Hulu Plus, Netflix, Amazon Prime offer compelling alternatives to cable TV for those who don’t want to subscribe to regular cable. But what if you could subscribe to an Internet-based cable TV service that doesn’t need a set-top box, has a DVR-like catch-up TV feature and great search and still lets you watch live TV right on your regular smart TV at home (or stream shows from your iOS… → Read More
The era of VCs investing in successful consumer Internet startups such as eBay led to a belief system that seemed to permeate many enterprise software startups that hiring sales or implementation people was a bad thing. And many enterprise startups I meet try to convince me they don’t need professional services teams. This is a big mistake. This post explains why … → Read More
It’s often been said that we, as users, are “the product” of networks like Google or Facebook. But there is now a new wave of privacy centric start-ups seeking to give us back control of our personal data. One of these is Abine which boasts a suite of products that protect our online privacy. Data protection is the “new frontier”, Abine’s CEO Bill Kerrigan, who describes his startup as “the online… → Read More
In this episode of my Foundation video series, I talk with Jawbone CEO and Founder Hosain Rahman. Hosain and I discuss the entrepreneurial environment at Stanford in the 1990’s, The Jetsons as design inspiration, and how his meeting with Steve Jobs shaped the future of Jawbone’s first product designs. → Read More
Branch launched out of closed beta only last week, but the engineering team is hard at work pushing out new feature updates. Today, the company announced that logged-in users will now see recommendations when they visit the homepage, from people you know. Your conversations will likewise be displayed to your contacts. → Read More
Keek, the Toronto-based social video sharing startup that emphasizes communication over entertainment through bite-sized 36-second smartphone movie clips, today announced an $18 million funding round, led by AGF Investments, Pinetree Capital and Plazacorp Ventures, along with Cranson Capital. The new money comes after Keek added $7 million in new funding just a few short months ago in October, and… → Read More
Stipple, the startup that helps publishers and marketers monetize their images, announced this morning that it has raised $3 million in follow-on funding from Sands Capital. This bridge round follows the $5 million series A the company raised in May from Floodgate and Relevance and the $2 million in seed it nabbed in 2010. All told, Stipple now has $10 million in the bank from a laundry list of… → Read More
In the most recent episode of my Foundation video series, I sat down with the founder of StyleSeat, Melody McCloskey. Melody shares how her frustration with finding a stylist inspired her to build the platform. She also talks through the challenges of reaching an audience who isn’t in front of a computer all day and how the web helps them grow their business and improve their client… → Read More
Revel Systems, the company behind iPad-based POS products that have mostly been focused on restaurant customers, today announced the addition of two major new retail clients to its portfolio, as well as new features aimed at retail uses and hardware integrations to help clients switch from existing systems and provide retail users with easier onboarding. The retail partners for Revel this time… → Read More
The Launch48 event for potential startups to get together and each build a completely new online or app business in just 48 hours is back in London this weekend, with space for 100 budding entrepreneurs to take part in the intensive caffeine-fuelled event, at University College London — kicking off on the evening of Friday October 19. → Read More
Coffee Meets Bagel is a dating site based around the idea that volume isn’t necessarily a good thing when it comes to finding romance. Instead, it provides one match per day, every day at noon. We covered its NYC launch back in April, and now the startup is announcing a seed round of $600,000 in funding, led by Lightbank and including Match.com co-founder Peng T. Ong. → Read More
Google is trying to sell an ultralight operating system running on inexpensive hardware in the form of Chromebooks, and not really doing a great job of it. But the basic premise is solid – sometimes all you need is the cloud-based editing power of Google Docs, and when that is all you’re after, a MacBook Pro can feel like overkill. But actually, so can a Chromebook, which is why Macedonia-based… → Read More
While many flash sales sites focus on luxury products and/or fashion, NYC-based startup NoMoreRack is finding success by bringing consumers the stuff they need in everyday life at significantly-reduced prices — by focusing on variety and affordability. Co-founder Melina Ash tells us that she envisions the startup as a mass market version of the uber popular Fab.com — a Walmart of flash sales … → Read More
Your Powerpoint pitchdeck is so boring. So. Freaking. Boring. Although tech bloggers aren’t sent startup’s actual pitchdecks as often as investors are (thankfully), we’re still walked through them on dreadful, “let me read to you from my Powerpoint” phone calls more often than should be socially acceptable. That’s why when image aggregator Piccsy, which is simultaneously a competitor to … → Read More
Freshdesk, the makers of cloud-based help desk software that allows companies to support their customers through email, phone, website, Facebook and Twitter, are on a mission to compete with the big boys of the space, like Zendesk and Salesforce’s Desk.com. Though it believes that the biggest market opportunity down the road will be in offering a unique brand of cloud-based customer support to the… → Read More
Interaction design and strategy firm ZURB has turned more and more of its internal apps into products for other designers over the last few years. Among these products is Verify, a handy little tool that allows design firms to quickly collect and analyze user feedback on screenshots and mockups. With Verify, for example, a startup could test multiple versions of its homepage or logo and see which… → Read More
Suffering from inbox overload? Of course you are – everyone is. And now thanks to Google’s Account Activity report, we can see exactly how much email we get. It’s scary. From my personal email address, I received 9,000+ emails last month. (Haven’t checked out my TechCrunch address, though…) It’s reasons like this that draw me to email-improving startups, whether mobile apps, CRM tools… → Read More
Those media experts among us may be familiar with “Help A Reporter Out”, or HARO, which brings reporters and bloggers to quotable sources, and helps small businesses promote their brands. It’s an interesting, if not completely proven, model. Now, what if you apply that model to startups, and the startup hiring process? This was Tolu Babalola’s thinking when he created College2Startup, a resource… → Read More
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by (@msuster) Mark Suster, a 2x entrepreneur, now VC at GRP Partners. Read more about Suster at Bothsidesofthetable
It’s 2011 but you could forgive yourself for thinking you’ve gone back in a decade old time capsule to a time with frothy valuations and easy money. I know, I know. It’s not the same market. There are more users now using the Internet… → Read More
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by (@msuster) Mark Suster, a 2x entrepreneur, now VC at GRP Partners. Read more about Suster at Bothsidesofthetable
There is an old management adage that says, “Hire slowly, fire fast.” The idea has become conventional wisdom. It says that you need to take due care in selecting team members. It also says that you need to act quickly when your… → Read More
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by (@msuster) Mark Suster, a 2x entrepreneur, now VC at GRP Partners. Read more about Suster at Bothsidesofthetable
Are we headed for a long era of innovation in which startups are the new norm? Are we seeing a time in which pre-revenue companies are more valuable than our offline institutional brands?
Yes, there is unprecedented innovation. The… → Read More
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Mark Suster (@msuster), a 2x entrepreneur, now VC at GRP Partners. Read more about Suster at Bothsidesofthetable
I’m in Seattle this week. Seattle should be the envy of any non Silicon Valley tech community in the country. Great lifestyle, great cost of living, motivated people and only the crap weather on the negative side.
They have had their… → Read More
Garmz, a fashion startup that just launched in public beta after months of preparation, aims to change how fashion is being produced and distributed from the ground up.
Besides having a nicely designed User interface, the startup wants to disrupt current models of the fashion industry. Young aspiring fashion designers mostly lack adequate outlets for their work and creativity. As in every other… → Read More
[Denmark] A thriving startup scene is in part characterised by its events and meetups where creativity, knowledge and contacts can be exchanged. And that precondition is very much in evidence in Copenhagen this spring.
Here’s a breakdown of upcoming events: → Read More
Austin, TX
Seattle, WA
San Diego, CA
Menlo Park, CA
Boston, MA
Disrupt Europe: Berlin Hackathon
Berlin, Germany
