6/21/11

6/21/11

Good morning, All,

We know the next few weeks will be hectic, what with July 4th weekend, Canada Day and summer vacations so heads up: We are planning a barbeque for those of you who will be in town over the July 4th holiday weekend. Come join us and feel free to bring friends. RSVP: http://bit.ly/kIgxae Our next Find A Cofounder is also coming up and we’re planning it for mid-July. Really, and we hope to get all of the details finalized by next week. And make sure you read ‘Upcoming Events’ this week: You could win up to 50 roundtrip tickets on American Airlines for your company at the next Entrepreneurs Roundtable. Details below.

Europe had its first ever Digital Agenda Assembly this past week (http://bit.ly/fDbhwl) in Brussels to help thrash out information and communication technologies’ role in Europe’s future. From all reports, there was a shortage of entrepreneurs present/invited (not surprising) but it was a start. Not that entrepreneurship was the main thrust of the Assembly, but rather, the importance of a neutral internet, among other topics. Still, it might have been helpful to get the perspective of people who actually work in the industry. Full story is here: http://tnw.co/lxrGHy. The Silicon Alley Talent Fair was also last week and there was an enormous turnout of both startups and people looking to work for startups. At the end of the day – literally -, Rachel Sterne, NYC’s Chief Digital Officer, announced that New York may well become the first city in the world with its own domain – .nyc – not just for the prestige but of course also for the revenues that it will generate for our fair town. All well and good, but heads up, NYC government: while we were happy to see that you supporting the job fair, how about supporting entrepreneurship in a truly meaningful way, and we don’t mean by announcing a new way to collect revenues from us via the TLD. How about tax breaks for entrepreneurs? Or – heaven forfend! – less regulation/lower barrier to entry? There’s a reason why incorporating in Delaware or Nevada as opposed to NY is a frequent discussion on many a NY tech-based listserv. New York does not make it easy, or affordable, to set up shop here and pretty much buries one in bureaucratic paperwork on a regular basis. Just thought we’d throw that out there as ideas to consider, presuming that the goal is to potentially create more jobs – and even more revenue – for the city. Yes, we know: you, too, would love to see the forest, too, but all those bloody trees are in the way. Onward and forward.

Deadlines:

Speaking of getting busy: DreamIt Philly applications now being accepted. Deadline July 8th. Apply at: http://bit.ly/ecieVT. DreamIt is also hosting a Happy Hour on June 27th here in NYC. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about the program and to find out the real deal from people who have been there and done that. RSVP: http://dreamit.ticketleap.com/dreamit-happy-hour-nyc/

NYC/LA Show Us Your Shorts! Two Coasts, One Awesome Networking/Screening event – June 30th!
SCENEPR is pairing up with FirstGlance Film Festival & Showbiz Store & Cafe to produce a unique event for filmmakers, where they can screen their short film at two networking events on the same night on different coasts!
Come socialize with fellow film industry folk and experience a night of curated short films! One lucky attendee will walk away with one copy of Showbiz Budgeting! ($400 Value!)
NYC: Showbiz Store & Cafe, 19 West 21st Street, NY, NY 10010
LOS ANGELES: Showbiz Store & Cafe, 500 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049
Pre-Registration is REQUIRED. Limited to the first 75 registered guests.
For more information and to register: http://bit.ly/shortz

New York Venture Summit: Register by June 29th and save 40% The 11th annual summit will showcase 50 of the hottest early stage and emerging growth Technology, Life Sciences and Clean-tech innovators.If you are a startup seeking capital and/or partnerships, submit your plan for the opportunity to present at The 2011 New York Venture Summit, the premier venue connecting emerging growth companies with active Venture capitalists, Angel investors, Corporate VCs and Investment Firms. Presented by youngStartup Ventures, The 2011 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. For more information and early bird registration ($100 discount with your “sos” code: http://www.youngstartup.com/newyork2011/overview.php To apply to be a Top Innovator: iwant2present@youngstartup.com

Hacking Education: A Contest for Developers and Data Crunchers. Ten years ago, a teacher in the Bronx launched DonorsChoose.org. Since then, more than 165,000 teachers at 43,000 public schools have posted over 300,000 classroom project requests, inspiring $80,000,000 in giving from 400,000 donors. We’ve opened up that data, and invite you to make discoveries and build apps that improve education in America. We’ve got a list of suggestions to help get you thinking. We hope to build a community of developers and data crunchers, so we’re launching a contest! Deadline is June 30th, and more information is here: http://www.donorschoose.org/hacking-education

Startup Chile: tentative deadline July 4th. Start-Up Chile is a program of the Chilean Government, created by the Ministry of Economy, executed by CORFO via InnovaChile, that seeks to attract foreign, high-potential entrepreneurs to come to Chile to bootstrap their businesses with the end goal of converting Chile into the innovation and entrepreneurial hub of Latin America.  Start-Up Chile provides access to a mentors network, attendance to weekly networking events, and the support of the Program which offers all the necessary contacts to find the money, the talent, the expertise, the visibility or other support that you may need. The Program assigns a $40k grant per project ($20,000,000 CLP), a 1-year resident visa to every founding team member provided on the application, a temporary workspace (desk & wifi). And you surrender zero equity in your company. The program is conducted in English, and entrepreneurs worldwide are encouraged to apply. For more information: www.startupchile.org

Charles Barkley wants to give your startup $25,000. Deadline July 18th to win ‘Chuck Bucks.’ Priceless, isn’t it, but true! The National Basketball Association Hall of Fame power forward also known as “Sir Charles” announced on his website a contest called “Earn Chuck’s Bucks.” He’s calling for the best business-plan pitches and says he’ll give the winner $25,000 to help fund that business. Here’s how it works: Any U.S. resident age 18 or older can submit his or her business-plan pitch. The entry period ends at 11:59 p.m. on July 18. Finalist entries will be posted on CharlesBarkley.com where fans will be encouraged to vote for their favorite pitch. A winner will be selected in mid-September based on the total number of fan votes and other criteria, which include the pitch’s creativity, originality, feasibility and “energy and enthusiasm.” This definitely isn’t your typical business plan contest, and it might seem a little strange coming from a former NBA All-Star with no previous business experience. Barkley admits in his video announcing the contest that he feels that it’s his job to “help people become successful.” Barkley bites from the video (on his website):
• Keep it short.The official rules call for entries to be 3,900 characters or less. “Send me the CliffsNotes. I don’t want to be readin’ through a bunch of crap.”
• Make it realistic. “Don’t be sendin’ me no bull,” Barkley says. In other words, make sure the idea isn’t ‘turrible’ (sic).”
For more information and to apply: http://charlesbarkley.com/

The Daily Candy 2nd Annual Start Small, Go Big Contest: Deadline August 5th. Here’s your chance to launch your bazillion dollar idea. One winner from each of our categories (fashion, beauty, food and drink, and home) will win a trip to New York City, a DailyCandy write-up, and a day at the DailyCandy Academy, where the likes of Isaac Mizrahi, Marcus Samuelsson, and Rebecca Minkoff will mentor the begenius out of you. Just think, you have nothing to lose but your day job. For rules, details, and an entry form: http://bit.ly/aR8Yk5

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For you edification this week:

What to do When a Tech Giant Decides to Eat Your Lunch. It’s a big fear of any startup, but according to Mark Suster, Puh-lease. Tell that to DropBox. Or Box.net. Tell that to DocStoc, Scribd or SlideShare. Focus wins and he gives you the golden rules to live by: http://bit.ly/lBzfuv

MACHIAVELLI: 16 Lessons From The Master. Some pointers on how to get ahead in business, from the man who wrote the book on the subject: http://read.bi/lxijHI

Two eleven year old entrepreneurs learn what it’s like to be a minority in tech during startup weekend. If eleven years olds can launch a startup, you can, too. Actually, the little girl has a great idea. Ah, these kids today:  http://bit.ly/lxqvI0

Convertible Notes: What Happens in the Valley Stays in the Valley. Silicon Valley is the mecca for startups – the Hollywood of the technology world, hype and all. Here are a few lessons on convertible notes and sage words from Roger Ehrenberg – always one of our favorites. http://bit.ly/m5yANu

Five VCs Explain What They Really Think About Your Pitches. This is something of a misnomer. This piece should be called: Ten Points on Pitching from 5 VCs. Still, all valid points and worth a read: http://read.bi/jGKXYI

Oh, in case you hadn’t notice, ‘pivot’ is passé and ‘gamification’ is the order of the day, so in case you’re not already on board, time to pivot: http://tcrn.ch/m4CJW5

Subconscious Information Processing. This was Fred Wilson’s Father’s Day post, but good tips for the procrastinators among us: http://bit.ly/iWx6KV

So, we were in a store over the weekend when a Nat King Cole song came over whatever PA system they had in this little deli and the words went: “Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, the days of soda and pretzels and beer,” and we thought: Soda? Pretzels? Beer? Nice idea in 1963, when the song hit the Billboard charts, but today, you’d have the Type 2 diabetes police and the gluten-intolerant lobbies all over you. Guess summer’s not what it used to be, but we love it all the same. Happy summer, hope to see you at the barbeque and for you listening enjoyment, from a simpler time, the late great Nat King Cole: http://youtu.be/HII6prY06JQ. And now, as always, help is on the way…

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