The Sessions There are two types of sessions available at our annual conference this year. Mentor Circles Presented by Revelry are 30 minute group sessions designed for attendees who want the opportunity to gain insight into specific challenges they are having within their business and receive valuable targeted advice for those issues. Mentor Sessions Presented by Revelry are 30 minutes private sessions designed for attendees who wish to take a deep dive into challenges facing their startup or business and gain valuable insight and advice to help build their business....

Adapting to the change The current market scenario clearly indicates that the number of smartphone users has skyrocketed and has crossed the one billion mark worldwide. Therefore, it is evident that the companies should now start focusing more visibility among the users and also meet their specific needs while developing mobile apps. Mobile developers should make an effort to offer a personal touch to users. ABI research predicts that smartphone users will download about 60 billion applications this year....

1: Cutting Down Waste One of the main goals of adopting enterprise release management is to reduce waste within a company. This waste will come in different forms, such as the work hours wasted on testing various pieces of code separately when they could have been tested at the same time, or not rolling a new update that will save money because something less important got priority. With ERM practice in place, everything fits perfectly, people know what they should be doing and waste is minimized....

But here’s the horrifying thing — we all need to network! It’s what gives us a foot in the door or a lead on your dream job. The right networking connection can lead to career changing events. And it only takes one connection — the right connection — to make it happen. You can always go to networking events and have actual conversations with a live person. That’s actually encouraged, as building strong networking connections can be easier face to face....

But while protection is certainly one of the biggest reasons for this, good cloud security is helpful for plenty of other reasons. Let’s take a look at why you need to make certain your cloud security is top-notch. Keep Your Data Safe This is obviously the biggest reason to have strong cloud security—you want to keep your data safe and sound. Good cloud security will make certain no random person accesses your cloud....

Corcoran’s many successes over the past several decades are linked to several key insights and philosophies. She recently compiled an online class titled, “The Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship: Pitching Your Business and Yourself.” The goal of the course is to force people off the fence: to push them either to go into entrepreneurship or to keep their day jobs. Here are the core philosophies highlighted in the course that all successful entrepreneurs should have:...

The Global Space Robotics Challenge “focuses on developing software to increase the autonomy of dexterous mobile robots in humanoid format during space travel and on planets,” primarily focused on improving NASA’s Valkyrie robot (also known as Robonaut 5 and R5). While the competition started with 92 semi-finalists for 13 different countries, the field had been narrowed to 20 finalists to better evaluate the innovations in question. For a highlight of what they were working on and how it could improve the functionality of NASA’s Valkyrie robotic, check out the video from the competition below:...

Cell Phone Insurance Covers Scenarios That Warranties Don’t While a warranty will cover problems such as software defects and mechanical failures, it won’t cover other issues like user damage, loss, or theft. Unfortunately, cell phone theft is a growing problem and it all comes down to how we typically use our phones. Many people are guilty of walking along the streets with their phones out and only paying attention to what’s on their screen....

We asked four executive women in the technology industry to share the most important lesson they learned while building a business. There are certainly some key takeaways that any female founder could use. Ask For Help Lisa Skeete Tatum, CEO of Landit, a platform that was created to increase the success and engagement of women in the workplace, said that your to-do list is going to get long and it’s important to ask for help....

When you look around the room at startup events, hackathons, or even just your everyday coworking space, you’re more likely to find men (and women) wearing t-shirts (often of some startup or featuring geeky references) and a pair of jeans or shorts. Sure – a good 20(ish) percent of the room take their time to actually dress up in a button-down tucked into jeans or even sport the occasional suit or blazer, but even in those situations, they’ve probably only done so because they have to meet with a new, potential investor or the like....

Google Alerts In a free analysis tool, there’s not much one would expect, and that’s exactly what is found with Google’s Alert application. It is a pretty simple alert system that sends notifications when specific keywords are mentioned online. This is a good tool to use for staying up-to-date on competitors’ digital marketing campaigns and ad content, as well as spotting and taking advantages of trends that occur in the online world....

Whether you’re considering a content marketing solution for your business or trying to understand the vital components of a content marketing team, it is helpful to understand the best practice before getting stuck in to the intricate world of effective, engaging content. Content Strategist As hybrid creatives become increasingly common, it is more difficult to find a truly inspired strategist who specializes in content as a medium. The content strategist’s role is to identify problems or challenges facing the business, to monitor competitors, and to develop a plan to achieve business objectives using certain content types and themes....

Located 435 miles north of Bangkok – just a one-hour flight – Chiang Mai feels far away from Thailand’s sticky, crowded capital. It has a population of 1 million, compared to Bangkok’s 8 million, and 14.1 million tourists visited Chiang Mai in 2013. Chiang Mai has many of the things you’d want in a startup destination: cheap cost of living, warm climate, fast Internet, a community of digital nomads, and stuff to do on the weekends....

Startups can use a variety of employee metrics to measure business growth. Metrics such as peer reviews and employee engagement levels provide valuable data to help identify current areas of growth and predict future changes. It’s important to look at employee performance metrics as a whole for streamlined compensation and succession planning. Here are a few employee performance metrics vital to growing your organization: Competencies Growing startups must prepare for new positions and employee growth....

In just four years, Money 20/20 has ballooned from 2300 attendees with 85 companies showcasing their products and services to more than 10,000 attendees representing a wide range of industries including retailers, mobile companies, major Internet companies, and FinTech startups with 506 companies displaying their product offerings. At this year’s conference, five major trends are expected to make it big in the FinTech payments ecosystem in the next year....

Being a good corporate citizen is just as important as delivering the best products and services available on the market. That is why it’s important to serve the public good by investing in programs and partnerships that improve social equity. That said, as attractive as cause-marketing may seem, executing a cause-marketing campaign is a delicate process. Carefully craft your cause marketing strategy using the following steps: Do Research Before you decide to enter into a partnership with a cause, it’s important that you’re as informed as possible about what the cause is and what it stands for....

We asked five entrepreneurs about what the best way to narrow down ideas after a productive brainstorming session. Take a look at what they had to say below: Use Sticky Notes to Rank Ideas – John Arroyo of Arroyo Labs – Jessica Baker of Aligned Signs – Steven Buchwald of Buchwald & Associates – Ryan Meghdies of Tastic Marketing – Todd Giannattasio of Tresnic Media Read more advice from entrepreneurs on TechCo

Use Powerful, Personal Imagery It’s often said that good public speakers take their audience on a journey, leaving them feeling motivated and inspired. Leveraging the power of photography to take the consumer through a visual journey is one of the most powerful ways to tell your brand story across all social platforms. Remember to use original images. Storytelling is most effective when it’s personalized. Stock images will never do your brand story justice....

According to a recently published infographic by ELIV8, there are top six qualities of great leaders. Each of these traits, when found in one person, can contribute to a leader to whom people not only look up, but also someone who can successfully motivate their teams to accelerate a company’s goals and missions. While there are certainly nuances between different types of leadership – whether he or she is of the authoritative sort or of the democratic kind – the essential qualities of great leaders are the same....

That’s good and all, but launching a startup takes far more than a solid idea and a lofty goal. The hard truth is that some people probably shouldn’t become founders. With every dream comes a reality – starting a company is not for the faint of heart. And, while a healthy dose of delusion will get you through the excruciating pain of your first years as an entrepreneur, you do owe it to yourself to really understand what you’re about to get into....