4/9/13

4/9/13

Good morning, All,

Two things: first, a warning: college graduation is just around the corner and that means that a new crop of Millenials are heading our way. They’re not all the same although if you believe that the recent unemployment numbers have humbled the supremely entitled among them at all, newsflash: contrary to popular misconception on the part of many a millennial and in all fairness, not all, technical literacy does not fast-track you to the corner office. Oh, and you had me at hello: ‘unlimited days off and free lunches’ in the startup world? Not that we’ve noticed and while we’re on the subject, can we not pretend that we live in a parallel universe that revolves around each and every one of us?

Ok, we’ve steered clear of ‘Lean In,’ to date and full disclosure: we haven’t read the book, nor do we intend to. We’ve have seen the platitudes and – going for the money shot: has it occurred to anyone else that Ms. Sandberg was having her Marissa Mayer Moment here, meaning, she’d been the go-to example of the Successful Woman in Tech, keynoting and being quoted ad nauseam but was somehow not tapped to be the CEO of Yahoo! We recently attended a panel discussion where the keynote was a representative from the Lean In movement. We were curious about the movement’s next steps and what they were planning to further empower women, but she talked about herself and her career. The audience was predominantly women and yet no words of advice for the room. No game plan mentioned. See conclusion of the above paragraph.

Starting a company (or a movement, for that matter) is not easy – and neither is running a company, large or small, successfully. Ask Andrew Mason. Or Marissa Mayer, for that matter. The press loves hype and success and why not? It make for good press, but there are long hours and the day after day and year after year that often goes into reaching that tipping point and becoming an ‘overnight success.’ Although there are those out there who believe that anyone can do it, in the words of Ernest Hemingway (Jake Barnes to Lady Brett), isn’t it pretty to think so. Onward and forward.

Deadlines:

The list of Startup Weekend Upcoming Events

New York Venture Summit: Apply to present/early bird registration now open.  The 13th annual New York Venture Summit, presented by youngStartup Ventures, is the premier industry gathering connecting venture capitalists, corporate VCs, angel investors, technology transfer professionals, senior executives of early stage and emerging growth companies, university researchers, incubators and premier service providers. Whether you are an investor seeking access to new early stage deals, or a CEO or Founder of a new venture looking for funding, visibility and growth, New York Venture Summit is one event you won’t want to miss. To be considered for one of the Top Innovator slots, please e-mail iwant2present@youngstartup.com for an application.

The NYC Department of Education is challenging software developers to submit apps and games that enhance math teaching and learning, and engagement for our middle schools, deadline April 10th. For more information and to submit, go here.

Kaplan EdTech Accelerator, deadline April 14th. Kaplan and TechStars are partnering to launch the Kaplan EdTech Accelerator, a 3 month intensive program for 10 EdTech startups in NYC from June to September. What kind of companies are they looking for? Apps, platforms, K-12, higher ed, professional ed, and everything in between. There’s also an info session on Apr 2nd. And if you have any questions, contact Phil Schwarz at edtechaccelerator@kaplan.com

2013 UX Awards,  submissions deadline April 15th. For more information and to apply, go here.

ER Accelerator now accepting applications for Summer 2013. Final deadline: April 19th. $40,000 investment 4-month program. Follow-on investment in future rounds. 200+ awesome mentors, including yours truly. Apply now. There’s also an ERA Summer 2013 Happy Hour at Connolly’s this Wednesday, March 27th. Come and learn more about the program, and talk to members of the present class, alums and mentors – like me!

Global Apps to Empower Competition Seeks Apps to Educate and Empower Women Everywhere, deadline April 30th. Applications that best satisfy the competition criteria will receive cash prizes and the opportunity to have their apps featured on Datawind’s $40 Ubislate educational tablet. That’s potentially a lot of computers – and a big win for the winning app! The UN is involved and the winning apps will be receive cash prizes, recognition (judges for the contest include Joanne Wilson, Vivek Wadhwa, Geena Davis. For more information and to apply: http://appstoempower.org/

Innovate Health Tech NYC, deadline May 2nd. $50,000 in cash & prizes, coaching sessions for finalists, and the opportunity to pitch your solution to health tech investors & entrepreneurs.

Startup Institute, deadline May 5th. SI works with professionals, career changers, and dynamic individuals to equip them with the skills needed to have an immediate impact on the startup company they join. The primary objective is to align passion with profession, and usher students into a life they love. This is a full-time, immersive, eight-week experience that will catapult you into your city’s technology ecosystem in the areas of web development, product & design, technical marketing, or sales & business development. Apply here and heads up: apply now: as soon as the class is full, applications close, too.

Gates Foundation offers $100k for ‘next-gen condom,’ deadline May 7th. You can’t make these things up.

HackSummerStage, deadline May 8th.  SummerStage is looking for the app which best reflects the mission outlined above and uses the SummerStage content to engage the 280,000+ attendees to SummerStage’s annual summer-long festival.  Apps that creatively utilize both the SummerStage API and other provided APIs to offer a beneficial and positive experience to festival-goers, and reflect the fact that SummerStage extends to 16 parks beyond Central Park, will be judged higher.

NEW   L’ORÉAL NEXT GENERATION AWARDS, deadline May 10th. The three winners will be able to execute pilots across L’Oreal brands executed by the end of 2014. The winners will have the opportunity to meet with Venture Capital firms, L’Oréal executives, partners, and the press. L’Oréal will provide airfare and accommodations to attend the event. Winners will also be provided press opportunities with major consumer and trade publications. Winners will be recognized on the , on the L’Oréal Women in Digital website and invited on an ongoing basis to attend all L’Oréal Women in Digital meet-ups in local markets and internally to provide mentorship.

Fourth BigApps Competition, deadline June 7th. $150k in prizes, and there’s a NYC BigApps 2013 Expo and Hackathon Weekend at eBay’s New York offices the weekend of April 6th. More information about the BigApps competition is on the NYCBigApps website.

NEW
  Blueprint Health Accelerator, deadline June 8th. They just had their demo day, and getting ready for the next session. The foundation of the program is a community of over 150 healthcare entrepreneurs, investors and industry executives that are committed to helping you build and grow your business. It’s the largest network of mentors with healthcare expertise of any accelerator, which can provide you with warm introductions and the strategic and tactile advice you need. Plus $20,000 in cash, over $50,000 in perks, office space at our SoHo office, and a community that is dedicated to seeing you succeed.

LaunchHouse Accelerator Accepting Applications, Cleveland, Ohio, and all are welcome to apply. Deadline unknown. Program starts in August. For more information, see below under ‘I Can Help.’ To apply, go here. Also, just for your information, they do encourage people from anywwhere to apply – and even provide housing!

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For you edification this week:

Is Tim O’Reilly’s Internet Evangelism Actually A Blight? Morozov closely scrutinizes the thinness of O’Reilly’s buzz-phrase philosophy that’s attempting to permeate health care, government and even warfare. Sometimes it’s worth the long read, my ADHD friends…

Billionaires’ Tips For New Grads: Advice From Jobs, Oprah, Zuckerberg And More. Some sage advice for all of us.

Lawrence Lessig: We the People, and the Republic we must reclaim. 132 people gave 60% to Superpacs in the last election.

Don’t Lean In. Walk Out. There’s that option as well.

The Patent Protection Racket. The fastest growing industry in the US right now, even during this time of slow economic growth, is probably the patent troll protection racket industry. Bottom feeders, all.

5 ways to advance your term sheet: AKA “How to think like an investor” Which pretty much sums it up.

FLASHBACK: This Was The Internet In 1995. Ah, we remember Eudora. And pine.

The 12 Things That Successfully Convert a Great Idea Into a Reality. As you think about how you can begin to embrace the entrepreneurial attitude more actively, here are 12 things you must actively do – at all times.

Wi-Fi Above 10,000 Feet: Which Airlines Provide Best Connection? Still, as of September 2012, only 31% of US domestic flights came equipped with in-flight.

Elevator Pitch/Member News
Hint, hint: Feel free to tell us what you’re working on, or if you’ve been featured in the press…Share, and we will, too!

As many of you know, Allen Stern passed away. An early blogger, a truly great guy, and he will be sorely missed.

The news of Allen’s death saddened us, so no chuckle this week. That’s it from us for now, and now, as always, help is on the way…

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