YoungUpstarts

MAY 23, 2014

'By Lynda Chervil, author of “ Fool’s Return “ Personal power is a core leadership competency that everyone needs to develop before they can lead others. It has to do with being able to lead yourself. “Personal power is the ability to achieve what you want,” according to Frederick Mann, a successful entrepreneur and author of “ The Economic Rape of America “ “More than anything else, it is personal power that brings you success and happiness.

Developer 217

Developer Leadership Green America 217

The Equity Kicker

MAY 20, 2014

'In his 1929 essay “Economic possibilities for our grandchildren” Keynes wrote that technology would create an age of abundance and that by 2028 we would be working three hour days. Reading that just now in a New Yorker essay I was struck by the fact that I feel the same about our grandchildren. Keynes, however was wrong. We’ve had the technology progress in spades, but we haven’t got any more leisure time.

Artificial Inteligence 109

Artificial Inteligence Technical Review Government Demand 109

Up and Running

MAY 22, 2014

'Most people understand the basics of consumer debt: if you rack up more expenses on your credit card than you can pay back, you’re in big trouble. But, for some reason, when it comes to small business debt, the picture isn’t quite so clear. Not all businesses are at a point where borrowing money is the best course of action for them. So, what types of businesses should think about taking out a loan?

Forecast 98

Forecast Finance .Net Software Review 98

crowdSPRING Blog

MAY 22, 2014

'In our 12 Questions blog series, we feature interviews with someone from the crowdSPRING community. For these interviews, we pick people who add value to our community – in the blog, in the forums, in the projects. Plainly – activities that make crowdSPRING a better community. Be professional, treat others with respect, help us build something very special, and we’ll take notice.

Serbia 68

Serbia Bosnia Romania Design 68

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

MAY 18, 2014

'When Taiwan-based phone maker HTC launched their flagship HTC One early last year, it was touted as the device that would help pull the company out of its doldrums. The company probably hoped that the HTC One would spearhead its challenge in a mobile phone market dominated by Apple’s iPhone and an Android market dominated by Samsung. That didn’t quite happen.

Technical Review 168

Technical Review Taiwan Audio New York 168

deal architect

MAY 20, 2014

'Over the last few weeks I have had plenty of opportunity to talk to CIOs and other tech executives. I have polled several for a project, I presented to several at an event last week in Irvine, CA, I have.

287

287

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 17, 2014

'Every culture and community puts pressure on its members to follow the norms. Even young people who start out wanting to be different are called “freaks,” and most are slowly bent back into the norm by the time they “grow up.” Maybe that’s why so many entrepreneurs struggle with building a disruptive new business, where breaks from the norm are the key to success.

Entrepreneur 273

Entrepreneur Framework Community Software 273

YoungUpstarts

MAY 19, 2014

'by Forbes magazine publisher Rich Karlgaard and author of “ The Soft Edge: Where Great Companies Find Lasting Success “. In an age of cynicism and irony, Northwestern Mutual is a throwback to a more innocent time. The company is the antithesis of “cool.” It has the kind of culture in which people embrace plain suits and sincere handshakes, take pride in wearing achievement ribbons, kick off conferences with patriotic music.

Employee 160

Employee Leadership Balance Sheet Chicago 160

deal architect

MAY 23, 2014

'McKinsey has some examples of what it calls digital optimization of the back office “At Starbucks, one of the leaders in customer-experience innovation, just 35 of 100 active IT projects in 2013 were focused on customer- or partner-facing initiatives. One-third.

Partner 220

Partner Customer 220

Rembrandt Communications

MAY 22, 2014

'Are you Guilty of These 3 Website Sins? You’ve spent hours creating your website, marketing your products and services and writing content. That means you website traffic should grow, and the sales should be coming in… but they’re not. Why not? Well, you may be guilty of these… 3 Website Sins That Turn Customers Away […].

Customer 190

Customer Sales Web Management 190

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 18, 2014

'As a mentor to startups and new entrepreneurs, I continue to hear the refrain that business plans are no longer required for a new startup, since investors never read them anyway. People cite sources like this BusinessWeek story last year “ Real Entrepreneurs Don’t Write Business Plans ,” or even my own article a while back, “ 10 Reasons Not To Write A Business Plan First.

Entrepreneur 270

Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Due Diligence Angel Investor 270

YoungUpstarts

MAY 20, 2014

'by Vlad Zhamoidzik, Manager of Web Report Team at Hypersoft Information Systems. It recently occurred to me that I could make one simply change in my daily routine that would have a significant impact on the productivity of both me and my team. I noticed this after checking my Omnicontext TM Personal Analytics account to see where I had been spending my time at work.

Email 157

Email Product Software Engineering Web 157

Agile VC

MAY 22, 2014

'My first two posts on this mammoth S-1 covered a high-level sizing of Alibaba and a deeper dive into some of Alibaba Group’s governance which in some ways mirrors the Politburo structure. Today I’m going to analyze monetization across Alibaba’s various businesses. How exactly is each marketplace and complementary service monetized?

China 159

China Revenue Flash Affiliate 159

Gust

MAY 18, 2014

'The days are gone when a techie or a genius could build things in his garage and customers would find and buy the product, based purely on the “wow factor” of the technology. New technologies are everywhere today. People have seen so much that they are blasé, or actually fear pure technology. They want a personable brand, before they will consider the product.

Customer 166

Customer Audience Advertising Social Media 166

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 23, 2014

'Let’s face it, consultants have a bad image. Businesses want experienced people who get their hands dirty, rather than experts who give presentations, make recommendations, and disappear. Even consultants don’t like their job, since they don’t often get to see results, and too much of their time is spent looking for the next gig. The Internet has changed the world.

Semantic 257

Semantic Startup Leadership Internet 257

YoungUpstarts

MAY 21, 2014

'by John Accardi, founder of Partyhousepong.com and Collegebox.com. 6 months ago, I dropped out the neuroscience PhD program at Georgetown University. Not only was I granted a full scholarship, but I was being paid a generous stipend to attend. So why did I drop out and how did I subsequently create 2 profitable online businesses with barely any startup capital?

Philadelphia 248

Philadelphia Florida Programming Search 248

The Next Web

MAY 23, 2014

'Leif Abraham is a Partner at Prehype, a venture development firm in New York City. His latest e-book “Madison Valley” focuses on building digital products and how Madison Avenue can be more like Silicon Valley. For the first several years of my career I never had a job title. And even today it always feels kind of wrong to put myself into a box. My skills are relatively broad and I think I could adapt to any task (if I want to).

New York City 168

New York City Silicon Valley Cloud New York 168

Startup Lessons Learned

MAY 21, 2014

'Post by Lean Startup Conference co-hosts Sarah Milstein & Eric Ries We’re excited to announce this year’s Lean Startup Conference , December 8 – 12 in San Francisco. Tickets are on sale now, at the best price we’re offering this year, so we recommend registering today. But that’s not really what we’re here to talk about. Instead, we want to focus on the themes of the conference.

Lean 165

Lean San Francisco Startup Metrics 165

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 19, 2014

'In the US, many entrepreneurs see grants as “free money,” since they are not loans and don’t have to be repaid. A grant is not an equity investment, so the entrepreneur doesn’t have to give up a stake in the company either. Typically they can be used to fund product development and commercialization that would otherwise require outside investors. A good place to start looking is the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which is a lifeline for high-tech startups.

Seed Money 242

Seed Money SBIR Dilution Government 242

YoungUpstarts

MAY 21, 2014

'by Matt Tenny, author of “ Serve to Be Great: Leadership Lessons from a Prison, a Monastery, and a Boardroom “. We all know the types of people who make great leaders, right? They’re the brilliant, talented, wunderkinds who are poised to change the industry. The persuasive, outgoing schmoozers who get along with just about everyone. The industry veterans who have done it all and seen it all.

Leadership 233

Leadership Employee Developer Management 233

The Next Web

MAY 19, 2014

'The hand-tracking Leap Motion hasn’t sparked the interest of the average person. But, in the hands of savvy startups with an eye on improving the lives and safety of others, it looks like it’s found its calling. The startups presented at the first Leap Axlr8r demo day, during which each of the teams used the Leap Motion hardware for their apps. The accelerator is put together by Founders Fund and SOSventures and based on the what was presented, we should expect more demo days from Leap Axlr8r b

Startup 163

Startup Design Web Founder 163

Gust

MAY 21, 2014

'From the question it sounds to me as though this is a case of both a novice investor and a novice entrepreneur, with neither one having much experience with or as an angel. I would therefore *strongly* advise you to get an experienced startup attorney to advise you during the negotiation/term sheet discussions. Here are some thoughts that immediately come to mind: 1) The only types of US companies that have “Operating Agreements” are Limited Liability Companies (LLCs), and this stru

Limited Liability Company 150

Limited Liability Company Term Sheet NDA Due Diligence 150

Mike Michalowicz

MAY 21, 2014

'Let’s get this straight right now: PR stands for Public Relations. Too many entrepreneurs think it is simply a different word for marketing. It’s not. Marketing is marketing. Public Relations is how you relate to the public. Where marketing screams for the attention of people to buy your stuff, PR highlights the personality of your business and looks to connect with people.

PR 126

PR Widget Public Relations Email 126

YoungUpstarts

MAY 21, 2014

'If you think that being an Asian company in Asia automatically conveys you home ground advantage, you may be in for a surprise, as the results of a recent study conducted by Telstra Global would show. In its new Connected Countries report , it found that the companies that have managed to do well in the past three years in this part of the world are those that tended to have a global footprint, that is, those who operate both in Asia as well as those outside Asia.

Asia 185

Asia Global South America Russia 185

The Next Web

MAY 18, 2014

'Matthew Faustman is co-founder & CEO of San Francisco-based startup UpCounsel. The world of labor is changing. Through laptops and mobile devices, a new world of services is becoming more accessible. The platforms enabling such services are also providing new homes for a rising entrepreneurial class of worker who is no longer being defined by the cubical.

San Francisco 157

San Francisco Cofounder Mobile Web 157

Gust

MAY 17, 2014

'Although that’s probably not the right question to be asking (because the right investor is one who is investing in you as a businessperson, not you as a minorityperson), some firms and groups specializing in this sector are NMAN, the National Minority Angel Network ( [link] m/ ), MAIN, the Minority Angel Investor Network ( [link] investor… ), and Jalia Ventures( [link] ventures.com/ ).

Angel Investor 142

Angel Investor Early Stage Networking 142

Up and Running

MAY 23, 2014

'You’re probably mulling over a business idea. It’s probably something you’ve been thinking about for a while. And you’re probably ready to turn your business idea into a reality. As part of the planning stage, you’ll want to gather information, do research, and make sure that your business idea is viable. During this information-gathering stage, there’s a small list of people you should talk with before you move forward with bigger steps like applying for a bank loan or looking at commer

Tennessee 121

Tennessee LLC Finance Equity 121

YoungUpstarts

MAY 19, 2014

'You have products that you know people will want to use and enjoy, but you are not sure how to go about selling them online. The options are endless. If you have your own website, you can sell products through the site, but you will need to find a way to direct people to it. You can do that through assorted marketing tactics. Those who want to learn how to sell a product online should first find out how to market their website.

Product 183

Product Affiliate Social Media HTML 183

The Next Web

MAY 18, 2014

'Georgianna Oliver is the founder and CEO of Package Concierge, developer of a package locker solution for apartment and student housing communities. Good ideas are the easy part of entrepreneurship. Nearly anyone can come up with a business idea, but it takes a lot more than wishful thinking to turn an idea into a company. It takes even more to turn an idea into a company that can grow and thrive, even after the original team moves on.

Founder 146

Founder Community Web Startup 146

The Equity Kicker

MAY 23, 2014

'Andy Dunn from Bonobos wrote yesterday about the dominance of Amazon in what he calls ecommerce 1.0 and ‘scale ecommerce’ – that is selling third party brands and taking stock, and identifies four strategies for ecommerce ‘David’s’ who want to take on the ‘Goliath’: Proprietary pricing – e.g. flash sales companies like Zulily and One Kings Lane.

eCommerce 120

eCommerce Business Model Flash Curation 120

SiliconHills

MAY 23, 2014

'By LAURA LOREK Founder of Silicon Hills News A panel of women entrepreneurs in Austin managed to find funding for their ventures despite the odds being stacked against them. “There’s no ratio or statistic that has gotten in their way,” said Jan Ryan, serial entrepreneur and CEO of Women@Austin. That panel at the Austin Technology […] The post Pioneering Women Tech Entrepreneurs in Austin appeared first on SiliconHills.

Austin 125

Austin Entrepreneur Media Founder 125

YoungUpstarts

MAY 22, 2014

'Forget about Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, there are some far lesser known geeks who are quietly working behind the scenes but holding on to the reigns of the tech world. Consider Paul Graham (pictured right), the man who is known for helming startup incubator Y Combinator - whose startups have a combined value of $13.7 billion in 2013 - but who also helped popularize Lisp programming with his books “ On Lisp: Advanced Techniques for Common Lisp ” and “ ANSI Commo

Cofounder 176

Cofounder Incubator Programming Technology 176

The Next Web

MAY 19, 2014

'Carlos Eduardo Espinal is a partner at Seedcamp, an early stage mentoring and investment program that engages startups through monthly Seedcamp Events. I’ve been fortunate to have been part of over one hundred founders’ journeys from developing their initial idea to raising investor money for scaling. As such, several of these founders shared with me their stories in deciding whether to persevere with an idea, or pivot into something new.

Early Stage 145

Early Stage Programming Web Founder 145

The Equity Kicker

MAY 21, 2014

'Benedict Evans wrote an interesting yesterday about Android fragmentation (tl:dr 75% of devices that hit the Play Store run Android 4.x meaning Google has reduced the impact of fragmentation, additionally they’ve sidestepped the issue for their own services by moving them out of the OS and into a software layer that can be updated over the air).

Startup 115

Startup Mobile Cost Software 115

SiliconHills

MAY 23, 2014

'By LAURA LOREK Founder of Silicon Hills News The Austin Technology Council’s Startup Showdown builds a bridge between the startup community and those who have more seasoned experiences and companies, said Josh Alexander, founder of Toopher. Toopher, a security platform that helps businesses authentic and verify their customers online, won the ATC Startup Showcase in […] The post Four Austin Startups Shine at the 2014 ATC Startup Showdown appeared first on SiliconHills.

Austin 121

Austin Incubator Startup Security 121

YoungUpstarts

MAY 22, 2014

'By Teddy Hunt. Social media marketing is a hip and brilliant way to drive traffic to your business. But are you doing it right? Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ are fantastic networks that, when used correctly, can give you exciting marketing opportunities that lead to conversions. If you’re using these platforms, make sure you’re not making any of these ghastly mistakes.

Social Media 157

Social Media Campaign Media Marketing 157