All posts tagged iphone

  • September 14, 2012

    How about a smart phone that’s always charged?

    EverpurseI’m finally back posting to my blog after a several month hiatus while I was running the Founder Institute in Bogota and Medellin.

    I can’t even count the innumerable times that I’ve felt the frustration of walking around with an uncharged iPhone in my pocket.  That’s why I was intrigued when I met Liz and Dan Salcedo during my trip to San Francisco this year and watched as they took advantage of my shopping spree to do more research for their startup called Everpurse, which integrates an iPhone charger into women’s handbags.

    We were meeting because Dan and I had hooked up thanks to finding out that we’ve had similar experiences (e.g., Colombian background, startups, Founder Institute, etc.).  Fortunately, Dan brought along his lovely wife, Liz, and I came to know a truly impressive founding team.   I came to appreciate Liz’s thoroughness and decision-making prowess after conversing and after she helped tremendously during my shopping excursion.

    Instead of trying to solve the smart phone (starting with the iPhone) battery life problem by creating a better battery, Everpurse is allowing women to take their charger with them while staying fashionable.  As the below video shows, just slip the smaller purse with charger installed into any handbag and you’re ready to go.  Just watch the reaction of potential consumers.

    The Wow effect. Blind, first-time reactions to the Everpurse. from Everpurse on Vimeo.

    In the short time since they started their venture, they have been featured in a number of publications and are more than half of the way through their $100,000 KickStarter fund raiser.  There are a lot of things to like about this team not the least of which is their ability to execute on a world-class level.

    The product looks great and I’m sure they’ll get quite a bit of traction. If you get a chance, I highly recommend giving them a serious look, especially if you’re looking for a distinctive gift for a loved one.  :)

    1 Comment / English, General /

  • January 29, 2010

    CEO Guide: Steve Jobs & The Future of the Media Industry

    steve-jobsThe launch of the Apple iPad was tad underwhelming for a lot of analysts.  Nevertheless, for anyone who’s interested in the continuing saga of the disruption of the media industry, this was an important chapter in the evolution of what the new media industry will look like.  Nobody is better fit to be the principle protagonist of this new chapter than Steve Jobs, successful CEO of a digital electronics (aka, computer) firm and former CEO of a media firm (Pixar).

    Apple has all the freedom it wants in creating interesting new devices and software.  Nevertheless, when it comes to dealing with book publishers, studios and the like, things can seem a bit, shall we say, confining.  These companies are scared to death of a further squeeze on margins and having their valuable content swimming around on the Internet for free.

    With the iPad, Jobs has launched yet another device for viewing all types of content including, now, books.  As more and more millions of users consume media on one or more of these devices, Jobs is creating a gated distribution system where he can experiment with different pricing schemes.  As more and more publishers, studios and music companies come on board and accept this state of affairs, it becomes harder for the remaining companies to hold out.

    I’m sure some of these hold outs correctly understand the incredible power that could potential be in the hands of one company (Apple) and shudder.  However, as Jobs continues to add more consumers and more devices, these companies will find it more and more difficult to stay away from his massive distribution system.  The Apple media consumption ecosystem will only become more compelling as it’s pace of digital innovation accelerates.

    It certainly is an amazing thing to watch.  While many executives understand from a theoretical level that things are changing (particularly in the media industry), Jobs understands what he needs to do to take advantage of what’s happening.  While many focus on specific nuances of each beautifully designed gadget that he launches, they risk losing the forest from the trees.

    A major transformation is taking place before our eyes.  Content creation in the form of books, newspapers, movies, and music as a business has been bound to specific distribution businesses for many years. Sometimes they reside in the same legal entity (e.g., newspapers) and sometimes have ties to well-established distribution partners and Jobs is accelerating the transformation of these distribution channels (in many cases physical channels) into one digital bit stream.

    In the process, the actual content will certainly be transformed.  Just as music companies are able to provide added content through iTunes; book publishers, newspapers and others will be able to provide added value through these new channels.  There will be many players vying for a role in this new ecosystem, but Steve Jobs, with a growing minion of subscribers to his media consumption platform (e.g., iTunes, iBook, Apps, etc.) will be a difficult force for the any media company to ignore.

    3 Comments / CEO Guide, English /

  • October 26, 2009

    Nueva Inversion Millonaria en Area de Enfoque de Empresario Argentino

    Hace unos dias escribi un post sobre un empresario innovador llamado Ricardo Quesada quien es el lider del proyecto de codigo abierto llamado Cocos2d, plataforma de desarrollo de juegos iPhone con mas de 400 clientes.  Increiblemente, hoy se anunció una inversion por parte de un reconocio inversionista (Sequoia) y otros en una empresa llamada Unity quien se enfoca en el mismo mercado que Ricardo (con algunas diferencias).

    Ricardo ha liderado un proyecto exitoso de codigo abierto, tiene pasion y talento.  Llego la hora, segun yo, de que uno o mas inversionistas analizen la posibilidad de fondearlo para atacar este mercado que tiene excelentes perspectivas de crecer.  Obviamente, Ricardo tendria que comprobarles que tiene la vision y el poder de construir el equipo para lograr sus objetivos. Sin embargo, despues de hablar con el sobre su experiencia y conocerlo un poco, algo me dice que esto no esta fuera de su alcance. :)

    No Comments / Casos de Estudio, Español /

  • October 26, 2009

    Sequoia Backs iPhone Game Developer Unity With $5.5 Million

    A few days ago, I wrote a post about entrepreneur Ricardo Quesada who is the technical lead of the open source iPhone game development platform called Cocos2d. Now comes the news that Sequoia and some Angels have invested in Unity who “plays” in the same space. Interestingly, Unity reports less customers (325) than Cocos2d.

    Sequoia and the Angels have most certainly laid out some funds because they see excellent growth in this space.  Aside from this, I’m sure they were favorably impressed with Unity’s offering and its management team.  Ricardo is hard at work at polishing his product, which is on it’s 0.82 release.  Nevertheless, as soon as he finishes this phase, it would be great if he could build a team (I’m sure he can build a capable one) and get one or more backers to fulfill the potential of Cocos2d. Go Ricardo Go!

    No Comments / Case Studies, English /
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