From Semiconductors to Green Power: Borrego CEO Mike Hall (Part 4)

SM: What was the process of finding your mentors?

MH: There is a group in San Diego called the Chairman’s Roundtable. Semi-retired business leaders volunteer their time. They only work with companies with over $10 million in revenue and want to grow. >>>

From Semiconductors to Green Power: Borrego CEO Mike Hall (Part 3)

SM: How long were you able to take advantage of the beneficial AdWords pricing?

MH: Within four or five months people started realizing that Borrego Solar was advertising there so they figured they should, too. >>>

Social Apps vs. Social Games

By Guest Author Saad Fazil

After reviewing social gaming companies, I move on to RockYou and LivingSocial — two very successful companies in the social applications space — to find out more about the similarities and differences between social games and apps. >>>

Forbes Column 2009: Venture Capital: Get Back To Basics

Zero-In this week focuses on the future of venture capital, suggesting a return to old-fashioned ideas and assumptions. Read it here.

From Semiconductors to Green Power: Borrego CEO Mike Hall (Part 2)

SM: So you had a perspective for your search for a green economy job.

MH: Exactly. It’s funny because in 2001, my brother and the original founder of Borrego Solar had re-incorporated the company and moved it to San Diego where they tried to grow the business. >>>

Entrepreneur Journeys Book Review: Starting Small, Making It Big

Thomas “Duffbert” Duff posts another good review: “Mitra structures Entrepreneur Journeys: Bootstrapping: Weapon of Mass Reconstruction as a series of interviews with people who have started businesses and willingly (or unwillingly) went without massive funding for the first part of their histories. >>>

Deal Radar 2009: SharesPost

It’s a problem that is not going to go away any time soon: How to make private equity liquid? SharesPost, a marketplace that connects buyers and sellers of private equity and automates the sale of private company stock, is one company offering a solution. Currently operating in public beta, the company was founded by Greg Brogger, who has spent his career in the private equity world. The Santa Monica, California-based company was founded as a means to address the economic crisis, which has made initial public offerings and mergers and acquisitions rare. >>>

From Semiconductors to Green Power: Borrego CEO Mike Hall (Part 1)

Mike Hall serves as CEO and board member for Borrego Solar Systems, Inc. Mike has been with Borrego Solar since 2002. Prior to joining the company, he worked as a product development engineer for Applied Materials in Santa Clara. He holds a MS in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University and a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University California, Santa Barbara.

SM: Tell us a bit about yourself. Where did you grow up and where do you come from?

MH: I grew up in San Diego. I had a pretty normal childhood and was an athlete in high school. I went to college at University of California, Santa Barbara. >>>