On numerous occasions, I’ve written about the sharp increase in the number of startups that are getting off the ground. And while we don’t write about them all – What can I say? We’re picky – we love them all. I hope to meet some of them when I visit the newest startup launch pads, appropriately named the Launch conference.
The conference was started by Mahalo founder Jason Calacanis, who was previously involved with other launch events. The conference is being held in San Francisco next week on Feb. 23 and 24, and I’ll be part of the grand jury of the event. I hope to find some awesome companies and look forward to sharing their stories. (GigaOM readers can register here for a 20 percent discount.)
While many startups are going to launch next week, a whole new crew of entrepreneurs are getting ready to start their ventures. If you’re one of them, you should check out i/o Ventures’ startup program. The San Francisco-based tech incubator is looking for folks to join its next start-up class, which kicks on March 15. The deadline for application submission is Feb. 21.
It is a 3-month program that helps companies through the early stages of company creation. The first class from i/o had six companies, of which four got funded and are on to the next stage. Of the six, two — Damn The Radio and Social Vision – were acquired. I am going to be speaking at i/o about the importance of PR and how to get most attention for your start-up.
I think Calacanis is full of it (and of himself). He’s very one dimensional in the way that he approaches starting a business, especially when it comes to funding. I think the biggest problem with the culture around tech startups is that no one cares about building a lasting, durable business, and that’s why the shelf life of these companies is so short. Build, get some money, then flip or die. Newsflash to people with those dreams: You won’t be the next Facebook or Twitter.
I think the best example of this was when David Heinemeier Hansson of 37signals (known for being fiercely independent and profitable without outside cash) took him to task on his own video show. I wish the technology world would spend more time focusing on how to build sustainable and durable businesses that solve problems and not how to get rich quickly.