Judging the Plug & Play Tech Center Spring Expo

Posted on March 30, 2013 by

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I was pleased to participate as a VIP Judge at the Plug and Play TechCenter’s Spring Expo. Other judges included folks from LightSpeed, Menlo Ventures, Shasta Ventures, Doll Capital Management, Norwest Venture Partners, and NEA.  I was impressed with the turnout (over 500 attendees, standing room only) as well as the geographical diversity of the startups that pitched.  As always the enthusiasm and unbridled optimism of these startups is infectious and this was an energizing, uplifting experience. Over the past year, it has been interesting to see the pendulum shift within Silicon Valley’s leading incubators away from mostly Consumer Internet to increasingly, I am seeing startups that are embracing big new themes including:

  1. Next generation Enterprise technologies: ranging from infrastructure, including networking and storage, all the way up the stack to the application layer, including new paradigms for collaboration and communication within the enterprise
  2. Transformative disruption in Human Computer Interaction: moving beyond the point and click keyboard and mouse to touch, gesture recognition, and speech interfaces. From Graphical UX to Intuitive UX.
  3. Leveraging the latent powers of Smartphones: we are all carrying these very powerful computers in our pockets and startups are figuring out how these devices and their significant capabilities can be used to disrupt large markets. For example: sensing vital signs for health monitoring to mapping / geolocation for navigation to leveraging location-awareness and smartphone cameras to enrich productivity, commerce, and entertainment applications.

By way of background, Plug and Play Tech Center is a global accelerator that specializes in growing tech startups. Headquartered in Sunnyvale California, Plug and Play’s network includes over 300 tech startups, that have collectively raised over $750 million, as well as 180 investors and a community of leading Universities and Corporate partners. The Spring Expo was held on March 28 2013 in Sunnyvale, where 31 startups told their stories to a crowd of potential investors and journalists.  The three winning startups, which aligned closely with my top picks, included: Continue reading →

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Healthcare Technologies: Trends and Opportunities

Posted on March 16, 2013 by

VC TaskforceOn February 28, 2013 I was honored to be a Panelist at an event organized by VC Taskforce on the Trends and Opportunities in Healthcare Technologies.

VC Taskforce is a leading organization that seeks to foster greater connectivity and networking within the innovation ecosystem of Silicon Valley.  The event was moderated by Matt Sarrel, renowned technology analyst (CNN, GigaOm, etc).  My esteemed co-panelists included: Leonard Goldschmidt, Medical Director of Telehealth and Medical Informatics at the VA Palo Alto Health System; Markus Formherz, Chief Innovation Officer (Healthcare) at Xerox PARC; and Nandini Tandon, Board Member at El Camino Hospital, which bills itself as “The Hospital of Silicon Valley.”

I spoke about several topics including the following: Continue reading →

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Panel at Venture Summit West

Posted on March 8, 2013 by

VentureSummitWestOn February 13, 2013 I spoke at the “Fundable Deals: Making VCs Sit Up and Take Notice” panel at Venture Summit West at the venerable Computer History Museum in Mountain View.  Venture Summit West is a premier industry gathering connecting venture capitalists, angel investors, senior executives of operating companies, and over 500 early and mid-stage technology startups. My fellow panelists included leading VCs: Mark Gorenberg (Hummer Winblad), Dan Ahn (Voyager Capital), Norm Fogelsong (IVP), Stephanie Palmeri (Softech VC) and others.

I spoke on a variety of topics relevant to entrepreneurs seeking to grab the attention of VCs. Continue reading →

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In Ecommerce – Revenues are Ego, Profit is Intellect

Posted on January 30, 2013 by

Ecomm2When it comes to ecommerce or retail, Revenues are Ego, Margin is Intellect.  I owe this key insight to my former partner Tom Stemberg, who founded Staples and built it from scratch to a $17B company.  Ecommerce businesses, by and large, are relatively easy to start but difficult to scale.  Its relatively easy for aspiring ecommerce entrepreneurs to come up with a flashy, snazzy website – with outsourced web development and customer service and drop-shipped orders, getting started has become easier and easier.

The best ecommerce businesses start with a nifty front end but always have a robust strategy towards building a back end for scale.  These businesses realize that ‘Front End is Revenue, Back End is Profit.’  Continue reading →

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Keynote Panel at AlwaysOn Venture Summit Silicon Valley

Posted on January 26, 2013 by

alwayson_logoI recently participated in the opening keynote panel of AlwaysOn’s signature event, Venture Summit Silicon Valley (VSSV).  My highly distinguished fellow panelists included Norm Fogelsong from Institutional Venture Partners and Neil Dempsey from Bay Partners.  It was really quite an honor to participate alongside immensely successful 30+ year veterans of the Silicon Valley venture scene.  Neil and Norm have played a pivotal role in evolution of Silicon Valley over the past several decades and have founded their respective firms.

Speaking in front of an audience of over 200 entrepreneurs, CEOs, corporate executives, and investors, I enjoyed sharing my thoughts on the ‘VC and Investor Outlook for the Global Silicon Valley.’   There was immediate coverage of the panel in Forbes, as the panel set an upbeat and optimistic tone for the remainder of the conference and I reinforced my personal beliefs on the evolution and trajectory of disruptive innovation in Silicon Valley and beyond.

Congratulations again to my friend Tony Perkins and the entire AlwaysOn team for organizing a very successful conference, which left attendees buzzing with excitement over the holiday season.  You can watch the full video of the panel below.

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10 Quotes to Live by

Posted on December 8, 2012 by

SUNRISE

  • “Remember that failure is an event, not a person.”
  • “You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.”
  • “People often say motivation doesn’t last. Neither does bathing—that’s why we recommend it daily.”
  • “There has never been a statue erected to honor a critic.”
  • “People don’t buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons.”
  • “Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.”
  • “If you go looking for a friend, you’re going to find they’re scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere.”
  • “A goal properly set is halfway reached.”
  • “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”
  • “If you can dream it, you can achieve it.”
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Viva Los Cabos

Posted on December 1, 2012 by
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This gallery contains 9 photos.

After a recent visit to Los Cabos, I think I can relate to Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven is a Place on Earth”. Enjoy:    

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