betaworks

news.me

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 13:33:28 -0400

We’re pleased to announce that News.me has officially spun out of bitly to run as an independent company under betaworks.

You can read more about it here on the news.me blog or on John Borthwick’s blog.

"The internet is unique in that it’s the only information delivery and communications platform that..."

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 10:23:52 -0400

“The internet is unique in that it’s the only information delivery and communications platform that can do all of the functions of the other five legacy platforms, like PSTN/landline platform, cellular/mobile platform, broadcast TV, etc. But it’s also unique in that it’s device agnostic — it’ll happily embody anything you allow it to, and in the coming years that’ll be so many things in our world, from cars to houses to toys to equipment and all kinds of other stuff. In these environments, tools, functions, devices, etc. will be solely relevant to what the user is doing and what they need to do it.”

- Daily Patricia: Here’s The Thing About Video Chat

"Before you get excited that Facebook is going to “kill old telecom,” remember that Facebook has no..."

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 06:12:03 -0400

“Before you get excited that Facebook is going to “kill old telecom,” remember that Facebook has no internet infrastructure, therefore, it’ll be telecom’s bitch and not the other way around. But, it’s presence in the market (and Google owning infrastructure) is enough to create a potential paradigm shift that will likely finally break the grip on voice over internet calling”

- Daily Patricia: What I’ve Been Saying To VC/Investors/Etc Lately

"If you’re thinking about investing, hopefully it’s because, like me, you believe that Groupon is..."

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:41:01 -0400

“If you’re thinking about investing, hopefully it’s because, like me, you believe that Groupon is better positioned than any company in history to reshape local commerce. The speed of our growth reflects the enormous opportunity before us to create a more efficient local marketplace. As with any business in a 30-month-old industry, the path to success will have twists and turns, moments of brilliance and other moments of sheer stupidity. Knowing that this will at times be a bumpy ride, we thank you for considering joining us.”

- Groupon Files For IPO To Raise $750 Million

(via david-noel)

"We’re in a golden age of entrepreneurship. We have the tools to connect, create and distribute..."

Wed, 25 May 2011 10:16:20 -0400

“We’re in a golden age of entrepreneurship. We have the tools to connect, create and distribute ideas, images and ideals. Some will use them to build, others will use them to destroy. Many will use them for good, others will use them for evil. Given how new these technologies are we’re still, generally, focused on the positive impact they will have on the world. But with the rise of unabated self expression and anonymity not all will use them to promote the positive.”

- BRYCE DOT VC: Entrepreneurship’s Odd Future

"The most frustrating part is that it is difficult to get into a rhythm in your work when you have no..."

Fri, 13 May 2011 10:45:37 -0400

“The most frustrating part is that it is difficult to get into a rhythm in your work when you have no real understanding of the next steps you need to take. There’s no opportunity for flow if both outcome and process are foreign experiences. There’s just a lot of poking around and mystery and inadvertent negligence.”

- One of best descriptions of start-up life I’ve ever read

Varsity Bookmarking: My Job Pt.1 — I have no idea what I’m doing

"The idea that every tech company needs to be in the Bay Area is dead and buried. May it Rest in..."

Wed, 11 May 2011 13:44:06 -0400

“The idea that every tech company needs to be in the Bay Area is dead and buried. May it Rest in Peace.”

- BRYCE DOT VC: Can We Have Our Own Hippie Funeral?

"i would like to reiterate that i don’t want any profiles of me. i am not newsworthy. the companies..."

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:07:11 -0400

“i would like to reiterate that i don’t want any profiles of me. i am not newsworthy. the companies we invest in are.”

- Pulled from a hopelessly stupid profile of Fred Wilson in AdWeek.

In a world of investors breathlessly trying to generate press for themselves, this feels like the right answer. Well said Fred.

(via brycedotvc)

"On the web, my real voice finds expression."

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:17:58 -0400

“On the web, my real voice finds expression.”

- Roger Ebert (via austinkleon)

"I live in this little bubble world where the web makes complete sense to me and any creator who..."

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:49:23 -0400

“I live in this little bubble world where the web makes complete sense to me and any creator who isn’t online is insane. So, every once in a while it’s fun when I bump up against a creator who thinks I’m insane.”

- AUSTIN KLEON

"I know it sounds ‘aw shuckish’ but it’s true,” Efrusy said. “All the really interesting investments..."

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 09:58:40 -0400

““I know it sounds ‘aw shuckish’ but it’s true,” Efrusy said. “All the really interesting investments have an element of foolishness to them and you could kill any deal by pointing out what’s wrong. The freedom to take risks comes from your partners.””

- Frankness, Facebook Go A Long Way For Accel Partners’ Kevin Efrusy - Venture Capital Dispatch - WSJ (via bijan)

whitneymcn: Stay hydrated and wear comfortable shoes. - Josh...

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 18:06:38 -0500

whitneymcn:

Stay hydrated and wear comfortable shoes.

- Josh Stylman

"So stop listening to your customers and start watching what they do. Actions have always spoken..."

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 05:56:40 -0500

“So stop listening to your customers and start watching what they do. Actions have always spoken louder than words. Who knows, the actions of your users may very well be telling you something more powerful about what your business can become than what their, or your, words ever will.”

- BRYCE DOT VC

"Yeah, Tumblr is kind of a mess. Its a little bit broken. Its a little ADD. Its spread a little too..."

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 06:03:31 -0500

“Yeah, Tumblr is kind of a mess. Its a little bit broken. Its a little ADD. Its spread a little too thin. Just like me. Which is why I love the service and and why I don’t plan to leave.”

- BRYCE DOT VC: Why I Heart Tumblr

"When an entrepreneur steps to the whiteboard the energy in the room totally changes. There’s..."

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 06:57:23 -0500

“When an entrepreneur steps to the whiteboard the energy in the room totally changes. There’s movement, there’s action, there’s something happening that requires attention. The conversation moves from consuming images on a screen in lean back mode, to active engagement. Half baked ideas get refined, new ideas emerge and a two way dialoge develops where a one way monologue once was.”

- BRYCE DOT VC

"In the end, openness is only as important as the user experience it enables."

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 06:51:51 -0500

“In the end, openness is only as important as the user experience it enables.”

- brycedotvc

"Compartmentalized ideas, are like cold eggs. They look good, but if no one eats them – they just..."

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 12:29:38 -0500

“Compartmentalized ideas, are like cold eggs. They look good, but if no one eats them – they just sit there.”

- Andy Monfried, CEO of Lotame

"There’s no magic solution here, just get up out of bed and take a shower."

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 14:03:20 -0500

“There’s no magic solution here, just get up out of bed and take a shower.”

- great post on the hard work of finding your first job out of college

Being Tim Devane

(via fred-wilson)

"Ahmet Ertegun was a Venture capitalist. A brilliant risk taker, and he knew how to stomach failure...."

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:20:55 -0500

“Ahmet Ertegun was a Venture capitalist. A brilliant risk taker, and he knew how to stomach failure. He also signed artists purely on gut instinct. In many ways these new VC’s and Tech entrepreneurs resemble him.”

- David Lowery, Cracker/Camper van Beethoven

"TV really does need search. It also needs scrobbling, channel bookmarking, recommendations,..."

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 16:06:27 -0500

“TV really does need search. It also needs scrobbling, channel bookmarking, recommendations, playlists, and all the other information architecture tools that have evolved to manage the firehose of content on the open internet. The information architecture of legacy TV is oriented towards the tiny amount of content that was available before the advent of cable TV. It’s been a long time since then.”

- Lucas Gonze