HOW TO BUILD A REMARKABLE COMPANY (aka: How Not to Be Boring)
Wednesday, March 3, 2010 | 6:00PM – 9:00PM APPLY TO ATTEND (seats are limited, so startups get priority access)
Join us and the founders of ICON Aircraft for an inspiring conversation that will challenge you to go from ‘Good’ to Great and give you to tools and motivation to rise above the rest.
At this evening event, we’re thinking out of the box, so you can too.
* Startup DNA: How do you build a truly remarkable company?
* Where does inspiration for “new” ideas come from?
* How do you promote a new idea to a market that might not yet be defined?
* Spreading the gospel: turning doubters into believers.
* How to surround yourself with a winning team
Speakers:
How did two guys from Stanford come up with an idea for a personal airplane that can be hauled behind a car like a SeaDoo? And… how’d they get design icons like IDEO to support them in their quest for disruption? Join us to find out!
How to Measure Your On-Demand Sales Success
Thursday, February 18, 2010 | 6:30PM -8:30PM
Trident Capital | 505 Hamilton Ave (Suite 200), Palo Alto REGISTER!
The myth that SaaS sales drive themselves, and startups don’t need to pour resources into enterprise sales teams has been dispelled.
The sales cycle for enterprise SaaS has proven longer and more expensive than many founders expected and, to add salt to the wound, the on-boarding process can get complex and drawn out too.
Join us on February 18 for a hands-on discussion with veterans of The War for Customers who will give advice for qualifying leads, landing new customers and bringing in revenue (while keeping operational and marketing costs low).
GOT QUESTIONS? You can ask the speakers straight up at the event; or – tell us what you want us to ask!
Jon Miller, VP of Marketing, Marketo | Marketo landed 110 new customers in Q4 2010… Ask Jon how they stir up demand and manage their sales pipeline.
Tom Dibble, Chief Revenue Officer, Aria Systems | Tom’s responsible for Aria’s channel strategy — ask him about forging relationships with platform partners, systems integrators, and ISVs.
David Vonk, SVP Sales and Business Development, PivotLink | Selling analytics tools to customers like Rossignol and Bauer Nike; ask David about what metrics he uses to gauge success when it comes to identifying and landing new customers.
Freemium is not a business model. It’s an effective go to market strategy. And for any SaaS startup filling their pipeline and setting revenue goals for 2010 — it’s imperative this is drilled into your marketing and sales teams’ DNA.
If you’re in Silicon Valley on Feb 18, join us for a Strategy Series Round Table event with SaaS sales veterans talking about new metrics to measure sales success. REGISTER!
Some excerpts from Lincoln’s paper:
“As part of a business model, Freemium has fundamental flaws. The most obvious flaw is that supporting a large base of nonpaying users that will never convert to paying customers can bleed an early stage startup of precious financial resources. In addition, these users can draw on the limited time and attention of the team, taking those resources away from development and support of the premium product that will sustain and grow the company.
While it is the “free” versions of software that get picked up in the blogosphere and social media (for a few minutes, at least), it is also the free products that get lampooned by those very same outlets, and the users, when problems occur. A small base of paying customers can keep both the overhead in check, but also the scale of the venture which the young startup must support.”
….
“Investment in lieu of revenue seems to be on many founders’ minds even when investment dollars have been harder to come by. Many startup founders seem to feel like it is easier to pitch investors than to go out and make sales. When this mindset is considered, it is easy to see how Freemium also became so popular with startups; especially those founded by technologists. It takes the pressure off of technical founders who just want to build a product and not worry about “selling.”
To ensure that a Freemium strategy is successful, and that the motivation to adopt the strategy is aligned with the vendor’s goals, a deep look at the market, the products, and the company is required.
Critical questions for SaaS vendors to ask themselves are:
• First the big one: If no one is willing to pay for our product right away, are we sure there is a market for it?
• Second big question: What is the quid pro quo? What is in this for us? Why should we let them use our system for free?
• Do we sign-up for free versions of applications and then stop using them or do we always move onto the premium version? Why?
• How can we monetize users even if they never “convert” to customers?
• How can the users of our system benefit our customers?
• Are our customers just those that pay to use the “premium” version of the system or might they be stand-alone consumers of the byproduct of system usage?
• Can we glean actionable market intelligence from both free users and customers?
• Can we aggregate the network effect data and monetize directly?
• Can we benefit from the “nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd” notion of having a large
number of users?
Roambi
Launched 2008, Del Mar, CA
Twitter: @Roambi
Who knew a spreadsheet could look so beautiful? Roambi, pronounced Roam-bee (don’t call them ro-am-bi as I keep doing…) presented at Under the Radar today and showed how stunning data can be on a mobile phone. If you didn’t get to check out their pitch, you can view their company profile and pitch below:
Company Description | “Display screens are getting smaller – from laptops to PDAs, to ever shrinking mobile devices. However, the amount of information viewed on these devices is increasing exponentially. The problem arises – how do you effectively access large amounts of information on a small screen? Roambi by MeLLmo Inc. is solving this challenge by creating revolutionary ways to access and interact with critical information on small screens. The company’s mobile application suite pioneers the new frontier of smart phones through efficient back-end algorithms and patented, small screen design that is BIG on simplicity, security, and satisfaction. Roambi by MeLLmo is rethinking, redesigning, and redefining the future of information interaction on mobile devices.”
Presenter | Quinton Alsbury | President
Quinton is responsible for leading MeLLmo’s product design and marketing teams. A master of visual arts, interactive design, and product experience development, Quinton’s role at MeLLmo focuses primarily on the user experience, functionality and art design of MeLLmo’s software. Prior to MeLLmo, Quinton served as the co-founder and co-president of Business Intelligence Studios, a consultancy focused on data visualization and business intelligence dashboard creation. There, he helped clients build and implement cutting-edge business intelligence tools, with an emphasis on visual design and user appeal. In 2008, Quinton attended the Launching New Ventures Executive Education Program at the Harvard Business School. Quinton has more than 12 years of design experience, including publishing, advertising, interactive media, web design, software, and data visualization, during which he founded and led three companies.
2009 put startup valuations on a diet, bootstrapping and revenue models were back in the spotlight; and Angel investors made a comeback.
Despite the fears and outcries from some, startup funding didn’t quite freeze into the nuclear winter many thought it would… To many founders’ relief, startups were still getting funded. But the weakened economy did serve as a crucial “intervention” moment for a tech ecosystem that before that had been living large with dreams of $1B exits for everyone.
So, as we all prepare for winter hibernation before bursting into the New Year, what should startups know as they prepare to take their products to market, and pitch decks to investors?
On December 3rd in San Francisco, and December 10 in Los Angeles, we’re bringing some of the most influential angels and VCs together for candid round table discussions with YOU.
Depending on your city, meet and talk with Brian Pokorny (SV Angels), Jeff Clavier (SoftTech VC), Aydin Senkut (Felicis Ventures), Mark Suster (GRP Partners), William Quigley (Clearstone Ventures)….
What we’ll talk about:
* Is investing back in an upswing yet? If so, what trends are VCs betting on?
* What milestones must be met by startups seeking funding next year to ensure investors take them seriously?
* With the resurgence of angel investment and smaller financing rounds rounds – are VCs still players?
* What will the new fundable trends be: Healthcare 2.0? Green tech? Or are mobile and cloud computing still “in” for 2010?
We packed 57 folks sardine-style into Mayfield’s biggest boardroom, which led to lively conversations, a lot of chair shuffling, and some comradely ribbing among friendly competitors like Rackspace and Media Temple.
Discussion was expertly led by Mayfield’s own Managing Director Navin Chaddha – the surprise superstar of the night who engaged the audience with a moderating style that earned him the nickname “The Conan O’Brien of Sand Hill Road.”
Hot topics included:
Sizes of cloud deployment deals – even big companies like Cisco often start with small ‘test’ contracts
Losing ‘touch’ – what happens when CIOs and IT teams can’t put hands on a server directly?
SaaS on it’s way out – location as a service (LaaS), platform as a service (Paas) and other emerging models
Branded clouds for internal use – is there a future in buying your ‘own’ cloud?
How to evaluate cloud spend – it’s not just software vs. hardware anymore
What kinds of companies will be pushed out of the market by virtualization?
Follow us @dealmakermedia to read a transcript of live tweets from the event. For those of you monitoring the business conversations on Twitter.com, the hashtag used to track this tweetstream was #dmmcloud.
Thanks again to our excellent speakers (several of whom set up meetings on the spot with cloud startups like Y Combinator alum Cloud Kick in the crowd):
Clarence So, Senior Vice President, Strategy, Salesforce.com
David Berman, Former Co-President of WebEx, current Head of Field Operations, Barracuda Networks
Steve Phillpott, CIO: Describing Amylin's Evolving Cloud IT Strategy
Interested in our Strategy Series?
The 411:
8x year; food, fun, good conversations
6:30-8:30pm; ~35 attendees (SS events sell out quick)
interactive, roundtable discussions (lively Q&A) led by industry vets who talk trends and share best practice growth strategies, VC funding advice, and are interested in alliance building
Learn what kind of deals will go down in the Valley next year…Join us in December for “VC Outlook 2010.”
* Dave McClure (Founders Fund) walks through How to Pitch a VC at The Workshop
Yesterday, 120 startup founders joined VCs, seasoned VC-backed founders and startup attorneys for a one day deep dive into the in’s and out’s of getting funded at Microsoft’s downtown LA office.
From Dan Gould’s opening keynote (notable soundbite = “F@c% you, go away” when translating VC-isms) to Dave McClure’s How to Pitch a VC (slides below) and Kent Goldman’s disdain of “bling” (ie: startup advisers who lend their names but not their time); The Workshop presenters not only put on a good show, but also spent a lot of time answering startups’ questions.
Some of the great startups who attended include:
* Audio Micro
* RideAmigos
* CIE – Seek Your Own Proof
* Handbago
* Sweety High
* PhotoZen
* BakeSpace
* AdventureLink
* and more. Thanks to all who came!
Sessions Included:
* What to Do BEFORE Pitching a VC
* Determining Need vs. Greed (ie: what to raise?)
* Equity Structure (How to Divide the Pie)
* Term Sheet Negotiation (View the term sheets online HERE)
* Team, Board and Adviser Compensation
* …and more. More presentations and term sheets can be found on DocStoc.
Building great companies is more than just knowing when to hold ‘em, and when to fold ‘em… The truth is, if you focus on your entrance more than your exit, you won’t have to find an “out”…it will find you. But startups still need to have a solid exit strategy in place so they are ready for the rebound. Even more important, they need to be prepared for every side of an exit – the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Last Thursday, Dealmaker LA’s Strategy Series focused on “Exits in 2010″ (hosted by the team at Rustic Canyon Partners) where we heard insight from those who bought, sold and negotiated startup acquisition in the past few years about what it takes to line up your company for a potential acquisition.
Thanks to the team at TechZulu for creating a great “highlight reel” (BELOW).
* Brett Brewer, President of Adknowledge and co-founder of Intermix Media
* David Travers, Principal, Rustic Canyon Partners
* Shawn Colo, Co-Founder & Head of M&A, Demand Media
* Jason Kay, Monkey Gods (Former COO, Flektor – Acquired by FOX Interactive)
* Michael J. Montgomery, President, Montgomery & Co., LLC
Who Was in the Audience?
A huge thanks to everyone who attended. Some of the folks who mixed n’ mingled with us that night:
Next up, school will be in session October 6 with our first WORKSHOP funding boot-camp for startups. Think VCs should be throwing term sheets at you? Think again… The Workshop is your chance to get your hands on actual cap charts and term sheets. Ask questions, get answers. REGISTER.
On Tuesday night three of the most prominent angel and seed-stage investors gathered in a boardroom errr, make shift living room, in San Francisco to discuss the state of angel investing today, from recent deals to what it’ll take to lay down a term sheet in the future.
The investors in the spotlight included Aydin Senkut, Founder and President of Felicis Ventures; Jeff Clavier, Softtech VC and Rob Hayes, Partner at First Round Capital – who despite the economy this past year still continue to invest.
In fact, Jeff Clavier delivered two term sheets that day alone. Seems creativity loves constraints; and the tight economy has weeded out the “me-too” entrepreneur wanna-be’s and left a crop of compelling, driven founders standing.
Hayes got the conversation rolling with a general observation. “This economy sucks!” Despite the downturn, he said, the three panelists, who frequently invest together, have been active. Hayes had 6 investments in the last quarter, Senkut had five with three follow-ons, and Jeff, with a kiddish smile, noted he had none in the past 28 days, but had put down two term sheets that day.
The good news is that the downturn has made selection easier. A year ago, most pitches were uninteresting derivative ideas (me-too Twitter knock offs). “All that’s left is nut crazy ideas,” Hayes exclaimed with satisfaction. The only entrepreneurs left seeking capital were the ones who believed in their ideas, regardless of the economy.
So what are they looking for? All generally invest in consumer Internet companies and have recently emphasized on personalized medicine and cloud-based ideas. The three invested together in a bio-informatics company not long ago. Senkut, who was an early customer in 23andMe, was the most emphatic about health–not pharmaceuticals, but things like electronic health records–and education.
Hayes noted the founder’s character and history was key. He was struck by the bio-informatics CEO’s ability to synthesize complex problems into simple stories that the three could grasp–and believed that ability would help drive the company’s success.
Read more here.
See you at the next Strategy Series (hosted by Mayfield Fund) on October 14.
Angel investors are the new black. In a down market, many entrepreneurs are looking to angels for salvation. But they may be in for a rude awakening. Angels are not exempt from economic pressures, and their outlook, strategies, and requirements are changing….
Last Wednesday at our Dealmaker LA event, Silicon Valley and SoCal angel and seed-stage investors (both large check writers and small) came together with LA entrepreneurs to hash out the true value of angel financing – and what’s changed due to last year’s econo-clypse.
Speakers Included:
Jarl Mohn, Investor
The Lowdown: Former CEO of Liberty Digital, Created E! Entertainment Television & the Style Network (CEO), former EVP & GM of MTV & VH1, and private investor.
Rob Hayes, Partner, First Round Capital
The Lowdown: Partner at the famed First Round Capital, the Bay Area firm that has provided seed-stage investments to some of the most well known startups, from RockYou to Mint.
Thomas McInerney, Angel Investor, TGM
The Lowdown: Former CEO of Guba who is based in L.A. and now spends his time advising and investing in internet startups like Shopflick and The Experience Project.
Scott Sangster, President, OrganicStartup
The Lowdown: Former Disney exec who runs OrganicStartup, a firm that invests in, advises, and incubates seed-stage internet startups in Southern California.
Moderator: Dan Gould, VP Technology Fox Interactive Media
Check out the pictures from last week; and be sure to join us September 17 at Rustic Canyon Partners for a Strategy Series focused on the Startup Exit Ecosystem – who’s buying, who’s not – and why. More Info.
Last night, Dealmaker Media gathered a group of startups, investors, social media addicts strategists and more to hash it out about using social media tools, such as Twitter, as effective customer acquisition strategies.
From branded mobile apps to tweets, facebook fan pages and more – is social media proving its worth as an effective (and measurable) way to acquire paying customers? Does one work better than the other?
We unleashed Jeremy Toeman, Partner, Stage Two Consulting on CBS Mobile, Foodzie, Flixter and Technorati to drive a conversation about how each company (from startup to media giant) is using social media to acquire not just users – but paying customers.
Speakers:
* Robert Gelick, VP, CBS Mobile
* Joe Greenstein, Figurehead, Flixster, Inc
* Richard Jalichandra, CEO, Technorati
* Emily Olson, Co-Founder, Foodzie
Some soundbites from last night’s conversation:
Using Twitter to drive awareness and attract customers and vendors:
*”We use Twitter to engage the foodie community. The best way to look at how we use Twitter is that our we divide our time in thirds: 1/3 self promotion, 1/3 responding to others in the platform, 1/3 searching for and engaging local food movements.” – Emily Olson
*”Twitter actually magnifies consumption models because your headlines can be retweeted to whole a new distribution group.” – Richard Jalichandra
On viral marketing campaigns to driver users:
*”Viral = lighter fluid, but you better have wood.” (ie: a great co/product) – Richard Jalichandra
On Twitter for Customer Service:
*”Twitter shames companies into doing the right thing. After all, isn’t tweeting just like sending a complaint email publicly?” ” – Joe Greenstein (on ComCast’s recent Twitter customer service news coverage)
On Twitter search and using analytics to drive business decisions:
*Foodzie uses http://cli.gs/ as a preferred url shortener because it allows them to monitor not just clicks on links, but really be able to see the impact on sales conversions.
*CBS News has 8 twitter streams as well as sports-related streams – by monitoring trends on Twitter, CBS can make programming decisions by leveraging the implicit feedback their community is giving them. – Robert Gelick
*”Don’t think people are waiting to hear about you… Are you searching for other services and customers that are dissatisfied? If so, you can look at Twitter as an anti-customer service tool: seek out out unhappy users of other services and attract them to yours!” – Jeremy Toeman
Facebook Friends and Fans:
*Flixter, on the other hand doesn’t use Twitter, but focuses its efforts on Facebook for marketing and community engagement. They see the most engagement for their brand within Facebook and it seems to be their user base’s preferred platform.
The Challenges (or Opportunities) of Mobile Strategies to Attract Customers:
*”The challenge of marketing through mobile apps is the fractured market. There are so many handsets and platforms. Not everyone is on the iPhone – it’s still a very small market.” – Robert Gelick
*”For us, SMS is the highest converting channel but it costs the user so it risks disappointing them if it’s not something they find valuable.”
Join us on September 1st at First Round Capital for our next Bay Area Strategy Series: Return of the Angels: How angel investing is changing, and what it means for entrepreneurs.
From twitter to mobile apps, what was once just “social media tools” are now offering companies something we’ve never seen before: the ability to cheaply, directly and instantaneously reach a massively targeted customer base.
Suddenly, both behemoth brands like Kraft and tech startups like Foodies are embracing “social media” strategies to create bona fide channels for engaging new customers, retaining current customers, and driving long-term revenue.
But before you go hiring an iPhone developer or recruiting a VP of Tweets, you need to know how much impact on revenue and customer acquisition these technologies really have.
Does Foodzie’s Twitter Account drive sales of Bacon Jam? Do moms in aisles at Whole Foods stores buy more Kraft products because they have a branded recipe app on their iPhones?
In this economy, is it cost effective to spend your time and resources developing and managing over-hyped fads…or are they actually new valuable channels?
From video to music and games to news, everyone and their mother is looking for better ways to monetize online content…and it’s starting to pay off.
New monetization models are taking shape as consumers rapidly embrace virtual currencies, micropayments, free to play, premium content. But its not as simple as it sounds… Before you make any moves, you need to understand which model is right for your audience, how consumers behave within the new models, and the key tactics required for successful implementation.
Last week, we took over Zune L.A (if you haven’t hung out in this space – look for any excuse to do so, it’s amazing!) and were joined by 140+ LA entrepreneurs, geeks, media/entertainment execs, VCs and more to have a real talk about hype-free, proven models to monetize.
Check out the video of the panel discussion (moderated by our friend, Jason Nazar) below:
Connect with the Speakers:
- Keith Richman, CEO, Break.com (linkedin profile)
- Paul Yanover, EVP & Managing Director, Disney Online (linkedin profile)
- Larry Fitzgibbon, EVP, Demand Brands/ Demand Media
- Ro Choy, Chief Revenue Officer, RockYou (linkedin profile)
- Jason Nazar, CEO, Doctstoc (linkedin profile)
Who else joined us? Some of the attendees included:
- Omid Ashtari, Creative Artists Agency
- Azat Aslanyan, VP of Technology, MySpace Music
- Don Dodge, Emerging Business Team (Collaboration), Microsoft
- Yaosh Ho, Director, WW Digital Media, MGM
- William Quigley, Managing Partner, Clearstone Venture Partners
- Ophir Tanz, CEO, GumGum
Huge thanks to all who attended Dealmaker LA’s latest Strategy Series and Mixer, “Partnering with the Big Dogs: Walk Softly and Carry a Big Stick” this past Wednesday at Manatt’s offices.
While the dream of scoring an outrageously successful partnership with a market goliath is enticing, the odds are, it ain’t gonna happen. From unequal bargaining power to rights of first refusal, partnership land mines are one of the most misunderstood and underrated topics in the startup world.
The round table conversation was anchored by Christina Glorioso, VP, Marketing Partnerships, MTV Networks, Kara Nortman, SVP of Publishing, Citysearch, David O. Sacks, CEO, Geni and Yammer, Dmitry Shapiro, CEO, Veoh , and James Citron, CEO, Mogreet.
The debate around rights of first refusal, bargaining rights, partnership incentives, risks of being bogged by bureaucracy, etc was joined by all attendees, including LA PR all-star Nicole Jordan and GRP Partners’ Mark Suster.
Strategy Series & Mixer: Partnering with the Big Dogs – Walk Softly & Carry a Big Stick
Wednesday June 10, 2009 | 6:30PM – 9:00PM
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP 11355 W. Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA
Partnering with a big company can take you from “startup” to “superstar.”
But when befriending a corporate giant, how do you make sure you’re not on the short end of the leash?
After all, landing a partnership with that esteemed big dog of a company can mean a sudden influx of eyeballs on your site, new investors, a flood of new customers and, finally, that “fame and fortune” you promised your Mom you’d achieve.
But, as a small startup, you’re bound to be accustomed to a certain culture and routines (workflow, approval processes, fast iterations, etc) and you’re probably accustomed to, well, being top dog yourself. But once the contract is signed – who’s the boss?
From unequal bargaining power, to rights of first refusal, partnership land mines are one of the most overlooked topics in the startup world.
What facts and advice do you need to forge partnerships that work, instead of those that ‘are’ work?
PR Glow vs. Terms of the Deal: One fades, the other remains…how can you ensure that you don’t get “stuck” in a bad deal? Beware the Right of First Refusal: How it can mess with your business, opportunities for funding, exits, etc. Bogged by Bureaucracy: How do you structure the deal so they don’t slow you down?
Speakers:
David O. Sacks, CEO, Geni/Yammer
Dmitry Shapiro, CEO, Veoh
Jeff Yapp, Executive Vice President, MTV Networks
Kara Norton, VP M&A, IAC
Moderator:
James Citron, CEO, Mogreet
* Due to limited seating, please APPLY to REGISTER.
* Tickets go for $60.00
In the upcoming Bay Area Strategy Series on May 21, we’ll hear from some of tech’s most interesting startups on how they found the golden ticket in new markets.
Meet Ro Choy, Chief Revenue Officer of RockYou, Munjal Shah, CEO, Like.com, Karl Mehta, Founder & CEO of Playspan and more for a no-holds-barred discussion about what it takes to seek out new markets and revenue opportunities.
Join us! Register early as the last 14 Strategy Series have sold out.
The Entrepreneur’s Golden Ticket: Scoping New Markets to “Tap that Cash”
May 21, 2009 | 6:30PM – 8:30PM (Morgenthaler Venture Partners, Menlo Park, CA)
Whether we’re in a recession or not, making dough ‘aint easy. A startup with any hopes of long-term survival needs continuous evolution in their market focus, and a strategic plan for discovering new opportunities to grow revenue. While undying commitment to a single market may be wise for seed-stage companies, eventually all startups with hopes of long-term survival need to modify or broaden their focus.
We’ll discuss:
* At what stage in a company’s lifecycle should it consider new markets? How early is too early, and what are the pitfalls of early expansion? What’s the trigger point that your company is ready to expand?
* What’s the quickest way of expansion into new markets? What can backfire?
* What does new market expansion mean for your employees, investors, and board members? What strategies can you use to keep everyone motivated and focused?
We’ve been asked many-a-time to roll up our sleeves and take on tech in the Big Apple, and now with some friends at our side, we’re going to NYC on the hunt to meet the “The Real Entrepreneurs of New York City”. We’re taking the steps to get the inside scoop on innovation in the Big Apple and build a much needed bridge between NY and Silicon Valley.
Come and introduce yourselves, have a drink and geek out… in fashionable NY-style.
DEALMAKER NYC – TWEET UP
Date: May 4, 2009
Time: 7:00PM – 10:00PM
Location: Village Pourhouse, 64 Third Avenue at 11th Street, NYC, 10003
Earlier this week we packed a boardroom at Clearstone Venture Partners in Santa Monica with a bunch of entrepreneurs. The focus: to wax about business models, and whether or not changing your business model is a good thing.
Gone are the days when a startup with hopes of long-term survival could etch a business model in stone and follow it indefinitely. In today’s market, even the most prolific companies have to iterate and adapt, or die. But the decision isn’t always clear cut.
On one hand, there’s a desire to stick to the founding vision, regardless of criticism and doubts. On the other hand, entrepreneurs have to recognize the importance of allowing the evolution of their initial idea as research, experience, and understanding validates and/or proves them wrong.
A few well-known companies that started out with completely different purposes and/or business models in mind: Flickr, YouTube (what – you didn’t know it was supposed to be for online dating?), PayPal, Intel…
I mean, if you want to be more than a one-hit wonder (ie: Debbie Gibson) I would think being open to reinventing yourself (ie: Madonna).
Watch the video of the Dealmaker LA Strategy Series “When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Change Their Business Model”:
Featuring:
Modertor: William Quigley, Managing Director, Clearstone Venture Partners
Speakers:
Piers Lingle , Business Unit Head, Consumer Applications, Core Objects & Co-founder, Stamps.com
Ian Swanson, Founder & CEO, Sometrics
Alec Andronikov, Chief Mobilizer/CEO, Movoxx
James Kim, Senior VP of Corporate Dev. and Strategy, Co-Founder, Opinmind
I have an unhealthy love affair with my Blackberry.
I also have a strong relationship with my Pandora Radio… It just feels good to have my (music) needs taken care of…
Combine the two together in a super hot bondage of Crackberry and Crunk – and I’m dancin’ into ecstasy.
What does it take to get a mobile app to market? Is it a lucrative way to spread your brand – and is the road to the app store and eventual downloads worth it? Mobile app stores are finally proving themselves as a solid revenue source – but who stands to get the biggest cut of the wealth?
Ask Tom Conrad (CTO, Pandora) himself next week.
STRATEGY SERIES: Mobile App Tug-O-War: Who Will Get the Biggest Piece of Pie?
March 26, 2009 | 6:30PM – 8:30PM
Nokia – 955 Page Mill Road
Register here.
Moderator:
Scott Ellison, VP Mobile & Wireless, IDC
Speakers:
Peter Buhl, General Partner, BlueRun Ventures
Jeff Smith, CEO, Smule
Rick Witham, Head of Channels and VC Relations, Nokia
Tom Conrad, CTO, Pandora
From the recent uproar about Apple vs. Tweetie to our love of Smule’s killer Ocarina app, everyone with a smartphone spends too much time in the “Blackberry Prayer” position than we should (who else has a strained neck and eyes?) And we LOVE our apps.
Mobile App stores have been around for years, but they’re finally starting to pay off.
No longer is the model doubtful – it promises a new revenue stream for operators, handset OEMs and app developers. So who’s winning the mobile app tug-o-war?
Join us on March 26 where we’ll debate who stands to get the biggest piece of the pie:
For startups: Could this actually be a promising, substantial revenue stream, or is it just another carrier in sheep’s clothing? For carriers: Will their limited control of things like distribution and development across handsets cripple their goals for domination? For handset OEM’s: What ingredients are in the recipe for a blockbuster app store?
Moderator:
Julie Ask, Vice President, Jupiter Research
Speakers:
Peter Buhl, General Partner, BlueRun Ventures
Jeff Smith, CEO, Smule
Rick Witham, Head of Channels and VC Relations, Nokia
Tom Conrad, CTO, Pandora
REGISTER FOR THE EVENT here (the last 11 have sold out!)
BONUS VIDEO: If you didn’t catch Jeff from Smule present at our last Under the Radar conference, you can check out him and the other mobil contenders here.
And if you haven’t registered for the next Under the Radar, get you head in the clouds before the early bird tickets sell out.
Cloud computing is one of the most hyped terms in enterprise technology today. Is it irrational exuberance?
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to understand whether the opportunity in this space is really groundbreaking, or simply an efficient alternative for low-priority business tasks.
Ummm – isn’t it just the Internet? On Thursday, February 26 we brought together a meeting of the minds to debate the meaning of the cloud, the huddles & opportunities of adoption and what’s next.
Moderator: Lars Leckie, Principal, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners
Speakers:
James Urquhart, Industry Thought Leader, Wisdom of Clouds
James Staten, Principal Analyst, Forrester
Mike Maples, Angel Investor, Maples Investments
Aaron Ricadela, Journalist, BusinessWeek
