Startup One Stop

Good morning, All,

First, this is the week to Do It In Person, and we have a 50% discount when you use the code SOS. Hope to see you there, and register here: www.doitinperson.eventbrite.com And yes, we are getting ready for our next Terrace event, although it won’t be in the usual venue. Tomorrow is Autumn after all, and we don’t want to chance it with the weather. October 18th is the date; venue TBD and register now for the early bird rate: http://bit.ly/mY5QED

The Groupon IPO is back on (for now) and Michael Arrington is really out at TechCrunch. Barry Diller had some interesting observations/opinions on the latter
(Barry Diller Skewers AOL For Firing Michael Arrington From TechCrunch http://tcrn.ch/rcE4Vh and while we’re on the subject, let us not forget that The New York Times also has holdings in technology, advertising and media companies (including GigaOm, which competes with TechCrunch), as well as a VC fund that invests in tech startups (http://bit.ly/oDPAPx). Read More...

Good morning, All,

First, our thanks to all who attended our last Terrace event last night. A special thank you to our volunteers and to the investors who took the time to come and talk to you all. We’ll be planning another Find A Cofounder and SOS 1-1 with an  Investor soon. In the meantime, don’t forget that you can www.doitinperson.eventbrite.com – and get a 50% discount with the code SOS. Hope to see you there!

During the days of web 1.0, content providers insisted that content was king. They seemed to be a voice in the wilderness, and the technology itself held sway. This week it was announced that Carol Bartz is out at Yahoo (Yahoo’s Board “F***ed Me Over” http://yhoo.it/rs2HHr). Oh, and yes, Michael Arrington is out at AOL. Or so it stood , when last we left our hero (Entire staff of TechCrunch now threatening to commit mass suicide unless Michael Arrington gets his way, on everything, forever http://bit.ly/oLW5pC, and yes, that was him in the Unpaid Blogger tee onstage at Disrupt). It was also announced that Google bought Zagat to beef up its local content (Google Acquires Zagat To Flesh Out Local Reviews http://tcrn.ch/nEWuhg). What’s interesting in all of this is that what distinguished Yahoo at the onset and what drew eyeballs – yes, they were the only search engine out there at the time – but they offered content. Outstanding content, and maybe that’s why every now and then that old standby rumor emerges: the Yahoo/AOL merger talks. Back to our story: then Yahoo made a slew of expensive acquisitions, in every direction, which did very little to improve the brand (http://bit.ly/aZQMDC) Au contraire, Yahoo lost its focus. Google has also made acquisitions that they later killed, and with this year’s announcement from Larry Page that the company needs to focus on social (enter GOOG+), well, yes, we do remember dodgeball, one of the first mobile social services (which google purchased in 2005), which died off and founder Dennis Crowley went on to launch – oh, don’t even make me say it. Google needs to remember to focus, too, and with the Zagat purchase, it seems they’re may well be following in the path of the early Yahoo. For its own reasons, to be sure, lest we forget what drives GOOG profits. What strikes us is that we had it right the first time and we’re going to just come out and say it: Technology is awesome, entrepreneurs out there, but all dressed up and nowhere to go: content is – and always was – king. And Yahoo should refocus on what they’ve always done best. Onward and forward. Read More...

Good morning, All,

Our thanks to everyone who came for our Labor Day Barbeque and always happy to see you – and we knew it wouldn’t rain. That was sooo barbeque. And, well, this week. We know. We’ll try to schedule one more, as long as the warm weather holds.

Our final EW+SOS+ER Rocking Out on the Terrace of the season is next Monday – September 12^th  and we’ll have investors on hand who’ll introduce themselves at 6.30, then will make themselves available to you. To register: http://terraceparty3.eventbrite.com/
The list of investors who’ve RSVP’d so far:
– Jay Levy, Zelkova Ventures
– Matt Turck, Bloomberg Ventures
– John Frankel, ff Venture Capital
– Edlyn Yuen, StarVest Partners
– Nathan Suh, Comcast Capital
– Charlie O’ Donnell, First Round Capital
– Aaron Price, DFJGotham Read More...

Good morning, All,

Yes, the SOS Labor Day Weekend barbeque is on, barring earthquakes and hurricanes. But that was sooo last week. Anyway, please do sign up so we know how much food/and beverage to get. We know a lot of you like to show up at the last minute, and you’re always more than welcome, but a little advance notice is always nice, too:  http://soslabordaybbq.eventbrite.com
Next, the final EW+SOS+ER Rocking Out on the Terrace of the season is September 12^th  and we’ll have investors on hand who’ll introduce themselves at 6.30, then will make themselves available to you. To register: http://terraceparty3.eventbrite.com/
The list of investors who’ve RSVP’d so far:
– Jay Levy, Zelkova Ventures
– Matt Turck, Bloomberg Ventures
– John Frankel, ff Venture Capital
– Edlyn Yuen, StarVest Partners
– Nathan Suh, Comcast Capital
– Charlie O’ Donnell, First Round Capital
– Aaron Price, DFJGotham

Mission Fifty: Coworking Open House is this week and it’s free! Free passes are available tomorrow through Friday so go check it out. It’s hosted by Aaron Price of NJ Tech Meetup fame, so go and introduce yourself, grab a desk, make a friend, get work done!
50 Harrison St., Penthouse
Hoboken, NJ 07030
The space will be open from 9am – 6pm Monday-Friday.  For your free pass: http://bit.ly/nf2yrg
To signup as a member and to get 50% off your 1st month and avoid an application go to: https://mission50.cobot.me/ Read More...

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.” Read More...

Good morning, All,

Yes, our terrace event is tonight and there’s still time to RSVP: http://bit.ly/nEsdBC We know that many of you are struggling entrepreneurs, so please feel free to use the discount code: VIP. Or volunteer and come for free! Looking forward to seeing you tonight and read on – we have a goodie for you!

We love sponsors – especially when they offer something useful to you all. When you’re on the go and have remote staff, the Grasshopper virtual phone system can help.  It can get you a toll free or local number, set up extensions for employees, and get business calls forwarded to your cell phone.  Join over 100,000 entrepreneurs who’ve used Grasshopper.  Get $75 credit on any new plan when you enter SOS75 in the comments box upon sign up (expires in 1 week). Register here: http://www.launchbit.com/1-10/ (Powered launchbit: http://www.launchbit.com/2-10/) and as always, we’re happy to help! Read More...

Good morning, All,

We had our first SOS 1-1 last week and despite the torrential downpour, it was a hit! Yes, it was an outdoor barbeque, and our guest investors, Aaron Price and Joy Marcus of DFJGotham, braved the rains and talked to every SOS member who wanted one-on-one facetime with him. Aaron stayed until well after 10 to talk to everyone! Our hero! Thanks also goes to our sponsors, 1099partners.com, who literally cooked up a storm, rain and all, and met with and advised members as well. Stay tuned: the next one is coming next month and yes, will do a Labor Day bbq as well, for anyone in town.  Date: September 4; Raindate: September 5. To Register: http://soslabordaybbq.eventbrite.com

In the meantime, our next Rocking it out on the terrace event is next week, August 16^th. We had quite a good investor turn out last time, so don’t forget to RSVP: http://terraceparty.eventbrite.com/ Read More...

Good morning, All,

The 1^st SOS 1-1 is tomorrow, August 3^rd and our first guest VC/early stage investor is Aaron Price of DFJGotham. He’ll let you know what sort of investments they make and what the sweet spot is; then you have an opportunity to ask questions, then meet him, one-on-one. We’re keeping it informal which means, yes, there will also be a barbeque, and our thanks to our bbq sponsors, the 1099partners.com, who will also be there to talk to you about their services (they’re also plugged into the investor community) – and they’re always open to meeting new potential 1099partners.com consultants. Hope to see you there. To register: http://sos1-1.eventbrite.com/We will do more in future, we will be incorporating technology so that non-New Yorkers can also participate and have 1-1s with the investors, too, so stay tuned! BTW, raindate is August 10th and only if it pours in the evening. In case of rain, check twitter (@SOSlist). Or open the newsletter and the updated tweets will be there, of course!

Don’t forget: our next EW-SOS-ER Terrace Party is August 16th! To register: http://terraceparty.eventbrite.com/ Read More...

Good morning, All,

The 1^st SOS 1-1 will take place on Wednesday, August 3^rd and here’s how it works: We invite a seed/angel/early stage investor to come meet with you. The investor will do his or her presentation, letting you know what sort of investments they make and what the sweet spot is; then you have an opportunity to ask question, then meet him or her, one-on-one. We will start with a single guest early stage/angel investor and our first guest is Aaron Price from DFJGotham (and host of the perpetually sold-out Hoboken Tech Meetup). We’re keeping it informal which means, yes, there will also be a barbeque, and our thanks to our bbq sponsors, the 1099partners.com, who will also be there to talk to you about their services – and they’re always open to meeting new potential 1099partners.com consultants. Hope to see you there. To register: http://sos1-1.eventbrite.com/ We will do more in future, we will be incorporating technology so that non-New Yorkers can also participate and have 1-1s with the investors, too, so stay tuned!

Early bird rate still available for our next EW-SOS-ER Terrace Party, August 16th! Over 420 of you turned up to our last one, including 7 VCs; 2 superangels; 6 angels and 2 banks. To register: http://terraceparty.eventbrite.com/ Read More...

Good morning, All,

The inaugural SOS 1-1/(one on one) barbeque, Monday, July 25^th, (http://bit.ly/nO4zHI) and here’s how it works: All startups need one thing. Besides help. And money. We need access to investors. So every month or so, we’ll have a gathering and invite a seed/angel/early stage investor to come meet with you. The investor will do his or her presentation, letting you know what sort of investments they make and what the sweet spot is; then you have an opportunity to ask question, then meet him or her, one-on-one. You’re also free to network with each other, while waiting  your turn for your 1-1, and everyone who wants an opportunity to talk to the investor, will have one. We will start with a single guest early stage/angel investor and our first guest is Aaron Price from DFJGotham (and host of the perpetually sold-out Hoboken Tech Meetup. We’re keeping it informal which means, yes, there will also be a barbeque. Since we know some of you may want a few minutes of 1-1 time with Aaron and some of you might just want to come out for some bbq on a beautiful summer night, all are welcome and both types of tickets are available. Hope to see you there, and it’s less than a week away. To register: http://bit.ly/nO4zHI. We will do more in future, and hope to have a couple of angels/early stage investors available who cover different verticals, and we will be incorporating technology so that non-New Yorkers can also participate and have 1-1s with the investors, so stay tuned! We do try to be inclusive.

Over 420 of you turned up to our terrace party last week, including 7 VCs representing $5B in capital; 2 superangels; 6 angels and 2 banks. So we’re giving you early warning this time: the next terrace party will be August 16^th, so register now for the early bird rate! http://terraceparty.eventbrite.com/ Read More...