TechEmpower

MAY 1, 2014

'The latest round of our ongoing Framework Benchmarks project is now available! Round 9 updates several test implementations and introduces a new test environment using modern server hardware. Since the first round, we have known that the highest-performance frameworks and platforms have been network-limited by our gigabit Ethernet. For Round 9, Peak Hosting has provided a high-performance environment equipped with 10-gigabit Ethernet at one of their data centers.

Framework 546

Framework Database Bandwidth Architecture 546

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 1, 2014

'Amazon. It’s the company that evokes fear into more startups and venture capitalists looking to fund eCommerce businesses than any other potential competitor. Every pitch I’ve ever seen has led to the, “Would Amazon eventually do this? And could we then compete?” type questions. But what if you could do the reverse of Amazon?

Technical Review 380

Technical Review Software Review Cofounder CTO Hire 380

YoungUpstarts

MAY 8, 2014

'by Tom Panaggio, author of “ The Risk Advantage: Embracing the Entrepreneur’s Unexpected Edge “ The entrepreneurial life is rife with potential pitfalls. You can pour your heart and soul (and life savings) into a venture, do all your due diligence, toil 80- and 90-hour weeks, and just when you’re on the verge of a breakthrough, a dark horse competitor sweeps in and decimates your market share.

Technical Review 254

Technical Review Entrepreneur Florida Cofounder 254

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 9, 2014

'Entrepreneurs who require funding for their startup have long counted on self-accredited high net worth individuals (“angels”) to fill their needs, after friends and family, and before they qualify for institutional investments (“VCs”). New crowd funding platforms on the Internet, like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo , as well as the Jobs Act of 2012 , are expected by many to ramp up regular people’s ability to fund new opportunities and kill the need for angel groups.

Angel Investor 278

Angel Investor Angel Groups Accredited Investor IRR 278

Speaker: Nick Noreña, Innovation Coach and Advisor, Kromatic

Every startup and innovation project exists within an ecosystem that either helps or hurts that project. As innovation managers, we need to keep a pulse of that ecosystem and make sure we're helping those innovation projects we're managing every step of the way. In this webinar, Nick Noreña will walk through an Innovation Ecosystem Model that he and his team at Kromatic have developed to help investors, heads of product, teachers, and executives understand how they can best support innovation in

Startup

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 12, 2014

'Two years ago I started a fund. For the fund to be viable, it had to be at least $5 million, but somewhere in the neighborhood of $8-10 million would have been perfect. Thankfully, that''s what I raised--$8.3 million. So how does it work? How does one make money raising a venture fund of this size? Not easily, let me tell you. The benefit comes in the upside, and it''s very back end weighted.

Investment Bankers 167

Investment Bankers Term Sheet Venture Capital Technical Review 167

Up and Running

MAY 1, 2014

'You’ve reviewed what a business plan is , and why you need one to start and grow your business. It’s time to dig into the process of actually writing a business plan. In this step-by-step guide, I’ll take you through every stage of writing a business plan that will actually help you achieve your goals. Whether you’re trying to raise money for your business or are developing a plan for strategic growth, a solid business plan is a key component to every successful business.

Business Plan 163

Business Plan Forecast Balance Sheet Distribution 163

Version One Ventures

MAY 29, 2014

'We’re all too familiar with the very real gender gap within the tech community. Women are underrepresented as engineers, management, investors, and founders. A commonly cited statistic is that only 7 percent of U.S. venture capital deals go to women founders and CEOs. Business Insider recently crunched the numbers behind 26 of the top venture capital funds in Silicon Valley and learned that the percentage of female-founded startups in their portfolios ranged from a high of 19% to a low of just

Silicon Valley 167

Silicon Valley Founder Venture Capital Technical Review 167

YoungUpstarts

MAY 30, 2014

'by Sam Bahreini, co-founder and COO of VoloForce. It seems like almost all technology goes to market with a “beta” tag attached. Google is notorious for this, releasing many of its products in beta form — and sometimes even leaving them in that phase for years. After all, Gmail wasn’t taken out of beta until 2009 — five years after it was originally released.

Customer 231

Customer Development Team Review Cofounder Agile 231

crowdSPRING Blog

MAY 2, 2014

'Every day on the crowdSPRING Twitter account and on my own Twitter account , I post links to posts or videos I enjoyed reading or viewing. These posts and videos are about logo design , web design , startups, entrepreneurship, small business, leadership, social media, marketing, and more! Here are some of the links that I’ve liked and shared this past week!

Social Media 96

Social Media Small Business Design Media 96

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 27, 2014

'Last week, for just the second time ever, I passed on an investment opportunity because of the terms of the deal--both the price and the legal structure of the agreement. It was a company whose product I believed in and whose founder I liked, but a firm lobbed in a term sheet at a price 33% higher than what I had offered using a very light agreement meant for a much earlier stage company.

Term Sheet 160

Term Sheet Founder Cofounder Software Review 160

Up and Running

MAY 16, 2014

'According to Small Business Administration research , only half of new businesses survive for the first five years and only one-third of new businesses are able to survive for 10 years. The inverse is compelling as we can conclude that if only 50% of new businesses survive for the first five years, then the other 50% fail in the first five years. We can also conclude that about 65% of new businesses don’t make it to the ten-year mark.

Small Business 157

Small Business Leadership Demand Small Business Administration 157

ConversionXL

MAY 15, 2014

'According to a study by Bain & Company , 80% of companies say they’re customer centric, yet only 8% of customers agree. Think about that for a second. How many of your customers do you think would agree that you are customer centric? Do you know for sure? This is important because according to a study by Monetate , 79% of customers will buy from a company again if the experience is good, but 89% of them would switch to a competitor if the experience wasn’t satisfactory.

Customer 122

Customer Technical Review Software Review Email 122

Version One Ventures

MAY 6, 2014

'There is not doubt that Bitcoin / the blockchain is a revolutionary technology. Once implemented, the blockchain might be able to disrupt many verticals that are built around managing the transfer of ownership by replacing a centralized approach with a decentralized (and hence usually more efficient) approach. While the blockchain can be applied to a range of verticals , from passports to wills, vacation rental keys and movie tickets, most of the start-up activity to date has focused on using B

North America 160

North America Technical Review Vertical China 160

YoungUpstarts

MAY 17, 2014

'The debate over whether or not outsourcing is a good thing is never going to go away. There are always going to be people who insist that, whatever you decide, you’re wrong. What matters isn’t what they think. What matters is what works best for you and for your business. And, if you do decide that you should be outsourcing, that you choose the right professionals for those jobs.

Warrant 211

Warrant Web Web Development Small Business 211

Hunter Walker

MAY 26, 2014

'Besides having a great animated graphic, yesterday’s New York Times “ Faking Cultural Literacy ” OpEd got me thinking about the role of verified data. The column touches on the increasing proclivity (or even probability) that you develop and espouse an opinion without even experiencing the source data itself. “It’s never been so easy to pretend to know so much without actually knowing anything.

API 106

API Ruby Software Review Software Engineering 106

Gregg Fraley, Author of Jack's Notebook

MAY 2, 2014

'Improv and Innovation do mix — and it’s not funny. You don’t have to be funny for Improv training to be useful in innovation. There are two things holding back more business people from pushing the Improv training button: 1.) They believe that Improv is difficult and that you need to have a funny bone, and, 2.) They believe that while Improv might be a good soft skill there is no direct and near term benefit to innovation (or other corporate goals).

Harvest 124

Harvest Design Partner Developer 124

Growthink Blog

MAY 14, 2014

'All of a sudden, it is boom time again for venture capital funds, with over $10.3 billion in fresh capital raised by 578 funds in the 1st quarter, up 36% from 2012. And high profile exits on deals like Nest , WhatsApp , and Occulus - where fund investors saw returns in excess of 20x their original investments - have caught the public''s fancy as to the power of startup and emerging company investing.

Venture Capital 101

Venture Capital Disintermediation Technical Review Term Sheet 101

ConversionXL

MAY 22, 2014

'“Conversion Rate Optimization” principles don’t just apply to landing pages or capturing emails. That narrow brand of thinking severely limits the truly transformative impact CRO principles can have on a business. In a big picture, can’t “Conversion” really be boiled down to getting more of the right people clicking on the things you want them to click ?

Software Review 116

Software Review PPC Analytics Search 116

Duct Tape Marketing

MAY 30, 2014

'7 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Use Video To Grow Their New Business written by Guest Post read more at Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing. It’s guest post day here at Duct Tape Marketing and today’s guest is from Joe Forte – Enjoy! Congratulations! Your business plans are in place, perhaps you have sought out and won investors, and gotten a foothold in the market with your product.

Video 78

Video Widget Software Review Entrepreneur 78

YoungUpstarts

MAY 26, 2014

'By Patrick Bet-David, CEO of the PHP Agency, and author of “ Doing The Impossible: The 25 Laws for Doing The Impossible “ There’s never been a better time to be a young entrepreneur in America. The opportunities are endless and money is easy to earn. In spite of this, many young entrepreneurs and small businesses continue to struggle, with many just getting by.

Iran 267

Iran PHP Entrepreneur America 267

Hunter Walker

MAY 4, 2014

'Now that our seed fund Homebrew has past its first anniversary , people often ask what has surprised me during my year as a VC, or what am I liking/disliking about my new profession. My answers are actually bland, largely because I had a pretty good handle on what the initial 12 months would bring and a great partner in Satya Patel. One question I did spend time on before we started Homebrew and throughout the year is “What mistakes do new VCs usually make and how could I avoid these comm

Software Review 102

Software Review Vertical Seed Stage Portfolio 102

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 18, 2014

'In my Twitter bio is says that I’m “ looking to invest in passionate entrepreneurs ,” which almost sounds like I was just looking for a cliché soundbite to describe myself. Yet along with “authenticity” they are two of the key attributes I look for when I meet with companies I may consider funding one day. Passion is also the featured heavily in nearly every presentation I give to entrepreneurs or on college campuses or in talks with MBA students.

Silicon Valley 419

Silicon Valley Startup Algorithm eCommerce 419

Steve Blank

MAY 29, 2014

'In the last five years I’ve been at Commencement Day at universities around the world – a few times to receive awards and three times as the commencement speaker. But attending both my daughters’ college graduations this year helped me to see how things look from the other side of the podium. ——-. First, college graduations fall in the category of “life cycle” events.

Agile 332

Agile Metrics Founder Search 332

ConversionXL

MAY 6, 2014

'In 2012, I launched a kind of ‘Groupon deal for musicians’, where I gave away $1,250 worth of products, including recording time, iTunes distribution, and a guitar string endorsement deal for just $69 for 100 hours only. There were only 5,000 packages available. I had invested a lot into this campaign. Not only had I spent four months putting the campaign together, but I had also put a significant amount of my personal savings into ensuring that this campaign was everywhere during those 100 hou

Sales 132

Sales Conversion Stock PPC 132

Duct Tape Marketing

MAY 9, 2014

'Why Live Chat is a Powerful Sales Tool written by Guest Post read more at Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing. It is guest post day here at Duct Tape Marketing and today’s guest is from Sunir Shah – Enjoy! . As you read this article, potential customers are browsing your website, looking to buy something from you. Lost, confused, skittish, they will abandon your site before buying anything.

Sales 72

Sales Technical Support LLC Conversion 72

YoungUpstarts

MAY 13, 2014

'by Joshua Conran , senior partner at Deksia . Niche businesses almost always originate from an identifiable need in the marketplace. They recognize an underserved segment of the population — whether that’s expectant mothers, pet owners, or cheese lovers — then develop a product or service to meet the specific needs of that customer base. Marc Lore and Vinit Bharara did just that with Diapers.com.

Pennsylvania 224

Pennsylvania Retention Differentiation Reputation 224

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2014

'Every entrepreneur I know is short on resources, including time, money, and skills. The last thing they can afford is to waste any of these, but in my mentoring and coaching activities, I see it happening all too often. Waste in a startup is any activity that absorbs resources, but creates no value or competitive advantage in the eyes of customers.

Entrepreneur 287

Entrepreneur Lean Metrics Matching 287

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 11, 2014

'Mother’s Day. The one day a year where we recognize this all important figure in our lives who shapes our childhood providing unconditional love through our successes and failures with encouragement and support through our struggles. I’ve written about my own mom before and the role she played in shaping my life but of course you never quite appreciate the full contributions of Mom until you’re much older.

Mobile 323

Mobile Startup Developer 323

Spencer Fry

MAY 2, 2014

'OMG is the best way to describe how I feel right now. I’m so relieved to have finally shipped the massive update to Uncover. It’s something that we began working on in July 2013, only to release it ten months later on April 30th, 2014. Anyone who works in product development will know that ten months is an eternity. This release pressed down on us like the heaviest of weights.

Bootstrapping 57

Bootstrapping Revenue Product Development Forecast 57

ConversionXL

MAY 27, 2014

'From image carousels to social media logins, trends spread like wildfire in the eCommerce industry. But, have you ever stopped to question the business implications of following these trends? ‘Everyone has that thing on their website,’ you think, “So it must be working!”. But that logic is flawed. Chances are, the sites you’re copying from are as clueless about the effectiveness of such trends as you are.

eCommerce 125

eCommerce Conversion Software Review Cost 125

Steve Blank

MAY 31, 2014

'If you can’t see the video click here Filed under: Customer Development.

Customer Development 306

Customer Development Video Developer Customer 306

YoungUpstarts

MAY 23, 2014

'By Lynda Chervil, author of “ Fool’s Return “ Personal power is a core leadership competency that everyone needs to develop before they can lead others. It has to do with being able to lead yourself. “Personal power is the ability to achieve what you want,” according to Frederick Mann, a successful entrepreneur and author of “ The Economic Rape of America “ “More than anything else, it is personal power that brings you success and happiness.

Developer 217

Developer Leadership Green America 217

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 31, 2014

'Entrepreneurs looking for investor funding often fail to realize that all money comes with strings. For example, if you have watched the Shark Tank TV series, you probably noticed that the Sharks always ask the entrepreneurs for their intended “use of funds.” Those who respond with one of the wrong answers, such as “I want to pay myself a salary,” usually go home empty-handed.

Elevator Pitch 285

Elevator Pitch Salary Angel Investor Viral 285

Feld Thoughts

MAY 7, 2014

'Yesterday when we were having Comcast issues in downtown Boulder, I thought about how slow the Internet speed at my office was. For several hours, it was 0 Mbps down and 0 Mbps up (0/0) until I gave up and tethered my iPhone to my computer and used Verizon LTE for the rest of the afternoon. When I got home, Pandora had trouble starting up on my CenturyLink connection, which Speedtest showed was 2/0.5.

Internet 195

Internet Kansas City Kansas .Net 195

Gust

MAY 4, 2014

'Barack Obama meets Mark Zuckerberg, photo via Wikimedia. Entrepreneurs are all about firsts, and the most important is you making a great first impression – on investors, customers, new team members, and strategic partners. Poor first impressions can be avoided, but I’m amazed at the number of unnecessary mistakes I see at those critical first introductions, presentations, and meetings.

Entrepreneur 172

Entrepreneur Angel Investor Affiliate .Net 172

ConversionXL

MAY 20, 2014

'Last Friday, Oli from Unbounce & Peep teamed up for the second episode of Page Fights where they tore apart contestants landing pages & give them actionable advice & best practices on how to make their landing pages better. The winner of Page Fights gets 1 free year of Unbounce’s Pro 99 account, a half hour private consultation with Peep & free early membership into the ConversionXL self study course.

Conversion 115

Conversion Stock Technical Review Design 115