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Bill Gates on LinkedIn – I’m the Deal Maker :-)

Posted on April 14, 2006 ·

You don’t need Scoble to get hooked up with Bill Gates – just send me a LinkedIn Inmail, like this one I received: (sender’s name and other data removed):

On April 13, 2006, xxxxxxxx wrote:

  Dear Zoli, Please forward this to Bill.xxxx
xxxx xxxxx wants to reach Bill Gates and asks you to forward an Introduction to one of your trusted connections who can put xxxxx in touch with Bill. And the actual business proposal to Bill:

 

Message: Joint-Venture

Dear Bill,

I am xxxx xxxxx, CEO of xxxxx Corporation. We provide Software design services for .NET and Windows. Recently, We are losing our engineers to Microsoft, Redmond, WA office. Our Design centers are located in xxxxx.

I have a business proposal to setup joint-venture to establish a Microsoft Software design center with xxxxx. This will save you over 60% cost what you are paying in Redmond per engineer. Instead hiring engineers and moving them to WA. You have more engineers at less cost if you can employ them in xxxxx. xxxxx will provide all the Operation and design management.

As you know xxxxx has qualified .NET and Windows experienced engineers.

If you are interested. I would be happy to come to meet with you at your convinient time to discuss the details of the joint-venture deal.

I am looking forward to do business with you.

xxxxxx
CEO
xxxxx Corporation.

Update (8/4/07): Bill Gates just face-slammed Robert 😉

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Filed Under: Humor, Social Networking ·
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SVASE VC Breakfast Club with Cardinal Venture Capital

Posted on April 10, 2006 ·

I’ll be moderating another SVASE  VC Breakfast Club session on Thursday, April 13th in San Jose.  It’s an informal round-table where up to 10 entrepreneurs get to deliver a pitch, then answer questions and get critiqued by a VC Partner. We’ve had VC’s from Draper Fisher, Hummer Winblad, Kleiner Perkins, Mayfield, Mohr Davidow, Emergence Capital …etc.

Thursday’s featured VC is Joyce Chung, General Partner, Cardinal Venture Capital. The Zvents post  has all the info and a map, but please remember to click through to register either from zvents or directly here.  

These sessions are an incredible opportunity for Entrepreneurs, most of whom would probably have a hard time getting through the door to a VC Partners.   Since I’ve been through quite a few of these sessions, both as Entrepreneur and Moderator, let me share a few thoughts:

  • It’s a pressure-free environment, with no Powerpoint presentations, Business Plans…etc,  just casual conversation, but it does not mean you should come unprepared!
  • Bring an Executive Summary, some VC’s like it, others don’t.
  • Follow a structure, don’t just talk freely about what you would like to do, or even worse, spend all your time describing the problem, without addressing what your solution is.
  • Don’t forget “small things” like the Team, Product, Market..etc.
  • It would not hurt to mention how much you are looking for, and how you would use the funds…
  • Write down and practice your pitch, be ready to deliver a compelling story in 5 minutes.  You will have more time, but believe me, whatever your practice time was, when you are on the spot, you will likely take twice as long to deliver your story.
  • Last, but not least, please be on time!  I am not kidding… some of you know why I have to even bring this up.

See you on Thursday! Zbutton

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Filed Under: Bay Area, Business, Social Networking, Startups ·
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May Rossfield on Manage Knowledgement

Posted on April 10, 2006 ·

.setis MK eht lla pu gnirb ti ees dna ,tnemegdelwonK eganaM elgoog tsuj tub ,mret eht denioc eh eveileb yam ssoR

.sevitnecni laicos no desab ,etubirtnoc ,erahs ,etaroballoc :ytivitca tuo fo trap tnerehni na s’ti )egdelwonk tcartxe ot IA gniylppa ,smrof gnillif ( thguohtretfa na fo daetsnI .skrow tey sdrowkcab s’taht )tnemeganaM egdelwonK( MK fo yaw a sa tnemegdelwonK eganaM tuoba sklat dleifyaM ssoR.

.noitalsnart eht s’ereh ,siht gnidaer ytluciffid evah uoy dluohS

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Filed Under: Blogging, Collaboration, Humor, Personal Productivity, Social Networking ·
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Software 2006: Wikis Win

Posted on April 6, 2006 ·

(Updated)
Wikis and blogs -social software in general – were the “latent” subject at Software 2006, popping up at several sessions throughout the conference.

In his opening keynote Ray Lane talked about the inter-personal enterprise: collaboration, increased participation through friendlier, better user experience; the user as an individual, “consumer” has to like the software, then will use it, and usage spreads within the company: a pull process, rather than push – the traditional enterprise sales model. This is exactly the model wikis are “sold”, as we discussed earlier. Ray specifically mentioned how useful they found using a wiki at Kleiner Perkins.

Then during the last panel, Toby Redshaw, CIO of Motorola talked about how he installed wikis and blogs: turned it on, decidedly not telling anyone “above” or laterally until it was too late for anyone worried about “control” to interfere. People discovered the new tools, started to use them, and before he knew there were 1900 blogs and 2000 wikis used in Motorola. Grassroots action at it’s best, just like Ray explained. Joe (JotSpot) and Ross (SocialText) could not have asked for a better plug of wikis, just minutes prior to their software showcase.

On the way from this session to the showcase room Ross was showing me his latest baby, Miki, the mobile wiki. One of the conference attendees (Director at a major organization) walked alongside us, overheard the conversation, and jumped in: “where can I get it?” Wow, I think Ross just closed a 30–second sale

There is something funny about these product names, though. Ross just found out that Miki in Irish slang means male genitalia… hm… close .. here’s the Urban Dictionary definition. Never mind, it didn’t hurt Jobby, won’t hurt Miki either. Incidentally, Miki in Hungarian is nickname form for Nicholas, and in Japanese a female name meaning “flower stalk.” Not bad.

The Miki launch was the last announcement of the day, then we headed off for some “Open Source” cocktails and appetizers.

Related posts – Miki seems to enjoy a warm welcome:

Update (4/8): It was fun to see JotSpot and SocialText together – would have been even more fun to see the third (and by the number of enterprise customers definitely not last) product: Confluence by Atlassian.

Filed Under: Bay Area, Collaboration, Enterprise Software, Personal Productivity, SaaS, Social Networking, Software, Startups · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,
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SVASE Event: Angel Investors – Alive, Kicking & Investing!

Posted on April 6, 2006 ·

 It’s a good time to be an Entrepreneur – Is it also a good time to be an investor?   Jason Wood says: “I spoke to several colleagues in the industry today and there was a consensus of disappointment in the current landscape. I’m hardly the only one who’s been saying there’s excess capital in the VC industry for some time [in fact, there’s excess capital everywhere], but with entrepreneurs more willing [and able] to bootstrap their way to product launch and with GoogleYahooMicrosoft unafraid to throw fractional portions of their cash hoard at interesting startups, I’m not sure I see the light at the end of the 2005-2006 vintage VC tunnel.”

At the Software 2006 Conference yesterday I found myself in the middle of an interesting conversation betwen 2 VC Partners and an Angel Investor – they basically shared the above view, adding that startups either bootstrap their way to acquision, or take Angel funding, than the GYM jumps in before an A-round.  

Angel investment is back big time, and this is the subject of the SVASE event tonight at 6pm in Palo Alto.

How have the dynamics and metrics of Angel investing changed during this time? Is becoming an Angel still an attractive investing option? What are the metrics Angels look for in their investments today? What technologies & deals are most attractive to Angel investors right now? And what types of people are becoming Angels Investors, and why?

Seeking Angel Funding, want to become an Angel?

This lively panel discussion will explore current trends and panelist opinions on topics including:
• How have the dynamics of Angel investing changed in recent years?
• What are the current trends in Angel investing?
• Is Angel Investing still interesting for High Net Worth Individuals?
• What type of people are becoming Angel Investors, and why?
• What are the metrics Angels look for in their investments today?
• How are Angels working with Venture Capitalists?
• What technologies and deals are most attractive to Angel investors right now?

The Panel:
• Stewart Sonnenfeldt, Managing Director, Sand Hill Angels
• Laura Roden, Managing Director, The Angels Forum
• Randy Williams, Founder & CEO, Keiretsu Forum
• Antonio Salerno, Deal Selection Committee, Band of Angels
Moderator: David Frazee, corporate/IP shareholder, Greenberg Traurig

Thursday, April 6
6.00-7.00 pm: Networking and Dinner
7.00-8:30 pm: Panel discussion and Q/A

To reserve an Exhibit Table
Contact Info@svase.org, $500 Members, $1,000 Non-members.

Location:
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (WSGR Campus), 950 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, 94304

PRE-REGISTERED RATES (All Rates Include Hors D’oeuvres)
Members – $20; Affiliates who advertise this event – $29;General Public – $49

WALK-IN RATES: Add $10.00 to the listed price

Click HERE to Register NOW!

 

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Filed Under: Bay Area, Social Networking, Startups ·
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Optimizing your Participation at Software 2006

Posted on April 1, 2006 ·

Software 2006 hasn’t even started yet, but I already like it.  Software Connections powered by BDMetrics is a cool web-based service that allows you to optimize your participation at the two-day conference.

After creating a profile, Connections will make personalized recommendations for your event plan, companies to see, people to meet.  Of course it’s not just a recommendation system, you can actively serach for all the above, propose meetings with other attendees while preserving their privacy. 

If you ever wondered around an expo floor with a list of people you want to meet, yet have no way of finding them, you’ll appreciate this service – especially if there will be workstations throughout the conference site to access the system.  The one item I’d like to see added: mobile alerts on networking requests or responses to one’s own requests. 

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Filed Under: Bay Area, Collaboration, Enterprise Software, Personal Productivity, SaaS, Social Networking, Software ·
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Software 2006

Posted on March 30, 2006 ·

I’ll be attending “The must-attend software event of the year”, Software 2006, organized by the Sand Hill Group.

The 2,500 participants meet industry leaders on April 4-5th in Santa Clara, CA.

I hope to blog from there, although it’s more likely that I only get to do it after the event.  I also hope to meet many of my readers.  If you’ll be there and would like to meet, drop me a note.  

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Filed Under: Bay Area, Business, Collaboration, Enterprise Software, ERP / CRM, Marketing / PR, Open Source, SaaS, Social Networking, Software ·
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After the 43 Wiki Prank, 33 Wikis is Real

Posted on March 27, 2006 ·

The 43 Wiki prank was just that: a joke and social experiment. Everyone could have their 5 (?) minutes of fame.

33 Wikis, on the other hand is a series worth keeping an eye on:  it will be a 33–day series featuring best practices in wiki-based collaboration.  You can nominate your own wiki-project in the comments area.   (hat tip: Ross Mayfield)

Unrelated, but should anyone wonder, 23 is a photo-sharing service, a’la Flickr, and 23half is a new information discovery service for mobile phones.

I think I’ll leave 13 alone, but perhaps it’s time to register 53 and 53quarter...

Update (3/27):  And now, thanks to Robert Scoble, we know what 72 Degrees are.

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Filed Under: Blogging, Collaboration, Humor, Personal Productivity, Social Networking, Software ·
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SVASE VC Breakfast Club Event with the Mayfield Fund

Posted on March 21, 2006 ·

Another SVASE  VC Breakfast Club session is coming up on Thursday, March 23rd in San Jose.  It’s an informal round-table where up to 10 entrepreneurs get to deliver a pitch, then answer questions and get critiqued by a VC Partner. We’ve had VC’s from Draper Fisher, Hummer Winblad, Kleiner Perkins, Mayfield, Mohr Davidow, Emergence Capital …etc.

Thursday’s featured VC is John Stockton, Venture Partner, Mayfield Fund.  The Zvents post  has all the info and a map, but please remember to click through to register either from zvents or directly here.  

These sessions are an incredible opportunity for Entrepreneurs, most of whom would probably have a hard time getting through the door to a VC Partners.   Since I’ve been through quite a few of these sessions, both as Entrepreneur and Moderator, let me share a few thoughts:

  • It’s a pressure-free environment, with no Powerpoint presentations, Business Plans…etc,  just casual conversation, but it does not mean you should come unprepared!
  • Bring an Executive Summary, some VC’s like it, others don’t.
  • Follow a structure, don’t just talk freely about what you would like to do, or even worse, spend all your time describing the problem, without addressing what your solution is.
  • Don’t forget “small things” like the Team, Product, Market..etc.
  • It would not hurt to mention how much you are looking for, and how you would use the funds…
  • Write down and practice your pitch, be ready to deliver a compelling story in 5 minutes.  You will have more time, but believe me, whatever your practice time was, when you are on the spot, you will likely take twice as long to deliver your story.
  • Last, but not least, please be on time!  I am not kidding… some of you know why I have to even bring this up.

See you on Thursday! Zbutton 

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Filed Under: Bay Area, Business, Social Networking, Startups ·
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Socializr Isolatr Snubster Networkr Backlashr

Posted on March 15, 2006 ·

Isolatr, Snubster, Socializr – which is the odd one out?

TechCrunch has a humorous post about Isolatr and Snubster (hey, what’s with the “e”?).  
I’ve previously written about Socializr – Friendster 2.0? when all it had was a suspicious job post, a funny caricature on flickr, and the rumor that it’s started by Friendster founder Jonathan Abrams.  I emailed my post to Jonathan, hoping to get clarification.  After a few weeks of silence I leaned towards considering it a prank.

Well, it may just be real.  Nothing confirmed, just a few signs of life:

“Socializr’s Raising About Half a Million Funding: A new stealth social network, Socializr, founded by Friendster founder Jonathan Abrams, is raising about $0.5 million seed funding, and has raise about $0.35 million out of that, a birdie told me at the conf. “

“Toni’s Companies: Socializr, Inc, San Francisco, CA US, Executive Assistant, Office Manager”  Wow, the job post was not a fake!  Way to go, Jonathan, she is hot and sings in a band!

“Examples include eVite’s latest attempts to include pictures and matching, Zvents, Socializr (the next great thing from Friendster founder, Jonathan Abrams.  The funny graphic at this URL I think is Jonathan’s stealth-mode dose of healthy cynicism at what’s going on in this space.) Jonathan is not showing Socializr publicly yet, but it’s very cool”

So now I am starting to believe Socializr is real.  And we know they will be big, they have the secret formula that Friendster probably missed, the hot blonde who sings!   I’m proud that it was first announced here!

Update (3/15)  Related posts:

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Filed Under: Bay Area, Humor, Social Networking, Software, Startups ·
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