Archive for the ‘North Carolina’ Category
Friday, January 20th, 2012
 Apple’s recent entry into the educational textbook market with highly interactive digital textbooks available on the iPhone and iPad and the updated version of its iTunes U, which offers teachers digital tools, is its latest effort to modernize the U.S. education system.
A pet project of the late Steve Jobs, the digital textbook move is only Apple’s latest foray into the education field. Apple Marketing VP Phil Schiller says the company owes much of its early success to education, where its Mac computers were often standard equipment.
We’re not sure Apple can rescue education from its mounting woes, many worsening because of the economic distress of recent years, but technology can certainly help. Jobs isn’t the only tech titan who wanted to revolutionize education. Jim Goodnight, founder and CEO of Cary, NC-based SAS, has also promoted the idea of using technology to improve schooling and even supports a North Carolina high school putting some of his ideas to work.
OnlineEducation.net created this infographic asking, “Can Apple Save Education?”
Tags: Apple Inc., Apple textbooks, Can Apple save education, Cary, iPad, iTunes, Jim Goodnight, Macs, NC, SAS, Steve Jobs
Posted in Apple, Education, infographic, Internet/New Media, IT, North Carolina | Comments Off
Friday, January 6th, 2012
By Joe Procopio
 Joe Procopio I’ll start off 2012 with two disclaimers.
One: Apologies to you Mayan calendar believers, I didn’t mean to alarm you with the title. 2012 won’t be the year that random Durham entrepreneurs spontaneously combust – although that could happen, it’s highly unlikely. I’ll make it up to you by not making an easy joke at your expense.
Two: I’ll be honest with you. I don’t know what’s going to happen to the RTP Startup Ecosystem this year. I’ve seen some crazy stuff in my time here. For all I know, Durham could become the food truck capital of the world, pushing technology, bio, and gaming aside, and prompting food truck tourism and a Food Truck Alley along Jackie Robinson drive.
For all I know.
But I can tell you this. What happens in the oh-twelve is going to build off of what happened in 2011. And if you have to put a single word on what the RTP did to justify its position in the startup universe relative to Silicon Valley, New York, Boulder, etc., that word would be: Organization.
Note that it’s not: Money. That’s what 2012 needs to be about.
In 2011, the RTP startup ecosystem finally took it upon itself to connect its various garages, coffee shops, and secret evil lairs in an effort to combine strengths, learn from one another, and sort out who is who and who is working on what. It was 99% a grass roots effort, which is good, in that it was very inclusive, but not so good, in the sense that the movement is still pretty underpowered. All in all, it was a measurable jump-start, but there’s a lot left to do.
So let’s take a look back over the year that was and make some assumptions about the year that is.
Hey! I’ve got an idea! Let’s do this via a collection of 2011 highlights from my column.
At least it’s not a top 10 list. Happy New Year.
Doing It Right
Several RTP companies landed major funding in 2011. Having walked that walk as part of the management team of Automated Insights/StatSheet (another disclosure), I can tell you that raising money last year wasn’t easy. But that also means that the companies that did receive funds are solid.
In Rabid Wolverines: Why Argyle Social is the Test Case for Durham 2.0, I talked about the aggressive, confident approach of Argyle and Eric Boggs, a refreshing attitude as Durham 2.0 started to spring up.
The Underground Got Relevant
Then in July, I sat down with James Avery and came out the other side with Adzerk’s No-BS Approach Results in $650K. Adzerk was proving the Durham startup thesis, founded by pivoting an existing business in RTP, moving into American Underground, taking advantage of the support groups springing up throughout the area, and ultimately running the gauntlet of both local and national VC raises. Successfully, as it turned out.
Launch Party? How About Launch Festival
Later that same month, I told you about a product launch that turned into an old-school dot-com style party in Bringing Sexy Back: Why deja Fest Is More Than a Launch Party. deja mi’s founder Justin Miller organized (there’s that word again) a two-day, 26-band event to prove out his venue-based media sharing application before it got the live customer treatment at the Hopscotch Festival in September.
All Work and No Play
By the way, those three companies were in attendance, along with about a dozen others, at Pongageddon: The RTP Startup Ecosystem Goes Rogue in March, a day of pizza, beer, and local startups competing for a ping-pong trophy hosted by StatSheet. This was one of the first formal get-togethers of some of the local entrepreneurs, but it would definitely not be the last.
The Graduating Class
But 2011 wasn’t just about the established and funded. In December, I got the chance to judge a UNC-hosted startup event and wrote about Ten Promising Rookie Startups from the Carolina Challenge. This included $1000 winner (and established though not funded) YardSprout and 47 other startups, most of whom I had not heard of before that night but will keep an eye on this year.
So yeah, that was 2011, but that was just the stuff I wrote about startups, and those few companies I got to are just the tip of the iceberg that is the 200+ tech startups in RTP. In a future installment, I’ll reminisce about the explosion of support organizations and how even those organizations got more organized.
Joe Procopio heads up product engineering for automated content startup Automated Insights. He also founded and runs startup network ExitEvent, consulting marketplace Intrepid Company, and the Intrepid Media writers network (http://IntrepidMedia.com). You can read him at http://joeprocopio.com and follow him at http://twitter.com/jproco.
Tags: Argyle Social, Carolina Challenge, Durham, Joe Procopio, Launch Party, NC, Pongageddon, Research Triangle, startup ecosystem in the RTP
Posted in Carolinas, Columns, entrepreneurship, Events, Internet/New Media, IT, North Carolina | Comments Off
Wednesday, January 4th, 2012
 NC IDEA, an organization committed to supporting business innovation and economic advancement in North Carolina, is hosting Office Hours for Entrepreneurs every Friday morning.
NC IDEA representatives will meet with technology entrepreneurs to advise them and their young companies on applying for a grant and to offer guidance for general business concerns. Since its inception in 2006, NC IDEA’s grants program has awarded over $2.3M to 62 companies across the state.
Office Hour appointments are intended for NC-based entrepreneurs and companies focused on software, information technology, medical devices or material sciences.
Ask questions, get guidance
Entrepreneurs can use these sessions to learn more about the grants process and eligibility requirements; however, it is also an opportunity to ask general business questions and get advice and guidance from experienced mentors that understand the challenges of startups. Appointments are made in 30-minute time increments between 10:00am and 12:00pm every Friday.
NC IDEA hosts these sessions at their office in the American Underground on the American Tobacco Campus in downtown Durham. Sessions are available starting this Friday, January 6th and are by appointment only. To reserve a time, please visit www.ncidea.org and click the ‘Office Hours’ link found on the homepage.
“This is an opportunity for us to meet companies, have a conversation and get a chance to know one another in advance of seeing their application which is an added benefit for both parties,” said David Rizzo, President and CEO of NC IDEA.
“Office Hours are intended to give entrepreneurs a chance to discuss their eligibility and what they can do to strengthen their application. But even beyond discussing grant-specifics, entrepreneurs can ask questions, bounce off ideas and share their concerns without feeling any pressure.”
NC IDEA’s grants program is a catalyst for technological breakthroughs developed in North Carolina that have a significant potential to successfully transition into commercially viable high-growth enterprises.
The grants, which are up to $50,000 per recipient, support business plan research and development, reduce risk of early failure and advance projects to the point of suitability for angel or venture capital investment.
Grant recipients mentored
In addition to the funding, NC IDEA and its network of seasoned business and technology partners mentor and guide the grant recipients through the complex growth cycles that young companies encounter, while also connecting the startups with other investors, institutions and business leaders to maximize their prospects for commercial success.
The upcoming Spring 2012 grant opportunity for North Carolina based companies will open on February 13th. Learn more about NC IDEA’s grant application process, timeline and criteria atwww.ncidea.org.
Tags: Dave Rizzo, NC IDEA, North Carolina, office hours for entrepreneurs, pitch to NC IDEA, startup funding opportunity
Posted in Carolinas, entrepreneurship, Events, Money, North Carolina | Comments Off
Thursday, November 17th, 2011
By Allan Maurer
 Gary Vaynerchuk's talk at the Internet Summit in Raleigh Wednesday drew a standing ovation. Social media is part of a “massive cultural shift,” and marketers better pay attention, Gary Vaynerchuk told the crowd that packed all three ballrooms at the Internet Summit at he Raleigh Convention Center Wednesday.
Vaynerchuk, author of “The Thank You Economy,” and “Crush It!” grabbed the audience with a funny but take-away laced talk that filled the Twittersphere with praise for his performance.
Vaynerchuk has appeared on numerous national television programs as a wine and marketing expert, including Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Ellen Degeneres Show, The Today Show, The Late Show with Jimmy Fallon, The Dr. Oz Show, The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, CNN’s Your $$$$, and CNBC’s Power Lunch.
King of Social Media hit Facebook limit
Known as the “King of Social Media,” Gary is one of the first-and one of a few-Facebook users who has maxed-out his friend limit, with over 17,000 pending friend requests.
He is in the top 100 people followed on Twitter and has been headline keynote at South by Southwest Interactive conference and the New Media and Web 2.0 expos.
In 2009, Gary was recognized as Innovator of the Year by Wine Enthusiast and featured in Decanter magazine’s “Power List” of the 50 most influential people in wine. Additionally, AskMen.com listed Gary among the 49 Most Influential Men of 2009.
He made his point about how things have changed by asking the audience how many of them once said they would never use a cell phone then how many have one now. Only one person among the 1800 or so present was still without a mobile phone.
He asked how many people had said they thought they would never want a Facebook account, and many raised their hands. But nearly everyone admitted having one now.
“Take a look at any five people while you’re driving. Three out of four are texting while driving. It’s scary. So people aren’t looking at billboards. They’re not even watching the road,” he quipped, not entirely tongue-in-cheek.
“The culture is changing. The Internet disrupted the music business, the publishing business, newspapers, and the way we talk to each other. We’re living in a cocktail party. That’s what the web is, a cocktail conversation. That’s the single biggest thing changed by the web. The way we talk to each other. And the way we talk to each other is the absolute fiber of how we sell.”
Push, push, push no longer works
But, many marketers go about using social media wrong, he said. They’re used to the way they delivered messages in the past via radio, TV, and print, where they push, push, push their messages.
“But no one wants you to pound their commercial down their throat on their Facebook page. Most businesses are not good at social media and they make the same mistake a 19-year-old dude makes talking to a woman the first time. They try to close in their first conversation.”
In this new social media world, he said, “Context is king. That’s what everyone will be talking about for the next decade: context. We’re living through the humanization of business.”
 Gary Vaynerchuk got the audience involved in his lively discussion of hte cultural shift brought about by the Internet and Social Media at the TechMedia Internet Summit. Years ago, we lost friends as we proceeded through life, lost high school friends, college friends, and so on. Most people in the crowd admitted reconnecting with old friends they had not heard from in decades via Facebook. “Now,” he said, “you can’t get rid of friends.”
Building individual human relationships is the way social media works, though, he added. “The gate keepers of our society have lost their keys. Every person here is now a media company with their smartphones and flipcams and the Internet. Consumers now have so much more ability to contribute to the conversation.”
That’s true even in B2B firms, he said. “Behind every “B” there is a “C.”
The way to win in social is “be bigger than you are,” he said. Selling wine, for instance, he said his company employs a person just to look up customer Twitter and Facebook accounts to learn a bit about their interests. Then, following a purchase, the firm would send an appropriate gift, a Bears shirt to a Chicago football fan, for instance, or some other appropriate gift as a thank-you.
Often that resulted in customers spending as much as 200 percent more.
Don’t sell all the time
He also suggests that you don’t have to try to sell something everytime you answer a consumer question.
Among the predictions Vaynerchuk made: in the not too distant future, everything will be “smart,” including your refrigerator and tube of toothpaste, both communicating with the Internet.
He also suggests that everyone will get so much free stuff based on their “social graph” in the future that they will get tired of it – one point on which some in the audience disagreed. “I don’t think I’ll get tired of getting free things” one told him.
Tags: context, Gary Vaynerchuk, Internet disrupted traditional marketing, Internet Summit, marketing with social media, social media creating a cultural shift, Thank You Economy
Posted in Carolinas, Events, Facebook, Internet/New Media, Marketing, Mobile, North Carolina, Tech Culture, TechLife, Telecommunications, Twitter | Comments Off
Wednesday, November 16th, 2011
The 2011 Internet Summit drew a record crowd to the Raleigh, NC Convention Center, where the event continues today with a keynote from social media guru Gary Vaynerchuk and sessions delving into the nitty-gritty of social media marketing, digital analytics, mobile, cloud computing, startup fund-raising and more.
The more than 120 speakers include representatives from Google, ESPN, Gannet, the Discovery Channel, and StumbleUpon, and other top digital brands.
Even the roomy conference rooms at the Raleigh Convention Center were packed with attentive listeners, many tweeting and taking notes on laptops.
Photos by Renee Wright and Allan Maurer
 ABC-11 WTDV Raleigh crew filming at the Internet Summit Tuesday afternoon.  Social media guru Gary Vaynerchuk will keynotes at the Internet Summit Wednesday. Attendees received a free copy of Vayerchuk's book, "The Thank You Economy."  Many Internet Summit session were packed, although the spacious conference rooms at the Convention Center seated most.  Brad Schomber of RTP-based ChannelAdvisor noted "We're hiring. That's why we're here. Link Walls of ChannelAdvisor is also a presenter at the event.  Bronto, an email and marketing automation software firm and an exhibitor at Internet Summit, also said it is hiring.  Exhibitors at the Internet Summit mounted some colorful and tasty displays.  Raleigh Communications Agency Capstrat, both an exhibitor and presentor at the Internet Summit, was highly visible, with representatives in their red, "Fellowship of Enlightened Zealots" fez caps.  Demo companies at IS2011 include Charlotte-based startup rawporter, a mobile app that can help people capture news and get both pay and credit.  The networking reception, which ran from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. Tuesday evening, is always a popular end to a packed day. It included wines, a selection of North Carolina beers, shrimp and grits, roast beef, and a great deal of networking.
Tags: Bronto Software, ChannelAdvisor, ESPN, Gary Vaynerchuk, Google, Internet Summit 2011, Raleigh Convention Center, StumbleUpon, tech jobs
Posted in Events, Internet/New Media, Marketing, North Carolina, TechJobs | Comments Off
Monday, November 14th, 2011
 Just what are retailers using Facebook and Twitter for marketing doing succesfully?
We asked Link Walls, director of product management at ChannelAdvisor, a global e-commerce software provider that helps retailers sell more across online channels. Walls is hosting the social media marketing session at the Internet Summit Conference, taking place Tuesday and Wednesday, November 15-16, at the Raleigh, NC Convention Center.
Walls filled us in on some the trends ChannelAdvisor is seeing:
“Right now,” he says, “increasing brand recognition on Facebook and Twitter seems to be very valuable to retailers.”
He adds, “Since February, we’ve published the Facebook Commerce Index that tracks the fan counts of the top 500 online retailers that have Facebook pages. Through this we’ve been able to analyze how retailers are acquiring more fans and shoppers with a variety of promotions and campaigns. Retailers are really putting a lot of time and effort into engaging fans on Facebook, as Liking a brand gives them the ability to send you updates. ”
He also noted, “We’re closely watching Facebook and think that Facebook Commerce has great potential to become a new channel for online retailers.”
How Levi’s is belting its jeans on Facebook
We asked Walls what Facebook marketers are doing to sign up fans and keep them engaged.
“Within the Facebook Commerce Index (FBCI), we’ve been watching how retailers are campaigning to increase their fans, and each month it is interesting to evaluate the various ways that retailers are gaining attention—some focus on giveaways, others on community involvement and humanitarian efforts,” he said.
“One example that’s pretty interesting from the FBCI is Levi’s, which has secured a place in the Top 25 for months now. However, where most top social-savvy brands see a 1-5% increase each month, Levi’s clocked 9% growth in October.
“Whereas most Facebook pages are quickly becoming one-visit stops for users looking to score discounts or free products, Levi’s is setting itself apart by structuring its Facebook page around a global, long-term campaign to support Water.org, which has been the main focus of the page since it was created.
Narrowing page focus
“Narrowing its page focus has allowed Levi’s to build on its campaign with quality content, from lengthy documentaries of “Pioneers for Water” to celebrity endorsement videos and real-time pledges. By creating a movement to sustain customer engagement, Levi’s is more likely to increase brand awareness, and ultimately ROI, in the long-run.”
ChannelAdvisor helps more than 3,000 retailers, including renowned brands like Dell, Jockey and ULTA, sell more online with best-in-class software and services for eBay, Amazon, Buy.com, Google, shopping engines and more. It was recently recognized on Triangle Business Journal’s list of Best Places to Work for 2011 and is a finalist for the North Carolina Technology Association Best Product/Service Technology Company Award.
To learn more about ChannelAdvisor’s global expansion, expert software offerings and career opportunities, visit booth #18 during the Internet Summit or visit www.channeladvisor.com.
ChannelAdvisor Director of Product Management Link Walls will host the Social Media Marketing session on November 16th at 4:20 p.m. EST.
Tags: ChannelAdvisor, Facebook marketing, Internet Summit, Link Walls, NC, Raleigh, social media marketing, social media marketing session, Twitter marketing
Posted in Carolinas, Facebook, Internet/New Media, Marketing, North Carolina, social media, Twitter | 2 Comments »
Friday, November 11th, 2011
 Gary Vaynerchuk keynotes the 2011 Internet Summit in Raleigh next week, which is nearly sold-out. Fewer than 50 seats remain for next week’s Internet Summit, which is bringing hundreds of digital media and marketing thought-leaders to the Raleigh, NC Convention Center Nov. 15-16.
The event, which attracts a capacity crowd, offers take-away insight into social media marketing, search engine optimization, ecommerce trends, email marketing, we and mobile analytics, big data, cloud computing, startup fund-raising and much more.
You’ll have access to visionary thought leaders who will share their insight and experience with you. Hear from the founders of companies like Twitpic, TheLadders & HowStuffWorks! Not enough? How about a Keynote from Top rated SXSW keynote and ‘Social Media King’ Gary Vaynerchuk?
That’s just a sampling of the more than 120 speakers and presenters that will be on hand.
We interviewed just a handful of the many presenters. For a preview of what thought-leaders will be presenting at the event see:
The Internet Summit’s Talented Speakers & Presenters include:
- Gary Vaynerchuk, Co-Founder, VaynerMedia
- Marc Cendella, Founder & CEO, TheLadders
- Marshall Brain, Founder, HowStuffWorks
- David Payne, Chief Digital Officer, Gannett
- Noah Everett, Founder, TwitPic and Heello
- Ro Choy, COO, Formspring
- Liz Strauss, Co-founder, SOBcon & LizStrauss.com
- Brian Hitney, Developer Evangelist, Microsoft
- David Perry, Business Development Executive, Google
- Jack Krawczyk, Sr Product Marketing Mgr, StumbleUpon
- Traug Keller, Sr VP of Production, ESPN
- Catherine Cook, Co-Founder, myYearbook
- Eric Ranta, SVP of Value Engineering, SAP
- Micahel Cristinziano, VP Strategic Development, Citrix
- Doug Smith, Dir Product Management, Taleo
- Malin Huffman, Head of Product Development, NetSuite
- Jerry Cuomo, CTO WebSphere, IBM
- Lee Congdon, CIO, RedHat
- Jeff Ragovin, Chief Revenue Officer, Buddy Media
- Peggy Fry, Chief Revenue Officer, Clearspring Technologies
- Mike Relm, Founder, Relmvision
- Bob Young, Founder & CEO, Lulu.com
- Donna DeMarco, Co-Founder & VP, Viddler
- Emily Keye, Marketing Strategist, Bronto
- Tammy Gordon, Dir Social Communications & Strategy, AARP
- Markus, Renstrom, Head of SEO, Yahoo!
- Dr. Manuel Aparicio, CEO & Co-Founder, Saffon Technologies
- Julianna DeLua, Enterprise Solutions Evangelist, Informatica
- Tony Haile, General Manager, Chartbeat
- Ryan Mannion, Chief Technology Officer, Politico
- David Giambruno, SVP and CIO, Revlon
- Gaurav Howard, Sr. Dir Product Marketing, Marketo
- Michael Lubek, CIO, GE Global Applications
- Angela Connor, Social Media Manager, Capstrat
- Ryan Allis, CEO, iContact
- Prerna Gupta, CEO, Khush
- Kevin Dando, Dir Digital & Education Communication, PBS
- Clint Smith, Co-Founder & CEO, Emma
- Matt Crenshaw, VP of Marketing, Discovery Communications
- Scott Gunter, VP of User Experience, Usability Sciences
- Lindsay Wassell, Partner & Consultant, KeyphraSEOlogy
- Steve Ashley, VP Internet Marketing, Market America
- Dennis Gullitto, APM Product Marketing Manager, Compuware
- Scott Baker, Sr. Mgr Virtualization & Cloud Engineering, NetApp
- Jeramiah Dooley, vArchitect, VCE/Cisco Virtualization
- Gerard Bush, Chief Creative Dir, The brpr Group
- Ted McDonald, Analyst, Verisign
- Rob Ousbey, VP Operations Seattle, Distilled
- David Gudai, VP of Marketing, Storkie
- Glenn Mersereau, Dir of Internet Marketing, PHE
- Jim Tobin, President, Ignite Social Media
- Kevin Pomplun, CEO, SkyGrid
- Sherry Bastion, Web Creative Director, Lenovo
- John Lovett, Sr Partner, Web Analytics Demystified
- Drew Diskin, Dir of Interactive & Web Strategy, Penn Medicine
- Lynette Montgomery, VP Ecommerce, Burt’s Bees
- Noah Dinkin, Co-Founder & President, FanBridge
- Jessica Bowman, SEOinhouse.com
- Todd Moy, Sr User Experience Designer, Viget Labs
- Donna Bedford, Global SEO Lead, Lenovo
- Francis Shepherd, Media Evangelist
- Dallas Lawrence, Chief Digital Strategist, Burson-Marsteller
- Karen Albritton, President, Capstrat
- Thuy LeDihn, Senior Marketing Manager, .ORG
- Adam Covati, Co-founder & CTO, Argyle Social
- Kyle Scott Richardson, Social Media, NC National Guard
- Cara Rousseau, Social Media Manager, Duke University
- Loren Baker, VP of Marketing, Blueglass
- Matthew Muñoz, Partner & Chief Design Officer, New Kind
- Jill Whalen, CEO, HighRankings
- Jason Caplain, General Partner, Southern Capitol Ventures
- David Heaney, Senior Associate, TomorrowVentures
- John Lawrence, Partner & CFO, Longworth Venture Partners
- Brooks Raiford, CEO, NCTA
- Roger Krakoff, Managing Partner, Cloud Capital Partners
- Charles Nicholls, Chief Strategy Officer, SeeWhy
- Jeff Campbell, VP & Co-Founder, Resolution Media
- Gary Storr, Business Architect & Solutions, Nortel
- Jeff Spivey, VP Board of Directors, ISACA
- Doug Hanna, CEO, A Small Orange
- Lisa, Braziel, Strategy Director, Ignite Social Media
- William Blackmon, CEO, LinkMein
- Chris Condayan, Public Outreach, Am Society for Microbiology
- Kyle Scott Richardson, Dir of Social Media, NC National Guard
- Jill Carlson, Marketing Manager, Argyle Social
- John Lane, VP Strategy & Creative, Centerline Digital
- Michael , Gowan, Associate Dir of Web Strategy, Duke Medicine
- Dana Kirchman, SVP Head of Client Operations, Lumi Mobile
Internet Summit is an outstanding learning experience mixed with prime networking opportunities and entertaining keynotes.
There’s even 5 additional hours of intense session digging deep into Social Media, SEO & Search, User Experience & Design and Analytics when you add the pre-conference to your registration.
Tags: AARP, Buddy Media, Capstrat, chartbeat, Clearspring Technologie, cloud computing, David Payne, David Perry, ecommerce trends, email marketing, ESPN, Gannett, Gary Vaynerchuk, Google, Howstuffworks, Internet Summit, Khush, Marshall Brain, measuring social, Microsoft, mobile presence, myYearbook, NC, NetSuite, Noah Everett, online advertising, paid search, Politico, Raleigh, Red Hat, reputation management, SAP, SEO, social media marketing, startup strategies, TheLadders, Twitpic, usability, web & mobile analytics, Yahoo
Posted in Amazon, Apple, best practices, Business advice, Carolinas, Cisco, Cloud, Education, entrepreneurship, Events, Facebook, games, Government/Defense, Internet/New Media, IT, Legal, LinkedIn, Marketing, Microsoft, Mobile, mobile games, North Carolina, smartphones, social media, Studies, surveys, reports, Tech Culture, TechLife, Telecommunications, video, Viewpoint | Comments Off
Thursday, November 10th, 2011
By Allan Maurer
 Kabbage chairman Marc Gorlin will speak at the Internet Summit Nov. 15-16 at the Raleigh, NC Convention Center. Remember those cartoons where an alien approaches a fire hydrant or a telephone pole and says, “Take me to your leader?” Turns out it’s not bad advice for startups seeking funding, says Marc Gorlin, chair of Atlanta-based Kabbage.
Kabbage, which provides working capital to online merchants, nabbed a $17 million B round in August led by Mohr Davidow Ventures and its investors include BlueRun Ventures, David Bonderman, founder of TPG Capital, and Warren Stephens, CEO of Stephens Inc., and the UPS Strategic Enterprises Fund.
So Gorlin understands the venture dance. He’ll discuss “The things VCs never tell you about raising money” at next week’s Internet Summit in Raleigh, NC, where he’ll be one of dozens of digital media, marketing and entrepreneurial thought-leaders participating.
And one of the first items on his list of things for entrepreneurs to consider when seeking venture capital is to the right person immediately.
“No firm where we went in through anyone but a senior partner went anywhere,” Gorlin says of Kabbage’s own experiences in finding venture backing. “If you get a meeting with a principal or associate, the odds of it going anywhere sink to infinitesimal levels,” he says.
While Gorlin’s slide presentation uses humor to make its points, the points are serious.
He’s Just Not that Into You
For instance, his “He’s Just Not that Into You,” section warns that “No means no, maybe means no and soft yeses mean no.”
Nevertheless, Gorlin says, persistence is the key. “Never stop trying,” he says. He’ll point out how many times big investors said “no” to investing in a company before they said “yes.”
Gorlin has solid advice for entrepreneurs. He suggests not pitching the most important venture capitalists on a potential list first. “You’ll get better,” he says.
Know your market
One of the most important things for entrepreneurs to do to prepare for a pitch to a VC, he says, “Is to know your market.”
It’s also a good idea to know your VC. “Take people they invested with out to dinner. Talk about the terms they got.”
Gorlin also suggests, “Don’t be afraid of venture capitalists and their pedigrees. Don’t make them smarter than you.”
But if you do get some discouraging comments, don’t think you’re alone. Gorlin says that one firm told the now quite successful Kabbage, “Your management team is weak and not smart enough to make this work.” Uh huh.
He’ll share more of the actual comments Kabbage received during its fund-raising process, stories, facts and other solid, if funny, advice direct from the digital fund-raising trenches.
Internet Summit is near capacity, so if you’re going, better register soon. During its own fund-raising process, Kabbage presented at TechMedia’s Southeast Venture Conference. The 2012 SEVC in Tysons Corner, VA, is set for Feb. 29.
Tags: advice to entrepreneurs, Atlanta, fund raising, he's just not that into you, Internet Summit, Kabbage, Marc Gorlin, NC, persistence in fund raising, Raleigh, SEVC
Posted in best practices, Business advice, Carolinas, entrepreneurship, Events, Internet/New Media, Money, North Carolina | Comments Off
Thursday, November 10th, 2011
 Amazon has purchased Charlotte-based speech-recognition firm Yap, according to a report in The Atlantic. Citing an SEC filing, the magazine notes that neither company announced the merger of Yap with Dion Acquisition Sub, which lists a Seattle Amazon building address.
The magazine says that “The acquisition is particularly interesting given the prominence of Apple’s voice efforts and the depth of Google’s.’” It speculates the acquisition may be Amazon’s step into the voice control field. Amazon has steadily moved from being primarily a retailer to being a tech company selling ereaders, tablets and cloud services.
Yap’s technology, which goes beyond the voicemail-to-text service it shutdown recently, may be Amazon’s first move in developing a rival to Apple’s Siri on the new iPhones.
Yap, which presented at TechMedia’s Southeast Venture Conference and was profiled here, raised a $6.5 million A financing round from SunBridge Partners in 2008. The sixth annual SEVC is just around the corner, February 29 – March 1, 2012 at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner, VA.
“Yap is truly a leader in freeform speech recognition and driving innovation in the mobile user experience,” said Paul Grim, general partner at SunBridge Partners in a statement following the funding. “It is increasingly clear that the fastest, easiest, and safest way to interact with services on a mobile device is using your voice, and Yap makes this both possible and intuitive.”
Founded in 2006 by brothers Igor and Victor Jablokov, the company raised $1.5 million from individual investors in May 2007.
Tags: Amazon, Apple, iPhone, mergers, SEVC, Siri, Southeast Venture Conference, speech recognition, Yap
Posted in Acquisitions, Amazon, Carolinas, IT, North Carolina | Comments Off
Wednesday, November 9th, 2011
By Allan Maurer
 Ron Jones Many marketers see key word research as a preliminary to search engine optimization, but it is actually fundamental to all marketing channels, says Ron Jones, president and CEO of Symetri Internet Marketing and author of Keyword Research for Search, Social and Beyond from Wiley Publishing.
Jones has been an avid proponent of the Search Engine Marketing industry by hosting and speaking at seminars and conferences. Additionally Ron has served on the Board for The Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPRO) and is also one of the authors for the SEMPO Institute Insiders Guide and Advanced courses.
Jones, one of the legion of Internet thought-leaders and digital media gurus participating in next week’s Internet Summit at the Raleigh, NC Convention Center Nov. 15-16, will discuss how to expand thinking about keyword research and how to use it for competitive traditional marketing, branding and other channels.
“Part of it involves the buying cycle – when people will use certain key words. Part of it is about user intent as it applies to key word research,” he says.
That means if a consumer types “camera” into a search engine, he is likely at the beginning of the buying cycle and using broad search terms. If he types in Canon EOS Rebel, he pretty much knows what he’s looking for, has done research, and the chances are high he’s ready to convert and buy.
“He’s probably looking for price and availability,” says Jones. “So understanding which key words people use gives you insight into their intent,” he notes.
Using Google Analytics and looking at the bounce rate for key words bringing people to your site can reveal the relevance what they found has to what they were looking for, Jones says. “If they bounce quickly, it suggests the relevance of the key word to the page they landed on is a mismatch.”
That means, he adds, “You should make sure your upfront messaging matches the content you have on your landing pages.
Then, you should further analyze to determine not only the key words driving people to your site, but also which ones drive conversions for you.
For an idea of what Jones will discuss in more detail at the Internet Summit, take a look at his blog post, “3 Tips for Identifying Top Peforming Keywords” at ClickZ.
You might also find 5 Ways to Measure Social Media helpful.
Other posts by Ron Jones on ClickZ
Tags: 2011, 3 tips for top performing keywords, 5 ways to measure social media, ClickZ, Internet Summit, keywords as a foundation for traditional marketing, NC, Raleigh, Ron Jones
Posted in Carolinas, Events, Internet/New Media, Marketing, North Carolina | Comments Off
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