December 2010

Looking Back: 10 Trends in the Boston Startup Scene in 2010

2010 was an amazing year for the Boston startup community.  Many new initiatives took off, old ones got new life and the community as a whole grew much larger.  Here at Greenhorn Connect, we've been lucky enough to be a part of this new wave of entrepreneurship around here and so we'd like to share some of the key trends we noticed over the past year.  (Note: Next week, we'll be making predictions for the ecosystem in 2011). Read on...

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Tim Chae: Make New Friends

 Chances are, if you are reading this post, you are interested in YCombinator/TechStars,  you follow guys like Fred Wilson and Dave McClure amongst many others on Twitter, and you religiously read TechCrunch as you simultaneously envision the day TC writes about you and your startup.

Now, look around you.  Are you surrounded by like-minded peers or are you alone?

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Book Review: How We Decide

 

Ever wish you could climb in the brain of your customer to really understand what they're thinking? Want to know how to get the most out of your employees? Is there a secret underlying process that make use all alike in how we think?  While How We Decide is not a magic solution to all of those questions, it does provide fantastic and fascinating insight into all of them.  I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to better understand the underlying thought processes that make up the complex human mind. Read on to find a few of the key things I discovered in reading this book. 

 

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Looking For Your Next Job?

Recently I’ve had the opportunity to help a few of my peers and friends look for their next job. Some have been extremely successful while others have had a REALLY hard time finding something that they are passionate and excited to join. Here are a few guidelines to improve your method of finding the next venture to get involved with.

 

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Greenhorn TV Episode 53: Dec. 12th – Dec. 18th

And just like that another week has flown by! We hope everyone is well rested after all those holiday parties for some great events coming up this week. There are over 30 networking events and office hours this week, with 100 happening this month! Also don't forget to check our Job Board for all startup opportunities in Boston. Read on to find the *can't miss* events for this week!

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Founder's Friday: CareInnovators

Who are the faces behind a company? How did the company get started? These are common question you may have about startups you see and hear about. If you don't get a chance to personally meet the founders, you're unlikely to ever know their story. That's what Founder Fridays is all about.

This week we have Christopher Tsai, Co-Founder of Careinnovators, an evolving community for health care.

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Kevin Vogelsang: Community Connections - The Vogel Labs Performance Meetup

For someone trying to achieve something big, there's a tricky balance to strike: time spent with one's community and time spent getting your hands dirty and doing the real, honest labor. 

For an early-stage tech entrepreneur, it's tempting to go to a lot of events and spend a lot of time hob knobbing with investors.  In fact, it's so tempting that I'd say a lot of younger entrepreneurs go overboard with it and have a hard time striking the right balance.  Time is limited.  Every way you spend your time is an investment.

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The Next Step in Developing our Ecosystem: Small Lunches, Dinners, Drinks

Entrepreneurs in our community can very easily connect with other startupers through our vast array of events, conferences and social gatherings.  While these are a great step in interconnecting our community, you can only accomplish so much with just a few minutes of conversation at an event.  To really build strong connections and, more importantly, have deep, relevant discussions, we need to add another layer to our ecosystem: small lunches, dinners and drinks amongst entrepreneurs. Read on...

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Knowing The Questions You Will Need To Answer When Speaking To An Investor

Wouldn’t it be nice to know the question that you’re going to be asked on your interview, test, or even by your girlfriend? Well I cant help you there, but here is a list of different categories and questions that you should be able to answer when asking for money.

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Greenhorn TV Episode 52: December 5 - December 11

 Welcome back to another great week in the Boston startup scene. Don't worry, Boston's heading into the Holiday season with full steam ahead. There are over 40 networking events and office hours this week, with 100 happening this month! Also don't forget to check our Job Board for all startup opportunities in Boston. Read on to find the *can't miss* events for this week!

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Founder's Friday: Qwobl

Who are the faces behind a company? How did the company get started? These are common question you may have about startups you see and hear about. If you don't get a chance to personally meet the founders, you're unlikely to ever know their story. That's what Founder Fridays is all about.

This week we have Chris Rodriguez from Qwobl, a company that will change the face of online advertising.

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5 Reasons not to Hire a Social Media Intern

Last month Mike Volpe of Hubspot wrote a post condemning social media. Though I was offended at first, I now see his point of view. I decided to explore one of his ideas—“hiring an intern to do social media won’t transform your company.” Thinking about this one sentence made me realize that he’s right. A social media intern doesn’t really help your company. In fact, it can actually hurt you. Here’s why:

 
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