YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 8, 2015

'How do we build strong brands in the digital age? Should brand marketers “bow to algorithmic salvation”, allowing data and process to ride roughshod over inspiration and creativity? Chairman of JWT Asia Pacific Tom Doctoroff provides compelling answers to these burning questions in his latest book “ Twitter is Not a Strategy: Rediscovering the Art of Brand Marketing “ Author of the book “ What Chinese Want: Culture, Communism, and China’s Modern Consumer ” (read o

Technical Review 165

Technical Review Singapore China Media 165

Feld Thoughts

JANUARY 7, 2015

'I just saw my first proposal for a Coding School Rollup. As you are probably aware, 2014 saw the explosion of coding schools all over the US. These are typically four to 12 week programs. Some are full-time, others are part-time. Many are immersive and include internships. A few are longer than 12 weeks. I know several people who have gone through the with great success and gone on to have excellent software development jobs.

Stock Options 115

Stock Options Cofounder Revenue Hosting 115

David Teten

JANUARY 7, 2015

'Ray Dalio, Founder of Bridgewater Associates , the world’s largest hedge fund, is a man after my own heart. A few years ago he publicly set down his core Principles for living, managing, and investing. Bridgewater uses these codified rules for recruiting, training, and most important, managing the firm’s culture. It’s well worth your time to read them, or at least a summary from a Bridgewater alum.

Design 96

Design Connecticut Venture Capital Portfolio 96

Start Up Blog

JANUARY 5, 2015

'As we are now in 2015, midway through the second decade of the new millennium, I thought I’d reflect on shifts I am seeing in culture, commerce and technology. Many are counter intuitive to what we might read in Business Insider or Buzzfeed. It’ll take you about 12 minutes to read and it will be worth the effort. The first thought is pretty obvious.

Technical Review 73

Technical Review Startup Australia Artificial Inteligence 73

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

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 7, 2015

'Are you looking to start a new business in 2015? Then you must consider building a website and trading online. Like it or not, the internet is the best tool at your disposal, and it could make or break your company. Regardless of which marketplace you want to enter, there are many benefits to having a good online presence. However, many new entrepreneurs get things wrong.

Finder 138

Finder API Technical Review Web 138

crowdSPRING Blog

JANUARY 5, 2015

'Alright then. Hangover from New Years eve is gone these past few days. The last long weekend of the holidays is done. And now, once again, we turn our gaze lovingly back to our business, our customers, and our team. As managers, we are so focused on the moment at hand, the task that needs accomplishing, the strategy that needs executing, the data that needs analyzing, that we often neglect to take time to simply reflect.

Small Business 77

Small Business Startup Oregon Lean 77

Steve Blank

JANUARY 6, 2015

'There are 4 types of startups. Which one are you? If you can’t see the video click here. Filed under: 2 Minute Lessons , Market Types.

Startup 253

Startup Video Marketing 253

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 5, 2015

'Businesses always seem to take longer to succeed than an entrepreneur expects. Seth Godin once said that overnight success in startups takes about six years, and Seth is an optimist. Thus we all look for shortcuts. Execution shortcuts would be hidden strategies to achieve the endgame sooner, without losing 40 to 60 percent of the financial potential along the way.

Demand 219

Demand Entrepreneur Startup Product 219

deal architect

JANUARY 3, 2015

'Vishal Sikka, the new CEO of Infosys, has some candid commentary on the state of the IT services market "It''s like a treadmill of increasingly lower cost, hiring people faster and faster, from more and more mediocre places, training people.

Offshore 210

Offshore Hiring Cost Marketing 210

View from Seed

JANUARY 5, 2015

'Raising venture capital at any stage of company growth requires tremendous effort from entrepreneurs. Admittedly, our industry tends to celebrate these financings a bit too much — it’s gasoline for the car and not the destination, after all — but it’s still a difficult, sometimes lengthy process for which founders deserve some recognition. But because of that time-intensiveness and difficulty, entrepreneurs can often feel they’ve been pulled too far away from growing their businesses — i.e., th

Seed Capital 260

Seed Capital Seed Stage Entrepreneur Venture Capital 260

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 8, 2015

'[ Image credit: andrewbasterfield / CC BY ]. Before choosing office space to rent for your startup, there are many points to reflect on. As well as the size, cost and location you’ll also need to take into account the less obvious concerns like the lighting in the space and the surrounding neighborhood. By being clear about your requirements from the outset and asking the right questions, you can find office space that is right for your startup. .

Startup 178

Startup Reputation Cost Employee 178

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 9, 2015

'As an entrepreneur mentor and startup investor, I see with sadness the 50 to 90 percent that fail. If you ask them for a reason, most will insist that they couldn’t get funding, or they ran out of money too early. But I’m not convinced that it’s as simple as that. Many are just not facing the reality that their passion had a critical business flaw.

Intellectual Property 215

Intellectual Property Startup Bankruptcy Viral 215

Rembrandt Communications

JANUARY 8, 2015

'Keep it simple and succeed! It’s the New Year. We all have high hopes for the year ahead and visions of success filling our heads. But how do you actually make those visions a reality? Instead of creating resolutions, it’s time to focus on exactly what you want to achieve this year and make it […]. The post It’s the New Year. What are you doing now to be successful later?

Public Relations 145

Public Relations SEO Small Business Sales 145

VC Cafe

JANUARY 6, 2015

'A new report by IVC Research Center and law firm Meitar Liquornik Geva Leshem Tal found that 99 Israeli high tech exits reached $6.94 billion in 2014 up 5 percent from $6.59 billion of 2013 (90 exits). The IPO activity in 2014 reached a 10 year peak, to $2.1 billion. 18 companies sold in the range of $100 million to $500 million, compared to 12 in 2013 and the M&A equity ratio is up sharply.

Merger 130

Merger IPO Equity Acquisition 130

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 5, 2015

'by Gareth Cartman , Director of Digital Marketing at Clever Little Design. Advanced technology, social media, CRM software, and other tools are changing the way companies market their brand and products. While the manner in which companies and consumers interact is changing, there are some tried-and-true approaches to marketing that should never be abandoned.

Customer 165

Customer Software Boston Social Media 165

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 3, 2015

'In building successful businesses, I find that creating a new and innovative product or service is usually the easy part. The hard part is providing the leadership required to align and motivate all the constituents and players – from engineers, to investors, vendors, and ultimately customers. Great entrepreneurs are not just idea people and then managers, they are extraordinary leaders.

Product 212

Product Leadership Framework Matching 212

Up and Running

JANUARY 8, 2015

'Lara Galloway and Erin Baebler. Lara Galloway and Erin Baebler are the authors of “Moms Mean Business: A Guide to Creating a Successful Company and Happy Life as a Mom Entrepreneur” (Career Press, Oct 2014). They are both certified coaches, mothers, and entrepreneurs. “We both want to help other women succeed and that’s what this book … and this work we do is all about.” There is much written about what it takes to be a successful business owner.

Entrepreneur 128

Entrepreneur Restful Design 128

This is going to be BIG.

JANUARY 8, 2015

'To date, I''ve backed three fashion related companies--Refinery29, chloe + isabel, and Ringly--and now I have the pleasure of joining the syndicate of investors in Bradford Shellhammer ''s new company, Bezar. Could I a less likely candidate for such a portfolio? :). Bezar is where you find people who design the kinds of things that I see in other people''s apartments and stop to pick up, inspect, wonder at and think, "That''s awesome.

Syndicate 123

Syndicate Syndication Venture Capital Portfolio 123

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 6, 2015

'Starting a business can be an exciting prospect. For many people, it might be their lifelong dream. In fact, more people nowadays are starting their own businesses than ever before. The prospect of working for yourself can be a thrilling one. Setting your own hours, dictating your workload and answering to no-one but yourself is the dream of millions.

Naming 160

Naming Stock Business Model Demand 160

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 4, 2015

'Most aspiring entrepreneurs understand that you can’t build a business if you won’t commit to delivering a product or service, but many are hesitant or refuse to commit to any financial forecasts. Yet every business requires revenue and volumes, as certainly as it requires a product to sell. Thus, financial projections for up to five years are a necessary element in every business plan.

Forecast 210

Forecast Entrepreneur Burn Rate Widget 210

Up and Running

JANUARY 6, 2015

'2015 is here, and you’ve got plans for your business. It’s that time of year again—you’ve no doubt been spending time on vacation and with your loved ones, and now it’s a new year and you’re getting back into the swing of things. Of course, being an entrepreneur, you’re also doing some reflection. How did 2014 go for you? The start of the year is a good time to take stock of what worked well for your business and what mistakes may have been made.

Minneapolis 125

Minneapolis Minnesota United States Cofounder 125

Version One Ventures

JANUARY 7, 2015

'In November, I introduced some basic statistics to help startups make sense of their data. Then last month, I described an engagement pyramid , which organizes a user’s behavior in a hierarchy. It helps you identify the highest level of user engagement so that you can allocate resources to achieve that outcome. For this blog post, I thought I’d combine these concepts and illustrate how they work together with a fictional example.

Artificial Inteligence 122

Artificial Inteligence Algorithm Conversion Startup 122

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 9, 2015

'It can often be difficult to manage your business when you are not in the office. Of course, while it’s true that you can have a colleague handle things for you, some tasks are best handled personally. So, how can you do this when you are away from your desk? Thanks to the marvels of modern technology, it’s pretty easy to manage your business on the road!

Las Vegas 156

Las Vegas Management Cloud Software 156

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 7, 2015

'For a few, delegating comes easily, maybe too easy. For others who are perfectionists, letting go of even the most trivial task is almost impossible. If you are in this second category, you probably don’t like the references behind your back that you are a “control freak” or a “micro-manager.” London business school professor John Hunt notes that only 30 percent of managers think they can delegate well, and of those, only one in three is considered a good delegator by his or her subordinates.

Entrepreneur 207

Entrepreneur Social Media SEO Management 207

Feld Thoughts

JANUARY 5, 2015

'I try to respond to all of my emails. I’ve always been like this – it’s just part of my value system. I used to be annoyed by other people who don’t, but I let go of that emotion a long time ago. But I still try to respond to all of my emails. A big hint, which is the reason for this post, is to ask specific questions if you want a real response.

Email 122

Email Entrepreneur Conversion Startup 122

Up and Running

JANUARY 5, 2015

'Bloomua / Shutterstock.com. The following is a brief discussion on choosing a brand name that has a better chance of receiving significant federal trademark protection. It’s not comprehensive and is by no means legal advice. Always seek the advice of a competent professional when making important financial and legal decisions. Choosing a compelling brand name you can protect.

Naming 120

Naming Database Analytics Software 120

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 5, 2015

'The answer to that question, for a number of us, is a sad yes. Early last year we highlighted 10 professions that were in danger of becoming extinct as technological advances made them obsolete, with jobs such as the travel agent, call centre operator or even the postal worker are becoming increasing irrelevant in the marketplace. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but with the onwards march of technology (such as in the areas of automation and artificial intelligence ), more jobs are on the

Artificial Inteligence 155

Artificial Inteligence Technology Global Operations 155

The Next Web

JANUARY 3, 2015

'Samuel Hulick is a long time UX consultant with an intense focus on user onboarding. This post originally appeared on the Help Scout blog. Unless your product is eyebrow-raisingly basic, there’s a very, very good chance that a new user won’t get to experience all the value you have to offer in their very first sitting. And since user onboarding isn’t merely the process of introducing your new signups to your product’s features, but instead the process of driving people to success, getting there

Email 119

Email Design Web Entrepreneur 119

Mike Michalowicz

JANUARY 6, 2015

'I had dinner a few nights ago with a friend who works for a Fortune 500 company. He’s been looking for another job for nearly two years now, and he told me that he’s been so unhappy – so mentally checked out – that he’s been doing the least amount of work that he possibly can while still going unnoticed. He’s basically dead weight, and he knows it.

Employee 115

Employee Revenue Retention Leadership 115

Feld Thoughts

JANUARY 9, 2015

'Ben Franklin is one of my heroes, along with Albert Einstein, Richard Feynman, and a few others. As I start my march through reading books about American presidents , I figured I’d start with a famous American who was never a president but was deeply involved in creating the situation where there could be American presidents. I’m a big fan of Walter Isaacson and his biographies (I’ve read many of them.

America 114

America France Reputation Conversion 114

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 7, 2015

'by Young Pham, chief strategy officer at Comrade. Mobile is opening the door for designing new experiences that compliment a brand’s physical presence. The context of when, where and what a customer is doing during their day allows companies to enhance a person’s interaction and customize device-specific experiences. Essentially, mobile product development and device-appropriate customer experience design are converging; people are spending more time on their mobile devices than ever before and

Mobile 152

Mobile Customer Washington Web 152

The Equity Kicker

JANUARY 5, 2015

'Forbes have published a list of the 7 Cs to guide you in 2015 : Centre yourself. Be curious. Be courageous. Be candid. Be competitive. Instil character. Embrace change. All good advice, but for me ‘be courageous’ is the most interesting on the list. The article expands on the point thus: 3. Be Courageous. The definition of courageous tells us that it is a quality of mind and spirit that enables us to face difficulty, danger and pain without fear.

Demand 110

Demand Conversion Partner Networking 110

VC Cafe

JANUARY 8, 2015

'Last week LinkedIn reminded me that it’s been 9 years since I started VC Cafe (Dec 2005). Several people sent their congratulations (thank you btw), and it reminded me it’s been a while since I blogged regularly. I prefer springing into action rather than being sentimental, but I thought a little summary and a selection of highlights may inspire someone who is thinking about blogging to share their thoughts through this medium.

Cambodia 109

Cambodia Venture Capital Nepal India 109

Feld Thoughts

JANUARY 3, 2015

'My friends at the Kauffman Foundation have released the Kauffman Thoughtbook 2015. . It’s a beautifully done, well-organized, and super rich with content web document about entrepreneurship. There is extensive content and examples around Startup Communities, included in the Paths to Entrepreneurship section. I made a few guest appearance, including in the long article about the Kansas City Startup Village.

Kansas City 113

Kansas City Kansas Community Web 113

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 5, 2015

'by Jake Villarreal, co-founder and president of Match Relevant. If you had a magic button that could immediately fill your company’s open positions, would you push it? It’s not such a far-fetched idea, especially as new social search platforms crop up and change the way companies find people. Although emerging technologies make it easier to connect with talent, you still need a strategic plan to land the highest-quality candidates available.

Hiring 149

Hiring Cofounder Acquisition Matching 149

The Equity Kicker

JANUARY 9, 2015

'Very very neat way of rationalising "I invest in people" by @paulg cc @brisbourne @cee [link]. — Nilan (@nilanp) January 9, 2015. This Tweet from our friend Nilan Peris in my feed this morning led me to re-read Paul Graham’s essay from December: How to be an expert in a changing world. The main point is that in a world of accelerating change predicting the future is very hard and the most important thing is to retain an open mind and not get stuck with obsolete beliefs.

eCommerce 104

eCommerce Partner Stock Founder 104