Category Archives: Technology

A (Mobile) Dao of Web Design

Posted on December 7, 2011 by

New forms of media take a while to go mainstream; but, when they do, it is often because they are inspired by what came before. Referencing a more familiar, mainstream medium has often proven to be a successful strategy, as … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology | 1 Comment

My belated homage to Steve Jobs

Posted on November 18, 2011 by

When Steve Jobs died, I decided not to write anything. There wasn’t much I could say about Steve, having never met the man and knowing little about him as a person. Yet, like most of us who have dedicated our … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology | 1 Comment

Go after monolithic markets

Posted on October 31, 2011 by

One of the great things about moving from one place to another is all the free stuff people leave behind. A few weeks ago, Highland shuffled out of its decade-long digs on Route 2W in Lexington, MA and headed over … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Entrepreneurship, Technology | 2 Comments

Peter Thiel and the definite future

Posted on September 30, 2011 by

I attended a discussion with Peter Thiel yesterday at Harvard Business School. This is my second time hearing Peter speak in the last 12 months, and I find his brand of intellectual honesty quite refreshing in the age of politicized, … Continue reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Technology | 7 Comments

Am I destroying civilization?

Posted on September 23, 2011 by

I tend to think of the pursuit of technology as a humanitarian endeavor. Inventions like the printing press, steam engine, transistor, polymerase chain reaction machine, and the internet have all created immense social value, in addition to private wealth. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology | 1 Comment

interview to venture: Episode 2, Bit9

Posted on August 9, 2011 by

Last time on interview to venture, I sat down with Boris Revsin, co-founder & CEO of CampusLIVE. Boris is a first-time CEO in his 20′s and is building a consumer internet company that is transforming the way college kids interact … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Entrepreneurship, Interview, Software, Technology | Leave a comment

3 reasons why it’s ok for MBAs to seek jobs in tech.

Posted on July 26, 2011 by

Last week, the WSJ raised alarm bells by reporting that 5 of the top 10 desired employers of MBAs this year are consumer technology companies. Long-standing service firms like McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Goldman Sachs, and Blackstone were joined by likes … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, MBA, Technology | Tagged | 7 Comments

But, does it scale?

Posted on June 1, 2011 by

Venture capitalists can ask a bunch of dumb questions. Well, maybe “dumb” is the wrong word; “repetitive” is probably more accurate. How many times do you have to explain how you acquire users, how big your market is, or what … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Entrepreneurship, Software, Technology | 4 Comments

VCs buy your stock, not your product.

Posted on May 12, 2011 by

Last Friday, I had the honor of speaking on a panel at the MIT Sloan Sales Conference, alongside Peter Levine (MIT, Andressen Horowitz), George Roberts (ex-Oracle, OpenView Partners), Jules Pieri (The Daily Grommet), and Lara Shackelford (QlikTech). No one has … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Entrepreneurship, Product philosophy, Venture capital | Leave a comment

3 traits of compelling internet products

Posted on May 3, 2011 by

While the world was celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden yesterday, my first post went up on Mashable. In it, I talk about the 3 qualities I look for in compelling consumer internet products: ego, serendipity, and familiarity. You … Continue reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Product philosophy | Leave a comment