IMMA let you finish [whatever it was you were doing], but did Kanye just announce the most anticipated venture OF ALL TIME? Last night in an 86-tweet extravaganza, the current king of hip-hip announced plans of a new company, Donda, named after his late mother. In typical Kanye fashion, claims about his new company certainly don’t…
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For anyone involved in the startup scene, you know that last year, VC activity was a little off. Today, Dow Jones confirmed that – VC activity dropped by 14% compared to 2010 – an uphill climb for any entrepreneur who is exhausted and ready to cash out. The news isn’t all bad, though. The same…
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Our team of writers covered all kinds of startup, tech and innovation news in 2011, from a farmer starting PooPeas in Boise to numerous startups around China and other parts of Asia, to games and gadgets. But what items proved most popular? Here they are. Yes, it’s 2012 and 2011 is oh-so-long ago, but let’s…
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I’d like to take a moment and thank everyone who has made 2011 so spectacular for us. Not long ago, Frank decided to turn his Tech Cocktail hobby into a full time business and asked me to join him to elevate it to new levels. Together we’ve worked on goals, found amazing contributors, launched a…
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Editor’s Note: This is article is a revised version of an article written by Jen Consalvo and Frank Gruber that appears in the January 2012 issue of The Social Media Monthly. If you like this article you might want to download the The Social Media Monthly iPad app or iPhone app and subscribe to get the scoop in 2012….
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Imagine if Amazon did more than just sell you stuff. Imagine that they manufactured and delivered stuff – and competed with other ecommerce sites like Overstock, manufacturers like Sony and Cannon, and shipping companies like FedEx and UPS. It would be a miracle if they excelled at any of those functions. No one outfit could…
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With Timeline rolled out internationally, Facebook can now devote its efforts to fighting Timelines.com, which sued the social network in late September for infringing its trademark on “Timelines.” Since then, the court rejected Timelines.com’s request to temporarily restrain Facebook from using the name, and Facebook filed a countersuit asking the court to cancel Timelines.com’s trademarks…
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It’s good business, now and going forward. Your sponsors will notice. Your audience will notice. The media will notice. The other panelists will notice—because the conversation will be better, the discourse will be higher, and honestly, the clothes will be better. - Rachel Sklar on recruiting more women speakers The recent mid-Atlantic tech and creative…
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Stress happens. Take a look at these stats: Three out of every four American workers describe their work as stressful. Workplace stress costs U.S. employers an estimated $300 billion annually in absenteeism, lower productivity, medical insurance, and other health-related expenses. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that companies in the US lose $3 billion per…
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Userplane, an LA based company founded by Mike Jones, was acquired by AOL in 2006. But as you walk into their office in Santa Monica and look at the way they’ve re-invented themselves over the past couple of years, you wouldn’t think they’re part of a big company. Matt Turner, Tech Director for Userplane, is…
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Last month we announced GE’s use of Instagram to search for the next GE “Instagrapher.” After more than 3,000 Instagram photos were submitted relating to the 4 core themes (Moving, Curing, Powering and Building) of GE, the search is over. GE has announced the next Instagrapher is Adam Senatori, whose winning photo was selected by a group of…
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appssavvy, the New York-based activity advertising technology company and their platform advtivity, have announced the completion of their Series 1-A funding today- a new infusion $7.1 million. This added capital comes from a host of former investors of the company, including True Ventures; The New York Times Company, founder of About.com; Scott Kurnit, co-founder of StockTwits; Howard…
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Today Webs.com was acquired by the Dutch printing company Vistaprint for a reported $117.5 million ($100 million in cash and $17.5 in stock). Webs.com was started in 2001 in Silver Spring, Maryland by then-college students Haroon Mokhtarzada and his brother Zeki. Previously called Freewebs, the product helps people create simple websites. The company raised $11 million in funding from…
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I come from a family of weather geeks. I clearly remember that we started watching The Weather Channel (TWC) every morning when I was in high school (I graduated in 1993), and we still have our favorite on air meteorologists. In fact, we are so into weather that my baby brother is working on his…
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I have been hearing more than a few entrepreneurs whine that venture capitalists just don’t get it. Lately, I’m also hearing more startup founders complain that angel investors are not acting like angel investors – and I’m left wondering, “How should they act?” So, here are some of my thoughts on that: Angels invest in…
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Imagine you have a thriving company website that’s generating a significant amount of traffic and revenue from customers and fans around the world. Next, imagine that a government could take it down, without notice, and that you can’t stop it from happening or get your domain back by going to court. Welcome to the U.S….
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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
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
We are excited to announce the participating startups for Tech Cocktail's South by Southwest (SXSW) event: #Startuplife Celebration presented by .CO. It was one of... 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