Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2013

'I am super excited to announce that today is a day of lots of new things for my partners & me: A new fund, a new office and a new brand. Let’s start with the fund. We have previously raised funds in 1996 ($200 million), 2000 ($400 million) and 2008/9 ($200 million). This month we closed our 4th fund of $200 million. If you’ve been following the press about VC funds you’ll know this is no small feat.

Los Angeles 343

Los Angeles Las Vegas San Francisco Baltimore 343

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2013

'It is no secret that the world of venture capital (VCs) was turned upside down by the recent Recession, and many other changes in the marketplace. I see now emerging a new wave of investors, popularly known as “super-Angels,” micro-VCs, or “super-seed” investors. Every early-stage startup should explore this new funding alternative. Examples of some leaders in this space include Mike Maples in Silicon Valley and David S.

Angel Investor 231

Angel Investor Entrepreneur Early Stage Silicon Valley 231

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 25, 2013

'by T. Scott Gross , author of “ Invisible: How Millennials Are Changing the Way We Sell “ The Millennial generation is here. They feel entitled. They negotiate everything. And they ‘ll tell you exactly what is on their mind… even if you don’t want to know. Let’s see you make a team, and a profit out of that! Before we go any further (and before those of you with short attention spans form an opinion and clock out)… let me apologize.

Florida 180

Florida Government Leadership Management 180

The Next Web

JUNE 22, 2013

'A great idea ensure startup success, right? Wrong. No one enjoys hearing it, but three out of four startups will fail before they ever get to market. Yes, even the greatest ideas are still susceptible to ending up in the trash. As a startup founder, mentor, Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) member, I’ve witnessed far too many startups reach the end far too early.

Alaska 162

Alaska Startup Acquisition Community 162

Speaker: Nick Noreña, Innovation Coach and Advisor, Kromatic

Every startup and innovation project exists within an ecosystem that either helps or hurts that project. As innovation managers, we need to keep a pulse of that ecosystem and make sure we're helping those innovation projects we're managing every step of the way. In this webinar, Nick Noreña will walk through an Innovation Ecosystem Model that he and his team at Kromatic have developed to help investors, heads of product, teachers, and executives understand how they can best support innovation in

Startup

SVPG

JUNE 25, 2013

'Note: This article is a collaboration between myself and my long-time friend and colleague Jeff Patton. We often work together to help product teams. We have both long argued that the best way to evaluate product teams is by their results; the outcome they generate, not their output. That said, many teams are still learning the techniques and methods of strong teams, and in this article we wanted to highlight what to look for in a strong product team and how to help the team develop.

Developer 65

Developer Product Development Team Review Software Review 65

Hacking Startups

JUNE 25, 2013

'Bitcoin is uniquely suited for applications where capital mobility is critical. Other applications are largely spurious. There are several proposed advantages of cryptocurrencies in general and Bitcoin in particular: Anonymity. Store of value. Medium of exchange. Investment. Irreversibility. Independence from any government policy. Freedom of capital movement.

Technical Review 61

Technical Review Offshore Cyprus Software Review 61

Steve Blank

JUNE 24, 2013

'The greatest number of jobs is created when startups create a new market – one where the product or service never existed before or is radically more convenient. Yet this is where startups will run into anti-innovation opponents they may not expect. These opponents have their own name – “rent seekers” – the landlords of the status-quo. Smart startups prepare to face off against rent seekers and map out creative strategies for doing so… First, however, they need to understand what a

North Carolina 335

North Carolina New Jersey New York Government 335

Jeff Hilimire

JUNE 26, 2013

'I recently backed the Kreyos Smartwatch on Indiegogo (a Kickstarter competitor) and since I already have a Pebble Watch , I thought I’d explain why I wanted this device. If you aren’t familiar with the Kreyos, you can check out the video at the bottom. I always knew the Pebble Watch was “version one” of smart watches, and while I enjoy it I am eagerly waiting for companies to start building the next generation of this technology.

Software Developers 50

Software Developers Software Development Mobile Technology 50

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 28, 2013

'I’ve always wondered who started the urban myth that the best way to start a company is to come up with a great idea, and then find some professional investors to give you a pot of money to build a company. In my experience, that’s actually the worst way to start, for reasons I will outline here, and also the least common way, according to a recent survey of new startups.

Startup 264

Startup Burn Rate Bootstrapping Valuation 264

deal architect

JUNE 23, 2013

'Last week at a GE sponsored event, Paul Maritz, ex VMWare, now CEO of Pivotal said “Historically much of the innovation in information technology has originated in the financial services industry. In the last decade it moved to "Consumer Internet.

Internet 246

Internet Technology 246

Steve Blank

JUNE 24, 2013

'The greatest number of jobs is created when startups create a new market – one where the product or service never existed before or is radically more convenient. Yet this is where startups will run into anti-innovation opponents they may not expect. These opponents have their own name – “rent seekers” – the landlords of the status-quo. Smart startups prepare to face off against rent seekers and map out creative strategies for doing so… First, however, they need to understand what a

North Carolina 227

North Carolina New Jersey New York Government 227

Venture Chronicles

JUNE 23, 2013

'I have been watching Chris Harris’ Youtube channel while on the treadmill and yesterday I caught this fantastic segment on the legendary 1987 Porsche 962 that dominated Le Mans. There were 3 distinct parts of the video that are worth highlighting. Le Mans is a unique motorsport event, a 24 hour event that features a wide range of classes racing together on the same track and combining the technical prowess of manufacturer sponsored teams as well as the innovation of privateer teams.

Design 46

Design Programming Engineer Video 46

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 23, 2013

'It’s great to dream big, but your startup needs a laser focus in the beginning to get market and investor attention. Google did it with search engines, Apple did it with a personal computer, and even Wal-Mart did it through low prices. A business plan I saw a while back to combine all the good features of several popular social networks on one site does not do it.

Bandwidth 256

Bandwidth Startup Dilution Leadership 256

deal architect

JUNE 25, 2013

'In The New Technology Elite, I cited a 2002 anecdote where Steve Jobs is supposed to have told Dan Wood, founder of Karelia Software, then a partner “You know those handcars, the little machines that people stand on and pump.

Cloud 236

Cloud Software Partner Founder 236

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 27, 2013

'With all the hype surrounding digital advertising, one would’ve thought that traditional methods of marketing have been rendered absolutely obsolete. Well, mostly… but not totally. Did you know, for example, that US$47.8 billion is still spent, ever year, on direct marketing? But isn’t print dying? Well, the truth is that direct mail outreach is on the rise, and is still a valuable marketing tool to consider for your small business.

Marketing 222

Marketing Forecast Campaign Direct Marketing 222

Seeing Both Sides

JUNE 27, 2013

'Today''s IPO by Tremor Video is seen by many as a harbinger for the adtech community (full disclosure: Tremor Video is a Flybridge portfolio company). Rightly so. Tremor is the first public offering of an adtech company since Millenial Media''s IPO in April 2012. One can argue how successful the Tremor IPO was, and the broader industry implications, based on the first day''s opening price and trading, but the real test of these offerings is what happens next - how companies perform and exec

IPO 36

IPO Advertising Software Improvement Differentiation 36

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 22, 2013

'Does it really take a few flaws to make a great entrepreneur, or are the rest of us just confused about what a perfect business person is all about? In the past I’ve written about the positive attributes of great entrepreneurs, so this time I thought I would focus on the negatives that I see often, and I challenge you to find someone that has all the positives and none of the negatives.

Entrepreneur 255

Entrepreneur Demand Partner Restful 255

deal architect

JUNE 27, 2013

'I guess it was inevitable given the US Supreme Court decisions yesterday that the Oracle Salesforce announcement would invite comments like from my friend Larry Dignan "You could almost see the doves being let loose and Lionel Ritchie''s "Endless Love".

Cloud 230

Cloud 230

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 28, 2013

'By Matt Peterson, President & CEO of eFileCabinet. At this point most businesses are aware that making the shift to paperless is necessary, but many are going about it all wrong. When not executed correctly, businesses are missing out on major productivity, efficiency and money saving benefits that come with paperless data management. As someone who has been in the document management industry for over 10 years, the most common pitfalls I’ve seen are as follows: Mislabeling or inconsistent

Utah 168

Utah Retention Cloud Mobile 168

Rembrandt Communications

JUNE 26, 2013

'An SEO secret that boosts online awareness fast You have probably noticed the thousands of blogs online from big businesses, Mom-and-Pop stores and individuals. Some of the information is interesting while most of it is boring (or just a way for people to vent or talk about themselves.) However, if you are not blogging, [.].

SEO 157

SEO Engineer Search Sales 157

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 24, 2013

'I’m seeing a renewed appreciation of culture and values in business these days. Maybe it’s just another example of nature abhorring a vacuum, but I prefer to think it’s a natural evolution of the pervasive social networking communities, where people relate to and expect to interact with businesses and products they like. They drive the market, rather than the other way around.

Startup 251

Startup Leadership Social Network Metrics 251

deal architect

JUNE 26, 2013

'When Oracle announced its cloud extensions via Microsoft and Salesforce this week, I wondered where NetSuite was in the mix. It was announced today, in a nuanced positioning. NetSuite ERP and Oracle Fusion HRM will go to market together in.

Cloud 207

Cloud Marketing 207

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 23, 2013

'by Kris Duggan, coauthor of Business Gamification For Dummies. Just a few short years ago, business gamification was practically unheard of. Before 2010, barely anyone searched for the term on Google, and it’s still not in the dictionary. But that doesn’t mean you should say, “gamifi-what?” and move on with your life. The fact is, business gamification — or the use of gaming elements to drive, measure, and reward high-value behaviors by customers or employees — is becoming a go-to strate

Mobile 167

Mobile Reputation Green Programming 167

Agile VC

JUNE 24, 2013

'Ferdinand Porsche’s electric car, circa early 1900s. I’ve been doing some thinking about the future of cars and the impact of the internet. A large part of this is just some idle thoughts, a small part is driven by my love of cars, and a small part is thinking about what potential opportunities for innovation & investment might stem from this.

Internet 153

Internet Caching Aggregator Audio 153

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2013

'If you are an entrepreneur for the first time, or entering a new business area, it’s usually worth your time to assemble an Advisory Board of two or three executives who have travelled that road before. But if you select the wrong people, or use them incorrectly, the impact will not be positive for your company or your image. For perspective, you need to remember that boards of advisors, unlike directors, have no formal power or fiduciary duties, but rather serve at the pleasure of you the busi

Advisory Board 241

Advisory Board Entrepreneur Stock Options Stock 241

deal architect

JUNE 24, 2013

'We hear so much about Silicon Valley and Bangalore and Shanghai that it is refreshing to hear about innovations in other parts of the world. Google''s Project Loon Finland''s next blockbuster Spain: Mobile Banking Innovation Santander: A city of sensors.

Global 207

Global Silicon Valley Spain Finland 207

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 27, 2013

'We were seated in a small studio, temporarily converted into a press conference room, deep in the bowels of the massive complex that is Singapore’s Temasek Polytechnic , rather outnumbered by young, earnest faces that surrounded us. Each of these faces belonged to a young person studying for a Diploma in Retail Management and, by extension, has chosen – largely by their own volition – a future that involved being in retail. “I was inspired when I previously spoke to a fa

Singapore 160

Singapore New York Operations Management 160

Startup Lessons Learned

JUNE 28, 2013

'We’re excited to announce the 2013 Lean Startup Conference , December 9 - 11 in San Francisco. As the Lean Startup movement grows and matures, the conference does, too, this year expanding and changing in a number of ways—based almost entirely on things that our attendees have asked for. We’ll talk in a minute about some of the new features of the conference, but first, let’s look at the conference themes.

Lean 167

Lean San Francisco Startup Early Stage 167

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 27, 2013

'Startups and entrepreneurs are drowning in the information overload, where the volume of data created is like a new Library of Congress every 15 minutes. That creates a huge gap between data and meaning, and makes quick decisions and action ever more difficult. We all need to take a little more time to think. On the other end of the spectrum, some people “over-think” things to the point of inaction.

Entrepreneur 240

Entrepreneur Demand Technology Internet 240

Mike Michalowicz

JUNE 24, 2013

'I recently bought my last proverbial truck load of coffee from CoffeeForLess. I have a Keurig, and found the CoffeeForLess site to be competitively priced for the Keurig cups. I became a loyal customer after I made my first purchase about a year ago. The transaction went smoothly. The coffee arrived quickly. And the price was fair. I’m sure other sites have better prices, but the transaction was so easy and smooth I labeled myself as a CoffeeForLess consumer.

Customer 162

Customer Stock Networking Marketing 162

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 23, 2013

'The e-commerce space in Singapore has been ratcheted up by another notch as online shopping platform Shopify partners telecommunications provider SingTel to make available its services to businesses in the country. Shopify’s platform allows new and existing businesses of any size to easily start their own online store, bypassing the need for technical know-how or the hiring of expensive web designers using one of many hundreds of templates on the front-end, as well as providing a proper b

Singapore 149

Singapore Partner Asia North America 149

Feld Thoughts

JUNE 26, 2013

'Startups fail. That’s part of the natural entrepreneurial cycle. A great post is making the rounds from an entrepreneur who has 30 days left before he hits the wall. His blog - My Startup has 30 Days to Live – promises to be a powerful one, at least for 30 days. I’m only sad about two things: (1) It’s anonymous and (2) There are no comments so it’s one way.

Colorado 151

Colorado Cofounder Software Entrepreneur 151

Lightspeed Venture Partners

JUNE 24, 2013

'We met Evan and Bobby, the founders of Snapchat, in March 2012. We were mesmerized. They had a vision for how disappearing photo messages would make people more authentic, more silly, more real in their communications with their friends. They only had a few hundred thousand installs at that time, but we could see from the data and from the way their users raved about it, how much Snapchatters loved Snapchat.

Social Network 154

Social Network Internet Finance Networking 154

Mike Michalowicz

JUNE 26, 2013

'Some of my best ideas hit me in the shower. I’ll be singing away, shampooing my hair when. BAM! A great idea pops into my head and I have to jump out of the shower and write it down. This is not always a good thing, say when my in-laws are over and I run naked through the house looking for a pen and paper! Maybe I need to keep a pad of paper in my bathroom for such emergencies.

Finance 159

Finance Entrepreneur Developer 159

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 25, 2013

'by Micah Solomon , author of “ High-Tech, High-Touch Customer Service: Inspire Timeless Loyalty in the Demanding New World of Social Commerce “ If you haven’t yourself experienced the customer experience at your business, is it really wise to invite an unsuspecting public in? Can you assume, with any confidence, that they will enjoy something you’ve never tried yourself?

Customer 145

Customer Retention Demand Employee 145

Feld Thoughts

JUNE 27, 2013

'Some of my favorite VC posts are ones that say what the VC posts that say what the VC thinks about how it all works. And – importantly – how it impacts the entrepreneur, his choices, and the dynamics between the entrepreneur and the VC. Fred Wilson does this regularly. For example, see his post today on Valuation vs. Ownership. My partner Jason Mendelson does the same.

Valuation 132

Valuation Venture Capital Equity Partner 132