Startup Weekend is just a few days away and you really have no excuse not to register. It’s the single best place to find co-founders, coders and designers interested in startups in a single place. The organizers have taken great pains to make sure that the program is balanced between work and keynote speakers and [...]]]>

Startup Weekend is just a few days away and you really have no excuse not to register. It’s the single best place to find co-founders, coders and designers interested in startups in a single place. The organizers have taken great pains to make sure that the program is balanced between work and keynote speakers and Javid Jamae has even put together a timeline that demonstrates how to get the most out of the experience.

The stakes are higher this time because both the Kaufmann Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are funding a global initiative for the winners of the regional Startup Weekends. There’s real prize money as well as tools and recognition for people who participate.

I’m honored to be a judge again this year and I can promise that the quality of startups ideas will be very strong.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/155392461211573/

Here’s the link to retweet [...]]]> A few startup community folks here in Houston have just launched a Facebook group for people to connect, ask and answer questions and generally be a part of the Houston Startup scene. The inspiration comes directly from the Austin Startup group that has become a very active forum in that community.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/155392461211573/

Here’s the link to retweet to your friends: new Houston Startup facebook group: http://t.co/DwhP2MsU

Last year, Houston was privileged to get its first TEDx event. It was an overwhelming success due to the hard work and curation of the steering committee led by the team at Houston’s premier designshop Culture Pilot. This year is going to be bigger and better. Held at the Wortham Theater on University of Houston’s Campus, [...]]]>

Last year, Houston was privileged to get its first TEDx event. It was an overwhelming success due to the hard work and curation of the steering committee led by the team at Houston’s premier designshop Culture Pilot. This year is going to be bigger and better. Held at the Wortham Theater on University of Houston’s Campus, the event will be a Houston focused series of speakers and performers around the topic of ‘Where Do We Go From Here?”. The idea behind TED and open source version TEDx is that you put interesting people on stage talking about interesting ideas to an audience specifically chosen to be interested and you end up with a powerful energizing force. It’s difficult to explain in words the feeling you get from attending an event like this – it’s not so much educational as inspirational. The only thing that you can expect from an event like this is that your mind will be blown. You still have a week to apply for attendance, volunteering, or sponsorship here.

EDIT:

For those that aren’t able to attend in person, TEDxHouston is generously streaming the entire event via Livestream right from their website: http://www.livestream.com/tedx

Taft Street Coffee 2115 Taft will also  be simulcasting the event until 4pm today.

GroundUP Houston events encourage experienced entrepreneurs and individuals with start-up dreams to share their experiences with like-minded individuals. Houston has a rich history of people who have taken their ideas and grown them into successful businesses from the [...]]]>

But [...]]]> On the web, finding people to work with  is a hot topic (here, here, and here). The barriers to starting a tech business are lower than ever, at least until the capital costs of scaling start to kick in. And with some reasonable paths to profits and scale, the upside potential can be very interesting.

But almost any startup is more than one person can handle, so where can we find people to help us?  Meebo CEO Seth Sternberg provides a good starting point for finding your co-founders.  The heart of his post is this discouraging time scale: “The hardest part of starting from scratch is finding the right co-founders.  Ideas, comparatively, are easy.  You may spend three years finding your co-founders while you’ll come up with a solid idea every 3 months or so.”  That is tough  news for the asocial hacker with an idea.

Houston has a number of venues for meeting likely co-founders, including numerous meetup groups where developers and/or entrepreneurs gather.  The Houston Technology Center, the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entreprenuership, and the Technology Incubator West Houston have social and educational events that are great for meeting like-minded entrepreneurs.  Regular social gatherings like the OpenCoffee Club at Coffee Groundz, recently brought back from carbon freeze by Brian Cohen, and the new GroundUP Houston events hosted by Startup Weekend Houston venue host Jerald Reichstein.  In the past, various barcamp-style unconferences have been terrific places to meet new people and learn new things.  The University of Houston has a great entrepreneurship program in the Wolff Center, and hosts Entrepreneur Camp Houston in the summer. And that is just getting started on a full list of Houston opportunities.

Osmosis and rubbing shoulders at these events can turn up a co-founder, but we can also take a more active role in getting our ideas off the ground and into other people’s heads.  The classic method is pitching in one form or another, from an elevator pitch through a formal presentation to a VC.  Two weeks ago, the Rice Alliance had a standing room only kickoff to their Business Plan Competition 2011 with 42 one-minute elevator pitches.  Experienced en masse in this way, it was striking what a range of skill and preparation were on display.  You can see all 42 pitches from last year’s competition on Youtube.

Pitching is, of course, just another word for sales, or persuasion.  What is the goal of the pitch?  For an elevator pitch (in real life, not a competition), there is only one goal: generate interest, but don’t say too much, because you want them to accept a longer pitch at another time.  The longer pitch leads to more interaction, and, one hopes, an eventual sale.  But how to hook them at the start?  The advertising folks have been working AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) forever, and Roy Williams has one wild “trick” I’d never heard, just waiting to be used to generate interest.  (I’d suggest listening to the audio version for full effect.)

For an integrated guide to the process of making ideas reality, I really enjoyed the book Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality by Scott Belsky of Behance.  Belsky notes an effect we have all seen – the vast difference between creative people in their ability to turn their ideas into finished projects, often over and over again.  What is it that allows some creative people to consistently produce finished projects, while other equally or more creative people- struggle to get one project off the ground?  Belsky analyzes the successful creative pipeline into three critical skills: organization and execution, the forces of community, and leadership capability.  Organization and execution involve skills such as the ability to shut off the idea generation process and focus on the one current idea, sort of anti-ADD.  These are intrapersonal skills.  But the last two skill sets are critically interpersonal – no one gets their ideas launched into the world alone.  The community forces involve sharing your ideas, using feedback, and pitching/self-marketing.  Leadership includes building a creative team, sharing ownership, and handling failure.  For someone like me, with a lot of ideas popping off all the time, this book has some great strategies for launching ideas into the real world.

Among the various entrepreneur friendly events, the co-founder events seem to be springing up all over the country (Silicon Valley, Austin, Seattle, Atlanta, and more), and we are holding the first Co-Founders Wanted Houston event on Tuesday, May 3.  We will have a general networking event, with a set of three minute pitches (three slides max) in the middle for those wanting to get the word out about their projects, or needing a co-founder/support/advice/whatever.

To sign up, go to Cofounders Wanted Houston Meetup – Spring 2011

What:   A great environment to meet like minded entrepreneurs, pitch your ideas in a welcoming environment, and possibly meet your new business partner.

When:   Tuesday, May 3, 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm

Where:  Microsoft Houston office, 2000 West Sam Houston Pkwy S #1275

Cost:     Free, complimentary admission (please RSVP for planning purposes)

I hope we see you there next Tuesday!

Robert de Los Santos is an SEO expert with a solid and successful track record in perfecting the art of SEO.  He will be sharing his methods and practices for getting more folks to your website and KEEPING them there.

Plan to be there:

Date:  Tuesday, [...]]]> SEO - How to Get on Top TEN GOOGLE

Robert de Los Santos is an SEO expert with a solid and successful track record in perfecting the art of SEO.  He will be sharing his methods and practices for getting more folks to your website and KEEPING them there.

Plan to be there:

Date:  Tuesday, April 19th, 2011

Time:  7:00 PM

Location:  ZEBEC Center, 2425 Fountainview, Houston, TX 77057

Parking: FREE and lots of it

CEO Members get in for free, general public pay small fee of $10.00 at the door – proceeds go towards helping our student organization www.uhceo.com. An organization at the University of Houston dedicated to nurture and help students start their own business while in school.

Any questions contact mohamedshogar@gmail.com or 281-235-7298

TiE Austin, TiE Houston, & TiE Dallas

Presents the TiE TEXAS FUNDING FORUM 2011

FAST TRACK TO INVESTORS

May 5th, 5-9 pm | Atrium, JJ Pickle Research Campus, Austin, TX

www.tietexasfundingforum.com

TiE Austin, TiE Houston and TiE Dallas proudly present The TiE Texas Funding Forum, an annual event where aspiring entrepreneurs have an opportunity to present [...]]]>

TiE Austin, TiE Houston, & TiE Dallas

Presents the TiE TEXAS FUNDING FORUM 2011

FAST TRACK TO INVESTORS

May 5th, 5-9 pm | Atrium, JJ Pickle Research Campus, Austin, TX

www.tietexasfundingforum.com

TiE Austin, TiE Houston and TiE Dallas proudly present The TiE Texas Funding Forum, an annual event where aspiring entrepreneurs have an opportunity to present business cases to angel investors and venture capitalists and receive funding for their brilliant ideas. This year, the event will be held in Austin, Texas on Thursday, May 5th, 2011.

Executive summaries will be reviewed by a small committee. Finalists will be notified by TiE and those selected will be given the opportunity to make a presentation to a team of Venture Capitalists, Angel Investors, Bankers, and others at the Funding Forum event on May 5th 2011.

Presenters will be required to put together a business plan presentation and elevator pitch. A TiE mentor will be assigned to work with you before the event.

This is the perfect event for entrepreneurs:

• Looking for funding
• Looking to get real-time feedback on strategy and vision from leading investors
• Looking for tools and means to position your product/service in the market
• Networking opportunity with established entrepreneurs, investors and corporate partners
• Coaching and advice on how to improve your business plan strategy
• Publicity of your company through the TiE website/email/Funding Forum

This event will be beneficial for all attendees, whether you are an entrepreneur, investor or a participant with an entrepreneurial spirit. This is a great opportunity to network with some of the best in the Texas entrepreneurial community and understand how a pitch is made, as well as what investors are looking for

Some Past TiE Texas Funding Forum Success Stories:

• The introduction between an investor and ESO Solutions at TiE Texas Funding Forum resulted in significant investment and subsequent success for the early stage company.

Investor comment: “We raised $1.5m in an A round with an additional $500K of debt financing. The company billed 38 new agencies, added 108 agencies more the next year and grew 2.5x in cash receipts.

• Fast Felt Corporation raised $500,000 after presenting at TiE Texas Funding Forum 2009
• Dallas based Whichbox Media, inked a strategic partnership with ChaiONE, a Taiwan based company after presenting at the TiE Texas Funding Forum.

Interested in becoming a participating company in the TiE Texas Funding Forum?

Go to www.tietexasfundingforum.com and submit your business plan for consideration.

All summaries must be received by April 17th, 2011 to be considered.  Early submissions are highly encouraged.

For further information contact TiE-Austin at ed.austin@austin.tie.org

Time

Friday, April 1 · 7:00pm – 11:30pm

The Coffee Groundz

2503 Bagby

Houston, TX

Technology Bytes Radio

It’s no joke! You are invited to attend the Technology Bytes monthly gathering/meet-up. We’ll be descending upon at The Coffee Groundz, located 2503 Bagby, in Houston, TX. The Coffee Groundz offers a diverse menu of coffees, teas, beers, wines and [...]]]>

Time

Friday, April 1 · 7:00pm – 11:30pm

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Location

The Coffee Groundz

2503 Bagby

Houston, TX

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Created By

Technology Bytes Radio

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More Info

It’s no joke! You are invited to attend the Technology Bytes monthly gathering/meet-up. We’ll be descending upon at The Coffee Groundz, located 2503 Bagby, in Houston, TX.
The Coffee Groundz offers a diverse menu of coffees, teas, beers, wines and most important of all, FOOD AND FREE WI-FI!!!.
This is an all ages event, so please bring your family and friends and enjoy an evening hanging out with the hosts of Technology Bytes along with many of… our friends and fans.
The event starts around 7:30 and goes until ?
You don’t have to be a geek to attend. Heck, you don’t even have to be a current listener of the show. This event is a casual meet-up for anyone interested in technology or social media in all its forms and a great opportunity to just hang out with like minded individuals.
The Geek Gathering has been happening the first Friday of the month since February of 2002 and is always a good time.
We hope to see you there!

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