What's the big deal about closing another round of funding? So many companies have received funding over the last two years so that's not a reflection of the viability or success of a venture. In fact, Erick Schonfeld over at Techcrunch just posted a nice article on venture funding of new-age (web 2.0, web 3.0 whatever you want to call them) consumer internet companies. Wow, so many companies  read more »

Retrevo Introduces First Matchmaking Service for Consumers and Electronics

Artificial Intelligence Humanizes Shopping Experience; Real-Time Unbiased Site Takes Complexity Out of Finding the Perfect Match

November 19, 2007 - Sunnyvale, Calif.
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A little before mid-night on Nov 18, Retrevo launched its next big innovation. This innovation dramatically simplifies gadget (electronics) shopping for masses. You see, consumer electronics category is inundated with constant technological innovation, price changes and obsolescence. It is daunting to take the shopping journey even for the tech-savvy consumers. You don't know where to start and when you do manage to start the journey and zoom into a set of products that meet your brand and feature preference, you are never sure which product delivers a good bang for the buck.  read more »

A few weeks ago I was on a panel at Investor Business Forum when one of the venture investors attending the session asked "why is it that we see more entrepreneurs and even companies we fund founded by immigrant entrepreneurs"? I answered the question and it is not hard to understand why it is so. From 1513, when the Spanish explorer Ponce De Leon discovered Florida to French and German emigration in mid 19th century to emigration of Russians in late 19th century, Italians in early 20th century and Asians in mid 20th century, America has been the land of opportunity that has attracted talent, labor and intellectual capital from all over the world. And I would argue this has been the major driver behind the growth that has made America the super-power it is today.  read more »

Many of us have still not gotten used to the changed daylight saving time (three weeks earlier in March and one week later in Nov). And those of us who are at least aware have often rationalized the inconvenience by savings in energy cost (myself included). Yes, we will get used to starting work at odd hours and working at odd hours in the evening. But will we really save energy? There was an article in the journal today that covered this topic at length. According to Megan Barnett, the spokeswoman of US Energy Department "The jury is still out on the potential national energy savings". Well, that kills my excitement about the change in daylight saving implemented earlier this year.  read more »

So here comes another news from Apple. In their usual style, Apple announced a complete upgrade of ipod line of products.  read more »

Japanese manufacturers (sony, panasonic, canon, sharp) have long been the established brand names for consumer electronics products until Korean manufacturers (Samsung,  read more »

Humans are inherently lazy. The consumer electronics industry knows this and profits off of it. When seeking enjoyment and entertainment, if it takes to long, we give up. Who wants to work at having a good time? Well, many people (unfortunately) feel the same way about going green. Theyre often deterred by the amount of effort it takes to be a consciencious and eco-friendly consumer. Or they lack the knowledge and know-how to do the green thing. Phillips Electronics understands our struggle, and offers a solution. According to Cnets blo  read more »

No one can argue that iphone launch had the sizzle that hasn't been seen before. Selling 500,000 phones in a little over a day (up to Saturday) is amazing. Consideringno 3G support,$499 and $599 price points and the fact that95% of the phones sold are the more expensive and higher margin version. This is new product introduction at its best.  read more »

I was at a business dinner organized by Silicon Valley Bank a few nights ago along with a few other CEO clients of theirs. It was good to hear and share thoughts about globalization, wage inflation, innovation and different views about the economy. Everyone shared their frustration about (difficulty in) hiring, wage inflation, on-site vs. offshore development etc. During the course of discussion, one of the CEOs asked me "will you start your next company in Silicon Valley"? "Absolutely" was my answer which surprised many CEOs. However, it shouldn't come as a surprise to mos  read more »