StartUp goldrush or gloom and doom?

There was an article this week about how NYC angel activity is booming

Looking forward to this week’s Disrupt NY 2013, we used the CrunchBase dataset to surface regional trends in US angel funding.  Not surprisingly, we found relatively few metros with a substantial number of angel funded companies and the San Francisco Bay Area continues to be a formidable presence.  But take a look at NYC (in red) – they’ve gone from 12% of the angel deals in 2008 to 20% in 2013.  In fact, NYC appears to the only region with growing market share.
- http://info.crunchbase.com/2013/04/29/nyc-angel-funding/

you can download the raw data from here
- http://crunchbaseblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/crunchbase_dataset_export_v20130428-xlsx.zip

What concerned me however was how many of these startups, in NYC, that have taken between 100k-600k in external funding .....I've never heard of before....

So I guess the question is are we in a startup gold rush or gloom and doom with thousands of companies about to hit the wall realizing that .....there is "No Series-A for YOU"

Any thoughts?

Cheers,
Dean

name	category_code	funding_total
Lover.ly	search	500,000
247 Techies	hardware	600,000
Adenios	biotech	460,000
Advaliant	advertising	100,000
AeroFarms	cleantech	500,000
Aidin	NULL	600,000
AJ Consulting	software	100,000
AKSEL GROUP	ecommerce	500,000
American Civics Exchange	other	170,000
AndroBioSys	biotech	500,000
Apple Seeds	education	150,000
aroundtheway	other	275,000
Avosoft	software	100,000
Behind the Burner	web	500,000
Boomset	mobile	151,000
BrandFiesta	advertising	100,000
BULX	ecommerce	240,000
BuzzVote	web	200,000
BYOUTIK	ecommerce	100,000
Callision	public_relations	250,000
CarZen	web	350,000
Centrl	mobile	500,000
Chapman Instruments	hardware	600,000
Chequed.com	software	400,000
CHIC.TV	games_video	500,000
Cnekt	web	200,000
Codagenix, Inc.	biotech	600,000
Comixology	mobile	150,000
CondoDomain	web	250,000
Conductrics	software	210,000
Consmr	web	565,000
CourseHorse	ecommerce	500,000
Crowd Play	games_video	500,000
Crowdnetic	other	200,000
DailyBurn	web	540,000
DataCoup	web	330,000
Debt Resolve	software	175,000
Designer Pages Online	other	350,000
Dibsie	ecommerce	450,000
Dine Market	ecommerce	400,000
Dinsmore Steele	consulting	250,000
DirectAdoptions.com	web	500,000
DoesThatMakeSense.com	education	250,000
doormates	web	350,000
dotSyntax	software	500,000
Dtime	web	400,000
Dynamo Media	games_video	325,000
eCareDiary	enterprise	277,000
Echolocation	mobile	200,000
Edition01	ecommerce	565,000
Elephant.is	education	100,000
Escapeer.com	web	250,000
Fabricly	ecommerce	400,000
FanGager (MyBrandz)	web	400,000
Fast Society	mobile	275,000
Feedtrace	web	130,000
FertilityAuthority	web	500,000
Fitocracy	web	250,000
Flag Day Consulting Services	search	200,000
Flatiron Apps	mobile	200,000
Fondu	web	575,000
FoodFan	web	250,000
Frest Marketing	ecommerce	250,000
GoCrossCampus	games_video	375,000
Goodfilms	web	170,000
Guerillapps	games_video	500,000
Guzu	hardware	500,000
Hackruiter	other	217,000
Hey, Neighbor!	web	140,000
Hoppit	search	500,000
Hoseanna	ecommerce	250,000
Hotelzilla	software	198,000
Hyperpot	search	550,000
Ingk Labs	software	500,000
Internet Media Labs	web	175,000
Isolation Sciences	biotech	212,000
Jetaport	web	325,000
Jobulous	web	200,000
KartMe	web	185,000
KeepIdeas	mobile	185,000
Kidos	games_video	200,000
Kingfish Labs	software	500,000
Kionix	NULL	240,000
Klatcher	web	150,000
LayerVault	NULL	535,000
LeadSpend, Inc.	public_relations	250,000
Learnmetrics	education	100,000
lifeIO	web	500,000
Liquid	web	225,000
Lucky Ant	web	100,000
Mad Mimi	public_relations	600,000
MarketArt	software	300,000
Matchbook	web	250,000
Meta Industries	software	200,000
MightyMeeting	web	300,000
Modern Guild	education	500,000
mohchi	ecommerce	250,000
Moogi	games_video	100,000
MyClean	web	270,000
MyNines	ecommerce	500,000
Netmining	advertising	323,025
Nutritionix	web	120,000
Octopart	search	300,000
Off Track Planet	web	300,000
Onepager	web	365,000
Path101	web	350,000
Pearescope	mobile	325,000
Phonitive	mobile	534,000
Pinch Media	software	560,001
PlaceVine	advertising	500,000
Playdate App	games_video	100,000
Pond5	ecommerce	500,000
Proginet	software	150,000
Proper Cloth	ecommerce	100,000
Pushkart	web	250,000
PuzzleSocial	NULL	600,000
Quandora	software	150,000
Red Rover	enterprise	418,000
Reviewspotter	ecommerce	100,000
Ringleadr.com	web	500,000
Roboinvest	web	125,000
Royal Pioneers	ecommerce	250,000
SaleMove	software	140,000
Screampoint	software	214,000
scroll kit	web	222,000
SensGard	other	275,000
SetJam	web	500,000
Shopperception	software	200,000
Silver Lining Limited	consulting	300,000
SingWho	games_video	500,000
Smarp	mobile	150,000
Social Median	web	560,000
Socialbomb	games_video	240,000
SocialPicks	web	500,000
Someecards	web	350,000
SOMS Technologies	cleantech	500,000
Sonar.me	mobile	200,000
Source4Style	ecommerce	500,000
SpaBooker	software	200,000
Spinback	web	300,000
Spins.FM	games_video	175,000
SpinTheCam	games_video	150,000
Spling	web	475,000
SpotlessCity	ecommerce	200,000
Spotster	web	250,000
Srividya Tech	mobile	500,000
Stackpop	software	500,000
Startupi	web	300,000
Stereotypes	web	230,000
StuffBuff	ecommerce	250,000
Stunable	ecommerce	250,000
StyleFactory	ecommerce	500,000
SupplySeeker.com	software	100,000
Svpply	web	550,000
Sweatdrops, LLC	mobile	300,000
Tandem Transit	public_relations	300,000
TasteSpace	web	300,000
Teal Orbit	advertising	275,000
Tetragenetics	biotech	490,308
The Ivory Company	web	525,000
The Logo Company	other	500,000
The Shared Web	web	225,000
Traffio	advertising	400,000
Tripl	web	600,000
TrunqShow	ecommerce	225,000
TrustCloud	software	500,000
Twigmore	web	275,000
TwoChop	software	450,000
Udorse	web	500,000
UnBuyThat	web	111,000
Unity 4 Humanity	advertising	250,000
UPlanMe	enterprise	240,000
UpNext	mobile	500,000
Urban Interns	web	250,000
Urgent Group	other	400,000
Urtak	web	512,000
Wee Web	web	270,000
whereIstand.com	web	300,000
WHObyYOU	web	150,000
Widetronix	cleantech	285,000
WISHI	games_video	200,000
wongsang Worldwide	advertising	300,000
Workube	enterprise	150,000
Wyst	mobile	200,000
YellowBrck	mobile	150,000
Yushino	games_video	250,000

Server location regarding libel laws

Curious if anyone knows the background case law on server location for UK libel. (or jump in if you know about other countries)

I was reading an article on TechCrunch  http://techcrunch.com/2013/02/05/lulu-raises-another-2-5m-from-yuri-milnerangels-for-its-girls-only-app-to-rate-guys/  about a startup called LuluVise

Which lead to this article http://techcrunch.com/2011/12/13/luluvise-goes-live-but-will-this-girl-only-site-attract-more-legal-ire-from-the-guys/    

 

My question is if the servers aren't located in the UK....then does it matter?  To be honest I’m surprised there aren't more comments on this legal dilemma.
 
Anyone here familiar with precedents? Btw it looks like DirtyPhoneBook from 2010 is still online http://blog.collins.net.pr/2010/03/wwwdirtyphonebookcom.html



Cheers,
Dean

Patent claims against agencies from NPE's

When are people in the USA going to say enough is enough and demand change.


http://adage.com/article/digital/threat-patent-troll-litigation-looms-large-agencies/240313/?
Infringement suits brought by patent trolls -- or "nonpracticing entities," as they're more formally called -- are a nebulous threat, but a handful of entities have become notorious for suing over patents that cover seemingly pervasive technology.
.......
The potentially catastrophic outcome for an agency is ending up in court over an infringement claim. That happened to San Francisco-based digital shop Fluid about five years ago. A retail client was sued over a web application that enabled a manufacturer's representative to plug information from an end user's shopping cart into a database, and the agency was contractually required to indemnify the client.
.......
Digitaria has had run-ins with nonpracticing entities on four occasions. In one case it had to split a licensing fee with its client, a large hotel chain. (It paid half of a $50,000 fee to an entity that claimed an iPhone app with locator functionality to show which hotels were in the user's vicinity had infringed.)

Maybe a solution is to set up NPE’s for every “development” you implement eg. if a hotel chain sets up a LLC to run their website and “licenses” the website from this entity but with no real assets in the entity (and carve outs should they face legal challanege the contract is null and void immediately etc) then when the “web site entity” gets sued for a patent claim this LLC could be shut down and the hotel chain sets up another entity…..

Ridiculous idea but might just be the way we need to do business in the future.

I'm going to go off and patent this business model now :P

In defense of nickels, dimes and quarters

Cliff Bleszinski in defense of in-game micro-transactions http://su.pr/8Vce1e

Totally agree....the sooner we get past "free" the better.



Cheers,

Dean

HTML5 dev costs....well worth the 30% Apple "ransom"

Interesting news with the first shots across the iTunes bow

First
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57563243-93/amazon-lets-rip-with-autorip-music-service/
When you buy an AutoRip-enabled CD, you automatically get the MP3 version for free, and those MP3 versions will be available via Amazon's Cloud Player.

and now

http://www.informationweek.com/mobility/smart-phones/amazon-dodges-apple-tax-with-mobile-mp3/240146550
Amazon.com is reinforcing its challenge to Apple's iTunes with the launch of a Web-based MP3 store designed for users of Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch

I'm sure the HTML5 dev costs would have been high....but well worth the 30% Apple "ransom", personally i still purchase ALL of my music on cd's and rip to my own media server as i prefer any purchase = any device and anywhere regardless of what vendors decide i "should or shouldnt do".



Cheers,
Dean

Competition is whats missing from the USA

Next time someone says that incumbent providers is a good thing....show them this article.

- http://www.cedmagazine.com/news/2012/11/time-warner-boots-up-wi-fi-hotspots-starter-internet-tier-in-kc?

Competition is whats missing in the USA telco market today. (wish Google or Fios would come to brooklyn heights to shake up TimeWarner).