tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625428842253185402024-02-19T02:30:06.298-08:00Startupalooza/iBreakfastStartupalooza/iBreakfast.com is the monthly gathering of Digital Media Executives, Entrepreneurs, Investors and Media.
We meet with industry Rock Stars, dine on Big Ideas and help Start-Ups raise Millions. In New York, New Jersey, DC, Boston and Los Angeles.Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.comBlogger237125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762542884225318540.post-45505945112544615632020-12-10T11:36:00.005-08:002020-12-11T05:00:07.363-08:00Saying Goodbye to the TImes<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The New York Times seems to be saying <b><a href="https://www.algemeiner.com/2020/12/06/goodbye-to-hannukah-says-a-headline-in-the-post-judaism-new-york-times/">Goodbye to Hanukkah</a></b> and I am saying Goodbye to the Times.</span></span><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here’s why……..</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="et25" data-offset-key="abr8k-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="abr8k-0-0"><span data-offset-key="abr8k-0-0"><span data-text="true">Once, they were the trusted source that set the standard. But the trusted standard-bearer of honest journalism has given way to a new kind of partisan house organ.</span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="abr8k-0-0"><span data-offset-key="abr8k-0-0"><span data-text="true"> </span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="et25" data-offset-key="c238k-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="c238k-0-0"><span data-offset-key="c238k-0-0"><span data-text="true">That veil of sanctity disappeared when they picked on a harmless little holiday called Hanukkah, that celebrates an embattled minority’s ability to withstand assimilation from an invading culture.</span></span></div></div><br /><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Back then, it was Hellenism. Today, it is anti-semitism in all its subtle shades.</span></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the digital world, the Times learned how to gin up its audience. Getting their click counter to move only required articles about certain recurring topics - of which Jews were one.å</span></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The last presidency, for all its clownishness, turned the Times into a partisan blog with a daily-diet of Donald-bashing above the digital "fold”. This kind measurable success led them to abandon their <i>News First</i> standard of journalism and play the crowd response game. </span></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “All the News That’s Fit to Print” became<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>Just The Views That Get The Clicks</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>- and the comments. </span></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">When it come to that, articles about Israel or Jews in general seem to work as reliably. While many of these articles seem fair, they soon found out that a national newspaper from a significantly Jewish city that bashes Jews or their interests, preferably in subtle, progressive tones is pure catnip for anti-semites of all stripes - especially the literate, martini-sipping types. </span></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now that Trump is cancelled, going after Jews and their special celebrations seems like the next best thing to do. In this case, by showcasing a lapsed Christian with some childhood Jewish exposure who decided they weren’t Jewish after all and their prayers meant nothing. Not only that, but as a practicing religious doubter found more meaning in a tree, a bunny and Christian traditions.</span></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Talk about slamming the door on the way out. Thanks for fitting that into print, Times. Or just just printing it so the right people would catch a fit!</span></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I bet you’re looking for a similar angle on other festivals that involve lights like Diwali, Kwanzaa and Ramadan.</span></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">So forgive my trespasses, oh gods of journalism but opening of the Times will no longer be my proxy for daily prayer. Its words no longer carry the weight or the trust, and they burn with quiet vitriol. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Times is no longer holy light of journalism. The old north star of journalism has succumbed to the digital pull of their partisan crowd. Instead, news aggregation on Google is today's standard. </span></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Gray Lady’s once special flame made its last honest flicker - but, unlike Hannukah, there is no miracle of lights to look forward to. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">So Lights Out, Times, I’m saying goodbye.</span></span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Coming to you from the iBreakfast.com</div>Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762542884225318540.post-22491939213737338682020-06-03T09:13:00.002-07:002020-06-03T09:13:47.386-07:00 Who's Smarter than a High Schooler? Not the CDC<div data-contents="true">
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<span data-offset-key="8o1mk-0-0"><span data-text="true">My comments in the New York Times about why the tech community needs to speak up about fixing government in the 21st Century. </span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="4vis1-0-0"><span data-text="true">A
high schooler was able to do a better job than the entire CDC. Think
about it.....Don't we know how this works and what the solution is?</span></span></div>
</div>
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<span data-offset-key="a5qcc-0-0"><span data-text="true">https://www.nyhttps://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/03/us/cdc-coronavirus.html#commentsContainer&permid=107403784:107403784</span></span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Coming to you from the iBreakfast.com</div>Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762542884225318540.post-85552531031879598802020-05-14T13:10:00.000-07:002020-05-14T21:25:12.083-07:00"After the Disruption": What Tech People Think of the COVID-19 Lockdown and Aftermath<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16.0pt;">After the
Disruption – Preliminary Report</span></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times";">Highlights from yesterday’s meeting. A full annotated
report with links and comments will appear next week The actual conversation in
its entirety can be viewed <a href="https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/pvBxcPap0mBLWtLTyGaEBJx5FI7IX6a82iUa__sIykdoTFvQDoyFtzouEOyaVgfg">here</a>
(</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande";">Password:
2T*T@6x1)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKUtFYw9z-FkIv5_qgK0Er7hP0ugkx1iisq7UrFV2eurAlNElcgPIzrtfWu9ywtsr2BOL9wYeEarLQku6h5GhYtDO7IOLFj6G7pEg9t5pRPkMlJr9xmSoOyfX32YMSGQbOZB2_6gXhu4/s1600/DisruptionG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKUtFYw9z-FkIv5_qgK0Er7hP0ugkx1iisq7UrFV2eurAlNElcgPIzrtfWu9ywtsr2BOL9wYeEarLQku6h5GhYtDO7IOLFj6G7pEg9t5pRPkMlJr9xmSoOyfX32YMSGQbOZB2_6gXhu4/s200/DisruptionG.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
a wide-ranging discussion, a group of tech execs, entrepreneurs and investors
led by startup advisor, Alan Brody, discussed the COVID-19 lockdown from the
point of view of the tech sector.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The picture emerging is
that the world will be different, especially in cities like New York. Many
people will take a break from big cities and big employers are likely to stick
with telecommuting, dropping leases and treating headquarters as a gathering
place rather than a daily location. Talent and population will experience a
dispersal to secondary and remote regions. However, there will always be a
desire for social gathering and so, over time young people will return to the
big cities. Families may not. In the intermediate period, as business opens up there may well be a
staggering of work hours, enabling lower density of public transportation and
leisure. Immigrant workers – especially in tech will be encouraged to return to
home, resulting in more outsourcing and new kinds of talent
dispersal. Many government, business and societal structures will be
profoundly challenged. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• Everything that can or has
gone digital will go even more digital and </span><span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: "times";">contactless</span>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• Robots will appear
everywhere and the public will welcome them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• AI will become more
nuanced (remember fuzzy logic?) and embedded wherever possible.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• Lack of faith in
government is at an all-time high, with self-reliance and personal high tech
solutions preferred. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• Sweden vs the rest of the
world. Still an ongoing debate…..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• Contact tracing will be
passively resisted as no one seems willing to trust government with their data.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• Retail as we know it is
probably dead. Online is the new norm. Only highly automated, highly convenient
or highly bespoke retail is likely to return with any strength.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• Restaurants will be culled
but diners may accept staggered seatings. Freelance chefs will emerge
everywhere……</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• We have become a quasi-socialist
country with Universal Guaranteed Income a new reality.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• Potent desire to bring
jobs home and reduce reliance on China but deep sense of impotence at our
overwhelming reliance on them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• Big corporations and
governments might even require China to second-source production in other
countries as a condition of doing business. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• Many calls for new kinds
of Marshall Plans will emerge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• College students are
feeling deeply cheated abut the prospects of a virtual college experience. This
will cause a rethinking of the higher education system, a breakdown of non-brand
colleges </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• 4 year colleges may never
return intact. Layers of nonessential administrators are likely to be retired.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• The possibility of new
kinds of national service - including one for older people whose health
vulnerability makes them doubly unemployable.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• Sales of mood altering
prescription meds exploding. (Up 35% as of March 31<sup>st</sup>)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• Mental health awareness
and empathy increasing. This may well be part of a new kind of WPA.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• The expectation of a true
vaccine and antidote is low. The expectation of new viral and environmental
threats are high. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• Most expect the public to
manage the virus anyway and return to life regardless - even bucking nervous
governments who lockdown for too long. Democrats tend to be cautious and
lockdown-seeking, Republicans more risk-tolerant.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• Generally, entrepreneurial
solutions are expected to emerge to manage social distancing in business etc. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• Concerns with
healthfulness and ways to measure this will proliferate. Expect a mad rush of
testing.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• Blockchain technology may
emerge as the key management technology. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times";">• Healthfulness will be the
new cool. The new status hierarchy will be based on immune vitality and the
culture will look for formal and informal ways to display this. This may be the
key to social gateways.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• Religions were mostly
absent and in some cases were the unintended promoters of the contagion. As the
plague once fueled the church Reformation and this virus may similarly
challenge formal religions. Spirituality, on the other hand, appears enhanced.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• Economic recovery – will
there be enough money to go around? Governments might turn to creating
cryptocurrency type bonds while wealthy individual may turn to cryptocurrencies
to protect wealth. (FDR’s Executive Order </span><span class="e24kjd"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">6102
</span></b></span><span style="font-family: "times";">and Gold Hoarding Act cited.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• Distance voting is now a
must. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• New referendum
technologies that force officials to be constantly accountable to the public
may be demanded. (In this pandemic the public knew as much as or more than the
government, sometimes more proactive and expected them to plan only to find
they didn’t.) </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">• The standard Democrat vs
Republican debate may appear irrelevant. Expect new voices to emerge.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times";">Bottom Line.</span></b><span style="font-family: "times";">
Present leadership is grossly inadequate, planning non-existent - even though
clear warnings have been public for decades – including numerous hit movies
that were largely anticipatory. There is a profound lack of vision and a high
willingness for the public to accept conspiracy theories and unconventional
explanations. While we have had pandemics the world has never shut down at
once. Have we lost our nerve, our leadership? What is the lasting footprint? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b><span style="font-family: "times";">Was this lockdown the
overreaction of the underprepared? </span></b></i></div>
<i><b>
</b></i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times";">Please <b><a href="mailto:reg@convean.com">share</a></b> your thoughts
and comments.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times";"><i>To meet our Investers and Pitch, visit <a href="http://www.startupalooza.com/">Startupalooza.com </a></i></span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Coming to you from the iBreakfast.com</div>Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762542884225318540.post-63732421587499713212020-03-25T09:42:00.004-07:002020-03-25T10:22:51.867-07:00"This Won't Go Viral" - Life After Lockdown<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The world is taking a big hit. It<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s
unprecedented and we are all wondering how one little bug can do this? There
are probably many others with this capability, so how do we deal with this<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">…</span>.?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Aside from the ability of rich countries to print money and
take on debt, let<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s consider the world going
forward.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
GETTING BACK TO WORK</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
• We have no choice but to get back to work. The cost of
pausing the world for more that 1 month, and the ensuing
depression, would probably be higher than the medical cost of the pandemic. It sounds harsh but we have no choice other than to somehow bite the bullet.
China seems to have shown the way.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
• We will learn to mass test and separate out the healthiest and send them back to work while isolating out the at-risk. (As a joke,
we suggested sending them to casinos and ski resorts, Club Meds and back on
cruise ships. The serious answer might be a more virtual monitoring and homeserving
system.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The biggest business opportunity takeaways are probably:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
• Ideas that address future pandemics – from medical to
social and any numbers of solutions in between. Mass testing is big now and so
are life science solutions, such as managing our immune systems.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
• Extracting value or higher efficiencies from current
businesses, properties and other assets. We are going to have to find a few
trillion dollars somewhere<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">……</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
• Multisourcing products, bringing production home, robots
and 3D Printing. The downside of globalization is that we are dependent on
other sources for too many of our basic products. This time it<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s
a bug, next time it could be lots of bug<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">s or, </span><span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">an enemy…</span>.. Do
you have a solution for any of this?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
• Old is new again and every dog has its day. As we are seeing,
some ideas are really old (malaria drugs as a possible solution to the virus) and some are
relatively new but now have a new urgency (videoconferencing). Do you see other oddities, re-tooled anachronisms or "its time has come" situations?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The One Thing We Can All Agree On</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
No one, and I mean no one, will say their site/campaign/idea "will go viral" again.<br />
<br />
Ever. </div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Coming to you from the iBreakfast.com</div>Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762542884225318540.post-30264051269296939682020-02-12T06:33:00.001-08:002020-02-12T08:03:23.552-08:00The 5 Things You Need to Know About Pitching<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
After reviewing thousands of pitches, we can identify a few
critical issues that most startups need to understand. We also have a few traps
that trip up many, and few ways to figure out what makes you look interesting
to investors.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sell
The Business Not the Idea:</b> Forget about your genius idea for a moment and
ask what does this look like to your prospective market and then, your
investor? Completely change your point of view and tell us who will buy it and
why. How much they might pay. This is the key point – event though it seems
obvious to you it does not to an investor, who knows nothing about you, your
industry or the problem you are going after.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s the Headline – the One
Thing That Matters?</b> You have a million ideas and a hundred ways to monetize
the idea. Maybe. But no investor can absorb all these and they are probably not
seen as credible. What they are looking for is the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">one thing that matters</b>. In our experience, we have usually found it
somewhere near the end of the pitch – like at the conclusion. If you see people
perking up at the end, that<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s probably your hook. Make that
your headline.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Know Your
Pitch Structure</b>. You should never spend more than 1/3 of the pitch
explaining your idea, then you want to talk about the business proposition and
how you are going to make it happen and then, why you and your team are
uniquely qualified to do so. Ask for the money and tell them what it<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s
for (finishing the tech or setting up a proven marketing plan).</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Find the
Big - or Describe the High Growth</b>. Your idea needs to be big to be
interesting to investors. If it can<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>t grow 10 times within
3-5 years don<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>t bother. And try to think
whether it can grow 100 times because that is what investors are really looking
for.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tell Us
How It Scales</b>: The only reason you need an investor is because you have an
idea that will grow with the infusion of capital. They are not there to give
you free advice or share their contacts (if you<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>re lucky, they might) but
to invest on the theory that you will grow at a fantastic rate. So you need to
give them a formula or a conceptual structure that shows how an injection of
capital can make it grow. Forget narrative, jargon or flowery adjectives and
get down to gameplan.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
DO<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Build Credibility</b>:
Show how your business background or experience somehow led you to or qualified
you for this business. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Where is
the Opportunity Sweet Spot?</b> Tell us where money is to be made. Investors
aren<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>t here because they love ideas, they are here because
they love ideas that can make them money. In other words, ideas are the
vehicle, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">destination</i> is a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">wealthy exit</b>.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Talk
About Sales. </b>Products and services don<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>t sell themselves. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You</i> sell and it is going to cost you
somehow. Tell us how you get customers and how much it costs you. Better still,
tell us how you can piggyback on bigger partners<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">…</span>..Never mention viral,
they won<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>t believe you. (If you do have viral sales, show how you
can institutionalize it because every investor knows that in the rare case that
viral happens it can also stop just as quickly.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">DON</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>T DO</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Don</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>t Tell Us How Big the
Market Is – Tell Us How You Will Carve Out a Piece Of It - And Make It Bigger</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">…</span>.</b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
Just telling us how big the market is
implies that if you just show up you<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>ll get a piece of it.
Sorry, but it doesn<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>t work that way. No one <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">gives</i> you market share, you have to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">earn</i> it. Better yet, you have to make a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new</i> kind of market. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Don</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>t Tell Us What Other
Companies Raised – Only What They Sold For</b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
Just because company x raised a bunch of
money in no way suggests that you will. There are a million reasons how they
did that. But what they <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sold</i> for has
a roadmap and maybe you can follow that.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Don</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>t Say You Need Money For
Sales – Say You Have Proven How To Market It And You Need Money To Scale. </b>You
are the no. 1 salesperson of your company so when you ask for money for sales,
you are saying you really aren<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>t and the money is to help
you find one. But if you say you have figured out how to market it, that
scales.</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Coming to you from the iBreakfast.com</div>Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762542884225318540.post-77336768968022241212019-09-09T07:55:00.001-07:002019-09-09T07:55:06.299-07:00Mugabe Had The Best Job! Why Dictating is Good for Happiness and Longevity<span></span><br />
<div data-contents="true">
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="73k9b-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="73k9b-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="73k9b-0-0"><span data-text="true">Mugabe's passing reminds us that the best job of the last century - as defined by pay and longevity - was Dictator.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="bscq9-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bscq9-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="bscq9-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="5lrjm-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="5lrjm-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="5lrjm-0-0"><span data-text="true">The only concern was avoiding assassination or losing a disastrous war.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="4ocl0-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4ocl0-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="4ocl0-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="371m-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="371m-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="371m-0-0"><span data-text="true">To wit:</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="8s17c-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8s17c-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="8s17c-0-0"><span data-text="true">Robert Mugabe died age 94 - after 37 years in office (Zimbabwe)</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="9635g-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9635g-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="9635g-0-0"><span data-text="true">Fidel Castro died age 90 - after 49 years in office (Cuba)</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="3fipv-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="3fipv-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="3fipv-0-0"><span data-text="true">Mao Zedong died age 83 - after 27 years in office (China)</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="e44aa-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="e44aa-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="e44aa-0-0"><span data-text="true">Josip Broz Tito died age 88 - after 45 years in office (Yugoslavia)</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="bhtvc-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bhtvc-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="bhtvc-0-0"><span data-text="true">Joseph Stalin died age 75 - after 37 years in office (USSR)</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="b6g65-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="b6g65-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="b6g65-0-0"><span data-text="true">Mobutu Sese Seko died age 67 - after 32 years in office (Zaire)</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="1etpd-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1etpd-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="1etpd-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="802m9-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="802m9-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="802m9-0-0"><span data-text="true">Even those who ended badly still had magnificent runs and left the game billionaires:</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="bgrmr-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bgrmr-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="bgrmr-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="dnr8i-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dnr8i-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="dnr8i-0-0"><span data-text="true">Muammar Al Gathafi died age 69 - after 42 years in office (Libya)</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="17g8g-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="17g8g-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="17g8g-0-0"><span data-text="true">Saddam Hussein died age 69 - after 24 years in office (Iraq)</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="8tl3g-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8tl3g-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="8tl3g-0-0"><span data-text="true">Hosni Mubarak died age 91 - after 30 years in office (Egypt)</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="5cd57-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="5cd57-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="5cd57-0-0"><span data-text="true">Adolf Hitler died age 56 - after 12 years in office (Germany)</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="a9ude-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="a9ude-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="a9ude-0-0"><span data-text="true">Mussolini died age 62 - after 21 years in office (Italy)</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="8j84-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8j84-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="8j84-0-0"><span data-text="true">Nicolae Ceaușescu died age 83 - after 27 years in office (Romania)</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="3qv7i-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="3qv7i-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="3qv7i-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="5i4uh-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="5i4uh-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="5i4uh-0-0"><span data-text="true">As of now, Vladimir Putin is still in training at age 66 with just 19 years on the job. (Russia)</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="fkpcj-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fkpcj-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="fkpcj-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="f665u-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="f665u-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="f665u-0-0"><span data-text="true">There is something about playing god and really getting back at your critics that is just so darn good for your health.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="58l9v-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="58l9v-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="58l9v-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="6b92h-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6b92h-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="6b92h-0-0"><span data-text="true">If only there were a pharmacological alternative.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="154uu-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="154uu-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="154uu-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2v6b8" data-offset-key="bq0rr-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bq0rr-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="bq0rr-0-0"><span data-text="true">https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/06/opinion/robert-mugabe-zimbabwe-dead.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Coming to you from the iBreakfast.com</div>Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762542884225318540.post-58010684996504880682019-03-16T06:52:00.002-07:002020-12-23T09:58:10.247-08:003 Essentials to Funding <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzTwYX-bixPI6fscAn6FDeq7kOdBYp6EsrGCizvObQh5VfmYg1HmphnFb6N50FV-mX7LypiLJ8oFLSRW9cYjb5APZLaNzbyI_SOoK59a5uGMxwJ-kguzAQTFhP2cNqznFeVKnW7kTnyE/s1600/+FundableLogo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="914" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzTwYX-bixPI6fscAn6FDeq7kOdBYp6EsrGCizvObQh5VfmYg1HmphnFb6N50FV-mX7LypiLJ8oFLSRW9cYjb5APZLaNzbyI_SOoK59a5uGMxwJ-kguzAQTFhP2cNqznFeVKnW7kTnyE/s320/+FundableLogo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b><br /><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"></span></b></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">3 Essentials to
Funding</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">1. Not
Just Big – Scalable</b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
Your idea must have the potential to grow big
in order to get Investors interested. They need a minimum of a 10x return to
break even on their overall investments. Even then, they are looking for
promises of more because they know how often even 10x projections fall short.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2. Traction:
Some Proof of Acceptance – Patent/Likely Acquirer</b> </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
Your idea might be brilliant but if no one
wants it you don<span face=""MS 明朝","serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>t have a business. Find a way to
show that customers of some kind somewhere want it. Otherwise you are relying
on the judgment of Investors and they are not likely to trust their judgment
unless you can show them there is a line of willing takers somewhere. Patents
that are likely to interest partners or protection against competitors, help
too!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>3. Execution: A Team That Can Make it
Happen and a Comprehensive Plan</b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
Ideas don<span face=""MS 明朝","serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>t come alive on their
own. Either you are uniquely qualified or you can attract a team to make our
plan work. Ultimately, the Investors are likely to choose doers over thinkers.
Ideas don<span face=""MS 明朝","serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>t get funded but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">people</i>
with ideas do. If you can show that you know how to get things done and get a
competent team to follow you, even a mediocre idea can get funded</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Coming to you from the iBreakfast.com</div>Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762542884225318540.post-12140867262130735382019-02-14T12:01:00.000-08:002019-02-14T12:01:20.824-08:00What are your thoughts about the lost Amazon deal in New York?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div data-contents="true">
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="fr3j9" data-offset-key="12qp2-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="12qp2-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="12qp2-0-0"><span data-text="true">My comment in the NY Times about the dead Amazon deal in LIC.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="fr3j9" data-offset-key="cb0ir-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="cb0ir-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="cb0ir-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="fr3j9" data-offset-key="42nfd-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="42nfd-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="42nfd-0-0"><span data-text="true">"</span></span><span class="_3yzm" data-offset-key="42nfd-1-0" spellcheck="false" start="1" style="color: #f1765e; font-weight: bold;"><span class="_2k9q"><span data-offset-key="42nfd-1-0"><span data-text="true">Congratulations</span></span></span><span class="_6854" role="link" tabindex="-1"></span></span><span data-offset-key="42nfd-2-0"><span data-text="true">! </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="fr3j9" data-offset-key="4emc6-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4emc6-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="4emc6-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="fr3j9" data-offset-key="f147b-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="f147b-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="f147b-0-0"><span data-text="true">You should be a happy as the New York longshoremen who chased the container industry to Elizabeth, New Jersey in the 60's. </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="fr3j9" data-offset-key="ddonq-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ddonq-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="ddonq-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="fr3j9" data-offset-key="15npe-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="15npe-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="15npe-0-0"><span data-text="true">Now, there are bars and no cargo ships in Brooklyn. </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="fr3j9" data-offset-key="9lkoa-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9lkoa-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="9lkoa-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="fr3j9" data-offset-key="c2jbb-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="c2jbb-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="c2jbb-0-0"><span data-text="true">Prediction: Nashville will make a country celebration album with high tech effects. </span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="c2jbb-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="c2jbb-0-0"><span data-text="true">(New Yorkers can get it by same day delivery - thanks to Amazon Prime.)"</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="fr3j9" data-offset-key="3v1vu-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="3v1vu-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="3v1vu-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="fr3j9" data-offset-key="faksh-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="faksh-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="faksh-0-0"><span data-text="true">http://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/14/nyregion/amazon-hq2-queens.html?comments#permid=30618947"</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Coming to you from the iBreakfast.com</div>Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762542884225318540.post-63536853138629830162018-08-28T07:42:00.001-07:002018-09-10T07:16:02.195-07:00VC Hacks - #1: Why Investors Only Give Your Idea 10% of Their Attention<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What to Do About the Other 90%!
</span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span>
</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
When I hear a rambling pitch that gets lost trying to describe every detail of a new idea, I have to wonder: if only you knew what little time the investors will actually spend discussing it!</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
If they ever do talk about you, the only question they will be asking each other is: how can we make money out of it?</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
If they think your idea has that potential – vast growth, solves a big problem in a credible way, maybe if this is a new and incredibly intriguing product or just that you, the entrepreneur is uniquely qualified to take on a specific market – guess what:</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
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They are going to reduce that to one sentence.</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
Then, they just as quickly, they will stop talking about the idea and start talking business.</div>
<ul style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<li>What does it cost to acquire customers (note, they never mention viral, because they don't believe in it!)</li>
<li>Is this enough money required to get it off the ground?</li>
<li>How big can this be and how much would they likely recoup?</li>
<li>Who would acquire it? (No one really discusses IPOs and never, ICOs)</li>
<li>How big is the competition and can they reasonably be faced? (If the competition happens to be Google, Apple or Microsoft, go home.)</li>
<li>Can this entrepreneur (and team) really pull this off?</li>
</ul>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<strong>Conclusion:</strong></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
If you knew just what sentence Investors will use to describe your company, you would be way ahead of the game! (This is why we hold Capital Raising Workshops.)</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
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Instead of fussing over every last feature in your offering, you would get down to the issue of what makes you and your team good enough to make this fly, exactly how you plan to do this and with how much.</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
Then, you can talk about the probable growth path and exit – who is likely to buy you, why and when.</div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Coming to you from the iBreakfast.com</div>Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762542884225318540.post-7862920667677847882018-08-09T10:46:00.001-07:002018-08-09T10:46:42.336-07:00Why I think the Uber/Lyft Regulations are a much bigger debate than we realize. <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span></span><br />
<div data-contents="true">
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="e5cgo" data-offset-key="6a81p-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6a81p-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="6a81p-0-0"><span data-text="true">Why I think the Uber/Lyft Regulations are a much bigger debate than we realize. </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="e5cgo" data-offset-key="2ds9f-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="2ds9f-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="2ds9f-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="e5cgo" data-offset-key="6ecag-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6ecag-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="6ecag-0-0"><span data-text="true">And it opens the door to Blockchain politics.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="e5cgo" data-offset-key="fpmoh-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fpmoh-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="fpmoh-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="e5cgo" data-offset-key="8pijv-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8pijv-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="8pijv-0-0"><span data-text="true">http://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/09/nyregion/uber-nyc-vote-drivers-ride-sharing.html?comments#permid=28172202</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="8pijv-0-0"><span data-text="true"> </span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="8pijv-0-0"><span data-text="true"> </span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8pijv-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="8pijv-0-0"><span data-text="true"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Forgotten in this discussion is the reason why yellow cab medallions became so valuable. City Hall was the bumbling architect of their rise and their collapse.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">By limiting the number of medallions, the City established a monopoly, created scarcity and then let investors drive up prices. At one point, a taxi medallion was worth more than a seat on the stock exchange.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">In return, yellow cabs dominated just the parts of the City that were most profitable and abandoned the rest. </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">When Uber and Lyft upended this, the City failed to make good on the monopoly it created and compensating for its loss, thereby leaving small cab owners suicidaly in debt.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Legally, the City has indemnity, but this issue will not go away.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Government still has the right to create false monopolies that technology will continue to disrupt. Very few politicians understand this other than creating new regulations that are generally too out of touch to matter.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">It is also quite likely those regulations will be deeply influenced by special interests, leading to further public distrust.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Uber has shown that, by being truly useful to the public, even government with all its power and moneyed lobbyists can't stop them.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">The real problem is not Uber but government itself and the outdated limitations of the two-party, management vs. labor debate and the backroom system supporting it.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.859999656677246px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Today's generation sees Blockchain, open ledger legislation, voting and Cryptocurrency as opening up government to the people.</span> </span></span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Coming to you from the iBreakfast.com</div>Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762542884225318540.post-5907711158006333542018-06-15T07:37:00.005-07:002018-07-03T09:13:13.920-07:00 Why Your Pitch Should Be Less Than 4 Minutes <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We hear this over and over again: “What, only 4 minutes! I need more time than that.”<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
The simple answer is – you don’t. Abe Lincoln once said to a friend “if I had more time, I’d have <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFF6W11TUxdZgvwrC_-pLyhA2sm-FhTFQzbGkIkhYyIk_14jM0shmECJhBTnL26aLQo9_vMsFrr7EcpCn8MkaGCbmtPs5yw3s_a4j4QnpX2nPSbppDjkAmvSrX6EUQD_LoDlpdFf2Gx6o/s1600/ATLincoln.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="676" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFF6W11TUxdZgvwrC_-pLyhA2sm-FhTFQzbGkIkhYyIk_14jM0shmECJhBTnL26aLQo9_vMsFrr7EcpCn8MkaGCbmtPs5yw3s_a4j4QnpX2nPSbppDjkAmvSrX6EUQD_LoDlpdFf2Gx6o/s200/ATLincoln.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
written a shorter letter.”<br />
<br />
Being succinct is actually much harder that being long and rambling. Above all, it is much appreciated by investors.</div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
In fact, a crisp pitch is generally seen as the sure sign of a credible entrepreneur. Even ones with mediocre ideas tend to get funded.</div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
There are two major reasons why short pitches work.</div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<b>Reason</b> <b>1: I</b>f you can’t interest an investor in 30 seconds you probably don’t have anything they’d want to invest in. Or, you really haven’t found what makes your plan interesting and so you are slinging ideas in the hope that something will stick.</div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
Most of all, the discipline required to distill your idea down to a 30 second hook for investors is an extremely useful way to sharpen your thinking about the execution of your plan.</div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
This is why we offer our free <b>Are You Fundable?</b> Capital Raising Workshop and book – to help you distil your idea in a way that investors understand and are most likely to find attractive. Obviously, not all ideas are attractive to all investors but once you know what you really have from the investors' point of view, you understand just who is likeliest to fund you.</div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<b>Reason 2</b>: Your job in a first pitch is not sell the business plan but to get investors interested enough to know more. Investing in a startup is not an impulse buy. There are many boxes to be checked before that term sheet goes out. However, taking a liking to an entrepreneur and the possibilities of their idea certainly does happen on impulse and your job is to nurture that without overwhelming them with too much detail and dubious claims.</div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
Pitching is a game of attraction that works by building trust with credible blocks of information. When investors feel comfortable with all those points, checks get written!</div>
<table align="left" class="mlContentBlock marginBottom" style="border-collapse: collapse; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 6pt;"><tbody>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Coming to you from the iBreakfast.com</div>Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762542884225318540.post-76548960084974817742018-06-13T07:40:00.000-07:002018-06-13T07:40:09.572-07:00 Why Your Pitch Should Be Less Than 4 Minutes <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
We hear this over and over again: “What, only 4 minutes! I need more time than that.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
The simple answer is – you don’t. Abe Lincoln once said to a friend “if I had more time, I’d have written a shorter letter.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
Being succinct is actually much harder that being long and rambling. Above all, it is much appreciated by investors.</div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
In fact, a crisp pitch is generally seen as the sure sign of a credible entrepreneur. Even ones with mediocre ideas tend to get funded.</div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
There are two major reasons why short pitches work.</div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<strong>Reason</strong> <strong>1</strong> is that if you can’t interest an investor in 30 seconds you probably don’t have anything they’d want to invest in. Or, you really haven’t found what makes your plan interesting and so you are slinging ideas in the hope that something will stick.</div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<i>Most of all, the discipline required to distill your idea down to a 30 second hook for investors is an extremely useful way to sharpen your thinking about the execution of your plan.</i></div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
This is why we offer our free <strong>Are You Fundable?</strong> Capital Raising Workshop and book – to help you distil your idea in a way that investors understand and are most likely to find attractive. Obviously, not all ideas are attractive to all investors but once you know what you really have from the investors' point of view, you understand just who is likeliest to fund you.</div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<strong>Reason 2</strong> is that your job in a first pitch is not sell the business plan but to get investors interested enough to know more. Investing in a startup is not an impulse buy. There are many boxes to be checked before that term sheet goes out. However, taking a liking to an entrepreneur and the possibilities of their idea certainly does happen on impulse and your job is to nurture that without overwhelming them with too much detail and dubious claims.</div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
Pitching is a game of attraction that works by building trust with credible blocks of information. When investors feel comfortable with all those points, checks get written!</div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Coming to you from the iBreakfast.com</div>Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762542884225318540.post-44842363535452875652018-04-07T13:01:00.000-07:002018-04-07T13:01:08.148-07:00In the News: Startupalooza™ Winner Aims to Launch Space Hotels - $792,000 a Night!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="fr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 3px 0px 3px 10px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /><div class="mrgn" id="asm">
<a href="https://cdnph.upi.com/svc/sv/i/2511523023385/2018/1/15230247724665/Youll-soon-be-able-to-sleep-in-space-for-just-792000-a-night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="598" height="133" src="https://cdnph.upi.com/svc/sv/i/2511523023385/2018/1/15230247724665/Youll-soon-be-able-to-sleep-in-space-for-just-792000-a-night.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>The winner of Startupalooza™ Silicon Valley was all over the news after they announced the plans which won over our skeptical Investors in December. </b></div>
<div class="mrgn" id="asm">
<b> </b></div>
<div class="mrgn" id="asm">
<b>Congratulations! Welcome to space, guys!</b></div>
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<b> </b></div>
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Orion Span was all over the news today after they accounced their intention to open "hotels" in space. The numbers were staggering but investors saw this as a real possiblity and for now, a prestige investment - something to brag about if you have a millin or two to spare........</div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />See Orion Span's <a href="http://bit.ly/2GE0JVU">media coverage</a>.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><div class="content mrgn" id="abd" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; min-height: 300px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br />Do you have an idea that's out of this world? We might have the same opportunity for you:<br /><br /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">You can pitch this on Monday, April 9th at </span><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Startupalooza</b><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">™ San Francisco at</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Twitter</b><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">, 1355 Market St. from 6:00 - 9:00 pm. </span><a href="http://bit.ly/svlooza"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">REGISTER</b></a><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
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In L.A? Pitch this on Tuesday, April 10th at <b>Startupalooza</b>™ Santa Monica at <b>ExpertDOJO</b>, with our famous Capital Raising Workshop from 3:30 - 5:30 Pitching from 6:00 - 9:00 pm. <a href="http://bit.ly/lalooza"><b>REGISTER</b></a></div>
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www.startupalooza.com<br /><br /><b>About Startupalooza:<wbr></wbr></b><br /><br />This long-running series of events gives every Entrepreneur a chance to pitch. With over $10 million raised for Startups in 2017, these pitching programs have has recently expanded from the East Coast to Silicon Valley and L.A. and is drawing a new generation of exciting deals.<br /><br />These monthly introduce Entrepreneurs and new Startup ideas into the national Angel Investor community.<br /><br /><b>About Orion Span:</b><br />Orion Span's Mission is to Build and Sustain Human Communities in Space Accessible to All. Through technological innovation, Orion Span cuts the cost of living in space by an order of magnitude over others. We will not rest until our shared destiny in the stars has been realized.</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Coming to you from the iBreakfast.com</div>Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762542884225318540.post-43835199383705077912018-04-04T12:33:00.002-07:002018-04-07T08:31:45.187-07:00Lost Love, "Bad Jews" and Getting Funded<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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People have been buzzing about the Washington Post article <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/soloish/wp/2018/03/29/i-am-tired-of-being-a-jewish-mans-rebellion/?utm_term=.29e421652c29"><span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">“</span>I am tired of being the Jewish Men<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s Rebellion<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">”</span></a> about a lovelorn Southern gal twice left at the altar by Jewish guys for women of their own tribe.</div>
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Since we often liken the task of finding Angel Investors to dating, I thought it might be interesting to review this from the Entrepreneur/Investors point of view. In that regard, Carey Purcell<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">cri</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">de</span> coeur</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span>is not that different from heartfelt complaints of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>seeming "<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"></span>outsiders<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">"</span> who pitch and never get funded while some kind of <span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">“</span>chosen entrepreneur<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s tribe<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">”</span> seem to be the lucky ones who do.</div>
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Granted, this broaches a uniquely Jewish issue – that fear of becoming an endangered species. This is something few other racial groups – particularly WASPS have ever had to worry about. No one marched the Smiths and Jones to death camps and so it is especially easy for a well-intended Southerner who rarely met a Jew, to step on a cultural landmine. Not even step, just set off a buried tripwire.</div>
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<b>What's in a Sandwich? </b></div>
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I have a Christian friend who was once about to marry a young Jewish doctor until his mother visited and my friend offered her a ham sandwich. Years later, she still never got it – even when I tried to explain. Sure, that Jewish mother was known to have eaten bacon but you, prospective tribemember, are not supposed to offer it.</div>
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So it is when it comes to people with money, to whom the potential of Startups to incinerate their fortunes has a similarly chilling effect. Just like Carey Purcell, you can say the wrong thing to them and just never realize it.</div>
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<b>A <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Heimishe Rumspringa</i>?</b></div>
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Let it be said that not every investor is a wary, nay-saying tire-kicker - people do in fact get funded. Likewise, not all Jews are on a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Heimishe Rumspringa</i> at some poor <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shiksa</i><span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s expense. Both may be more open than she thinks but just not in the way she realizes.</div>
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You need to read between the lines and that, after all, is why the Jews came up with Freud<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">…</span>..</div>
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<b>The Tale of Two Tells </b></div>
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In Carey<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s case there were two giveaways. One was her passing statement that she got along so well with the Jewish guys, who weren't religios at all, that they even helped decorate her Christmas tree. That sounded good to because Christmas is so<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">…</span>.everywhere. But not so much to Jews, to whom it sounds more like the Pharoah<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s wife saying she gets long with Jews so well she had a couple of their lads over from the camps to decorate the pyramids. This article ran over Passover when Jews remember their bondage. In any event, it comes across as cultural smothering.</div>
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What she should have said is, she got along so well, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">she helped light their menorahs</i>.</div>
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A startup would run into a similar problem with Investors if they said their business was so good <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">it</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s growing by 10%</i> annually. And yes, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>m even giving myself a raise</i>! To most people that<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s sounds laudable but investors are deathly afraid of something called a <span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">“</span>lifestyle business<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">”</span> which, from their perspective means a low-growth plateauing business that affords a not very ambitious entrepreneur a nice lifestyle while the investor winds up getting absolutely nothing – not even their money back! In that context, low growth and founder payouts are actually trigger words that will send Investors similarly fleeing.</div>
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<b>Calling Robert De Niro in the InLaws! </b></div>
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The other standout incident was the certain fellow<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s overbearing mother who somehow got Carey<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s cellphone and called to find her son<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s whereabouts. This made Carey uncomfortable. Potential in-laws are supposed to make suitors uncomfortable at some level. They are being tested to determine family suitability. So, it<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s how you respond that matters. Prospective Moms-in-law wants to know if you will be a good steward of their sons and whether you will fit in with the tribe. Clearly, she did not do well with that. But once she complained, the answer became a really big <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">No</b>.</div>
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Likewise, Investors will want to know if you are coachable and wonder how you will fit within their portfolios. Can you take advice, guidance and will you give accurate accounting? Do you match their investment outlooks? Their annoying phone calls will not be about errant sons but about the fate of their investments. They are going to want to know early in the relationship and whether or not you can handle that call may well be one of their little <span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">“</span>tests.<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">”</span></div>
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<b>Numbers Don't Equal Market Share </b></div>
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The best part about this article is that Carey cites numbers. The 44% of Jews, according to a Pew study, marry outside their faith. At some level her lament sounds a lot like the standard Entrepreneurs business cry: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">if we just got 10% of Amzon/Google/Facebook</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s market we would be a great success</i>! Likewise, Carey felt she deserved to be part of that 44% of disengaging Jews.</div>
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In reality, the answer is the same in the both cases: no one <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">gives</i> you a piece of their market - no matter how big - any more than they <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">give</i> you their hand in matrimony. You have to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">earn</i> it - by understanding and winning over their love and trust. Love may be the wrong word in business, but the idea still applies.</div>
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The bottom line in both love and business is that, if you really want to be in the game you have to adapt<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">…</span>..and persevere.</div>
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And then you win.</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Coming to you from the iBreakfast.com</div>Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762542884225318540.post-72380578693643488832018-04-01T11:06:00.003-07:002018-04-02T07:51:08.530-07:00Blockchain Breakthrough Report: Are ICO's The "People's IPO?"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.0pt;">PANEL REPORT and PITCHING RESULTS</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial black"; font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></div>
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<i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18.0pt;">TALES FROM THE CRYPTO</span></b></i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><i>:</i> BLOCKCHAIN PANEL</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18.0pt;">BLOCKCHAINPALOOZA</span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16.0pt;">: STARTUP PITCHING</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18.0pt;">REPORT:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i>TALES FROM THE CRYPTO</i></span></b></div>
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<i>Note: This event took place in NY on March 28. The next <a href="http://bit.ly/BlockSV"><b>Blockchain Breakthrough</b></a> event is in San Francisco at <b>Twitter</b> on April 9th. <b><a href="http://bit.ly/BlockSV">Details Here</a></b>.</i> </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16.0pt;">PANELISTS</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Greg Obenshain</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> on how hedge funds invest in ICO's • </span><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Paul Goodman </span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 9.0pt;">on launching ICO's<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>Sweta Patel </b>on marketing ICO's • <b>Vlad Golub </b>on trading ICO’s. • <b>Dean Karakitsos </b>on smart contracts • <b>Sachin Narode </b>on getting on the Blockchain • <b>MODERATED by Alan Brody, Startupalooza</b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">ICO’s and the Shifting SEC Rules are Focus at Blockchain Breakthoughs</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Are ICOs a Kind of Crowdfunded Mini-IPO?</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The first Conference and Startup pitching event in this new series produced by the long-running <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Startupalooza</b> team played to an overflowing house last Thursday at Coalition Space Flatiron.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The main interest was ICO’s (Initial Coin Offerings), how they have succeeded and how the growing intervention of SEC has raised the bar and brought uncertainty to the crypto community.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">What emerged was a story that showed how foreign counties may have taken the lead in ICOs because they had few other ways of raising capital. Certain Hedge Funds and Institutional Investors have backed initial offerings from the pick of the crop due to early discounts, SAFT notes etc. followed by rapid selling as these went to market. Cryptotraders have played a part in driving up values through momentum tradING – even though many offering are little more than a white paper and a website.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In the span of a year, unregulated ICOs appeared that were cheap to launch, underwritten by these big Investors and then dumped on a hungry world market that was willing to essentially crowdfund these startups.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">But that was then. Today, the SEC is forcing ICO’s selling to US citizens to get registered and many are taking the Reg A Plus route (see the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To ICO or Not To ICO Decision Tree </b>offered below by software attorney, Paul Goodman of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">TechNY</b>).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The first ICOs were cheap to launch and promote. Today, the legal fees can run anywhere from $25,000 to $500,000 and the marketing has gone from that website-and-a-whitepaper – the ICO’s version of an IPO prospectus – to a full-blown marketing campaign that can run over $500K. (See CenterPoint’s marketing offer below).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Despite the rising bar, interest seems to be mushrooming and ICOs are likely to proliferate as are new blockchain platforms. While expertise is scarce and trustworthy programming talent expensive, that too will come down as knowledge spreads and smart websites offer code-generating solutions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">As this new industry evolves and the public’s appetite for cryptocurrency grows, it seems that what we are really witnessing is the emergence of true equity crowdfunding.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">To ICO or Not To ICO Decision Tree <a href="mailto:reg@convean.com">Click here for a copy</a></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsE25GIDF71J7-QaAG6VJ52RM9dT5IUujrTFvwiZbsjbMjBadY56tXJZIDRAI8zNgSzTN-yGrBAyuh74dECn25VWLUBBnQztrHGvY3U0OzfQcAmxBuLiIStLChpFSXxg6L72_k8S7Pdg/s1600/CenterPoint.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="115" data-original-width="769" height="47" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsE25GIDF71J7-QaAG6VJ52RM9dT5IUujrTFvwiZbsjbMjBadY56tXJZIDRAI8zNgSzTN-yGrBAyuh74dECn25VWLUBBnQztrHGvY3U0OzfQcAmxBuLiIStLChpFSXxg6L72_k8S7Pdg/s320/CenterPoint.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Sign up now for your free crypto marketing consultation to see how CenterPoint Media can take your campaign to the next level. CenterPoint Media operates on a cost per acquisition model, meaning that you only pay for the conversions you get. CenterPoint Media is a New York City full service advertising agency leveraging its extensive influencer network to bring brands directly to their customers. </span><span style="font-family: "times";"><a href="mailto:Letstalk@Centerpointmedia.com"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Letstalk@Centerpointmedia.com</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Survive And Thrive – Startup Retreat Offer</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirSpN8Pjk20gV2zzn_UIPx5M8K_PAN2yHxZ3F08RGnlbNBkRanVJoEDlI-OyQIVmmJaSzKyIWf-Y5J6G45UEE2emyqbiCKRJk04Dw1VHVsPeMw_twhAm3n6dLdk4yBdOPbsn_Nb0NoXlE/s1600/Survive-Thrive-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="407" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirSpN8Pjk20gV2zzn_UIPx5M8K_PAN2yHxZ3F08RGnlbNBkRanVJoEDlI-OyQIVmmJaSzKyIWf-Y5J6G45UEE2emyqbiCKRJk04Dw1VHVsPeMw_twhAm3n6dLdk4yBdOPbsn_Nb0NoXlE/s320/Survive-Thrive-logo.png" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Thanks so much for entering the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Blockchain Breakthrough</b> event contest - each and every submission we received was awesome and it was a really tough decision for our panel!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times"; font-size: 11.0pt;">To say thanks, Survive and Thrive is covering 5<b>0% of the cost of winners ticket</b> to Survive and Thrive's 3-day immersive entrepreneur boot camp experience for just <b>$1250 </b>($2,500 value). </span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times"; font-size: 11.0pt;">This includes 3 nights' accommodation, two-way transportation from LAX, food + drink for the weekend as well as direct access to top-tier investors, mastermind workshops and keynote speakers! <a href="https://surviveandthrivetoday.com/"><span style="color: #0950d0;">Click here</span></a> to view more details.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times"; font-size: 11.0pt;">To confirm your attendance, just go <a href="https://surviveandthrivetoday.com/rsvp/"><span style="color: #0950d0;">here</span></a>. </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 20.0pt;">BLOCKCHAINPALOOZA </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Results from the Blockchainpalooza Pitches</span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16.0pt;">JUDGES<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 9.0pt;">JASON EARLE • </span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 9.0pt;">PAUL GOODMAN<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>• BEN JEN • </span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 9.0pt;">SWATICK MAJUMDAR • </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16.0pt;"></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 9.0pt;">SACHIN NARODE • </span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 9.0pt;">SWETA PATEL</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16.0pt;"> • </span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 9.0pt;">GREG OBENSHAIN • </span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 9.0pt;">JODD READICK • </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16.0pt;"></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16.0pt;">PRESENTERS</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16.0pt;">RealBlocks</span></b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Perrin<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Quarshie, perrin@realblocks.com<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>678-234-0447<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/a/e/f/b/600_469724795.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="200" src="https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/a/e/f/b/600_469724795.jpeg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">RealBlocks leverages digital and fiat currencies that allows users to raise and invest capital in real estate from anywhere in the world. We're built on a proprietary hash graph and are launching with several marquee REITs and Brokerages in the US.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Comment:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> A well-presented, well thought-out plan with strong industry backing for raising money in the cryptoeconomy for real estate projects.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Cryptonomy </span></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Roy Hermann,<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span> roy@cryptonomynow.com<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Cryptonomy is a community-based ecosystem that provides crypto-enthusiasts an easy, more insightful way to discover and invest in Blockchain projects. Fake news, scams, and the overall complexity of investing in ICOs result in a loss of trust and capital for many crypto-enthusiasts. Cryptonomy helps solve this by providing multiple layers of crowd-sourced content on a designated crypto-focused app used by tens of thousands of crypto-enthusiasts. The app is currently live on iOS & Android. </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Comment:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> A kind of Reddit of the cryptoeconomy that eanables players to communicate with each other and even validate credibility.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Kimera Systems</span></b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Mounir Shita,<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Founder and CEO<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>mounir@kimerasystems.com</span></i></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times";">Based on over 13 years of research, Kimera have made several breakthroughs in the field of Artificial GENERAL Intelligence (AGI). With a business strategy co-developed with the telecom industry, the company intends to combine AGI and Blockchain to disrupt how the global network operates, drive the next trillion devices to bring us to a future; where AGI is moving humanity forward.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> The solution focuses on a decentralized AGI solution, and a token utility that is a micro-version of a future economic model – one which Kimera believes will serve humans in a future where most jobs are automated.</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times";">Comment:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times";"> An ambitious if hard to comprehend plan to improve communications and using and ICO to fund it.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie7uiMfE0fNbktwvcd0aQGVl1d1_Rw2x4r7UYpmz1FhibvTToNu1phdgMclZ77m01QgSRvsVvpIga7lbcpJSBTUWr0_oSZR4NfIOpCWTi3jxrUgWloPomjfVxZd3PtJNnSxSMTnF8uT34/s1600/MillerLaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie7uiMfE0fNbktwvcd0aQGVl1d1_Rw2x4r7UYpmz1FhibvTToNu1phdgMclZ77m01QgSRvsVvpIga7lbcpJSBTUWr0_oSZR4NfIOpCWTi3jxrUgWloPomjfVxZd3PtJNnSxSMTnF8uT34/s320/MillerLaw.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 9.5pt;">MG Miller is a modern intellectual property boutique located in Manhattan’s Financial District. Working primarily with startups and entrepreneurs, they create intellectual property portfolios that facilitate rapid growth for our clients</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "palatino"; mso-bidi-font-family: Palatino;">.</span>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Coming to you from the iBreakfast.com</div>Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762542884225318540.post-37818153982351099132018-02-25T12:47:00.052-08:002021-02-17T09:02:38.338-08:00Is Helping Entrepreneurs Divine? Let's Consider the Jesus Boat Case……<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: times;"><b>........and How I Brought a Little Prosperity to the Middle East </b><br /></span>
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People know me for helping startups shape their stories and find investors. They often ask <span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">“</span>and what <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">else</i> do you do?<span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">”</span> I always reply that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i> what I do, it is just a little more than you realize.</span></div>
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How much more, they ask and I am always tempted to answer that it is somehow, well, divine.</span></div>
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How much so, depends what you make of this story<span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">……</span>.<br /></span>
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It begins in my wandering youth days when I felt the need to experience kibbutz life. So I hitchhiked through Europe and decamped to Tel Aviv where I headed over to the kibbutz office to sign up as a volunteer. When they asked which kibbutz I wanted I looked at the map and, since I hate the desert, found one in the greenest area –– and near a nice big lake.</span></div>
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That turned out to be a well-known kibbutz called <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ginosar </b>and that lake it faced was the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Galilee</b>.<br /></span>
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I found the life there so idyllic that I soon settled into a cushy job which included my own tractor. Once set up, I decided stay for a lot longer than I originally expected.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PkYWBF1H8RE/TmUKvcrGjXI/AAAAAAAAJ5Q/mOxhscbj7SU/s1600/Korazim-Ginnosar-Arbel+308.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PkYWBF1H8RE/TmUKvcrGjXI/AAAAAAAAJ5Q/mOxhscbj7SU/w320-h240/Korazim-Ginnosar-Arbel+308.JPG" width="320" /></a></span><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: times;">Over time, I befriend the two brothers who ran the fishing boat on the lake. I never saw them catch </span><span style="font-family: times;">many fish but they were always taking their friends and especially, the young female volunteers on boatrides. Eventually, I was invited for a ride with them. If I recall correctly, it required a little horsetrading on my end.....<br /></span>
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Once on the boat in the lazy haze of the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Galilee,</b> we got to talking about the real life on the kibbutz. They gave me a litany of complaints. Problems were everywhere. Most of the farm divisions - the chickens, the cows, the bananas, the grapefruit and so on were barely profitable. The one area that made the kibbutz money, was its slightly rundown lakeside guest house.</span></div>
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But even that wasn<span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>t making enough because friends and family of the kibbutz were always trying to come for free or at deep discounts and the Israelis generally, treated it as a local vacation spot that </span><span style="font-family: times;">happened to be on a lake.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/08/Ginosaur_shore.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="800" height="205" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/08/Ginosaur_shore.jpg" width="320" /></a>I thought about it a bit and said <span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">“</span>you know, you are not seeing this place properly. To Israelis it<span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s just a cheap getaway but to Christians, this is hallowed ground facing the Galilee where Jesus performed miracles with fishes and bread, walking on water while frequenting the nearby towns of Tiberias and Capernaum.<br /></span>
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"Why don<span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>t you go after the Christian pilgrim market," I said. "They will pay full price for everything. Quibbling would be a kind of sacrilege. They celebrate Sundays while you only come for Shabat. You<span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>ll be here for Passover but they<span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>ll come flooding in for Easter and Christmas and so on<span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">…</span>.<span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">”</span></span> </div>
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My host shrugged and said something along the lines of <span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">“</span>What! No. We are a <i>Jewish</i> kibbutz. This is not a place for Christians. They don<span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>t <i>want</i> to be here.<span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">”</span></span> </div>
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I said, <span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">“</span>no, you<span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>re wrong, you want them there. And they<span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>ll want to come.<span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: times;">Nothing happened and I forgot all about it.</span></div>
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Years later, my family visited Israel. We rented a car and of course I wanted to take everyone up to see this idyllic kibbutz of my adventurous youth.<br /></span>
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As we pulled up to the kibbutz I couldn<span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>t believe my eyes. It looked nothing like the slightly ramshackle place I left behind. Our rustic bungalows had been replaced by mediterannean-style townhouses and the entire kibbutz resembled a gated California community. Then, we drove over to the Guest House, and what once looked like a tired old Econolodge was a now a gleaming edifice. As we drove to the front we saw a sign and nearby, a large wooden boat with the inscription: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Jesus Boat.</b><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/57/59/c7/5759c7b2f1e438465aca44a25b34806e.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="564" height="265" src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/57/59/c7/5759c7b2f1e438465aca44a25b34806e.jpg" title="A Replica of the Jesus Boat" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>A Replica of the Jesus Boat</b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It turns out that several years after I left the kibbutz, there had been a drought and the water level in the Galilee fell dramatically, revealing acres of mud. In the mush, the 2 brothers stumbled upon the remains of an ancient boat. They summoned paleontologists, of which Israel has many, who tested the boat and declared it to be about 2,000 years old. Just the kind of boat that <i>Jesus</i> must have sailed upon - and so a new era was born.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUKz4MwXFY2oOuLblSyMvljZ4JR6fmca-m1LsncHGqZtU7hNufbfQF8Iui88N_IedKrHlKpnbylVoMbqkP7MY-u4XVGZjUXIV5Z4JgeVB2Sly3bp9YtXW_tE4Iu-EDoVHrKWQLvKkMzFs/s1600/jesusboat2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="921" data-original-width="1600" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUKz4MwXFY2oOuLblSyMvljZ4JR6fmca-m1LsncHGqZtU7hNufbfQF8Iui88N_IedKrHlKpnbylVoMbqkP7MY-u4XVGZjUXIV5Z4JgeVB2Sly3bp9YtXW_tE4Iu-EDoVHrKWQLvKkMzFs/w640-h368/jesusboat2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Original Jesus Boat </b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ginosar</b> not only thrives as a destination for Christian pilgrims from all over the world but Israel has actually declared a pathway of cities from Jerusalem to the Galilee as <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Jesus Trail</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: times;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g8FO3aQu_uo/TmUKngC6pjI/AAAAAAAAJ48/FbUHrioQjOI/s1600/Korazim-Ginnosar-Arbel+249.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g8FO3aQu_uo/TmUKngC6pjI/AAAAAAAAJ48/FbUHrioQjOI/s200/Korazim-Ginnosar-Arbel+249.JPG" width="200" /></a>So<span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">…</span>..can I take credit for this?<br /></span>
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On the one hand, regardless of my advice, none of this would have happened without this boat miraculously appearing. On the other hand, was this a case of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> someone actualy <i>listening</i>? As in, </span><span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">“</span>from my lips to God<span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s ear?<span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">”</span> Or maybe, the Son<span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s ear....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://r-ak.bstatic.com/images/hotel/max1024x768/713/71331455.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="800" height="165" src="https://r-ak.bstatic.com/images/hotel/max1024x768/713/71331455.jpg" width="320" /></a>There is no question that I have made a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">lot</i> of people <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">very </i>rich and almost always, in ways that seem to require no special thank you. Like the millionaire who became a billionaire thanks to me getting him a keynote spot at the Broadcasters convention, the virtual beauty salon that picked up a million from my investors, or the delivery service that snagged $400K on a quiet night of pitching in Philadelphia. The list goes on<span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">…</span>.</span></div>
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So if your idea is right it appears that someone is always listening<span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">……</span></span></div>
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The real question is do you have a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jesus Boat</b> story? Something that you have asked for but that appears at a time least expected, out of nowhere and even in an unfamiliar form?<br /></span>
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And this thing changes everything.</span></div>
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I think that most entrepreneurs – the real ones, those who dedicate themselves and remain open and flexible – will have this experience. The only question is whether they can stay the course and be resilient enough to embrace it when it appears.</span></div>
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If you have had an experience like this, please share it with us. We<span face=""ms 明朝" , "serif"" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>d like to hear.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ui2W5e5shcA/TmUKxmj-T5I/AAAAAAAAJ5U/Frw-NPSmTr8/w400-h300/Korazim-Ginnosar-Arbel+255.JPG" width="400" /><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Startupalooza</span></b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> arrived in L.A. with quite a following. People traveled miles to participate. The winner came from the Philippines and some even followed us up the next day to Menlo Park for our Silicon Valley debut.</span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Landing in Silicon Valley</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If it felt a little like a rock tour, it was kind of deserved. A little New York attitude and access to our capital is much appreciated and Startups relished the chance to win an appearance at the National Business Investor Forum in NY worth $3500.</span>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The point of our tour is that entrepreneurship may now be everywhere but not so with financing. Startups need all kinds of help and while there ideas that certain areas favor there may not be funding. More commonly, the ideas are better appreciated elsewhere. New York doesn't love deep tech as much as Silicon Valley or Boston and they don’t care that much for media or ecommerce platforms either. No one likes government plays as much as DC does, and so on…..</span>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The winner in L.A. was a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">LoyalCoin</b>, a cryptocurrency supporting a loyalty marketing program. The founders and company are from the Philippines where it has gained traction, already raising $2 million. </span>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It was only in L.A. that they could launch big time.</span>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Silicon Valley the winner was <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Orion Span</b>, a company that could only have been taken seriously in Silicon Valley because it was raising $14 million to launch - Space Hotels. Yet it turned out to be a very credible pitch by a company laden with former NASA engineers. Turns out everyone is talking about rockets for space tourists but not about a comfortable place to stay once they get there! Enter <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Orion Span</b>.</span>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">These guest rooms don’t come cheap – about a half million a day - but that didn’t stop our investors from wanting to help find just the right billionaires to fund this….</span>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As for DC, the winner was </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">TruGenomix</span></b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">which has a genomic blood test that that<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DC Winners: TruGenomix</td></tr>
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predict PTSD in soldiers. Since the execs have strong ties to the military, getting some type of sale is a shoo-in. But, as skeptical New Yorkers we still have to ask, does the military really want to know? After all it would limit their pool of potential soldiers. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">What a cliffhanger!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yet, it all illustrates what makes <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Startupalooza</b> so interesting as we go about finding the terroire in startups. What make certain startups come from certain regions and how does that map to the inefficiencies in funding? Our biggest deals like <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nomi Beauty</b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Alyce</b> were form investors outside of their home towns.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To paraphrase an old saying, profits (OK, prophets) are not always honored in their home towns.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As a national funding network, we are out to solve that problem!</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Thanks to all our partners, Brian MacMahon and <b>ExpertDojo</b> in L.A., Maryanne Morrow and <b>Spaces</b> Menlo Park and <b>The Yard</b> in DC for making this all possible!</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DC Judges at work</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L.A. Pitching</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silicon Valley</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silicon Valley Judges at Work</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sachin Narode of Xeniapp</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "times";">Winners:</span></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16.0pt;">L.A. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.0pt;">LoyalCoin</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: black;">Franco Dagelet, <a href="mailto:franco@appsolutely.ph">franco@appsolutely.ph</a></span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica";"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">LoyalCoin is the cryptocurrency that redefines customer loyalty programs by replacing traditional rewards points with a dynamic digital currency that can be used to redeem rewards, trade for other currencies, and more. LoyalCoin is the token that serves as the official virtual currency of the new “Loyalty Economy” Appsolutely is building. The goal is for consumers to be able to earn and spend LoyalCoin whenever and wherever they prefer to buy goods and services, from merchants who participate in Appsolutely’s loyalty ecosystem. This creates an open loyalty ecosystem where the consumer decides where and how they’d like to redeem the rewards they’ve earned. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black;">Comment:</span></b><span style="color: black;"> This is a good example of a preferred player in a hot new area. However, this is an experienced team with an Initial Coin Offering that has laready taken hold in the Philippines an in this case looks like it could fly in the US.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 8.5pt;"></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Silicon Valley</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16.0pt;"></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Orion Span, Inc.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Frank Bunger, Founder & CEO<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><a href="mailto:frank@orionspan.com">frank@orionspan.com</a> 415-430-5154<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Orion Span's mission is to build & sustain human communities in space. We're building a low cost, turnkey, modular, and scalable space station in low earth orbit (LEO) for astronauts, space tourists, and space research.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Comment:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> If things work out,, we can help get you past the space race – and into a nice place in space. For an extended vacation, that is. This was credible, slightly awesome pitch to finance the space Marriott in outer space. Cool!</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Washington, DC</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">TruGenomix</span></b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yusuf Henriques, Chief Executive Officer yusuf.henriques@trugenomix.com 3019156472 </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Trugenomix Health is developing the first genomic blood test to accurately diagnose PTSD. This objective genomic blood test for PTSD will result in early diagnosis, early intervention, improved clinical decisions, and improved patient outcomes. </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Comment:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> This is a breakthrough idea – predicting PTSD vulnerability though genomic test. The big plus is that the founders are insiders with deep contacts in the first customers – government and the military. The big questions are whether the money is really there for these tests and can they can scale their prediction model for other kinds of behavioural issues. </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Runners Up</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">L.A. </span></b><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 14.0pt;">6 Ft Tall Men</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black;">Comment:</span></b><span style="color: black;"> This defines a targeted audience. What sold it is they don’t just sell longer clothing to longer people but apparel like shirts are actually structurally different - and so they make their own structurally different shirt.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica";"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "palatino"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Silicon Valley</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16.0pt;"></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">SmartFit<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 13.5pt; text-indent: -13.5pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Esther Elkouss, CMO <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>e.elkouss@gmail.com<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>917-588-7420<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Comment:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> In the ever-searching quest to shop without going into a store or even trying anything on this is the solution for precisely measuring your body. Ideal for lingerie and swimwear, it requires the one time use of a low-cost tracking garment. The question is whether the public will adopt it and who will pay for it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Washington, DC</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Namedrop </span></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Joseph Terpstra, Cofounder jterpstra@namedrop.co 703-408-3236 </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Namedrop: The word of mouth market. An app for independent professionals and gig workers to turn their friends and clients into personal booking agents for their business and side hustle. </span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Coming to you from the iBreakfast.com</div>Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762542884225318540.post-71337439774180317122017-11-09T21:39:00.004-08:002017-11-09T21:39:58.061-08:00 Startupalooza Makes a Porno? Results from the September Startupalooza <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/5/6/5/highres_464525477.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/5/6/5/highres_464525477.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<strong>Startupalooza Makes a Porno? Not exactly but we had some fun!</strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
Thanks
to pointed questions from our panel of Angles, what started out as a
presentation for nice-looking, if pricey laptop chair, turned into a
risqué romp</div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
This
spring-loaded recliner is more that a stationary rocking chair that
lets you work in added comfort, it is a piece of furniture that, shall
we say, takes your laptop to another level.</div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
Make that two laptops.</div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
Just
to be sure, one of our panelists, Investor, Sandy Wollman from
Westchester Angels, put it to the test with a little help from the
co-founder, Lisa Kaczmarek.</div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
Guess – who turned out to be a winner?</div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<br /></div>
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<strong></strong></div>
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<strong></strong></div>
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<a href="https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/5/2/8/600_464525416.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="150" src="https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/5/2/8/600_464525416.jpeg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/5/6/a/600_464525482.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/5/6/a/600_464525482.jpeg" width="240" /></a><strong></strong><a href="https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/5/3/7/600_464525431.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="200" src="https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/5/3/7/600_464525431.jpeg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/5/8/2/600_464525506.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="200" src="https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/5/8/2/600_464525506.jpeg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/5/4/5/600_464525445.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/5/4/5/600_464525445.jpeg" width="240" /></a><strong><a href="https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/5/4/5/600_464525445.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="200" src="https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/5/3/f/600_464525439.jpeg" width="150" /> </a></strong></div>
<strong><br /></strong><br />
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> Winner of the National Business Investment Forum Prize worth $3,500</strong></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<strong>Archer Bowchair</strong><strong><br /></strong><em>Lisa Kaczmarek</em><strong><em>, </em></strong><em><a class="ng-scope" href="mailto:ladykaz@bowchair.com" style="color: #3498db; text-decoration: underline;">ladykaz@bowchair.com</a>, </em><em>412-944-6555</em>Leveraging
over 30 years of custom "one off" fabrication experience, Kaczmarek
Composites was formed in late 2016. Our passion is the combining of
dissimilar materials into cohesive works of functional art. Whether
joining carbon fiber with aluminum or wood with steel, each component
brings unique strengths and weaknesses which must be respected in order
to create a lasting piece of luxury furniture. We are a small, rapidly
growing custom furniture maker located in Pittsburgh, PA. <br />All of our products are American made from environmentally responsible, locally sourced raw materials whenever possible. </div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<strong>Comment:</strong> A
show stopping demo that turned this profitable custom furniture maker
with a pricey chair into a potential mass market darling.</div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<strong>Runner Up – Winner of the Nessa Group Consulting Prize worth $1,000</strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<strong>Medsender</strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<em>Zain Qayyum, <a class="ng-scope" href="mailto:zain@medsender.com" style="color: #3498db; text-decoration: underline;">zain@medsender.com</a> </em></div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
Medsender
enables Doctors to digitally send and receive health records from ANY
EMR system. Individual practitioners can have Medsender setup within 2
minutes and instantly begin HIPAA compliant communications. <strong> </strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<strong>Comment:</strong> This
simple solution to a big problem is making inroads. It seems almost too
good to be true and given the highly regulated space just needs a
little more buy-in to tip the investor balance. </div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<strong> </strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<strong>Special Mentions</strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<strong>Gooroo </strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<em>Scott Lee <a class="ng-scope" href="mailto:scott@gooroo.com" style="color: #3498db; text-decoration: underline;">scott@gooroo.com</a> 917-868-2947 </em></div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
Gooroo is the Airbnb for tutors where students can easily look through 1000+ certified tutor <span style="color: black;">profiles</span>
and book instantly. Check the tutor╒s schedule, read a blurb about
their educational background, look through student reviews, and view
their hourly rate. It's personalized education for the masses - done
digitally.</div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<strong>Comment:</strong> A
well executed delivery about a company with revenues. The competitive
environment and the customer churn gave some investors pause.</div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<strong>Vtry Inc. </strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<em>Eugene Liu <a class="ng-scope" href="mailto:eliu@netstarsoft.com703-594-1231" style="color: #3498db; text-decoration: underline;">eliu@netstarsoft.com703-594-1231</a></em><strong> </strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<strong>Comment:</strong> Very
interesting technology for virtual tryout in 3D. The competitive
environment, concern over the business model and need for additional
applications were the concerns.<em> </em></div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<strong><a class="ng-scope" data-link-id="131588118" href="http://track.mailerlite.com/link/c/" style="color: #3498db; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Desiclik.com</a></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<em>Deepak Agarwal dagarwal@desiclik.com516-495-3374 </em></div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
A vertical e-commerce marketplace meet the demand of 3m Indians in the US and others with unique products of India. </div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<strong>Comment:</strong> Well
executive business in a niche market. It needs to point to a bigger
universe in order to be fundable past the strategic players and
stakeholders in this community.</div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Coming to you from the iBreakfast.com</div>Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762542884225318540.post-63686038034616375772017-11-08T08:59:00.000-08:002017-11-08T08:59:06.065-08:00Startupalooza Startup, Kubient gets $250,000<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
AdTech startup<b> Kubient</b>'s Paul Roberts stops by our booth to show off his $250,000 check from our Startupalooza judge Ben Jen of Ben Jen Holdings.<br />
<br /><a href="http://bit.ly/splooza"><b>Startupalooza</b></a> opens in L.A. at Expert Dojo in <b><a href="http://bitl.ly/lalooza">Santa Monica</a></b>, <a href="http://bitl.ly/lalooza">Dec. 4th</a> and <a href="http://bitl.ly/svlooza"><b>Silicon Valley</b>, Dec. 5th</a>.<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Coming to you from the iBreakfast.com</div>Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762542884225318540.post-70843672857139490572017-10-16T15:31:00.002-07:002017-11-13T07:03:02.799-08:00Grit or Gold? How to Make Your Startup Shine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<span class="" style="font-size: 11px;"><b class="">From The Book: Are You Fundable?</b> To find out more about the way Investors think you can get our book <b class="">Are You Fundable?</b> on Amazon<span class="" style="font-family: "times" , serif;"> </span><b class="" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><a class="" href="http://bit.ly/RUFund">Amazon</a>,</b><span class="" style="font-family: "times" , serif;"> </span><a class="" href="http://bit.ly/KRUFund" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><b class="">Kindle</b></a><span class="" style="font-family: "times" , serif;"> or directly from our site </span><b class="" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><a class="" href="http://areyoufundable.com/">areyoufundable.com</a><span class="">.</span></b></span><br />
<div class="" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span class="" style="font-size: 11px;"><b class="" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class=""><br class="" /></span></b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="font-size: 17px;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Like minerals or metals, no two business sectors have the same inherent value. Some are gold and some are gravel but if you understand how Investors rank these companies you could turn this around.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 17px;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 17px;">
W<span style="font-size: 16px;">hile
the crowd will always be attracted to the next shiny thing, most money
is made on reliable, boring and often unappealing businesses.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Remember that mining gold can be prohibitively expensive while digging up gravel is cheap and is used every day and everywhere.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 17px;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 17px;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Although gold will always get more attention than grit, there are many ways to make your gravel look like gold to Investors.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="font-size: 17px;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">So if you don’t have gold learn how to make your gravel look like it - usually by showing that you can make profits with much lower risk and startup costs.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="font-size: 11px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
Here are some ways to do this:</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b>1. Is Your Industry Offering Support or Sales?</b></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
The no. 1 attraction to investors is growth - dramatic growth. So no matter how ugly the industry, if your business increases sales or any kind of business activity - especially if it enables business growth that would not otherwise occur - you may have gold.</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b>Gold: Examples of Sales Enablers or Boosters:</b></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
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•<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>Door Opener<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b>- If your business enables companies to enter markets they previously couldn’t reach.</div>
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•<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>Sales Booster -<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b>When companies that were local can now go global or that could only sell in one category can now sell in more. This is especially good if these are high-growth low-competition categories.</div>
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•<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>Sales Platform</b> - Investors are most interested in platforms that allow others to bring the value and then you get to take a cut (think: stock market, auctions etc.)</div>
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<b>2. Sizzle or Snooze: Businesses that Will Put Investors to Sleep - or not.</b></div>
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You may love what you are doing and think it's the most important thing in the world. Investors will almost always see it differently. The good news is that if you understand this and think creatively, you may be able to turn that around.</div>
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<b>Grit - Examples of businesses Investors don’t love - but which you can still turn around. </b></div>
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If your business plan is based around the following, be aware that they may<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>sleep-inducing</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>triggers for investors:</div>
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•<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>HR, customer or corporate support</b>. These are expenses and not sales growth inducers. They are hard to measure and often managed by gatekeepers with limited budgets and murky agendas.</div>
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-<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i><b>Possible solutions:</b></i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>if you can show these really make a difference or have happy returning customers, then say so up front - it could make a difference! Otherwise, you always want to frame a new paradigm in the industry and claim to have a platform that other players will have to use to enable overall growth.</div>
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<b>• Government agencies of any kind</b></div>
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- <i><b>Possible solutions:</b></i> If you have special access of some kind. Contracts or something along those lines, you have a chance. Otherwise only investors who know that specific branch of government will be interested. They are just too many gatekeepers with murky agenda to interest Investors.</div>
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<b>• FDA Trials</b></div>
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- Anything that requires money for trials is a no-no for general Investors. Specialized Investors might be interested but only if they have experience in the area.</div>
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- <i><b>Possible solutions:</b></i> Find areas to prove the idea that don’t face these upfront barriers. Sometimes it is a game or an overseas market. Find it.</div>
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<b>• Education</b></div>
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- <i><b>Possible solutions:</b></i> There are some known areas of value here - such as SAT and GRE’s and so on. Anything that “cuts the fat belly” of the industry by more than 70% might be of interest to investors but they generally have to be specialized or experienced in Education. For most investors there are just too many gatekeepers with murky agenda to interest them.</div>
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<b>• Ad supported Media</b></div>
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- If your business plan just assumes it will be supported by advertising - and you have never been in the business of selling ads - then you may be in trouble. Ad networks don’t pay that well, and ads generally don’t sell by themselves. You need a sales force to handle customers who are generally hard and fickle. The only want to get around this is to show that you<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>can</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>sell or that for some compelling reason you have<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>partners</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>that deliver sales. Better yet, your idea is so good that at least 10% of your users are willing to pay a subscription fee.</div>
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<b>• Value is in the Data</b></div>
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- In an era when hackers can steal credit card info from Equifax of download the CIA’s list of most active spies, your amazing data just doesn’t seem so valuable any more. However, if your tool or platform enables<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>others</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>to extract data - which you also get to keep - then you might have something. Real-time actionable data is different though. That is like fresh fish - and people will always prize that. You just have to show the investors who your<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>fish buyer</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>is.</div>
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From: <b><span style="font-family: "times";"><a href="http://www.areyoufundable.com/">Are You Fundable?</a></span></b><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Order the <b>Book Are You Fundable?</b></span></i></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Coming to you from the iBreakfast.com</div>Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762542884225318540.post-23051268349607577252017-10-06T09:13:00.002-07:002017-10-13T11:04:24.585-07:00Is Your Startup Gravel or Gold? How to Make it Shine, Regardless.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="" style="font-size: 11px;"><b class="">From The Book: Are You Fundable?</b> To find out more about the way Investors think you can get our book <b class="">Are You Fundable?</b> on Amazon<span class="" style="font-family: "times" , serif;"> </span><b class="" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><a class="" href="http://bit.ly/RUFund">Amazon</a>,</b><span class="" style="font-family: "times" , serif;"> </span><a class="" href="http://bit.ly/KRUFund" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><b class="">Kindle</b></a><span class="" style="font-family: "times" , serif;"> or directly from our site </span><b class="" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><a class="" href="http://areyoufundable.com/">areyoufundable.com</a><span class="">.</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">Like minerals or metals, no two business sectors have the same inherent value. Some are gold and some are gravel but if you understand how Investors rank these companies you could turn this around.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">Remember that mining gold can be prohibitively expensive while digging up gravel is cheap and is used every day and everywhere.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">Although gold will always get more attention than gravel, there are many ways to make your gravel look like gold to Investors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">Remember that while the crowd will always be attracted to the next shiny thing, most money is made on reliable, boring and often unappealing businesses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">So if you don’t have gold learn how to make your gravel look like it - usually by showing that you can make profits with much lower risk and startup costs.</span></div>
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Here are some ways to do this:</div>
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<b>1. Is Your Industry Support or Sales?</b></div>
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The no. 1 attraction to investors is growth - dramatic growth. So no matter how ugly the industry, if your business increases sales or any kind of business activity - especially if it enables business growth that would not otherwise occur - you may have gold.</div>
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Gold: Examples of Sales Enablers or Boosters:</div>
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•<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>Door Opener<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b>- If your business enables companies to enter marekts they previously couldn’t reach.</div>
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•<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>Sales Booster -<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b>When companies that were local can now go global or that could only sell in one category can now sell in more. This is especially good if these are high-growth low-competition categories.</div>
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•<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>Sales Platform</b> - Investors are most interested in platforms that allow others to bring the value and then you get to take a cut (think: stock market, auctions etc.)</div>
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<b>Businesses that Will Put Investors to Sleep.</b></div>
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You may love what you are doing and think it's the most important thing in the world. Investors will almost always see it differently. The good news is that if you understand this and think creatively, you may be able to turn it around.</div>
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<b>Gravel - Examples of businesses Investors don’t love - but which you can still turn around. </b></div>
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If your business plan is based around the following, be aware that they may<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>sleep-inducing</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>triggers for investors:</div>
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•<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>HR, customer or corporate support</b>. These are expenses and not sales growth inducers. They are hard to measure and often managed by gatekeepers with limited budgets and murky agendas.</div>
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-<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i><b>Possible solutions:</b></i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>if you can show these really make a difference or have happy returning customers, then say so up front - it could make a difference! Otherwise, you always want to frame a new paradigm in the industry and claim to have a platform that other players will have to use to enable overall growth.</div>
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<b>• Government agencies of any kind.</b></div>
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- <i><b>Possible solutions:</b></i> If you have special access of some kind. Contracts or something along those lines, you have a chance. Otherwise only investors who know that specific branch of government will be interested. They are just too many gatekeepers with murky agenda to interest Investors.</div>
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<b>• FDA Trials</b></div>
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- Anything that requires money for trials is a no-no for general Investors. Specialized Investors might be interested but only if they have experience in the area.</div>
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- <i><b>Possible solutions:</b></i> Find areas to prove the idea that don’t face these upfront barriers. Sometimes it is a game or an overseas market. Find it.</div>
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<b>• Education</b></div>
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- <i><b>Possible solutions:</b></i> There are some known areas of value here - such as SAT and GRE’s and so on. Anything that “cuts the fat belly” of the industry by more than 70% might be of interest to investors but they generally have to be specialized or experienced in Education. For most investors there are just too many gatekeepers with murky agenda to interest them.</div>
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<b>• Ad supported Media</b></div>
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- If your business plan just assumes it will be supported by advertising - and you have never been in the business of selling ads - then you may be in trouble. Ad networks don’t pay that well, and ads generally don’t sell by themselves. You need a sales force to handle customers who are generally hard and fickle. The only want to get around this is to show that you<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>can</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>sell or that for some compelling reason you have<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>partners</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>that deliver sales. Better yet, your idea is so good that at least 10% of your users are willing to pay a subscription fee.</div>
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<b>• Value is in the Data</b></div>
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- In an era when hackers can steal credit card info from Equifax of download the CIA’s list of most active spies, your amazing data just doesn’t seem so valuable any more. However, if your tool or platform enables<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>others</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>to extract data - which you also get to keep - then you might have something. Real-time actionable data is different though. That is like fresh fish - and people will always prize that. You just have to show the investors who your<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>fish buyer</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>is.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><b> </b></i></span></span></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
</div>
<br />
From: <b><span style="font-family: "times";"><a href="http://www.areyoufundable.com/">Are You Fundable?</a></span></b><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Order the <b>Book Are You Fundable?</b></span></i></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Coming to you from the iBreakfast.com</div>Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762542884225318540.post-59920691979657114472017-10-06T09:13:00.001-07:002017-10-23T07:24:36.949-07:0010 Steps to Getting Funded - from the book: Are You Fundable?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="" style="font-size: 11px;"><b class="">From The Book: Are You Fundable?</b></span><br />
<div class="" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<div class="" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span class="" style="font-size: 11px;">To find out more about the way Investors think you can get our book <b class="">Are You Fundable?</b> on Amazon<span class="" style="font-family: "times" , serif;"> </span><b class="" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><a class="" href="http://bit.ly/RUFund">Amazon</a>,</b><span class="" style="font-family: "times" , serif;"> </span><a class="" href="http://bit.ly/KRUFund" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><b class="">Kindle</b></a><span class="" style="font-family: "times" , serif;"> or directly from our site </span><b class="" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><a class="" href="http://areyoufundable.com/">areyoufundable.com</a><span class="">.</span></b></span></div>
<div class="" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span class="" style="font-size: 11px;"><b class="" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class=""><br class="" /></span></b></span></div>
<div class="" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="" style="font-family: "times";">To give you an idea of what you need to get in front of investors consider the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b class="">10 Steps to Funding</b>:</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="" style="font-family: "times";">Nov. 2: Pitch & Raise up to $5.4 Million </span></span></span></div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<b>1. Know yourself</b></div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<i>– Understand your product or idea and why you should be the one to make it work</i></div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<b>2. Know your sector</b></div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<i>– Understand the market and how investors see it</i></div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<b>3. Know your Investor</b></div>
<div style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;">
<i>– Know what have they invested in before and why</i></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "times";">4. Know your Opener and Closer</span></b><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "times";">– Find out which key words get Investors' attention. Find out how to close them</span></i><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times";">5. Know your gameplan</span></b><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "times";">–</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "times";"><em> What's your customer acquisition plan, its cost and the sales strategy?</em></span></i><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times";">6. Know your plan B (and C)</span></b><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "times";">– Or, How to turn a No into a Yes. Very few Investors believe that the company will proceed exactly as you say. It might even fail. So what alternative pans and do you have it ready to go.</span></i><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times";">7. Know your numbers</span></b><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "times";">– Know your costs, your margins, your burn rate or overhead. Most of all - look like you will be a good steward of someone else’s money!</span></i><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times";">8. Know your tech</span></b><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "times";">– You’ve got to be conversant with your technology and sound like you know how to pass it on if your developer leaves in a huff. </span></i><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times";">9. Know your team</span></b><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "times";">– Show who's on board and why - but not too much background! </span></i><br />
<br />
<i><b><span style="font-family: "times";">10. Know Your Exit</span></b></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "times";">– Who’s going to buy you. Why, how much and tell us about genuinely comparable deals.</span></i><br />
<br />
From: <b><span style="font-family: "times";"><a href="http://www.areyoufundable.com/">Are You Fundable?</a></span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Order the <b>Book Are You Fundable?</b></span></i></div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Coming to you from the iBreakfast.com</div>Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762542884225318540.post-56994844507895081892017-09-12T10:38:00.003-07:002017-09-12T11:37:53.338-07:00Survive & Thrive – What We Learned at this Innovative Retreat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><sub><span style="font-family: "times";">Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth.</span></sub></span></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Mike Tyson</span></i><br />
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<a href="https://surviveandthrive-xeniapp.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/blog-cover2-37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="792" height="200" src="https://surviveandthrive-xeniapp.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/blog-cover2-37.jpg" width="320" /></a>The real lesson of this imaginative retreat, <b><a href="https://surviveandthrivetoday.com/">Survive and Thrive</a></b> last weekend at <b><a href="http://www.clubgetaway.com/camp-for-adults/">Club Getaway</a> </b>in Kent, CT is that if you want to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">thrive</b> – showing that you can <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">survive</b> is the real challenge.</div>
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This is what investors look for and this is what speakers like Jesse Itzkey (co-founder of Marquis Jets and the guy who got to marry Spanks<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span> Sarah Blakely), Kevin Harrington (former Infomercial King who had to reinvent himself in the post TV world) and and author Susie Carter (a millionaire former hairdresser) had to say.</div>
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Sometimes this is about changing your idea precisely <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">because</i> you got knocked out of the ring! When that happens – whatever you were left with after the KO, whatever looked it was working, is what really matters. This is truly how most entrepreneurs realized they were really Entrepreneurs and went on to make millions.</div>
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That is also what we tried to do at the Pitch Contest finale on Sunday and what my company, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Startupalooza</b> does every months in major cities in the northeast – with our pitching contests and workshops. The winner, NY-based <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bellhop</b> – a ridehailing aggregator along the lines of Kayak, truly came through it all</div>
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This imaginative first-time Retreat combined, upbeat conferences, group challenges, super networking, great dining and fun partying. It was like a cruise ship on land for cool people who own the future but still know how to dance and make karaoke come alive!</div>
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Most interesting was just how diverse and international the Entrepreneurs, mentors and Investors were.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Turning a No to Yes: Winning over Investors After First Punch. </b></div>
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT7Vp9e385rtO8_nrciPl9Ixf8eMBQsMf2YCCQRMO0hIVHK8IUTPQ" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT7Vp9e385rtO8_nrciPl9Ixf8eMBQsMf2YCCQRMO0hIVHK8IUTPQ" /></a>While there were a lot of winners, there were others who have work to do. That<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s normal - there are very few startups that are ready for investors out of the gate.</div>
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There are many great lessons to be learned: The first is to find out if the investors even look at your segment, if not, give them a very brief idea and ask for a referral. They usually will, even if it is to get you off their backs.</div>
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It they are interested in your segment and the answer is <span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">“</span>no<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">”</span>, or the dangling <span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">“</span>maybe<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">”</span> keep in mind that you can always go back to them but only if you have news, such as:</div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>You listened to what they said, and implementing it has improved the company this way.</div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>You have more buy-in: customers, revenue, new investors.</div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>You have pivoted – and it seems to be working. What do you think?</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Your True Idea: It</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s Not the Punch – It</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s How You Get Up</b></div>
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Most Entrepreneurs and Investors have taken a hit, and it<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s usually a KO. So getting the punch is normal - it<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s what you do after it.</div>
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If you are a real entrepreneur, it<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s where you find your true idea, your true market or just your real hook for Investors. It is so important that Investors will hit you with it just to find out if you have stress-tested the idea and whether you have a Plan B and C, just in case your assumptions go wrong, the market implodes, or real customers just don<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>t love you like you say.</div>
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This helps you find your true role. So who are you – seller, technician, visionary? When you know that, you know who to partner with or hire to fill the gap. Maybe you don<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>t like to sell then find the partner who can – though engineers who do the best they can often get a lot of credit for trying. If you<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>re not a programmer show that you know enough to manage and even fix if the site crashes or upgrades need to be done in a hurry.</div>
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This challenge also helps you find your true market value – working companies have comparables (similar funding companies) - ideas and possibilities are whatever Investors feel is fair and that<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s usually low.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">B Students Rule</b></div>
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Most of our successful entrepreneurs and speakers were not great students or often not even college grads, they were great doers who wound up hiring the experts. That doesn<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>t mean you shouldn<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>t have an MBA – it just means that degrees don't start businesses, scrappy risk takers do. So what ever it is that you do you have to know that you can jump overboard with it and stay afloat and still get to shore.</div>
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Alan Brody is the founder of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.startupalooza.com/">Startupalooza</a>,</b> a seed investor and author of<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> <a href="http://www.areyoufundable.com/">Are You Fundable?</a></b></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Coming to you from the iBreakfast.com</div>Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762542884225318540.post-4205396767779363102017-07-06T12:44:00.004-07:002017-07-08T17:33:55.838-07:00Uber's Real Threat: <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The
NY Times did an interesting depth piece on the battle between London<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Black Cabs</b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Uber</b>. Unlike other face-offs where the legal Taxis are a mostly entry
level job for immigrants, London <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cabbies</b>
are a true craft profession. In order to qualify, they have to study every route
combination in a very complicated city for about 3 years. After passing a long
series of grueling tests, they are said to have <span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">“</span>The Knowledge.<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">”</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is even evidence that acquiring this
mapping information expands the brain.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/04/world/europe/london-uk-brexit-uber-taxi.html?hp=&_r=0"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="600" height="213" src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/06/01/world/01LondonUber1/01LondonUber1-articleLarge-v2.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/04/world/europe/london-uk-brexit-uber-taxi.html?hp=&_r=0"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Uber vs London's Black Cabs</span></b></a></td></tr>
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Then, along come GPS and Uber and all that <span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">“</span>Knowledge<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">”</span>
plus the street hailing monopoly was upended. Moreover, the people who have the
<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">“</span>Knowledge<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">”</span> tend to be white and
local (growing up in the terroire gave them the obvious advantage) while Uber
drivers tend to be foreign-born and brown.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Times piece is mostly concerned with the xenophobia and
racism of many of the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cabbies</b> vs the
struggle of the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Uber</b> immigrants and
it<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s relation to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Brexit</i>.
While this is certainly an issue, I would like focus on the business story
because it was mostly overlooked and there is clearly a worldwide lesson in
this. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This is much more than a taxi tale<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">……</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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(Note: in my student days I drove a London radio taxi known
as a minicab - a fascinating experience that arguably gives me a unique
perspective since I am now a Startup maven.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Like most disruptor stories, there is a precedent but one
that is only really understood in retrospect. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Uber</b><span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s
precedent is London<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s Minicabs. Beginning in the 50<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s,
renegade cabbies used postwar <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Motorola</b>
radios to skirt hailing laws with a dial-a-cab service. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was controversial and initially, hounded
by the law. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cabbies</b> obviously hated
them but, over time, coexisted. After all, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cabbies</b>
often refuse fares, favoring inner London and short rides over suburban trips since
meter flips make the most money and they fear returning empty. They were even known
to throw passengers out of their cabs for whatever reason they chose.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the other hand, once established, minicabs, didn<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>t
evolve much either. Radios got better but they couldn<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>t
get the impulse or hailing passengers away from black cabs. Instead, individual
drivers became notorious for <span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">“</span>blagging<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">”</span>
- illegally hustling for fares outside clubs, bars, bus stops etc. So, other
than running ads with easy-to-remember phone no.<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s minicabs never figured
out how to leverage cellphones as a hailing device.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Enter <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Travis Kallaneck</b>
– a techie and not a cabbie – who stumbled upon a giant opportunity in the
marketplace. Result: worldwide disruption! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But there is clearly more to this than just a clever app. Eventually,
the full story of his rise from organizer of struggling black cabs to the king
of the gig economy will emerge. However, from the simple outlines of its story and
my own experience of the tough world he conquered I can best compare him with a
primitive military genius who developed a new weapon and then adapted in a ruthless
way to confront a world of brutal competition: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Shaka Zulu</b>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Taxis are all about owning territory and they are generally
a monopoly backed by local authorities. There are many places where taxis
engage in open turf warfare and that was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">before</i>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Uber</b>. It is entirely possible that <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kallaneck</b><span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s magic app had already
existed in some other form, but whoever had it lacked his militant instincts. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Shaka Zulu</b> was a
renegade warrior who invented a new spear who went on to change the face of African
warfare, creating one of the largest empires on the continent. The key is not
just that he had a better weapon but that he understood how to change tactics, training,
strategy, use a total war concept called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">uMfekane</i>
and even introduced a fundamentally sexist motivational system based on the
accumulation of brides according to conquest. Despite this, he even had women
war brigades.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What both <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kallaneck</b>
and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Shaka</b> confronted was an
established way of life and a protected class with entrenched rights. In
London, the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cabbies</b> happen to be the
tribal royalty. In a very class-conscious country these Cockney Kings, unlike
the landed gentry, actually earned their status and they let you know it. For
this reason, minicabbers may have resented them but they also admired them – probably
more so than the <span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">‘</span>toffs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, like most entrenched thinking which includes landed
gentry and professionals of all kinds, they rested on their privileges and felt
free to ignore progress. They refused credit cards for the obvious advantages
of earning pure cash and avoided radio or app-hailing devices. They also continued
to pick and choose their fares.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Technology, on the other hand, is inherently attracted to the
upending of these privileges. Just as <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Shaka</b>
figured out how to disarm his opponents, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kallaneck</b>
developed programs to disarm the authorities and the taxi industry<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s
sense of protection. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Shaka</b> added a
hook to his new shield, which enabled him whisk away his opponent<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s
protection, leaving a wide open target for his shorter stabbing spear. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Uber</b>, it was
the public that really sank in the spear because they got a much better deal
from <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kallaneck</b>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What the public realized - as they will with most protected
groups – that they exist in opposition to the public<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s
actual needs and the law was probably rigged by them for their own
self-interest. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For this reason, protected groups of all kinds should study
this for what it is. It is not just a story about a bunch of Luddite cabbies,
but one of a well-qualified business group hiding behind a legally protected
shield – only to find that, once lifted, however momentarily – it is really not
supported by the public.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The true message here is, this is as likely to happen with
doctors, lawyers, unions – even police – as it is with toll clerks, paper
shufflers, middle managers, truck drivers and entrenched classes of any kind. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Their only protection is to rethink what jobs, knowledge and
professions really are and innovate in line with the public interest. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The sad truth is, when stripped of their shields, most protected
groups are revealed for what they are: a drag on competition and a barrier to
progress. Or as <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Adam Smith</b> once
noted in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Wealth of Nations</b>: <span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">“</span>People
of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but
the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some
contrivance to raise prices.<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">”</span> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That was fine before globalization but increasingly, an
absurd relic. By blocking progress, like taking credit cards or developing
their own apps and refusing fares, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cabbies</b>
ensured the popular support for <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Uber</b>
– which now faces its own disruptors like <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lyft</b>
and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Via</b>. Likewise, unions, doctors,
lawyers and other professionals are increasingly competing on a world market where
claiming a divine right merely forces the public<span style="font-family: "ms 明朝" , "serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">’</span>s search for viable
alternatives – now made easier by the Internet.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There will always be people willing to pay a premium for
better service but forcing the acceptance of non-progress is just a racket
doomed by technology and globalization. Trade groups need to get the message
and swap their protectionism for innovation or they will find themselves
marching along with the taxi drivers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/04/world/europe/london-uk-brexit-uber-taxi.html?hp=&_r=0<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Coming to you from the iBreakfast.com</div>Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762542884225318540.post-59338022055933420802017-06-10T10:26:00.002-07:002017-06-10T10:26:36.264-07:00Who Won in DC: Konnex<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Thanks to all of you who came out to the last </span><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Startupalooza</span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">.</span><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">We appreciate meeting Entrepreneurs like you and exploring these amazing opportunities.</span><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Book: Are You Fundable?</span><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">To find out more about the way Investors think you can get our book </span><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Are You Fundable?</span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> on Amazon </span><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://bit.ly/RUFund" style="-webkit-animation-delay: 0.1s; -webkit-animation-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-animation-iteration-count: 1; -webkit-animation-name: fontfix; -webkit-animation-timing-function: linear; animation-delay: 0.1s; animation-duration: 0.1s; animation-iteration-count: 1; animation-name: fontfix; animation-timing-function: linear; color: #1f24cc; cursor: pointer; display: inline; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a>,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><a href="http://bit.ly/KRUFund" style="-webkit-animation-delay: 0.1s; -webkit-animation-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-animation-iteration-count: 1; -webkit-animation-name: fontfix; -webkit-animation-timing-function: linear; animation-delay: 0.1s; animation-duration: 0.1s; animation-iteration-count: 1; animation-name: fontfix; animation-timing-function: linear; color: #1f24cc; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Kindle</a><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> or directly from our site </span><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://areyoufundable.com/" style="-webkit-animation-delay: 0.1s; -webkit-animation-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-animation-iteration-count: 1; -webkit-animation-name: fontfix; -webkit-animation-timing-function: linear; animation-delay: 0.1s; animation-duration: 0.1s; animation-iteration-count: 1; animation-name: fontfix; animation-timing-function: linear; color: #1f24cc; cursor: pointer; display: inline; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">areyoufundable.com</a>.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>Next Events</b>:</span><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">• Stamford - June 22 <a href="http://bit.ly/ctlooza" style="-webkit-animation-delay: 0.1s; -webkit-animation-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-animation-iteration-count: 1; -webkit-animation-name: fontfix; -webkit-animation-timing-function: linear; animation-delay: 0.1s; animation-duration: 0.1s; animation-iteration-count: 1; animation-name: fontfix; animation-timing-function: linear; color: #1f24cc; cursor: pointer; display: inline; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Register</a> </span><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">• Boston - June 26 </span><a href="http://bit.ly/blooza" style="-webkit-animation-delay: 0.1s; -webkit-animation-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-animation-iteration-count: 1; -webkit-animation-name: fontfix; -webkit-animation-timing-function: linear; animation-delay: 0.1s; animation-duration: 0.1s; animation-iteration-count: 1; animation-name: fontfix; animation-timing-function: linear; color: #1f24cc; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Register</a><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">• NYC - June 28 </span><a href="http://bit.ly/plooza" style="-webkit-animation-delay: 0.1s; -webkit-animation-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-animation-iteration-count: 1; -webkit-animation-name: fontfix; -webkit-animation-timing-function: linear; animation-delay: 0.1s; animation-duration: 0.1s; animation-iteration-count: 1; animation-name: fontfix; animation-timing-function: linear; color: #1f24cc; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Register </a><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>Results</b></span><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b><i>Winner</i></b>:</span><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><b><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Konnex </span></b><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">This app is makes it possible to remember people, your conversations and location and then add value to to your contact list.</span><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Comment:</span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> While this is a unique addition to the </span><i style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">LinkedIn </i><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">economy, that has revenue, it could be knocked off by the big players. SO it all comes down to marketng and execution, which this team seems to have the passion for.</span><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>Patient is in </b></span><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><i style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Zaid Al-Timimi <a href="mailto:zaid@TheMashupApp.com" style="-webkit-animation-delay: 0.1s; -webkit-animation-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-animation-iteration-count: 1; -webkit-animation-name: fontfix; -webkit-animation-timing-function: linear; animation-delay: 0.1s; animation-duration: 0.1s; animation-iteration-count: 1; animation-name: fontfix; animation-timing-function: linear; color: #1f24cc; cursor: pointer; display: inline; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">zaid@TheMashupApp.com</a> 202-503-9243 </i><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Founded to reduce patient times for every person in the world, the Patient is in is a real time, HIPAA-compliant messaging app for Apple Watch and Siri Endorsed by DC doctors </span><a href="https://thepatientisin.com/" style="-webkit-animation-delay: 0.1s; -webkit-animation-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-animation-iteration-count: 1; -webkit-animation-name: fontfix; -webkit-animation-timing-function: linear; animation-delay: 0.1s; animation-duration: 0.1s; animation-iteration-count: 1; animation-name: fontfix; animation-timing-function: linear; color: #1f24cc; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://thepatientisin.com/" style="-webkit-animation-delay: 0.1s; -webkit-animation-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-animation-iteration-count: 1; -webkit-animation-name: fontfix; -webkit-animation-timing-function: linear; animation-delay: 0.1s; animation-duration: 0.1s; animation-iteration-count: 1; animation-name: fontfix; animation-timing-function: linear; color: #1f24cc; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://ThePatientIsI...</a><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><a href="mailto:zaid@PatientIsIn.com" style="-webkit-animation-delay: 0.1s; -webkit-animation-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-animation-iteration-count: 1; -webkit-animation-name: fontfix; -webkit-animation-timing-function: linear; animation-delay: 0.1s; animation-duration: 0.1s; animation-iteration-count: 1; animation-name: fontfix; animation-timing-function: linear; color: #1f24cc; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">zaid@PatientIsIn.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Comment: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Promising real time patient managing system with some support from Apple. Valuation a little too rich, though.</span><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>Pet Connect </b></span><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><i style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Hector Ocasio </i><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">We are a digital community that connects pet owners to pet-friendly people, products, and services.</span><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Comment: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">A good mobile aggregation of services for pet lovers. Big market potential but competitive space and relies on sellingsmall pet dealers who can be hard to reach n numbers. Execution and momentum key.</span><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><b><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">TurtleShell</span></b><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">A peer-to-peer household item lending site.</span><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Comment: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588); font-family: 'Graphik Meetup', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">While the timing may be right for a household effects “shared economy” solution, this may want a more descriptive name and a few good items that everyone wants to share and not really own,in order to really take off.</span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Coming to you from the iBreakfast.com</div>Startupaloozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427519043978605400noreply@blogger.com0