1/3/12

1/3/12

Good morning, All,

First, a very happy 2012 to you and our next SOS+EW+ ER ROOTT breakfast is next week – January 10th, just for the record, and we do limit the number of attendees, so do sign up early. $25 includes breakfast and it’s $30 at the door. To RSVP: http://roottbreakfast3.eventbrite.com/

We’re not big on New Year’s predictions, but our industry seems to like to publish them, ad nauseam, and we’re limiting ours to just one:  Marc Andreessen: Predictions for 2012 (and beyond) Andreessen’s view of the world boils down to software. From where he stands, as the guy who co-founded Netscape Communications and now co-runs the powerful Silicon Valley venture firm Andreessen Horowitz, no industry is safe from software. Or, as Andreessen put it in a much-discussed piece he wrote for The Wall Street Journal, “Software is eating the world.” For his predictions:http://cnet.co/uI4s8r

Then there’s SOPA, and The  Empire (that’s us) did strike back: It started when people started pulling their domains off SOPA supporter godaddy.com, who reversed their stance following a PR nightmare. Internet giants seriously considering ‘nuclear option’ to stop SOPA. (http://bit.ly/uFdeLZ) We know that the SOPA was temporarily put on hold just before Congress went into recess. According to this article, one major tactic that might truly derail SOPA would be if the biggest websites in the country were to temporarily shut down their services and instead inform visitors of the dangers of SOPA. Remarkably, it now appears as though a coalition made up of fifteen online titans is seriously considering doing just that. The NetCoalition is made up of AOL, eBay, Facebook, foursquare, Google, IAC, Linkedin, Mozilla, OpenDNS, PayPal, Twitter, Wikipedia, Yahoo! and the Zynga Game Network. If all of these websites were to act simultaneously, both national commerce and the day-to-day life of the majority of Americans would be disrupted with an anti-SOPA message. It may not stop SOPA or PIPA, but it would certainly bring it to the attention of Americans who aren’t even aware of the threat. Moreover, isn’t this an election year, with more and more politicians turning to the web and social media to broadcast their messages? Congress nearly always excludes itself from legislation that the general populace has no choice but to live with. It’ll be interesting to see what happens if/when the plug is pulled and they’re forced to feel the consequences of their own dumb ideas – just like the rest of us. It might be the start of a beautiful wake-up call, but then, I’m a consummate optimist. More frightening still is this: The Coming War on General Computation, presented by Cory Doctorow. The copyright law may be just a skirmish. The real battle: the war against the general purpose computer, and the stakes are the freedom privacy of the entire human race: http://bit.ly/uelj73; video is here:  http://bit.ly/tv7hgA  Onward and forward.

Deadlines:

In SF: DEMO Enterprise Disruption: An Evening of Innovation & Change, January 5, 2012, DEMO and Fusion-io (DEMO alum) are joining forces to create a memorable event featuring enterprise product demonstrations; special Fusion-io demonstration featuring Fusion-io Chief Scientist Steve Wozniak and a New Year’s party open to the entire tech community of entrepreneurs, developers, press, investors and DEMO alumni. For more information: http://bit.ly/sos8Rt

  • Apply to demonstrate at the Enterprise Disruption event: Applications are currently being accepted for three student-run companies focused on the enterprise and three DEMO alumni with new enterprise products, to give product demonstrations at DEMO Enterprise.  Apply today!  (If accepted to demo at this event, fees are waived thanks to scholarship support from Fusion-io) To apply: http://bit.ly/tSD8AA
  • DEMO Enterprise Disruption Party: Join Fusion-io, DEMO and VentureBeat at Temple Nightclub on January 5 to welcome in the New Year with a rockin’ party for the entire Bay Area Tech Ecosystem! Complimentary Event! To attend: http://demopartysf2012.eventbrite.com/

Rockstart Accelerator Amsteram, deadline January 6th. Rockstart Accelerator is a new program that helps the most promising teams from around the world to launch their startups and break through on a global scale. We support 10 startups for 100 days, backed by 99 mentors in the main European startup hub: Amsterdam. You build in Amsterdam and pitch in the US. For more information and to apply: http://bit.ly/vhfgVu

NEW FounderFuel in Montreal, deadline January 7th . Web and mobile is what we’re all about, so you’re at the right place if that’s your thing. Each team in the program receives a $10K investment, plus an additional $5K per co-founder in exchange for 6% equity in the company. As an example, a team of 3 will receive a total of $25K. For more information and to apply: http://founderfuel.com/en/

NEW Tech Wildcatters, early application deadline: January 15th. TechWildcatters is a mentorship-driven microseed fund and startup accelerator. The 12-week accelerator “bootcamp” runs every spring and fall starting in Dallas. For more information and to apply: http://techwildcatters.com/

FinTech Innovation Labs, deadline January 18th. This is an annual program run by the New York City Investment Fund and Accenture for early and growth companies that have developed cutting edge technology products targeted at financial services customers. There’s also an information day on January 10th. For more information and to apply: http://www.fintechinnovationlab.com/

Mini Seedcamp London, January 31, 2012 is a one day event aiming to connect the 20 best web-tech, mobile and software talent with some of the leading entrepreneurs, developers, and experts from all across Europe and all over the world. For more information and to apply: http://bit.ly/rqgVQm

TechStars NYC, early appliction deadline: January 10th. Final deadline: January 23rd. Time for the Spring session. To apply: http://apply.techstars.com/ For more information: http://www.techstars.com/

NEW WIM Accelerator, Deadline February 1st. Women Innovate Mobile (WIM) is the first startup accelerator and mentorship-driven program designed for women-founded companies in mobile technology. WIM’s goal is to provide women entrepreneurs with the guidance, feedback and connections needed to make their startups best in class companies and formidable business concerns. Our companies will receive $18,000 in funding, free office space, product development and design support, mobile-marketing promotions, and access to an incredible network of mentors, funders and advisors. In exchange for our investment and services, we receive a 6% equity stake in each company.  For more information and to apply:  http://womeninnovatemobile.com/ From the WSJ, A Start-Up Program for Women in Mobile Tech: http://on.wsj.com/vErQhp

Startup Bootcamp Amsterdam, deadline February 12th. We provide seed investment, 6-months of office space, 99 mentors, daily coaching by serial entrepreneurs in residence and a 3-week road-trip to Silicon Valley. Teams receive a maximum of €17,000 per team and 6 months of free office space in return for 8 percent of equity. The accelerator program operates for 3 months. For more information and to apply: http://bit.ly/vWpBqW

NXTP LABS/TechStars Argentina deadline 13 de Febrero – and that’s the extent of our Spanish. For more information and to apply: http://bit.ly/rYcDfN

NYC Big App Awards – New York City is challenging software developers to create apps that use city data to make NYC better. $50k in cash and prizes! You have from now until January 25th to enter. For more information and to apply: http://2011.nycbigapps.com/

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 you edification this week, including 3 new year’s presents for you:

1. The startup accelerators listed on this site all accept the Unified Seed Accelerator Application form. This means that you can apply to any number of the them with a single form, and then reuse that form to apply to other accelerator programs. In some cases, a few custom questions are also required for specific programs. Once you’ve submitted your applications, you can track the status here as well: http://www.accelerato.rs/

2. Inside FI: Our Favorite #Startup VC Pitching Resources.  From the Founders Institute blog. It’s a long list – and a keeper: http://fi.co/posts/476

3. http://astartupstore.com/ A Startup Store is now open on a very real corner in Chelsea in NYC. It’s stocked with products from five NYC-based online fledglings. Equal parts gallery and shop, the first iteration — dubbed Beta — is open until January 12. Come February, and every subsequent four to six weeks, the space will shutter, reinvent, and reopen. The space will also host events like wine-fueled Joor trunk shows this weekend and Skillshare learning sessions in the future. So, entrepreneurs out there, if you have something to showcase, get all dressed up – there’s someplace to go.

13 Ways To Think About And Crush Your Competition. Here’s how Jason L. Baptiste thinks about competition as a cofounder and CEO of a growing venture backed startup. And no, don’t worry whether or not GOOG, FB or any of the other big guys will eat your lunch. We’ll say it again: they may try, but don’t always succeed: http://bit.ly/vm96oB

PIPA explained – Censoring the Internet: It’s Not Just for China Any More! From the Atlantic, with a great video that explains it all, and it’s closer than you think, thanks to the entertainment industry: http://bit.ly/smCA0f#BoycottHollywood. And in case you missed it, Spain Gets its Own SOPA-Style Anti-Piracy Law For Shutting Down Websites http://t.co/g298dZek

Just when you thought we’d completely covered networking – 51 Interesting Networking Questions for Entrepreneurs. As the writer notes, a conversation is only as good as the questions that you ask. Something for everyone and all occasions, from the icebreakers to the dare you ask: http://bit.ly/us4WK8

Think Like a VC. Spend an hour pretending to be a VC.  Would you consider your own company? Read on: http://bit.ly/rv77zW

The Importance of the Minimum Viable Team. A crucial part of a start-up CEO’s job is to build a team that lets him or her be just that: the CEO. From Mark Peter Davis, who’s been and is both a VC and an entrepreneur: http://bit.ly/vXIW6x

M.I.T. Game-Changer: Free Online Education For All. Yes, we know this was announced a few weeks ago, and yes, it is free and open to anyone in the world. And could sprout some new cottage industries, so if you’re wondering what to do next, you might get some ideas – or at least a free education: http://onforb.es/tA2RUR

And because it is a new year: Spend 2012 on the Right Side of the Haimish Line.  First, “[Haimish is] a Yiddish word that suggests warmth, domesticity and unpretentious conviviality” and the infinitely approachable Mark Suster makes some interesting observations – and promises to be even more approachable. After all, it’s all about people – and some good links included here as well: http://bit.ly/tErRS2

And, because it has to be done: Mark Birch’s Best of Strong Opinions of 2011:  http://bit.ly/uILx5y

From Mark Suster: End of the Web? Don’t Bet on It: http://bit.ly/v9r5Wl

Finally, What Startup To Build? What are your problems? That’s what you should be working on: http://tcrn.ch/tXnsER

Speaking of which, yes, I’ve done just that recently. Was faced with a problem when someone whom I love very much was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and spent nearly three years – and counting – researching how to get him – and keep him – off medications, since I did find most of the sites out there either 1) don’t distinguish between types 1 and 2 diabetes, which are two completely different diseases; and 2) many of them are supported by pharmaceutical advertising and my plan was to get him OFF the medications. So far, so good. So I’ve finally launched Type2likeme.com. It’s still very much a work in progress. More information and recipes to come – and no, not the cookies or muffins. Those we intend to sell and yes, commerce is important. But – my regimen did get him off the meds in two months (the doctor said he’d be on them for a year, at least, and now refers to him as his ‘poster boy’); he lost over 60 pounds in 6 months (I think it was more; he dropped 8 sizes), without going hungry, and he has kept the weight off, and his numbers down for nearly three years, and counting. Would love your feedback, especially if you’re a type 2 diabetic, or living with one, like moi. Oh, many of the recipes are also gluten free and it turns out it’s a very good weight loss program as well. Ah, what love (motivator) and necessity will do. Maybe there’s something to what drives entrepreneurs in the first place… Thank you for listening  and hopefully giving feedback and now, as always, help is on the way…

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