In Return of the Jedi, Yoda tells Luke “Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will.” Luckily for me, this didn’t apply to the patent world. I spent seven years on the “dark side” working for patent trolls before coming back to the light. Patent trolls are companies that derive all or almost all of their revenue… Read More
Powered by WPeMatico
Silicon Valley may be the startup center of the universe, but it’s far from alone when it comes to a concentration of good ideas. Innovation and creativity aren’t confined to any one place, and the startup hub idea that has taken root in the Valley can be replicated in others areas of the country and world with effort and commitment on the part of entrepreneurs, government and a… Read More
Powered by WPeMatico
With its major cities congested with traffic — taxi cabs, public transports and, lately, ride-hailing and ride-sharing apps — Egypt apparently still needs more when it comes to transportation. Catering to a population exceeding 90 million, international market players Uber and Careem launched in Egypt in 2014; a third player soon followed — a local ridehailing app called Ousta. Read More
Powered by WPeMatico
Silicon Valley is experiencing an extended boom that has only recently shown signs of fatigue. Many observers portend an ominous environment ripe for a bust similar to the early 2000s. Yes, there are many similarities between now and the dot-com boom. There are, however, key differences that will enable Silicon Valley to continue driving forward, no matter the headwinds. Read More
Powered by WPeMatico
In the early 1900s, large organizations needed another type of CEO: Chief Electricity Officer. Before there was an accessible and reliable power grid to plug into, organizations that needed electricity employed a CEO to make sure they had steady and cheap access to this vital commodity. Given the aging data center architecture, it’s now the Chief Innovation Officer who is increasingly… Read More
Powered by WPeMatico
Manhattan, once the mecca for technology and innovation on the east coast, is now losing ground to the Outer Boroughs. Massive growth has led to high rents and lack of space for burgeoning businesses. Demand for office space by tech companies increased 177 percent from 2002-2012, representing 25 percent of New York City leases. To that end, the vacancy rate in NYC is just 9 percent,… Read More
Powered by WPeMatico
Facebook is removing the messaging capability from its mobile web application, according to a notice being served to users: “Your conversations are moving to Messenger,” it reads. Welcome news to the millions like me who switched to the web app in order to avoid Messenger in the first place! Read More
Powered by WPeMatico
Buyouts may replace IPOs as the exit of choice for tech companies in the coming months. This comes as the number of startups unable to exit into a frozen market continues to grow. With only two tech IPOs so far in 2016, and poor market returns for the majority of those already public, companies are turning elsewhere to cash in on their efforts. Just this week, analytics firm QLik was… Read More
Powered by WPeMatico
VOEZ is a new game out of Taiwan that is climbing the app gaming charts. It is part Rock Band, part DDR, but in a karaoke-esque setting. Put simply, VOEZ is an anime-themed rhythm game. You need to tap, hold and swipe as colorful commands fall to the target line. There are only a few different moves, but the difficulty of the game increases as you move on to more and more intense tracks. One… Read More
Powered by WPeMatico
Every battle is won before it is fought. This bit of pop wisdom, brought down to us from Sun Tzu and countless motivational speakers, is the koan for a generation of can-do entrepreneurs. But there is another version of this line, one that is less rosy. Every battle is won or lost before it is fought. In the all-singing, all-dancing world of entrepreneurial theatre, the important part is the… Read More
Powered by WPeMatico