BYU - Silicon Slopes eBusiness Day

• Posted by Steve Spencer

Article posted on Nov 19

Okay, so I know what you’re thinking: “You know, I really need a cool, local event to find out what the heck is goign on, and meet the hooked up people that are going to help me advance my career, and save my but when I need some real experience, some capital, or just a friend.”

Well, lucky you… there is just such an event later this week down at BYU.

Want the lowdown?  Well, here it is:

Come ride the lift to Silicon Slopes, Utah’s tech corridor, at the Rollins Center for eBusiness’ semiannual eBusiness Day.

Silicon Slopes is the term for the area in Utah along the Wasatch Front with more than 5,200 high-tech and life science companies.

“Many believe Utah can become like Silicon Valley,” says John Richards, managing director of the eBusiness Center. “The keynote speaker and panel sessions will focus on how to overcome obstacles standing in the way of this vision.”

Josh James, president and CEO of Omniture, will discuss this year’s theme of Silicon Slopes as the keynote speaker at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 21 in 151 Tanner Building. The event will include speakers, discussion panels, raffles and lunch.

The event will include panel discussions where prominent business leaders discuss key issues facing high-tech companies in Utah. The issues to be discussed are how Utah’s image could limit its high-tech potential, whether college students are adequately prepared to join the workforce, and if there is enough capital available to fund powerful high-tech companies.

“Students should come to eBusiness Day because it will provide them with a chance to be a part of something big,” says Joshua Nicholls, student lead of eBusiness Day. “Silicon Slopes is an emerging label in Utah, and this is a great opportunity for students to get involved in a powerful discussion about things that really matter here.”

In addition to the discussion panels, Utah technology companies will set up booths in the Tanner Building atrium for students to network and learn more about the state’s role in advancing the technology industry.

“Students will be able to rub shoulders with some of the hottest companies in Utah tech today including Omniture, Move Networks, LanDESK, DirectPointe, IM Flash Technologies, etc.,” says Mark Adams, community development liaison for the Silicon Slopes initiative.

For additional information and a detailed schedule of events, visit ebizday.byu.edu.

Also, you’ll forgive me for chiming in with my two cents on this one… Personally, I am super excited to see Silicon Slopes, Omniture, and Josh James really pushing the Utah brand, and also helping to connect and enable entrepreneurs, investors, and all of us tech heads here.

But personally, I also want to add, that I don’t necessarily want Utah to “become like Silicon Valley…”  Now, this may sound like I am disagreeing with the intentions… not at all… jsut adding to them (and seeing how many times in one paragraph I can use three dots in a row :).  I think there are actually several key differences here in Utah that I really treasure.  One of the key ones in my mind is loyalty.  Employees here really stick with a company and help it succeed, instead of jumping to the next opportunity across the street when things ge a little shaky.  I watched this help us when the bubble burst, and I expect to watch it help us again now.  This is only one of the many differentiator of Utah… Anyone want to chime in with your own lists?

So let’s be as industrious as the Romans, as Cultured as the Greeks, and damned determine as the Russians.  Let us be as well educated (and heck, as well funded), and as open-minded to global opportunities as silicon Valley.  But let us also be everything that makes us “us”.

That said, I really support what these folks are doing.  I couldn’t be more excited to see the energy and focus that Josh (and you too Mark) are bringing to the concept of what Utah can be.  New blood, new ideas.  Let’s go kick some @%^. (expletive deleted

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• Posted in Events

Brainshare on the Horizon

• Posted by Steve Spencer

Article posted on Nov 12

As we watch the horizon for upcoming Utah events, who could help but mention Novell’s Brainshare?

I know March is still a long time away, but Novell just announced their early-bird pricing (plus, you know that if you don’t get it on your calendar soon you’ll just end up booking something that day anyway.)

Wanna knwo more?

Get the details Here.

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• Posted in Events

Improvisation for Business

• Posted by RobertPayne

Article posted on Nov 11

This morning the UtahPulse featured an article and podcast with another BrandEvolution speaker, Mike Bonifer.

Mike employs improvisation in business to shift the paradigm and invoke greater creativity and thought leadership in employees for competitive positioning. What I glean from the article is that if we as companies get into the habit of scripting, then we cease to evolve and adapt to changes in the market place.

It has obviously had a big impact on some well-known brands out there. Check out some of these quotes:

"An E-Ticket ride into the future of business communication and brand strategy."  Howard E. Green, Vice-President Studio Communications, The Walt Disney Company

"Dimensionalises how today’s value-driving performance is attached to a new set of go-to-market behaviors."  C. A. Hersom, Brand Director for Community + Environment, The Coca-Cola Company

"The opportunities are there if you pay attention and act on them.  That, to me, is what Gamechangers and improvisation in business are all about—recognizing opportunities minute to minute and acting on them.  Mike’s book is a brilliant guide for getting there."  Kevin Wall, Creator and Producer, Live Earth

If you don’t readily see how this could be of value to your organization then perhaps you’ll think about coming to The Depot Thursday to learn more. It’s going to be fun!

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UtahPulse Interviews Stanley Hainsworth

• Posted by RobertPayne

Article posted on Nov 10

Brigham Young graduate and branding badass, Stanley Hainsworth was featured in an interview this morning on UtahPulse.com

He will be speaking at the BrandEvolution event we are sponsoring on November 13th at The Depot.

Here is the text interview, but if you’d prefer to listen to it instead you can find the audio version here.

Brand Evolution: Stanley Hainsworth

He’s overseen all of the creative aspects of Starbucks Coffee. He helped make Nike a global brand. Stanley Hainsworth, who now is the Chief Creative Officer of his own agency, Tether, says he likes to use branding to tell the story of a product. “What I love to do is be a storyteller. Looking at the brand and figuring out what the story is and figuring out from there what’s the best medium for telling that story, whether it’s a new product, a retail experience or a digital experience online, and not being constricted by any preconceptions or mediums.”

Hainsworth will bring that know-how to Brand Evolution 2008. The seminar, sponsored by Twelve Horses, aims to help businesses transform their brands to connect with customers both on and offline.

When working to tell a brand’s story, Hainsworth likes to think of the brand as a person. “The way that you wear your hair, the way that you talk, the way you act, that all defines the way that people think about you. A brand is no different. A brand is perceived in the way it communicates, and the way it looks and the way customers respond to it.”

Taking those human qualities, and using them to create a memorable experience is what it’s all about for Hainsworth. “One of my favorite projects at Nike was a shoe called Presto. It came in 17 different color combinations, it was very iconic and a beautiful shoe. We decided to do something non traditional and rented an art gallery in New York City and put the shoes on the wall and called them art. There was no branding anywhere, we put posters up around town for the “art opening,” invited art critics to the opening. We got huge press and when they shoes went on sale the next month, they sold out everywhere.”

Hainsworth says the way that designers work with products has changed radically with the increasing relevance of online marketing. “No longer are there strictly these graphic designers, or web designers or environmental designers. It’s getting mixed up and it’s really exciting. These designers are able to work in these multiple mediums.”

With millions of blogs, and websites and other online destinations, it’s hard to break through the clutter to tell a story. Hainsworth says it’s a challenge, but not impossible. “I look at everything with the arc of a story and I look at it with the viewers eyes. Whether it’s a play that you’re watching or a piece of music that you’re listening to or a piece of design that you’re looking, it all has a story. It affects is a lot, and I tend to juxtapose a lot of unexpected things together and see what will happen, where it will take me to keep it fresh and not rehash things that have been done before.”

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• Posted in Events

Global Entrepreneur Week: Nov 17th

• Posted by Steve Spencer

Article posted on Nov 03

You know, being a parent is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.  But I also remember thos first weeks, with my first child, holding that precious little boy and thinking, “How the heck am I supposed to knwo what to do with this??”

Being an entrepreneur can be just like that some times.  How do you know what to do?  How do you know who to turn to, who to listen to?  Where do you go to meet the right people, to forge some of thsoe relationships that everyone is talking about when they say, It’s WHO you know”??

Well, there’s going to be a great event here in Utah to help remove some of that panic, get those creative juices flowing, and get you into a room with a lot of other investors, entrepreneurs, and local folks who are good to know.  Details, quotes and various goodies follow:

Entrepreneur, Angel Investor Conference

To Highlight Global Entrepreneurship Week Utah (GewUtah)

“Unleashing Ideas: Igniting High-Growth Entrepreneurship in Utah” is a day-long concurrent entrepreneur and angel investor conference highlighting Utah’s role in Global Entrepreneurship Week, Nov. 17-23. Thursday, Nov. 20, from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. entrepreneurs, angel investors, venture capitalists, and experts in numerous core service industries will attend the conference, slated to be held at Sandy’s South Towne Exposition Center.

The conference features the third-annual Utah Angel Summit as well as an entrepreneur track which will cover everything from effective negotiation to winning sales strategies presented by successful entrepreneurs. All conference participants are invited to attend a post-meeting Ignitor! social event onsite at South Towne. Registration and additional information is available via www.GewUtah.com.

With “Unleashing Ideas” as the big-picture theme, those who recognize entrepreneurs as change agents for the state’s economy are banding together under the leadership of entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and venture philanthropist Alan E. Hall to inspire, connect, mentor and engage to develop the next-generation of high-growth entrepreneurs.

“Global Entrepreneurship Week is a great way to encourage entrepreneurs and to simultaneously build upon our strong entrepreneurial infrastructure in the state of Utah,” said Hall, regional director for Global Entrepreneurship Week Utah. “The common theme for us? It’s all about growth—both growth companies and growth-oriented entrepreneurs looking to build or expand companies. Our conference and speaking schedule is all about ‘unleashing’ potential for new products, new markets, and new ideas.”

Nov. 17-23 the state of Utah joins more than 100 countries and organizations representing millions of entrepreneurs to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week. Utah’s celebration is focused around the day-long entrepreneur and angel investing event as well as a host of speaking engagements at campuses and Chamber of Commerce venues throughout the state.

In addition to the Nov. 20 conference, Hall has a week full of speaking engagements, literally covering the state. The speaking schedule includes:

· Cache County–Logan Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting and reception at Utah State University

· Iron County—Southern Utah State Wells Fargo lecture series speaker

· Salt Lake County—Utah First Fridays/Miller Innovation Campus keynote speaker; Salt Lake Community College’s entrepreneurial speaker; and Westminster College’s guest speaker for two classes

· Utah County–Brigham Young University’s Entrepreneurial Lecture Series and special speaker at the Utah Entrepreneur Challenge venue

· Washington County—Dixie College presidential luncheon meeting

· Weber County—Weber Entrepreneurs Association student meeting

Hall, through his Grow Utah Ventures philanthropic entrepreneurial development effort, is joined in the execution of the week-long series of activities by numerous entrepreneurial organizations in the state, including his own Grow Utah Ventures not-for-profit organization; the Utah Science Technology and Research Initiative (USTAR), targeted with strengthening Utah’s knowledge economy; and the state’s largest provider of small-business loans for 15 consecutive years, Zions Bank. Headline sponsors include entrepreneurial marketing and PR companies Johnson & Company, The Virtual Agency™ and Snapp Conner PR.

Utah’s Global Entrepreneurship Week is brought to you by a collaborative entrepreneurial ecosystem also including adnews, Funding Universe, Mountain West Capital Network, RoxyCross, Utah Pulse!, Utah Technology Council, Utah Valley University, Wayne Brown Institute and Weber Entrepreneurs Association.

“This really is a ‘can’t miss’ opportunity for any entrepreneur who is serious about turning their idea into reality,” said T. Craig Bott, president and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Grow Utah Ventures. “One of the most important things an entrepreneur can do is network and get to know the people who are willing and able to provide mentorship and support, and at this event they’ll find people capable of offering both.”

“The Global Entrepreneurship Week activities will help us with USTAR’s mission to build the ‘innovation infrastructure’ of the state,” said Ted McAleer, Executive Director of USTAR. “Our research and development investments into Utah’s universities and higher-education institutions are building the Utah knowledge economy and will provide our entrepreneurs with a significant competitive advantage. This event will help us build awareness of those resources with local entrepreneurs.”

“We’re excited to participate in and support Utah’s Global Entrepreneurship Week activities,” said Scott Anderson, President and CEO of Zions Bank. “We recognize the important role entrepreneurs play in developing and strengthening local economies and believe that entrepreneurship will play a critical part in helping stabilize local economies as well as the global economy.”

Tickets to the entrepreneur track and to the Utah Angel Summit are available online at www.GewUtah.com. Early-registration tickets are available through Monday, Nov. 2. Early-bird entrepreneur conference tickets cost $40.00 ($20.00 for students with current student identification). After Nov. 2, pricing moves to $50 and $30, respectively. Angel conference pricing is $75, with discounted pricing available for members of the Mountain West Capital Network (MWCN). To receive MWCN pricing, members must register for the event at www.mwcn.org.

About Grow Utah Ventures
Grow Utah Ventures, is a privately funded not-for-profit organization dedicated to stimulate, unlock and develop the entrepreneurial talent and early stage business opportunities for value creation across Utah. Comprised of a team of successful and experienced entrepreneurs, business leaders and private investors, Grow Utah Ventures accomplishes its mission by uIdentifying, selecting and recognizing accomplished and promising Utah entrepreneurs, uBuilding a statewide community of outstanding entrepreneurs and those interested in promoting entrepreneurial development, uPartnering with organizations, companies and investors seeking to support Utah’s best entrepreneurs, uRallying community leadership and financial resources to support entrepreneurial development. For more information about Grow Utah Ventures, visit www.growutahventures.com.

About USTAR

The Utah Science Technology and Research initiative (USTAR) is a long-term, state-funded investment to strengthen Utah’s “knowledge economy” and generate high-paying jobs. Funded in March 2006 by the State Legislature, USTAR is based on three program areas. The first area involves funding for strategic investments at the University of Utah and Utah State University to recruit world-class researchers. The second area is to build state-of-the-art interdisciplinary facilities at these institutions for the innovation teams. The third program area involves teams that work with companies and entrepreneurs across the State to promote science, innovation, and commercialization activities. For more information, go to www.innovationutah.com.

About Zions Bank

Zions Bank is Utah’s oldest financial institution, and is the only local bank with statewide distribution of branches, operating 114 full-service branches throughout Utah. Zions Bank also operates 24 full-service branches in Idaho, and nearly 200 ATMs throughout Utah and Idaho. In addition to a wide range of traditional banking services, Zions offers a comprehensive array of investment and mortgage services, and has a network of loan origination offices for small businesses nationwide. The company is also a leader in providing electronic banking services, including electronic municipal bond trading. Founded in 1873, Zions has been serving the communities of Utah for more than 135 years. Additional information is available at www.zionsbank.com.

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BrandEvolution Comes to The Depot November 13th

• Posted by RobertPayne

Article posted on Oct 27

We are stoked to present to you a conference that, well, is thankfully not a conference. Produced by QuarterHorse, BrandEvolution is their Fall 2008 symposium, and it is coming to The Depot on November 13th.

Set in a collaborative environment and designed to get at the heart of questions such as:

How do businesses effectively translate and transform their brands to connect with their customers both online and offline?

How do businesses stay ahead of relentless consumer expectations, and form emotional connections between customers and products.

To answer these questions and more, Stanley Hainsworth, world renowned global creative director for Starbucks, Lego and Nike is joined on stage at The Depot November 13th with fellow digital storyteller and business improvisation visionary Mike Bonifer, and  David LaPlante, entrepreneur, web strategist, and CEO of Twelve Horses.

In 1994, Disney became the first entertainment company to boldly drive its customers to a narrative brand Web experience by launching the Toy Story movie web site under the creative strategy of Mike Bonifer, a move that forever changed branding.

In 1995, David LaPlante launched Lake Tahoe’s first ever ski resort website – skiheavenly.com. Today, Heavenly Mountain Resort ranks number one in skier visits, commands an impressive presence on the web, and delivers its message via video, podcasting, blogging, Twitter, Facebook, email, and more.

In 2004, Stanley Hainsworth left Lego and took the helm of Starbucks as VP-global creative and set in motion transformational creative and design strategies that created the ubiquitous brand of our coffee-shop connected generation today. As stated by AdAge.com, “Stanley Hainsworth put his stamp on nearly every piece of creative at Starbucks; he devised the "brand book" that defines the Lego image; and he helped push Nike into entertainment.”

In addition to gleaning real world branding experience, you will also benefit from a collaborative workshop that takes participants beyond the scripted and linear models of strategy, and challenges them to engage in an improvised branding discussion. The exercise is designed to develop greater emotional intelligence, and push the boundaries of defining a brand.

Come be a part of it!

For more information or to register for Brand Evolution visit events.twelvehorses.com.

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Evernote for the iPhone: WOW!

• Posted by Steve Spencer

Article posted on Sep 23

Okay, so I have to admit I am a bit of a late adopter here… But I am now fully on the bandwagon.  I have had people telling me for the last six months how cool Evernote is.  I had looked into it a few times, but it just wasn’t jumping out at me.

A month or so ago I installed it on my iPhone.  It just sat.  But last week I started to play with it a bit… and I wanted to share.

So here’s the deal: Whatever it is you need to remember, you can store it in evernote.  You can jot down a note, you can snap a picture, or record audio.  You can snap a picture of that whiteboard brainstorming session to keep it.

Okay, nice, but so what? I keep pictures, notes, and recordings already.  What’s cool is that all of the text and tags become indexed… EVEN THE TEXT IN YOUR PICTURES.  That’s right… it will recognize words from that whiteboard session on Compensation plans.  And, since it’s all indexed, it’s like your own little mini google.  Search later for “compensation”, and that picture of the whiteboard pops up.

But wait, it gets even better.  It knows when and where you made the note.  Want to know where you had that discussion?  It will show you on google maps.  Want to have evernote search for all “Indian food” in a 5 mile radius?  It will do that.

My first use of evernote was for paint.  It seems that whenever I paint a room, I never keep the details on the paint… so if I need to patch something I have to repaint the whole room.  Well, I just painted two rooms in a duplex I own.  If the tenants knock a hole in the wall, I can just patch it, and search for “duplex paint” to find what colors I had used.

I’ve watched many of the new apps that have come out on the iPhone, and and platforms like Facebook, and been a bit frustrated that it seems that we have taken a step backward in capabilities in some ways.  It is sad to think that some of the most popular apps out there are not really much cooler than what I played over my 2400 baud modem on a BBS in the early 90’s.

It is really great to see an app like Evernote push that, and deliver an experience and value that is way beyond anything before.  Nice job Evernote.

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• Posted in Techno Rambling

Word Up: Wordpress… Word Camp

• Posted by Steve Spencer

Article posted on Sep 16

It has been really interesting to watch how quickly, and how world effecting the landscape of communication has changed.  I imagine folks standing around watching the first run of printed pages created from movable type presses (Holy Crap, that was cool!)  Then watching as the impact of that invention slowly spread, and slowly began to change the world (although I’ll bet it didn’t seem slow to them.)

But just take a look at what is happening now!  Radio, then Television… Mobile Phones, BBS (That’s a flash from the past for some of us ), FidoNet, Internet, SMS, Email, IM, Blogs, Search Engines, Social Media…

Ten short years ago we were still trying to figure out how to get CC:mail, Lotus Notes, and Groupwise to really talk nice together, and look at where we are now.

The crossbow changed warfare.. Anyone could be lethal, even if they couldn’t swing a sword.  Guns even further leveled the playing field… a person was now a person… all equal (as long as they were pointing a barrel at you at least.)

But now the combination of the Internet, Search Engines, and various forms of self publishing.  All of a sudden you are not just equal to other people… you can be equal to the Media!  You can compete for eyes and mindshare.  You can be heard.

It has been said that “Knowledge is Power.”  But if you’re just really smart, but no one gets to hear your ideas, then it would seem that your ability to affect change… to be “powerful” is fairly limited.  Thus, knowledge, and the ability to be heard are power.

If so, then very few things have done more to bring “power to the people” than blogging platforms.  Perhaps one of the finest (at least the one all of my blogs are on) would have to be Wordpress.

Rather your an active blogger, someone who wants to learn more, or someone who has seen the power, but just hasn’t done it yet, there is an event coming up that should interest you:

When: Saturday, September 27, 2008 from 9:30 AM, to 5:00 PM

Where:

Novell, OSTC

1800 Novell Pace

Provo, Utah 84606

Tickets: $20 (includes lunch, t-shirt, stickers, etc.)

Website: http://utah.wordcamp.org

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• Posted in Events

Livepitch Event… Check it out

• Posted by Steve Spencer

Article posted on Sep 16

So you have seen me do posts about cool utah companies, and about Speed Pitching events… why take my word for it?  Go check one out… Livepitch gives you that very chance.  What is it?  Where is it?  Well here’s the scoop:

Provo, Utah Sept 15, 2008 — LivePitch returns to Utah on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2008 at the Novellʼs Open Source Technology Center from 11:00-1:30.

The LivePitch Event puts 5 pre-screened and pre-coached entrepreneurs in front of three to five investors and industry experts. Entrepreneurs pitch to the panelfor four minutes. Investors then have three minutes to ask questions. Lastly, the panel gives feedback and review the companies performance. After the time has
expired the next company pitches and is evaluated.

Spectators, entrepreneurs, accredited angel investors and industry experts interested in participating in the luncheon may register by visiting FundingUniverse.com, or by calling 877.638.3616

-Fees-
Investors Luncheon Fee: Free
Entrepreneurs Application Fee: $25. Presenting fee (if selected): $50
Audience Fee: Free

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• Posted in Events

Reach Out and Touch those around you… Virtually

• Posted by Steve Spencer

Article posted on Sep 16

As you know, it is the goal of the Utah Tech Spotlight to bring more visibility to tech cool Tech right here in our backyards.  What better way to do that than to have a finger on the pulse of the new up-and-coming companies being funded.  To that end, the Tech Spotlight works closely with Funding Universe to take the coolest Tech presented in their monthly Speed Pitching events, and tell you about it here.  Oh, and look… here’s one now :)  :

Seek Mobile Interactive, Inc.

It’s a very interesting time in technology, as we watch not only the development of new, and revolutionary technologies, but also the convergence of various pieces being brought together into Mashups.  For those not familiar, a Mashup is essentially the taking of various pieces of other applications, and hooking them together in new and exciting ways.  Think of it sort of taking all of the best pieces from your favorite toys and snapping them together to create a cyborg Hulk with spidey-sense.

Another type of “trend mashup” involves taking the momentum that a specific type of movement, medium, or social trend and combining their energies together like multiple tidal waves merging into a single massive Tsunami.

A local company, Seek Mobile Interactive, is looking to capitalize on just such a convergence: Mobile Experiences, Social and Persistent Gaming, and Location based interactions.

Please follow this link to see the full article regarding Seek Mobile Interactive.

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• Posted in Cool Utah Tech, Local Review