Startup One Stop

Good morning, All,

Yes, EW+SOS+ER Rock Out is tonight and we will have investors and potential cofounders there for you to meet. This time, it’ll be taking place at the Empire State Building, and the view is – again – spectacular so don’t miss it! http://bit.ly/mY5QED

Special help for you and a word from our sponsor: Corporate Tax Network is a national accounting and consulting firm catering exclusively to the entrepreneurial, start-up, and SMB business communities.  Since our founding nearly ten years ago, we have supported thousands of clients both nationally and internationally from a wide range of industries with their tax planning and preparation needs.  Due to our niche in the start-up community, we understand the issues that new organizations face, and we consult with these firms in order to facilitate growth.  In addition to our tax services, CTN also provides incorporation assistance, bookkeeping, payroll, business planning services, and wealth management services. They’re also hosting our EW+SOS+ER event at the Empire State Building – and offering SOS members an opportunity to sign up for a free “intro to business taxes” webinar. If you’d like to pass ‘Go’ and contact Ryan directly, email him at rcain@corporatetaxnetwork.com, and make sure to mention SOS. Read More...

Good morning, All,

It’s a short week, so just one – somewhat abbreviated – newsletter and remember, our next EW+SOS+ER Rock out…  will be taking place October 18^th, and yes, we will have investors and potential cofounders there for you to meet. This time, it’ll be taking place at the Empire State Building. To register: http://bit.ly/mY5QED

Manhattan will get a new addition to the entrepreneur ecosystem this month as Hubitat opens the doors to its new townhouse co-working space in Flatiron. We’ve had a discreet preview of the multi-floor complex to see its work in progress and happy to note that there’s excellent provision for amenities, associated corporate services – and its backed by a team of mentors, including serial entrepreneurs and angel investors. We’re excited about the model and will keep you posted on the series of launch events, and you can also track them on facebook & twitter @hubitat. Cool beans! Read More...

Good morning, All,

We prepared this newsletter before the news hit last night that Steve Jobs had died, and although we did work with him in the mid 90s, in the days when he was out of favor at Apple, rather than add yet another eulogy, we give you the word of Jobs himself before proceeding with our regularly schedule program:

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future,” he told Stanford University graduates during a commencement speech in 2005. “You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and has made all the difference in my life.” Read More...

Good morning, All,

Yes, we know the newsletters have gotten a bit long, so we’ll be sending out two this week, and let us know what you think:

The first will include deadlines, events and member queries – we figured you’d want them and the sooner the better. The second will be more focused on news from around the industry for your edification; member news and good stuff that is helpful to startups. And away we go: Read More...

Good morning, All,

Yes, we are getting ready for our next Terrace event, and – fingers crossed – we may be doing it at the Empire State Building. Cool!  October 18th is the date; more details coming soon and register now for the early bird rate: http://bit.ly/mY5QED

ER Accelerator had its Demo Day this past Friday for its first graduating class and kudos to Murat and his team – and the startups themselves, some of who have already received angel and VC investment. The packed room included representatives from Union Square Ventures, TechStars, Founder Collective, Greycroft, Bessemer Ventures, New York Angels, Penny Black and Bloomberg Ventures. ERA is one of the few New York City-grown accelerators and heads up: since this is the city that never sleeps, they’re already gearing up for the winter session. Deadline is November 19^th. So get those applications in: http://eranyc.com/apply/
Press from Demo Day:
Meet the 10 awesome teams at ER Accelerator’s first Demo Day in NYC http://tnw.co/qErVTP
Knights of the Roundtable: ER Accelerator Demos Long, But Compelling http://bit.ly/nuJBH0 Read More...

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...