A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JULY 4, 2011

This guest-post is from Joannes Vermorel, founder of Lokad which produces sales forecasts for off-line companies. He has a personal blog about cloud computing. Despite experts routinely claiming Email 1.0 will soon be replaced by their own Email 2.0 ; Email 1.0 is here to stay. Yet, when it comes to email management, most companies seems to adopt a somewhat broken posture: either they don’t advertise any public email or they advertise too many of them.

Email 267

Email Cofounder Technical Review Technical Cofounder 267

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 6, 2011

“Scope creep” (or feature creep) is an insidious disease that kills more good startups than any other, especially high-tech ones, and yet most founders (who may be the cause) never even see it happening. This term refers to the penchant to add just one more feature to the product or service before first delivery, just because you can. The instigators are all well-intentioned – executives talk to potential customers who “must have” a few more things; or the technical team edicts some “technically

Technical Review 241

Technical Review Startup Software Review Database 241

YoungUpstarts

JULY 5, 2011

Africa is not known to generate many technology talents – the country is far more prolific in its music, sport and art – but here’s one young African who intends to buck the trend. Mawuna Koutonin is the founder of London-based GoodBuzz , and his story is the stuff of dreams. Mawuna Koutonin was born in a small village in Togo, West Africa to a father of 36 children.

Togo 222

Togo Africa Advisory Board Campaign 222

VC Adventure

JULY 5, 2011

One of the many things that makes Boulder a great city for start-ups is its incredibly collaborative environment (see posts on my love of Boulder here and here ). From the willingness of mentors to help out TechStars companies, to collaborative efforts around recruiting great talent to our city, I’m constantly amazed at how many people are working to make Boulder an amazing place for businesses to thrive.

Software Engineering 92

Software Engineering Software Developers Software Development Software 92

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

crowdSPRING Blog

JULY 8, 2011

Every day on the crowdSPRING Twitter account and on my own Twitter account , I post links to posts or videos I enjoyed reading or viewing. These posts and videos are about logo design , web design , startups, entrepreneurship, small business, leadership, social media, marketing, and more! Here are some of the links that I’ve liked and shared this past week!

Social Media 89

Social Media South Korea Small Business Design 89

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2011

Angel investors and venture capitalists don’t invest in non-profits. The simple reason is that it’s impossible to make money for investors when the goal of the company is to not make money. Yet I still get this question on a regular basis, so I’ll try to outline the considerations in common-sense terms. A non-profit organization is generally defined as an organization that does not distribute its surplus funds to owners or shareholders, but instead uses them to help pursue its goals.

Angel Investor 238

Angel Investor Technical Review Exit Strategy Equity 238

Up and Running

JULY 7, 2011

Image by ShashiBellamkonda via Flickr. Did you know that several companies and government agencies allot a certain number of projects/portion of their budget for contracts that can only go to woman-owned businesses? Those contracts include everything from military projects to public works and information technologies. When it comes to securing those choice contracts, the only eligible businesses are those that are certified as woman-owned.

Government 103

Government SBA Security Technical Review 103

VC Cafe

JULY 5, 2011

Video is a great way to get your startup some viral visibility. According to Cisco , by 2015, one million minutes of video – the equivalent of 674 days – will cross the internet every second (!) and as the YouTube blog pointed out more than 48 hours of video are uploaded YouTube site every minute. Amazing, no? Below are a few of the better examples of videos produced by Israeli startups and those that managed to get a plug in traditional media, reaching a huge potential audience. 1)

Video 90

Video Media Viral Startup 90

VC Adventure

JULY 5, 2011

One of the many things that makes Boulder a great city for start-ups is its incredibly collaborative environment (see posts on my love of Boulder here and here ). From the willingness of mentors to help out TechStars companies, to collaborative efforts around recruiting great talent to our city, I’m constantly amazed at how many people are working to make Boulder an amazing place for businesses to thrive.

Software Engineering 48

Software Engineering Software Developers Software Development Software 48

Entrepreneurs-Journey.com by Yaro Starak

JULY 5, 2011

Hello there! This article is the second in the series on Maximising Profits with good pricing strategies. In the first article, “ What Is The Perfect Price Point To Maximize Profits? “, we talked about the basics of pricing and the ‘sweet spot’ whilst also exploring three of my favored methods for finding a good launch price. The comments I received after the article were very interesting, yes, I read and try to reply to all of them (especially the ones that are thought provoking).

Stock 78

Stock Sales Product Customer 78

Austin Startup

JULY 8, 2011

Famigo, the only company 100-percent focused on making mobile technology work for families, today introduced its Famigo Family App Review, an interactive guide for families to discover and select favorite games and e-books from 300,000+ and growing Android apps. Famigo Family App Review sorts all Android apps into categories according to several family-based criteria to help people find apps they want before they buy.

Technical Review 69

Technical Review Mobile Technology 69

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.

America 290

America South America Honduras Sacramento 290

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.

Advisory Board 250

Advisory Board Entrepreneur Founder Software 250

Entrepreneurs-Journey.com by Yaro Starak

JULY 7, 2011

As with any company, growth happens in stages, but especially a company with physical products. Research and development, sample making, marketing the product and perhaps even handling some of the preliminary sales are some of the stages of expansion. However, with my handbag company charm and luck , to grow our business we realized we needed to find sales partners to handle our sales.

Los Angeles 78

Los Angeles Sales Atlanta New York 78

Austin Startup

JULY 8, 2011

Mobile platform provider Unwired Nation today announced the addition of ethosIQ to its roster of certified mobile solutions providers. ethosIQ, a Houston-based software solutions provider, plans to leverage Unwired Nation’s Kinita platform and services to address huge opportunities for mobile applications in a number of enterprise verticals, including field service organizations, financial service companies and utilities.

Houston 67

Houston Vertical Mobile Marketing 67

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?

Early Stage 260

Early Stage Lead Investor Portfolio Partner 260

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 4, 2011

For all entrepreneurs, starting a business is the route to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” no matter how risky. It’s the American dream that has been the goal of people in this country for over 230 years. If you are here in the U.S., I hope you are all able to take some time off this holiday weekend, to contemplate what you do, and why you do it.

Entrepreneur 238

Entrepreneur Salary Restful Security 238

Entrepreneurs-Journey.com by Yaro Starak

JULY 5, 2011

Hello there! This article is the second in the series on Maximising Profits with good pricing strategies. In the first article, “ What Is The Perfect Price Point To Maximize Profits? “, we talked about the basics of pricing and the ‘sweet spot’ whilst also exploring three of my favored methods for finding a good launch price. The comments I received after the article were very interesting, yes, I read and try to reply to all of them (especially the ones that are thought provoking).

Sales 74

Sales Stock Product Customer 74

YoungUpstarts

JULY 7, 2011

If you’re wondering about how small business view bank loans, this infographic from Chicago, Illinois-based credit card processing fee comparison engine FeeFighters shows that only 42-percent of small businesses see bank loans as a viable financing option. The number is quite similar to a recent Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management study, that shows approximately 48-percent of the 1,221 privately-held businesses that responded to its survey target bank loans

Small Business 189

Small Business Illinois Chicago Cofounder 189

Genuine VC

JULY 6, 2011

A lot has been written for entrepreneurs about optimizing a venture capital fundraising process, but one aspect which isn’t discussed very often is the pacing of it. Two (seemingly contradictory) maxims that are often repeated in this context are: “it goes slow until it goes fast” and “time kills all deals.” At the beginning of an entrepreneur’s fundraising, even if you’re running a sophisticated process, the first part of is usually just plain old slow.

Term Sheet 150

Term Sheet Deal Flow Venture Capital Conversion 150

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2011

Many entrepreneurs still dream of “going public,” making billions of dollars, and playing with the big boys. They don’t realize that this option would likely be their worst nightmare, since it costs millions for the road show, usually dilutes your equity to a tiny fraction, and takes away all your entrepreneurial control. Even though the Initial Public Offering (IPO) alternative for a successful startup seems to be coming back into vogue, it is still extremely rare.

Exit Strategy 235

Exit Strategy IPO Investment Bankers Entrepreneur 235

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 6, 2011

I am no longer writing a book. The Lean Startup Book is done. Finally, really, truly, done. On July 4, I celebrated Independence Day by making my very last revisions to the paper (!) page proofs, and mailing (!) them back to my publisher. (Yes, I also sent them a scanned PDF via Dropbox.) The finished book will come out on September 13, featuring an amazing cover designed by my IMVU co-founder Marcus Gosling and refined and tested by so many of you.

Lean 167

Lean Startup Metrics Private Equity 167

YoungUpstarts

JULY 4, 2011

Are you an unusually excellent leader? Leadership expert John Hamm ‘s book, “ Unusually Excellent: The Necessary Nine Skills Required for the Practice of Great Leadership &# delves deep into the key aspects that defines a great leader and sets a framework for helping you apply these leadership principles. And Hamm should know something about leadership – he’s led investments in many successful high-growth companies as a partner in various venture capital firms and named a

Leadership 169

Leadership United States Venture Capital Framework 169

David Teten

JULY 6, 2011

When Arnold Schwarzenegger first came to America and started becoming the world’s most successful bodybuilder, he and fellow bodybuilder Franco Columbu worked during the day as bricklayers. Effectively, their work was their workout. Plus, of course, they hit the gym hard and heavy. Unfortunately, most people are not that lucky — we work hunched over our computers in office jobs which detract from our health, instead of helping our health.

Portfolio 166

Portfolio New York Omaha Vermont 166

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 7, 2011

I always advise software startups to file patents to protect their “secret sauce” from competitors, and to increase their valuation. The good news is that a patent can scare off or at least delay competitors, and as a “rule of thumb” every patent can add up to $1M to your startup valuation for investors, or for M&A exits (merger and acquisition).

Software 228

Software Intellectual Property Algorithm Valuation 228

Feld Thoughts

JULY 7, 2011

A few weeks ago my dad said “Brad, you have to read the book I Am John Galt: Today’s Heroic Innovators Building the World and the Villainous Parasites Destroying It. You’ll love it.&# That’s all the recommendation I needed – it went to the top of my Kindle reading list. I read it the other night in a jet lagged haze on my couch.

142

142

YoungUpstarts

JULY 3, 2011

On February 26, 2008, customers at 7,10o Starbucks stores in the US were asked to leave. The reason? So that the company could retrain all its baristas to make the perfect espresso – something CEO Howard Schultz admitted in his book, “ Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul “, that the company had not paid enough attention to in its relentless, if misguided, pursuit for growth in the middle of last decade.

Seattle 165

Seattle Social Media Leadership Operations 165

ReadWriteStart

JULY 5, 2011

Organizational leadership theories too often manifest into tedious memoirs peppered with Sun Tzu and Machiavelli quotes. The frequent outcome is subjecting teams to rewriting job priorities as MBOs , KPIs or another pedantic upper management craze. When a cultural management program breeds further disillusionment, it hardly seems worth it. Naturally, when a free copy of Tribal Leadership crossed my desk I was skeptical.

Leadership 146

Leadership Cofounder Audio Employee 146

Steve Blank

JULY 6, 2011

Exploring Spain. Back soon. Filed under: Family/Career.

Spain 184

Spain 184

Feld Thoughts

JULY 6, 2011

Finally I solved my Paris Internet Mobile 3G SIM cell phone nightmare poke my eyes out scream at my phone problem. It was remarkably easy, once I knew the magic trick, which I found on the site Pay as you go sim with data wiki (thanks Toby Ruckert – lunch is on me tomorrow.). Here are the steps (as of 7/6/11) for an unlocked Android phone and a Gmail user. 1.

Internet 137

Internet Wiki Mobile SMS 137

YoungUpstarts

JULY 4, 2011

We all know how important it is for businesses to track social conversations online; recently, we’ve seen a flood of web monitoring tools just for this purpose. And here’s yet another: American Express OPEN launches YourBuzz , a free tool to help small businesses manage their online presence. Powered by Clickable , an award-winning developer of online advertising solutions, YourBuzz aggregates conversations across highly influential review sites such as Yelp and CitySearch , and soci

Small Business 162

Small Business Management Aggregator Social Network 162

Rembrandt Communications

JULY 4, 2011

Are you using some search engine optimization (SEO) keywords on your site but not seeing results? Well, how much research did you do in advance? Research is the Secret to SEO Success! As an entrepreneur, the last thing you want to spend time on is search engine optimization on your site so you: Develop a [.].

SEO 100

SEO Engineer Search Developer 100

Growthink Blog

JULY 3, 2011

On this great day when we celebrate America, our freedoms and our way of life, please enjoy (and add to!) my list of twenty of why this is the greatest country in the history of the world: #20. Hollywood. Disneyland. Broadway. Entertainment happens here. #19. Red Sox - Yankees, Celtics - Lakers, The Super Bowl, The Final Four. Sports are spectacle here. #18.

America 123

America Wyoming San Francisco Montana 123

Feld Thoughts

JULY 6, 2011

Many of the companies I’m an investor in are hiring a lot of people right now. For a current view, take a look at the Foundry Group jobs page. I’ve interviewed and hired a lot of people over the year and I’ve developed my own perspective and philosophy on the best way to do this. However, I don’t feel like I have all the answers so I asked a few people that I respect a lot (and fit in my definition of VP of People ) to weigh in with their thoughts.

Hiring 135

Hiring America Advertising Naming 135

YoungUpstarts

JULY 6, 2011

Those of us who use multiple computers and different browsers know the pain of trying to synchronize all our bookmarks – and despite social bookmarking sites like Delicious (whose fate is still unknown ), most of us have to rely on various services to make sure we have access to our bookmarks. Here’s another service you can try – TwoHub.

Social Bookmarking 150

Social Bookmarking Developer Product 150

This is going to be BIG.

JULY 7, 2011

Do you have friends that have really top notch experience, are thoughtful about their industry, and whip smart? Are they about a billion times more insightful than your average tech blogger? Does it kill you that more people don't know them? Unfortunately, if you look at the people who actively self-promote, it's a pretty adversely selected pool versus the pool of people who don't bother.

Social Media 116

Social Media Leadership Audience Community 116