Sat.Apr 17, 2010 - Fri.Apr 23, 2010

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Want to Know the Difference Between a CTO and a VP Engineering?

Both Sides of the Table

I recently did a post for startups on understanding sales people. A few people have asked me to try and define the perfect startup organization chart. I don’t believe that one exists. Every team configuration is different. But I do have more insight into understanding your startup team. This time I thought I’d try and address engineering talent.

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Startup Development

SoCal CTO

I’ve come to realize that I have lots of posts around startup software development scattered around in different posts. Thought it would be good to capture them in one spot and also include links to related posts from other sources. Startup Software Development – Do Your Homework Before You Develop Anything Startup Software Developers Symptoms of a Weak Development Team Technology Roles in Startups Startup CTO or Developer Part-Time CTO Technology Advisor CTO Founder Acting CTO Software Developm

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How to Remove Maligning Web Content

Startup Professionals Musings

In the spirit of highlighting new startup opportunities, I think we need some new companies who can track down and remove unwanted content on the web. This would include removal of defaming items that have been published maliciously about innocent victims and companies, and just plain errors in data which may harm your company or your personal profile.

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No wonder people hate developing for Blackberry

This is going to be BIG.

Boy did I have an epiphany last night. Every time I talk to a mobile developer, they complain about what a pain in the ass it is to develop for Blackberry—given that so many of the device/carrier combinations require customizations. On top of that, numbers for app downloads on Blackberry trail other platforms. Yesterday, I figured out why. A friend of mine asked me how she could get Twitter on her Blackberry.

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Building Healthy Innovation Ecosystems for Your Projects

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

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Know and avoid “time bankruptcy.”

Berkonomics

Time bankruptcy results from the deliberate over-commitment of core resources. . I created the term “time bankruptcy” almost thirty years ago when the computer software business was young, and I was a software developer building a young company based upon quality first. Asked to speak at a number of software industry events, I found my voice and immediate audience understanding as I described variants of the following problem to my audience.

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Match Algorithm and Inputs

SoCal CTO

One of the common questions that I commonly get is: Tony, what inputs should we use as the basis for our matching algorithm? Every time I hear that question, it worries me a bit. eHarmony came with lots of research behind the dimensions of compatibility and how those related to marriage longevity and happiness. The people asking the above question don’t have that research and they also don’t really know how the matches should occur.

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More Trending

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#DEATHtweet – Interview with Tim Tosta

Life Beyond Code

Disclaimer : I am the executive editor of the THINKaha series of books of which #DEATHtweet is one of them. Tim is a personal friend and I have enjoyed my many conversations with him over these years. Background : Tim Tosta is the author of ‘ #DEATHtweet – a Well Lived Life Through 140 Perspectives on Death and Its Teachings ’, published by Happy About, to rave reviews.

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Never Hire Job Hoppers. Never. They Make Terrible Employees

Both Sides of the Table

This is part of my startup advice series. This post isn’t going to be popular. I’m sure of that. That’s OK. It’s still important advice for startup founders and something that I’m passionate about. And I care more about the debate than trying to be popular. And it’s important because it’s true. I never hire job hoppers.

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Bazaarvoice Inks Deal with “The Google”

Austin Startup

The annual Social Commerce Summit created by Bazaarvoice seems to just get better year after year. The attendance grows higher, the clever marketing continues to pour out, and the announcements are big. So what could get bigger than an announcement about a new product , and a search deal with Google ? Bazaarvoice announced that is has partnered with Google to share high-quality product review content from Bazaarvoice client sites on Google Web Search, Google Product Search, and Google AdWords ad

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Join My Online Split Testing Class on May 11th

Software By Rob

Software by Rob Passionate about Startups and MicroISVs Lessons Learned by a Serial Entrepreneur home about press micropreneurs archives ← It’s Easy to Criticize from the Stands Catch Me at the 2010 Business of Software Conference in Boston → Join My Online Split Testing Class on May 11th Micropreneurship , Startups If youre trying grow your startup youve come to the right place.

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100% in the clouds

deal architect

It is such a contrast to see some folks still debate about whether clouds are “secure” and “scalable” when at the other end of the spectrum I talk to clients who talk about “we are 60% in the cloud, and. Tags: Cloud Computing, SaaS.

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Chartbeat is to Blogs as Google Analytics is to Print Newspapers

Both Sides of the Table

What do Google Analytics and print newspapers have in common? They’re both one day out of date when you read them. I’ve been using Chartbeat for over a month now to track performance of my blog and I find myself looking at Google Analytics much less these days. In fact, I’m surprised by how antiquated Google Analytics feels. Chartbeat is a relatively young company and product.

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Turning on your Reality Distortion Field

Steve Blank

I was catching up over coffee and a muffin with a student I hadn’t seen for years who’s now CEO of his own struggling startup. As I listened to him present the problems of matching lithium-ion battery packs to EV powertrains and direct drive motors, I realized that he had a built a product for a segment of the electric vehicle market that possibly could put his company on the right side of a major industry discontinuity.

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NetSuite, The Forgotten Man

Venture Chronicles

Last week I took advantage of the opportunity to visit with NetSuite during their annual user conference held here in San Francisco. I wasn’t expecting anything earth shattering, if only because this company has been around for a long time now, 12 years to be exact and probably as well known for it’s largest shareholder, Larry Ellison, as being a pioneer in software as a service business applications.

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The Age of Entrepreneurship

Startup Professionals Musings

By Akira Hirai Entrepreneurship. The word conjures images of twenty-something graduate students hacking code in a Silicon Valley dorm room, fueled by a steady supply of Red Bull and Ramen. Starting a tech company requires youthful vigor, endurance, freedom from obligations like mortgages, imagination, and an intimate understanding of what’s trendy and hip.

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Launchpad LA – 10 Startup Companies to Watch

Both Sides of the Table

Thursday night was the unveiling of the newest batch of Launchpad LA companies. We held a 90-minute demo session where 150 of LA’s VC’s and senior technology executives watched the LPLA V2 group present in small groups of 12-15 each. The VC’s & executives were then asked to make “commitments&# (in writing) to 3-5 of the companies that they felt they could make some sort of contribution to.

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Accounting for Startups: Cash-basis or Accrual-basis?

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

You didn't start a business so that you could learn accounting, but learn accounting you must! Here's a little help. QuickBooks lets you switch between two radically different methods of accounting with a click of a button. It's nice to have accommodating software, but which one should you pick? Never heard of either of these? Time to learn: "Cash-Basis" accounting means you only count revenue and expenses that you actually have.

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Not all good opportunities are good to take

Aymeric Gaurat-Apelli

Skip to content Follow: RSS Email Twitter Aymeric Gaurat-Apelli On building profitable web applications Home Contact me Creations Blog Books Entrepreneurship & Startups General Online experiments Programming tips and tricks Startup tips and tricks Tags entrepreneurship , wisdom Not all good opportunities are good to take by Aymeric on April 21st, 2010 Last year, I was seriously busy, as busy as anybody who tries to run a business with thousands of customers/users while having a full time job

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Startup Public Relations – Do it Yourself

Startup Professionals Musings

As an entrepreneur, it’s never too early to start selling yourself and your idea. I hear lots of excuses from startup founders, like “I’m too busy,” concern over IP security, can’t afford an agency, and it’s too early. The result is they get no feedback, no credibility, no visibility, and no investors until months later than they expect. I’m definitely not lobbying here for promising things you can’t deliver, or hiring a publicist before your first programmer.

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This Week in Venture Capital – Episode 3

Both Sides of the Table

OK, it’s official! I’m now the permanent host for TWiVC (until such time as they kick me off). Thank you to anybody who sent Jason a note on Twitter on my behalf. The episode isn’t yet live but it should be in the morning (probably when you’re reading this) – you can find it here. It was a fun show today, especially Jason’s story at the very end of the episode!

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Matching

SoCal CTO

I guess it was bound to happen, I now seem to be writing a series of posts around Matching. This is where I’ll keep my list of these posts, related articles and posts from other sources: Social Media Matching – Looks at how in many ways, everything is matching. The BIG value lies not in “deep relationships” brought online, but in leveraging the breadth and time-and-place independent access to other people.

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Wise Labs, the mission statement

Aymeric Gaurat-Apelli

Skip to content Follow: RSS Email Twitter Aymeric Gaurat-Apelli On building profitable web applications Home Contact me Creations Blog Books Entrepreneurship & Startups General Online experiments Programming tips and tricks Startup tips and tricks Tags mission statement , wise labs Wise Labs, the mission statement by Aymeric on April 23rd, 2010 When I was looking for a way to provide value to people while building a profitable business, I listed the four following high level options: I could

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Ten Tips for an Investment-Grade Business Plan

Startup Professionals Musings

People ask me if they really need ANY business plan, unless they are looking for an outside investor. In fact, a business plan is needed more by you than investors, as the blueprint for your company, team communication, and progress metrics. Things that make it investment-grade for outside investors will also benefit you, since you are the ultimate investor.

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Four myths about the Lean Startup

Startup Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Sunday, April 18, 2010 Four myths about the Lean Startup Myth: Lean means cheap. Lean startups try to spend as little money as possible. Truth: The Lean Startup method is not about cost, it is about speed. Lean Startups waste less money, because they use a disciplined approach to testing new products and ideas. Lean, when used in the context of lean startup, refers to a process of building companies and products using lean manufacturing principles applied to innovati

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Match Performance Support

SoCal CTO

I’ve had several recent conversations with startups who are building companies based on matching. One of the things that I think gets commonly missed by these companies when I first talk to them is that they need more than providing matching, they need performance support. What do I mean by this? Let me go back and do my classic search for "eHarmony of" startup and find a few examples to use: People to Projects (Managers) People to Jobs (Hiring Managers) Students to Tutors Each of thes

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Wise Labs, the mission statement | Aymeric Gaurat-Apelli

Aymeric Gaurat-Apelli

Skip to content Follow: RSS Email Twitter Aymeric Gaurat-Apelli On building profitable web applications Home Contact me Creations Blog Books Entrepreneurship & Startups General Online experiments Programming tips and tricks Startup tips and tricks Tags mission statement , wise labs Wise Labs, the mission statement by Aymeric on April 23rd, 2010 When I was looking for a way to provide value to people while building a profitable business, I listed the four following high level options: I could

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Top Ten Tips for Pitching to Investors

Startup Professionals Musings

The average length of a funding pitch to investors is ten minutes. I was recently a judge at a local event where the time limit for each startup was two minutes. Yet a big complaint I hear from investors is that startup founders often waste their time and forget to get to the point. I suspect the real problem is that they are often pitching the wrong point.

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Some Thoughts On TechStars and Advice for Young Entrepreneurs

Feld Thoughts

Steve Bell of StartupTrek once again does a nice job of capturing my thoughts in under 7 minutes – this time on TechStars and some advice for young entrepreneurs. Tags: TechStars.

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How to Write Great Press-Release-Quotes

Rembrandt Communications

If you are in the process of writing a press release, here are a few quick things to keep in mind when writing your quotes: Provide value. How many times do you see a press release where the CEO is “thrilled” or “excited” about the news item? Of course he or she is! Otherwise, the [.].

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Sneak preview, KISSmetrics (and more)

Startup Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Saturday, April 17, 2010 Sneak preview, KISSmetrics (and more) Hear the CEO of KISSmetrics give a sneak preview of what hell be presenting at the Startup Lessons Learned conference on April 23 (were less than a week away!): Conference updates continue to pour in: Want to see more preview videos? Take a look at our new sneak-preview site , sponsored by KISSmetrics.

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Legal Mistakes Every Startup Can Avoid

Startup Professionals Musings

Although every startup is unique, there are certain common avoidable mistakes that can lead to legal complications which jeopardize the long-term success of the business. I’m not suggesting that every startup needs a lawyer, but you should definitely pay attention, and not be afraid to consult legal counsel if any of these raise qualms for you. Like other environments, most legal issues don’t result from fraud, but from ignorance on specific requirements, or simply never getting around to doing

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How Does Foundry Group Think About Investing?

Feld Thoughts

At Foundry Group , we often talk about our thematic approach to investing. Steve Bell from StartupTrek did a nice job of capturing my perspective in under eight minutes. Tags: Foundry Group investing themes.

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What Can You Learn From The World’s Best Brands?

crowdSPRING Blog

You might recall my post earlier this year about PSFK’s Good Brands Report 2009. In that post – Branding Secrets Of The World’s Best Brands – I talked about five common lessons that startups and small businesses can learn from the world’s best brands. Those lessons included: having a good name/logo, consistency, developing an ecosystem, building community, and delivering value.

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Please Welcome Dave Winer (back) to New York

This is going to be BIG.

“Experience has shown that the next generation of startups will be born in the previous-generation startups. So by concentrating inteligence here, the network can develop and new ideas can develop, around the realities of a changing media business, which is a very different perspective from that of Silicon Valley. That's why it's important that New York not think of itself as an outpost of the tech industry.

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99Tribes – Are you discoverable on Twitter?

Life Beyond Code

Yesterday was the launch of our pet project 99Tribes. 99Tribes is a discovery engine for people on Twitter. Some background first. Search vs Discovery. There is a big debate about what’s the big deal about discovery when we have search engines that do the job.Here is a quick explanation. We always search within the circle of of our awareness. If we are not aware of something, it’s hard to type those in the search boxes.

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Help Repeal The Amazon Tax (Colorado HB10-1193)

Feld Thoughts

Colorado HB10-1193 – also known as the “Amazon Tax” – really upset me as I wrote about in Amazon Fires Its Affiliates in Colorado (Including Me) Because of Colorado HB 10-1193. While I discovered a partial solution via a service from a company called Viglink which I wrote about in I’m An Amazon Affiliate Again – Sort Of I’m still really annoyed with the myopia of our Colorado state representatives around this issue.

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