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Archive | July, 2010

Minnov8 Gang 87: More Buzz About Mobile

31. July 2010

Though the Gang discusses several topics this week (in the midst of the typical summer doldrums for new releases) the buzz covered is mostly about mobile. There are some interesting strategic moves being made by Best Buy with Clearwire—coming to the Twin Cities this Fall—as well as updates to Android mobile with Froyo and more. [...]

MPR: Where is innovation in Minnesota?

28. July 2010

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Minnesota Public Radio has a subsite called MPRNewsQ with an online poll for ‘select’ Minnesotans: Where is the innovation in your field? At the head of the poll they state, “Innovation: The health of the economy depends on it. Our schools are meant to encourage it. But innovation isn’t a widget that can be stamped [...]

Why Small Business Needs to Innovate

26. July 2010

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It is likely you’ve heard many times that small business is the engine of the U.S. economy and employs more than 50% of workers in our country. Over a recent 15-year period small businesses created some 65 percent of the net new jobs in the private sector according to a report, “Analysis of Small Business [...]

Minnov8 Gang 86: Small Business is Social

23. July 2010

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Friday found the Gang at the Social Media Breakfast/Minneapolis & St. Paul (SMBMSP) for a fabulous panel on small business and social media. It was led by Jason DeRusha (who is employed doing something at WCCO-TV & is at @DeRushaJ) with panelists Julie Warner of WarnersStellian (@WarnersStellian); Aimee Pelletier of DarnKnitAnyway (@darnknitanyway); Naomi Williamson of [...]

Minnov8 Gang 85: Are Angels Crying?

17. July 2010

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After yesterday’s post, “Is Perception the Reality with MN Venture Funding?” we received a lot of email and some comments about the state of angel and venture investing in Minnesota. There is a lot of buzz amongst startups (and wannabees) who feel like this State is risk averse and a place where angels and VCs [...]

Is Perception the Reality with MN Venture Funding?

16. July 2010

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All the effort underway to kickstart innovation and entrepreneurial activity ((e.g., MHTA; MNCup; MOJO MN; Minnedemo/Minnebar; Minnov8; tech.mn) is clearly a reaction to the nearly terminal decline of risk taking and venture funding in Minnesota. Wherever there is a vacuum, something will fill it! How true is the perception that Minnesota lacks funding and risk-taking venture capitalists? If you read [...]

The Joy of Infiltration Champions Open Game Development

15. July 2010

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The mind of Zach Johnson is an interesting place. While much of it remains unexplored it’s filled with plenty of ideas, projects and fun. We last talked with Zach about Scribbls, a great site where doodles can give birth to hilarious results that he and his Watermelon Sauce partner Paul Armstrong developed. His most recent [...]

Method Patents: Good or Bad?

15. July 2010

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Let’s say you’ve founded a startup and think you have a completely original idea no one has thought of before with new approaches to the way an old process works. You might then think all you have to do is patent that process and you can achieve the protection patenting is all about: excluding others [...]

Congresswoman Calls for Skype Use?

13. July 2010

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UPDATE 7/18/10: If this doesn’t prove the point of this article…nothing does. Security expert Bruce Schneier posts, “Skype’s Cryptography Reverse-Engineered” and if this proves to be true, it would be trivial for rogue nations or eavesdroppers to listen-in on Congressional Skype conversations! In a time when cybersecurity has become the new battleground among nations and [...]

MixMobi Moves Closer to Being Named One of The PepsiCo 10

13. July 2010

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Local mobile marketing start up MixMobi emerges from hundreds of entries to join 40 other emerging technology firms in advancing to the the semi-final round of brand giant PepsiCo’s PepsiCo10. MixMobi’s CEO, Lisa Foote noted, “Pepsi’s brands (Quaker, Gatorade, Frito Lay and Pepsi) are global, multi-channel brands that can benefit from MixMobi’s approach to mobile [...]

Archive | July, 2010

Minnov8 Gang 87: More Buzz About Mobile

MPR: Where is innovation in Minnesota?

Why Small Business Needs to Innovate

Minnov8 Gang 86: Small Business is Social

Minnov8 Gang 85: Are Angels Crying?

Is Perception the Reality with MN Venture Funding?

The Joy of Infiltration Champions Open Game Development

Method Patents: Good or Bad?

Congresswoman Calls for Skype Use?

MixMobi Moves Closer to Being Named One of The PepsiCo 10

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