LAUNCH Angel Dinner, March 6th in San Francsico

On Monday, March 6th Naval Ravikant (co-founder of AngelList) and I are hosting a dinner for the ~40 startups launching at the LAUNCH Festival and a couple of dozens investors.

If you're an angel investor or VC and you want to come to this event you should email me. jason@calacanis.com 

Jason on Twitter Mahalo.com This Week in Startups

How we filled our iOS App to free and hit the top 10 in 24 hours (chart) http://jc.is/yVMokI

How we filled our iOS App to free and hit the top 10 in 24 hours (chart) http://jc.is/yVMokI

Jason on Twitter Mahalo.com This Week in Startups

Three free apps from Mahalo today!

These are all awesome $5-10 apps that are free this week... go get em and let me know what you think of them! 

Celebrity Hairstyles

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/celebrity-hairstyles/id493660777?mt=8

Walkthrough for Cut the Rope

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/walkthrough-for-cut-the-rope/id499991661?mt=8

Learn Piano 

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/learn-piano-hd/id480053047?mt=8

Jason on Twitter Mahalo.com This Week in Startups

More pinterest spam Fw: Arianna Huffington is following you on Pinterest

Did Arianna really follow my boards?

Did she actually click follow, or is pinterest lying spam and she just uploaded her friends list and lied to me?

Why doesn't pinterest have 1-click unsubscribe? Oh yeah, they're spammers.

Isn't it illegal to do bogus marketing like this without unsubscribe and your aaddress and phone number at the bottom?

---

From: Pinterest <pinbot@pinterest.com>

Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:04:15 -0000

To: <jason@calacanis.com>

ReplyTo: hi@pinterest.com

Subject: Arianna Huffington is following you on Pinterest

Hi Jason,

Arianna Huffington started following all of your pinboards. Follow Arianna back.

Happy Pinning!

- Ben and the Pinterest Team

---

Change your email preferences. • Invite your friends to Pinterest.

Jason on Twitter Mahalo.com This Week in Startups

small planes, small airports. I hate this, would rather take southwest.

Jason on Twitter Mahalo.com This Week in Startups

Paul Bragiel of i/o ventures on This Week in Startups

awesome episode... 

On This Week in Startups, Jason was joined by i/o ventures (http://ventures.io) partner Paul Bragiel (http://twitter.com/bragiel). Paul--accompanied by his formidable beard--gave us a lot of insight into the selection process for the i/o program, the companies he's proud to have mentored and the state of startups in the Valley (hint: Paul says no bubble!).

If you missed the live show, never fear: http://goo.gl/0IHZg

Or, you can jump straight to some of the best moments:
       • 17 minutes in: Are good companies still applying to accelerators? Watch: http://goo.gl/bDR6Y
       • 21 minutes in: i/o's approach to the incubator model. Watch: http://goo.gl/beb1q
       • 37 minutes in: Is MVP always the right decision? Watch: http://goo.gl/pgsus

To spread the word about this insightful episode, just tweet this: "Meet the man behind the beard: Paul Bragiel of @io talks mentors, funding & why he can’t stay away from the startup game http://goo.gl/0IHZg"

Coming up this Friday, Feb. 17, we're jetting (virtually) around the globe for the first-ever TWiST Berlin meetup! Don't miss all the pitching action live at 1pm PT. Watch and unpack the startups with us in the chat here: http://thisweekin.com/live

We couldn't bring you episodes like today's without our incredible sponsors GoToMeeting (http://gotomeeting.com) and MailChimp (http://mailchimp.com). Show them you appreciate their support by thanking them @GoToMeeting and @MailChimp.

Thanks for your viewership and support!
Carolyn, TWiST Producer
@cbedgood

[Just hit 'reply' to reach our whole team.]

If you're not subscribed in iTunes, it's only a click away!
Subscribe to iTunes audio: http://goo.gl/0SbGu
Subscribe to iTunes video: http://goo.gl/mdcO5

Friends don't let friends miss TWiST. Forward them this email and tell them to subscribe at http://thisweekin.com/email

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
TWiST #232 Paul Bragiel of i/o ventures

0:00-2:00 Today we have Paul Bragiel, managing director of the accelerator i/o ventures with us.
2:00-2:45 Your accelerator is actually a physical location that people work out of, right?
2:45-5:00 Thank you so much to MailChimp for their support. Everyone thank @mailchimp!
5:00-6:00 Do you send email updates about i/o ventures?
6:00-7:45 What is the mission of i/o ventures and how is it different from Y Combinator?
7:45-9:00 What’s the story? Do you shampoo that beard?
9:00-10:00 Who are the other people working in your office?
10:00-10:30 How many people have graduated?
10:30-11:30 How much do the companies get and how much equity do you take?
11:30-12:00 Is blatantly ripping off someone’s idea the worst thing in the world?
12:00-13:45 Jason reveals a story about meeting with a successful investor in Germany at the DLD Conference who warned him about the Samwer brothers.
13:45-16:00 What’s the difference between stealing artistically and ripping something off?
16:00-17:00 Who’s to blame for enabling pieces of garbage like them?
17:00-19:00 So after two classes, do you feel like the quality is going down?
19:00-20:15 How much more did it cost to start a company ten years ago?
20:15-20:30 Have there been any lawsuits over the mandatory beard rule in your program?
20:30-21:45 Where does the money come from that you invest in the companies?
21:45-24:15 How much of what you provide for companies is coaching versus teaching skills?
24:15-26:30 Thank you to GoToMeeting for their support! Everyone thank @gotomeeting!
28:00-31:00 Take me through the process of when you’re reading an application, what are you thinking? What’s the first thing you look for?
31:00-32:45 What’s next, after you’ve looked at the person?
32:45-34:30 You don’t need the money, so why are you doing this?
34:30-37:30 How many of the people you accept every year are established in the Valley or are most people new to the area?
37:30-40:30 Is it possible to build a big company with a minimal viable product?
40:30-42:45 What was the best idea from Web 1.0 that didn’t make it?
42:45-45:15 What are some companies that have graduated that you’re most proud of?
45:15-46:45 Is there an angel bubble right now?
46:45-48:30 Is your advice to companies to raise as much money as possible out of the gate or only to take what you need?
48:30-49:00 What did Lefora do?
49:00-50:30 What do you think are the key characteristics of successful entrepreneurs?
50:30-51:00 You have literally hundreds of applications to go through, don’t you?
51:00-51:30 What’s the best way for people to get in touch with you?
51:30-52:30 You’ve got an amazing mentor list.
52:30-54:00 And you’re going to give a slot to a company from the LAUNCH Festival, right?
54:30-56:00 Paul announces that i/o ventures is about to do the first seed fund in sub-Saharan Africa.
56:00-56:30 What’s the new definition of samwer?
56:30-57:00 Paul, you’ve been an amazing guest and I think you’re doing great work. I wish you continued success. Thank you to GoToMeeting and MailChimp and we’ll see you next time.
. 

Jason on Twitter Mahalo.com This Week in Startups

Tahoe

Jason on Twitter Mahalo.com This Week in Startups

Thanks everyone for making Learn Pilates #6 in ipad!

Thanks for making Learn Pilates #6 in the iPad store.... 

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/learn-pilates/id473456615?mt=8

Learn GarageBand is also free today (normally $4.99):

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/learn-garageband-in-30-days/id471488620?mt=8

Learn Guitar is free today too! 

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/learn-guitar/id457093781?mt=8

Jason on Twitter Mahalo.com This Week in Startups

Our Learn Pilates App is free today! http://jc.is/xcbZah

Go grab it and let me know what you think!  

http://jc.is/xcbZah

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/learn-pilates/id473456615?mt=8 

Note: android coming in March. 

Jason on Twitter Mahalo.com This Week in Startups

This Week In Startups with Greg Tseng of @Tagged

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jason Calacanis and the This Week In Team <team@thisweekin.com>
Date: Fri, Feb 10, 2012 at 5:01 PM
Subject: This Week In Startups--Greg Tseng of Tagged
To: Jason <jason@calacanis.com>

On This Week in Startups, Jason sat down with Tagged (http://tagged.com) co-founder Greg Tseng (http://twitter.com/gregtseng), an entrepreneur wise beyond his years. Greg not only has a great mentor in LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, but also works with an executive coach and has a whole team of people that he relies on for support. Listen as Greg shares his founding philosophy and what he believes is the core of entrepreneurship.

If you missed the live show, get your fix here: http://goo.gl/8WSgX

Or, you can jump straight to some of the best moments:
       • 19 minutes in: Establishing Tagged's culture. Watch: http://goo.gl/wSv7a
       • 31 minutes in: What's the role of an executive coach? Watch: http://goo.gl/sbXZv
       • 47 minutes in: How Greg defines an entrepreneur. Watch: http://goo.gl/JMfHP

To spread the word about this insightful episode, just tweet this: "Watch @Tagged co-founder @GregTseng discuss executive coaching, establishing culture & relentless iteration on #TWiST. http://goo.gl/8WSgX"

Coming up this Tuesday, Feb. 14, we're celebrating our love for the work of i/o ventures (http://ventures.io/) founder Paul Bragiel (http://twitter.com/bragiel) by interviewing him. Check it out at 1pm PT to watch and discuss in the chat: http://thisweekin.com/live

We couldn't bring you episodes like today's without our incredible sponsors Sourcebits (http://sourcebits.com) and MailChimp (http://mailchimp.com). Show them you appreciate their support by thanking them @Sourcebits and @MailChimp.

Thanks for your viewership and support!
Carolyn, TWiST Producer
@cbedgood

[Just hit 'reply' to reach our whole team.]

If you're not subscribed in iTunes, it's only a click away!
Subscribe to iTunes audio: http://goo.gl/0SbGu
Subscribe to iTunes video: http://goo.gl/mdcO5

Friends don't let friends miss TWiST. Forward them this email and tell them to subscribe at http://thisweekin.com/email

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
TWiST #231 Greg Tseng of Tagged

0:00-2:15 Welcome everyone, we’re here today with Tagged founder Greg Tseng.
2:15-3:00 Special thanks to our friends at CNET and CBS Interactive for hosting TWiST on the road.
3:00-5:00 Thank you to our friends at MailChimp for their generous support. Everyone thank @mailchimp!
5:00-5:30 Welcome, Greg. How many monthly unique impressions is Tagged getting now?
5:30-7:30 What exactly is Tagged?
7:30-9:15 What did you think you could bring to social networking that Facebook couldn’t?
9:15-11:00 What is the sunk/cost fallacy?
11:00-12:30 What is social discovery? If I’m on Netflix and I liked this movie, then I might like that movie?
12:30-14:30 How does Tagged insert someone new into my network?
14:30-17:00 And you have your own game library, right?
17:00-18:15 Do you make money for the dating service of Tagged?
18:15-19:15 How much do you charge?
19:15-21:00 How did you establish the culture of Tagged?
21:00-22:45 Why do you think you’ve never had any leaks?
22:45-23:30 Greg: “A startup is like a roller coaster that goes up and to the right.”
23:30-25:30 Thank you to Sourcebits for sponsoring the show! Don’t get left behind--check out their amazing mobile apps at sourcebits.com.
25:30-28:00 Why are mobile apps so hot?
28:00-30:00 Think about the fact that the iPad didn’t even exist two years ago.
30:00-31:30 It’s very easy to forget about your personal health as a founder, isn’t it?
31:30-34:00 Tell me a little about the executive coaching. What is their role?
34:00-37:45 Does she actually give you language to use?
37:45-41:00 What were some of the roughest times at Tagged?
41:00-42:00 How much of the time did the legal issues take that year?
42:00-44:00 Another lesson learned: Controlling your public message.
44:00-45:15 Reid Hoffman: “If you’re not embarrassed by version 1 of your product, you took too long to release it.”
45:15-47:30 How do you keep daily releases from getting too manic or out of control?
47:30-50:30 You’ve been an entrepreneur for how long, about a decade? At its core, what do you think entrepreneurship is all about?
50:30-51:45 What do you do when you find out that you suck at something?
51:45-53:00 What’s the secret to hiring? Is it the toughest thing?
53:00-54:30 How have you been profitable for so long? Why aren’t you raising more money?
54:30-57:00 What do you think is going to happen in the next five years?
57:00-58:00 What inning is the Internet business in right now, do you think?
58:00-58:30 Do you consider Taiwan part of China?
58:30-59:00 If you’re an amazing developer, email your resume to greg@tagged.com.
59:00-1:00:00 We wish you continued success, Greg. Thank you for joining us.

Jason on Twitter Mahalo.com This Week in Startups

Wow! Awesome view from rental house in tahoe

Jason on Twitter Mahalo.com This Week in Startups

South Lake Tahoe -- nice master suite!

Jason on Twitter Mahalo.com This Week in Startups

Flying into tahoe and plane almost flipped!

Jason on Twitter Mahalo.com This Week in Startups

have room for 26 desks for rent at Mahalo HQ in Culver City

Jason@mahalo.com if you're interested in renting any. $500 a month each. J

Jason on Twitter Mahalo.com This Week in Startups

Join us for a Special Live Webcast of the Model X Premiere

Model S / Design / Reserve     Model X Premiere Event Join us for a special live webcast 02.09.2012 at 8:00PM PST http://www.teslamotors.com/modelx                 Tesla Motors | Tesla Motors | 3500 Deer Creek Road | Palo Alto, CA 94304 update profile | unsubscribe | privacy policy

Jason on Twitter Mahalo.com This Week in Startups

This Week In Startups--Neal Sales-Griffin of Code Academy

Awesome guest on This Week in Startups from codeacademy

---------- Forwarded message ----------

On This Week in Startups, we were joined by Neal Sales-Griffin (http://twitter.com/nealsales) of Code Academy (http://codeacademy.org), the Chicago startup that teaches people how to build web apps in just 11 weeks. Neal and Jason are both deeply interested and invested in the education space, so the discussion included the future of education, why it's never too late to start coding and how startups will save our economy.

If you missed the live show, get your fix here: http://goo.gl/B12sQ

Or, you can jump straight to some of the best moments:
       • 17 minutes in: A Code Academy success story. Watch: http://goo.gl/hVlxq
       • 28 minutes in: What are some possible monetization strategies for CA? Watch: http://goo.gl/qRpG2
       • 38 minutes in: Adriana Herrera pitches Fashioning Change. Watch: http://goo.gl/yPoJ6

To spread the word about this insightful episode, just tweet this: "Neal Sales-Griffin of @CodeAcademy came to TWiST to talk about the future of ed & how startups are ultimate job creators http://goo.gl/B12sQ"

Coming up this Friday, Feb. 10, we'll be back with an interview with Greg Tseng (http://twitter.com/gregtseng) of Tagged (http://tagged.com), the third largest social network in the US. Check it out at 1pm PT to watch and discuss in the chat: http://thisweekin.com/live

We couldn't bring you episodes like today's without our incredible sponsors GoToMeeting (http://gotomeeting.com) and Walker Corporate Law (http://walkercorporatelaw.com). Show them you appreciate their support by thanking them @GoToMeeting and @ScottEdWalker.

Thanks for your viewership and support!
Carolyn, TWiST Producer
@cbedgood

[Just hit 'reply' to reach our whole team.]

If you're not subscribed in iTunes, it's only a click away!
Subscribe to iTunes audio: http://goo.gl/0SbGu
Subscribe to iTunes video: http://goo.gl/mdcO5

Friends don't let friends miss TWiST. Forward them this email and tell them to subscribe at http://thisweekin.com/email

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
TWiST #230 Neal Sales-Griffin of Code Academy

0:00-1:30 We’re here today with Neal Sales-Griffin of Code Academy.
1:30-2:30 Welcome back Tyler. How’s it been going?
2:30-3:00 If you still haven’t joined the TWiST Backchannel, go to twistlist.co to sign up.
3:00-4:30 Thank you to GoToMeeting for sponsoring the show. Everyone thank them @gotomeeting.
4:30-7:30 If you haven’t heard about the LAUNCH Festival, check it out here: launch.is. It’s not too late to get your tickets!
7:30-10:00 Insight from Tyler: Launch is like an Asian girl with double Ds.
10:00-11:00 Neal, what’s the mission at Code Academy?
11:00-11:45 What’s the difference between you and Codeacademy?
11:45-13:30 How much do people pay to join and what do they get?
13:30-14:00 How do you make a profit?
14:00-15:30 What kinds of people are joining the program?
15:30-17:00 What do I need to know before I come in to Code Academy?
17:00-19:30 What can a student accomplish in an eleven week course?
19:30-21:00 Are there jobs in the US for average coders, or do you have to be elite?
21:00-22:45 Do you think what you’re doing could help menial workers acquire a new skill and get a better job?
22:45-26:00 In minority communities, how is becoming a developer looked at?
26:00-28:00 Thank you to Walker Corporate Law for supporting the show. If you need at lawyer, call Scott at 310-288-6667.
28:00-31:30 What if you put people on a payment plan or charged a placement fee for the companies that hire students afterwards?
31:30-33:00 Do you ask your students to build real-world tools uning APIs?
33:00-34:45 Do you think that internships are a screwed up concept legally?
34:45-36:00 Out of your contemporaries coming out of Northwestern, how many do you think have a job?
36:00-37:30 Have you raised money for this yet? Are you planning to?
37:30-38:15 Let’s take a Shark Tank call.
38:15-39:30 Adriana Herrara of Fashioning Change makes her pitch.
40:30-42:00 You had good energy and that came through in the pitch.
42:00-42:30 Jason gives the presentation an 8 and the business model a 7.
42:30-44:00 Neal, what did you think of the pitch?
44:00-45:00 This “search everything” is a little too much. I would rather have a daily email or offering.
45:00-46:00 Tyler, bias aside, what did you think?
46:00-48:00 How many of you would buy an American-made bag that you knew was cruelty free?
48:00-48:30 Jason: I’m lowering your presentation to a 6 because you have tons of great features that you didn’t bring up.
48:30-50:00 Tyler gives the pitch a 7, but says it could easily be a 9.
50:00-51:30 What’s the youngest age someone should be allowed to work?
51:30-53:00 Tyler gives Adriana’s business model an 8.5.
53:00-55:00 Adriana explains her competitive advantages.
55:00-55:15 Thank you for pitching us today, Adriana. You’ve won a free table at the Launch Festival!
55:15-56:00 Neal, when are you launching in a second city?
56:00-59:00 Jason proposes a business deal to Neal.
59:00-1:01:00 You’re in a race right now with all of these other schools, Neal.
1:01:00-1:04:45 Neal, you’re invited to come be my guest and have a table at the conference and all of the Code Academy alumni get a free ticket.
1:04:45-1:05:45 Jason demos a video about quadrotors ().
1:05:45-1:06:00 Everyone check at Code Academy, follow Neal on Twitter @nealsales and apply for the next class!

==============================================

Jason on Twitter Mahalo.com This Week in Startups

LAUNCH Festival hits $269k in prizes!

I'm so blessed to be part of--and have the support of--an amazing industry!

http://www.launch.is/blog/boom-launch-hits-269k-in-prizes-thanks-to-charles-river-vent.html 

Please come to the LAUNCH Festival... and if you're broke sneak in or ask me for a free ticket!!! :-) 

Jason on Twitter Mahalo.com This Week in Startups