Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock the past few weeks, you’ll be familiar with the viral “What I really do” meme – a sequence of five or six photos highlighting people’s skewed notions about your profession, nationality, or other social group. According to Know Your Meme, the first example of the meme was posted…
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We already covered a couple times (here and here) how this years Super Bowl would be different as it offered more social and mobile interactivity than ever. Now I want to focus on the fact that a few of the Super Bowl advertisements put technology, innovation and entrepreneurship as their focal point. Best Buy’s Super…
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Most of us have lamented our Facebook addiction one time or another, but it turns out that this addiction may be passive. In a February 3 study called “Why most Facebook users get more than they give,” Pew Research shows that the majority of users consume more content than they produce. Pew explains this strange…
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With the cost of a Super Bowl XLVI being about $3.5M, advertisers pulled out all the stops this year with a combination of ads that not only entertained viewers, but also made use of mobility and social media to influence preference for the brand, just as we suggested prior to the big game. So what…
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The Senate is now considering a bill that would cut the red tape preventing startups from crowdsourcing their funding. The Entrepreneur Access to Capital Act (HR 2930), introduced by Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC), passed 407-17 in the House of Representatives in November and was supported by President Obama. The crowdfunding bill exempts companies raising $2…
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On the eve of Super Bowl Sunday, even if you don’t like the teams playing this year (Go Bears!), you can still plan on enjoying the Super Bowl commercials and the variety of interactivity and entertainment that will fill tomorrow night, especially the spots that involve technology companies and entrepreneurs. Now at an all time…
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Facebook filed it’s form S-1 with the SEC today to raise $5 billion in an initial public offering. It’s likely to be the largest by a web company since Google in 2004 and could place the social network’s value as high as $75 billion to $100 billion. The 209 page document was filled with loads of interesting…
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After months of a closed beta, fashion startup Zoora is stepping out onto the runway and launching in public beta today. Zoora, which we covered previously, helps women find unique styles tailored to their body and customized with colors, fabrics, hemlines, or detailing. Since the beta began, Zoora has tweaked their buying experience to cater…
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If you are just starting a business or creating a new product line or service offering, I bet you’re struggling to come up with a name for it. That’s not surprising—good branding is hard work. It takes dedicated time, thoughtfulness, and research. Here are three sure-fire ways from an intellectual property perspective that can really…
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Well, Twitter didn’t exactly use the word “censor.” But “withholding” particular tweets after they’re posted sounds like censorship to me: “Starting today, we give ourselves the ability to reactively withhold content from users in a specific country – while keeping it available in the rest of the world. We have also built in a way…
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In case you missed it, Facebook opened up new Timeline apps Wednesday so you can share even more with your friends. Among the additions: Foodspotting Ticketmaster Pinterest Rotten Tomatoes TripAdvisor and more What does this mean, besides even better targeted Facebook ads? (Check “How Apps Work” to see what apps can and can’t do with…
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This morning Viddler announced some major changes to how their video platform is going operate moving forward, including a simpler interface, removal of extraneous features, and providing more in-depth enterprise solutions for small to large businesses. This transition began earlier last year when Viddler decided to conclude personal account sign ups. Due to a host of…
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Good news for venture capital firms and those seeking venture funding – in Q4 2011. According to Thomson Reuters and the National Venture Capital Association (NVTC), venture funds raised $5.6 billion last quarter. That was up more than $3 billion from the prior quarter and nearly $2 billion fromQ4 2010. Now the bad news: All…
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In case you missed it last night, Groupon founder and CEO Andrew Mason was on CBS’s 60 Minutes for an almost 13 minute interview about Groupon and i’s successes and failures. In just three years, the Chicago-based company has grown from an idea to 10,000 employees worldwide and recently IPOed. Of those 10,000 employees, they…
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Google began rolling out its social search on Tuesday, called “Search, plus Your World.” Now, Google results will pull in content and profiles from Google+. “We’re transforming Google into a search engine that understands not only content, but also people and relationships,” wrote Google fellow Amit Singhal. For example, a search for “vacation” will display…
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It’s a fresh new year, but some of us might not be so excited about returning to the same office we were at in 2011. As you reflect back on the year behind you, do you find yourself thinking about new challenges or a change of scenery? How can you make it the best year…
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There are a number of startup accelerator and incubator programs in the United States. We are fans of these programs (not to be confused with... Read More
Two months after the iPad 2 debuted in March, around 40% of users surveyed said their iPad was their primary computer, up from around 30%... Read More
With our Startup Mixology Conference coming up next week followed by our classic Tech Cocktail DC Summer mixer which will showcase a handful of early-stage... Read More
Coming off of one of our biggest Tech Cocktail mixer events in Chicago this past week, which showcased 14 early-stage start-ups, we thought it would... Read More