Good morning, All,

Ok, so it’s official: The New York Observer reported that Techstars NY is more selective than the Ivy League (579 applications mean 1.7% will be accepted) http://bit.ly/higFLV, so time to shift your focus – and we mean startups everywhere – to SXSW Accelerator, which returns for its third edition to showcase some of the web’s most exciting innovations, which can include companies like yours! The application deadline is December 10, 2010. SXSW Accelerator provides an outlet for companies to present their new online Entertainment products, Social networking applications, News-related technologies, Music-related technologies, Health technologies, or Innovative web-based technology services to a panel of industry experts, early adapters, and representatives from the Venture Capitalist community. Past judges have included Guy Kawasaki, Paul Graham (Y Combinator), Tim Chang (Norwest Venture Partners), Robert Scoble, Jeff Pulver (140 Conference), Chris Shipley (Demo) and Tom Conrad (Pandora). We invite your company to join us for this incredible event, as we highlight the technology market’s most impressive new innovations. The application deadline is December 10, 2010. Happening March 14-16, 2011 in Austin, Texas. Apply at http://sxsw.com/interactive/accelerator or if you’re a music technology company: http://sxsw.com/music/accelerator

Speaking of deadlines coming up – Founder Labs: Mobile Edition (Menlo Park) is this January and deadline to enter is December 1, 2010. Click here to apply, and it’s open to men and women, despite the fact that it’s a Woman 2.0 event: http://bit.ly/cctiqX.
How is Founder Labs different:
- We are focused on rapid prototyping.
- You work hands-on with potential team members.
- You don’t have to quit your day job or drop out of school. Come with enough energy to burn the midnight oil after work/school hours.
- There is no formal curriculum.
More information here: http://bit.ly/bmf2X0

The deadline for vatorsplashNY is December 2 – and it’s free to enter. Vator is looking for the most promising startups to present onstage at Webster Hall in New York City on December 15. We know that New York, and the East Coast in general, is becoming a hotbed for emerging companies — and venture capitalists are seriously taking notice. RRE Ventures is backing Vator Splash NY to ensure that the event is one that rocks the house: open bar from 4 pm to 11 pm to ensure it’ll be a great event, onstage and off. If you’re a startup that’s under three years old, or looking for a stage to launch, be sure to apply: http://bit.ly/cJAXnC (information and registration info there as well). Ten finalists will make the stage and get in front of venture capitalists from RRE Ventures, Polaris Ventures, Greenhill SAVP, Venrock, TechStars, DBJ Capital, and NY Seed.

Two of New York’s sharpest entrepreneurs will also be there to share their nuggets of wisdom about entrepreneurship. Fresh off the Boxee launch, Avner Ronen, CEO of Boxee will talk about launching in the highly competitive set-top box space against Apple, Google, Roku etc. and Blip.tv co-founder and CEO, Mike Hudack, will talk about how his efforts to build knowledge management software resulted in Blip.tv.

There’s also still time to sign up for Business Insider IGNITION: Welcome To The Future of Media. It’s Thurday and Friday of this week and we have a 20% off SOS discount (code: Startup2010) For more information and to register: http://bit.ly/bmf2X0

The first @BrandsConf will also be taking place in on December 2, at the 92nd Street Y: exploring the ‘Humanizing of Brands.’ Jeff Pulver introduces BrandsConf: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4SFGym02fY and register here for your 30% off SOS discount: http://140.vg/StartupOneStop is the link to share for the 30% discount.

Next week, December 7-8: In the spirit of “ideas worth spreading,” we are excited to announce TEDxTribecaWomen: a live webcast and series of events built around the TEDWomen conference in DC. Our event is one of over 70 local, self-organized events that will take place across the globe to spark discussion and connection in a small group around TedWomen. We’ll be streaming all 5 sessions of the conference – 25+ live speakers, performers, tech demos and more, over the span of 2 days. So everyone can attend! Hosted by Tipping Point Partners an Perks Consulting.

Next up: We’ve been getting a lot of mail from you lately, and two themes in particular:
1. Can you post anonymously and how does that work. Answer: yes, you can. There is a field you check off if you wish to post anonymously. Responses come to us, and we happily forward them along to the poster. Yes, you still have to fill in the line for email address so that we know where to send them.
2. We’ve been posting more articles of (potential) interest to entrepreneurs, and it seems to be a hit, so yes, we will continue to do so, and if any of you come across an interesting piece you want to share with the list, please feel free to do so or send the link to hello@startuponestop.com, and we’ll happily include it in the newsletter.

Pieces we like this week:

28 Entrepreneurs give the advice they wish they had starting off: http://bit.ly/arpIlW. The question was: If you were only allowed to offer an entrepreneur one piece of advice, what would it be and why?

How much are startup options worth? Which includes a few tools you can use to take a swag at that value. More importantly, it gives you a checklist of key questions to pummel your potential new employers with that will simultaneously put you in a position of much greater knowledge, and make them think you’re a badass negotiator/know what you’re talking about. http://bit.ly/foocSW

Investor Pitches Do’s and Don’ts. Always helpful. http://www.startupcfo.ca/2010/11/investor-pitches-dos-and-donts/ Speaking of which, Union Square Ventures has posted office hours, so go test what you’ve learned. Sign up here: http://bit.ly/f7leMb

How To Pitch Your Startup To The Press. Pay attention to who writes interesting things in your industry. If someone is regularly writing about your competitors, that person is presumably interested in what you do. Pitch a story, not your company. http://read.bi/f1f417

Speaking of press ops: if you’ve been bootstrapping a startup and have an interesting/unusual story to tell, email us (hello@startuponestop.com) quickly. We have a request from the press.

Ok, in the ‘things that make you go hmmm’ category, two pieces to get you thinking. Questions about the future of the browser: interesting piece on, Rockmelt the new social media connected browser (“With RockMelt we’ve re-thought the user experience because a browser can and should be about more than just navigating Web pages. Today, the browser connects you to your world. Why not build your world right into your browser?” http://bit.ly/hZnHxK) and a piece by Tim Berners-Lee (oft-credited creator of the web) who claims that social network sites like Facebook and Linkedin represent one of the several threats to the future of the world wide web (Facebook Is A Trap: http://bit.ly/dSGePY), citing that “social networking sites that do not allow users to extract the information they put into them is a ‘problem’ that could mean the web is ‘broken into fragmented islands.’ The more you enter, the more you become locked in… Your social networking site becomes a central platform – a closed silo of content, and one that does not give you full control over your information in it.” Not editorializing. Just giving the he said/she said.

But we will leave you with a chuckle: Yes, it’s time for the Winners of the Ig® Nobel Prize, for achievements that first make people LAUGH, then make them THINK. http://improbable.com/ig/winners/ Ok, last year’s winner for Public Health Prize – a brassiere that, in an emergency, can be quickly converted into a pair of protective face masks. Worldwide shipping available. And, as always, help is on the way…

Good morning, All,

In case you hadn’t heard, Google reportedly offered a star engineer $3.5 million not to join FB (http://current.com/1j5gl4c). Gotta love the bubble, and according to Dave Winer, who pioneered the development of weblogs, syndication (RSS), podcasting, outlining, and web content management software, when you see a bubble about to burst, get ready to invest. Good times!

Anyway, the holiday season is officially underway – our favorite time of year – and since so many people do unplug this week, today we’re offering something different. Some holiday reading – both inspirational and cautionary. First up: 14 Reasons Why You Need to Start a Startup. Including that you will have the time of your life, and you will create something from nothing (http://bit.ly/aggU1S). Maybe you should skip his 11 Harsh Realities of Being an Entrepreneur. Save it for another week and nope, not even giving you the link. Although it’s easy enough to find.

Next: A Cautionary Tale from the Startup World http://bit.ly/dkTWwQ – a tale of hubris, folly and my favorite – you can be an (un)successful entrepreneur, but as long as you can personally walk away with millions and oh, well to the rest of them, the industry will perceive you as a success and you will survive to found another startup. No names are mentioned (aren’t they always changed to protect the guilty?), but as a former gossip columnist, we could venture a very educated guess.

But won’t.

BTW, if you are traveling this week and find yourself getting a bit more attention than you expected while going through security, of course, there’s an app for that: (http://bit.ly/4TRsvD) and more information, always: http://www.privacyrevolution.org/. Don’t you just love the web!

No matter where in the world you end up this week, note that November 27 is Small Business Saturday – a day to support the local businesses that create jobs, boost the economy and preserve neighborhoods around the country. Small businesses have accounted for 60-80% of all new jobs. American Express is even giving you a chance to promote your small business – if you have one – or give a shout out to your favorite small business. You can even get a $25 credit on your Amex statement for participating – and shopping, of course. Here’s the FB page: http://on.fb.me/bAZv0p

Since rust – and entrepreneurs – never sleep or take a holiday, deadlines are upon us. We did tweet a last minute reminder than Sunday was the deadline for techstars NY, but there are other techstars deadlines coming up in other cities (techstars.com to find your city and deadline) and life after the techstars deadline, so stay tuned. Founder Labs: Mobile Edition (Menlo Park) is this January and deadline to enter is December 1, 2010. Click here to apply, and it’s open to men and women, despite the fact that it’s a Woman 2.0 event: http://bit.ly/cctiqX.
How is Founder Labs different:
- We are focused on rapid prototyping.
- You work hands-on with potential team members.
- You don’t have to quit your day job or drop out of school. Come with enough energy to burn the midnight oil after work/school hours.
- There is no formal curriculum.
More information here: http://bit.ly/bmf2X0

Finally, for balance and perspective, we leave you with: Venture or Angel Capital Isn’t the End—It’s the Means: http://tcrn.ch/cmcY60) and sage words from Vivek Wadhwa, who observed that 90% of 2000+ ventures garnered the interest of fewer than 10 angels, meaning they had no chance of receiving financing. Two percent of the ventures received interest from between 35 and 191 angels—giving them, on average, a 40% chance of getting funded. In other words, most entrepreneurs simply wasted their time pitching to these groups. The good news: his team researched a sample of 549: only 9% had raised any angel capital and 11% percent had raised venture capital at the later stages of their growth. Bottom line: such funding is not a prerequisite for success and that entrepreneurship isn’t all about raising money. And don’t we know it!

Next week we’ll go back to posting what you need and what you can offer and as always, do feel free to enter your post at startuponestop.com. We do have two surveys for you, which won’t take much of your time, and some interesting reading you might want to peruse in your downtime – pieces that are hopefully – helpful. In the meantime, keep doing what you’re doing – and have a happy and safe holiday. And see you in December!

Good morning, All, and it was good to see those of you who were able to make it to NYEW last week. We were also very happy to hear that some of you did manage to find a cofounder at our last Find A Cofounder event. We will do another one in the coming weeks – and if anyone can refer us to a tequila sponsor, well, have an awesome idea, so email me. Now, on with the show.

First, this past weekend was StartupWeekend in both New York and Boston and congratulations to the winners! In New York, Belli Elle took top honors, with Fashionable Maternity Wear for Rent. Good work, guys, and what a great idea! Especially considering you did it in 54 hours or less. Coming in a close second was another winner (in our book): Love Your Layover, which helps you sort out what to do when you’re between flights. Also competing for the upcoming Global StartupWeekend winner, this time from Boston: “The Hitchery,” a location-based social game that’s all about letting your hitchhiking avatar go places without you. Tagline: “Get there without going there.” They can be found at http://www.hitchery.com/ or @The_Hitchery.

Business Insider IGNITION: Welcome To The Future Of Media conference takes place in NYC December 2-3 (more info below) and the first 5 SOS member who respond can attend for only $225 (code: NYCinnovation). We’re witnessing the greatest period of creative destruction — and invention — in the history of media. Hear from Nick Denton, Sarah Chubb, Susan Lyne, John Borthwick, Eric Hippeau, Jason Kilar, and many more on where it’s all heading. http://bit.ly/bbYa71 to RSVP and there’s also a 20% discount for all members (code: startup2010)

Next, two things from our buds at chubbybrain.com. They’ve relaunched the Funding Recommendation Engine algorithm (http://bit.ly/a2qxrD) with the goal of using data to help entrepreneurs identify funding sources. So far, over 1200 startups have gone through it (SOS did participate in the private beta and our thanks to you all for helping!) For those of you who are new to the list – and there are quite a few of you – Funding Recommendation Engine (FRE) helps to identify angel investors and venture capital firms you should approach. BUT Before you get your pitch looking great, and before you get traction for your product and before you spend time in front of the mirror refining your elevator pitch, we’d recommend ensuring your company name starts with the right letter and is the right length to maximize your chances for receiving venture capital. So, with tongue held firmly in cheek (one of our favorite expressions, since it does forgive so much), ChubbyBrain has now done a study to help you out with How Do You Name Your Company to Maximize the Probability and Amount of Venture Capital You Will Raise? Full piece is here: http://bit.ly/bBDgtQ

For those of you involved in social media, happy to tell you about the sFund, a $250 million venture capital fund designed to fund startups and companies focusing on social media-related initiatives. Its manager is Kleiner Perkins partner Bing Gordon, current board member of Zynga and Amazon and former chief creative officer of EA. What makes it unique is that its investors, which include Facebook, Zynga, Amazon, Comcast, Allen & Company and Liberty Media. All of these companies have committed to providing assistance in their areas of expertise to startups funded by sFund. Facebook, for example, is giving startups early access to its platform and APIs, while Amazon will give them a free year of access to Amazon Web Services. sFund also has a broad mandate within social and is allowed to make investments as small as $100,000 and as large as $100 million. There are advantages and disadvantages, so eyes open: http://bit.ly/c9RG6c

Speaking of pitching, some help for you on the art of the pitch: You have one minute to explain yourself, your business, your goals and your passions. Your audience knows none of these. Are you prepared? GO! Well, the HBS is here to help you out with The HBS Pitch Builder (http://www.alumni.hbs.edu/careers/pitch/) and it’s nothing short of Pitchcraft (didn’t Sinatra sing that one?) If you’re pitching soon, or whenever, it’s a pretty cool little tool that’s worth keeping in your repertoire of pretty cool little tools, especially if you want to/need to get your message out quickly, clearly and distinctly to someone who doesn’t know you. And with whom you may never get that opportunity again.

One last request: vote for me! Yes, I did enter a British Airways contest, (Face of Opportunity) and voting ends this Friday. But why wait till then? Go here to vote (http://britishairways.promo.eprize.com/contest/view_gallery_link?id=2240) – and don’t watch the video: I’d been up since 5 am and cooking up Startup Waffles, so i’ve looked better. And remember: every vote counts so vote early and often. And thank you!

Ok, so a number of you came up to us at NYEW and told us that you have things to post – then told me what they were. It’s easy enough to do: just go to the website: startuponestop.com, and go for it! But we also know it was a busy week and for those of you who did find the time to post, help is on the way…

Good morning, All, and if you were wondering where in the world all of the seed accelerators are, well, look no further: http://bit.ly/dbNHMW

Yes, New York Entrepreneur Week is at long last upon us and it’s not too late to be there. There’s still a lot to do (http://www.nyew.org/ for the schedule. SOS discount code: SOS345) – and a lot to be done. There will be panels daily, and there’s still time to register for Startup Waffles & Raffle Prize, tomorrow morning, 8.15 am – 9.15 and it’s worth getting up early as Yours Truly will again be on the waffle iron – which means I’ll have to wake up even earlier. And I didn’t burn a one! Come join entrepreneurs for a morning of good food, laughter and homemade waffles. Orange juice, milk and coffee will also be provided. Suggested Donation: $5.00. And remember: it’s the early bird who catches the Raffle Prize, so be there and submit your name! Or mine! We have an array of prizes for those who beat the crowd early and stick around all day. Announcement of winner at 3:30 pm. You must be in attendance to receive your prize. RSVP: http://startupwafflesnyc.eventbrite.com/

On Thursday, November 11, there’s NYEW & Do it in Person Present: The Cocktail Reception. Do it in Person http://www.doitinperson.com/ events are legendary during NYEW, and 350+ attended in April ’10. We invite you to join us for a night of cocktails and networking to celebrate New York Entrepreneur Week at Slate New York located at 54 W. 21st Street, from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Limited early bird admission ($30) includes:
- 1 premium drink ticket
- Light food from 7:00PM-8:00PM
- DVD on non-verbal communication
RSVP: http://doitinpersonnovember2010.eventbrite.com/

Following on the heels of NYEW: StartupWeekend, November 12-14 in both New York and Boston. And in Silicon Valley the following weekend.

The event is special for a few reasons:
First, it’s scheduled on the eve of Global Entrepreneurship Week (for more info check out www.unleashingideas.org).
Second, it’s our first ever Arts+Tech mash-up. We’ll be combining the best New York has to offer – arts, fashion, and tech- in a 3-day frenzy bound to produce some world-class startups. Quick thanks to our partners Nolcha.com, Blip.tv and 10gen.
Third, it’s part of the first ever Global Startup Battle (globalstartupbattle.com), connecting Startup Weekends in 22 cities around the globe, from Beirut to Tokyo, from Sofia to São Paulo, from San Fran to Boston and more. Winning teams from each event will get the chance to compete with the best 54-hour startups from around the world.
And just in case that’s not reason enough to register, how about a discount off the listed ticket price? Just go to nyc.startupweekend.org, click on Register, and when prompted enter “StartupOneStop” for $20 off. Feel free to e-mail shane@startupweekend.org with any questions or to just bug him because he just doesn’t have enough to do, and look forward to seeing you there!

StartupWeekend Boston is also November 12-14 at Microsoft NERD (New England Research and Development), which is located in Kendall Square. It will start around 6pm on Friday, run through 10 or 11 that night, then go 9-9 (give or take) on Saturday and Sunday – with the final presentations and dinner running from 6-8pm or so. Information can be found at Boston.StartupWeekend.org.

Shoutout: our Pepsi 10 winner Zazu (getzazu.com) was launched at Boston StartupWeekend back in December. New York: do us proud! Boston: the pressure is on!

Then you Californians, get ready forStartup Weekend in Mountain View November 19-21. Women 2.0 will joins forces with SW there and both men and women are welcome. For more information and to register: http://on.fb.me/bwPeZj

A number of you will be pitching at NYEW and teams will also pitch on Sunday at SW, so we thought we’d offer you a bit of inspiration and advice before you step up to the dais. Not from us, personally, but from two sources:

The ABCs of Starting an Investor Pitch Meeting: Always Be Credible (http://www.bostonvcblog.typepad.com/). The dos and don’ts:
Be genuine and personable
Be crisp and on point
Keep it short
Do not exaggerate
There’s no “I” in team
Don’t name drop.
His parting shot: Be credible, humble and specific and you’ll do fine. Take the 5-10 minutes time to establish that initial credibility, and then move on. Investors like to back great people, so spend as much time thinking about how to present yourself in a compelling fashion as you would your idea.

Then, a few words of wisdom from Jason Goldberg, serial entrepreneur, firestarter, and ship it! guy. His motto is ship it! – build something fast; get it out there in front of real people; get their feedback, iterate, repeat, make mistakes. He has also written up his 57 Things I’ve Learned Founding 3 Tech Companies (http://bit.ly/cdQBPn), which might be a good point of references for some of you. “I’ve been founding and helping run technology companies since 1999,” says Jason. “My latest company is fabulis.com. Here are 57 lessons I’ve learned along the way. I could have listed 100+ but I didn’t want to bore you.”

The #1 lesson learned: Build something you are personally passionate about. You are your best focus group. Lastly: Never give up!

And remember: the field mouse is fast, but the owl sees at night. (#Fakezenquotes)

If you have a post to share, go to www.startuponestop.com. On that note, what else could it be but that help is on the way…

Good morning, All,

Since it is Election Day, of course we need an Election Day tech tale. How about: Foursquare, Google Launch “I Voted” Badge.
 Foursquare announced an initiative called “I Voted,” a real-time tracker of users checking in at polling stations around the country. When users vote, they’ll earn an “I Voted” badge and can give a shout out for their civic participation through an #ivoted hashtag. What’s more, the information will be available online in a sleek map visualization that can be broken down by location (state, city, neighborhood) and even gender. The data will be gathered from 107,000 polling stations.

The “I Voted” initiative marks not just another democratic platform in social media, but another instance of the potential for geo-location in politics. Recently, Foursquare competitor a Gowalla launched a similar initiative aimed at getting more people involved in campaigns, offering stamps and badges for their participation and support. Full story: http://bit.ly/bYO5vw

Speaking of oh, the times they are a-changing not so much, a friend tweeted an interesting article from newsweek online (http://bit.ly/b000Jn) about the fortunes and misfortunes of Digg and Kevin Rose: Digg This A cautionary tale for Web 2.0 companies. Interesting read, especially for those on the list who weren’t starting companies in the Web 1.0 days, when it was pretty much the same story: wunderkind gets millions of eyeballs; rejects large sums of buy-out money because it’s just not enough; looks back on the days when he/she was a millionaire on paper. In the words of George Santayana, “those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” Remember: the 90s are over; we’re well into the new millennium at this point, and there’s something to be said for going green.

Onward and forward. If any of you non-New Yorkers are in town next week for New York Entrepreneur Week (November 8-14), let us know and happy to do an impromptu gathering or otherwise meet up somehow. 1500 entrepreneurs and over 100 investors from across the nation have already registered. Come mix and mingle and save 75% with your SOS discount code: SOS345: http://www.nyew.org/ Great lineup of panels and speakers, so you’re sure to learn a thing or two.

A highlight of a few of the NYEW events: Always wanted to pick the brain of a seasoned veteran without interruption? If so, this if for you. NYEW Presents: The Entrepreneur VIP Dinner, Tuesday, November 9, 7 pm – 9. Join six special guest, world traveled entrepreneurs (told you we like secrets!) whose companies have created in excess of $2BN in value for an enjoyable and relaxing night of cocktails, connections and dinner to celebrate New York Entrepreneur Week. SPACE IS LIMITED to just 10 attendees. Exact location details will be emailed to you 24hrs prior the event. Cost is $250 and includes pre-fix five course meal, two premium drinks, tax & tip, intimate ambiance with six of the best and brightest entrepreneurs in the world. RSVP: http://nyewdinner2010.eventbrite.com/

On Thursday, November 11, there’s NYEW & Do it in Person Present: The Cocktail Reception. Do it in Person http://www.doitinperson.com/ events are legendary during NYEW, and 350+ attended in April ’10. We invite you to join us for a night of cocktails and networking to celebrate New York Entrepreneur Week at Slate New York located at 54 W. 21st Street, from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Limited early bird admission are $30 and include:
- 1 premium drink ticket
- Light food from 7:00PM-8:00PM
- DVD on non-verbal communication
RSVP: http://doitinpersonnovember2010.eventbrite.com/

OK, the best for last, and actually, it’s the first NYEW event: Startup Waffles & Raffle Prize, Monday November 8 and Wednesday, November 10, 8.15 am – 9.15 and it’s worth getting up early as rumor has it that Yours Truly will be one of the chefs and be nice to me or I’ll burn your waffles. Sleep is overrated: come join entrepreneurs for a morning of good food, laughter and homemade waffles. Orange juice, milk and coffee will also be provided. Suggested Donation: $5.00 Raffle Prize:Get up early and submit your name! We have an array of prizes for those who beat the crowd early and stick around all day. Announcement of winner at 3:30 pm. You must be in attendance to receive prize. RSVP: http://startupwafflesnyc.eventbrite.com/

Oh, and as soon as NYEW ends, NYC Startup Weekend begins – and we’ve got an SOS discount for you. More information under Good Stuff!

Ok, so we’ve done our civic duty and even had a cultural moment in there. Our work here is done. Because of the AdTech madness this week, we may only be putting out one blast this week, but we’ll see what we can do, no worries. So, feel free to post what you need, what you can offer, whatever questions you have or whatever at startuponestop.com, because one never knows… In the meantime, as always, help is on the way…