Rafe's Radar

SeatGuru mobile app barely gets off the ground

I can think of few Web sites that would benefit more from a good mobile app than SeatGuru, a much-loved service that tells you which seats on airplanes are good, and which are not. I never book a flight without checking it out.

The service finally has a mobile site. It's a useful app to have, but it's not a good app. It could have been so much more.

The best bit is that you can just put your airline and flight number into the app to see a map of the seats on the plane. That gives … Read more

JOBS Act debates getting more focused in Senate

The JOBS Act, a collection of regulatory changes that would make crowdfunding legal and make it easier for companies to become publicly traded, has been wending its way through congressional proceedings this week.

Today, two Democrat-sponsored Senate amendments to the House version of the bill--one to increase consumer protections in the crowdfunding section, and another unrelated amendment to reauthorize funding of the export/import bank--failed to win necessary votes in the Senate to be attached to the act.

The JOBS Act passed the House easily on March 8 by a 390-23 vote, and its supporters hoped that it would sail … Read more

Startup Secret 49: Asphyxiation is a solid strategy

"Get your free users to build a moat around your business."

--Michael Simon, CEO, LogMeIn

Michael Simon is a sneaky, sneaky man. He's attacking a well-established part of the industry, the remote desktop space. This is a market that Cisco Systems and Citrix have held onto for years, with their paid products, Webex and GoToMeeting.

Along comes Michael's company, LogMeIn, with Join.me, a super-simple, super-free screen-sharing app. Sure, there are paid upgrades (custom URLs for the sharing link, bidirectional sharing, etc.), but the free app is very strong. (Strong enough that I have this request: … Read more

Prepare for the onslaught of crowdfunding marketplaces

Crowdfunding will probably become a legal and government-approved way to raise startup capital--eventually. Congress needs to figure out how to pass a version of the JOBS Act for that to happen, but while there is bickering over key components of the Act, on the whole both parties agree that opening up startup investing to more people is the right thing

Once this occurs, and small businesses can raise money from anyone, how will they find these new investors? And how will investors find the businesses they want to invest in?

One of the first new information markets to come on … Read more

Battle over crowdfunding slows JOBS Act passage

Crowdfunding will likely become the new law of the land, but not as soon as its advocates had hoped.

The JOBS Act passed the House easily on March 8 by a 390-23 vote, and its supporters hoped it would sail through the Senate. But today the Act has been delayed in the Senate by new arguments and amendments.

Senate Democrats created an amendment to the Act, S.AMDT. 1833, designed to improve transparency and consumer protections around the crowdfunding portion of the act. It would replace H.R. 2930, the Crowdfunding bill that is incorporated into the JOBS Act. Today, … Read more

Free portfolio advice, for real

First there was Personal Capital, the "Mint for rich people" that gives users a clear look at their financial information, and, for those who invest $100,000 or more, access to financial advice and trading.

Then there was Wealthfront, which also gives people a dashboard for their investments and which will manage the money you put in, as long as you put in more than $5,000.

And now there's FutureAdvisor, which uses the same Modern Portfolio Theory that most advisers and algorithms use to pick investment vehicles. You tell it about your accounts, your age, your … Read more

Startup Secret 48: We are programmed to receive

"Listen to the question."

--Jason Calacanis, host, Launch conference

I sat in on one of the demo prep sessions for the recent Launch conference, in which Jason dispensed advice to the CEOs practicing their pitches. After each pitch, of course, come the showy, congressional inquiry-style questions from the onstage judges. Jason's advice for dealing with the questions is basic, but presenters still need to be reminded of it.

"Be in the moment," Jason says. "Listen."

It should be easy. But it isn't, especially when you're onstage in front of a … Read more

JOBS Act to rewrite rules of Silicon Valley investing

This week, possibly as soon as tomorrow, the Senate is likely to pass the JOBS (Jumpstart Our Business Startups) Act. It has already passed the House, and most of the influencers in Silicon Valley are in favor of the bill. It will certainly change the way the Valley works. But not for the reasons many people think.

The JOBS Act is a collection of bills that were rolled up into one act in the House: H.R. 3606. The Senate was working on variations of some of the components included in 3606, but sources say that the most likely outcome … Read more

Reporters' Roundtable: New tools for inventors

The game is changing for inventors. It costs less than it ever has to build a technology product or launch a company to sell it. There are new marketplaces to sell your goods, too--even if you haven't yet built a single unit.

Securities laws in the U.S. are also about to change, which will dramatically expand the funding possibilities for new companies. So get ready to be barraged with requests to help build small new companies, and prepare to be tempted to do it yourself.

Today we're talking with two real innovators who have built companies that make it possible for anyone with an idea to pre-sell products, learn how to design and build them, and manufacture prototypes and even the first batch of units. Our guests:

Yancey Strickler, co-founder of Kickstarter Jim Newton, founder of TechShop

Our episode, in two acts, is below:

… Read more