I’ve been spending a ton of time in the mobile world lately, mostly on behalf of Founders Co-op portfolio companies AppStoreHQ and Urban Airship, and the deeper I get in the mobile ecosystem, the more perplexed I am by Apple and Google’s behavior toward the iPhone and Android developer communities. With iPhone (the high-end pioneer) and Android continue…
It’s only Tuesday but it’s already been a big week here at Founders Co-op. First, the news broke about our newest company, RevenueLoan, raising $6MM to create a new and potentially disruptive finance offering for high-tech companies. Then BigDoor Media, a Founders Co-op portfolio company, announced a $5MM venture round led by Brad Feld at continue…
TechCrunch just published a terrific introduction to our newest Founders Co-op company: RevenueLoan. Andy and I got excited about the idea of royalty based finance for early-stage companies more than a year ago and have experimented with the structure in our first fund. As we worked through the details on these deals we realized that there continue…
One of our Founders Co-op portfolio companies just shared some eye-opening numbers about close rates for new inbound sales leads based on the speed with which they were followed up. Unsurprisingly, most leads turned cold after just a few days, with just 9% of closed sales occurring beyond the 72-hour aging mark. What got their – continue…
Before all you fanboys out there get your backs up, let me start by saying that Apple gets full credit for blowing up the mobile software business and creating an entirely new market for software entrepreneurs. The iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad / iTunes juggernaut is one of the most awesome technology ecosystems ever continue…
I have no connection to this company – I just think what they’re doing is extremely cool. Instead of paying $300 or more for “designer” eyeglasses, shop at Warby Parker and pay just $95 per pair delivered, plus they’ll give one pair of glasses to someone in need (via partners like RestoringVision) for every pair continue…
Earlier this year I was invited to run a training session for the Seattle-based coaches for SCORE, a Federally-funded program offering advice and training to entrepreneurs. Most of the companies in the program aren’t likely candidates for outside financing, but the Seattle program attracts a more tech-savvy cohort than most, and the coaching team wanted continue…
John Cook broke the news earlier today, but I wanted to add a quick congratulations to Bill Harding and his team at Bonanzle from all of us at Founder’s Co-op. We first talked to Bill about what he was up to in the fall of 2008, and have watched with admiration as he bootstrapped his continue…
Fascinating news today from Ford (by way of Mashable’s Christina Warren): the automaker has just released the first version of their SYNC AppLink platform, allowing hands-free voice control of Android and BlackBerry applications to drivers of SYNC-enabled Ford cars. The company is working on an API for developers who want to tie their smartphone app continue…
I’m a member of Stanford’s Graduate School of Business Class of 1999. My name appears in the alumni directory, I receive frequent GSB fundraising solicitations and the alumni magazine shows up in my mailbox every month. With respect to the GSB, the biggest difference between me and most of my classmates is this: I left the continue…