I've had a number of people ask me about my approach to online lead generation. It has been a prominent element of a number of my projects, such as LoanSurfer and Ideaforest. Now, with Brill Street, it is again a core part of our strategy. I enjoy lead gen for a number of reasons: it's measurable and highly analytical, results in rapid feedback cycles,...Read More
I had the privilege of participating on a panel about ubiquitous computing at the 2009 Kellogg Private Equity and Venture Capital Conference yesterday. Other panelists were Tim Chang from Norwest Venture Partners, and Enrique Godreau from Voyager Capital....Read More
Recently I had the CEO of a local startup ask me about a branding strategy for his technology startup. He wanted to brand the company itself, and also create sub-brands for specific company products....Read More
The blogosphere is replete with references to an interesting post by Michael Mace, "Mobile Applications, RIP". Michael believes that the age of custom mobile application stacks is dead. Instead, he posits, the mobile web is surging in importance, despite its being inelegant and inferior technologically....Read More
Metcalfe's Law says the value of a network equals the square of the number of its users. Larger networks create network externalities, leading to competitive advantage. Users post on YouTube because there are more visitors. And visitors come to YouTube because there are more videos to watch....Read More
I'm on the executive board for a very promising Chicago-based startup. The CEO and CTO consult me weekly (sometimes daily) for my thoughts and advice about various aspects of their business. We often shoot emails back and forth about industry news and events, and the activities of potential acquirers, competitors, etc....Read More