Guest Author Mitch Berman’s ZillionTV is financed. If you want to know what the stealth mode ZillionTV is doing, reading Mitch’s posts below may give you a clue. But hopefully, it won’t tell all.
* Interview with Mitch Berman
* IPTV: Next-Gen Television?
* IPTV, Next-Gen Television: The Operators
* IPTV, Next-Gen Television: The Box
* IPTV, Next-Gen Television: Internet TV
The Internet is changing the content business dramatically, and in this story, we will explore the casual gaming industry through the eyes of entrepreneur John Welch, a gaming industry veteran, who hopes to build a brand as high-impact as Electronic Arts in video gaming, through his venture PlayFirst. I met John a long time ago through the MIT alumni association, and his venture capitalist for PlayFirst is also a common friend of ours, Gus Tai, of Trinity Ventures, also an MIT alum. I promise though, that this will not be a MIT lovefest.
SM: Please describe your personal background.
JW: I grew up in suburban Western Massachusetts, which offered a lot of space as compared to the Bay Area. I was either running around outside or playing with Legos or video games. I loved to swim and ski on both water and snow. We lived in the halo of two world-class cities, Boston and New York. We never went to NYC when I was a kid, but loving the Red Sox and hating the Yankees was a way of life. The Red Sox 2004 World Series victory and the three Patriots Super Bowls were incredible for Massachusetts; we waited a long time to win at a sport we didn’t invent! (Basketball was invented a few miles from where I was born in Springfield, MA.) Read the full article »
The WSJ reports that eBay has quietly opened its classifieds site, Kijiji (what a lousy name!) to the US audience, positioned to compete against the wildly popular Craigslist, in which it owns a 25% stake.
One wonders why eBay doesn’t just buy Craigslist; the answer to that question is that Craigslist’s founder, Craig Newmark, has no desire to sell. Read the full article »
[N R Narayan Murthy, chief mentor and chairman of the board, Infosys Technologies, delivered a pre-commencement lecture at the New York University ( Stern School of Business) on May 9. It is a scintillating speech, Murthy speaks about the lessons he learnt from his life and career.]
Dean Cooley, faculty, staff, distinguished guests, and, most importantly, the graduating class of 2007, it is a great privilege to speak at your commencement ceremonies.
I thank Dean Cooley and Prof Marti Subrahmanyam for their kind invitation. I am exhilarated to be part of such a joyous occasion. Congratulations to you, the class of 2007, on completing an important milestone in your life journey.
After some thought, I have decided to share with you some of my life lessons. I learned these lessons in the context of my early career struggles, a life lived under the influence of sometimes unplanned events which were the crucibles that tempered my character and reshaped my future.
I would like first to share some of these key life events with you, in the hope that these may help you understand my struggles and how chance events and unplanned encounters with influential persons shaped my life and career. Read the full article »
According to Vipin Jain, CEO, Retrevo “is a web service that helps consumers with shopping and support of tech products. Retrevo is your trusted advisor throughout the lifecycle ownership of tech products, from education, research, deals, price comparison, getting the best out of the products you bought, accessorizing, using, fixing issues to servicing your products. Retrevo is the only company that helps consumers before and after“. [You can read Vipin's interview here to get the business story of this company.]
The Before is obvious, and similar to what we have seen in Wize and TheFind. You look for a product, research features, shop for the best prices, and make a final buying decision. It is the After that I find interesting in the case of Retrevo, which is also their key differentiator. Read the full article »
By Dominique Trempont, Guest Author
In 1815, Napoleon began building up his army in preparation for an invasion of Belgium.
His goal was to capture Brussels. He wanted to divide the British, Prussian, Belgian and Dutch armies before defeating them separately, forcing Wellington’s army to retreat back to the Belgian coast in the west and the Prussians, headed by Blücher, to retreat to the east. He was ready to attack on June 15, 1815.
Three days later, against all odds, Napoleon lost the battle of Waterloo. Read the full article »
By Dominique Trempont, Guest Author
Why do strategies fail? How do CEOs ensure that things they want done get done?
Most of the time, strategies fail because they are not executed well. It is because there is a gap between what the CEO wants to achieve and the ability and priorities of his or her organization to execute.
I have seen organizations that seem incredibly busy and, yet, when you compare what the organization is busy with, it sometimes has very little to do with corporate strategy execution. Sometimes this is due to the fact that the strategy calls for a different DNA in the organization. Sometimes, it can be due to the wrong people in the wrong jobs. Sometimes, it is the result of unclear communication. Sometimes, organizations second guess the CEO and the strategy, and focus on what is, in their mind, the “right” stuff.
Whatever the cause, this is a symptom of cancer in a company.
How, to quote Scott McNealy, does a CEO “align the arrowheads”? Read the full article »
By Dominique Trempont, Guest Author
A brand is the emotional vibration between a company and its customers. That vibration is about establishing trust that customers should expect a consistent experience with the products and services of a company.
An example of that emotional vibration is Jaguar, at least in the 1950s and 1960s. Read the full article »
