Bijan Sabet

Passion Pit - Make Light shared from exfm

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:42:00 -0400

Passion Pit - Make Light

shared from exfm

Admiring the bay bridge

Wed, 23 May 2012 14:54:46 -0400

Admiring the bay bridge

Core iOS apps being replaced, one at a time

Wed, 23 May 2012 08:09:00 -0400

The home screen on my iPhone has changed quite a bit over the years.

The most obvious thing is Apple’s very own core apps have been replaced by 3rd parties.

The default camera app has been replaced by Camera+, Hipstamatic and Instagram

The default notes app has been replaced by Simplenote

The default messenger app has been replaced by Kik

The default calendar app has been replaced by Calvetica

The default music app has been replaced by exfm, soundcloud and rdio

The default mail client has been replaced by Sparrow

There will always be competition between the platform and the ecosytem. This tension is normal and healthy to some extent, as long as the platform keeps innovating and growing. For example, Apple came out with an Instapaper competitor with Reading List. But that only pushed Marco to come out with strong Instapaper updates.

Apple launched iBooks & Newstand to compete with the Kindle app. But Kindle is still much more compelling.

The next step I’d like to see as iOS matures is a way for the ecosystem to get more access.

For example, when I swipe right from the home page, i want to replace Apple’s search with Duck Duck Go. Or when I tap on an email address on a webpage, I want it to open Sparrow instead of Apple’s mail client. When I tap on a phone number in an app, I want it to open Google Voice, not Apple’s native dialer. When I see a beautiful photo, let me share it to Tumblr and any other app I love.

Developers deserve that access and consumers deserve that choice.

Android has done an excellent job at giving 3rd parties equal capabilities on their platform. That’s the thing they got right - even much more than the much hyped openness of Google’s “open” app store model vs Apple’s controlled app store model.

Coconut Records - West Coast heading to the west coast in the...

Tue, 22 May 2012 21:44:00 -0400

Coconut Records - West Coast

heading to the west coast in the morning…

shared from exfm

Met @mchammer today

Tue, 22 May 2012 20:48:53 -0400

Such a nice guy

"When you’re president, as opposed to the head of a private equity firm, then your job is not simply..."

Tue, 22 May 2012 07:42:43 -0400

“When you’re president, as opposed to the head of a private equity firm, then your job is not simply to maximize profits. Your job is to figure out how everybody in the country has a fair shot… And so if your main argument for how to grow the economy is ‘I knew how to make a lot of money for investors,’ then you’re missing what this job is about.”

- President Obama on why Mitt Romney’s record in the private sector matters (via barackobama)
Amen.

The 101’ers - Keys To Your Heart (Ver.1) before there was...

Mon, 21 May 2012 09:27:00 -0400

The 101’ers - Keys To Your Heart (Ver.1)

before there was The Clash…

(via exfm)

Disruptions: DIY, a Site for Children, Is Instructive for Start-Ups - NYTimes.com

Sun, 20 May 2012 21:23:00 -0400

Disruptions: DIY, a Site for Children, Is Instructive for Start-Ups - NYTimes.com:

via NYT:

DIY is seeking to be like a Boy Scout troop for the modern day. Instead of teaching children how to tie a clove hitch that seems fit for teenagers in the 1920s, DIY, a Web site and mobile app, will encourage children to build things, document them with an iPhone or iPod, and then receive rewards for their work.

This is such a great idea. I’m so glad we had the opportunity to back Zach and the team.

Backbeat Go (review)

Sun, 20 May 2012 10:42:00 -0400

The other day I saw these wireless headphones called the Backbeat Go.

They looked pretty sweet so I ordered them and they arrived on Friday.

Here’s my quick review.

-very simple to pair with the iphone. the iphone also does smart things when you are near other paired bluetooth devices. for example, when i get in my car and make a call, the iphone lets you toggle between which device you want to use. it’s very fast.

-i like the short length a lot. it means it can hang around my neck without getting in the way and for once I don’t have headphones that tangle up

-they fit me fine when you just walk around the city or wherever. although on my run today, i noticed the left earbud wasn’t the best fit. it wasn’t too much of a big deal. I’m going to try one of the other buds they provided in the box. obviously your own ears may have a better or worse fit. sweat didn’t cause a problem.

-the only downside to these things is that it’s another device to charge every night. it has a standard micro-usb connector and comes with a charger. for my use, i get a full day without a problem.

-i’m happy with the audio quality for music and for making phone calls. better than the standard headset that apple provides with the iphone.

so that’s it. hope it helps.

Photo

Sun, 20 May 2012 08:02:50 -0400

james

ellie

Eels - My Beloved Monster And Me shared from exfm

Sat, 19 May 2012 09:45:00 -0400

Eels - My Beloved Monster And Me

shared from exfm

"In the long run, people will trust Twitter more than they do Facebook."

Sat, 19 May 2012 08:28:41 -0400

“In the long run, people will trust Twitter more than they do Facebook.”

- Nick Bilton

Facebook vs. Twitter - NYTimes.com
(via fred-wilson)

M. Ward - Crawl After You by that voice shared from exfm

Thu, 17 May 2012 09:39:00 -0400

M. Ward - Crawl After You by

that voice

shared from exfm

When the heart overrules the mind

Wed, 16 May 2012 21:09:00 -0400

There is often a lot of “heat” around a company that is growing very fast. There is most likely a lot of growing pain that comes with hyper-growth but generally that is a high class problem (assuming the growth is authentic).

Founders, employees, investors and press will look at the metrics and combine it with a growth forecast and a reasonable scaleable business model and the mind makes the heart race.

But often times there is an opportunity to invest in a company (as a new investment or inside round) where the data isn’t obvious. The numbers look confusing. The metrics don’t present a compelling story. The chart can look boring or even scary.

In todays world where there are no shortage of startups being formed, the question is why would you fund a company that has been operating or a year or more and doesn’t have compelling metrics.

And in some cases the answer is you won’t. In that scenario the mind takes over and the logical conclusion says to move on. Find a new investment.

But there are times when the heart overrules the mind. That happens to me and some of my favorite venture capitalists out there.

For me, it’s when I see the founder(s) completely obsessed about the thing they are building. You can just tell that they are working on the product they have been dreaming of their entire lives. These founders obsess about the details of the product. They obsess about the quality of the team working on their ideas. They strive for perfection. They use their products intensely and actively. They are working on the one thing they want to see in this world.

One thing I always look out for in any new or existing investment is how often does the founder actually use his/her product. The answer can be extremely revealing. (actually the opposite is a red flag for me: compelling data but a founder that doesn’t use his/her own product is a big concern).

So in the absense of data, we get inspired by the founder who not only believes they can make it happen but they are designing, building and shipping products that get them closer and closer.

It doesn’t always work.

But that passion and obsession is one way to make the heart overrule the mind. And it makes it easier to give the company more time to win.

just ordered this bluetooth headset for working out. high hopes...

Wed, 16 May 2012 09:03:27 -0400

just ordered this bluetooth headset for working out. high hopes - they look great.

(via Plantronics Backbeat Go)

newspeedwayboogie: this is the song of the day for me. The new...

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:12:12 -0400

newspeedwayboogie:

this is the song of the day for me. The new song sounds even gentler than his previous work, which was already quite gentle. His voice has an even better timbre and the instrumentation has more texture. Wonderful

whitneymcn:

The Tallest Man On Earth - 1904

There’s a new TMOE record this summer; all is well.

Yes!

“Hallway Chat”, #6 @nabeel and I discuss/debate...

Tue, 15 May 2012 08:52:00 -0400

“Hallway Chat”, #6

@nabeel and I discuss/debate Facebook Opengraph, my new Android phone, Nabeel’s latest take on Picturelife and Wunderlist

Click here for previous episodes.

Big syndicates for consumer seed rounds but not capital intensive ideas?

Mon, 14 May 2012 09:28:00 -0400

We have seen a ton of seed rounds completed over the last 24 months where the start up raises less than $2M of initial financing and has sometimes 4 (or more!) traditional venture firms participating plus a half dozen angels (or more!) in the same round.

Many smart folks have commented on that strategy and whether that is a good idea of traditional venture firms or entrepreneurs. For this post, I’m not going to comment on that topic (1)

But contrast that to the capital intensive investment opportunities. We are often asked to evaluate a Series A round of a capital intensive idea where the company needs to raise $5-$10M before knowing any real data. Those investments are challenging for a whole host of reasons.

In our partner mtg last week I brought up the idea/question: why can’t we have large syndicates for seed/Series A in capital intensive ideas? I think we should and my partner Santo wrote up a good post today explaining the logic.

I’d much rather see 4 VCs funding a capital intensive idea than 4 VC funding a capital efficient seed round.

And hopefully we can together fund some crazy bat shit ideas along the way that take years to figure out.

* * *

(1) OK, I can’t help myself. i don’t like to see more than 2 VCs in a seed round. The important thing for the lead VC and the founder to agree on is how much capital is required. Stage the capital properly and pick angels that will help. And choose VCs that have a track record of leading/following on their seed investments. Ask them specifically what their history looks like with seed investing and follow on. The answer will be quite revealing.

New Order - Regret shared from exfm

Mon, 14 May 2012 09:07:00 -0400

New Order - Regret

shared from exfm

A weeks view of my Nike Fuelband data. Clearly need to add more...

Mon, 14 May 2012 08:21:26 -0400

A weeks view of my Nike Fuelband data. Clearly need to add more activity early in the week.