Key lessons from VCs and entrepreneurs about what it takes to build a product that will be funded: 1. “VCs want products that solve broad solutions.” – James Chan, Trinity Ventures. Niche markets will only take you so far, think about the big picture. What can your product provide for the world? Whatever you’re building, “go bolder, focus on the ‘change the world’ potential!” – George Zachary, Charles River Ventures 2....
That’s not to say that PayPal is perfect. There have been stories of PayPal freezing accounts and charging unfavorable fees for transactions. Also, the platform may not always fit the demands and needs of individuals, entrepreneurs, and business owners. They also have had problems internationally. Whether you’re not a fan or looking for a payment system that works best for you, I’ve compiled the following list of 15 alternatives to PayPal that you should start using....
Go ahead and download some of the following apps and share your story with the world before your phone battery dies. Pango Storytime With Pango Storytime, it will be hard to reduce the “screen time” for your kids because they’ll be creating their own stories. Pango and friends need your (or your child’s) attention to understand the message and interact with the picture. The catch is that you move the story along and discover the Pango adventure....
Security This is generally the biggest concern for businesses when it comes to deploying an enterprise mobility solution. While Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) has brought so many benefits for businesses, including the likes of increased productivity and cost saving, it has also brought with it many security challenges. Adopting a BYOD strategy can lead to security risks, especially among enterprise CIO’s. Keeping sensitive corporate information secure is critical and therefore you can’t be too careful when it comes to BYOD....
Building your app and app testing is not an easy job but to attract real users, you have to aim for quality of user experience. Here are 5 ways to have your app tested by real users: Call your friends for a partyThrow a party over snacks & beverages and then ask your friends to download the app! This might sound funny, but it will help you get the best feedback from a casual environment....
While a small change, it shifts the emphasis from an action — entrepreneurial development — to the actual entrepreneurs the organization was founded to support, according to Sean Wilkinson. Wilkinson, along with his business cofounder Arielle Walrath of Might and Main, were hired to lead the nonprofit organization through the rebranding exercise. Tom Rainey, who took over as executive director of MCE, said the organization was in need of a fresh look....
Sources at Recode reported that Michael stepped down following pressure from Uber’s board. Here’s how Michael framed it in his email: Read about UBER firing their self-driving car guy […] Uber has a long way to go to achieve all that it can and I am looking forward to seeing what you accomplish in the years ahead.” Michael’s departure follows an internal investigation overseen by former U.S. attorney general Eric Holder, due to be released on Tuesday....
But how do you get out of that rut? I recently stumbled upon a post by Angela Skinner Orr called “#AltEd: Giving Students Control,” where she offers insightful advice to her students before she quit her job as a teacher. Most of her advice seems perfectly fit to startup founders. After all, they are students of the startup life. If You Don’t Want to Do it, Don’t Call it tough love but it’s really a reality check....
Voice interfaces have looked like the next big interface for a while now, and this confirms their growing presence. It makes sense: Using your voice is a natural and organic form of communication that everyone uses every day, and using it for your phone means that your eyes and hands will stay free. Tech.Co located an industry expert — Vijay Balasubramaniyan, co-founder and CEO of voice security company Pindrop — to discuss the future of the interface, as well as one of the biggest threats to it: Voice fraud....
In the two years since it was founded, Wanderu has grown and taken on new opportunities at every turn. In 2013 they participated in the SXSX Interactive accelerator along with 47 other startups. And earlier this year, Wanderu became one of the finalists in the Extreme Tech Challenge, leading to the opportunity to personally pitch to Sir Richard Branson. Like many entrepreneurs, founder and CEO Polina Raygorodskaya came up with the idea for Wanderu out of her own frustrations....
With the tech industry suffering more than its fair share of privacy problems in the last few years, stricter regulations were bound to be put in place. In 2018, the EU implemented the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a sweeping online privacy initiative for Europe that had effects around the world. Now, with California implementing their own version of the law, dubbed the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the tech industry in the US is in for quite the shake-up....
Acton made the comments that many disgruntled workers wish they could say about their ex-bosses while speaking before a classroom at his alma mater, Stanford University. Here’s how he framed it, why so many people seem to agree, and whether you should take him up on the command. Who is Brian Acton? Working as a computer engineer at Yahoo, Brian Acton met Jan Koum and they together founded the chat app WhatsApp in 2007....
We were last in the Windy City on April 3rd, but because we love the Chicago so much, we’re headed back to uncover a fresh batch of tech startups on July 25th. Join us at 1871 for an evening of Chicago’s hottest early-stage startups and cocktails with your neighbors and technophile friends. – Register for the Event Here – We’ll have a gaggle of startups on hand showcasing their goods, but before the event kicks off, we want to know what you think: Who is Chicago’s Hottest Showcasing Startup?...
Image Credit: Pittsburgh Skyline at Night: Flickr/Joshua Siniscal The following startups have been selected to pitch live at the event. Both the winner of the Hottest Showcasing Startup and the Reader’s Choice Poll will qualify for an invitation to attend and pitch at Tech Cocktail Celebrate in October! Meet the startups, and cast your vote! The Affective Computing Company: a Human to Human Platform that uses the devices you own and our custom programs to help you better your life....
The gun control debate in the US is admittedly a bit of a minefield. With the second amendment making ownership an absolute right and the NRA wielding a lot of power in the political and professional world, businesses have been hesitant to take a stand for fear of angering consumers and politicians alike. However, that appears to be changing. Gun sellers like Walmart, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and others have committed to dialing back their ammunition and assault weapon sales and San Francisco labeled the NRA a domestic terror organization....
On top of that, plenty of misguided stereotypes exist that claim to define the millennial. They’re supposedly killing everything from diamond rings to the concept of buying one’s own home — never mind that the latter problem is attributed to millennials’ avocado toast budget rather than the actual cause, which is student debt. If you are looking to attract a millennial to move across the country to your town and work at your company, you’ll need to know what they truly value....
Javascript hidden in the malicious files would, the group states, allow hackers backdoor access to company systems, once opened. A deep dive of the files indicates that the intended target was a Point of Sale (POS) provider, Clearmind, and its customers. With Windows 11 available soon, it’s thought that these documents were being used to spread malware, capitalizing on the interest in Microsoft’s newest operating system. What do we Know About the Scam?...
There are just some things you want to do with guys, such as watching a football game, playing a sport or just going to grab a beer. Often times, with how social media has taken over, creating long-lasting relationships with other friends has become much more difficult. There is a sea of events going on, but building connections just becomes harder each day. Each of us have busy lives and are so focused on hitting business goals, that often times, we just forget to lose that true connection from lasting friendships....
Y Combinator partner Trevor Blackwell recently created a way for startups to look at how this weekly growth rate can impact them in the long run. Through his Startup Growth Calculator, you can determine approximately 1) when your startup will reach profitability and 2) how much capital you’ll need in order to reach that point. The calculator is pretty straightforward to use. You have the option to change measurements between weekly, monthly, or yearly....
Launched a year ago in New York City, founder Samer Hamadeh says Zeel is an “Uber for massages,” with over 300 therapists in their network. A hassle-free process of simply hitting “Book now,” Zeel makes therapists available one at a time who receive a notice and whoever accepts the request comes to your door. It also offers a set price (including tax and tip), which is charged directly to users’ credit cards....
