Infographic: How Much Are The Top Private Company Founders Worth? Guest Post: Three Reasons Why Curation Is Not A Fad. Posted by Tom Foremski - May 27, 2011 Oliver Starr is the Chief Evangelist for Pearltrees. Prior to this he was the first employee at TechCrunch. He has also held numerous executive positions in technology companies and has founded and successfully exited two startups of his own. You can follow him @owstarr on twitter. By Oliver Starr Perhaps you won't believe me since it's my job to "spread the gospel" of curation as the Chief Evangelist of Pearltrees but I think curation is here to stay.
This year there has been a tremendous amount of buzz in Silicon Valley about curation. With all the attention curation has suddenly received people are probably wondering whether this is just another fad or is it something bigger? First, curation is one of the underlying principles of the Web. The true history of the Internet is all about technologies and companies that made them mainstream. So what is this evidence? So is curation here to stay? Intel VP Sean Maloney Talks About Stroke, ARM, China... Posted by Tom Foremski - May 31, 2011 [Sean Maloney Exec. Vice President was recently named head of Intel's China operations. He returned to work in January after suffering a stroke last year. The following transcript is taken from a recent video interview.]
By Intel Free Press IFP: First of all, how are you feeling and how does it feel to be back at work and in the middle of everything? Maloney: It feels great. IFP: You've had a long and successful relationship with the technology community in Taiwan. Maloney: It's an honor. IFP: Are you worried that Intel will be seen as trying to resuscitate the PC at a time when conventional wisdom says that the PC is declining? Maloney: Well, we don't see it that way. IFP: How do you challenge the critics who are saying that some of this is too little, too late -- that the ARM ecosystem is too firmly established now, particularly in tablets and phones?
Maloney: It means everything, right? Upcoming June 4: TEDxSF - ALIVE! Maximum Living... R&D Spending Is Not A Measure Of Innovation. Posted by Tom Foremski - May 31, 2011 Irving Wladawsky-Berger takes a look at spending by large companies on research and development and their competitive advantage. He found little connection between the amount of R&D spending and innovation. He cites a global report by Booz and Company, which found: Money doesn't buy results.
There is no relationship between R&D spending and the primary measures of economic or corporate success, such as growth, enterprise profitability, and shareholder return. Mr Wladawsky-Berger draws on his extensive experience as a former senior IBM executive: Based on my personal experience, I am not at all surprised that being good at commercializing new ideas, products and services is what separates the top performers from everyone else. Irving Wladawsky-Berger: Money Doesn't Necessarily Buy Competitive Advantage. A Visit To SRI: Top Secret R&D In The Heart Of Silicon Valley. Posted by Tom Foremski - June 1, 2011 Tucked away in a quiet, tree lined residential neighborhood of Menlo Park, SRI International runs a massive 1 million square foot research lab in the heart of Silicon Valley, where many of its 2100 staff toil on secret projects for the US Dept. of Defense (DoD). SRI's work might be top secret but it's not hiding. This 65 year old organization is hugely influential within Silicon Valley, with close ties with leading VC firms, and within the largest companies.
It has spun out dozens of startups, and licensed key technologies to global corporations, creating a tremendous amount of wealth that is shared among its researchers thanks to a unique non-profit business model. The impressive catalog of technologies that have emerged from SRI include building ARPANET for the DoD, which eventually became the Internet; wireless networks; ultrasound; and much much more...
[Please see this timeline: World-Changing Innovations from SRI] Technology is not innovation... ARM Co-Founder Wins Silicon Valley "Visionary" Award. Posted by Tom Foremski - June 1, 2011 Herman Hauser, the co-founder of ARM, the British microprocessor company, will be honored with a prestigious 2011 Visionary Award from SDForum at a private ceremony on June 21. Mr Hauser is currently a co-founder of Amadeus Capital Partners. He co-founded Acorn Computer Group, which was an important UK computer company in the early 1980s.
This led to the spin-off of Advanced Risc Machines (ARM) from Acorn in 1990. ARM based chip designs are dominant in tablets and smart phones. Apple uses custom ARM chips in its iPhone and iPad. Mr Hauser will join three fellow recipients: - Guy L. . - T.J. . - Promod Haque, Managing Partner, Norwest Venture Partners. Ann Winblad, Chairperson of the SDForum Board of Directors, said: "Our honorees illustrate how Silicon Valley's innovation palette is ever expanding from silicon to software to the mobile world and clean technology. " Please see: SDForum Visionary Awards Part 1 - Dutch Consul. Signs: It's Not A Bubble Until... Posted by Tom Foremski - June 2, 2011 I say Silicon Valley is in a boom period rather than a bubble. Others might disagree but everyone has some kind of warning sign to look for.
For example: Mike Butcher, from Techcrunch Europe, Tweeted earlier today: Signs of tech bubbles: Journos leaving for Startups; investment bankers in tech; Startups which try to change user behavior. #mikeswisdom That's a pretty good indicator, or should I say precursor...? My sign of a tech bubble comes from going through the Big One in the late 1990s. Its shares jumped from $7 to $49.50 over a two week period.
If we see this kind of behavior, in a more modern format, then we are in a bubble. Signs are just signs -- no one knows when the music stops and you have to find your seat... What are the signs you are looking for? Also, what year is it? Updated: Dan Scheinman, who heads Cisco's Media Solutions Group responded in a tweet: I am going with 1997. What Year Is It? Is Groupon IPO A Tech Company IPO? Posted by Tom Foremski - June 2, 2011 Updated: Groupon filed for an IPO Thursday planning to raise $750 million reports The New York Times. The filing reveals very fast growth: Shortly after launching in 2008, Groupon notched revenue of $94 million.
Two years later, it had swelled to $713 million. The company reported $644.7 million of revenue in the first quarter of 2011 alone, with 83 million subscribers across 43 countries, according to its filing. A succesful IPO could boost prospects for the many private tech companies that are waiting to go public. Tech companies scale their business largely through adding servers and software, which is why VCs love to invest in them and that's why they shun investing in services companies where hiring lots of people is required to expand a business.
Groupon, the two-year old Chicago-based group shopping coupon service, now has more than 8,000 staff, at least half working in sales, says Andrew Mason, CEO speaking at the AllThingsD D9 conference. Notes From 8th Innovation Journalism Conference. Posted by Tom Foremski - June 2, 2011 Last week's 8th Innovation Journalism Conference produced a lot of interesting sessions and sparked a lot of ideas. This year David Nordfors, the founder of the conference and Executive Director of the Stanford Center for Innovation and Communication, opened up the conference to public relations, a smart move because of the connection between journalism and PR. Here are some of my notes from the conference: - Sven Otto Littorin, a former Minister for Employment in Sweden, spoke about how the topic of innovation is a popular one among all types of politicians.
But it's not well understood how communities can use innovation to create jobs and that's why it isn't a hot election topic. He said that governments will avoid uncertain policies that have long-term results. Plus, governments are organized as "verticals" which means it's very difficult to create broad policies around innovation. - Journalism and ethics. . - Also speaking: Michael S.