Is Implanting Microchips in Employees a Good Idea?
Companies are beginning to implant microchips in employees to improve productivity, security, and healthcare. No, this is not a scene out of a dystopian sci-fi film, it’s happening right now. The chips are typically the size of a grain of rice and are inserted under the skin in a relatively painless process.
Join Startup Research 2020
Researchers from the University of California (Irvine), Notre Dame University, and the University of Colorado Boulder are looking for startup teams for a research study with the goal to understand factors that lead to effective, high-performing teams. Participation in this study is a unique opportunity for you and your team to gain invaluable and actionable insights into your team’s performance and how to improve it. At the same time, your participation will help to improve the lives of people who are living and working through both current and potential future pandemics.
Lawnboy Ventures – Restoring a Sense of Smell
Scott Moorehead suffered a traumatic brain injury when fell in the driveway, while teaching his 6-year-old son how to skateboard. He recovered from the internal bleeding and concussion but never regained his smell. The connection between the olfactory nerves in his nose and his brain had been severed.
My Trek Around the World
I’m continuing my worldwide speaking tour. Yesterday, I gave a talk in Nanjing, China. Before that Australia. This morning I was in Great Britain, and this afternoon Nova Scotia, Canada. Tomorrow, I’ll be back talking in Silicon Valley.
I’m doing all this from the comfort of my bedroom thanks to modern technology. It’s amazing that I can participate in events all over the world without ever hopping on a plane, losing luggage, or getting jet lag!
The Silicon Valley Podcast by Shawn Flynn
I highly recommend the The Silicon Valley Podcast by Shawn Flynn.
You can see the latest podcasts here: https://thesiliconvalleypodcast.com/blog-page/
If you want to listen to Captain Hoff’s interview, click here:
Investing in HealthTech, MedTech & Biotech Startups: Raising Venture Capital in Silicon Valley
Join us for a discussion with three Silicon Valley investors on health, medical and biotech startups.
Startup Survival Guide in the Age of COVID-19
Captain Hoff discusses how entrepreneurs can keep their startup businesses afloat during the coronavirus crisis.
Vegetarian Challenge
Photo by ja ma on Unsplash
While flying to Asia and lamenting how much meat is being consumed around the world, I had an idea… One way to promote vegetarianism is to make it a personal challenge. People love challenging themselves. The reward comes in the form of that feeling of accomplishment we all crave.
Personal Motivation:
Free Legal Services for Startups – Apply by Dec 15, 2019
Every startup needs a solid legal foundation. The Startup Legal Garage at UC Hastings Law School is now accepting applications from early-stage companies to be part of its Spring 2020 cohort.
Their program matches select law students with attorneys from top-flight Bay Area law firms to provide free legal services to qualified startups, including incorporation, equity splits, terms of service, vendor, customer, and employment contracts, basic funding work, and more.
The Bleeding Edge
“The Bleeding Edge” shows how medical device companies are treating human beings as guinea pigs when testing out their new devices. Not all innovation is good, especially when it’s being done at the cost of patient safety. This film has changed how I view the healthcare system and medical device startups. Something needs to be done about the lax regulation and cronyism before more lives are destroyed.
AI & the Future of Education
A group from South Korea came to Founders Space today. We talked about how AI is going to impact education. It’s my belief that teachers and even universities won’t be necessary in the future.
Right now, we use universities to filter people. If you went to MIT or Harvard, everyone assumes you’re brilliant and companies line up to hire you. But all it really means is that you are great at taking tests.
City Lab Promises New Era in Urban Management
Steven Hoffman, CEO of Founders Space and a leading incubator in Silicon Valley, predicted some trends in AI.
“Everything is connected and personalized with autonomous AI and integrated devices,” he said.
A Future City Lab was launched by Vanke and Microsoft of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference on Friday.
The lab will generate standards for planning and management of cities in areas including the Internet of Things, smart homes and intelligent architecture.
Laptop Raido: How Can You Make Elephants Fly?
Captain Hoff explains how to get your big idea off the ground and make it fly…
Unlocking the Bottlenecks in Computer Vision + AI
Startups that succeed are those that succeed in creating value. And the value that we seek is the betterment of our human processes. We join accelerators to speed up the adventure, but entrepreneurs discover obstacles, and it’s the overcoming of those blocks that help us uncover the value of our endeavors. Here’s Chooch’s own example. (Blog post written & contributed by Chooch.ai)
Three Simple Rules for Investing in Public Companies
Here are three simple rules for investing in public companies:
1) Make sure the companies have a sustainable competitive advantage. If they don’t, they can’t win.
2) Never confuse a growth company with a profitable one. Short-term profits don’t matter as much as long-term growth.
3) Look at the future, not the past. Avoid businesses whose best days are behind them.
The Fisherman & The VC
There was a man who fished two hours a day, caught enough fish to feed his family and make a small profit, then enjoyed his free time playing his guitar, dancing with his wife, and chatting with his friends until late into the night.
Then a VC came along and told the man to spend more time at sea, catch as many fish as possible, invest the profits in more boats, then build a cannery, launch a global distribution network, dominate the seafood markets, and change the world!
The Future of Airbnb After Its IPO?
I liked Airbnb from the very beginning, and I can tell you exactly why.
First of all, Airbnb is a marketplace that connects guests with landlords. This is a very difficult type of marketplace to make successful, but once you achieve a critical mass of users, it’s incredibly hard to replicate. This is because people looking for places to stay will always gravitate towards the largest selection of spaces, and landlords with space to rent will always post their properties where there are the largest number of potential buyers. The first company to achieve this combination creates an enormous barrier to entry for their competitors. This allows them to monetize the site deeply without fear of losing their customers. Airbnb was a first-mover in opening up a new source of real estate that was untapped by competitors. This gave them a big first-mover advantage.