Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 19, 2015

'Any reader of this blog for a period of time will know that I’ve been long YouTube for years. Along with Greycroft, I was the first institutional investor in Maker Studios (sold to Disney for nearly $1 billion) and am still the largest investor in Mitu Network , the largest online video producer of Latino content. We have made 5 online video investments in total – some we will talk about later this year.

SEM 288

SEM Content Platform Acquisition 288

socalTECH

JANUARY 2, 2015

'Venice, California-based Snapchat has raised an enormous, $485.6M funding round, according to a regulatory filing from the company on New Year''s Eve. Details on the funding have not yet been announced by the company. According to the filing, the funding came from 23 investors, and the first sale in the round was in April. The funding appears to be linked to an earlier reported funding effort by the company this year, led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, which reportedly values Snapchat

Snapchat 207

Snapchat Funding Venice Venture Capital 207

Berkonomics

JANUARY 22, 2015

'This is a trick headline. There can be three “whys” or twenty, depending upon the issue and the responses. To make the point, the word “why” has to be one of the more powerful words in a manager’s vocabulary. Asking the question forces the other person to think beyond the usual “what” that generated a response to “why.”. It sure is a way to get to the bottom of an issue.

Resource 202

Resource Email Marketing Help 202

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 26, 2015

'A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. I recently came across a disturbing article entitled, "The American Dream Is An Illusion," written by a college Economics Professor. The Professor argues that, ". recent evidence suggests that, in reality, social mobility rates are extremely low. Seven to ten generations are required before the descendants of high and low status families achieve average status.".

Santa Barbara 169

Santa Barbara Class Mobile Report 169

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

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2015

'If you define your self-worth as an entrepreneur by how busy you are, it’s time to find another lifestyle. We all know people who are extraordinarily busy, but never seem to accomplish anything. For survival, entrepreneurs need to be all about accomplishing results that matter for themselves, their team, and their customers. That’s productivity. Why is this so hard?

Product 111

Product Entrepreneur Framework Social Media 111

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 27, 2015

'Retail lives by the point-of-sales (POS) systems. Without it, the world of retail would simply not exist. One glaring problem arises for many POS systems, and it’s the technology its built on. POS systems are coded on old tech and causes many problems and expenses for a lot of businesses. Bindo created a POS system to create a cheaper and simpler system for businesses to use.

Sales 77

Sales Pricing Training Tool 77

socalTECH

JANUARY 29, 2015

'In the mobile age, what is the key to connecting and engaging with users, and where does Hollywood''s creative content fit into the mix? According to LA mobile game maker Seriously (www.seriously.com), mobile games are the best way to engage with the mobile generation. We sat down with Seriously CEO Andrew Stalbow --who previously had been GM North America for Rovio, and also was key to Fox''s content deals with Angry Birds--to hear more about the company, how it sees mobile games converging wi

Hollywood 198

Hollywood Mobile Content IP 198

Berkonomics

JANUARY 29, 2015

'Investors as a group have a common gripe – almost universal. Information flows from the company irregularly, in fact most often when the company is urgently in need of more money. Investment documents usually call for quarterly reporting by the company to the investors. Less than a quarter of companies receiving early stage investment voluntarily fulfill this promise.

Invest 166

Invest Study Email Activity 166

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 5, 2015

'A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. In his premier film appearance in the blaxploitation send-up “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka,” Chris Rock inadvertently addresses a key pricing challenge faced by most entrepreneurs. Watch this 93-second clip and see if you can identify the pricing pitfall addressed in this humorous snippet. Caution: contains a bit of profanity (it is Chris Rock, after all).

Pricing 159

Pricing Product Startup Custom 159

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2015

'If you sold your last startup for $800 million, you probably already know how to build a business, and even conservative investors won’t worry about the quality of your next business plan. But, for the rest of us, don’t believe the Silicon Valley myth that all you have to do is sketch your million-dollar idea on the back of a napkin, and investors will line up to give you money.

Startup 109

Startup Writing Mentor Sample 109

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 12, 2015

'TechZulu is excited to invite you to the 2015 Startup and Entrepreneur Forecast taking place Thursday, January 29 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Dethrone Base Camp in Santa Monica. We will have amazing panelists from March Capital, Greycroft, Machinima, Silicon Valley Bank and Amplify who will share their insights and forecast for start-ups in 2015.

Startup 71

Startup Artificial Inteligence Venture Capital Santa Monica 71

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 31, 2015

'Not everybody likes the NY Times. I happen to be a long-time fan and paid subscriber. I mostly read the op eds and have for years. I count amongst my favorite people to read from the left & the right as David Brooks, Thomas Friedman & Paul Krugman (and was a big fan of the late William Saffire). I also read almost every Maureen Dowd post even though I don’t always agree with her politics or viewpoints I find it interesting to get other perspectives than my own.

Social Media 261

Social Media Media Buzzfeed Journal 261

socalTECH

JANUARY 23, 2015

'How much, really, is that painting stashed in your attic, which your grandfather left to you? And, how much is that ceramic vase you found in your aunt''s garage? ValueMyStuff (www.valuemystuff.com)--which recently opened up its U.S. offices in Los Angeles--wants to help anyone figure out exactly what those items are worth, tapping into expertise from its staff, who have been at big international auction houses like Sotheby''s and Christie''s.

Help 186

Help Los Angeles Southern California Ideas 186

Berkonomics

JANUARY 15, 2015

'New hires can shore up the weak areas of a business in ways existing employees cannot, if hiring is done to fill true needs. Some employees lose their drive, or remain behind as the company grows, failing to gain the experience or knowledge needed to manage expanded processes or numbers of subordinates. Sometimes, there is just too much work for one person, and a second is needed to continue growth.

Course 166

Course Email Product Companies 166

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 12, 2015

'A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. One of my top former students, Fredi Fernandez , recently sent me a compelling email. After studying at UC Santa Barbara''s entrepreneurial program , he returned to Spain, excited to start a venture and make a positive impact on his homeland. He founded Alpha Origins in 2011. Although he has helped a number of startups gain traction, he is now questioning if he should flee Spain, given the recent passage of the unprecedented Exit Tax, whi

Entrepreneur 153

Entrepreneur Startup Santa Barbara Venture Capital 153

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 30, 2015

'You can’t win as an entrepreneur working alone. You need to have business relationships with team members, investors, customers, and a myriad of other support people. That doesn’t mean you have to be a social butterfly to succeed, or introverts need not apply. It does mean that you need to look, listen, and participate in the business world around you, and network through all available channels, like business-oriented social networks online (LinkedIn), local business organizations (Chamber of C

Startup 108

Startup Social Network Mentor Entrepreneur 108

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 20, 2015

'Technology is transforming entire industries, including Healthcare. The shift from legacy Electronic Health Records to cloud-based EHR systems containing massive volumes of private patient information is one sweeping example of that change. Using big data analytics, healthcare providers can now leverage patient data on EHR systems for insights that can lead to improved standards of care and better outcomes.

Case Study 66

Case Study Mobile Organization Examples 66

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 25, 2015

'Startups in a world of massive markets can be confusing. The law of large numbers, platforms that can make your company blow up unexpectedly and the trendy nature of tech markets can be deceiving. Success for many is ephemeral. I have written about the deceiving nature of early successes before – in particular in the SaaS or B2B world leading to a phenomenon called “shelfware.” If you didn’t read it I recommend it.

Product 256

Product Startup Metrics Technical Review 256

socalTECH

JANUARY 16, 2015

'Venture capitalists invested more than $1.3 billion in Southern California startup, according to the latest MoneyTree Report issued by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association last night, based on data from Thomson Reuters. The report tallied $1.09 billion in investments in Los Angeles, near $125M in Orange County, and $106.6M in investments in San Diego.

Southern California 186

Southern California Invest Orange County San Diego 186

Berkonomics

JANUARY 8, 2015

'It seems to be a rule, not an exception. The first professional senior manager that an entrepreneur hires to share the growing workload does not last more than a year. Why? Entrepreneurs start businesses with a strong vision of what and how , involved in every process from buying supplies to hiring and directly supervising early employees. The culture of the company is built day by day by those actions, often centering on the founder’s vision and management style with little room for deviati

Coach 157

Coach Metrics Training Entrepreneur 157

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 20, 2015

'A version of this article previously appeared in the Wall Street Journal. “With a name like Smucker’s, it has to be good.” Really? If Smucker’s can annually generate hundreds of millions in sales for a variety of food products, there is little risk that a mediocre company or product name will preclude you from achieving similar success. The value of an ideal name, attached to a product or company that does not deliver an economically viable value proposition, is zero.

Custom 152

Custom Customer Technical Review Software Review 152

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2015

'For the elite startups and entrepreneurs who manage to attract the investor they dream of, and survive the term sheet negotiation, there is still one more hurdle before the money is in the bank. This is the mysterious and dreaded due diligence process, which can kill the whole deal. In reality, it is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of the business and the team.

Technical Review 108

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur 108

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 7, 2015

'From business to employee relations, as an organization, you have a lot on your plate. The one item that should never be ignored is security threats surrounding your IT organization. Hackers are learning new ways to infiltrate systems and steal valuable organizational information every day. It seems that no organization is safe, even the big guys are getting hit with terrible cyber attacks.

Companies 66

Companies Company Organization Networking 66

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 18, 2015

'I used to love blogging. For me it was always a creative outlet. I love sitting down – often in “one take” like a classic film – and capturing what was on my mind at the moment. What I loved about it was that my thoughts were instantly in the ether, I would get quick feedback from readers and I would know where my ideas stood in the world of ideas.

Blogging 253

Blogging Writing Startup Ideas 253

socalTECH

JANUARY 9, 2015

'Do you love walking dogs? A new, Los Angeles-based startup, Zingy , is looking to create a new, online marketplace to connect dog owners with other dog lovers to help walk their dogs. According to Zingy, it has created a new, on-demand pet service which provides dog owners with access to a community of trusted dog walkers. The new marketplace startup said it is aimed at helping dog lovers earn additional income, and to help create meaningful and rewarding employment opportunities.

Class 180

Class Training Demand Los Angeles 180

socalTECH

JANUARY 7, 2015

'Local angel groups have hit the jackpot again with an investment, this time with the October acquisition of Pasadena-based Bluebeam in a $100M deal by German software company Nemetschek AG. The Tech Coast Angels and the Pasadena Angels revealed today that their return on Bluebeam was 20x for angels who participated in funding Bluebeam. The Pasadena Angels led the 2002 investment in Bluebeam, which makes PDF software for the architecture, engineering and construction, allowing users to click bet

Tech Coast Angels 178

Tech Coast Angels Pasadena Angels .Net Angel 178

socalTECH

JANUARY 20, 2015

'Los Angeles-based CapLinked , which offers up a deal management software platform for managing business transactions, has released a new tool to handle digital rights management and security. CapLinked--which is backed by FF Angel, Peter Thiel, Siemer Ventures, 500 Startups, 7th Rig, and Subtraction Capital--said its new tool, FileProtect, helps protect access to documents that have been shared with outside, third party, blocking things like opening, copying, and printing of files after a deadl

Tool 170

Tool Software Los Angeles Platform 170

socalTECH

JANUARY 12, 2015

'In our interviews, we normally talk to entrepreneurs, investors, and others involved in the technology startup industry. However, for today''s interview, we''ve decided to venture a bit farther afield--talking to Samit Varma , founder of Los Angeles-based pizza franchise Pizza Studio (www.pizzastudio.com). Varma is actually a former technology investor at Santa Monica-based venture capital firm Anthem Ventures, and we thought it would be great contrasting his experience starting and running a r

Startup 166

Startup Anthem Venture Capital Technology 166

socalTECH

JANUARY 13, 2015

'Los Angeles-based dating app developer Tinder has acquired Chill , the maker of Tappy, a Snapchat-like instant messaging service which revolves around photo sharing. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed. As part of the buy, Tappy will shut down. Chill was founded by Brian Norgard and Dan Gould, and was venture backed by William Morris Endeavor (WME), Kleiner, 500 Startups, Redpoint Ventures, Crunchfund, Science Media, Troy Carter and Atlas Venture.

Redpoint 164

Redpoint Snapchat Acquisition Los Angeles 164

socalTECH

JANUARY 28, 2015

'The Walt Disney Company said Tuesday that it is running another, startup accelerator class, as part of the Disney Accelerator program in Burbank, and is now accepting applications for a class of another, ten startups for the program. The accelerator--which is being run by the Walt Disney Company by Techstars--said the next program begins July 6th, and runs through October 6th.

Class 164

Class Startup Burbank Venture Capital 164

socalTECH

JANUARY 29, 2015

'Southern California''s biggest organized, angel investment group, the Tech Coast Angels , said this morning that the group had its biggest investment year ever in 2014, investing a total of $16.37M across 61 total deals. The group said the investments make 2014 its largest ever since 1997 in terms of deals funded and amount raised. The Tech Coast Angels said that it saw five more exits in its portfolio in 2014, with the exits of AIRSIS, Allylix, Bluebeam Software, Hookit (formerly Loop''d Netwo

Tech Coast Angels 160

Tech Coast Angels Invest Angel Southern California 160

socalTECH

JANUARY 5, 2015

'Over the last couple of weeks, we''ve featured a number of reflections on the year from movers and shakers in the local high tech community. Our last (belated) one is from Kevin Winston , the founder of Digital LA , the big networking group which helps to connect Silicon Beach through an extensive lineup of events. What was the most significant event for you or your company this year?

Cornerstone OnDemand 159

Cornerstone OnDemand Belkin Entertainment Newsletter 159

socalTECH

JANUARY 7, 2015

'San Diego-based SweetLabs , the app distribution platform for Windows and Android, led by former DivX founder Darrius Thompson, said Tuesday that it has surpassed 1 billion app installs on its platform. SweetLabs develops a platform which allows users to install apps on PCs, much as they are used to installing apps on iOS and Android, and currently has partnerships with PC OEMs like Lenovo, Toshiba, and Acer.

San Diego 158

San Diego Platform Google Advertising 158

socalTECH

JANUARY 14, 2015

'Los Angeles has long been known as a foodie sort of town--however, LA''s newest startup in town is, surprisingly, on quite the opposite side of the scale, hoping to help its customers completely bypass having to eat meals. Soylent , which recently moved from San Francisco to downtown Los Angeles, said today that it has raised $20M in a Series A funding round to scale up production of the company''s powdered replacement for eating--intended to eliminate the hassle of having to eat a meal, and in

Help 157

Help Startup Los Angeles Funding 157

socalTECH

JANUARY 29, 2015

'The Ventura County Sheriff''s department reported this morning that it arrested two suspects in Thousand Oaks, who were using Uber to help conduct deals. According to the Sheriff''s Department, Cody Jens (24) of Agoura Hills, and Luke Karasiuk (22) of Thousand Oaks were arrested after local police made a vehicle code enforcement stop on an Uber driver on Wednesday morning.

Thousand Oaks 156

Thousand Oaks Agoura Hills Ventura Agoura 156

socalTECH

JANUARY 12, 2015

'Carlsbad-based ViaSat , which develops high speed communications satellites, said this morning that it has selected Hawthorne-based SpaceX to launch its next high capacity, broadband satellite, ViaSat-2. Financial details of the deal were not announced. ViaSat said that SpaceX will launnch its payload aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy in late summer of 2016.

SpaceX 155

SpaceX Hawthorne Services Develop 155