Libya — until recently, listed by the U.S. for its role in international terrorism — is the “.ly” for web URL shortening service Bit.ly, which just scored a recent venture round. The service–used by people to make their links shorter, for inclusion in email messages, Twitter posts, etc.– just raised $2M from O’Reilly Alphatech Ventures [...]
Remember that famous New Yorker Cartoon, i.e. “On the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” ? The cartoon, published in 1993, showed two dogs sitting at a computer with one at the keyboard, illustrating how–at least back then–it didn’t really matter who you were, you could be anyone you wanted online. I think there’s a [...]
For anyone who might care, I’ve been called as a last minute, pinch hitter to moderate the SoCalBio panel Working Through the Downturn: Tips for the Bioscience Industry as Obama’s Stimulus Package Takes Effect tomorrow night (Thursday). The panel is up in Oxnard/Ventura. It should be interesting to hear how the bioscience industry is coping [...]
I had to laugh when I saw that a group is putting together a conference all about Twitter, the micro-blogging/messaging service. 140 The Twitter Conference says it is “the place where developers, business people, and enthusiasts converge to find innovative ways to tap into the Real-Time Web.” Having been to enough technology conferences which aren’t [...]
Just a heads up for anyone thinking about applying to the Technology Council of Southern California’s annual Technology Industry Awards. Tomorrow is the last day to apply. Categories this year are: Individual Categories: CEO of the Year Entrepreneur of the Year Company Categories: Software Company of the Year Hardware/Storage Company of the Year Internet/New Media [...]
There’s been a lot of attention lately given to a McKinsey & Company study of “innovation hubs” – cities and where the fit in terms of innovation, creation of new companies, etc. There was no mention of Southern California in the map, but recently, they updated their charts and you’re now able to see that [...]
Maybe it’s because of the upcoming NCAA tournaments, or maybe it’s just because of Southern California’s great weather–but looking over some of our recent coverage it seems like we’re developing quite the list of sports related companies: RotoHog.com – fantasy sports games KlickSports – sports prediction games RazorGator – sports and entertainment tickets Break.com, with [...]
I often run into entrepreneurs looking to raise their very first round of capital (whether that is angel funding or venture capital), and I find there’s a common mistake new entrepreneurs make: they don’t ask for enough money. Wait a second–you say they’re not asking too much, they’re asking too little? Yes, lots of entrepreneurs [...]
Interested in winning a free ticket to the Internet Merchant Association’s conference in Las Vegas? (worth $599)? The Internet Merchant’s Association conference is focused on the e-retail marketplace. Find out the three keys to thriving, not just surviving in this economy. Just email us at info@socaltech.com with your name, email, and contact information! Paid members [...]
A few years ago, there was a pretty standard question that investors would ask startup entrepeneurs looking for money: What happens if Microsoft decides to get into your market? The question today seems to have shifted, rightly so, to: what happens if Google gets into your market? Last night, Google announced Google Voice, a voicemail [...]
Thoughts and commentary from Benjamin F. Kuo, publisher of socalTECH.com.
