Startup One Stop

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 Read More...

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. Read More...

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) Read More...

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/ Read More...

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 Read More...