One of the earliest tasks of any startup is deciding on a name. Naming your company has some serious considerations: can it be trademarked? is the domain name available? what do people think of when they hear the name? and more importantly, can you live with “Hi, I’m [your name] and I’m the CEO/CTO/COO of [your company]?
After asking various people, and reading the information on the internet, it seems that the conventional wisdom seems to fall into three camps:
Posted in Opinions | Tagged names, startups | 53 Comments »
Nicola met Prince Philip!
I’d heard rumours that he would be at the 40th Anniversary celebration for Edinburgh Research & Innovation, which took place in the Playfair Library yesterday, but I am totally shocked that it was true.
Luckily Nicola and Hasan of VidioWiki were armed with their handy Flip camera, and we got to have a look at one of the stills.
Anyone else have stories about Prince Philip from yesterday?
Posted in Events, Local News | Tagged ERI, Nicola Hillhouse, Prince Philip, vidiowiki | 1 Comment »
Wouldn’t it be cool if umbrellas had lasers shooting out the top? Wouldn’t it be rad if picture frames had custom messages scrolling around them? Or if you could get tweets read aloud to you by a Twitter app that sounded like Cheryl Cole? Well ok, so maybe we disagree here, but wouldn’t it be great if we could share all the random business ideas that pop into our heads?
There are loads of people in search of an inspiring idea to pursue. And there are loads of ideas that get thought up and left to wither in the cold – with no blankets, no food or water, no love… but if brought to the donation centre, they just might find the right owners to care for them and help them grow into real businesses. Whether you have too much on your plate already or Continue Reading »
Posted in Local News | Tagged entrepreneurship week, idea donation centre, new ideas | 4 Comments »
According to the forces of the universe, this week is Global Entrepreneurship Week! As it was very aptly put to me yesterday, ‘I have no idea why a gloomy week in November is supposed to incite entrepreneurship…’ but we’ll run with it for now. There’s a real mix of things to choose from this week, whether you’re in the mood for a reception, workshops, meetups, or award ceremonies. In the Entrepreneurship Week spirit, we’ll be kicking off some new features here at StartupCafe as well.
ERI 40th Anniversary Reception: Monday 16th Nov, 11am-1pm at Playfair Library
Edinburgh Research & Innovation, the university’s research and commercialisation (technology transfer) office, celebrates 40 years of exciting activity. Achievements in that time include developing the first genetically engineered vaccine against Hepatitis B, creating the Smart Wheelchair for children with severe disabilities, and pioneering the use of amniocentesis in pregnancy to detect birth defects. The party features an exhibition of the commercialisation highlights and I’m hoping there will be some free food/drinks as well. It’s open to all University of Edinburgh staff and students, and you do not need to register.
Negotiating Skills Workshop: Tuesday 17th Nov, 9am-12pm at Apex House, 99 Haymarket Terrace
Getting ready to strike a deal and still working on your poker face? Continue Reading »
Posted in Events | Tagged business gateway, edinburgh research & innovation, ian ritchie, jannis kallinikos, ken morse, launch, MIT, mobile apps meetup, open source awards, Tech Meetup | 5 Comments »
In light of our current situation and lessons learned across the Atlantic, what is Scotland to do? The final piece of our Venture Capital and Public Policy series from Michael Clouser. We hope you feel a bit more enlightened and sufficiently armed for any government policy discussions during Entrepreneurship Week (and beyond!). If you have any further thoughts, questions, or points of view, by all means chime in by adding your comments below.
INCREASING THE SUPPLY OF VENTURE CAPITAL THROUGH POLICY
Learning from the US example, the government can enact policies to increase the supply of risk capital in the Country (used interchangeably to mean either devolved Scotland or the UK – while their powers are different, the issues are basically the same).
Tax Policy is OK, but Not Enough:
Tax policy can help. Already this has happened in the angel market, with tax benefits for these investors who are part of venture capital trusts. However, tax policy is but one option. It hasn’t yet been able to Continue Reading »
Posted in Guest Blogger, Opinions | Tagged michael clouser, public policy, tax policy, venture capital | Leave a Comment »
The Venture Capital and Public Policy series continues, brought to you by Michael Clouser. If you missed Part 1 yesterday, entitled The Rise of Venture Capital in the US: An Unintended Consequence, you may like to read that first to get the background. Otherwise, jump right in and look out for Part 3 tomorrow.
WHY AREN’T THERE MORE START-UPS AND TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES OF SIZE IN SCOTLAND
There are not as many start-ups and technology companies of size in Scotland because of the lack of risk capital at all stages of the lifecycle of a high growth venture. Especially in early and mid-stage venture capital. Arguably, currently there are only two substantial players in the technology venture capital game here in the early stages, and another one that is playing in the later stage and is pan-European. The angels in the Country have all but shut down, especially in Continue Reading »
Posted in Local News | Tagged entrepreneurs, public policy, risk capital, scottish angels, venture capital | Leave a Comment »
Ad:Vent is the fundraising project of 6 Capgemini Consulting graduates challenged with devising a business idea to raise £10,000 for the Prince’s Trust. After successfully negotiating the Dragon’s Den and receiving £1500 for their concept, they have been busy making Ad:Vent a reality.
The concept is simple. Ad:Vent is an innovative, stylish online advent calendar delivering 5 minutes of festive fun this December! The calendar costs just £5. With this you are entered into the daily raffle to win exclusive prizes every day until Christmas! You can download a desktop application which provides a festive joke, a brainteaser and the story of someone who has directly benefited from the Prince’s Trust.
In return for donating prizes, companies have their logo displayed on the Ad:Vent advertising. Prizes include:
Posted in Local News | 1 Comment »
This weekend, as we mentally prepare ourselves for Entrepreneurship Week (16-22 Nov), we bring to you a 3-part series on driving startup activity in Scotland. With an understanding of the Silicon Valley’s roots below the surface, Michael Clouser offers insight on what it will take in Scotland to better support high-growth companies.
The case will be delivered in 3 sections:
Today: The Rise of Venture Capital in the US: An Unintended Consequence
Saturday: Why There aren’t More Startups and Technology Companies of Size in Scotland
Sunday: Increasing the Supply of Venture Capital Through Policy
We guarantee that by Monday, we’ll have you prepared for any discussion or debate on government policy, startups, and driving Scotland forward with its existing assets. Thanks to Mike for sharing his work with us.
VENTURE CAPITAL AND PUBLIC POLICY: HOW TO DRIVE START-UP ACTIVITY, INVESTMENT, AND ECONOMIC GROWTH
Americans often deny that government intervention is a good thing in the entrepreneurship and venture capital game. Most of them believe that the growth of the venture capital industry and the high growth technology start-up phenomenon was the result of some sort of pure capitalistic forces that were devoid of any sort of government intervention. That is simply not the case. Continue Reading »
Posted in Guest Blogger, Opinions | Tagged michael clouser, public policy, Silicon Valley, venture capital | 4 Comments »
I am amazed there are still tickets available. With free food and drinks aplenty, a keynote from Ian Ritchie, and a celebration of folks that are helping the open source community thrive, 20th November is sure to be an excellent night at the Informatics Forum.
The Scottish Open Source Awards are fast approaching, and if you’d like to be part of the excitement, you’d better claim your ticket asap. The awards themselves will recognise individuals and companies who have made important contributions to open source and who have successfully utilised open source code in their software. Originally slated to be part of the Scottish Software Awards, the Open Source Awards have persevered Continue Reading »
Posted in Events | Tagged free food, free wine, ian ritchie, open source awards | 1 Comment »
We are always sad to hear when people missed incredible events because they didn’t know they were happening. Do not let this be you.
High-profile speakers from the Silicon Valley have been offering extended workshops in a cozy setting – it is wonderful how spoiled we are over here. Our Valley guests work tirelessly while they’re here, offering a wonderful talk at E-Club one evening and then going into more depth for a select crowd. If you want to be one of the 15 attendees sitting around a table with the co-founder of Reddit.com or partner of Labrador Ventures, listen up.
Thanks to Informatics Ventures, these workshops are completely free, and you’ll even be treated to lunch before the hard work begins. There are two workshops on offer at the moment, one for internet startups (26th Nov) and one for social enterprises (3rd Dec). Details and info on who qualifies below: Continue Reading »
Posted in Events | Tagged Alexis Ohanian, informatics ventures, Labrador Ventures, Reddit, Sean Foote, Silicon Valley | 1 Comment »
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