StartupCafe

Tuesday 20th July: Launch Lab, 9am at Renroc (89-91 Montgomery St)

The Launch Lab is a weekly session geared toward anyone who owns or is starting their own business. A highly varied group of energetic, intelligent people gather to exchange ideas, share critiques and encouragement, and feed each others’ vitality. At the beginning of most sessions there is a presentation on any aspect of entrepeneurship; thereafter we discuss the talk then get down to the business of networking, gossiping, and drinking coffee.

Tuesday 20th July: .CO Domain Names Go on Sale!

Think .co is going to make it big? FYI if you want to register your startup’s domain name on .co, or if you want to try for some cool .co web addresses, today’s the first day you can buy them for normal prices. So far I’ve seen £18.99/year on Fasthosts, but holler if you find a better deal!

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This post comes from Rachel Lane at Blonde digital agency:

I love Mashable. I track them on Facebook, Twitter, by RSS, email and even Google Buzz. I have the Mashable app on my iPhone. Described as a “social media news blog”, I think they go way beyond this and cover all the interesting ways that technology and digital media is being socialised.

Mashable will be five years old on 27th July this year and are looking to organise a particularly interesting monthly “meet-up”. Though there is a meet-up listed for Edinburgh (http://www.meetup.com/Mashable/-1087299/), there is no registered interest and no organiser at present. (more…)

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This post comes from Rachel Lane at Blonde digital agency:

I love Mashable. I track them on Facebook, Twitter, by RSS, email and even Google Buzz. I have the Mashable app on my iPhone. Described as a “social media news blog”, I think they go way beyond this and cover all the interesting ways that technology and digital media is being socialised.

Mashable will be five years old on 27th July this year and are looking to organise a particularly interesting monthly “meet-up”. Though there is a meet-up listed for Edinburgh (http://www.meetup.com/Mashable/-1087299/), there is no registered interest and no organiser at present. (more…)

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Tuesday 6th July: Launch Lab – Pitch & Photo Session, 9am at Picture This (65 Brunswick Road)

The Launch Lab is a weekly session geared toward anyone who owns or is starting their own business. A highly varied group of energetic, intelligent people gather to exchange ideas, share critiques and encouragement, and feed each others’ vitality. This week 3 attendees will have a chance to practice pitching their business, getting helpful feedback on the pitch or even the idea itself. There will also be a photo shoot to make use of the venue, so get affordable product shots or business pics if you need em! How’s that for multi-tasking?

Thursday, 8th July: The Pitch 2010, 10am-4pm at Royal College of Physicians (Queen St)

The Pitch 2010’s live, one-day Edinburgh conference is aimed at start-up and small business owners, tackling the issues that matter to Scottish entrepreneurs, providing practical advice and insight. The event will offer Scottish entrepreneurs the chance to hear from people who have worked their way from start-up to success, and continue to do so despite the currently challenging economic climate. The is a one-off opportunity to network with fellow entrepreneurs and gather insight from some of the people who have been there and done it.

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The TechCrunch Europe Summer Pitch Battle is going down on the evening of 14th July in London, and we’re rooting for you. Yes, you. The event is open to anyone, and the first round entails a 60 second zero-Powerpoint pitch about your project or startup. From there, 7 or so pitchees will be selected to elaborate with a 3 minute slides-backed presentation, and one winner will be crowned.

Now, how awesome would it be to have a Scottish startup scoop up the glory? The World Cup may not have been our best stage, but I have a good feeling about this one. At the very least, you can get down there and get in the game and/or go cheer for fellow Scottish startup clansmen. Tickets are decently priced at £30 (note: full refund if you’re chosen for a 3 minute pitch) and can be booked here. (more…)

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Tuesday 22nd June: Launch Lab – Coaching Session, 9am at Renroc (89 Montgomery St)

The Launch Lab is a weekly session geared toward anyone who owns or is starting their own business. A highly varied group of energetic, intelligent people gather to exchange ideas, share critiques and encouragement, and feed each others’ vitality. Each week features a short talk at the beginning to kick things off, followed by general discussions and networking. This week freelance writer and coach Jane Adams’ short presentation will explain a basic and widely used coaching model and will give you a chance to try it out.

Tuesday 22nd June: Mobile User Experience, 6:30pm at Microsoft Offices (2-4 Waterloo Place)

As the products we create become more complex and rely on an increasing number of screens and platforms, accurately communicating the intended design to programmers and other stakeholders is becoming increasingly important… and challenging. This presentation will discuss the challenges inherent in communicating the user experience throughout an organisation using only wireframes and other paper based documents. With a particular focus on mobile devices, Bryan Rieger and Stephanie Rieger will present ways to rethink prototyping and better communicate, test, and iterate ideas. £10 for non-members, £5 for students and free for Usability Professionals’ Association members. Pay at the door. (more…)

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