UF Goes to Entrepreneurship Week

Stories from Sand Hill Road and KPCB

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:45:00 -0500

After our first couple of days hustling our way into startups, we had the good fortune to meet Randy Komisar at Kleiner Perkins’ office on Sand Hill Road. We’d hit the big time: from the sleek, exposed-beam ceilings to the plush leather conference room chairs - we’re not in startup offices anymore, Toto.

Adam and I are big fans of The Monk and the Riddle and were completely nervous and practically giddy to meet the author/ venture capitalist in person (Adam switched chairs 3 times). Randy came in and wasted no time welcoming us as old friends - quite generous of him, as our faces couldn’t mask our excitement in meeting our role-model.

Randy’s main message? He’s investing in disruptive technology… not business models.

KPCB looks for deals that need money to grow. He warns that big VC firms don’t give funding so entrepreneurs can “test” their idea.

Opportunities are in REAL innovation. He explained that he’s shyed away from Web 2.0 businesses, because the consumer web is not a game-changer. Mr. Komisar would prefer green businesses to social media platforms because there is more opportunity for dynamic change in the cleantech space.

Overall, Randy picks companies based on their impact and the usefulness of their product.

Randy, like many great entrepreneurs, is looking to change the world.

So, what advice can Mr. Komisar give to student entrepreneurs?

Go to work for a management team that you can learn from… it will come in handy when you you’re running your own company, so you will “know what you’re not doing”

Find an opportunity where you will have a mentor (someone you can learn from and who is interested in your personal growth)

Pick a company that has “Best Practices” — this falls back under #1. You want to see how successful companies ‘should’ run.

You want to work in a group where you’re not “siloed.” If you have the flexibility to work with different teams on different projects, you’ll learn more and constantly be challenged.

Most importantly, pick a company where you can relate to the product or service. Having a passion for your business is critical to your success and will provide you with a thrill everyday.

Exhausted after flying home on the red-eye but happy to be back...

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:04:25 -0500

Exhausted after flying home on the red-eye but happy to be back in sunny Florida!

Though our trip has come to a close - expect updates as we post the rest of our notes, pictures, and videos from Stanford EWeek!

Mint.com talk was a great “story of a startup.” ...

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 15:44:30 -0500

Adam rolled down a hill (in biz casual)

Mint aims to raise the US savings rate

Dinner at La Tacqueria

Mint.com talk was a great “story of a startup.” Amazed to hear that it was only 2.5 years from idea to exit. I’m sure they’ll continue to offer great services now that they’re part of the Intuit family.

Most revealing part was when he announced the goal of Mint.com was to increase the U.S. savings rate… and with the help of the recession, they did.

Lunch @ B-Stock Solutions and Mas Sake for dinner (Amazing!)

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:38:40 -0500

B-Stock Office

Tough game of ping pong. Adam lost.

Devouring rolls @ Mas Sake

Lunch @ B-Stock Solutions and Mas Sake for dinner (Amazing!)

They don’t have cubicles at Zazzle. Instead, they divide...

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:59:45 -0500

The workspace at Zazzle

Welcome to Zazzle

They don’t have cubicles at Zazzle. Instead, they divide their workspaces with customizable screens (so cool)!

Monday, Feb 22 A montage of the Social Media panel. It was a...

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:50:00 -0500

Social Media and Marketing Panel

MC Hammer, Robert Scoble, Loic Le Meur

MC Hammer rocks Stanford E-Week

Adam, Hammer and I at E-Week

Monday, Feb 22

A montage of the Social Media panel. It was a relief to hear that even the “experts” are still working it out.

Biggest hint for social media? Keep trying new things to see what works!

@ Stanford’s d.school, getting ready to hear from Dr....

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:49:52 -0500

Meaghan poses in front of the d.school

Dr. Rodrigo Jordan

@ Stanford’s d.school, getting ready to hear from Dr. Rodrigo Jordan on Leading High Performance Teams in Dynamic Environments.

Dr. Jordan stressed the importance of academic, business, social, and expedition experiences.

Interview with Gator Grad Sanjay - developing lead at social...

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 01:01:03 -0500

Interview with Gator Grad Sanjay - developing lead at social game startup Playdom …

Interview with Gator Grad Phil Freo about his recent move to the...

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:59:45 -0500

Interview with Gator Grad Phil Freo about his recent move to the Bay Area to join a new startup …

Office Tour at Zazzle in Redwood City ….

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:54:52 -0500

Office Tour at Zazzle in Redwood City ….

Dancing in downtown SF after our lunch at Google …

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:49:03 -0500

Dancing in downtown SF after our lunch at Google …

Grabbing breakfast at Buck’s in Woodside - en route to...

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:40:14 -0500

Grabbing breakfast at Buck’s in Woodside - en route to meet Randy Komisar at Kleiner Perkins

Our second interview with Howard Rosenberg, CEO of startup...

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:35:48 -0500

Our second interview with Howard Rosenberg, CEO of startup B-Stock Solutions discusses working at a startup and what makes the Valley a special place to start a company

Talk of the Town?

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:34:00 -0500

Who were the social media studs that everyone was talking about at Stanford’s E-Week?

Scott Monty

Head of Social Media for Ford, tech junkies are all buzzing about Scott and his drive to reinvent and personalize Ford’s brand.

Tony Hsieh

Tony seems to be at the front of everybody’s thoughts these days. Well-respected for developing the core values of Zappos, Tony is leading brand engagement and corporate transparency.

Seth Godin

This best-selling author has popularized the ideas of “engagement” that many social media evangelists are preaching. He’s been featured at the TED Conference and his book, Tribes, is a bible for many new media marketers. Audible offers the audiobook for free. (I didn’t believe it either, but it’s true!)

Our first interview with Silicon Valley Gators’, J Bryan...

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:32:04 -0500

Our first interview with Silicon Valley Gators’, J Bryan Scott, Project Manager at Playdom discusses his thoughts on working at a startup.

Some shots outside of Playdom in Mountain View. More...

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:30:38 -0500

Some shots outside of Playdom in Mountain View. More information from our interview with Sanjay and JBS later …

Rodrigo Jordan, the first Chilean to climb Mt. Everest,...

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:29:57 -0500

Rodrigo Jordan, the first Chilean to climb Mt. Everest, discusses leadership under pressure.

Building Brands with Social Media Tools

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:10:00 -0500

Social Media in Marketing — this last-minute add was the highlight of this year’s Entrepreneurship Week events. A panel discussion conducted by Robert Scoble of RackSpace and the Scobleizer, Loic Le Meur, and THE MC Hammer focused on building your personal and professional brand with new media tools.

If you were even conscious during the early 90s, then you would probably be psyched to see MC Hammer. I sure was… and so was Stanford. The Bishop Auditorium was packed and buzzing waiting for Hammer (as he’s known around the Valley) to arrive. The big question on everyone’s mind? Will he wear the parachute pants?!

The event started out with a speech by the Stanford GSB’s Dean, Garth Saloner, who stressed the importance (and the difficulty) of finding a voice online. He segued to Robert Scoble, a popular blogger based in Silicon Valley. Scoble and friends focused on the uses of Facebook, Twitter, Google Buzz, and personal blogs as the primary platforms in enhancing your social media portfolio.

Scoble gave a great analogy for anyone trying to wrap their head around the fast growing space that is social media…

It’s as if you were to double pennies. If offered $100,000 or to take a penny that would double every day for a month, which would you take? If you take the penny, you stand to gain much more value. However, most people won’t see it’s value of this opportunity until about day 20. That’s how innovation works — sometimes the idea is too fresh and people can’t see the value of the concept until much farther down the line. ((To see the math, click here.))

Shame on us for not being more familiar with Scoble and Le Meur. They gave some great tips for those trying to cultivate their online presence. For building credibility and expert status on social media platforms, Scoble suggested that you (1) Watch key people, (2) see what they’re interested in, (3) assert what they’d like to have shared with them and share it!

Loic Le Meur’s hints were specifically targeted at getting people engaged with your business. He says that he would “rather have criticism than to have no one talking aobut your brand.” Even in a crisis, he recommends answering every bit of criticism.

People want to hear from real people. As part of developing your voice, it may be helpful to be casual and open, answering real questions in a very personal way. This will keep your customers and fans feeling a personal connection to your brand. Similarly, you need to continue to identify your biggest fans. Make them feel loved and empowered (by knowing their feedback is heard and valued)… and a little bit of swag never hurt!

Then came Hammer… He opened with: “Can’t Tweet This.” And the laughter erupted. For those of you who had assumed that Hammer had crawled into a dark hole after his pop hits, you couldn’t be more wrong. He’s been tied in to Silicon Valley, performing last year at Google’s Xmas party, meeting and advising YouTube, and starting his own host of businesses from Fashion blogs to support his musical stylings to an online “Citizen Journalism” platform.

Hammer said he’s focusing on “recommendation” features as the new trend is that “recommendation is going to go further than headline reading.” Additionally, he advised the audience on using the Blogspot platform, which he uses because it returns results higher up in the Google algorithm than other blog hosting websites. The crowd hung on his every word, and were just excited to see that he wasn’t still suffering from his over-publicized bankruptcy.

Our gurus confessed that to be effective in the space, a user needs to be engaged 24 hours a day — on all platforms — a difficult task considering the incompatibility of various platforms. (I find this to be difficult unless it’s how you make your living as Scoble and Le Meur do… side note: that day Adam and I lost ALL power in ALL our electronics!)

If trying out social media tools, Le Meur stressed patience. These tools are new to existence and new to society. It’s going to take a while, both individually and socially, to work out all the kinks.

Some shots of us while running around Stanford during the...

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:51:00 -0500

Some shots of us while running around Stanford during the breaks.

Aaron Forth, VP of Product at Mint.com discussing branding and...

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:37:00 -0500

Aaron Forth, VP of Product at Mint.com discussing branding and starting a business in a recession at Stanford E-Week