Peter Thiel: Build a Business So Big That Investors Will Invest Major Bucks

Peter Theil of the Founders Fund, also founder of Paypal, addresses the Vatorsplash audience in late September on what it takes to be successful.

He talks about entrepreneurship, what they learned in his early days at Paypal, mistakes they made and how that helped shape the decisions he makes today. Peter encourages entrepreneurs to think big: don't just build a feature or a solution that will have an incremental and small impact on an industry, but build something that will change the world.

He says, "create a business that is so valuable that investors are willing to invest not just a 'little', but a significant amount of capital." In other words, a technology that is so disruptive that it will have an impact on how we live. This isn't unlike the advice that Vinod Khosler gave on the Techcrunch Disrupt stage earlier the same week. Below is a two-part video that I shot of his keynote, close to 30 minutes in length for both segments.

MC Hammer & Dancers HOT on Stage

Imagine you're into rap, hip hop and dance. Imagine you're into creativity, fabulous footwork and high energy. Imagine being able to move, jam and jive among a group who live and breathe this? I recently had an opportunity -- together with a few dozen others from the Silicon Valley technology community -- to jam with MC Hammer and his rivoting dancers on stage. (and I mean rivoting on top of being beautiful and perfectly sculpted!)

MC Hammer took the stage at the Google-sponsored Techcrunch Disrupt after party this past week in San Francisco. The shindig was partly to celebrate the AOL acquisition of Techcrunch (congrats to Mike, Heather & TC team) and partly, just to have fun and perhaps prove that techies know how to jam and more importantly like to. As a lover of dance and dancer myself, there is no better joy than to be what I refer to as "in-zone" -- on or off-stage.

When the music and energy takes over, nothing else exists except you and the music.....you and the beat. I was so caught up in the beat at one point that I didn't even realize MC Hammer was rapping and dancing right next to me until I saw video clips of it later.

MC Hammer hasn't lost his edge and both his female and male dancers are so impressive, so engaging and so passionate about their art, that you can't help but tap, move, clap and shout. You'll see what I mean by taking a look at the random shots of MC and group in action I took from front-row center below:

 

Biz Tech Day Hits Seattle, New York & San Francisco This Fall

For those of you who are not aware of Biz Tech Day, it's a one day event that brings together 1,500+ influential and passionate entrepreneurs under one roof in three cities across the U.S. in the fall: Seattle, New York and San Francisco.

The goal for Attendees? To strengthen their business and ventures by learning about the most practical business ideas and technology strategies to accelerate your company's growth.

What I love about their events is the focus on practical solutions. You have an opportunity to listen to 10 practical business talks, watch 10 innovative technology demos and meet people who will change how your business work and turn your dreams into a reality.

Registration for the BizTechDay 2010 is now live. August early bird discount available until August 31st.

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Discount code for Down the Avenue and We Blog the World readers:

August 1 – 31st - 30% Off

Discount Code: WeblogtheworldEarly

September 1 till BizTechDay - 20% Off

Discount Code: Weblogtheworld

A Smoky San Francisco

The fire trucks were flying and the sirens were going off in San Francisco yesterday as they were heading to a fire that hit somewhere in the city. A view of the smoke as we saw it in real-time from the southern part of the city on the afternoon of Saturday, August 14, 2010.

140 Characters Hits the Bay Area

Jeff Pulver's 140 Character's Conference is coming to San Francisco on August 19, 2010 as part of Connected Marketing Week. You can register here); also check out San Francisco's schedule.

BTW, Jeff is touring with this relatively new conference - only a couple years old, he has had and plans to have events in the following cities: LA, Boston, Detroit, London, Tel Aviv, Barcelona, New York and Washington DC. And I thought I never slept. Can we just say impressive and be done with it.

At these events they have explored the effects of Twitter and social media on a wide range of topics including: Celebrity, “The Media”, Advertising, Politics, Fashion, Real Estate, Music, Education, Public Safety and Public Diplomacy.

As Jeff brings #140conf to different cities, the underlying conference is a reflection of the people of the surrounding communities.

The San Francisco event’s programming personifies some of the counter-culture trends which the city created in the late ‘60’s and ‘70s – trends which took hold and shaped the minds and consciousness for an entire generation. If you're in town, be sure to register and attend.

Connected Marketing Week

Connected Marketing Week is behind held next week in San Francisco from August 16-20, 2010 and Jeff Pulver's 140 Characters Conference is smack in the middle of it.

The content and focus? Evolving into a network of people constantly connecting, communicating and sharing, the dynamics by which people interact both with each other and information has fundamentally changed.

Realizing that success in marketing today requires an advanced understanding of how consumers and audiences are connecting, sharing their passions and influencing others.

ClickZ, leveraging its insight and expertise in the digital industry, has launched the first ever Connected Marketing Festival, bringing a community of organizations and events together fostering professional development, and greater technical insight into this developing field.

They'll garner discussions around search, social, and SEO optimization (workshop on this alone). They plan to host more than 8000 attendees and showcase more than 200 sessions, with revered speakers from around the globe.

There is an Email Marketer's Toolkit For Success workshop where you can compare your email marketing goals and campaigns with best of breeds in your category.

You'll get a review of marketplace winners and losers and then dive into expert-led topical training that will help you define the right strategy, implement it, measure results and promote replicable success across your organization.

They'll also have a Search Engine Optimization Training session led by Bruce Clay, an industry recognized expert on SEO.

The workshop offers strategy and tactics necessary in today's fast changing search world. The course, which covers SEO methodology, concepts and strategies, will provide the process needed to achieve significant traffic.

Ubergizmo's Digital Summer: August 25: #DS2010

I'm a fan of Ubergizmo's content and their annual Digital Summer event, now in its second year. Last year, they drew hundreds of people to their August event in San Francisco, where movers-and-shakers in the area of technology, fashion, design and media converged.

Digital Summer's mission is to bring together technology exhibitors and art exhibitors (photographers, artists, fashion designers, designers, music artists) in a unique setting and it works, a refreshing blend in a city largely known for tech only -- all the time.

In fact, both worlds rarely mix and each has a lot to gain by doing so. Promoting promising artists, designers, photographers and emerging technologies is the underlying motivation of producing Digital Summer. Additionally, Digital Summer aims to promote women and their access to technology, both as users and as professionals. Rock on and kudos to producer Eliane Fiolet and her team.

This year, the event will be held on August 25th, 2010. Among the unique features of this one-of-a-kind event is a live runway fashion show showcasing designers Colleen Quen Couture, Jan Warnock, Harputs OWN and Sofie Olgaard. Manika Jewelry will provide the jewelry and attendees will also have a chance to enjoy a professional photo-shoot.

Attendees can register here and for the social media addicts among us, the Twitter hash is #DS2010, so tweet up a storm - it's an event worth tweeting about.

The program will include sponsors like Intel, who will showcase the future of fashion display and Verizon Wireless where you'll get an opportunity to try out their latest 3G smartphones. You can get a hands-on demo of the Droid X by Motorola and the Verizon Wireless MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot.

Other cool things and a call-to-action, or should I say, "eco-action" -- attendees are encouraged to bring their old phones for recycling through the Verizon Wireless HopeLine Program, where the contributed phones will be refurbished or recycled in an environmentally friendly way. With the funds raised from the sale of the refurbished phones, Verizon Wireless supports non-profit organizations providing vital services to domestic violence survivors.

We Blog the World is a proud media sponsor of this exciting event that promises to surprise and entertain.

Eating Your Way Through San Francisco

Below are some snapshots of recommended dishes in San Francisco, taken from dining experiences over the past couple of weeks....it includes The Wharf and Fog Harbor along/near The Embarcadero, Limon in the Mission and Paul K in Hayes Valley.

Fresh Oysters Promise to Impress on The Wharf along The Embarcadero. Ask for him large - they have as much taste as the smaller ones.

Tuna Coated with Spicy Pepper on the The Embarcadero.

Syrian Spiced Duck Breast, Spelt, Grilled Figs, Hazelnuts, Watercress at Paul K on Gough.

Roast. Tomatoes. White Beans. Rosemary. Succulent. Tender. Incredible.

Risotto, Heirloom Tomatoes, Basil, Melted Pecorino Cheese at Paul K on Gough.

Aroz con Mariscos - Peruvian-style Paella made with Saffron Rice, Mixed Seafood, Spicy Pimento Sauce and Roasted Red Peppers at Limon on Valencia Street (a much better choice than the dish sitting behind it: Grilled Octopus on a Bed of Mashed Potatoes which was too Rubbery and needed the Mash to counter the tough texture and lack of taste).

Ceviche Nikkei de Atun - Sushi Grade Ahi Tuna with Mushrooms and Sesame Seeds in Soy Sauce-Infused Leche de Tigre at Limon on Valencia Street. The sauce and the mushrooms make this a unique dish and compliment the Very Tender and Tasty Tuna.

SFNewTech Big Summer Social

On Friday night, SF New Tech's (Endless) Summer Social was held in the beautiful gardens of Stonebrook Court in Los Altos Hills, CA.   

David Lucatch demos Itibiti

Brian Zisk on right

Di-Ann Eisnor, Waze, Renee Blodgett, Magic Sauce Media

Myles Weissleder draws a name for a tablet Itibiti gives away

On left, Stephanie Block

July 25, 2010 in Events, San Francisco, Social Gigs & Parties, Social Media, Web 2.0 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 16, 2010

NetShelter Gathers a Great Crowd

NetShelter Technology Media, had a networking bash at San Francisco's ROE on Howard Street last night. NetShelter pioneered the concept of the vertical media network and has passed CNET to become the #1 tech news web property online. They now reach 18 percent of the total U.S. online audience, have 37 million U.S. unique visitors and 108 million monthly unique visitors globally, according to comScore.

Pat Houston, Dana Oshiro

July 16, 2010 in America The Free, On Blogging, On Journalism, San Francisco, Social Gigs & Parties, Social Media | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

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