Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2014

'I wrote this on my flight home from f.ounders & web summit in Dublin, Ireland late last year. I think I was too hung over to finish it, hit publish and move on. So here is attempt two now that the alcohol is mostly out of me. The Magic of the Irish. Scenes from my counter-top on my last night in Dublin. I recently returned from a 5-day visit to Ireland, my first time back in 10 years and the start of what I hope will be a more regular travel schedule there.

Conference 392

Conference Startup Web Truecar 392

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 25, 2014

'Jon Kraft --a serial entrepreneur, who was one of the founders of music service Pandora, and has served at Idealab, UberMedia, Big Stage, and a number of other startups here, has a new mission: helping children find their full potential, by connecting them with activities that match up with their personality and passions, through his new startup, Thrively (www.thrively.com).

Help 252

Help Idealab Activity Startup 252

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 10, 2014

'A version of this article previously appeared on Forbes. Companies typically rebrand themselves for two distinct reasons. Those that are floundering do so in a desperate attempt to stave off failure. Such attempts are seldom successful, as rebranding typically does not address the systemic issues causing the company to fail. In contrast, companies that are rapidly growing often rebrand in order to more accurately reflect the expanded scope of their target market and product set.

Technical Support 250

Technical Support Marketing Advertising SaaS 250

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 20, 2014

'“Everybody’s got a plan – until they are punched in the face,” stated boxer Mike Tyson. My experience personally reviewing over three hundred executive summaries each year, all sent to me unsolicited, seems to bear out the truth in Tyson’s statement. Anyone can build a good – or great – plan. Investors have to look behind the plan and at the entrepreneur and his or her team, knowing that, over time, most of us have come to the conclusion that it is the execution of the ever-changing pl

Startup 245

Startup Summary Metrics Class 245

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

Eric Greenspan

FEBRUARY 26, 2014

'First, I’m a huge Guy Fieri and Triple D fan and in general, the Food Network. An old friend Susie Fogelson works there and I was actually on the Food Network’s Private Chefs of Beverly Hills “Glamping” episode. Not too long ago, Guy did a show in my home town of Santa Barbara. In short, he blew it (and I mean that in a nice way as he missed some of our finest DDDs).

Santa Barbara 188

Santa Barbara Beverly Hills Networking 188

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2014

'If your startup is looking for an Angel investor, it makes sense to present your plan to flocks of Angels, and assume that at least one will swoop down and scoop you up. Or does it? Actually numbers and locations are just the beginning. The challenge is to find the right Angel for you, and for your situation. Here are some basic principles: Angels invest in people, more often than they invest in ideas.

Angel 115

Angel Startup Funding Keiretsu 115

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 19, 2014

'It looks like the war between the old and the new continues to rage on in Los Angeles, as the city--already the center of the fight between taxi drivers and ridesharing services like Uber, Lift, and Sidecar --is now the center of a storm between real estate agents and online real estate sites like Zillow, Trulia, and REALTOR.com. According to the Combined Los Angeles/Westside MLS (CLAW) , the group which handles all of the real estate listings for local Los Angeles agents, it is clamping down o

Los Angeles 247

Los Angeles Santa Monica Angel Sites 247

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 24, 2014

'Craig Harris, Co-Founder and CEO of HG Data , knows first-hand that it is possible to recruit top talent, without the benefit of a lot of cash or equity. Early in his career, Craig spent nearly 4 years with the Peace Corps in Paraguay, creating an agro-forestry farm that remains in operation over 20-years later. Entrepreneurs can learn much from successful, yet cash-strapped organizations, such as the Peace Corps and the Marines, especially when it comes to attracting, retaining and motivating

Startup 233

Startup Organization Education Equity 233

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 6, 2014

'Creating a gerat company in a relative vacuum is an exercise in complete trust that the entrepreneur knows what’s best for the customer, perhaps even without interaction with such a customer. It’s probably happened, but not often enough to trust this method as a formula for success. So, I’ve developed the three step dance in order to help form a repeatable method of how to create a great company from an early idea.

Companies 229

Companies Company Startup Custom 229

Eric Greenspan

FEBRUARY 12, 2014

'Not a day goes by without me giving it my all. I do everything with the intention of perfection. I never achieve it and I never will, but I try. I hustle. I spend my day solving problems. Sometimes in my personal life, sometimes on a website I’m working on, sometimes it’s a customer service issue. No matter how great the day, a problem arises.

Google 139

Google Email Coach Entrepreneur 139

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 21, 2014

'It’s been a short, but action packed few months since we were introduced to The Immunity Project ‘s goal to “develop a free vaccine for HIV/AIDS” The organization’s aptly named Twitter handle is @hackHIV and they’re the second nonprofit organization ever to be backed by Bay Area Incubator, Y-Combinator (YC). For those just tuning in, The Immunity Project is a nonprofit initiative using a unique combination of crowdfunding and venture capital, along with a nov

Artificial Inteligence 110

Artificial Inteligence AMA Organization Research 110

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 26, 2014

'Mark. You disappeared? What the fork happened to you? And what’s up with this crazy new blog design? Well … more on that next week. I will tell more. But for now … Every year we run a big VC, LP & Tech Summit in Los Angeles (this year downtown) to showcase the best of our community and invite others from around the country. Our event this year will feature many portfolio companies and also emerging LA tech companies such as Tinder & Whisper.

Startup 290

Startup Blogging Venture Capital Los Angeles 290

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 14, 2014

'Los Angeles-based Jukin Media , a company which says it discovers, acquires, and distributes viral videos, has tapped technology veteran Lee Essner as the company''s new President and Chief Operating Officer. Essner was previously the founder of AccessDNA, which he sold to Informed Medical Decisions a couple of years ago. He also was the COO of WeddingChannel.com, and has been an advisor to PageWoo, FanAppz and Capsule, and also was EIR at Idealab.

Media 240

Media Idealab Hollywood Content 240

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 3, 2014

'A version of this article previously appeared on Forbes. Brandon Martinez, Co-Founder and CEO of INDMusic , is helping to the change the face of online music. INDMusic has over 300 partners, and has generated over 2.5 billion views on YouTube. By their own estimation, INDMusic is the largest music network on YouTube, with over 100 million monthly views and 2 million subscribers.

Networking 217

Networking Content IP Platform 217

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 13, 2014

'Back when we were all trying to figure out the real value of traffic on the web, we investors – and acquiring companies – got a bit crazy with metrics used to value acquisitions and investments. Since in most cases, there was no revenue in many of these companies, all trying to gain market share at any cost, we had to invent the metric to use.

Metrics 207

Metrics Sites Advertising Web 207

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 18, 2014

'Sponsored by VISA Business One of the keys to maximizing the productivity and success of your team, as well as yourself, is motivation. It has been estimated that the average team member at any given time works at less than 50% of his capacity. Thus, mastering the art of employee motivation could double your chances of success over the average competitor.

Startup 108

Startup Resource Tips Layoffs 108

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 3, 2014

'This interview was an exciting one for me. I’ve been an avid user of Plug.DJ’s music discovery site since early 2012, have discovered a ton of music there (which, by the way, I’m still listening to today) and originally covered their $1.25M in seed-round funding from Javelin Venture Partners. Today, I give you a glimpse into their whirlwind success.

Startup 107

Startup Product Sites Tool 107

Eric Greenspan

FEBRUARY 26, 2014

'First, I’m a huge Guy Fieri and Triple D fan and in general, the Food Network. An old friend Susie Fogelson works there and I was actually on the Food Network’s Private Chefs of Beverly Hills “Glamping” episode. Not too long ago, Guy did a show in my home town of Santa Barbara. In short, he blew it (and I mean that in a nice way as he missed some of our finest DDDs).

Santa Barbara 100

Santa Barbara Beverly Hills Networking 100

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 7, 2014

'We''re experimenting with a new feature for our site: quick pitches from very early, local startups who haven''t had much (or any) funding. Today''s is with Shawn Peterson , founder of Los Angeles-based Underbuilt (www.underbuilt.com), an online site providing information on properties for the building and remodeling market. Are you the founder of a very early stage startup--not yet angel or venture backed--and want to talk about your startup?

West Los Angeles 228

West Los Angeles Startup Report Design 228

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 19, 2014

'A version of this article previously appeared on Forbes. Software as a service (SaaS) is a popular business model because it facilitates the delivery of incremental value to customers, while allowing the vendor to adjust their prices over time. However, such price increases generally occur after new utility has been provided to the customers. If you haven''t already subscribed yet, subscribe now for free weekly JohnGreathouse.com articles!

SaaS 215

SaaS Pricing Sales Custom 215

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 27, 2014

'By Frank Peters. I became an entrepreneur because I had to. My life in Corporate America wasn’t going so well. I never got fired, but I did quit one job the day before I was to be let go. I used my employee discount that last day to purchase a Compaq luggable computer and drove with my brother to Las Vegas. Now, this would be questionable therapy for anyone who just became unemployed, except we were heading to Comdex , the annual computer show that would eventually grow huge as would th

Startup 204

Startup Software Review UCLA Sales 204

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2014

'I don’t have an MBA. I used to fear that this would put me at a disadvantage in starting my own company, but now I’m convinced that it may be the other way around. In some reputable surveys , as many as two-thirds of entrepreneurs felt that their entrepreneurial spirit was more ingrained than learned, so a specific education level is at least irrelevant.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Education .Net Class 105

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 19, 2014

' “We want to innovate the digital ad space in a whole new way.”. Enplug is a fast-growing, ubiquitous Silicon Beach company. You might be aware of their products – perhaps having seen their digital media signs in your favorite local restaurant or bar, but what you might not know is their compelling founders’ story and unique company culture.

Social Media 106

Social Media Startup Screening Advertising 106

Eric Greenspan

FEBRUARY 26, 2014

'First, I’m a huge Guy Fieri and Triple D fan and in general, the Food Network. An old friend Susie Fogelson works there and I was actually on the Food Network’s Private Chefs of Beverly Hills “Glamping” episode. Not too long ago, Guy did a show in my home town of Santa Barbara. In short, he blew it (and I mean that in a nice way as he missed some of our finest DDDs).

Santa Barbara 100

Santa Barbara Beverly Hills Networking 100

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 5, 2014

'Rightside , the domain name service company which is in the process of being spun out of Santa Monica-based Demand Media , said today that it has inked a deal to bring to new domains to the market: DANCE and.DEMOCRAT. The new, global top-level domains (gTLDs) are among hundreds of new domain extensions which are hoping to gain a share of the domain name market, currently dominated by the more common.COM,NET,ORG and other top level domains.

Marketing 227

Marketing Santa Monica .Net Demand 227

Steve Reich

FEBRUARY 21, 2014

'Innovate Pasadena is, as usual, leading the charge to showcase the Tech Community in the Greater Pasadena area. Their next event is a week long extravaganza of Pitchfests, Hackathons, Seminars, and more during the week of 3/10. Check it out on their site at: Innovate Pasadena. Many Pasadena Angels will join the events, and I’ll be judging apps at the Hackathon.

Pasadena 45

Pasadena Pasadena Angels Incubator Mobile 45

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 19, 2014

'Los Angeles-based Shopzilla , the online comparison shopping site owned by Symphony Technology Group (STG), announced today that it has acquired Ventura-based Connexity , the programmatic media buying company led by Dave Gross. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed. According to Shopzilla, it will use the acquisition of Connexity to help bolster Aisle A, its "Audience Activation" division.

Ventura 225

Ventura Advertising Incubator Acquisition 225

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 4, 2014

'Santa Monica-based voice and text-platform provider CallFire is bolstering its executive ranks today with a new hire, saying that it has named Barbara Palmer as the company''s new Chief Revenue Officer. CallFire joins the company from The Search Agency, where she was President of the company; she also had previously been at United Online, Ameriquest Mortgage, Paramount Pictures, Planet Hollywood and Universal Studios Hollywood.

Paramount 223

Paramount Santa Monica Hollywood Platform 223

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 7, 2014

'Looking to complete your first half marathon? San Diego-based ACTIVE Network , the provider of cloud-based sports activity and registration services, has rolled out a new mobile app for iOS specifically to help people complete their first half marathon. According to ACTIVE Network, the 13.one Half Marathon app helps runners make it to their half marathon, by providing a 12 week training plan, tracking of training, and more.

Training 219

Training Activity Networking San Diego 219

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 12, 2014

'Venice-based social networking app developer Snapchat looks to be on the prowl for employees, based on a new recruiting video released onto YouTube by the company Wednesday morning. In the video, Snapchat''s employees -- of which there are 35 -- talk about working at Snapchat and in Venice. Snapchat apparently is in the midst of a growth surge, with openings in Venice for a HR recruiting coordinator, engineers, and others, according to its jobs page.

Snapchat 216

Snapchat Venice Social Network Networking 216

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 5, 2014

'Goleta-based medical equipment maker Inogen has set the pricing range for its IPO, saying in a filing with the SEC that it expects its stock to price at between $16.00 and $18.00 per share. The company is offering up 3,529,411 shares of its stock, and plans to trade on the NASDAQ Global Market as INGN. Inogen is a maker of oxygen concentrators and equipment used by patients with COPD and other respiratory ailments.

Avalon 214

Avalon Pricing Acquisition Marketing 214

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 21, 2014

'Do you need a new website? Can''t find a good designer? A new, San Diego startup, Launchsite , has a new online marketplace and service which aims to help you find a website designer--by letting you post your website project, and getting three website concepts presented to you to pick from. According to the startup--founded by Daniel Qu and Jonathan Song--the startup''s online marketplace is aimed at helping people find a designer who can create a website that they not only need, but love.

Design 212

Design Help Sample San Diego 212

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 11, 2014

'Virgin America said this morning that it has launched a brand new, in-flight social network, based on a mobile app from Los Angeles startup Here on Biz. According to Virgin America, it has launched an in-flight social network which is aimed at helping to connect fellow business travelers on its flights, via the free Here On Biz app. Virgin America said the app will help guests connect in the air with other guests and also on the ground at the company''s lounges and terminals.

Social Network 210

Social Network Networking Startup Class 210

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 5, 2014

'In an interesting move, Saatchi Gallery , Saatchi Art , and Google+ said they are running a new prize competition to encourage the creation of "motion photography" -- better known to you and I as animated GIFs. According to the three, they are launching the Motion Photography Prize , which will encourage photographers to participate in the "new creative art form.

Social Media 210

Social Media Google Competition Los Angeles 210

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 13, 2014

'Are you a man who wishes he could keep up with the latest fashion trends? A new startup--out of the USC Viterbi Startup Garage--has a new mobile app for you. Spruce has launched a brand new app for the iPhone, which is aimed at helping men discover what the startup calls "amazing" products. The startup said it is a store for men that adapts to a man''s style, price, and brand preferences.

Help 210

Help USC Screening Startup 210

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 17, 2014

'Bankrupt electric automotive firm Fisker Automotive has been sold to Chinese auto parts company Wanxiang Group , after a bankruptcy auction on Friday, according to the companies. The deal was worth $149.2M. Irvine-based Fisker Automotive has been in the midst of bankruptcy proceedings since last year. According to Reuters, the deal is expected to be presented in bankruptcy court Tuesday for approval.

Marketing 207

Marketing Companies Company 207