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Just bookmark this: +public.copy
When you are on a webpage, simply click on the bookmark & start using SharedCopy. All user comments will appear on our front page. However, if you feel queasy about such publicity,
bookmark this instead: +private.copy
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Anyone can start using without any registration. However, to "lock" a copy and close off comments, you'll need an account.
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Your friend can read what you've shared, without Javascript. Click on the link you share with him, and he'll see your comments. Javascript is only required to create copies, or to comment on shared copies.
Internet? Intranet? Share it!
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Perfect for collaborating, even within your own intranet.
Twitter, Basecamp, callback to any web service
SharedCopy has callback mechanism for anyone to plugout to. By default, we come with ready integration with Twitter and Basecamp.
More at:http://sharedcopy.com/
Thursday, May 10, 2007
On Start Up Finanancing
A panel discussion at MIT on the topic of raising funding for an early stage startup.
Also on the panel was Michael Greeley from IDG Ventures. Michael was representing the VC perspective .Here are some of the questions that came up in the panel. Please note that this is not legal advice and if you are raising funding, you should consult counsel on all legal matters.
1. If I raise capital from friends and family, do they have to be accredited investors?
Generally, yes. Though there are ways for pool together interests from non-accredited investors, it's usually not advisable as it can get tricky and complicated.
2. To raise VC funding, do I need to have a complete management team assembled?
Not necessarily. Many VCs do not mind considering startups that have an incomplete management team. Some will actually see gaps in the management team as a positive as that is an area that they can help with and bring value to the startup.
3. How do I negotiate the highest pre-money value for my startup?
Entrepreneurs are often overly obsesssed with the pre-money valuation of their startups. Though this is an important factor in the negotiations, it is by no means the only one. Often, non-valuation factors like corporate governance, control and preference issues end up being much more important than the valuation. Entrepreneurs should look at the deal as a whole and understand the details.
4. Do investors read business plans?
For the most part, no. A great business plan will not guarantee funding (or for that matter, even a meeting). If you find the crafting of the business plan helpful, then you should do it. But, investors do not generally require a detailed, written business plan.
5. Do I need to have formed a legal entity before approaching investors?
It's not required for investors prior to approaching them for funding, but is often a good idea because it is relatively simple and inexpensive to do.
6. How do VCs value companies?
This is an imperfect science. A common approach is that VCs will determine what the company could be worth at the time of an exit (IPO or acquisition). They then work backwards from there, determining what percentage of equity they need to own to generate the desired returns for their limited partners. Of course, they apply this approach across a portfolio of investments expecting that a small percentage will generate significant returns.
7. How do I find angel investors for my startup?
There's no single answer to this. In major markets like Boston and San Francisco, many angel investors are members of angel groups. These groups pool together expertise and resources in order to make better investment decisions. Of course, there are also private investors acting independently. Generally, you'll want to find investors that have a background in the particular idea you are pursuing -- or, an affinity for it. Angel investors often invest for reasons beyond just pure financial return. One common reason is to stay involved in the entrepreneurial process and help entrepreneurs build great companies.
8. How do I pick the "right" VC?
There are a number of considerations. First, you should verify that the VC makes investment in the stage and type of company you are building. Also, it is important to remember that you are not just picking a firm, you are picking a partner within that firm. Ideally, you'll find a partner that has made similar investments in the past and has knowledge of your market.
If you have any other questions, leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer. Please remember that I'm not a VC, and don't play one on TV. For content that is much better than this, I strongly recommend Ask The VC by Brad Feld. It's a great source for information on the VC industry and the process of raising money
Also on the panel was Michael Greeley from IDG Ventures. Michael was representing the VC perspective .Here are some of the questions that came up in the panel. Please note that this is not legal advice and if you are raising funding, you should consult counsel on all legal matters.
1. If I raise capital from friends and family, do they have to be accredited investors?
Generally, yes. Though there are ways for pool together interests from non-accredited investors, it's usually not advisable as it can get tricky and complicated.
2. To raise VC funding, do I need to have a complete management team assembled?
Not necessarily. Many VCs do not mind considering startups that have an incomplete management team. Some will actually see gaps in the management team as a positive as that is an area that they can help with and bring value to the startup.
3. How do I negotiate the highest pre-money value for my startup?
Entrepreneurs are often overly obsesssed with the pre-money valuation of their startups. Though this is an important factor in the negotiations, it is by no means the only one. Often, non-valuation factors like corporate governance, control and preference issues end up being much more important than the valuation. Entrepreneurs should look at the deal as a whole and understand the details.
4. Do investors read business plans?
For the most part, no. A great business plan will not guarantee funding (or for that matter, even a meeting). If you find the crafting of the business plan helpful, then you should do it. But, investors do not generally require a detailed, written business plan.
5. Do I need to have formed a legal entity before approaching investors?
It's not required for investors prior to approaching them for funding, but is often a good idea because it is relatively simple and inexpensive to do.
6. How do VCs value companies?
This is an imperfect science. A common approach is that VCs will determine what the company could be worth at the time of an exit (IPO or acquisition). They then work backwards from there, determining what percentage of equity they need to own to generate the desired returns for their limited partners. Of course, they apply this approach across a portfolio of investments expecting that a small percentage will generate significant returns.
7. How do I find angel investors for my startup?
There's no single answer to this. In major markets like Boston and San Francisco, many angel investors are members of angel groups. These groups pool together expertise and resources in order to make better investment decisions. Of course, there are also private investors acting independently. Generally, you'll want to find investors that have a background in the particular idea you are pursuing -- or, an affinity for it. Angel investors often invest for reasons beyond just pure financial return. One common reason is to stay involved in the entrepreneurial process and help entrepreneurs build great companies.
8. How do I pick the "right" VC?
There are a number of considerations. First, you should verify that the VC makes investment in the stage and type of company you are building. Also, it is important to remember that you are not just picking a firm, you are picking a partner within that firm. Ideally, you'll find a partner that has made similar investments in the past and has knowledge of your market.
If you have any other questions, leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer. Please remember that I'm not a VC, and don't play one on TV. For content that is much better than this, I strongly recommend Ask The VC by Brad Feld. It's a great source for information on the VC industry and the process of raising money
iDock,Flexible Office Space
iDock offers flexible office space in East Dulwich, London. We provide desk space with broadband, IT facilities, PC help and phone calls, plus all of the extras of an office. We also have spacious and well-equipped meeting rooms.
Called iDock, the scheme is loosely based on the hot-desking principle. It gives home-workers an office base that they can use as often or as little as they like, and is more professional than improvising with the kitchen table or a cramped table in the spare bedroom.
iDock is the brainchild of two East Dulwich-based IT consultants, Nick Ellis and Stephen Dunn, who both felt isolated by working entirely from home and missed the buzz and business facilities of an office environment.
“Working from home every day can feel a bit like being in solitary confinement,” explains Nick. “You miss chats around the water cooler and bouncing ideas off colleagues.
http://www.idock.biz/
Called iDock, the scheme is loosely based on the hot-desking principle. It gives home-workers an office base that they can use as often or as little as they like, and is more professional than improvising with the kitchen table or a cramped table in the spare bedroom.
iDock is the brainchild of two East Dulwich-based IT consultants, Nick Ellis and Stephen Dunn, who both felt isolated by working entirely from home and missed the buzz and business facilities of an office environment.
“Working from home every day can feel a bit like being in solitary confinement,” explains Nick. “You miss chats around the water cooler and bouncing ideas off colleagues.
http://www.idock.biz/
How To Be More Focussed
These days our lives are busier than ever. We work more than ever. We are more stressed and exhausted than ever before. And yet we get less done and are not as happy.
Here are few simple ways to be more productive with less effort:
Clear your head. It’s impossible to gain perspective, and to know what is truly essential, if we are in the middle of an information stream. Take an hour, or half a day if possible, to shut off the information flow, and to get a larger view of your life and your job. The time you take off will be well worth it. Tell everyone that you are unavailable, shut off all communications, shut yourself in somewhere private, and take some time to think about what is important. What do you want? Where are you going? What will it take to get there? Another good way to clear your head, which is necessary for focus, is to write down everything that you need to do, all your tasks and projects and ideas. Dump the contents of your mind on paper, and then stop thinking about them for a little while.
Focus on the essential tasks. Once you’ve gotten your head cleared, you need to figure out what tasks are most essential. Ask yourself this magic question: “What task can you do that will get you the most return on your time?” Figure out the project that will get you the most recognition, win you awards, or get you the most business. Something that will pay off big. Not something you’ll forget about in a week, but something that others will remember you by. This is an essential task. Make a list of these types of tasks — they’re your most important things to do this week.
Eliminate the rest. Now look at your overall list. What’s on there that’s not essential? Can you just drop them from your schedule? Or delegate them to someone else? If not, put them on a “waiting list”. Then, as you focus on your essential tasks, check back on this waiting list every now and then. Sometimes you’ll realize that the less essential tasks weren’t really necessary at all.
Do essential tasks first. If you’ve got a list of things to do today, and one or two of them are truly essential, do those items first thing in the morning. Don’t wait until later in the day, because they’ll get pushed back as other urgent stuff comes up. Get them out of the way, and your productivity will truly soar.
Eliminate distractions. You can put essential stuff on your list all year long, but if you are constantly interrupted by email notifications, IM, cell phones, your RSS reader, gadgets and widgets, social media, forums and the like, you’ll never be productive. Turn these things off, disconnect yourself from the Internet if possible, clear your desk of all papers, clear your walls and surrounding areas, and allow yourself to truly focus.
Use simple tools. Don’t fidget with a bunch of gadgets or the latest and coolest applications. Find a simple notebook for writing things down, a simple to-do list (no frills) and the simplest application possible for doing your work. Then forget about the tools and think only of the task at hand. If you’re too worried about the tools, you’re not actually doing anything.
More at:http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/simple-productivity-10-ways-to-do-more-by-focusing-on-the-essentials.html
Here are few simple ways to be more productive with less effort:
Clear your head. It’s impossible to gain perspective, and to know what is truly essential, if we are in the middle of an information stream. Take an hour, or half a day if possible, to shut off the information flow, and to get a larger view of your life and your job. The time you take off will be well worth it. Tell everyone that you are unavailable, shut off all communications, shut yourself in somewhere private, and take some time to think about what is important. What do you want? Where are you going? What will it take to get there? Another good way to clear your head, which is necessary for focus, is to write down everything that you need to do, all your tasks and projects and ideas. Dump the contents of your mind on paper, and then stop thinking about them for a little while.
Focus on the essential tasks. Once you’ve gotten your head cleared, you need to figure out what tasks are most essential. Ask yourself this magic question: “What task can you do that will get you the most return on your time?” Figure out the project that will get you the most recognition, win you awards, or get you the most business. Something that will pay off big. Not something you’ll forget about in a week, but something that others will remember you by. This is an essential task. Make a list of these types of tasks — they’re your most important things to do this week.
Eliminate the rest. Now look at your overall list. What’s on there that’s not essential? Can you just drop them from your schedule? Or delegate them to someone else? If not, put them on a “waiting list”. Then, as you focus on your essential tasks, check back on this waiting list every now and then. Sometimes you’ll realize that the less essential tasks weren’t really necessary at all.
Do essential tasks first. If you’ve got a list of things to do today, and one or two of them are truly essential, do those items first thing in the morning. Don’t wait until later in the day, because they’ll get pushed back as other urgent stuff comes up. Get them out of the way, and your productivity will truly soar.
Eliminate distractions. You can put essential stuff on your list all year long, but if you are constantly interrupted by email notifications, IM, cell phones, your RSS reader, gadgets and widgets, social media, forums and the like, you’ll never be productive. Turn these things off, disconnect yourself from the Internet if possible, clear your desk of all papers, clear your walls and surrounding areas, and allow yourself to truly focus.
Use simple tools. Don’t fidget with a bunch of gadgets or the latest and coolest applications. Find a simple notebook for writing things down, a simple to-do list (no frills) and the simplest application possible for doing your work. Then forget about the tools and think only of the task at hand. If you’re too worried about the tools, you’re not actually doing anything.
More at:http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/simple-productivity-10-ways-to-do-more-by-focusing-on-the-essentials.html
SellSigns Helps Consumers Sell Used Cars
Dutch SellSigns helps consumers sell used cars by combining customized for sale signs and online profiles. How it works? The seller creates a profile containing the car's details, plus his/her own contact information. The website then produces two small banners that sellers can place on their own websites or blogs, as well as a PDF. The PDF can be printed and taped on a car window, and shows the car's price, mileage and year. This offline ad directs potential buyers to sellsign.nl to find more detailed information and contact the seller, using the car's license plate to locate it on the website.
More at: www.sellsigns.nl
More at: www.sellsigns.nl
LaborFair
LaborFair is an online referral community of reliable, quality workers for on-demand household labour.
Workers post profiles, photos and a minimum of two references on LaborFair.com, and indicate when they're available. Potential employers search the website to find someone who is available when they need them, and contact them directly to discuss the job. LaborFair's workers specialize in household maintenance and family care, providing services like housecleaning, gardening, small repairs, yard or garbage cleanup, moving, interior/exterior painting, childcare and eldercare.
Since good workers can land more jobs by building their online reputation, LaborFair encourages customers to post fair and honest reviews, including answers to questions like: did the worker show up on time, did he or she have the necessary equipment, were you able to communicate with the worker, and would you hire him or her again.
More: www.laborfair.com
Workers post profiles, photos and a minimum of two references on LaborFair.com, and indicate when they're available. Potential employers search the website to find someone who is available when they need them, and contact them directly to discuss the job. LaborFair's workers specialize in household maintenance and family care, providing services like housecleaning, gardening, small repairs, yard or garbage cleanup, moving, interior/exterior painting, childcare and eldercare.
Since good workers can land more jobs by building their online reputation, LaborFair encourages customers to post fair and honest reviews, including answers to questions like: did the worker show up on time, did he or she have the necessary equipment, were you able to communicate with the worker, and would you hire him or her again.
More: www.laborfair.com
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