New episodes in show "Vator TV Lessons Learned" on sevenload

Lessons from Dash - navigate your own course

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:55:32 +0000

Video "Lessons from Dash - navigate your own course" from VatorTV

First-time entrepreneur Robert Acker, CEO of Aha Mobile, shares advice on receiving adviceAs a first-time entrepreneur, I can relate to the first piece of advice

10 lessons you need to know going into 2010

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:51:03 +0000

Video "10 lessons you need to know going into 2010" from VatorTV

Accept bumbling around and failure, learn to hit reset, dare to dream, stay leanAt VatorNews, we have been building up a great library of "Lessons learned and advice" for entrepreneurs from top VCs to successful entrepreneurs since 2007. In 2009, we added about 50 video interviews to our library, not to mention the hundreds of articles. Unlike 2008 lessons, where we saw a number of entrepreneurs and VCs share their advice on how to survive a nuclear winter, in 2009, the lessons were those that were not cyclical, but practical pieces of advice for every entrepreneur to consider and embrace.

Cash is king, don't blow it

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:23:51 +0000

Video "Cash is king, don't blow it" from VatorTV

Mayfield Fund partner Raj Kapoor's lessons to entrepreneursThe economy isn't out of the woods yet, and that means preserving cash should still be a priority. "Cash is king," said Raj Kapoor, managing director at Mayfield Fund. "No matter what, your most valuable resource is cash."In this "Lessons Learned" segment, Raj also talks about hiring people smarter than yourself. At a startup, it's not so wise to try to bring a bunch of people to the table who aren't experienced in the jobs you need them to be. He also talks about the importance of focus, measure and re-focus.What he means is that while companies should iterate, they should also keep a sharp eye on what they're iterating on and the effects of their effort. All too often, ... [http://vator.tv/n/c31 read more]

Lessons on Blogger's journey before Google

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:54:51 +0000

Video "Lessons on Blogger's journey before Google" from VatorTV

Brizzly founder Jason Shellen on nearly running out of cash before being snapped up It's often said that a company that can survive a downturn is one that will thrive or have a good exit in an upturn. In the case of Blogger, the blog publishing platform sold to Google, it was just that. The startup had nearly run out of cash right after the Internet bubble burst, struggling to bring in new funds or revenue before the search giant came along and snapped it up.The lesson? Don't give up on your company even if you're about to go under. And, be very creative and frugal and find a way to bring in revenue. Essentially, create your opportunities by surviving.

Building a Successful Long Tail Business

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 06:55:55 +0000

Video "Building a Successful Long Tail Business " from VatorTV

Interview with long tail expert Adam Boyden, President ConduitReena A Jadhav interviews Adam Boyden, President of Conduit which has crossed 200,000 long tail publishers and successfully monetized their customers in

A good team is one you can take to the bank

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:03:59 +0000

Video "A good team is one you can take to the bank" from VatorTV

Angel investor Aydin Senkut's advice: It's the team, stupid, and the virtues of iterating quicklyI've often heard that finding the right team members requires the same effort as finding a spouse. After all, you're going to work with them day in and day out. And, many startups fail because of people and their inability to get along.When you're as prolific as Aydin Senkut, an early-Google-employee-turned angel investor who's investments are spread across some 40 startups, it's critical to look for the right team magic. "A good team is one you can take to the bank," he said. In this segment of "Lessons Learned," Aydin - whose portfolio consists of some well-known consumer Internet companies, such as Mint, which was recently sold to Intuit for $170 million, Aardvark, Disqus, Dogster, BrightRoll and Rapleaf - said ... [http://vator.tv/n/c20 read more]

Just do it, even against all odds

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:31:10 +0000

Video "Just do it, even against all odds" from VatorTV

Liaise founder Sidney Minassian's advice to entrepreneursWhat do you do if you live in Australia and have a great startup idea and can't get much traction? Move to the U.S. and work like crazy to launch at Demo. That's what Sidney Minassian, founder and CEO of Liaise,

So, Where's the Money?

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:25:49 +0000

Video "So, Where's the Money?" from VatorTV

Revenue models that work and monetization tips for entrepreneurs.Reena Jadhav interviews Adam Boyden, President of Conduit on monetization tips. Conduit has exploded over the last few years and now supports over 200,000 publishers and more than 60 million active users. But that's not the interesting part. What's fascinating is that they are effectively monetizing their user base and generating significant revenues. I sat down with Adam Boyden, President of Conduit, to elicit his secrets to monetization.

Can friends be business partners?

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:23:08 +0000

Video "Can friends be business partners?" from VatorTV

Bonobos co-founder Andy Dunn on building a business with a former roommate, and other lessons/adviceAndy Dunn, co-founded pants designer and retailer Bonobos in 2007 with his former Stanford Business School roommate Brian Spaly. So far, so good. The two are making a killing at their new venture.But it's not been all that easy."My co-founder and I have highly overlapping skill sets," said Andy, in this segment of "Lessons for Entrepreneurs." Working together has been an “enormous challenge," he added. Andy's advice to former roommates or friends thinking about working together is this: Think about your relative contribution and the architecture of your business relationships. "It's critical." Fortunately, the two have been able to preserve the friendship, he said.

Be relentless; don't compromise; be thrifty

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:16:13 +0000

Video "Be relentless; don't compromise; be thrifty " from VatorTV

Foundation Capital's Charles Moldow offers advice to entrepreneursBefore Charles Moldow became a general partner at Foundation Capital, he spent more than a decade as an entrepreneur. He wrote the original business plan for AtHome, a high-speed Internet access comapny, which eventually became ExciteAtHome. He also worked at TellMe, which was sold to Microsoft. Charles also led investments in roughly 10 startups, including Xoopit, Powerset, Weblistic and AdWhirl. This is his advice to entrepreneurs.- Be relentless. The management team at TellMe once put a guy in first class on an airplane to Japan just to sit down to a prospective client. Think out of the box and be relentless. - Don’t compromise with a big idea. Time is one of your most valuable assets. Wait and find a ... [http://vator.tv/n/af7 read more]

When love and business mix

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:34:13 +0000

Video "When love and business mix " from VatorTV

Thread CEO and co-founder Brian Phillips on work and play, and having a team before an ideaYou might think that building a relationship and building a company are two difficult challenges best pursued at different times of your life. But Brian Phillips has figured out how to align both those interests. Brian, who happens to be single, is the CEO and co-founder of online dating site Thread.In this segment of "Lessons for Entrepreneurs," Brian, a former PayPal product manager and who co-founded a payment platform Groovy.com back in the late 90's, shares three pieces of advice to fellow entrepreneurs."First, do something you’re passionate about. I’m single, many of my friends are single," he said. "We’re all passionate about dating. My business and personal interests are aligned."Brian's second piece of advice is to work with people you ... [http://vator.tv/n/aa9 read more]

Entrepreneur advice: Break down brick walls

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 08:54:18 +0000

Video "Entrepreneur advice: Break down brick walls" from VatorTV

Lorenzo Carver's lessons: Importance of teams, longer runways, and sticking it outIn this segment, Bambi Francisco interviewed Lorenzo Carver, a five-time entrepreneur. Lorenzo's latest startup is Liquid Scenarios, a company that makes software to help assess valuations of private companies. The number one piece of advice is to be very careful about who you're partnering and working with. "Trust that they're motivated by things you're motivated by," he said. The other piece of advice is to give yourself a long runway - longer than what you anticipate. Many times there are unexpected challenges and with time, there's more resources to achieve your goal. The third piece of advice is not to be afraid to be persistent.

Andy Klein: Have vision, focus on milestones

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:30:44 +0000

Video "Andy Klein: Have vision, focus on milestones" from VatorTV

Founder of Wit Capital and pioneer of taking companies public on the Web shares his lessonsAndy Klein is the pioneer of taking companies public on the Internet. He started Spring Street Brewing Company - the most high-profile and successful direct public offering ever. I met Klein back in 1996, when he led the offering on the Web. Eventually, and here's a little-known secret, Andy wanted to create more buzz around his beer company, he decided to create a market to provide liquidity for the shares. That market became known as Wit Capital, which went public and in 1999, went on to acquire another investment bank, Soundview, in that same year.Andy is currently running his latest startup - Spotzer.Here's his advice.- You can probably do anything, but not everything. Make sure you find a team you ... [http://vator.tv/n/9ef read more]

Team, proximity, slow & steady wins the race

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 14:41:43 +0000

Video "Team, proximity, slow & steady wins the race" from VatorTV

Smule co-founder and CEO Jeff Smith says, 'Put zero distance between the code and the customer'In this segment of Lessons Learned for entrepreneurs, Bambi Francisco interviewed Jeff Smith, co-founder of Smule, a maker of popular iPhone apps, such as the Ocarina, which recently eclipsed one million users, and Leaf Trombone to take a look. Smith was also the founder of Tumbleweed, which he brought public in 1999. BF: With all of your experience, I am sure there are a number of lessons you have learned. Please share a few pieces of advice or lessons with our community of entrepreneurs. JS: Thanks so much for having me. It's been great to watch Vator take off and be part of that. The first lesson involves team and culture. They're everything. It's going to come down to the ... [http://vator.tv/n/9c8 read more]

John Battelle: Sell as little as possible

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:05:08 +0000

Video "John Battelle: Sell as little as possible" from VatorTV

Founder of Federated Media and The Industry Standard shares lessons as an entrepreneurJohn Battelle, CEO and founder of Federated Media, a leading advertising network, talks to Bambi Francisco about his experience as an entrepreneur and shares a few lessons he learned after more than 15 years building media businesses. In the Internet boom years, Battelle founded The Industry Standard, a leading magazine about innovation and technology. In this interview, Battelle looked back at those years and said the biggest mistake was not leaving soon enough. His experience is something many entrepreneurs have gone through. They hang on well beyond their time. "I got so caught up with the fact that I built this myself," he said. "I should have left." Battelle, who also authored "The Search," offers up other advise as well, ... [http://vator.tv/n/968 read more]

Siri CTO Tom Gruber: Design for buildability

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:31:19 +0000

Video "Siri CTO Tom Gruber: Design for buildability" from VatorTV

Serial entrepreneur learns that startups need to build based on the team and avoid shiny objectsIn this segment of Lessons Learned, Bambi Francisco interviewed Tom Gruber, co-founder and CTO of Siri.BF: You have had a lot of experience as an entrepreneur.This is your third company that you've co-founded so talk about how you are bringing those experiences to your current position.TG: One of the biggest things I've learned this year is despite the shiny objects, like the technology that gets everyone excited, it will always come back to how you are impacting someone's life. Are you actually changing the way they live or work? It seems so obvious yet so frequently forgotten over and over again. At Intraspect, we did a knowledge-management system for corporations, a brain for corporations. Everyone was excited about the search ... [http://vator.tv/n/91e read more]

Vinod Khosla: Vision is 'bumbling' around

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:16:18 +0000

Video "Vinod Khosla: Vision is 'bumbling' around" from VatorTV

'You just keep failing enough, and not giving up.""Vision is great, especially when you can do it with 20/20 hindsight," said entrepreneur-turned-venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, who last night received a Visionary Award, an honor bestowed annually to industry leaders who've pioneered innovation. The award was given by the SDForum, a leading Silicon Valley non-profit organization. Khosla, whom I met while he was a partner at blue-chip venture firm Kleiner Perkins, co-founded Sun Microsystems back in the 80's, upon graudating Standford University. In 2004, Khosla founded Khosla Ventures.

Why being greedy gets you nowhere

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:02:19 +0000

Video "Why being greedy gets you nowhere" from VatorTV

Visuvi CEO Chris Boone on how an invesment flopped due to avariceIn this segment of Lessons Learned for entrepreneurs, Bambi Francisco interviewed Chris Boone, founder and CEO of Visuvi, a an image based search engine with patent pending technology in “content based image recognition.”BF: You have been an investment banker since your professional career and you moved over to become a CEO of a startup company about one years old. So, you probably have a lot of interesting lessons that you've learned now that you're in operations. Can you share three pieces of advice being an entrepreneur?CB: First and foremost you have to solve a significant market problem so necessity is the mother of all inventions and creations. The first thing you have to do is to make certain that whatever ... [http://vator.tv/n/904 read more]

Entrepreneurs don't have to hit homeruns

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:02:48 +0000

Video "Entrepreneurs don't have to hit homeruns" from VatorTV

Vook founder Brad Inman's advice and how a journalist can become a CEO

Raptr's Fong: Prove yourself in a big way

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:13:17 +0000

Video "Raptr's Fong: Prove yourself in a big way" from VatorTV

Speed is everything; Killer teams will be the ones to execute; Don't be afraid to failIn this segment of Lessons Learned, Bambi Francisco interviews Dennis Fong, founder of Raptr, a social platform where people can play games. Fong founded four companies, after launching his entrepreneurial career at 18 years old. Notably, Fong founded gaming company Xfire.com, which was sold to Viacom for $102 million in 2006. Raptr is an extension of Xfire, according to Fong. Raprt is Fong's attempt to tie the social graph on th social networks with the social networks of traditionalgames, like World of Warcraft.Here are his lessons and advice to entrepreneurs (slightly edited).DF: No. 1 would be speed is everything. I have this golden rule which is every day when a deal or partnership does not close, there's a 10% less ... [http://vator.tv/n/848 read more]

How SearchMe morphed into visual search

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 21:17:23 +0000

Video "How SearchMe morphed into visual search" from VatorTV

Randy Adams on how startups are like small children that need nurturingIn this segment of Lessons Learned, Bambi Francisco interviewed Randy Adams, CEO of SearchMe, a site that turns browsing the Web into the same experience as flipping through a magazine. Adams, who raised $43 million in funding for SearchMe, founded six companies. Adams founded Emerald City Software, which was sold to Adobe, Appsoft (NeXT software), which was shut down, Internet Shopping Network, which was sold to Home Shopping Network, Navitel, which was sold to Spyglass, Inc. and AuctionDrop, which was sold to

How Pandora reset and revisioned itself

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:00:38 +0000

Video "How Pandora reset and revisioned itself" from VatorTV

Pandora CEO Joe Kennedy: It's uncommon that the founding idea is right on the moneyIn this segment of Lessons Learned, Bambi Francisco interviewed Joe Kennedy, CEO of Pandora,

Reid Hoffman: Pursue as a learning cycle

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:12:42 +0000

Video "Reid Hoffman: Pursue as a learning cycle" from VatorTV

LinkedIn founder and CEO shares his lessons and advice to entrepreneursAt TiEcon held in Santa Clara, Calif. earlier this month, I didn't stand when LinkedIn founder and CEO Reid Hoffman's interviewer asked for those in the audience born outside the United States to stand, even though I was born in the Philippines. Given the vast majority of the audience stood up, I figured the point was made. That is that innovation relies heavily on U.S. transplants. And, that the current immigration laws are impeding the ability of startups to thrive. Hoffman is a big proponent of changing the immigration laws.I saw Hoffman after his keynote. You may have caught the first part of our interview, in which he talks about the business of LinkedIn.

Entrepreneurs should accept failure

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:43:51 +0000

Video "Entrepreneurs should accept failure" from VatorTV

Yoav Leitersdorf of YL Ventures says keep expectations low, and accept failureEuropean entrepreneurs have a tough time accepting failure. That's what I learned while attending the Innovate!Europe conference, held in Zaragoza, Spain recently. One dominant and recurring theme was the idea that failure was OK as an entrepreneur and that European entrepreneurs should realize that it's a positive trait on the road to one day being successful.

David Sifry's lessons from Technorati

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Fri, 22 May 2009 06:35:50 +0000

Video "David Sifry's lessons from Technorati" from VatorTV

Why CEOs and founders need to be salesmen and learn how to sell, sell, sell In this segment of Lessons Learned, Bambi Francisco sit downs with serial entrepreneur David Sifry, founder and CEO of Offbeat Guides. Sifry also founded four other startups, including Technorati, which he was at the helm of for five years. BF: David, you've started five companies, and in 17 years, you've raised $110 million in venture financing. What are your three pieces of advice to entrepreneurs?

Entrepreneurs should accept failure

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Tue, 19 May 2009 21:36:08 +0000

Video "Entrepreneurs should accept failure" from VatorTV

The Stockdale Paradox for entrepreneurs

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Fri, 15 May 2009 22:24:32 +0000

Video "The Stockdale Paradox for entrepreneurs" from VatorTV

Former MySQL CEO Marten Mikos on faith over optimism Marten Mickos was brought into MySQL when the open-source icon had 12 people in 2001. He grew the company to over 400 people and eventually sold the company to Sun Microsystems for $1 billion in January 2008.In this segment, Mickos advises entrepreneurs to seek wisdom in the words of Admiral Jim Stockdale, the highest-ranking American prisoner in the Hanoi prisoner of war camp from 1965 to 1973, who through

Stay true to your product

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Thu, 14 May 2009 14:50:54 +0000

Video "Stay true to your product" from VatorTV

Entrepreneur Ali Pincus says focus, stay motivated, and always ask questions from expertsIn this segment of Lessons Learned for Entrepreneurs, Alison Gelb Pincus, co-founder of One Kings Lane, an online shopping destination which features world-renowned decor for the home, shares her lessons as an entrepreneur with Meliza Solan.

The Stockdale Paradox for entrepreneurs

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Tue, 12 May 2009 07:14:57 +0000

Video "The Stockdale Paradox for entrepreneurs" from VatorTV

In economic downtimes, it's about survival

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Wed, 06 May 2009 02:10:25 +0000

Video "In economic downtimes, it's about survival" from VatorTV

Speed is everything; Most ideas are a dime a dozen; If you're not failing, you're not taking risksIn this segment of Lessons Learned, Bambi Francisco interviews Dennis Fong, founder of Raptr, a social platform where people can play games. Fong also started gaming company Xfire, which was sold to Viacom for $102 million in 2006.

Mark Pincus' lessons from Tribe - fail fast

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Wed, 06 May 2009 02:10:15 +0000

Video "Mark Pincus' lessons from Tribe - fail fast" from VatorTV

Founder of social gaming powerhouse Zynga talks about his first foray into social networkingThis is a continuation of my "Lessons Learned" interview with Mark Pincus, founder of Zynga, the largest social gaming company and publisher of the popular Texas Hold'Empoker game on social networks. Prior to Zynga, Pincus founded Tribe, a social network, back in 2003. Its technology was sold to Cisco Systems in 2007.In this interview, Pincus talks about why he considers Tribe a failure and the lessons learned he brought over to Zynga. Here's an edited version of the interview.MP: I would consider Tribe a failure from an investor standpoint. So, lessons learned from Tribe - No. 1, especially if you’re going after consumer Internet, pick the macro and test continually to get the metrics that work. One lesson was that ... [http://vator.tv/n/828 read more]

Over communicate to your stakeholders

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Wed, 06 May 2009 02:10:04 +0000

Video "Over communicate to your stakeholders" from VatorTV

Venture Capitalist Ken Sawyer says communicate, play offense, and be a salesmanIn this segment of Lessons Learned for entrepreneurs, Bambi Francisco asks Ken Sawyer to share three pieces of advice for entrepreneurs who are struggling with building their business during the economic downturn. KS: The first thing I would say is over communicate. I think in this period of time, we have to recognize that customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, and venture capitalists all want to learn about what's going on. Communication can be very important during these tough times and I think the fact that our suppliers are struggling, our customers are struggling, and often our venture capitalists are struggling for exits. The communication that a company and a CEO can do for its employee base and its investor base is ... [http://vator.tv/n/831 read more]

Lessons Learned: Xobni's Matt Brezina

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:07:58 +0000

Video "Lessons Learned: Xobni's Matt Brezina" from VatorTV

Xobni co-founder Matt Brezina tells Vator.tv's Bambi Francisco that the lessons he's learned as a first-time entrepreneur have to do with choosing the right people -- from high-powered venture capitalist Vinod Khosla to the company's office manager -- and knowing how to delegate.

Lessons Learned: Mashable's Pete Cashmore's says "don't take advice"

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:07:51 +0000

Video "Lessons Learned: Mashable's Pete Cashmore's says "don't take advice"" from VatorTV

Mashable founder and CEO Pete Cashmore talks with passion, conviction and frankness about being an entrepreneur in this interview with Vator.tv's Bambi Francisco.

From skeptic to evangelist on Keiretsu Forum

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:07:43 +0000

Video "From skeptic to evangelist on Keiretsu Forum" from VatorTV

Unlike the majority of angel networks, Keiretsu Forum charges entrepreneurs to pitch once they are screened.

Lessons Learned: Serious Materials' Kevin Surace on passion, focus

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:07:34 +0000

Video "Lessons Learned: Serious Materials' Kevin Surace on passion, focus" from VatorTV

At Vator.tv, we value the lessons learned by the many entrepreneurs who are part of the Vator.tv community. In this video, Kevin Surace, founder and CEO of Serious Materials, offers up his lessons he's learned as an entrepreneur about five times over. His words are worth considering, since he appears to be doing something right. Serious Materials is one of the few companies addressing the $12 billion market for drywall. Now while that doesn't sound sexy, there is a significant opportunity to provide new forms of eco-friendly produts, such as drywall, to the manufacturing sector. Apparently, according to Surace, manufacturing accounts for 33% of the carbon emissions created. Serious Materials, which is a contestant in the Going Green/Vator contest, is ... [http://vator.tv/n/3e read more]

WooMe cuts cost to extend life

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:07:27 +0000

Video "WooMe cuts cost to extend life" from VatorTV

CEO Stokols of online introductory site says he's slowing it down a bit to wait for a recoveryIt remains a pretty crappy economic environment out there. More than 400 companies of the S&P 500 Index have reported results for the third quarter. All told, earnings per share are on track to fall close to 14% from last year, making this the five straight quarter of declines. To this end, startups remain prudent.Stephen Stokols, CEO of WooMe, is one of those entrepreneurs who's been through a downturn before. He's not going to make the mistake of burning too much cash before the market improves to possibly raise another round or exit."We raised $12.5 million at a Series B, and that money was going to take us 18 months," he said. "We're cutting costs and slowing down a bit ... [http://vator.tv/n/504 read more]

Startups take a long time to bake

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:57:27 +0000

Video "Startups take a long time to bake" from VatorTV

Building a better mousetrap often takes longer than originally anticipatedIn this segment of Lessons Learned, Bambi Francisco interviews Tim Musgrove, CEO and founder of TextDigger, a company developing advanced semantic solutions for the Web, including hosted semantic search, automated content tagging and topic generation, and optimized keyword generation.The San Jose, Cali-based startup was founded by a group of former CNET employees and executives who developed patented linguistic technologies that, today, are used to enhance the content on CNet. BF: You have been an entrepreneur since 1999 when you started SmartShop and then you sold it to CNet in 2002. So you definitely went through the boom and the bust. What was your biggest lesson you learned through that experience?

Know when optimism turns into fantasy

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:57:08 +0000

Video "Know when optimism turns into fantasy" from VatorTV

... and beware of going after shiny objects, says Chris Shipley, co-founder of GuidewireChris Shipley, co-founder of Guidewire and executive producer of DEMO, has mentored thousands of startups in her 13 years running the tech conference. In this interview, Shipley shares her advice to entrepreneurs, based on the many mistakes she's observed. As an entrepreneur herself, Shipley admits that often she's better working with entrepreneurs than being one. As she describe it: "It's like a shoemaker's child that goes barefoot."Here are her pieces of advice (paraphrased):Focus: The way I think about it, beware of the shiny objects. When you’re company is young, everything looks like an opportunity. At times, you say you'll pursue one thing, and then switch gears and pursue another. For resource-constrained startups, that's not the way to run a business. ... [http://vator.tv/n/796 read more]

The best pitches are done under seven minutes

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:56:55 +0000

Video "The best pitches are done under seven minutes" from VatorTV

Charlene Li's advice: Keep it short and don't try to boil the oceanThe best pitches are typically done within five to seven minutes, according to Charlene Li, founder of digital strategies consulting firm Altimeter, and host of VatorNews' show Socialize This. As a former analyst at Forrester and a sought-after consultant in the social media space, Li gets pitched all the time by entrepreneurs seeking advice or coverage.In this segment, Li offers up advice to entrepreneurs when they pitch to her.

How two car startups ushered in innovation

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:56:44 +0000

Video "How two car startups ushered in innovation" from VatorTV

Founder of CarsDirect and Zag shares his lessons on disrupting the car industry twice in a decadeIn this segment of "Lessons for Entrepreneurs," Bambi Francisco interviews Scott Painter, who founded CarsDirect in 1998 and founded Zag in 2005.

Startup CEOs = head cook and bottle washer

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:56:34 +0000

Video "Startup CEOs = head cook and bottle washer" from VatorTV

VoloMedia CEO Brian Steel offers up 3 P's - potential, people, priorities It comes down to potential, people and priorities.Those are the lessons from Brian Steel, CEO and President of Volomedia, a provider of advertising and reporting solutions for downloadable video and audio, such as podcasts.

Zynga's Mark Pincus' lessons to entrepreneurs

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:45:35 +0000

Video "Zynga's Mark Pincus' lessons to entrepreneurs" from VatorTV

Play your startup like a poker hand; fold often; but when you have a great hand, go all inAs the daughter of a poker player, this advice to entrepreneurs definitely hits home.

VC advice - Crawl, walk, run

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:22:14 +0000

Video "VC advice - Crawl, walk, run" from VatorTV

Trinity Ventures Gus Tai: Believe in an idea; you're never as good or bad as you think you areIn this segment of Lessons Learned, Bambi Francisco

The marriage of film and the Internet

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:13:54 +0000

Video "The marriage of film and the Internet" from VatorTV

Cinequest co-founder Halfdan Hussey explains the state of the industriesOn February 28, 2009 Halfdan Hussey (Co-Founder & Director, Cinequest) introduced a panel discussion entitled "The Marriage of TV and the Internet"

Raise cash ahead of when you need it

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:18:43 +0000

Video "Raise cash ahead of when you need it" from VatorTV

...and raise more than you need, says online sports veteran Mike LevyMike Levy has been around the block as one of a pioneering online sports entrepreneur. He started SportsLine, one of the leading online sports sites, which was sold to CBS. I wrote about SportsLine's rise and subsequent sale at my prior job at Dow Jones MarketWatch. At the time I was there, MarketWatch was partly owned by CBS, so SportsLine felt like, well - family. There's a lesson to be shared in the SportsLine's sale to CBS, but in this brief interview, Levy shared his three pieces of advice to entrepreneurs.And, he's applying this to himself as well, now that he's out of retirement and back in the arena.Today, Levy is at the helm of OPENSports. It's a newer and ... [Read more]

Take your future into your own hands

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:18:26 +0000

Video "Take your future into your own hands" from VatorTV

Buddy Media's Michael Lazerow is chock full of advice, including working with your spouseIn this Lessons Learned segment, Bambi Francisco asks Michael Lazerow, CEO of Buddy Media, to share a few pieces of advice for the Vator community.The New York-based startup is one of the largest networks of engaging and entertaining social media applications on the Web. Since Lazerow has experienced a successful history with starting four companies, including Buddy Media which raised a total of 8.5 million, the serial entrepreneur had much to say. Here's the interview.BF: Michael, thanks for joining us. You've been an entrepreneur four times over. Buddy Media is your fourth startup so you have a lot of lessons to share as an entrepreneur. Give us three of them.ML: Well the first one is just do it. So a ... [Read more]

Don't give up; get past that roadbloack

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:18:13 +0000

Video "Don't give up; get past that roadbloack" from VatorTV

Serial entrepreneur and Pontiflex CEO Zephrin Lasker shares his lessons about starting companiesAt a recent AlwaysOn conference, Bambi Francisco met with Zephrin Lasker, CEO of Pontiflex, a company that helps deliver performance-based advertising to marketers.

Stay lean; don't get ahead of yourself

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:18:05 +0000

Video "Stay lean; don't get ahead of yourself" from VatorTV

Diddit co-founder Paul Gauthier shares lessons about building a startupIn this segment of Lessons Learned for entrepreneurs, Bambi Francisco interviews

What users care about in social media

rss@sevenload.com (VatorTV) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:44:15 +0000

Video "What users care about in social media" from VatorTV

Lessons Learned from MySpace in listening & engagementIn the introduction to her keynote address to OMMA Social San Francisco 2009, Angela Courtin (SVP Marketing, Entertainment & Content, MySpace) summarizes the principal needs of users as:self-expressioncontribution toward positive changefunWhen her organization works with a major consumer brand, a political apparatus, a newspaper, a non-governmental organization, a cinematic enterprise, a music label or artist, the objectives which their integrated marketing programs pursue will adhere to the satisfaction of these three principal needs. [http://vator.tv/news vator tv]

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