7/26/11

Good morning, All,

The 1^st SOS 1-1 will take place on Wednesday, August 3^rd and here’s how it works: We invite a seed/angel/early stage investor to come meet with you. The investor will do his or her presentation, letting you know what sort of investments they make and what the sweet spot is; then you have an opportunity to ask question, then meet him or her, one-on-one. We will start with a single guest early stage/angel investor and our first guest is Aaron Price from DFJGotham (and host of the perpetually sold-out Hoboken Tech Meetup). We’re keeping it informal which means, yes, there will also be a barbeque, and our thanks to our bbq sponsors, the 1099partners.com, who will also be there to talk to you about their services – and they’re always open to meeting new potential 1099partners.com consultants. Hope to see you there. To register: http://sos1-1.eventbrite.com/ We will do more in future, we will be incorporating technology so that non-New Yorkers can also participate and have 1-1s with the investors, too, so stay tuned!

Early bird rate still available for our next EW-SOS-ER Terrace Party, August 16th! Over 420 of you turned up to our last one, including 7 VCs; 2 superangels; 6 angels and 2 banks. To register: http://terraceparty.eventbrite.com/

The Mayor of the City of NY put forth a challenge: That NY could beat Silicon Valley and he’s offering subsidized real estate and $100 million in infrastructure upgrades to any institution, university or consortium that builds a world-class science and engineering campus on Roosevelt Island, Governors Island or Brooklyn Navy Yard. Bloomberg projects that, within the first 30 years, this school will spin-off 400 new companies and create more than 22,000 permanent jobs. Article is here: http://wapo.st/q3xkoR

30 years, Gracie? Newsflash: New York has world-class universities: Columbia, NYU, Cornell, to name a few. Suggestion: what if the city took those funds and granted $250k to 400 NY startups? Successful companies with net revenues of $1m or more can then play it forward and the initial $250k can be reinvested in other entrepreneurs. Think we’d see 22,000 new permanent jobs in a hell of a lot less than 30 years? We’d put our money on it. Oh, wait, we pay taxes in NYC. That is our money. Vivek Wadhwa, who wrote the article, suggests putting the money into immigrants, who were the entrepreneurs who helped to build the city. Ok, but let’s not exclude the progeny of those immigrants. We’re still here, and we’ve still got that entrepreneurial drive, what, eh, kids? And current taxes and regulations that weren’t around in those immigrant days certainly don’t make it any easier. Onward and forward.

Deadlines!

The NYC Big Apps Challenge is on! You have until July 28^th to enter your submission. For details and information on how to submit: http://ideas.nycbigapps.com/

The City of New York announced its first-ever hackathon: Reinvent NYC.GOV, July 30-31^st <http://www.reinventnycgov.com/>, is a collaborative design and development event to re-imagine the City government’s main website, nyc.gov. We’re partnering with General Assembly, who is hosting the hackathon on July 30-31. It will feature API resources and reps from DonorsChoose, ExpertLabs, Facebook, Foursquare, Google, Twitter and YouTube onsite to support participants. At the conclusion of the hackathon on Sunday afternoon, a panel of judges (Mimi Chun of General Assembly, Dave Tisch of TechStars, Scott Heiferman of Meetup, City reps) will evaluate demos. You’re invited to attend, participate, and encourage talented coders and designers to apply. For more information: http://reinventnycgov.com

Sanofi-aventis U.S. Innovation Challenge:Data, Design, Diabetes. Deadline: July 31^st. This next-generation challenge brings together the richness of open data sets made available on healthdata.gov, the values of human-centered design, and the leading-edge methodology of the top innovation accelerators. Starting July 1, we invite innovators to submit their ideas for consideration on our website: www.datadesigndiabetes.com.
The Data, Design, Diabetes Challenge offers:
- Month-long mentorship to develop a prototype from the RockHealthaccelerator program and its partners
- Opportunity to demo your solution to hundreds of industry leaders and innovation
- Additional prize money to generate user feedback and engagement from real people living with diabetes
- Over $200,000 in dilution-free earnings
This challenge is not just for healthcare apps! We’re enlisting your help to encouraging everyone – hackers, designers, dreamers, and entrepreneurs alike – to submit a solution that can help change the lives of the 100 million Americans living with diabetes.
www.datadesigndiabetes.com
Email info@datadesigndiabetes.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/dddiabetes
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Data-Design-Diabetes/129625740449604
IMPORTANT DATES TO KEEP IN MIND:
July 1, 2011 – Submissions open
July 31, 2011 – Last day to submit an entry
August 5, 2011– 5 semi-finalists will be awarded $20,000, and mentored for 1 month as they create a prototype of their concept.
September 2011 (exact date tbd) – Demo Day: 5 semifinalists will pitch their concepts to contest judges and the public. Finalists will be selected by the judges and through open voting on the website.
October 2011 (exact date tbd) – 2 finalists will be awarded $10,000 to gather feedback about their concept from real people living with diabetes.
December 15, 2011– Winner will be announced and awarded $100,000 to develop their solution.
NEED INSPIRATION?
Fact:25.8 million people in the US have diabetes. CDC, 2011
Fact: 79 million more have pre-diabetes. CDC, 2011
Fact:The CDC estimates that 1 in 3 Americans will have diabetes by 2050. CDC, 2010
Fact:Diabetes is one of the most serious epidemics our country has ever faced.
Fact: You can help. For more information about the disease of diabetes, and how the Innovation Challenge poses to help, please check out our video:

http://bit.ly/pyneNC

NEED DATA? For a variety of data sets and resources, please visit our links page: www.datadesigndiabetes.com/links
NEED HELP? For submission rules and guidelines for success, visit our criteria page: www.datadesigndiabetes.com/criteria

Investors’ Circle Call for Applications: Deadline August 5^th. Are you: An Entrepreneur creating a more sustainable world with your business? Raising capital for your high-impact enterprise? Looking for investors with values that align with yours?
Investors’ Circle is dedicated to the growth of businesses with high social and environmental impact. We invite early-stage entrepreneurs to apply to present to our network of socially responsible angel investors, venture capitalists, foundations, and family offices. Since 1992, Investors’ Circle has facilitated the flow of $150 million into 225 companies in a variety of sectors:
Energy & Environmental Solutions
Sustainable Consumer Products
Community & Economic Development
Health, Biotech & Wellness
Social Media & Software
Education
Will your venture be next?
For more information and to apply: http://bit.ly/eDSKnB

The Daily Candy 2nd Annual Start Small, Go Big Contest: Deadline August 5th. Here’s your chance to launch your bazillion dollar idea. One winner from each of our categories (fashion, beauty, food and drink, and home) will win a trip to New York City, a DailyCandy write-up, and a day at the DailyCandy Academy, where the likes of Isaac Mizrahi, Marcus Samuelsson, and Rebecca Minkoff will mentor the begenius out of you. Just think, you have nothing to lose but your day job. For rules, details, and an entry form: http://bit.ly/aR8Yk5

StartupChile Round 2 deadline August 11. Start-Up Chile is a program of the Chilean Government, created by the Ministry of Economy, executed by CORFO via InnovaChile, that seeks to attract foreign, high-potential entrepreneurs to come to Chile to bootstrap their businesses with the end goal of converting Chile into the innovation and entrepreneurial hub of Latin America. Start-Up Chile provides access to a mentors network, attendance to weekly networking events, and the support of the Program which offers all the necessary contacts to find the money, the talent, the expertise, the visibility or other support that you may need. The Program assigns a $40k grant per project ($20,000,000 CLP), a 1-year resident visa to every founding team member provided on the application, a temporary workspace (desk & wifi). And you surrender zero equity in your company. The program is conducted in English, and entrepreneurs worldwide are encouraged to apply. For more information: www.startupchile.org. To apply: http://bit.ly/i8bFur

Heads up, college students! Moverandchangers.com is all set to launch its third nationwide challenge to uncover the country’s next young entrepreneurs who want to make it big with their innovative ideas for a new business. The contest is open to 16-28 year old college students to develop and produce a compelling business proposal. Ideas must be original, feasible, scalable and practical. More information on the site, which features a video with Dennis Crowley, who, just for the record, wouldn’t qualify for the contest now, nor would he when he first started foursquare. Deadline is October. Information is here: http://bit.ly/EvBLZ

Governor Cuomo Signs Bill to Enable New $25M Seed Stage Equity Fund. As we were just saying…: http://bit.ly/pubGyX

New York vs. San Francisco: The Cost of Operating a Business in the Valley and the Alley. We always find information like this interesting, but do note the much higher local taxes in New York. Again, as we were saying… http://bit.ly/r22L9e

Financing Your Startup .As Roger Ehrenberg says, Bootstrapping. Friends & Family members (F&F). Angels. Venture investors (VC). These are each viable – and even appropriate – ways of financing your start-up. The question is: which is right for you? There are no easy answers, to be sure, but Roger goes through some insightful scenarios worth a gander: http://bit.ly/oXp4Rs

How to Demo Your Software Product. Software is magic. A Demo is a magic show. So says Nate Westheimer, who’s been running the NY Tech Meetup for 2-1/2 years – and has developed software of his own. There’s good advice here, from start to finish, and most importantly – make sure your potential investors catch the magic: http://innonate.com/demo/

The Essential To-Do List for First-Time Entrepreneurs. When you leave the corporate world to go out on your own, you trade the illusion of security for the illusion of freedom, say the authors. The traps and landmines are out there, as we well know, so here’s a good roadmap on what to do, keep in mind, and plan for: http://bit.ly/m0XZ84

And just because….New York Ousts Boston As No. 2 Tech Hub. The city of Boston was outdueled, or should we say out-funded, in the second quarter as start-ups in and around the Big Apple raised $624.2 million in venture capital funding. Story is here: http://bit.ly/q27lNe

Homage to NASA: NASA just completed its last mission, but way back in the space program, the agency realized that with astronauts going into space, they needed a writing implement that would defy gravity, and so spent $10 million developing the space pen. Know what the Russians did when faced with the same problem?

They used a pencil.

For your amusement this week: you’ve probably all seen the eharmony cat video by now (http://youtu.be/mTTwcCVajAc), not to mention all of the spoofs on it. Jay Leno says it best, as the cats weigh in: http://bit.ly/mmAkM4

This week, we have a post from London, and people from anywhere in the world can post, FYI. And we do know that you’re reading this outside of the US, so don’t be shy! We’re here to help. Speaking of which, help is on the way…

7/19/11

Good morning, All,

The inaugural SOS 1-1/(one on one) barbeque, Monday, July 25^th, (http://bit.ly/nO4zHI) and here’s how it works: All startups need one thing. Besides help. And money. We need access to investors. So every month or so, we’ll have a gathering and invite a seed/angel/early stage investor to come meet with you. The investor will do his or her presentation, letting you know what sort of investments they make and what the sweet spot is; then you have an opportunity to ask question, then meet him or her, one-on-one. You’re also free to network with each other, while waiting your turn for your 1-1, and everyone who wants an opportunity to talk to the investor, will have one. We will start with a single guest early stage/angel investor and our first guest is Aaron Price from DFJGotham (and host of the perpetually sold-out Hoboken Tech Meetup. We’re keeping it informal which means, yes, there will also be a barbeque. Since we know some of you may want a few minutes of 1-1 time with Aaron and some of you might just want to come out for some bbq on a beautiful summer night, all are welcome and both types of tickets are available. Hope to see you there, and it’s less than a week away. To register: http://bit.ly/nO4zHI. We will do more in future, and hope to have a couple of angels/early stage investors available who cover different verticals, and we will be incorporating technology so that non-New Yorkers can also participate and have 1-1s with the investors, so stay tuned! We do try to be inclusive.

Over 420 of you turned up to our terrace party last week, including 7 VCs representing $5B in capital; 2 superangels; 6 angels and 2 banks. So we’re giving you early warning this time: the next terrace party will be August 16^th, so register now for the early bird rate! http://terraceparty.eventbrite.com/

We follow the industry ad nauseam and go to more pitching/networking events than any three people really have the energy/fortitude to pursue. That said, while there may not be anything completely new under the sun, there is always a better way to do something – and sometimes, a more effective technology/app than is out there presently. It’s not always game over, or ‘first mover advantage,’ investors on this list. So even though you may think you’ve heard it all, hear entrepreneurs out and remember: when was the last time you yahoo’d someone? Onward and forward.

Deadlines!

The 11th Annual New York Venture Summit is this week: July 20^th-21^st The summit will showcase 50 of the hottest early stage and emerging growth Technology, Life Sciences and Clean-tech innovators. If you are a startup seeking capital and/or partnerships, submit your plan for the opportunity to present at The 2011 New York Venture Summit, the premier venue connecting emerging growth companies with active Venture capitalists, Angel investors, Corporate VCs and Investment Firms. Presented by YoungStartup Ventures, The 2011 New York Venture Summit provides an unparalleled opportunity for startups to meet, network and showcase their innovative investment opportunities to a leading group of investors. For more information and to register ($100 discount with your “sos” code): http://bit.ly/jCFrNr

The NYC Big Apps Challenge is on! You have until July 28^th to enter your submission. For details and information on how to submit: http://ideas.nycbigapps.com/

http://bit.ly/pyneNC

Applications for StartupChile Round 2 opened July 11^th. Start-Up Chile is a program of the Chilean Government, created by the Ministry of Economy, executed by CORFO via InnovaChile, that seeks to attract foreign, high-potential entrepreneurs to come to Chile to bootstrap their businesses with the end goal of converting Chile into the innovation and entrepreneurial hub of Latin America. Start-Up Chile provides access to a mentors network, attendance to weekly networking events, and the support of the Program which offers all the necessary contacts to find the money, the talent, the expertise, the visibility or other support that you may need. The Program assigns a $40k grant per project ($20,000,000 CLP), a 1-year resident visa to every founding team member provided on the application, a temporary workspace (desk & wifi). And you surrender zero equity in your company. The program is conducted in English, and entrepreneurs worldwide are encouraged to apply. You have until August 11^th; tick-tick-tick. For more information: www.startupchile.org. To apply: http://bit.ly/i8bFur

Startup Valuation: How Much Is Your Company Worth? As the writer, Nathan Beckford (venturearchitypes) says none of the traditionally-accepted valuation methods really apply to early stage startups. And he briefly review why. But remember:your company is worth is what the market will pay for it. Create a market for your startup, and you will have the leverage to get what you feel it is worth. Full story: http://bit.ly/8GyCWC

The Problem with Silicon Valley is Silicon Valley Itself. Interesting piece, written by a British transplant who feels Silicon Valley is an incredibly inspiring place to be. Everyone is doing something amazing and trying to change the world, but in reality much of the technology being built there is not changing the world at all, it’s short-sighted and designed for scalability, big exits and big profits. The feedback is also worth reading. http://tnw.co/ncZZLG

Here’s Why This Latest Wave of New York Startups is Just the Beginning. New York remains one of the world’s greatest and most livable cultural centers. It has a diverse core of seven global industries competing aggressively, increasingly through technology. A new set of lower-cost economics is enabling technology providers to operate closer than ever to business centers such as New York. And New York is attracting a widening pool of talent for start-ups that is highly motivated. This latest wave in the long, storied history of entrepreneurship in New York is only getting started. For more on what James Robinson has to say: http://htl.li/5DhSF

5 Reasons Why You Need a Business Plan. Starting a business? You should write a business plan–even if you’re not raising money any time soon. Read on and find out why: http://bit.ly/qVdPXc And yes, you do need an investors deck as well.

How to effectively launch your new product or service. What the author shares is the workflow he follows when announcing something important such as the launch of a new product or service. Although there are many ways to go about doing this, the following approach has worked pretty well for him so far and has resulted in media coverage from TechCrunch, Forbes, Fast Company and many others. Not too shabby: http://bit.ly/qZ3Vn8

For your amusement, we include Does Not Compute: 10 PC Myths from Movies and Television (http://bit.ly/qkOpPK), although they missed our personal favorite, from The Negotiator, when someone shoots the computer, wherein resided critical information, and as we know, once you shoot out a monitor, well, the computer is legally dead. LOVE that! Ah, Hollywood, shooting a monitor does not kill the hard drive.

That’s it from us this week. Make sure to sign up for our inaugural SOS 1-1 (http://bit.ly/nO4zHI) and now, as always, help is on the way…

7/12/11

Good morning, All,

Find A Cofounder is tonight and we’re looking forward to seeing many of you there. It’s summer’s first big outdoor party at a 4000 square foot terrace overlooking the Hudson. Come find a cofounder for your startup. Network with fellow entrepreneurs and investors. Enjoy the views and a cold brew at sunset. Sponsored by EW, SOS and ER. RSVP: http://findacofounder2011.eventbrite.com/ To all of the SOS members who volunteered for this evening: Thank you! Others out there: there’s still time to volunteer (hello@startuponestop.com and any and all help is appreciated!).

So we’re starting SOS 1-1 (One on One) and here’s how it works:
Every month or so, we’ll have a gathering and invite a seed/angel/early stage investor to come meet with you. The investor will do his or her presentation, letting you know what sort of investments they make and what the sweet spot is; then you have an opportunity to ask question, then meet him or her, one-on-one. You’re also free to network with each other, while waiting to get the investor’s ear, and everyone who wants an opportunity to talk to the investor, will have one. It’s more an elevator pitch than office hours, and you can always follow up at a later time. Our job is to make the introductions. We may do a special mailing when details are all finalized, or it’ll be posted next week, so stay tuned. Our first guest will be Aaron Price from DFJGotham, and organizer extraordinaire of the Hoboken Tech Meetup, which we did not post this week, since it’s waitlist only. Gotta be fast to get into that one! And we did give you advance notice.

And Graham Lawlor is hosting two events this week: Ultra Light Startups on Thursday and a Singapore event on Friday. More info under ‘events.’

Google+ gives me a headache – or is it social network overload? And since GOOG took the time and resources to bother to go into social, why did they reinvent the wheel? Why not do something spectacular, rather than – pun intended – go in circles? Eric Schmidt claims that there is a lot more to come and we don’t doubt him: http://tcrn.ch/reHSV5. According to Mashable, Google+ is Your Plus One (http://on.mash.to/p67j1Z). Every time we open a GOOG browser now, there’s the +me reminder in the upper left; notifications on the right. Not giving us the warm and fuzzies, Mashable. Brill from a marketing standpoint, but kind of makes us yearn for the privacy of FB. Onward and forward.

Deadlines:

Flights! Camera! Action! AA deadline July 15th. Now’s the time to submit your video telling American Airlines and the world how flying benefits your business. You could win up to 50 tickets for your company and exposure to thousands of potential customers by telling AA how travel boosts your business – you might get the ultimate boost to your travel budget! For more information and to apply: http://bit.ly/mkP9Mu

Charles Barkley wants to give your startup $25,000. Deadline July 18^th to win ‘Chuck Bucks.’ The National Basketball Association Hall of Famer, AKA “Sir Charles” announced on his website a contest called “Earn Chuck’s Bucks.” He’s calling for the best business-plan pitches and says he’ll give the winner $25,000 to help fund that business. Finalist entries will be posted on CharlesBarkley.com where fans will be encouraged to vote for their favorite pitch. A winner will be selected in mid-September based on the total number of fan votes and other criteria, which include the pitch’s creativity, originality, feasibility and “energy and enthusiasm.” This definitely isn’t your typical business plan contest, and it might seem a little strange coming from a former NBA All-Star with no previous business experience. Advice from Sir Charles:
• Keep it short. “I don’t want to be readin’ through a bunch of crap.”
• Make it realistic. “Don’t be sendin’ me no bull,” Barkley says.

The 11th Annual New York Venture Summit is July 20^th-21^st. Next early bird deadline ends July 18^th. The summit will showcase 50 of the hottest early stage and emerging growth Technology, Life Sciences and Clean-tech innovators. If you are a startup seeking capital and/or partnerships, submit your plan for the opportunity to present at The 2011 New York Venture Summit, the premier venue connecting emerging growth companies with active Venture capitalists, Angel investors, Corporate VCs and Investment Firms. Presented by YoungStartup Ventures, The 2011 New York Venture Summit provides an unparalleled opportunity for startups to meet, network and showcase their innovative investment opportunities to a leading group of investors. For more information, to register ($100 discount with your “sos” code) and to apply to present: http://bit.ly/jCFrNr

The NYC Big Apps Challenge is on! You have until July 28^th to enter your submission. For details and information on how to submit: http://ideas.nycbigapps.com/

Applications for StartupChile Round 2 open July 11^th. Things change; deadlines move:Start-Up Chile is a program of the Chilean Government, created by the Ministry of Economy, executed by CORFO via InnovaChile, that seeks to attract foreign, high-potential entrepreneurs to come to Chile to bootstrap their businesses with the end goal of converting Chile into the innovation and entrepreneurial hub of Latin America. Start-Up Chile provides access to a mentors network, attendance to weekly networking events, and the support of the Program which offers all the necessary contacts to find the money, the talent, the expertise, the visibility or other support that you may need. The Program assigns a $40k grant per project ($20,000,000 CLP), a 1-year resident visa to every founding team member provided on the application, a temporary workspace (desk & wifi). And you surrender zero equity in your company. The program is conducted in English, and entrepreneurs worldwide are encouraged to apply. You have until August 11^th; tick-tick-tick. For more information: www.startupchile.org. To apply: http://bit.ly/i8bFur

Heads up, college students! Moverandchangers.com is all set to launch its third nationwide challenge to uncover the country’s next young entrepreneurs who want to make it big with their innovative ideas for a new business. The contest is open to 16-28 year old college students to develop and produce a compelling business proposal. Ideas must be original, feasible, scalable and practical. More information on the site, which features a video with Dennis Crowley, who, just for the record, wouldn’t qualify for the contest now, nor would he when he first started foursquare. Deadline is October. Information is here: http://bit.ly/EvBLZ

From our friends at chubbybrain.com: NYC Startup Accelerators: A Quick & Dirty Guide. Helpful, too: http://bit.ly/hTNLSN

11 startups that found success by changing direction. Yes, they use the ‘p’ word, but sometimes it can’t be helped. http://on.mash.to/nFYQvZ

Do Not Pay for Fundraising Advice. A caveat and sage words – along with advice and even an invitation to reach out to him – from Mark Birch, another one of our favorites: http://bit.ly/ohRYBR

The Many Ways I Failed as a First Year Entrepreneur. We all make mistakes. A year after the writer fulfilled his lifelong dream and started his company, he took a look back at some of the mistakes he made. Want some examples? http://bit.ly/neyiBN

The Perk Bubble Is Growing as Tech Booms Again. Oh, those crazy kids and the things they come up with to make work seem less like…work. Hoodies. A nap in a tree house. All good, but don’t forget: showering is still considered de rigueur in most of the civilized world: http://on.wsj.com/nce8Jd

Since our Find A Cofounder is this evening (and just for the record, people have successfully found their cofounders through our FAC events), we did feel the need to add this one: Please, please, please stop asking how to find a technical co-founder: http://bit.ly/ixvem1

The Two Phases of Successful Seed Fundraising. This advice is for people looking to raise their seed round. We all start somewhere: http://bit.ly/nxwr3S

Entrepreneurs are from Mars and VCs are from – Mars. Roger Ehrenberg once again, explains it all for you: http://bit.ly/qrtsSG

We’ve all heard it: that there’s no such thing as a stupid question. Of course, there’s always an exception and on that note, we leave you with an oldie but funny – A Blonde and a Third Grade Geography Question. Note: not all Americans – or blondes – are this clueless: http://bit.ly/hD0HyU. Since people are just getting back from holiday, short and sweet this week (part of the Birthday Prerogative), and yet, as always, help is on the way…

7/5/11

Good morning, All,

Heads up: Our next Find A Cofounder is Tuesday, July 12^th and it’ll be under the stars. Yes, it’s summer’s first big outdoor party at a 4000 square foot terrace overlooking the Hudson. Come find a cofounder for your startup. Network with fellow entrepreneurs and investors. Enjoy the views and a cold brew at sunset. And it’s free to entrepreneurs and developers and an EW, SOS and ER co-event. Oh, coincidentally, it falls on the same night/same time as Feed-A-Cofounder, and yes, we are looking for someone to sponsor the food. Feel free to contact us (hello@startuponestop.com). You will be featured in our next newsletter and at the event - and you’ll be making many a hungry attendee happy! To RSVP: http://findacofounder2011.eventbrite.com/

As we all know by now, GOOG went social in a big way last week with google+. (Does that strike anyone besides us as a bit oxymoron?) Mashable spelled out some (early) pros and cons: http://on.mash.to/j7PAIc MySpace founder Tom Anderson also chimed in with his feelings on the launch http://bit.ly/mSn0iF Google’s a big company with a huge footprint and an enormous suite of products. Early reports are already predicting the demise of twitter, facebook, linkedin, quora (can foursquare be far behind?) and half the marine life on the planet. One major problem/irritation from reports we’ve gotten is that people anywhere can add you, seemingly almost randomly. So, is social media a numbers game, or is it about meaningful relationships/connections? Chris Brogan, who spent some time checking it out, offers the Google+50, a list to get you thinking about a bunch of different possibilities: http://bit.ly/klNELs Is the social/war for eyeballs on? Facebook Blocks Friends Exporter Plugin (a chrome extention): http://on.mash.to/kR2S2Q; Google Disables Realtime Search – Will Replace Twitter with Google+: http://bit.ly/kJ97Cx
It’s still early days and the votes – and the upgrades – aren’t all in yet, so we can only watch and wait. And at the end of the day, decide just how much more personal information we want GOOG to have on us, after all. And how much more of our online real estate – and decisions on search results – we want to further cede to the behemoth. Onward and forward.

Deadlines:

There are a few startupweekends coming up around the country and the world: Amsterdam and Tampa are next weekend; July 22^nd is Shanghai and Chicago; Sydney on July 29^th. For more information and to register: http://startupweekend.org/ And good luck to all of you out there!

DreamIt Philly accelerator application deadline is this Friday, July 8th. Apply at: http://bit.ly/ecieVT. DreamIt is also hosting a seminar today at noon. “What to Expect When Raising Early-Stage Capital” with Jordy Leiser, Co-Founder/CEO, STELLA Service. Please join DreamIt for this special lunchtime event where Jordy Leiser will share his experiences in raising early-stage capital for his company STELLAService (www.stellaservice.com), which provides proprietary ratings on the customer service performance of online stores. You’ll learn how Jordy successfully raised his initial round of $2 million, which included investments from Battery Ventures, DFJ Gotham Ventures, and RRE Ventures, as well as several angels. It’ll be a lunch hour well spent. To RSVP: http://bit.ly/j2mByC

Flights! Camera! Action! You have until July 15^th to submit your video telling American Airlines and the world how flying benefits your business. You could win up to 50 tickets for your company and exposure to thousands of potential customers by telling AA how travel boosts your business – you might get the ultimate boost to your travel budget! For more information and to apply: http://bit.ly/mkP9Mu

Charles Barkley wants to give your startup $25,000. Deadline July 18^th to win ‘Chuck Bucks.’ Priceless, isn’t it, but true! The National Basketball Association Hall of Fame power forward also known as “Sir Charles” announced on his website a contest called “Earn Chuck’s Bucks.” He’s calling for the best business-plan pitches and says he’ll give the winner $25,000 to help fund that business. Here’s how it works: Any U.S. resident age 18 or older can submit his or her business-plan pitch. The entry period ends at 11:59 p.m. on July 18. Finalist entries will be posted on CharlesBarkley.com where fans will be encouraged to vote for their favorite pitch. A winner will be selected in mid-September based on the total number of fan votes and other criteria, which include the pitch’s creativity, originality, feasibility and “energy and enthusiasm.” This definitely isn’t your typical business plan contest, and it might seem a little strange coming from a former NBA All-Star with no previous business experience. Barkley admits in his video announcing the contest that he feels that it’s his job to “help people become successful.” Barkley bites from the video (on his website):
• Keep it short.The official rules call for entries to be 3,900 characters or less. “Send me the CliffsNotes. I don’t want to be readin’ through a bunch of crap.”
• Make it realistic. “Don’t be sendin’ me no bull,” Barkley says. In other words, make sure the idea isn’t ‘turrible’ (sic).”

The 11th Annual New York Venture Summit is coming up July 20^th-21^st. Next early bird deadline ends July 18^th. The summit will showcase 50 of the hottest early stage and emerging growth Technology, Life Sciences and Clean-tech innovators.If you are a startup seeking capital and/or partnerships, submit your plan for the opportunity to present at The 2011 New York Venture Summit, the premier venue connecting emerging growth companies with active Venture capitalists, Angel investors, Corporate VCs and Investment Firms. Presented by youngStartup Ventures, The 2011 New York Venture Summit provides an unparalleled opportunity for startups to meet, network and showcase their innovative investment opportunities to a leading group of investors. For more information and early bird registration ($100 discount with your “sos” code) and to apply to present: http://bit.ly/jCFrNr

Applications for StartupChile Round 2 open July 11^th. Things change; deadlines move: Start-Up Chile is a program of the Chilean Government, created by the Ministry of Economy, executed by CORFO via InnovaChile, that seeks to attract foreign, high-potential entrepreneurs to come to Chile to bootstrap their businesses with the end goal of converting Chile into the innovation and entrepreneurial hub of Latin America. Start-Up Chile provides access to a mentors network, attendance to weekly networking events, and the support of the Program which offers all the necessary contacts to find the money, the talent, the expertise, the visibility or other support that you may need. The Program assigns a $40k grant per project ($20,000,000 CLP), a 1-year resident visa to every founding team member provided on the application, a temporary workspace (desk & wifi). And you surrender zero equity in your company. The program is conducted in English, and entrepreneurs worldwide are encouraged to apply. You have until August 11^th, so get busy. For more information: www.startupchile.org. To apply: http://bit.ly/i8bFur

The NYC Big Apps Challenge is on! You have until July 28^th to enter your submission. For details and information on how to submit: http://ideas.nycbigapps.com/

On Bubbles…And Why We’ll be Just Fine. Mark Shuster recently spoke at our friend Addeo Ressi’s Founder Showcase, and covered a number of topics, not the least of which was the latest bubble babble. Worth your reading, and the video of his presentation is also included in the article: http://bit.ly/itbAAv

Getting funded: Step 0 – Prepare. We do include a lot of articles on funding and how to get there. Here’s one that starts at Step 0: everything you need before you get to Step 1. Always good to be prepared and here’s what you need to do that: http://bit.ly/je2utr

How to put a VC in the hotseat. Turnabout is always fair play, and your VC could potentially make or break your company. Have a list of questions for them as well for your due diligence and here are a few you might want to keep in mind: http://bit.ly/kNhC4P

Launch your site too soon. Yes, you heard right. As the blogger/founder notes: “Because I launched it before I was ready, I got real feedback, which forced to me to address the bugs which real visitors & users were hitting.” Full, short story here: http://bit.ly/l7zsh0

The Declaration of Innovation. Yes, the US Independence Day celebration is over for this year, but this came across our screen. We take no political stand, but still felt a responsibility to share it with you innovators and entrepreneurs out there: http://declareinnovation.com/

How Much Money to Raise. Ah, isn’t that always the question and Fred Wilson gives some insights: http://bit.ly/kzdFvV

Mark Birch’s advice: Raise What You Need – and Then Some: http://bit.ly/iGSSPB

We usually try to leave you with a chuckle, but this time, something to consider, especially if you wonder why kids ‘prefer’ texting over emailing. The obvious just always escapes us, what, eh: http://bit.ly/jN2VmN

That’s it from us for this week. Hope to see you at our Find A Cofounder event next week and remember: if you ever need help, have help to give, have a question, an event, advice to give, or just want to tell us what you’re up to, always feel free to post. Simply go to the website (www.startuponestop.com) and post away. Speaking of which, help is on the way…

Start Up One Stop

For Startups, By Startups

Monthly Archives: July 2011