Birst Inc. Gains $26M In New Round of Funding

After a successful 2011, Birst Inc. continues on the path of growth with its most recent acquisition of $26 million worth of new investments.  This particular round of funding was led by Sequoia Capital, and was also participated in by Hummer Winblad as well as DAG Ventures.

The company’s CEO Brad Peters recently shared more about this funding in this e-interview with Lead411:

Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

5 Business Lessons from the Facebook IPO

With Facebook’s IPO just having been launched last week, people all over the country (and even world) are looking to see what the results will be. While it still remains to be seen whether Facebook stockholders will become millionaires, there are some underlying lessons we business owners can take from Facebook going public. And hey, if they worked for Mark Zuckerberg et al, they can certainly work for you!

1. Don’t Rest on Your Laurels

Blockbuster stopped innovating once it got the movie rental concept down pat. We know how that story ends. But Facebook, despite its continuing growth, refuses to stop. The company continues to tweak its platform (often to the chagrin of users), acquire other companies and find new ways to be meaningful to its audience.

No matter how successful your brand becomes, there’s always room for improvement. Never stop innovating, and never stop looking over your shoulder to see who’s catching up to you.

 

Read More »

Posted in Social Media | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Sales and Marketing People On The Move – 5/21/2012

Volkswagen of America recently designated Kevin E. Mayer as the company’s new Vice President, Marketing. He was previously with General Motors Corporation, where he served as Director of Advertising and Sales Promotion for GM’s Chevrolet Division. Mayer had also worked with companies like Colby & Partners, as well as Mitsubishi Motors. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

Read More »

Posted in Marketing, Sales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sales and Marketing People On The Move – 5/18/2012

SiSense Inc. recently designated Bruno Aziza as the company’s new Vice President of Marketing. He is a seasoned professional in the field of Business Intelligence, Analytics and Cloud space.  Aziza will be handling mostly Worldwide Marketing dealings. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

Read More »

Posted in Marketing, Sales | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sales and Marketing People On The Move – 5/17/2012

Mendix recently designated Gottfried Sehringer as the company’s new Vice President of Worldwide Marketing. He was previously with SmartBear Software, Inc., where he was Chief Marketing Officer. Sehringer has also worked with Maconomy, SAP, as well as Softrax Corporation. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

EnTouch Controls was recently joined by Chad Fink as their new vice president of sales. He was formerly part of Daikin AC  where he served as their southern region’s regional sales manager. Fink had also worked with Goodman Manufacturing and Lennox International. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

Read More »

Posted in Marketing, Sales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sales and Marketing People On The Move – 5/16/2012

Gazzang recently appointed Michael J. Harper as their new vice president of worldwide sales and alliances. He brings to the team his comprehensive experience in the field of cloud and open source market strategies. Prior to joining Gazzang, Harper was with VMware as their senior director of Cloud Foundry Services. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

Read More »

Posted in Marketing, Sales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hottest Companies in Georgia 2012 Recognized by Lead411

From an impressive list of more than 540 tech companies in the Georgia area, Lead411 has now come up with the Top 26.

These are the most innovative businesses in the state and Lead411 recognizes them through the “Hottest Companies in Georgia” awards.

Read More »

Posted in Lead411, awards | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sales and Marketing People On The Move – 5/15/2012

Actifio recently welcomed Michael Troiano as the company’s new Chief Marketing Officer. He was previously part of Holland-Mark, where he served as a Principal. Troiano had also worked with companies like Ogilvy & Mather Interactive, matchmine, and Primix Solutions. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

Read More »

Posted in Marketing, Sales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Should You Join an Incubator?

The problem with startups is that they have such a short trajectory. As soon as they launch, it’s a race to either getting funding, getting acquired or failing miserably. Startup founders need every resource they can get their hands on to make sure they succeed. Incubators have started popping up all over the country, since Y Combinator launched in 2005. And while startup incubators can provide a much-needed injection of cash, as well as mentorship and contacts, is it really what your business needs?

Drawbacks to Incubators

1. If you work full-time, you’ll find it hard to keep up with the work. The Founder Institute requires at least 15 hours of work on the incubator each week. That’s a 3.5 hour weekly session, as well as oodles of homework. If you’re working a job (either your startup or another 9-to-5), you’ll find it difficult to balance both (we won’t even throw in family time to that equation).

2. Incubators take some of your revenue. This is pretty standard, but if you’re not prepared to share on average 6% with your incubator, it might not be for you.

Read More »

Posted in Venture Financings, startup | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Sales and Marketing People On The Move – 5/11/2012

Angus Gephart was recently appointed as StartSampling’s new senior vice president, sales. He was previously part of companies like Pepsico,  Information Resources, Inc., and Procter & Gamble. Gephart will contribute to the team his comprehensive experience in the field of consumer packaged goods, spanning more than three decades. There’s more about his appointment on this news link.

Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment