Marc Nathan Tuesday, 22nd of May 2012 at 05:55:38 PM
Startup Texas is our region’s lifeline to the Startup America Partnership (http://www.s.co/).
Come celebrate the arrival of Startup Texas at a happy hour for the startup community!
StartupTexas Houston Happy Hour
May 31st 2012
5pm-8pm Berryhill Baja Grill 1717 Post Oak Blvd, Houston, TX 77056 [map]
Jeff Reichman Monday, 21st of May 2012 at 04:35:39 PM
Mark your calendars! On Saturday, May 26, Science Hack Day comes to Houston. According to the organizers, it’s a “24-hour marathon for developers, designers, scientists, educators, and the community to come together to collaboratively create something awesome.”
Held at Caroline Collective, Science Hack Day is open to “anyone with a passion for making cool things.” And anyone familiar with Caroline Collective knows that the venue tends to draw smart, open minded people.
Come to watch or participate. Just don’t forget to register – it’s free!
Javid Jamae Friday, 18th of May 2012 at 02:48:23 PM
Last night’s Houston Lean Startup Circle meetup was a great success. The speaker was Thomas Knoll who was the co-founder of LaunchRock and a community architect for Zappos, UserVoice and Seesmic.
The meeting was held at the ChaiONE offices. The conference room was packed, and people were sitting in the lobby area with their heads peeking around the wall to hear the discussion.
Thomas provided many insights into building communities. One key takeaway that tied the concepts of Lean Startups back in to community development was his assertion that customer development *is* community building. Thomas suggested that you have to have the perspective that in the early stages each customer you’re interviewing is being recruiting into the community that you’re cultivating. You have to engage and empower them to have a voice in the community that surrounds your brand.
Some other insights (based purely on memory, because I was so caught up in the talk I didn’t really take notes):
Communities vs. Crowds
A crowd is what most musicians have. They are the only voice and they stand on stage and perform or tell people what to do. A community is a more interactive audience that surround your brand. Know the difference and know which one you’re trying to build.
Early on, don’t spend time on sophisticated tools
Many companies spend a lot of time and money integrating into white-label services and making their communities look like they are owned by the company. Thomas says that this is not necessary, especially early on. It’s fine to use existing off-site platforms (like Facebook groups) to host your community, but you just have to get over your concerns about maintaining absolute control over the community.
You can’t really “manage” a community
You can cultivate, develop, and architect them, but you have to structure them in a way that they manage themselves.
There is no one tool that does it all
There are many tools out there, but there is no single tool that he would recommend to use for creating the overall online/offline community platform. Some tools are good for some purposes (e.g. forums, Q&A, etc) while being terrible at other. Often times, you have to bring in multiple tools or hand-craft something that fits in with your audience and goals.
Let your community create your content
Let your customers tell their own success stories and share answers with other customers. For example, have a blog that your customers contribute to in order to tell their own success stories. This gives you operational efficiency in your support and community development costs while improving your reputation as a company.
All in all, it was a great meetup and we were thrilled to have Thomas as a speaker. If you have any suggestions for future topics or speakers for the Houston Lean Startup Circle, feel free to contact the organizing team on Twitter: @LeanStartupHOU.
Jeff Reichman Thursday, 17th of May 2012 at 11:13:31 AM
Today’s OpenCoffee brought new and familiar faces to CoffeeGroundz. For the uninitiated, OpenCoffee is a free-for-all networking event. All you need is a cup of coffee, some business cards, and something to talk about. And while it attracts all kinds of entrepreneurs, the event is heavy on tech talent.
Event organizer Austin Fatheree (of Rivvir Consulting) encourages newcomers to avoid obsessive and self-centered pitching. Instead, he says, “try to talk about something other than just yourself and use this time to form strong, long-term relationships.” Wise words for sure.
Among the many stories this month:
Project Insiders had a soft launch last week (congrats to Kenley & Dale!)
Katharina Kolos (of Omnidox) is just getting started with FoodSitter, an idea to connect personal chefs with busy families.
Our friends at Aleberry Creative just celebrated 3 years in business (congrats to Gira and Will!).
Stephen White of Qukku says, "Coffee + Entrepreneurs = Magic"
Formed in April, 2007 by Marc Nathan, OpenCoffee is one of the longest and strongest entrepreneur meetups in Houston. Since then, OpenCoffee has become a mainstay in Houston startup networking.
About this event:
OpenCoffee is a friendly and highly caffeinated group of sharp businesspeople, scrappy startups, and curious newcomers. Held on the third Thursday of every month at CoffeeGroundz, the event begins at 7a for earlybirds and gets cooking around 830a for the rest of us. Expect to stay engrossed in conversation into midmorning.
Jeff Reichman Friday, 11th of May 2012 at 02:28:13 PM
Today’s Social Media Breakfast was an overview of the recent Social Media Analytics Summit, presented by Kami Huyse of Zoetica Media. She gave us a rundown of the current trends in social media analytics, including “big data” management, relationship mapping, and goal-setting in an enterprise environment.
Kami presents to 80+ attendees of Social Media Breakfast Houston.
Entrepreneurs take note! There is a growing industry of software companies targeting SMB, midmarket, and enterprise users. Kami walked us through a few customer segments and niches, and she polled the audience about interesting new applications. Everyone seemed to really like Rapportive, a Gmail plugin that replaces ads with the full social profile of your contact. Internet research made easy!
As usual, the event provided lots of wonderful anecdotes about Houston’s common sense approach to social media. This month, I was especially interested to learn how Dr. Anas Younes of MD Anderson uses Twitter to recruit participants in Lymphoma clinical trials.
ABOUT THIS EVENT:
Held on the second Friday of every month, the Houston Social Media Breakfast is a casual event full of entrepreneurs, writers, marketers, government leaders, and data geeks. Every month features a different speaker, and there is a regular cast of friendly characters. Here’s a tip: get to Canopy early, eat some breakfast, and watch the crowd roll in.
For a full rundown of topics and thoughts, check out the #SMBHOU hashtag on Twitter.
Javid Jamae Monday, 7th of May 2012 at 09:04:42 AM
Houston startup Whimseybox was recently admitted into the summer 2012 accelerator program of Chicago-based Excelerate Labs. We met up with founder Alicia DiRago to find out more about how she got started with Whimseybox and what she hopes to get out of the program. Here is the interview:
[STARTUP HOUSTON] Tell us a little bit about Whimseybox.
[ALICIA DIRAGO] Whimseybox is the subscription for the DIY and craft community. Every month we’ll ship you 4-5 craft-product samples for just $15. Rediscover craft with a fun and beautiful reminder to express your creativity! If you need inspiration, check out our Project Gallery for full step-by-step tutorials featuring the products in your box. Or if you have your own creative idea, upload and share your project with the Whimseybox community. Everyone will enjoy our signature organizational box and details like the 5×7 piece of art included each month. Plus, you can find tips and techniques, get inspired by recent trends and connect with our community of craft-lovers at whimseybox.com.
What is your background? Is this your first business?
My background is actually in chemical engineering. While that might seem like a world apart from craft, it actually doesn’t feel that different to me because they both stem from my obsession with making things. I worked as a chemical engineer in Chicago for about 8 years after college before my husband’s job brought us to Houston and I decided to dive into entrepreneurship. I began blogging and teaching local craft classes with my Dismount Creative business and the lessons I learned doing that led me to start Whimseybox.
What made you decide to start Whimseybox?
More specifically, I knew that growing audience on my blog was all across the country. I had traveled to do few larger DIY events but was looking for a new way to reach them. One project I did for a store in NYC stood out – they sent several bloggers a box of assorted supplies and we all used them in different projects. It was beautifully packaged and a really fun experience and challenge. When they posted everyone’s finished work I thought it was awesome how we all took the same materials and did different things with them. Of course, I’d also seen what Birchbox had started doing and all of the traction they were getting on fashion and beauty blogs and thought that the subscription model would be a great fit for crafts.
Tell us about how you launched the site.
So immediately after I had the idea I thought ‘this is amazing I have to do it ASAP before someone else does.’ And I’m a DIY-er, so I just got underway building an MVP. In just a couple days I decided on a name (and would only consider .com addresses that were under $10) and a logo (one color plus two free fonts from FontSquirrel- keep it simple). Because I’d been blogging for a year I was pretty comfortable on WordPress so I decided to start with that and spent $30 on a theme from ThemeForest. I called a handful of craft companies that I’d met through DismountCreative and got them to provide products for the first 15 test boxes and then shot a short 1 minute video on my flip cam of us putting the boxes together. All together it was about 8 weeks from idea to launch.
How did you get the word out for the first boxes that you shipped?
I didn’t expect a big response when I launched the site. I had shipped the test boxes off to a group of craft bloggers, some I knew and some I didn’t, just asking for their opinion on the product. I specifically told them that I was not asking them to write about it (as a blogger I had a good idea on how to approach other bloggers) but of course I hoped that some would want to. I announced Whimseybox on my site and that same week a full review went up on O’Reilly Media’s popular craft blog CRAFTzine. In the first week we got about 600 requests for an invitation to join. I think my biggest advantage is how well I understand our audience, because I’m part of the craft community.
What made you decide to apply for an accelerator program?
I decided to apply for an accelerator program because I knew from the beginning that I wasn’t trying to make Whimseybox a lifestyle business. I have a big vision and need big help to make it happen. However, as a solo founder I didn’t think I had a good shot at being accepted. But I applied anyway, because I believe in Whimseybox. And because the applications are free, so why not?
How many programs did you apply to?
I applied to three programs.
What made you decide to go with Excelerate Labs?
During the application process I traveled to Chicago and met with Excelerate in person twice. I also had a chance to meet some of the companies that were part of the 2011 class. Getting to know the people behind program was very important and made me confident that Excelerate would be the right partner for Whimseybox. And while I’d never choose an accelerator based on location, the fact that they are in Chicago is a huge bonus for me because I have family and friends there.
What do you hope to get out of the Excelerate Labs program?
I am most interested in the mentorship that I know Excelerate offers. Troy Henikoff calls it ‘more mentors than you can even handle’ and I expect that will be true! From the beginning I’ve had a very clear vision for Whimseybox and I’m looking for people with the experience, resources and connections that can help me execute that vision.
What are your next steps for the company?
Over the past couple months I’ve been going back to basics with Whimseybox. I launched the site as a MVP and while WordPress/Paypal/Mailchimp was the right choice for that, it’s not going to scale. We have a new, much more powerful site that Jesse Wolgammot (highly recommend!) has built for us and just brought on Patrick Navarro as CTO. I’ve also found a business that will do the box packing for us starting next month, a place called The Center that I’m thrilled to partner with. (Up until now we’ve been packing to 600 boxes a month in my house!) Once these things are finished we’ll be focusing on great content and growth.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given so far?
I’d often read that it’s important for creatives and entrepreneurs to have a mastermind group, or circle of trusted friends and advisers that are committed to helping each other succeed. About a year ago I started one by pitching the idea to Bri Land whom I’d just met via Twitter. We found three more creative, entrepreneurial women in Houston and started meeting monthly. Their advice, support and encouragement has been an immeasurable force in my life and now I’m thrilled to have Bri working with me full-time on Whimseybox.
What advice would you give other aspiring entrepreneurs?
Don’t quit. Don’t quit. Don’t quit.
What’s a typical day for you?
Things are changing fast for Whimseybox so there isn’t much of a typical day, but in general I spend mornings working with Bri who will be staying in Houston and managing the operations of Whimseybox while Patrick and I are in Chicago this summer. I try to schedule all of my meetings, whether virtual or in person, for the afternoon. I take a few hours off to have dinner with my husband around 7 or 8 and then often do a few more hours of work after he goes to bed.
What’s been your biggest challenge? Customers, employees/co-founders, operational?
The biggest challenge, and also the biggest blessing, has been how excited everyone is about Whimseybox. I could never have imagined that we’d have a waitlist from the moment I launched the site and we want to deliver a great Whimseybox experience to everyone who orders a box or visits the site. Operationally we’ve had to do a lot of growing, but I’m beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Marc Nathan Thursday, 19th of April 2012 at 12:29:05 PM
Brand New Houston startup http://www.grubsquad.com launches with a funny video starring Houston (and New Orleans) based startup guy, Glenn Penton. Sure it’s no Dollar Shave Club, but it’s pretty good and tells the story. Now you have another choice besides Jimmy John’s while you’re working at your desk. Here’s a description about the service:
GrubSquad is an online restaurant delivery service that allows customers to place their order for delivery from their favorite local restaurants and have it delivered to their desired location. Our service is designed to help Productivity Enthusiasts- people who desire to be more efficient with their day, maximize their lives. www.grubsquad.com
In this intense, information- and idea-packed presentation, serial entrepreneur and world-renowned speaker Gary Hoover will talk about what are the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs, what are the key questions an entrepreneur must ask themselves when embarking on a new enterprise, and what makes for a great company. This program will be “like drinking from a fire hydrant.”
Javid Jamae Friday, 6th of April 2012 at 08:09:27 AM
I’ve obtained a discount code for the AgileDotNet conference on April 20, 2012, that I was told I could share with people in the tech and startup community.
AgileDotNet is a one-day conference for people who are involved in Agile software development or are interested in the Microsoft development platform. The event is being held at Minute Maid park with free access to the baseball game that evening.
This link will give you a 25% discount off the $75 ticket price, brining your price down to $56. Please feel free to pass this coupon code along to anybody you know who is a Microsoft developers or is using Agile software development techniques.
You can find out more about the event on the website, but here is a summary:
Summary
Improving Enterprises in conjunction with Microsoft will bring together the world of .NET development with the world of Agile methods for an exciting one-day experience of discovery, learning and exchange.
The conference has four concurrent tracks: Agile Adoption, Leadership, Development, and Tools
Who Should Attend?
Attendees can expect informative presentations based on real-world experience from some of the IT industry’s leading Developers, Project Managers, and Executives who have embraced Agile principles within .NET development environments.
Come see how both the experts and the beginners apply Agile concepts using the Microsoft .NET framework, Visual Studio, and Visual Studio TFS.
This will be a unique experience; so don’t miss it!
Javid Jamae Sunday, 1st of April 2012 at 12:59:30 PM
We’d like to congratulate Qwiqq on the launch of their 2.0 application in the iTunes App Store. I met with founder John Phan last week before the launch to see a demo of their new app. I was very impressed with the responsiveness and beautifully designed interface (with an interesting business model to boot).
At its core, Qwiqq provides a simple mobile platform to share information about things that you purchase and enjoy. Reminiscent of Kevin Rose’s Oink (which folded recently), Stamped, and GetGlue, Qwiqq takes a slightly different approach. Qwiqq 2.0 pivots off of the first version of the application by narrowing in on the functionality that users (mainly merchants) were using it for, sharing their posts across multiple platforms. Many small business owners have little time to take a picture of a product and then log in to five different social networks to communicate the same information. With Qwiqq, they can quickly snap a picture, provide a description, and share their commerce post (as John calls it) across all the major social networks.
Their press release was written up in the San Francisco Chronicle here.
About Qwiqq
Qwiqq 2.0 is the leader in social commerce and available for free in the Apple iTunes App Store. For local merchants, Qwiqq is a social commerce app that lets local merchants quickly post, in real-time, their products and services using a picture, price and place, then share them to the most popular social sites. For consumers, Qwiqq is a social commerce app that lets you quickly Share The Things You Love To Buy. Qwiqq 1.0 was featured in the iTunes App Store: New & Noteworthy, What’s Hot, Great Free Apps. For more information, visit www.qwiqq.me.
Tuesday, 22nd of May 2012 at 05:55:38 PM
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