Understanding the investment process in Silicon Valley used to require membership to a very exclusive club of investors, plugged-in media and experienced entrepreneurs. Adeo Ressi sought to change that. After starting seven successful companies that created over $2 billion in shareholder value he was faced with diminishing equity with each new company he would start. In 2007, Ressi unveiled the anonymously backed TheFunded.com in 2007 to shine a light on the situation to improve the human and financial relationships between…
Redefining the Echo Chamber to Excel in an Economic Crisis
My latest post is now up on TechCrunch. What follows is the unedited director’s cut. The point of this article is to redefine how startups (not solely tech companies) view and define early adopters and the “echo chamber” in order to gain momentum in order to “cross the chasm” to the next tier of evolution, adoption, and monetization. This is about uncovering the very people who can benefit from what they’re introducing and in turn, evolve the product/service based on…
In A Down Economy, Tomorrow’s Leaders are Born Today
Thomas Kinkade According to news makers, analysts, and experts and their constituents, the sky is falling. You can’t run away or hide from this very grim reality. While we are in throes of a major financial crisis, it is during the most difficult of times when character is truly tested and defined. Panic only leads to the further declination and eradication of progress. Yes the market is slipping. Yes, the financial market is resetting. But the U.S economy, actually, the…
This week: The Art of Start and Launch: Silicon Valley
My friend Zoli Erdos let me know about two important events coming up this week. On November 8, 2006, make plans to attend The Art of Start and Launch Silicon Valley produced by SVASE and Garage.com. The Art of the Start is a conference dedicated to helping entrepreneurs succeed. It runs from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Start-up authority and popular business author Guy Kawasaki and experts from Garage, along with Silicon Valley leaders and mavericks, venture capitalists, and successful…
STIRR It Up! Founder’s Mixer 1.6 Raises the Bar
This was STIRR ’s sixth event and there was no doubt that it was the biggest to date. In fact they had to move from Blue Chalk in Palo Alto to The Whisper Lounge in SF in order to accomodate the growth. In discussions with Sean Ness and Joanne Wan, estimates were easily placed at about 225. 225…? Kudos STIRR team! STIRR is an effective mix of “live” social and business networking among a highly qualified crowd of tech innovators,…
September Silicon Valley NewTech Meetup
Your host, Vincent Lauria Last night’s Silicon Valley NewTech Meetup was definitely the biggest yet. Vincent “Vinnie” Lauria again took center stage to welcome guests, which included VCs, engineers, programmers, entrepreneurs, bloggers, and plenty of CEOs. The evening’s lineup included four up-and-coming Web startups, some more well known than others (and maybe one that really isn’t a startup per se). And interestingly enough, all seem to have found their niche for creating a loyal customer-base. For those of you too…
VentureBeat Launches, Crashes, and Emerges as the Valley’s Newest, Must-Read Blog
What a last couple of days….sorry to report on this so late, but, as always, you will get one helluva a report! For all of you SiliconBeat readers, you may have found this message… And for you others, you may have read at SiliconBeat, Valleywag, Stowe Boyd’s Message, among many others…VentureBeat recently launched, and then crashed amidst the linking frenzy that ensued…but has emerged as a bonafide resource for Venture-related deals and companies worth tracking in and around Silicon Valley….
WifiTastic – Look Out Fon and the rest of you Fon’eros!
With all of the hype and buzz around free WiFi and big investments in companies trying to bring free connectivity to a neighborood near you, including venture-funded Fon, Google’s new service for Mountain View residents and employees and Wireless Silicon Valley…one company is taking a different approach. They are making Wifi earn money for you! Founded by David Sidrane and Rob Harding, WifiTastic officially introduced its public BETA program recently. Unlike the others, WifiTastic enables any broadband subscriber to create…
Dead 2.0 Runs Killer Article – Should VCs fund bloggers’ wet dreams?
Skeptic over at Dead “Twenty” – inside joke– ran an impressive post today regarding the ideas, benefits, and consequences of blogs taking VC funding. I’ll run a few excerpts, but make sure to jump over there and read the full article. He starts by asking, “So the question is, can bloggers successfully build businesses that are worth funding?” Then continues, “An even better question is: why raise the money?” His post explores the market as well as high profile funded…
TechCrunch 7 – Web 2.0 Party of the Summer
Photo Credit: Scott Beale, Laughing Squid Unfortunately I had to miss what turned out to be an amazing party. I had to sneak-in one last camping getaway with the family before the end of summer. Laurence (Lo) Toney, VP Marketplace Operations, art.com, attended TechCrunch 7 and was gracious enough to provide us with his wrap-up report. Lo Toney, Guest Blogger, PR2.0 It was labeled the Web 2.0 party of the summer – Michael Arrington’s TechCrunch party or TechCrunch 7 for…
