BLOG STARTUPS, VENTURE AND THE TECH BUSINESS
March 17 2010
by Todd Hixon
Teeth versus Tail
In one of his radio chats, Governor Patrick of Massachusetts talked about increasing the number of government jobs in the Commonwealth as a means to increase employment. “After all [he remarked], government jobs are just as good a private sector jobs”. That troubled me, and here’s why.
Gov. Patrick’s point, I infer, is that a government ...
March 16 2010
by Thanasis Delistathis
Facebook Connect: The biggest no-brainer in the history of earth
Well; maybe that is a slight exaggeration. But when I sit back and try to think about some other things that would qualify as some of, say, the top 10 biggest no-brainers in the history of earth, Facebook Connect has got to be among them.
The tagline is one I heard in radio ads on SiriusXM ...
March 16 2010
by Scott Johnson
Top 5 Presentation Mistakes
The presentations I see, for the most part, get a B. Not failing, but noticeably short of excellent. Only once in a blue moon do I encounter an A. It is surprising to me that I don’t see more “A” presentations because:
The presenters are high achievers who got A’s in engineering classes at prestigious universities ...
March 13 2010
by John Backus
Health Care Reform: Common Sense Solutions
Health Care Reform is topical. But it need not cost an arm and a leg to do. Because I sit on the Board of Directors of NAV portfolio company Qliance, an innovative “Direct Practice” primary care solution that operates completely outside of the insurance system, I am often asked to comment on things that we ...
March 12 2010
by Thanasis Delistathis
Pitching your business? Keep it simple!
Back in elementary school, we all had to buy these school notebooks with the school insignia in the front. On the back of the book there was a quote in three languages. It was a famous quote from Pascal Blaise that went something like: “I made this letter longer than usual because I did not ...
February 26 2010
by Scott Johnson
Speculating on Apple’s “Big Bold Moves”
Apple said yesterday in its shareholder meeting that it is not going to dividend any of its cash. Rather, Steve is planning some “Big, Bold Moves” for the $40 billion mountain of green he sits atop. He either said this because he needs good World Cup tickets from investment bankers, or he is actually planning ...
February 25 2010
by John Backus
VC Tips for Entrepreneurs: How to manage the VC on your Board
Venture Capitalists love giving advice to startup entrepreneurs. We especially love doing it while in the boardroom, before, during, and after that 40-slide powerpoint presentation that you and your management team spent a week preparing. With a VC on your board of directors, you never know if you are going to get The Good, The ...
February 25 2010
by Todd Hixon
Five Reasons To Believe in Tablets
We recently made an investment in Tap ‘n Tap; they provide an Android-based software framework that enables OEMs to create tablets that compete with the Apple iPad. You have to believe a couple of things for this investment to work out: 1) the tablet market will be big, 2) Android will be a major ...
February 25 2010
by John Backus
VC Tips for Entrepreneurs: Thoughts About Raising Money
Most entrepreneurs raise money to help their businesses get off the ground. Whether from angels or venture capitalists, I see most entrepreneurs making the same mistake. They raise money when they “have to.” There is a better way. With some advance planning, you can raise money, easier, at certain moments in time. Take advantage of ...
February 17 2010
by Thanasis Delistathis
Mobile communications opening up
I believe that this week’s announcement of Verizon exclusive bundling of Skype into its mobile phones is a significant milestone in the inevitable march towards a world of open mobile communications.
What I mean is that carriers will increasingly become value added internet service providers. They are currently the old AOL. Providing access to the internet ...
