6/26/12
Good morning, All,
The next SOS event is July 9th, and it also happens to be my birthday! We are hosting in conjunction with DoItInPerson, so hope you can join us for an evening of drinks and networking with business owners and entrepreneurs. Thank you, DoItInPerson, for making it happen. To RSVP: http://bit.ly/LnJuAT And hope to see you there to help us celebrate! Microsoft is back in the news. Never count out a sleeping giant – and Microsoft is a company that always sleeps with one eye open. Remember a few years back when they invested in FB? (Microsoft invests $240 million in Facebook: http://on.msnbc.com/KVcRiW. From BI: Microsoft’s Investment In Facebook At A “Ridiculous” Valuation Was BRILLIANT: http://bit.ly/Mtbsvi). Now, with MS/FB – aka, the new Bing search, it might just have gotten even more brilliant, while G+ slowly fades. We remember when Microsoft was the Evil Empire: the tech bully who would buy or destroy competitors because they could (look up Stacker – Microsoft made overtures to Stacker to license their code, and when Stacker wouldn’t play, MSFT apparently wrote their own version using the knowledge they had obtained. You’ve never heard of Stacker. You’re no doubt familiar with defrag). This week, MSFT announced the release of Surface, its iPad wannabe/gonnabe (Video: Microsoft Surface And Apple iPad Announcements Compared Side By Side: http://bit.ly/OeTD8U) – and it’s not completely a clone (5 ways Microsoft’s Surface may be better than an iPad: http://bit.ly/PVErL4). Tomato, tomahto: let’s not forget that it was MSFT who bailed out – and may well have saved – Apple a few years back (Microsoft to invest $150 million in Apple: http://cnet.co/QIk19). That was ’97, when an older and wiser Bill Gates was still at the helm, and MSFT was on the eve of being usurped as the Evil Empire by a company that would go magnitudes beyond whatever evil MSFT had contrived in its day. Yes, Google. Now with Apple about to eliminate GOOG maps from its devices (Google Is Now Recognizing The Threat To Its Mapping Dominance: http://read.bi/PVM7wX), Android sales still not as strong as the iPhone, and Google dropping prices on both its mapping API and its cloud storage, well, no one stays on top forever, and cautionary tale ahead: Google lost sight of a key ingredient to success, whether your service is free or not: the end user. We personally studiously avoid Google products, whenever possible. We mentioned a while back that while researching Type 2 diabetes – a disease we do not have, but were doing research for personal reasons – and found ourselves slammed with subject related spam. Which we began keeping in a separate folder on weekend, to see how out of control GOOG was. Roughly, spam count about 2200 pieces between Friday evening and Sunday evening. When the number his 2700, we abandoned GOOG search completely. That was December, and we’ve been keeping track ever since. Spam count this past weekend: 37 pieces. And thanks for all the fish. Google has been secretly tracking users on mobile, on the web – and no doubt everywhere it has embedded itself, and behavioral targeted searches are not always helpful. Au contraire. Google is still the top search engine, but considering the ground its losing in other areas, it’s neither all-powerful nor bullet-proof. MSFT was smart to sleep with one eye open. Google would be wise to lose the ego and do the same – if only to watch its own back. Onward and forward.
Deadlines:
The 2012 New York Venture Summit is June 28th, and it’s the premier venue connecting emerging growth companies with active Venture capitalists, Angel investors, Corporate VCs and Investment Firms. Presented by youngStartup Ventures, The 2012 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. If you’re thinking of attending, we have an additional SOS discount for you: Your SOS discount code is sos150 – which is $150 off the current registration rate. Is it worth it? This just in: They’ve added a Fireside Chat with Ram Shriram, Managing Partner of Sherpalo Ventures and Founding Board member of Google (and their first investor) moderated by Steve Davis of Goodwin Procter LLP. Long answer: absolutely. Ram is a seminal SV investor and doesn’t often do speaking engagements on the East Coast, as far as we’ve noticed. For more information and to register: http://bit.ly/JTGiuI NEW Dell Launches $100M Innovators Credit Fund. Qualified start-ups can get extra funding and technological resources from the computer giant. The catch is, you must have already received some angel funding or venture capital before you can apply. Start-ups can get up to 10% of its current funding or up to $150,000 with limited credit terms. Article is here: http://bit.ly/NsJpQK For more information: http://eir.dell.com/
NEW Chinaccelerator, deadline June 30th. This is the first mentorship-driven seed funding program in China, providing extensive support for startups including seed funding, mentorship, and free office space. 4-8% equity taken for 10,000 CNY per founder (for 3 founders at max).For more information and to apply: http://bit.ly/Ltj1qk NEW StartupBootcamp Berlin, deadline June 30th. This accelerator program focuses on exposing and connecting startups to our expanding community of mentors and advisors that provide expertise from a multitude of industries. Startups in the programs get seed funding, free co-working space with other startups, services from sponsors and get a dedicated mentorship plan that will excel you from wherever you are in the development cycle to the next. 8% equity stake taken for 15,000 Euros and over $75K Euro in benefits.For more information and to apply:http://bit.ly/GCAVPh Chase and LivingSocial want to help fuel that drive by awarding up to 12 individual grants of $250,000 to 12 small businesses. Submit your Mission: Small Business℠ application today! Program ends June 30, 2012. For more information and to apply: https://www.missionsmallbusiness.com/ Call to international entrepreneurs: LaunchHouse Accelerator Program Takes Off, deadline July 1st. Over the past three years, LaunchHouse has succeeded in seeding, mentoring, and helping 30 companies to obtain follow-on funding. It plans to enhance those efforts with a new group of software and web-based tech entrepreneurs participating in the progra The LH Accelerator kicks off September 3. The application deadline is July 1. LaunchHouse will invest a total of $25,000 in each of 10 entrepreneurial teams (consisting of two or more co-founders) in software and web-based technology. Based in NE Ohio, but you can enter from anywhere in the world: http://bit.ly/Jy3D5o DreamIt Ventures Fall 2012 Philly program, deadline July 6th, 2012, and heads up, minority-led startups: We will select up to fifteen companies, including five minority-led startups, to participate in the three-month accelerator program. The deadline for applications is July 6th and the program will kickoff on September 7th. More information on the program can be found on our website at www.dreamitventures.com/apply. If you have questions, please contact Noelle McHugh at info@dreamitventures.com
DEMO Fall now accepting applications, scholarship consideration deadline July 6th. Standard deadline: August 17th. We just wrapped up one of the biggest DEMO events in our 22+ year history! Over 70 companies launched new products to a packed room of press, VC’s, angel investors and IT executives. If you didn’t make it to DEMO, check out some of the cool products that launched from the DEMO stage. Now, we’re gearing up for DEMO Fall 2012, Oct. 1-3 in Santa Clara. We are accepting applications for companies to launch or pitch their product. If you have a new product or now of a company right for a DEMO launch, visit, http://www.demo.com/launch. .Or, if you already have a product in the market, or know of a company who does, a Showcase sponsorship opportunity in the DEMO pavilion may be something to consider. For more information, visit, http://www.demo.com/showcase
It’s that time again – Startup Chile, deadline July 10th. For more information and to apply: http://startupchile.org/about/apply/
NEW Global Entrepreneurship Summer School, Berlin. Earlybird deadline June 30th. Final deadline: July 15th. This year we will accept 35 outstanding students from around the world. All applications will go through a very strict, but fair selection process. For more information and to apply: http://www.globalsummerschool.org/ NEW Oxygen Accelerator, Birmingham, England, deadline July 31st. A 13-week intensive mentor led bootcamp, followed by 13-weeks of incubation that culminates with a series of investor days where we will help you pitch to a large, carefully selected group of Angel investors, VCs and Private Equity groups for next stage funding. Up to €40,000 per team in exchange for 8%-10% equity, and much more, including relocation allowance: http://www.oxygenaccelerator.com/ Women 2.0 PITCH comes to NYC, deadline August 31st. We are now accepting applications for PITCH NYC from early-stage ventures around the world with at least one female founder to apply to the startup competition. PITCH NYC 2012 will provide entrepreneurs with a chance for fame and fortune: finalists present onstage at the conference, and prizes include $25k cash from L’Oreal, $24k worth of free hosting from Rackspace and a finalist interview with TechStars! Stay tuned for more awesome prizes to be announced. Early-stage ventures with under a million in funding and a product in the market (prototype OK) are invited to apply. We are looking to identify, recognize and reward the most disruptive women-led ventures globally – and invite them to pitch onstage for the PITCH NYC conference in November for top prize. Got a startup idea but no team, or got an idea but don’t know how to build it? You have at least THREE MONTHS starting today to emblazen the deadline of August 31 into your head and make it happen. For more information and to apply: http://bit.ly/K56mbS
Battle of the Apps: become the Kick Apps Champion by creating software that helps small businesses. Contest now opened, deadline: December 31st. Infusionsoft is offering$20,000 in cash and prizes for the best apps to help small business customers. Use the Infusionsoft API to create an app, integration, or plug-in that helps Infusionsoft customers grow their business! 1st through 4th place winners will receive ongoing marketing, plus stage time at InfusionCon 2013. 10 runners-up will receive InfusionCon boothspace and 2 tickets to the conference. Register to enter.
powered by Movable Ink For you edification this week:
Facebook’s Lame Attempt To Force Its Email Service On You. Yes, like it or not, if you’re on FB, you now have a FB email address. In fact, FB has taken the liberty of making your Facebook email your default contact address, like it or not: http://onforb.es/ML0oMs Happily, there’s an easy way to reverse it: Lifehacker: Facebook Changed Everyone’s Email to @Facebook.com: Here’s How to Fix Yours: http://bit.ly/NDEuvh
And yes, we know that Microsoft Agrees to Acquire Yammer for $1.2 Billion in Cash. “They’ve been behind in terms of social, and this puts them in a really strong position, perhaps even the lead,” said Rob Koplowitz, an analyst at Forrester Research Inc: http://buswk.co/LZFACH
A 5-point checklist to create lucrative opportunities with disruptive technologies. Disruption is part of the business game. Entire empires can be crippled in the blink of an eye. Just look at the postal service. Once an untouchable giant it was brought to its knees by email: http://bit.ly/KFa6AO The 11 risks VCs evaluate. Here are the major risks that I typically review when a startup pitches: http://bit.ly/MvQWdR Always Swim Downstream. Some of us have this weird need to ignore the things we’re already good at and focus too much time and energy on being better at things we’re not good at. Yeah, that’ll work: http://bit.ly/KUpqq3 New York: Techie Magnet. We’re not about to let this devolve into a pissing match with SV, but New York certainly has its upside – like, not everyone here works in technology. Whew! http://on.wsj.com/NKj4hc Tweet anonymously: There are times, we suppose, when it’s just gotta be done. Haven’t tried it, but for the curious – or gossipmongers: http://anontwttr.fox21.at/
Apple Wants to Protect Your Identity – by Cloning You. One of the properties Apple won in a February acquisition of patents from Novell, the technology allows the company to fight would-be Little Brothers by cloning users’ digital identities. It’s digital pollution, with a purpose and, as the patent text notes, its purpose is to “make any data collection about a principal less valuable and less reliable.” So much for behavioral targeting: http://on.mash.to/LmXoIj If You Think The Soda Ban Is Bad, Check Out All The Things That Are Illegal In Singapore. All true, BusinessInsider, but let’s not forget that you’re now comparing us to a fascist regime. http://read.bi/MJiR8m And according to the Heritage Foundation’s 2012 Index of Economic Freedom, Singapore ranks 2nd. The US is now #10 – and falling: http://bit.ly/A9o2Gi
That’s it from us this week and hope to see you on my birthday! Given that next week is the big US Independence Day weekend, chances are we won’t send a newsletter next week, but we will be back soon enough! And now, as always, help is on the way…