Next Generation Advertising

A blog reader pointed me at the new JWP creative ads that are up on The Huffington Post web site. I think they are absolutely brilliant, although Amy suggested that the Scruffs ad was simply an excuse for pornography. It’s pretty wild what you can end up when you don’t have to worry about the FCC.

June 21, 2006 · 1 min

better code == better business blog

One of my portfolio companies – Klocwork – has started a blog called g2zero: better code = better business in conjunction with New Rowley – a technology research and analysis company. If you are a software developer or a business person who cares about software quality, take a look. A similar blog – On Be(come)ing Agile – run by Rally Software (another portfolio company) – on Agile software development – has been well received. 

June 21, 2006 · 1 min

Online Mapping Problems in Boulder

My buddy Ryan McIntyre – who is in the process of moving to Boulder – gives a great example of an issue with our friendly neighborhood online mapping services and then goes deep to understand what is actually going on and where the problem comes from. He also describes the obvious unintended side effect – one that I personally experienced last week in Connecticut when my driver was relying on Yahoo Maps for directions to my meeting.

June 21, 2006 · 1 min

When Does An Entrepreneur Need "Experienced Help"

A blog reader who I know and have worked with in the past asked me the following question: I was interested in your thoughts on when entrepreneurs realize they need experienced help and have taken the company as far as they can, when they let go, when they stay too long and the real smart ones that know when to bring someone like me in early and work with me instead of fighting against me.

June 21, 2006 · 3 min

This Is Really, Really Fucking Brilliant

One of my favorite words is “fuck” – I’ve always viewed it as one of the most versatile words in the human language. My mom used to cringe whenever I said it – now she just smirks at me. Imagine my delight when I came across a scholary paper titled “Fuck” by Christopher Fairman of the Ohio State University – Michael Moritz College of Law. Fairman’s paper is phenomenal. In his words, his goal with the paper is as follows:

June 19, 2006 · 3 min

Term Sheet: Compelled Sale Right

Every now and then I run into a new VC term in a term sheet that I’ve never seen before. My legs tremble with excitement as I stare at the words to dissect what they mean. On Friday, a long time friend sent me the following new and exciting term. Compelled Sale Right: So long as VC (together with its permitted transferees) continues to hold at least 10% of the outstanding common shares (on an as-converted basis), and so long as an IPO has not been completed, then, at any time from and after the seventh anniversary of the transaction, if VC or the Company shall receive a bona fide offer from an unaffiliated third party to purchase 100% of the equity of the Company, VC shall have the right to cause each other stockholder to sell such stockholder’s equity securities on the same terms and conditions applicable to VC.

June 19, 2006 · 2 min

Another Boulder Company Acquired – Tucows buys NetIdentity

Last Thursday, Tucows announced that it was buying Boulder’s NetIdentity. At a deal value of over $20m, it’s healthy for a company with only 10 employees, although my understanding is that NetIdentity was very profitable. Four other Boulder software companies have been bought in the past few months – @Last (Google), Vexcel (Microsoft), Wall Street on Demand (Goldman Sachs), and Micro Analysis & Design (Alion). I sense opportunities for luxury goods retailers in the Boulder County area.

June 19, 2006 · 1 min

A Perfect Sunday for Father's Day

I got to spend Father’s Day with my dad. We’re sitting at my dining room table, laptop to laptop, while I help him out with his blog. There was a priceless cartoon in the most recent New Yorker that shows two kids walking down the street with one saying to the other, “For Father’s Day, I’m giving my dad an hour of free tech support.” Daniel (and all the other fathers out there) – happy father’s day to you also.

June 18, 2006 · 1 min

Jack Bauer and John Rain In Print

On my trip last week, I tried a few times to read Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth but just couldn’t get into on the road. So – I gobbled down Barry Eisler’s new John Rain book (The Last Assassin) and the new 24 book (24 Declassified: Operation Hell Gate). Both were awesome and helped pass the time on a couple of the flights where my brain was baked but I didn’t feel like sleeping.

June 17, 2006 · 2 min