How J2Mac.com helps individuals, small businesses and enterprises leverage the power of the Mac platform… and shift to Google Apps
October 29, 2009
Jonathan Marcus runs a very interesting Mac-centric consulting firm, J2Mac.com. He and his team work with individuals, small business and enterprises and non-profits. Jonathan is also expanding his range of services to help companies embrace Google Apps. Here’s the interview…
SATAI Announces $8.65 Million in ETF Investment in Five San Antonio Area Companies
July 16, 2009
We seem to be on a bit of a funding role around here in these parts…..
SATAI and the South Texas Regional Center of Innovation and Commercialization (STRCIC) announced investments totaling $8.65 million in five area companies through the Texas Emerging Technology Fund (ETF).
Texas State Sen. Jeff Wentworth, City of San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, Bexar County Commissioner Kevin Wolff, City of San Antonio City Manager Sheryl Sculley, and other San Antonio City representatives participated in a press conference and ceremonial disbursements yesterday at the Plaza Club in San Antonio.
“Texas is the best state in the nation to live, work and do business, and the ETF is helping supercharge our technology environment by bringing Texans’ good ideas and hard work to the marketplace,” Gov. Perry said. “These five investments demonstrate the broad range of our state’s diverse industries, and will help develop, market and commercialize these innovative technologies.”
“Nurturing innovation and creating businesses locally is a critical component of our economic development strategy. SATAI’s focus on technology commercialization and funding is a big driver of this growth. The ETF’s investment in these companies located in Bexar County is evidence of the steep technology economic development trajectory we are on,” Judge Wolff said. “Bexar County stands out in the nation as an attractive area for businesses to startup, expand or relocate.”
“You may remember that the first successful sale of an ETF funded company in the state occurred right here in San Antonio. Today the money generated by that liquidity event is being reinvested again, right here in San Antonio,” said Jim Poage, President and CEO of the SATAI and the STRCIC. “The latest investments by the ETF demonstrate Bexar County and the larger South Texas region have a burgeoning startup community that outside investors take note of. This is particularly true of the Life Sciences and Hi Tech sectors which are seeing the largest growth.”
Since 2006, the ETF has invested more than $28 million in companies and institutions in San Antonio, Bexar County and South Texas. “The current pipeline of new companies looking for funding in the area is robust and extremely exciting,” said Poage. “We are always looking for good technology companies that we can help.”
The ETF award recipients are:
AdviTech, Inc.: $2.5 million investment to commercialize products for spatial disorientation
AdviTech is a leader in providing physiological-centric solutions to the impairments of Spatial Disorientation, Vertigo and Motion Sickness, commonly experienced in the environments of aviation, vehicular travel, and recreation. The investment will allow AdviTech to start commercialization of a unique Vertigo and Motion Sickness solving technology.
American Stem Cell, Inc. (ASC): $2.5 million investment to commercialize a treatment to improve the success of cord blood stem cell transplants
ASC is a biopharmaceutical company developing an enzyme treatment for cord blood stem cells to enhance their homing and engraftment to target diseased organs, accelerate cell and organ regeneration and improve survival and quality of life outcomes for patients. This investment will enable Phase I/II clinical trials.
Bio2Medical: $1 million investment to commercialize a novel vena cava filter catheter (CVFC)
Bio2Medical is a medical device development company. Funding will allow the company to develop the ”Angel” VCFC to help critically ill patients at risk of developing pulmonary embolism.
Enthuze: $1.65 million investment to commercialize a social operating system for datamining social networks
Enthuze is a disruptive consumer research company which is developing new research methodologies, tools and a next generation social networking platform.
Pronucleotein: $1 million investment to commercialize a suite of products for rapid onsite food safety testing
Pronucleotein is a biotech company developing synthetic DNA aptamer sequences and conjugates to provide novel solutions to food safety needs. Funding will commercialize fluorescent assays to be used with a portable hand-held detection device for real-time, rapid on-site detection of pathogens, such as E. coli and Salmonella in food and water in as little as 15 minutes after sampling.
Congratulations to our local companies and the leadership at SATAI / STRCIC for their guidance and counsel in helping facilitate the funding and growth of innovation and intellectual capital in San Antonio.
Ya’all Rock!
Salesby5’s Nan Palmero Writes About Keeping Priorities - Worth Over $400,00.00
June 14, 2009
By Nan Palmero
Most people have heard this story, but it is worth repeating because the information is as relevant for startups today as it was in the early 1900’s.
Ivy Lee called on Charles Schwab offering to help him manage the Bethlehem Steel Company better. Schwab was used to offers like this and flatly responded that he wasn’t “managing as well as I know how.” He offered to pay Ivy anything he asked if he would teach him how to take action on the things he already knew he needed to do.
Ivy pulled out a 3×5 sheet and said to write down the six most important tasks he needed to do tomorrow and to number them in order of importance. The next day, Schwab was to start at the top and work his way down the list, checking it every 15 minutes to make sure he was doing what he was supposed to be doing. Ivy explained that if he didn’t complete his tasks in this fashion, he wouldn’t be able to complete them anyway. A few weeks later, Schwab sent Ivy a check for $25,000 with a note saying it was the most profitable monetary lesson he had ever learned. Using this tactic, Schwab personally made $100 million dollars and became the most recognized steel mogul of his era.
With inflation, that $25,000 in 1916 would be worth $482,057.34 at the end of 2007! With the constant connection of emails, Twitter and smartphones, Sales by 5 has modified the top 6 into the Top 3 Daily Priorities.
Have everyone at your startup begin the day with the top 3 daily priorities and don’t move to #2 until #1 is complete and so on.
You always have 3 priorities.
2009 Texas Venture Capital and Private Equity Directory Now Available
May 28, 2009
Massinvestor just announced its 2009 Texas Venture Capital and Private Equity Directory, which profiles more than 250 Venture Capital and Private Equity firms with offices in Texas.
This newly revised and updated edition includes more than thirty additional firms not published in the 2008 Directory including Capital Factory, Elm Creek Partners, Gideon Hixon Fund, PlumTree Partners, Treadstone Partners and dozens more.
While many professionals are familiar with some of the more prominent local investment names - Austin Ventures, CenterPoint, Texas Pacific, Lone Star Ventures, Sevin Rosen - it may be surprising to know there are more than 250 Venture Capital and Private Equity firms with offices in Texas.
In addition to covering all Texas Venture Capitalists, the directory includes profiles of local Private Equity firms (Growth, LBO, Mezzanine, etc.), Incubators, prominent Angel investors, Family Investment offices, Merchant Banks, Fund of Funds, and Economic Development offices; more than 250 firms in total.
According to a recent PriceWaterhouseCoopers MoneyTree survey, Texas ranks as the number three state in terms of Venture Capital activity. In the first quarter of 2009, Texas saw $156 million in Venture financing invested across 24 deals.
The Directory is sold exclusively through the website: www.massinvestor.com. The Directory includes an eBook (a complete electronic version of the printed Directory in an easy-to-use PDF format), as well as an interactive Excel spreadsheet containing the contact information (including email addresses) of more than five hundred, individual Texas Venture Capital and Private Equity investors.
Salesby5’s Erik Darmstetter, Advises on Having a True Purpose in Your Startup
May 14, 2009
By Erik Darmstetter, Salesby5
When you’re building any company or an organization, having a true purpose is a fundamental driver that will get future employees on board as well as help keep you on a successful path. This purpose is the why you do what you do and not how or what. If it is to make money then you have no real real purpose for keeping people or recruiting people on your team as getting a paycheck is a commodity.
Purpose is the reason to get up in the morning and do what you do every day to help benefit others with your product or service. The importance of have real purpose versus something that sounds good is that customers or employees can tell if your culture or your behaviors do not match what your said purpose is or REAL Vs. FAKE!
Our purpose at Salesby5 is to inspire others. We talk of inspiration often, as it has so much to do with sales. One of the stars on our team is Kya, who is our Brand Evangelist. She has radar that picks out “REAL.”
She has a unique strength to know if someone is sincere (real) or fake in seconds, where most are about 100 times slower. Why does this matter? She can pick off someone trying to get a date, sell copier toner or attempting to get in your wallet faster than my computer can get an Internet connection.
Tomorrow’s success is today’s real. This is why we fire customers who are rude, lie or don’t pay when they say they will pay. This is why we do not take a customer or vendor who we do not feel has the REAL Win-Win attitude versus just WIN. We need to feel good about making them prosper or there are plenty of others.
A few thoughts on being real regarding sales:
- If you have to remember your pitch: Fail
- If you can’t remember the prospects problems and your opportunities: Fail
- If you remember a client’s child’s name because you care: REAL!
- If you remember they love Papouli’s Greek Grill’s Mediterranean Salad for lunch on Thursdays: REAL!
The point: Get real or get a new purpose. Today is about transparency and about being real. Fake billboards or sales pitches that leave me wondering don’t work anymore. Do you need some REAL in your life?
Frost & Sullivan to Join SATAI Advisory Committee
May 7, 2009
Being based in San Antonio, and having Frost & Sullivan in town should be a big help to SATAI (the San Antonio Technology Accelerator Initiative) now that they are joining its committee of technologists, investors, entrepreneurs and professional organizations that provide a 360 degree review of business plans for technology-based companies seeking funding and guidance.
You take the collective brain power of Frost & Sullivan, marry it with some very smart and pre-qualified entrepreneurs in the making, and you have the potential to help accelerate the chances of getting it right with your vision by getting a reality check with one of the best market research firms in the world.
SATAI fosters economic development in South Texas by fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. Once per quarter, SATAI presents an opportunity for start-up companies to present their business plans, products, and models to a group of experts who decide if the company should proceed to the next level of funding and development or continue in consultation with SATAI or their network of experts to re-tool the plan and make it more attractive to investors in successive funding opportunities.
My take is that SATAI has really evolved into serving as the South Texas portal of the $200 million Texas Emerging Technology Fund and also manages the South Texas Angel Network to provide channels to additional funding.
As a partner with SATAI, Frost & Sullivan will help assess the viability of companies’ business plans and offer guidance for entrepreneurs. Frost & Sullivan’s consultants will have the opportunity to review entrepreneurs’ business plans, confirm that the company is ready to proceed to another funding level, and/or suggest the changes necessary to transform into growing businesses.
PodCamp San Antonio 3.0 Happens Saturday, May 16. Register Today!
May 3, 2009
PodCamp is a great way to not just learn about Podcasting. It’s a way to surround yourself with the best and brightest in our community who are breaking ground and disrupting traditional media.
Highly recommended. And thank you Jennifer and Luis for making this happen!
| Time: May 16, 2009 all day Location: El Tropicano Hotel Organized By: Jennifer Navarrete & the San Antonio Podcasters Event Description:
Sign up to attend the Premier Camp event in San Antonio. This is the event that kicked off all of the Camp phenomenon in the Alamo City Podcamp San Antonio is being held May 16, 2009 at the El Tropicano Hotel on the Riverwalk. It’s an UnConference, meaning that its a conference organized in an ad-hoc manner for everyone to attend and participate. Attendees create the sessions which are held in an open and conversational manner. If you’ve never been to a Camp before, get prepared to for one of the best learning experiences of your lives! There are no keynote speakers or rigidly defined schedules. Anyone with something to contribute or with the desire to learn is welcome and invited to join. That means YOU! Want to learn more about podcasting, blogging, online video and social networking? Then Podcamp San Antonio is the place to be! We are planning for a crowd of the most plugged-in, most active bloggers, podcasters, video and new social media folks from all around Texas. Register now for this free “Learn, Share, Grow” event: Feel free to check out the blog to get the latest updates: In addition to all of the connections you’ll make and knowledge you’ll gain, you will also receive a t-shirt and badge. Wear these with pride to show the world you were at PodCamp San Antonio 3.0! Feel free to share this with your friends, co-workers and family. |
Espimedia Continues to Break New Ground in News Reporting and Broadcast Media
April 26, 2009
San Antonio’s Patricio Espinoza is a traditional broadcast news journalist that is breaking ground in developing innovative and original programming and production. Of late, he’s been spearheading coverage of the San Antonio’s Mayoral race with his SA4Mayor.com site. He was able to bring together the leading candidates and held a town hall meeting that was well received and well participated. Aside from his role at Espimedia, Patricio works with leading networks acting as their local freelance reporter / producer for breaking news, including this one on a local family being affected by Swine Flu.
If You Have An Interest in Online Video, Be Sure To Register for VMX- Video Marketing Expo
April 20, 2009
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The Perfect Dwelling and Workspace for your Startup: Urban High Rise Living Now A Reality in San Antonio
April 11, 2009
About every six months, Ed Cross and I sit down for breakfast at the Olmos Pharmacy to compare notes on business, economic trends and the changing landscape here in San Antonio. For the last 2 years, I have been keeping tabs on his dream of creating a very unique and very cool urban high rise known as The Vistana.
When you stand right in front of the building, you’d think you are in mid-town Manhattan or a very cool building in San Francisco or Portland. Ed made sure that having a cool place to live (and possibly work) had the right amenities and architectural characteristics that made The Vistana the premier downtown address for urban rental living.
The Vistana offers studios, one and two bedrooms, one and two bedroom loft-style penthouses and an amazing 3,500 square foot, three bedroom / 2 level Tower Suite that goes for $7,000 per month. Part of attracting young, smart people to San Antonio is having places like The Vistana available to not only rent, but are wired for living and working. Ed decided to go with AT&T’s U-verse IPTV service which makes his building the first residential, multi-dwelling unit that is based on AT&T’s all IP platform.
Here’s my interview with Ed and his tour…
The Vistana / San Antonio’s First Urban High Rise Apartment from Alan Weinkrantz on Vimeo.