Good morning, All,

If you’ll be in town on Labor Day, yes, we are doing a bbq, so come join us! http://soslabordaybbq.eventbrite.com
Next, the final EW+SOS+ER Rocking Out on the Terrace of the season is September 12^th. This time, we’ll have investors on hand who’ll introduce themselves at 6.30, then will make themselves available to you, so feel free to pitch them – or just buy them a beer. Oh, wait, it’s open bar. Even better! http://terraceparty3.eventbrite.com/.

In case you missed it, a shot was fired last week – two, in fact, in the last few weeks. First, Apple became the world’s largest company (surpassing Exxon Mobile, albeit briefly) and then there was Marc Andreessen’s piece in the Wall Street Journal  (Why Software Is Eating The World: http://on.wsj.com/q82iSD – a must read) “Today’s stock market actually hates technology,” Andreessen states, “as shown by all-time low price/earnings ratios for major public technology companies. Apple, for example, has a P/E ratio of around 15.2—about the same as the broader stock market, despite Apple’s immense profitability and dominant market position… Too much of the debate is still around financial valuation, as opposed to the underlying intrinsic value of the best of Silicon Valley’s new companies. My own theory is that we are in the middle of a dramatic and broad technological and economic shift in which software companies are poised to take over large swathes of the economy.”

We agree, although, unlike Andreessen, we don’t limit software innovation to Silicon Valley. Yes, we realize Andreessen is an investor and certainly has a vested interest in the Street’s perception/valuation of software, but let’s face it: technology – specifically, software – is the new Industrial Age, and as in any industrial revolution, there’s a shift in the skill sets that are in demand. We’ve said it before: that there are many people on this list – yours truly included – who worked in traditional industries, saw the future coming and moved with it, and had many friends/associates – we called them Luddites back in the day – who thought we were crazy and who are now struggling to keep up with the changes we’ve wrought. In deference to Apple’s domination, we leave you with the famous ‘Here’s to the crazy ones’ – the 1997 ad campaign that marked the company’s re-emergence as a tech giant and Steve Jobs’ return to Apple after having been booted out by its board 11 years before. If you’ve never seen the commercial (http://youtu.be/4oAB83Z1ydE) or the text of the print ad (http://bit.ly/pYW0Pl), take the time: it’s a classic. Moreover, it was a rallying call and it’s high time for The Street to take note: you’re not going to stop us, deter us or diminish us. We think not. Because we think different. Onward and forward.

Deadlines!

Hack for Good, September 06 – September 30, 2011 (but feel free to start working on your project when you register; we’ll give you access to all available documentation). LetGive’s first annual “Hack-for-Good” (HFG) contest! LetGive has created an API that allows anyone to include a charitable giving component within their application. Applications built on our platform are transformed into powerful fundraising vehicles for Nonprofits and Charities. Prize: $1000 for the winning app. To register: http://www.letgive.com/hackforgood/

Silicon Valley Immersion Week + DEMO is September 12-16 and we have a 15% discount for you. Code is SOS. This intensive 5-day program brings together leading experts in legal, finance, sales, marketing and PR, and investment to provide you with the information and best practices required to ensure a successful US market entry and a sustainable business.  Silicon Valley Immersion Week includes 2 full days at the DEMO Conference, Silicon Valley’s premier technology event.  DEMO can help you quickly assess the competitive environment of the US market while making valuable contacts that can become the foundation of your Silicon Valley business network.
5-day program includes:

• DEMO conference ticket  ($1,795 value)
• 2+  days of essential information presented in working session format
• Lunch each day
• Two evening networking events
• Private hosted dinner
• Google & Computer History Museum visits
• Coach transportation to and from Guidewire and corporate site visits

For the full schedule and to RSVP: http://bit.ly/nYdJgu

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

Global Amazon Web Services Start-up Challenge is on! Deadline: October 2^nd. This year, AWS will select 15 regional semi-finalists: 5 each from the Americas, Asia Pacific (including Japan), and EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa), respectively, who will each receive $2,500 in AWS credits. From these, they will select a minimum of 6 finalists to be awarded a package of $10,000 in AWS credits and a trip to Palo Alto, California, to attend the final round of judging. Then, after a day of meetings with the judges, they will announce one grand prize winner at a public event for start-ups and investors. The winner will receive a package that includes $50,000 in cash and $50,000 in AWS credits. To enter: http://aws.amazon.com/startupchallenge/

6^th Annual New England Venture Summit  – Call for Top Innovators. If you are a Startup seeking capital and/or partnerships, submit your plan for the opportunity to present at the premier venue connecting emerging growth companies with active Venture Capitalists, Angel Investors, Corporate VCs and Investment Firms. A select group of 50 Top Innovators from the technology, life sciences and Clean-tech sectors will be chosen to present their breakthrough investment opportunities to an exclusive audience of investors.The early deadline for presenting company applications is October 26^th. E-mail iwant2present@youngstartup.com for more details and an application. To nominate a company please forward: company name, main contact at firm, contact details and why you think they should present to nominations@youngstartup.com. The event happens December 14^th; 50% off if you register by November 9^th: http://bit.ly/nCkYN6

The Appy Awards – enter once and you could win twice. Deadline March 21, 2012 but any entry you submit today may also be selected as our “Featured App of the Week“, scoring you some seriously instant gratification. And we doesn’t love that? For more information and to enter – any time – http://appyawards.net/

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For your edification this week:

Speaking of Apple – Want to Be the Next Apple? Lose the Bafflegab. It’s all about strategy, and Steve Jobs is a master strategist – and consummate showman/marketer: http://bloom.bg/pZ4Oyo

Speaking of The Street – Sound Thinking for Unsound Time is Roger Ehrenberg’s notes to early-stage companies everywhere: make sure you’ve got enough financial resources to hit key operational milestones – taking into account lousy financing conditions. Block out the noise. Maintain your laser focus. And execute, execute, execute. Otay! http://bit.ly/qvlsdL

Coffee, tea – or more coffee? Why You Need to Take 50 Coffee Meetings. According to Mark Suster, 50 coffee meetings should stick in your head as a metaphor for networking. For getting outside of your comfort zone. For starting relationships today that won’t pay off for a year. Keep reading and bottoms up: http://bit.ly/oSqcik

Adventures with Venture Capital Outside the Valley. Trunk.ly co-founder (and coffee addict) Tim Bull blogged about his (painful) experiences with a Chinese VC firm. Lessons to be learned: You need to trust your investors; always make sure to have a good lawyer, good instincts and a good pair of shoes – you just may need to walk away from the deal: http://bit.ly/n69Or3

What to Consider Before Teaming Up With a Partner. A number of you look for co-founders. Two is always better than one, no? But going into business together is more than just two people with complementary talents “teaming up” to work together and there may be legal implications. Brad Sugars outlines what to consider before signing on the dotted line: http://bit.ly/p7VzRL

When It Comes To Founding Successful Startups, Old Guys Rule. Much is made of youth in this industry, but as Vivek Wadhwa wrote back in ’09: message to all the Silicon Valley venture capitalists who think a CEO is over the hill after age 40. Old guys rule. They are far more likely to be the founder of a successful technology company than most of you understand. And for the record, when Steve Jobs successful resumed the reigns at Apple in ’97, he was – yep – over 40: http://tcrn.ch/qQKb81

Finally, speaking of biting back, IBM unveils microchip based on the human brain – and it can think. Seriously. The chips are sponsored by a US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) project – the same people who brought you the internet itself – to create computers whose abilities rival those of the human brain. And you thought Skynet was fiction: http://bit.ly/nNKEtb

We do try to leave you with a chuckle, so for your amusement this week: The Entire Facebook Terms of Service in Bro Speak. The Facebook Terms of Service So here it is, translated into a more familiar vernacular (with a lot of swearing). Then again, can anyone figure out what the frack it all means the way the lawyers write it? http://linkd.in/n5g7m5.  The hour doth draw on apace and summer’s coming to an end. Yes, Virginia, September starts next week! Don’t forget to sign up for the SOS Labor Day weekend barbeque, and we’ve moved it to Monday, Labor Day, September 5: http://soslabordaybbq.eventbrite.com And for now, as always, help is on the way…