August 2010
5 posts
"It's Evolution Baby"
Pretty sure these “battles” between Angels and VCs and the evolution of the funding side of the start-up ecosystem is good news for the “do’eurs”…
http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/15/venture-capital-super-angel-war-entrepreneur/
First There Was LeBron James Inc. Now There's...
With LeBron’s brand taking a MASSIVE hit with “The Decision” circus, here comes the dyanmic Steve Nash with a big time Madison Avenue heavyweight in Deutsch’s Michael Duda launching a competing venture which I’d bet on…
http://adage.com/agencynews/article?article_id=145303
It's Too Bad Dave McClure Doesn't Tell It Like It...
http://www.fastcompany.com/1676896/moneyball-for-startups-invest-before-productmarket-fit-double-down-after
The INTERNET has changed life DRAMATICALLY for BILLIONS around the globe — yet most VCs & lawyers still close deals via fax & snail mail.
Fuck. That. Noise.
Most consumer internet investors, large or small, have no goddamn clue what they are doing. They are getting killed on...
Mike Cassidy = My "Michael Jordan"
To create, build and exit 1 is AWESOME…but 4!!!???
“Mike, great to meet you…can I carry your bag? Get you a cup of coffee? Clean your pool? Detail your car? Whatever I can do…just get me in the game and on your team”
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2010-08-03-cassidy03_ST_N.htm
Thanks to Brett DeBord of PROtential, a big hitter in the making, for forwarding...
ENORMOUSLY POWERFUL Statement From Google's CEO
“Like WHOA”…what else can you say about this one…absolutely incredible to consider the implications of what we’re experiencing right about now
Every two days now we create as much information as we did from the dawn of civilization up until 2003, according to Schmidt. That’s something like five exabytes of data, he says.
Let me repeat that: we create as much...
July 2010
8 posts
Kiva & Domestic Microlending Program
Microfinance is very cool.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/29/business/smallbusiness/29sbiz.html?src=me&ref=business
Technology + Sports = Giants Stadium App
The new Giants Stadium includes 100M investment in technology…including some in-stadium day of game App powered by Cisco and Verizon…interesting…VERY interesting
Why limit the app to just the day of game? Imagine what else you could do…
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/29/sports/football/29stadium.html?_r=2&ref=technology
"Advertising is F*cked"
Aka “Advertising is Next”
Every once in a while…well, maybe not “every once in a while” because that sounds like it doesn’t happen all that often so I’ll go with “sometimes”…
Sometimes you read an article that speaks to you in a profound and powerful way. Kind of like that Maxell commercial from back in the day when the guy in the chair...
Amber Being Amber....AWESOME!
The work of an awesome catalyst in the NYC Start-Up world profiled in the NYT. Keep doing what you’re doing!!
http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/fraternity-of-the-wired-works-in-the-wee-hours/?scp=1&sq=amber%20lambke%20&st=cse
NFL Embracing Location In Deal w/SCVNGR
I’m a Foursquare guy…but this is a SMART move here by SCVNGR in partnering with the New England Patriots. Smart…Real Smaaaaaaaaart
http://techcrunch.com/2010/07/15/help-vince-patriots-scvngr/
When I think of the New England Patriots, I think of Boston…Boston and “smart” reminds me of the “smart kids” line in “Good Will Hunting”, one of...
Ron Conway + LeBron + Jeter + Peyton...
…invested in “We Play” - a youth sports social network and team management platform.
http://www.crunchbase.com/company/weplay
LOVE seeing athletes/musicians/celebrities etc leveraging their platform to expand their brand into entrepreneurial ventures that are organic to what they do.
Do you think the Knicks baked in start-up assumptions into their LeBron pitch that allowed...
Derek Fisher Will Be Successful At Whatever He's...
Great article forwarded by Dave McKenzie, Founder/CEO of TailorBet, a sports related technology start-up.
I don’t know who said it originally, but I’m pretty sure it was the late Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead - aim not only to be the best at what you do, but the only one capable of doing what you do - or something along those lines.
Derek Fisher channels his inner Jerry Garcia in...
Long-Term VC Trend? Smaller, More Hands On
It seems to make a whole lot of sense considering the dramatically lower costs of starting a business today as well as the significant strategic/operational/busdev value that can be delivered by more experienced executives looking to help entrepreneurs accelerate the scaling efforts of these businesses.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/06/a-new-smaller-fund-at-venrock/?ref=business
June 2010
11 posts
The LeBron James Brand
Always good to see King James continuing his entrepreneurial ways.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100625/ap_en_mu/us_people_lebron_james
$1M Start-Up Contest...
Business plan competition for building a next generation agency start-up with the winner(s) receiving $1M from…yep, Miles Nadal.
Coincidence? No way…
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/business/media/25adco.html?adxnnl=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1277561502-fMOGrfBAdxvbcrh5BW5ASg
Miles Nadal aka Animal aka The Kind of CEO You...
A quick interview with an authentic game changer, Miles Nadal, CEO of MDC.
This is the kind of a*s kicking CEO who creates an environment and culture that unlocks everyone’s true potential.
Wow…
“There are only two things that a CEO of a firm does that has any meaning: one is attracting great leadership and the second is the allocation of capital. There is nothing I do every...
What's The ROI of a College Degree?
This conversation NEVER gets old. Are students today being prepared to take tests or being prepared to become the next generation of American leaders? Is there an appropriate balance between Theory and Practice being taught inside and outside the classroom? Is it time to revisit the purpose of an “education” and how we are preparing the next generation? What if college graduates...
Authentic & Smart Marketing
Stoked on all the different ways that smart, clever and authentic brands are continuing to embrace the new definition of “influencer” in the massively connected world.
Great to see what Virgin is doing through Twitter in a cool, not “hard sell” kind of way…
http://mashable.com/2010/06/21/virgin-america-klout-influencers/
Digital Cailfornia License Plates to Drive Ad...
Wow…
http://mashable.com/2010/06/21/california-license-plates/
“On the other hand, some people will complain that there are already too many ads out there. Billboards line the highways, cabs carry ads, and cities and states have been selling ads on buses and trains for ages. Maybe that’s too much, or maybe we’re all accustomed to tuning it out by now anyway.”
Trees vs Sprouts
Solid article on Mashable discussing the future of Newspapers/News. Just like so many other legacy business models out there today, the newspaper industry is struggling to respond to the changed environment it now operates in.
Understanding how these businesses do and don’t respond never gets boring to me because regardless of the business, industry etc. evolving a legacy business model...
““You can’t buy attention anymore” (brands need to earn it)
...”
– Alex Bogusky & Faris Yakob
Next Generation "Advertising Agency" Model
Historically, advertising agencies have been compensated by traditional, all encompassing retainer and project fees to cover all of their efforts in creating and delivering campaigns. With little proven alternatives, agencies monetize their work through staffing plans driven by bodies, hourly rates and billable hours. In essence, agencies have basically been rewarded for “effort” and...
Pepsi Continues to Stay Ahead of the Curve -...
Last year, Pepsi carved out a portion of its marketing spend to create a marketing and technology innovation/investment fund. Then, they did some interesting things around location based services including a deal with Foursquare…and now even more impressive innovation.
“PepsiCo 10” is an in-house start-up incubator that is being created in conjunction with Highland Capital and...
Less Sexy, More Practical Apps
“Snapfinger”
Here’s a very practical app that solves a problem EVERYONE is familiar with…the at times ENORMOUSLY annoying process of ordering takeout. Finding the number, calling, being put on hold, the noise in the background, the repeating of the order, the timing of pickup, the “do you think they got our order right?” question etc
Impressive stats on...
May 2010
12 posts
FB's "Questions"
It will be interesting to see how the market responds to “Questions” and how Corporate America might be invited into this environment…I’m sure they could come up with a few “business related questions” that they “might” need some help answering and would be willing to compensate the community for answering.
...
Predictive Analytics Applied to Retail
Very cool program being rolled out by Sam’s Club, Wal-Mart’s warehouse chain, called eValues that offers bargains tailored to each member, based on that member’s buying history.
Amazing to see what will develop around leveraging the mountains of consumer data that exists in today’s loyalty programs and going forward as they become more advanced.
...
"You Share With Me, I'm Going To Make Your Life...
With the conversation around online privacy concerns generating more and more momentum (i.e “Quit Facebook Day”), it seems like businesses that are transparent and open about their intentions to leverage consumer data to provide them with more of what they want (i.e, Mint, Beezag, WeShop etc) are well positioned to benefit.
...
Opportunity, Culture & Runway - A Way To Evaluate...
Sometimes it’s easy to over complicate the process of evaluating a job opportunity, a business venture etc. One of my mentors has shared with me what I think is one of the best “Big Picture” ways to best way to evaluate a situation…”Opportunity, Culture & Runway”.
Opportunity - What’s the market opportunity and your role within the organization to go...
Monetizing Facebook
Talk about an interesting subject…
Whether it’s FB’s credits, the location based crew’s marketing partnerships etc it’s exciting to see how social media is being harnessed for commerce.
I understand the importance of “Big Ideas” and the “URL” approach (“Ubiquity now Revenue Later”) but it’s also great to see people build...
Social Media Savvy Brands - Top 50
A nice hit list for the Social Media BusDev community…then again, they should already know this stuff which I’m sure they do!!
Thanks to Barry Parasram over at PMK*BNC for the heads up…he’s obviously in the know with what’s happenin out there ;)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/18/companies-social-media-st_n_580609.html
Seatbelt Time...
As if the pace of change wasn’t fast enough before…things are about to accelerate MASSIVELY! If you’re into “change”, this is gonna be a whole lot of fun!
According to a new Juniper Research’s report, revenues from mobile location-based services are expected to reach more than $12.7 billion by 2014, driven by 1) smartphone proliferation, 2) surge in application...
Media Companies 2.0 = Gilt Group 2.0 & Groupon...
Oversimplifying of course, but if traditional media’s historical mission was to create compelling content, develop a loyal audience, engage relevant brands to “buy that audience” in the way of advertising units in an attempt to “sell them stuff”, the article below suggests that media companies should revisit their mission in light of today’s capabilities as...
CEO Draws Comparisons Between Business & Sport
I can’t get enough of the Business & Sport comparisons. Sunday’s NYT “Corner Office” interview with ad agency CEO Sharon Napier revolves around her sports background and how it translates to her approach to business building. Topics including roles, over preparation, DNA, curiosity, collaboration etc.
Can’t get enough of this kind of perspective…
...
Jay-Z to Suh - "Stay Humble, Stay Hungry"
Jay-Z…enough said.
http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/183231-jay-z-to-suh-dont-let-change-you?xid=cnnbin&hpt=Sbin
There's Something About Really Good Web Design...
Whether it’s communicating ideas effectively, translating a brand’s DNA, reinforcing a differentiation strategy, creating a smooth/frictionless/intuitive experience etc…in an increasingly connected world where we spend sooooo much time interacting through digital channels, nothing beats strong web design.
Thanks to Howard Han, Founder/CEO of Gigmaven.com for sharing a killer...
Twitter, Facebook & John Mayer's Wizardry
According to John Mayer, Twitter is d.e.a.d.
http://www.okmagazine.com/2010/04/john-mayer-twitter-is-pretty-much-done/
Another time, another place but it amazes me how much of a wizard John Mayer is when it comes to getting people to pay attention to his opinions…watch out Walt Mossberg, looks like John Mayer is a tech guru…or maybe, watch out Ashton.
Whether or not you dig his...
April 2010
11 posts
Location Based Marketing...Again
Great article that illustrates how the location based marketing stuff is creating a cool brand and consumer equation through Pepsi’s recent partnership with Foursquare.
Love the “Dashboard” for businesses to view Foursquare related activity around their business and brand.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/business/media/29adco.html?ref=business
“This is lean manufacturing for start-ups”
A thought provoking article in Sunday’s NYT around a relatively new approach to creating companies - “The Lean Start-Up”.
Interesting highlights include the significantly lower costs of starting a business today (i.e. web based tools) and a shifting focus from “making stuff” to “learning what customers want”.
The “so what” part of the...
Broadcast Model, Being Relevant & That Dude On The...
I find concepts that connect to the aggregation of consumer data, interests, passions, transactions, habits (in an opt-in environment of course) in the interest of enhancing our collective lifestyles/experiences (allow me to introduce…Foursquare, BeeZag.com, Mertado.com etc.) to be massively interesting.
Honestly, who likes it when that dude walks up to you on any given corner in NYC and...
NFL Draft, Tebow, Made vs Born & "Bounce" by...
I was going back and forth with a buddy of mine this morning about the NFL Draft and we immediately jumped into Tebow….
Thunder - Bro. tebow?
Me - You don’t want to hear my perspective on that one… ;)
Thunder - I actually do….i think it’s the worst pick ever
Me - Haaaaaaa!
I think it’s a BIG BOY pick that takes serious balls to make. For that reason, I dig...
Large Buyer...Mertado
VERY interesting deal hunting/social shopping concept by Mertado.
http://techcrunch.com/2010/04/20/yc-funded-mertado-deal-hunting-social-shopping-for-facebook/
Large buyer of anything that involves creating a consumer profile to give consumers more of what they want, how they want and when they want it while leveraging the social graph…and it gets smarter over time!
Redesign of "Brand New World"...
Received some great feedback from my WAY MORE technologically inclined friends and while they dig the content, the format, presentation and general design needs to be a whole lot more user friendly…so….I’ll keep posting but get ready for a much better looking version real soon!
Retail 2.0
Retailers are moving very quickly to adapt to the iPhone enabled shoppers needs and capabilities. Placecast, Yowza, ShopSavvy etc and now a Kleiner Perkins backed player - “Shopkick” - is getting involved. Blurring the lines between Bricks and Clicks is very very very cool.
WSJhttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703763904575196221941772404.html?mod=WSJ_hp_editorsPicks
...
“Entrepreneurship exists in the tiny space between madness and genius; and, its...”
– Comment by JLM on The Herd Instinct
"Tweet Tweet Boom Boom" - NY Magazine 4/18
Great New York Magazine article that digs into the NYC Start-Up scene with an overview of all sorts of players, highlighting Foursquare. Thanks to my buddy Barry Parasram over at PMK-BNC for forwarding.
“Using New York as their labratory, Foursquare - and Meetup and Yipit and Venmo and Hot Potato and dozens of others - facilitates and documents urban interactions, usually in real time,...
"The Manifesto"
As a “Corporate Intrapraneur”, I’ve had a diverse set of roles and responsibilities throughout the first phase of my career and over the last 2 years, my interest in what’s going on within the emerging NYC Tech start-up scene has gone from a passive interest to a full blown focus as I continue to explore the implications of these developments on the “way things get...
“If past history was all there was to the game, the richest people would be...”
– Warren Buffett