NCET

I moderated a panel of entrepreneurs and venture capitalists discussing a provocative question: As startup valuations get frothy, are we blowing another bubble?

It seems like you can wander down Sand Hill Road muttering “social location games” and get a $20 million check dropped in front of you these days. And yet lots of promising startups developing deep technologies are starving for capital. So what’s the deal?

The panelists rapidly agreed that we’re nowhere close to the bubbly days of 2000. Instead, what we’re looking at are microbubbles forming around individual companies. Read more:

Technorati Tags: Paul Martino,Aggregate Knowledge,Christine Herron,First Round Capital,Corey Reese,Trumpet Technologies,Tim Chang,Norwest Venture Partners,Owen Tomas,VentureBeat,business,Nevada,NCET,Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology

The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce is issuing a last call for nominations for the 2010 Small Business Excellence Awards. Deadline for nominations is Friday, June 25, 2010. You may nominate a small business, a colleague, a client or even yourself! All Chamber members who meet nominating criteria are eligible for consideration.

Nominees can apply in any of the following categories:

· Emerging Business of the Year

· Green Business of the Year

· Non-Profit of the Year

· Small Business of the Year (5 or fewer full time employees)

· Small Business of the Year (25 or fewer full time employees)

Finalists and winners will be honored at the annual Small Business Excellence Awards luncheon on Thursday, September 16, 2010, at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. Finalists and winners receive free publicity for their companies in various media coverage and Chamber media vehicles. Being involved with the Small Business Excellence Awards provides a great way to show the community that our Chamber member businesses are flourishing and providing excellent service to visitors and locals alike.

For more information on the criteria and to submit an online nomination, go to
www.lvchamber.com/biz-e/nominate.

Technorati Tags: Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce,LVCC 2010 Small Business Excellence Awards,Nevada,business,NCET,Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology

Chatroulette has made headlines in recent months for its unsavory side, but also for themany ways individuals and organizations have used the site to try new and creative things, from musicians serenading audiences to artists painting for onlookers, and even brands connecting with potential customers. But it’s not exactly business-friendly in the same ways that Twitter, Facebook and even Foursquare have proven to be. Or is it?

One company, Travelocity, has proven the business case for brand potential on Chatroulette. Their story serves as an important lesson on the importance of taking risks on the web. If anything, small businesses owners can use their success as inspiration for their own risk-taking endeavors.

In today’s social climate, the business that takes smart risks will be the one that people remember. Read full story:

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Join The Company Corporation and SCORE for “How to Really Start Your Own Business”. Experts from SCORE will share starting success secrets, including focusing your business idea and where to look for small business financing.

Speaker Julie Brander has been a SCORE volunteer since 1997. She has 20 years of experience in business, having started a manufacturing, wholesale and retail jewelry company. After selling her business in 1996, she became a dedicated advocate for small business with vast experience and knowledge in helping entrepreneurs start and expand their businesses. As the chapter chair of SCORE New Haven, she facilitates and organizes the small business workshops, seminars and conferences.

Speaker and entrepreneur Steve Bloom, started several business ventures in mortgage banking, real estate development and management, importing, sign manufacturing and business consulting. He graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in business and community analysis. He also completed graduate studies at Cleveland State University in business and economics. Steve has invested in several start-ups that provided opportunities in technology transfer, music videos and merchant banking. He has also been retained by entrepreneurs to assist with business turnaround and help with distressed real estate properties. CLICK HERE for details and webinar registration.

Technorati Tags: The Company Corporation,SCORE,Julie Brander,Steve Bloom,Nevada,business,NCET,Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology

Debby Icide had never used Twitter, but all it took was one tweet to boost sales at Gaia Essentials, her small boutique in Moss Beach, California, that sells homemade organic soaps and all-natural skin care products. The enticing missive, which increased traffic to Gaia Essentials’s website 400 percent in a matter of hours? It was part of a game called a Twitter treasure hunt.

Icide’s is one of several small businesses in the Bay Area that participated in the game, in which Twitter users are asked trivia questions about local companies for the chance to win prizes. Jason Sutherland, the founder of Peninsula Shops, a Web-based community portal, devised the game as a way to promote local businesses. Every morning for a month, Peninsula Shops tweeted a trivia question about a company. In Icide’s case, Twitter users were challenged to name the third ingredient in Gaia’s Cacao Tangerine Soap for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate. To find the answer, visitors flocked to the store’s website, and many stuck around to do some shopping. Read full story:

Technorati Tags: Inc.,Twitter,Martha Merz,Twitter treasure hunt,Kepler’s Books,Peninsula Shops,business,Nevada,NCET,Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology