Wednesday, September 8, 2010David Beisel - Co-Founder and Partner, NextView Ventures
Most VCs drink beer, but how much do they realize that their industry is increasingly resembling that of the beer industry? Forgive me if I start a bit theoretical. The famed business strategist Michael Porter described a set of successful general strategies which firms employ to...
Tuesday, September 7, 2010Antonio Rodriguez - General Partner, Matrix Partners
Here is an end-of-the-summer thought for all of my friends in social media: We've all gotten so busy screaming into miasma of Twitter, Facebook, Buzz, etc. that we've forgotten the real magic of the net. As my buddy Doc said a decade ago: it's about conversations. Before there was social media...
Tuesday, September 7, 2010Keith Cline - Founder, VentureFizz
Welcome to the... "summer is over" ...edition of our weekly email. And, what a great summer it was... some time off, amazing weather, and... several acquisitions. Well, I hope everyone's batteries have been recharged because the next few months are going to be very, very busy. Need proof? Just check out...
The US economy and domestic job creation have been in deep shit lately and neither seem to be improving anytime soon. Intel co-founder Andy Grove recently wrote a profound article on BusinessWeek “How America Can Create Jobs” that I personally thoroughly enjoyed and spoke to the current market...
Thursday, September 2, 2010Victoria Song - Research Associate, Harvard Business School
With the entrance of Facebook Places last week, it is now clear that the core “check-in” feature in all the recent geo-location services has become commoditized. The check-in services that will manage to stay afloat in this tough competition are those which can differentiate....
Wednesday, September 1, 2010Keith Cline - Founder, VentureFizz
Startup Bootcamp is a one day, free event at MIT where entrepreneurs and venture capitalists give talks on how to start a company. This year's event is being held on Saturday, Sept, 11th. Click here for the additional details. Speakers (so far) for this year's event include...
Tuesday, August 31, 2010Eric Paley - Managing Partner, Founder Collective
I’ve been thinking lately about how founders should decide when it is time to sell their startups and how to put aside the different incentives that often drive these decisions. Large VC funds have a strong appetite to fund entrepreneurs that want to swing for the fences. This was evident...
Monday, August 30, 2010Keith Cline - Founder, VentureFizz
CardStar is a Boston based company that is building a consumer-focused platform connecting loyalty cards, merchants and coupons via mobile devices. Their loyalty rewards app has been downloaded over 1.4 million times and is available on all of the major app stores. Danny Espinoza (CTO & Co-Founder) was...
Monday, August 30, 2010Keith Cline - Founder, VentureFizz
THE QUEST for Innovation is back!!! What is THE QUEST for Innovation??? It is a mobile scavenger hunt (using SCVNGR's mobile gaming platform) which brings together entrepreneurs and innovators to collaborate, compete, and celebrate the region's long legacy as a hub of global innovation. This event...
Friday, August 27, 2010Ralph Folz - CEO, WordStream
1. Define & Live by Core Values. Authenticity, Transparency, Embracing Change, Customer Intimacy. These are a sampling of the core values that have formed in companies I have been involved with. When core values are defined, and more importantly, enacted, they provide a powerful...
