I interviewed Jim Patterson, CEO Cotap @Launch 2014. Its basically like WhatsApp. Its a free app & you sign up with your company email address. It automatically groups everyone who works together by company email domain. So you get added to your company directory & you be able to send your fellow workers text messages without having to swap phone numbers. Jim was @Yammer for about 4 1/2 years & they were acquired by Microsoft & this idea was his original vision. A lot of people who work in the front line like baristas, retail shop attendants are not given company equipment to communicate but most have smart phones in their pockets. So they are targeting companies who have those kinds of work forces to connect everyone in an organization. Not just knowledge workers but all workers. Yammer & Microsoft was much more desktop or app centric to much more focused on mobile. Being 22 employees its really easy for them to focus on what is the most important thing that they all should be working on. They raised $15.5m & just closed their B round.
Charles River Ventures
Bill Tai, Charles River Ventures: European Entrepreneurs, Female Startups & Pitching #futureofmoney
Video interview with Bill Tai, General Partner Charles River Ventures @Future of Money & Technology Summit Bill is as comfortable on a kiteboard in the Pacific Ocean as he is in the office. As a sponsored athlete and Olympic Ambassador for the IKA (Int’l Kitesurfing Association), he is part of the campaign to put Kiteboarding into the 2016 Olympics to be held in Rio de Janeiro. Bill has had as much success on the water (or snow) as he has had as an investor. A CRV partner since 2002 and startup investor since 1991, he’s helped a number of portfolio companies reach successful exits. Prior to joining CRV, Bill had business successes as Executive Chairman of IPInfusion, Founding Chairman & CEO of iAsiaWorks, and Founding President of Tradebeam. His greatest areas of interest are cloud / web services, mobile applications and enabling technologies. Bill is also co-creator of the MaiTai Kite Camp, where entrepreneurs, innovators and athletes try to master the complex sport of kiting. He holds an MBA from Harvard Graduate School of Business, and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois. You can find Bill on Twitter @KiteVC
Ann Miura-Ko, Floodgate: Women Should Just Play Entrepreneurial Game!
Video interview with Ann Miura-Ko, CoFounding Partner Floodgate. Ann’s investment interests include the innovations in e-commerce, security, and big data. In addition to serving at FLOODGATE, Ann is a lecturer in the School of Engineering at Stanford University, where she got her PhD focused on mathematical modeling of computer security. She teaches High Tech Entrepreneurship with Steve Blank and is a frequent lecturer in courses such as Technology Venture Formation, High-tech Entrepreneurship, and the Mayfield Fellows Program. Many of her students have gone on to secure Angel and VC funding for their ideas. Prior to joining FLOODGATE and her stint at Stanford, Ann worked at Charles River Ventures and McKinsey and Company. You can find Ann on Twitter @annimaniac
