in Santa Monica, CA.
Startup Professionals Musings
JULY 15, 2011
If you have had some success in a business, I’m sure you bristle just like I do when someone says “You were just lucky…” I’m a strong believer that we all make our own luck, which means that the harder we work, the luckier we get. In reality, “hard work” is just a catch-all term for a list of principles that good entrepreneurs follow, allowing them to work smarter and improve their odds of success.
Southern California Tech Central brings together the best content for technical professionals in Southern California from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
socalTECH
JULY 5, 2011
For today's interview, we spoke with Los Angeles-based Swagbucks (www.swagbucks.com), an online site which allows users to earn virtual currency in exchange for searching the Internet, as well as other activities. Swagbucks in on its way to hitting $20M in annual revenues, and has bootstrapped since its founding. We spoke with founder Scott Dudelson to hear more about the company.
InfoChachkie
JULY 7, 2011
"By working faithfully eight hours a day, you may eventually get to be a boss and work twelve hours a day." Robert Frost, American Poet. My entrepreneurial students at the University of California, Santa Barbara, often ask my advice regarding their career choices. However, rather than discussing specific opportunities, I find that I often spend most of my time sharing general tips related to their professional success, irrespective of their particular career paths.
Berkonomics
JULY 9, 2011
What a powerful set of three questions. These are so succinct, so well defined, so precise that everyone in sales and everyone involved in marketing must be able to answer these three questions without pause, and convincingly. Turning these into statements instead of questions provides a framework for the sales presentation from the highest levels of collateral materials and marketing support, to the salesperson on the front line.
Tech Zulu Event
JULY 17, 2011
TechZulu and Digital LA have a real treat for all you comic fans out there! We have actor Thomas Jane (Hung, Punisher), Marvel, Graphic.ly, Dan Fraga, Joelle Sellner, and Hal Hefner. Join the discussion with digital comics, animation and games experts for the third annual Digital Comics panel. We’ll discuss how comics and comic book characters are part of an overall entertainment franchise, including animation, games, movies, iPad apps, web series, and promotion via social media.
Startup Professionals Musings
JULY 9, 2011
I have a friend who runs a nationwide “traditional” business, and business has been down, like it has been for most people. I suggested that he add some social network marketing initiatives, and his answer was he is “too busy.” He is not alone, according to a recent study , which concludes that only 47% of companies use social media today for marketing, despite the fact that 78% of executives polled feel it’s critical for success.
Both Sides of the Table
JULY 15, 2011
This article originally appeared on TechCrunch (this version is slightly different). Most web publishers measure where their traffic is coming from using an analytics package such as Google Analytics, Omniture or Core Metrics. These were good packages in the pre social media world at helping figure out who was driving your traffic. Today they’re wrong.
socalTECH
JULY 7, 2011
With the proliferation of social networks, communications clients and VoIP phone services, users often find they need to use multiple ways--Twitter, Facebook, phone, FAX, and more--to communicate with their contacts. In a bid to simplify that world, and going beyond the current idea of unified communications, VoxOx (www.voxox.com) is looking to create a "universal communicator" which supports the full range of those services through a single interface.
InfoChachkie
JULY 21, 2011
Messenger : Paige Craig, CEO BetterWorks, Angel Investor, former Marine. I implore you to listen to the interview below. Paige is a gifted communicator and my summary does not do him justice. He offers a number of worthwhile tips and tricks that I was not able to capture in the textual summary, so the 14-minute audio file is well worth your time. Play it in the background while you otherwise remain productive (or listen to it while you update your FB page, your call).
Berkonomics
JULY 23, 2011
There are five major classes or niches a company should examine and make its own in calculating positioning in the marketplace. They are: Price. Quality. Service. Innovation. Elegance. Companies that compete on price rarely compete against others who emphasize service or quality. Internet resellers have a better chance to combine price and quality than those with much more fixed overhead occupying a bricks-and-mortar physical presence in the community.
Tech Zulu Event
JULY 8, 2011
Its Time! Its Time! The Spotlight is shining down these amazing LA companies! For those who still might be wondering what Spotlight: LA Tech is all about, It’s a screening room for new technology homegrown in our region. It’s a gallery of great entrepreneurship. It’s a toast to those who build and innovate. It’s a gathering of friends and tech enthusiasts of all stripes.
Startup Professionals Musings
JULY 16, 2011
True leaders realize that, by definition, the word "leader" places one at the front and not the rear. Yet many, many executives try to lead through fear and intimidation. This isn’t really leading at all. It’s pushing. Those of you with time in the military probably understand this concept well. In startups, leading from the front means that you are not afraid to get your hands dirty, pitching in to get the job done.
Both Sides of the Table
JULY 4, 2011
July 4th. The funniest experience I ever had on July 4th (US Independence Day) was in 1999. That was the year I spent July 4th in Tokyo, where I was living for 6 months. I had been living in Europe since the start of 1995, most recently in London. I have always had a strong affinity for Japanese culture, perhaps because I grew up in Northern California.
socalTECH
JULY 6, 2011
Los Angeles-based CapLinked , the online platform for managing fundraising and investor updates started by Eric M. Jackson and Christopher Grey, reports today that it has seen major growth this year. The firm said it has grown the platform's users by over 2,000 percent, year-to-date, taking user accounts from only 2,000 at the beginning of the year, to over 55,000 accounts today.
InfoChachkie
JULY 11, 2011
Startup blogger and venture capitalist extraordinaire Fred Wilson recently published a great article on Venture Debt, which I strongly suggest you review HERE. Go ahead, I will wait…. …welcome back. As Fred points out, many entrepreneurs hear the word “debt” and promptly run the other direction. In the past, venture debt was often viewed as a funding vehicle of last resort.
Berkonomics
JULY 19, 2011
Here’s a phrase I created in the early 1980’s to describe what I clearly saw as the last chance to make high margins on the sale of computer hardware to businesses. In the day of the mainframe and then the minicomputer, margins for manufacturers exceeded 35% and dealers were granted a 35% margin as well. Even with the usual discount of 10%, the margins on hardware were high, especially when applied to prices that exceeded $30,000 per sale. .
Tech Zulu Event
JULY 18, 2011
I connected with Andrea Gouw , the founder of ShopperSeeks.com , on Twitter (thank you social media), when reaching out for women CEOs and founders around the country. Andrea and her team are awesome and provide such a great service for those who want the right type of shopping experience. I must say I’ve become a regular user of ShopperSeeks every since this interview.
Startup Professionals Musings
JULY 2, 2011
By Bob La Loggia, CEO StormSource Software Are startup founders who play poker statistically more likely to succeed in business? Beats me. But I do know that there are many lessons that founders can learn from poker players. As we all know, poker used to be relegated to smoky casinos and the back rooms of seedy lounges. But, in recent years, poker has become a game for the masses.
Both Sides of the Table
JULY 12, 2011
Chris Dixon is one of my favorite people in tech and writes one of the few blogs I read religiously. If you don’t read it and you care about tech & entrepreneurship, you should. He’s thoughtful about markets, investors, products and is always very well reasoned in his arguments. I’ve also found him to not be dogmatic either. He and I once took different sides of an debate about whether “VC signaling&# in early-stage deals is a serious problem or not.
socalTECH
JULY 21, 2011
With the rise of location-based check-ins from Foursquare, Gowalla, Facebook, Twitter, and others, there's suddenly lots more data that marketers want to parse through to make sense of how consumers are interacting with their brands. Los Angeles-based MomentFeed (www.momentfeed.com) is looking to sort through that data to help marketers better tap into location based, social networking.
InfoChachkie
JULY 4, 2011
Note: This is part II of a five part series. Access the first installment HERE , part III HERE , part IV HERE , and part V HERE. In part I of this series, I discussed how you can teach your children to make something from nothing by sharing with them Marcia Brown’s Stone Soup. There are a number of other children’s books that also serve as good platforms from which you can impart entrepreneurial values and lessons.
Both Sides of the Table
JULY 5, 2011
I’m excited to announce that we silently launched our new website last week. Like a startup we took a very “version 0.9” approach. What I would love to do with this post is tell you our goals and solicit reactions for what you like and what you don’t like. What you’d like to see added, removed or changed. What text resonates? What do you think of the design elements?
socalTECH
JULY 26, 2011
San Diego-based Tealium , a firm started by Websidestory/Visual Sciences/Omniture vets, said today that it has launched a product to help web marketers manage their digital marketing products. The firm said its Tealium iQ software allows marketers to easily add, remove, and modify web page tags which are used for data collection, measurement, behavioral target, and online optimization.
socalTECH
JULY 15, 2011
The organizers of Social Media Week Los Angeles said today that they have kicked off plans to feature more than 50, free, public events across LA during Social Media Week, September 19-23rd. The local events--part of a broader, global Social Media Week effort--will include keynotes and meetings, breakfasts, and parties. Social Media Week is focused on tracking trends in social media, and bills itself as a "distributed conference".
socalTECH
JULY 7, 2011
Santa Monica-based Broke Girl's Guide , a startup focusing in on daily deals and information for women, has scored a small debt funding round, according to a regulatory filing by the firm this week. The firm--started by Erin Bunch, Michelle Vick, and Rita Ravindra--notably lists former MySpace SVP International Marketing and MySpace Music SVP Jamie Kantrowitz as an advisor.
socalTECH
JULY 12, 2011
Santa Monica-based BetterWorks , the employee fringe benefits services provider headed by Paige Craig, has tapped LA technology advocate Nicole Jordan as its head of Communications. BetterWorks said Tuesday afternoon that Jordan will serve as Director of Communications at the company, heading up public relations, corporate communications, and thought leadership.
socalTECH
JULY 15, 2011
Los Angeles-based Scopely , the stealth-mode startup which announced a funding round this week, has a unique pitch to potential employees: the firm is offering up $11,000 wrapped in Bacon, an oil painting of the new employee, Cuban cigars, a year's supply of beer, and more prizes to new employees or people who refer friends to work at the startup. In the tongue-in-cheek recruiting effort--which it says is aimed at hiring the Most Interesting Engineers In The World --is a takeoff of the Dos Equis
socalTECH
JULY 5, 2011
Aliso Viejo-based Buy.com is reporting today that it has "significantly expanded" its selection of home improvement products. The online retailer said it has linked with CPO Outlets, adding thousands of home and outdoor products to the store. Buy.com said the products include lawn care products, tools, compressors, pressure washers, generators, and more.
socalTECH
JULY 13, 2011
Los Angeles-based Scopely , a stealth mode firm headed by former Applied Semantics co-founder Eytan Elbaz , has raised a round of seed funding. The funding came from Terry Semel , Lerer Ventures , Howard Lindzon (StockTwits), Gil Elbaz (Factual), David Cohen (TechStars), Dave Tisch (TechStars), the Collaborative Fund , Evan Rifkin ( Burstly ), and Clark Landry (GraphEffect).
InfoChachkie
JULY 18, 2011
Note: This is part III of a five part series. Access the first installment HERE , part II HERE , part IV HERE and part V HERE. Along with Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham and Marcia Brown’s Stone Soup , the seemingly innocuous board game Monopoly has played a pivotal role in the edification of several generations of entrepreneurs. When you play Monopoly with your children, you can subtly underscore an entrepreneurial mindset in their gameplay which will ultimately help them develop valuable start
socalTECH
JULY 18, 2011
Los Angeles-based Nimble , the contact management and tracking software firm headed by former Goldmine founder Jon Ferrara, has rolled out in the Google Apps Marketplace. Nimble develops software which allows users to track their interaction with contacts, including emails, social networking contacts, and more. Ferrara is applying his experience with developing contact management software for sales teams and others--Goldmine was among the first and top leading software programs of its day for co
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