A start-up company’s challenge to find its first paying customers can be daunting enough. The challenges grow exponentially for a company that requires early-stage capital from angel groups or venture capital funds. This article provides guidance for entrepreneurs who are trying to navigate the early-stage funding roadmap.
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ENTERPRISE-CLASS SECURITY ON A BUDGET
By Tom Ruffolo, president, eSecurityToGo
It is becoming common knowledge that implementing strong security for businesses is an increasingly important investment. What might not be known is that the same high level of security that enterprise size companies purchase is generally available and priced economically for small and medium businesses.
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For more about Security on a Budget, watch for the Technology Council’s upcoming event to be held in Costa Mesa this November. Register today for this instructive evening!
TAMING THE COST OF THE MARKETING BEAST
By Phil Becker, managing partner, The Venture Group
As we all know, marketing programs can be expensive. In some cases, marketing efforts can become VERY expensive. But that does not have to be the case. While marketing will never be free, with some careful planning and a focused implantation, a marketing program can be very effective without putting a sizable dent in your balance sheet and income statements.
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The Marketing Special Interest Group of the Technology Council will be addressing this topic in depth at their November dinner meeting in Santa Monica. So, if you are interested in reigning in you marketing budget, yet still keeping productivity high, please register now to join us on November 8 to learn more about “Marketing on a Shoestring.”
WHAT’S HIDING IN YOUR BACKUP TAPES?
The Use Of Electronic Evidence In Litigation
By Vito A. Costanzo, partner, Holland & Knight LLP
Laura Zubulake was an equities trader for banking giant UBS Warburg making a substantial salary when she accused her supervisor of gender bias. She alleged in her lawsuit that she was belittled in front of co-workers by her boss. By the time the jury had finished its deliberations in her case, she had obtained a verdict of $29.1 million in compensatory and punitive damages. The staggering nature of this verdict and the attention that her case has received was the result of the fact that UBS had been unable to produce all of the back-up tapes in its possession, as ordered by the judge.
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IBM’S EYES AND EARS TO EMERGING MARKET OPPORTUNITIES
By Drew Clark, co-founder and director of strategy, IBM Venture Capital Group
Some of the most innovative IT thinking isn’t occurring in global, Fortune 500 companies—it’s occurring in once far off places like Shanghai, Bangalore, and Dublin. It's clear that the pipelines to fuel innovation exist in emerging geographies as much as they do in Silicon Valley. There's no reason why innovation should be any less compelling in Shanghai than in San Jose. What is often difficult, however, is connecting developers in these emerging GEOs with established players.
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TAKING YOUR BUSINESS ABROAD
PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Growing Your Business
Careful advance planning that takes into account tax and accounting considerations could help companies planning to do business abroad avoid costly mistakes.
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