One of the biggest hits on reddit today is titled “‘Before and after’ pic done right”.
It seems to be inspiring the community. The top comment from user euphwes says, “This is actually pretty clever. My daughter is on the bottle now, I’ll arrange another ‘on the bottle’ picture to happen 20 years from now too.”
At least the plan involves letting the kid grow up first.
Salesforce.com and the European venture firms Notion Capital, Octopus Investments and MMC Ventures unveiled an Innovation Challenge for European start-ups building enterprise cloud apps on the Salesforce platform. The winning startups will have the opportunity to pitch for about $6.5 million of venture funding.
PRESS RELEASE
Salesforce.com Announces Euro 5 Million Innovation Challenge for European Start-ups Building on the Salesforce Platform
Winning start-ups will receive opportunity to pitch for a total of euro 5 million in funding from venture capital firms including Notion Capital, Octopus Investments and MMC Ventures
Eligible start-ups to present at Innovation Challenge pitch events to be held across Europe from September to November 2013
Demand for enterprise cloud apps in Europe expected to attract 159% more cloud developers by 2018 and generate 2.7 billion pounds Sterling in revenue, an increase of 206% over the next five years
LONDON, May 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – Salesforce.com [NYSE: CRM], the enterprise cloud computing company (http://www.salesforce.com/cloudcomputing/), and leading European venture capital firms including Notion Capital, Octopus Investments and MMC Ventures, today announced the €5 million Innovation Challenge—a new competition for European start-ups building enterprise cloud apps on the Salesforce Platform.
Innovation Challenge Launches Today
The €5 million Innovation Challenge is designed to inspire the next generation of start-ups in Europe to develop and deliver innovative new enterprise apps on the Salesforce Platform. Eligible start-ups will be invited to present their ideas to professional investors at a series of Innovation Challenge pitch events throughout Europe hosted by salesforce.com from September to November 2013.
The winning start-ups will have the opportunity to negotiate with the participating venture capital firms for seed funding to jump-start a new business or for a Series A investment to accelerate growth of an existing business. Winners will also be able to build, package and sell their apps on the Salesforce AppExchange, the world’s leading business apps marketplace.
Comments on the News
“London is brimming with tech talent which is breeding a wave of innovative start-ups with the potential to grow fast. Salesforce.com’s Innovation Challenge presents a fantastic opportunity for London’s silicon entrepreneurs to take their business to the next level of success,” The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said.
“The explosion of growth in Europe’s enterprise app market is fueling innovation across the region. Salesforce.com is excited to join forces with leading European venture capital firms to launch the Innovation Challenge and reward Europe’s top entrepreneurs and enable them to accelerate their innovation and time to market,” salesforce.com EMEA Chairman, Dr. Steve Garnett, said.
“The European enterprise app market has reached a tipping point and we see the Salesforce Platform as a key enabler for start-ups with a great idea to build a revenue-generating business in record time,” said Chris Tottman, Partner, Notion Capital. “We are excited to see the potential investment opportunities within the vibrant European start-up community.”
“This is a unique opportunity for innovative start-ups in the enterprise app market here in Europe to receive commercial support to allow them to compete on a global stage,” said Luke Hakes, Principal, Octopus Investments. “The Salesforce Platform provides an unrivalled launch pad for innovative companies looking to tackle the enterprise market.”
“MMC is pleased to be supporting the Innovation Challenge. The Salesforce AppExchange is an increasingly important channel to market for enterprise app companies. As an investor, having direct access to the best of these new software companies is a very exciting opportunity,” MMC Ventures Investment Director, Jon Coker, said.
The Enterprise App Revolution in Europe
The demand for enterprise apps presents a lucrative opportunity for developers and entrepreneurs. According to a new study conducted by the Centre of Economic Business Research (Cebr), the demand for enterprise cloud apps is expected to attract 159% more cloud developers in Europe over the next five years, with the enterprise cloud app economy projected to generate £2.6 billion in revenue, an increase of 206% by 2018.
Additional Information on the Innovation Challenge
Entrants’ business plans will be reviewed by a panel consisting of representatives from the venture capital firms and salesforce.com, along seven main criteria:
• An existing product developed to beta or later stage
• Demonstration of traction, customer success and user adoption
• Market opportunity & go-to-market strategy
• Track record and passion of the entrepreneurial team
• Planned or existing adoption and innovative utilisation of the Salesforce Platform
• Competitors
• Financial plan
For more information, contest rules and to apply, please visit: www.salesforce.com/uk/challenge.
Salesforce Platform: The Cloud Platform of Choice for Customer Companies
The Salesforce Platform is the world’s most trusted cloud platform for building enterprise apps. It powers Salesforce CRM, 1,800 partner apps on the AppExchange, and more than three million custom apps built by customers. More than one million developers and business analysts use the Salesforce Platform to quickly build and deliver apps on any device.
Companies are turning to the Salesforce Platform to build and deliver cloud apps that are location-aware, accessible on any mobile device and connected to social graphs. Offering the same services, frameworks and ecosystem that are driving the explosion of consumer apps, the Salesforce Platform is bringing the app revolution to business and helping customer companies connect to customers, employees, partners and products in new ways.
Additional information:
• Learn more about Salesforce Platform: www.salesforce.com/platform/overview
• Like Developer Force on Facebook: www.facebook.com/forcedotcom
• Follow @forcedotcom and @salesforce on Twitter
About Salesforce.com
Founded in 1999, salesforce.com is the enterprise cloud computing leader. Salesforce.com’s social and mobile cloud technologies enable companies to transform into customer companies by connecting with their customers, employees, partners and products in entirely new ways. Based on salesforce.com’s real-time, multitenant architecture, the company’s apps and platform revolutionize the way companies sell, service, market and innovate.
• Grow your business with the #1 sales app, Salesforce Sales Cloud
• Deliver amazing customer service with the #1 service app, Salesforce Service Cloud
• Listen, publish and advertise with the #1 social marketing app, Salesforce Marketing Cloud
• Build and deliver social and mobile apps with the Salesforce Platform, and extend success with the world’s leading enterprise app marketplace, the AppExchange
About Notion Capital
Notion is a venture capital firm focused on high potential businesses in the Cloud Computing and Software-as-as-Service (SaaS) markets. The Notion team has unique expertise and experience in the Cloud Computing market having founded, built and exited Star and MessageLabs, two highly successful businesses in the space. Companies within Notion’s portfolio include Brightpearl, eSellerPro, NewVoiceMedia, Shutl, The Currency Cloud and Tradeshift. For more information go to www.notioncapital.com.
About Octopus Investments
Founded in 2000, Octopus is one of the UK’s fastest growing investment management companies. We currently manage £3 billion assets on behalf of 50,000 customers.
The Ventures team at Octopus are straight talking human investors that back talented people rather than specific sectors. We focus on identifying fast growth businesses which can scale explosively to create, transform or dominate an industry. We can invest from £250,000 to £5 million and prefer to partner teams based in the UK.
The work of our ventures team is supported by access to the Octopus Venture Partners, a network of approximately 100 outstanding business leaders, entrepreneurs and private investors providing an invaluable wealth of expertise and resource for our portfolio companies, as well as investing on a deal-by-deal basis alongside Octopus venture funds. This blend of knowledge and skill has allowed us to help many great companies across several sectors thrive in recent years including Zoopla; Graze.com; SwiftKey; and,Secret Escapes. For more information visit www.octopusinvestments.com.
About MMC Ventures
Founded in 2000, MMC Ventures is an active investor and award-winning venture fund manager, focused on technology-enabled sectors where the UK is a world leader -particularly financial and business services, business software, digital media and e-commerce. With circa £100 million under management, MMC invests £10–15 million per annum in a combination of new investments and add-on capital for existing portfolio companies. MMC specialises in fast-growth early-stage businesses, partnering with entrepreneurs and impressive management teams to achieve substantial scale and profitability.
MMC’s existing portfolio includes AlexandAlexa, Base79, Interactive Investor, Knowledge Mill, LoveHomeSwap, Reevoo, The Practice, NewVoiceMedia, Tyres on the Drive, Masabi, Consilium, Safeguard, Creativity, iJento, Neoss, Breathing Buildings and Small World. For further information about MMC Ventures please visit: www.mmcventures.com.
London & Partners
International firms are increasingly looking to London as the world’s capital for business, with unrivalled access to a talented workforce, technology and as a creative gateway to Europe where ideas and trends are born. Salesforce.com has been supported by the Mayor’s promotional organisation London & Partners which offers free and impartial advice to global businesses in the UK’s capital.
Legal Notice
This press release contains forward-looking statements about the Innovation Challenge, including without limitation details about its timing, the amount of investment funds available, its geographic scope, the eligibility criteria, the rules and procedure, the benefits to winners, and the participating venture capital firms. The achievement or success of the matters covered by these forward-looking statements involves risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If any such risks or uncertainties materialize or if any of the assumptions prove incorrect, the results of the Investment Challenge could differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements we make. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, any failure by us to reach final agreement with the participating venture capital firms, any decision by such venture capital firms to discontinue their participation, any failure of one or more of the venture capital firms to come to agreement with the winning participant(s) on investment terms, compliance with financial and other regulatory requirements, and the suitability of start-ups applying to the Innovation Challenge. Salesforce.com assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
Any unreleased services or features referenced in this or other press releases or public statements are not currently available and may not be delivered on time or at all. Customers who purchase salesforce.com applications should make their purchase decisions based upon features that are currently available. Salesforce.com has headquarters in San Francisco, with offices in Europe and Asia, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “CRM.” The contents of this press release should not be viewed as promoting the products or services of any person other than salesforce.com. Nothing in this press release should be regarded as investment or other advice or as a recommendation of any kind. For more information please visit http://salesforce.com, or call 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE
© 2013 salesforce.com, inc. All rights reserved. Salesforce, Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, AppExchange, Salesforce Platform, and others are trademarks of salesforce.com, inc. Other brands featured herein may be trademarks of their respective owners
The post Salesforce, Notion, Octopus, MMC Unveil $6.5M Challenge To European Startups appeared first on peHUB.
Despite a continuing drop in the amount of funding that venture capitalists are willing to put into “cleantech” companies, a more rational style of VC investing in cleantech has emerged in 2013. A variety of investors are closing on modest funds that are investing small amounts into companies that have much shorter lifecycles and require smaller amounts of funding to scale. Many of these companies use software and IT at the core of their businesses.
SJF Ventures this week announced the close of its third fund which has $90 million under management. The firm has invested in a variety of sustainability-minded startups including innovative waste and recycling company CleanScapes, clean power services company Community Energy, e-waste recycling company eRecycling Corp, data center efficiency software company Fieldview Solutions, and Optoro, which uses software to sell and move undersold goods. The firm also invests in companies that aren’t focused on sustainability like MediaMath. SJF says its limited partners include banks, insurances and financial services firms, mutual and pension funds, family offices, among others.
SJF says in its announcement that its second fund “is performing in the top quartile all US venture capital funds of its vintage year.” Compare that to the pretty weak returns disclosed by cleantech limited partner heavyweight CalPERS, or the analysis provided by Venrock partner Matthew Nordan.
SJF Ventures partner David Kirkpatrick told me their cleantech investing thesis is focused on companies that are “capital efficient,” and have business models that deliver immediate value to customers, like asset recovery, reuse and efficiency. In addition, the company provides growth equity investments, meaning they back companies that are later stage and are already delivering revenues — grow something that’s already working.
This type of cleantech 2.0 investing thesis has been around for awhile. The “Cleanweb” folks call this trend cleanweb, because many times the underlying technologies are digital ones. Greg Neichin, Executive Vice President of Cleantech Group, described the trend last month as: “We are seeing the market moving beyond irrational exuberance and becoming more cautious and thoughtful in deploying capital.”
SJF isn’t the only one still optimistic about cleantech investing. Earlier this year The Westly Group closed on a $160 million fund that it will invest into cleantech companies. The Westly Group backed three companies that went public, including electric car company Tesla, biofuel company Amyris, and Chinese recycling company China Recycling Energy Corporation (CREG). The firm raised the funds from investors like Citi, E.ON and SK Group.
Other firms that are still strong in cleantech investing include Khosla Ventures, Braemar Energy Ventures, Lux Capital, and Kleiner Perkins. A report from Cambridge Associates, and reported by Dan Primack, found that while cleantech investing has underperformed, it hasn’t been the blackhole that it appeared. Really large and bad bets like Solyndra and Fisker have skewed public perception around how much money the sector has lost.
The Cleantech Group reported last month that the first quarter of 2013 saw total venture dollars in cleantech down by 29 percent from the fourth quarter of 2012, but that the number of deals was up for the quarter. Half of the number of deals were for Series B rounds or later, but almost all (90 percent) of the dollar amounts of the deals were for Series B rounds or later.
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Mozilla was keen to talk up the 3.0 version of its Firefox OS simulator back in March, but didn’t have much to share about when eager developers could start fiddling with it. Thankfully for HTML5 buffs, that six-week quiet period is over — the team just announced on the official Mozilla Hacks blog that the newly updated simulator is now available to download.
All of the features that appeared in the preview release are accounted for — think support for rotating displays and a mock geolocation API for testing location-aware apps — but the simulator suite has been polished a bit since we last saw it. Most of those tweaks are housekeeping changes: the size of the download has been reduced, which has led to snappier boot times, and the simulator now supports common OS shortcuts like Cmd + Q to shut down, but the simulator has also been updated to run newer versions of Firefox OS and the Gaia user interface layer.
With that said, prospective Firefox OS developers will probably use one simulator feature more than any other: the ability to push work-in-progress applications to connected test devices. Mozilla and its hardware partners Huawei, LG, and ZTE (who showed off its first FFOS device at Mobile World Congress) have been pointing to device launches in Brazil, Colombia, Hungary, Mexico, Poland, Serbia, Spain and Venezuela later this year, but the quality of the experiences found on those phones will ultimately determine whether or not Firefox OS flops.
Even so, strong early sales of Firefox OS developer devices may point to a promising official launch for the first set of consumer-facing phones later this year. Just look at Spanish hardware OEM startup Geeksphone — it began selling its Keon and Peak reference devices for $119 and $194, respectively, late last month, and the company was forced to limit the number of handsets sold that on launch day so the 20-person team could keep up with shipping.
That’s a promising start especially for a company as young as Geeksphones, but there’s no question that Firefox OS is going to face some serious competition in its launch markets. Android powers a staggering number of cheap smartphones, and Nokia has refocused its efforts to build low-cost devices based both on Windows Phone and the aging Series 40 OS. Meanwhile, persistent rumors of a low-cost iPhone continue to make the rounds — Firefox OS seemed like a novel option for new and adventurous smartphone owners when I first played with it, but we’ll have to see how the rest of the industry responds.
Google recently launched Google Keep, a mobile to-do list app for Android, which lets you keep notes, lists, pictures and voice notes. Today, the company announced the launch of a new Chrome app.
“The Google Keep Chrome app launches in its own window, so you can create notes, cross out your to-do lists, and attach photos to tasks while you work on other things,” says Google software engineer Eddy Mead in a blog post. “And if you don’t have an internet connection, don’t fret: the Chrome app works offline because we all know that ideas (big and small) can be sparked at any time.”
You can find the app in the Chrome Web Store here.
In semi-related news, rival Yahoo just acquired Astrid, another to-do list app, so don’t be surprised to see Yahoo launch its own Google Keep competitor in the near future.
Instagram is borrowing another feature from Facebook today, as they are rolling out true people tagging for both iOS and Android.
With the updated apps, you’ll be able to add people to photos for the first time. All you have to do is snap your picture, apply your favorite filter, and in the publishing phase of the process you’ll see a new “Add People” button. From there, you can tag friends, businesses, or anyone and anything with a username.
Of course, you’ve always been able to tag people on Instagram. But before, the tagging system worked a lot like Twitter – you could @ mention users but that’s about it. There was really no way of telling whether the photo’s @ mention was simply there to direct the user to it, or if it meant that user was actually in the photo.
“Photos are memories of the people, places and moments that mean the most to us. We have always sought to give you simple and expressive ways to bring the stories behind your photos to life. Your captions and hashtags capture the ‘what?’ and your Photo Map answers the ‘where?’ but until today we’ve never quite been able to answer the ‘who?’” says Instagram.
All of the photos you’re tagged in will now appear in a new profile section called “Photos of You.” The new feature will have all the same privacy settings of Facebook photos – mainly you’ll be able to control whether or not any tagged photo appears in your Photos of You section. You can adjust your settings to make sure you have to approve every tagged photo before it pops up for everyone to see.
Instagram is giving users until May 16th to familiarize themselves with the tagging feature before everyone’s Photos of You sections go public.
This new feature comes in version 3.5 on both iOS and Android. This update also adds a “report a problem” button to the app and also puts your privacy settings accesible on your profile screen.
Former Giants linebacker Michael Boley reportedly turned himself in to Alabama police back in February after a child abuse investigation stemming from a 2011 incident.
Boley’s 5-year old son was at the center of the investigation, which was allegedly due to physical abuse and not of a sexual nature. Boley pleaded guilty to the abuse as part of a plea deal, and has said that the allegations came from the child’s mother, who filed a lawsuit against him for child support payments. In 2008, he was arrested on charges of domestic violence after his ex-wife claimed he beat her, and though the case was never pursued by prosecutors, Boley was suspended for the first game of the 2009 season with the Giants due to a violation of the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy.
Part of the plea deal terms state that Boley must complete a diversion program in order for the charges to be dropped, which is rep says he will comply with. However, there’s been no comment on whether or not the Giants cut him from the team because of his legal issues or for another reason. He is currently a free agent.
Microsoft has been actively migrating customers from Hotmail to its Outlook.com service over the past six weeks. That migration ends today, as Microsoft announces completion of, not only the big move, but also that the company now has instant success from the latest web-based email offering.
“When Outlook.com came out of preview, it was already the fastest growing email service thanks to your support. The last two months have seen the release of a new, modern Outlook.com calendar, a refreshed Outlook.com app for Android devices, two-factor authentication for your account, new international domains for people around the world, and the release of a preview of Skype calling in Outlook.com” boasts Microsoft’s Dick Craddock.
The company does not stop there, though. It also boasts that Outlook online now hosts more than 400 million users, though this is due, in part, to wayward Hotmail customers who had no choice in this matter. Give Microsoft credit though, as the company managed to pull off a migration of 150 petabytes of data in just a six week period.
With the migration complete, Craddock promises that attention turns to new features. Plans include the removal of the “on behalf of” that appeared when a customer sent a message using a switched account such as Gmail. Microsoft also plans deep SkyDrive integration, allowing users to directly inset files and images from the cloud storage service.
Microsoft launched Outlook.com using a brand name that has been long known to both consumers and business customers and, at the same time, killed off another major service. So far, the company seems to be pulling this off, but tomorrow is a new day.
Photo Credit: Fer Gregory/Shutterstock
New York-based private equity firm Lightyear Capital has emerged as the lead bidder to buy SunTrust Banks Inc’s RidgeWorth Investments asset management unit, three sources familiar with the situation told Reuters this week, Reuters is reporting.
(Reuters) – New York-based private equity firm Lightyear Capital has emerged as the lead bidder to buy SunTrust Banks Inc’s RidgeWorth Investments asset management unit, three sources familiar with the situation told Reuters this week.
SunTrust also received bids from two other private equity firms: New York-based Crestview Partners and Chicago-based Thoma Bravo LLC, said two of the sources, who declined to be identified because they are not authorized to talk to the media.
Lightyear is likely to pay between $250 million to $300 million for RidgeWorth, one of the sources said. RidgeWorth and its boutiques managed approximately $50.4 billion in assets as of March 31, according to the firm’s website.
A spokesman for Atlanta-based SunTrust declined to comment. A Lightyear spokesman did not return a request for comment.
For SunTrust a sale of RidgeWorth would mark the end of a process that has been on and off for the past three years.
SunTrust first tried to sell its asset management business, which includes six managers and its own RidgeWorth Funds, to Henderson Group Plc (HGGH.L) in 2010, but those talks fell apart. At that time the purchase price was estimated at $300 million to $400 million, according to media reports.
Earlier this year, SunTrust provided a handful of private equity firms with updated information about mandates that RidgeWorth had won from institutional investors, in hopes of selling RidgeWorth, the sources said.
SunTrust, which suffered large losses during the financial crisis, was one of the few large U.S. banks whose capital plans such as raising dividends and initiating stock buybacks were rejected by the Federal Reserve Board last year in its stress-test reviews.
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14 percent of all broadband households owned an Apple TV, a Roku box or another kind of dedicated streaming device in 2012, but 25 percent owned a smart TV with an embedded app platform, according to the Diffusion Group’s latest Defining the In-Home CE and Network Ecosystem 2013 report.
The ownership of Smart TVs has roughly doubled over the last year, with 25 percent of broadband households owning at least one Smart TV, compared to 12 percent in 2011. Dedicated streaming devices on the other hand grew slower, inching up from 12 percent in 2011 to 14 percent in 2012.
Of course, one should note that owning a device isn’t the same as using it. Only 69 percent of Smart TVs are connected to the internet, according to the report, whereas one should assume that most streaming boxes are connected (safe for the ones used as paperweights).
The most popular device for internet video remains the game console, with 62 percent of broadband households now owning a next-generation game console such as the Sony PS3 or the Microsoft Xbox 360. Almost a fourth of the time spent with these consoles is spent on online video viewing.
Altogether, 56 percent of broadband households now have at least one TV connected to the Internet.
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Twitter has released Twitter for iOS 5.6 and Twitter for Android 4.0.2, minor updates to its official apps for iPhone/iPad and Android mobile users. Both apps extend support for trend filtering by location to the mobile platform, the feature is already present in the web-based app.
Other changes to the iOS build include improved playback of Vine video, and the addition of an option to invite other people to join Twitter from within the app. Android users also gain enhancements to the menu button.
The option for switching between tailored and location-based trends is accessed from the Discover tab on the iPhone, iPod touch or Android phone — tap Trends, scroll down and the new “Change location” option will appear at the bottom (Android users will also need to tap the menu button). Tapping this then allows users to first select a country and then a city or town. At the present time, only major cities are featured.
Version 5.6 for iOS also follows the recent Vine app update in improving the playback performance of Vine videos. It also changes the way replies to retweets are handled – now both the original tweeter and the person retweeting are included by default when replying. Finally, users can now invite other people to join Twitter from directly within the app itself.
Android users gain improvements to the menu button, tapping this now adds options for switching accounts and accessing the settings screen. Both mobile app updates are rounded off with the usual raft of non-specified bug fixes and performance improvements.
The new mobile apps follow hot on the heels of Twitter for Mac 2.2, a surprise update that added Retina display support, a new camera icon to the redesigned Tweet compose box for easy sharing of photos and support for 14 new languages, including French, Chinese, Spanish and German.
Twitter for iOS 5.6 is a free download for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.Twitter for Android 4.0.2 requires Android 2.1/2.2/2.3 or 4.1, and is also compatible with Kindle Fire and B&N Nooks. Twitter for Mac 2.2 requires OS 10.6.8 or later.
Netflix reported another great quarter last month, with big subscriber and stock growth. It’s hard to believe it was just two years ago that the company and its CEO were widely ridiculed — and even subject to a Saturday Night Live parody.
Certainly much credit is due to adding new tricks to its tool kit by creating new content like House of Cards, a programming success that’s highlighted how it is using its analytic power to find news ways to satisfy customers.
I’ve written three HBR posts on Netflix since its difficult 2011. All were bullish on its future. I had many left-brain reasons why to be bullish — the quantified upside of digital streaming, its leadership, distribution and analytics advantages, etc. But I think there was emotional ‘data’ that I’ve acquired as a 10 year subscriber that stitches all the rational reasons together and amplifies them.
Put simply, Netflix is a generous company. And generosity can be a highly effective growth strategy.
Most business is viewed as zero sum when it comes to competition — and too often when it comes to consumers. But Nordstrom’s generous return policy and customer service has been highly effective. Costco is well known for its veritable free lunch buffet with its samples. Gillette gives away free razors to teenagers for their first shave. How about even “discount brands” like Southwest and its bags-fly-free campaign?
Here’s the singular theme that is common across these brands. They are all great products and experiences. And they know that giving you a little taste of something great will have you coming back for a lot more — at full price.
A more left brain way of articulating this is Value = Benefits/Price. When consumers see benefits exceed price for something they want, they sign up. The trick is to find Benefits people want and deliver them in a way that Costs less than the Price you charge. Said another way, generosity can help you grow when Value = Benefits > Price > Costs
There are several ways to make benefits > price > costs and profitably grow.
All of these generosity strategies are at play in Netflix’s strategy and execution with House of Cards.
But it’s not just tactics, but also how generosity flows throughout the Netflix brand and business model. Last quarter Netflix said that its subscribers watched 4 billion hours of TV across a total subscriber base of 36 million. Per Nielsen, the average person watches 34 hours of TV per week. That means Netflix subscribers watch about 15 billion hours in a quarter. The latest numbers suggest Netflix accounted for approximately one quarter of total TV viewing for its subscribers. But at $7.99 per month, Netflix only charges 10% of the cost of the average cable bill, which is around $80.
If some skepticism remains about generosity as a growth strategy, then consider the alternative…stinginess as a growth strategy. Does that ever work in the long-run? How does it work in the social era, where singular acts of generosity or stinginess spread like a virus? If Twitter is the TMZ for corporate behavior — good and bad — might generosity be the only viable choice in a digitally connected world?
The etymological root of generosity is the same as genesis, genius, and generate. Generous companies appear to be proud of what they make. Panera is another example of a generous company. Panera knows that putting their great food in people’s mouths–and letting those same people talk it up to others–is the best marketing for them. That’s why Panera’s donations-only café are breaking even on average. Panera estimates ~60% of customers pay the suggested donation, 20% pay less (or nothing) and 20% pay more. And Panera knows that generosity is highly empowering for employees, and leads to wonderful stories (and PR).
Reed Hastings recently expressed it this way in the New York Times, as he realized the 2011 was a mistake from the thousands of emails that poured in from angry customers. “I realized, if our business is about making people happy, which it is, then I had made a mistake. The public shame didn’t bother me. It was the private shame of having made a big mistake and hurt people’s real love for Netflix that felt awful.”
Most CEOs don’t talk about love very often. But by giving consumers benefits that feel generous, Netflix and other companies are creating an effective way to grow.
If you are a BlackBerry 7.0 customer and you haven’t already updated your software to BlackBerry 7.1 OS, now is definitely a good time to do so. For a limited time, when you update from BlackBerry 7.0 to BlackBerry 7.1 OS, you’ll get access to download select premium apps for free*.
On top of that, you’ll find new built-in features in BlackBerry 7.1 that are not in BlackBerry 7.0 OS including: Mobile Hotspot, FM radio, BlackBerry Tag and WiFi calling**.
The update is available in select countries on these BlackBerry smartphone models:
Have a look at the list of amazing apps that are included in this promotion:
To learn how to update your device visit: www.blackberry.com/update. And check out these tips for updating from my friend Ty over at the Inside BlackBerry Help blog. This limited time offer runs until June 30th, 2013
* Free downloads available until June 30, 2013. Available only in France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom for BlackBerry 9360, 9380, 9790, 9810, 9860, 9900 and 9981 devices running BlackBerry OS 7.1. Data charges may apply to use certain features or to download content and applications over the wireless network. User is responsible for all data charges. Please check with your service provider for availability, costs and restrictions. Offer may change without notice. Void where prohibited.
**Features not available in all countries or with all carriers. Check with your service provider for availability, costs and restrictions.
As if Google Glass wasn’t enough, Google decided they want to take over your wrist too, filing patents for a new smartwatch with some features similar to Glass. This is definitely not the first Android-powered watch, or even the first watch design from Google, but it does seem to be at least very different from its competitors. Combining what appears to be two touchpads on either side of the watch’s face will allow for gesture-based control such as “pinch, stretch and scroll on a platform with limited space available for user input” not unlike Glass. However, with any luck the watch will not be voice-controlled.
Speculation aside, 2013 is looking to be a good year for Android-powered watches with Samsung also working on a watch of their own. Check back with us for more information on these projects as we get it.
Source: USPTO
Come comment on this article: Patent filed for Google smartwatch with touchpad functions similar to Glass
We’ve been busy updating our social media apps for BlackBerry OS 5 and higher. Now, Twitter users can share in the excitement because today we’ve issued the update for Twitter v4.1! As someone who pretty much lives on Twitter, I couldn’t be more excited to pass along these new features to you.
If you’re using a BlackBerry OS 5smarpthone or higher, be sure to download the latest version of Twitter and let us know what you think in the comments below.
Please note that it can take up to 24 hours for the new app version to appear in BlackBerry World.
I’ve seen a lot of crazy things happen while on the road course, however what you’re about to witness trumps most of them. You see most drivers are at least aware of what type of transmission is in their car before they drive it at high speed. This guy though… this guys got no clue.
Scary stuff.
Source: Youtube.com via Jalopnik
Last month HTC released their financial results for the first quarter of 2013 and the numbers were unpleasant reading. In a recent conference call, HTC sought to put some context to the numbers for the benefit of investors and analysts. CEO Peter Chou acknowledged the problems supply chain delays had caused for HTC and the release of the HTC One. Nevertheless, he believes HTC ultimately had a successful launch of the HTC One and looks forward to sales of about 10 million units during 2013. Most of that will take place during the final three quarters of the year as analysts from CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets project only 750,000 units were sold during the first quarter. For comparison, Samsung is projected to to sell 60 million Galaxy S 4 units.
While HTC maintained profitability during the first quarter, the margin was not very large as revenues slid to NT$42.8 billion ($1.45B USD). However, with sales of the HTC One in full swing, those numbers are expected to rebound to the NT$70 billion ($2.37B USD) range during the second quarter.
It appears many people think HTC has turned things around. Both HSBC and Daiwa upgraded their ratings on HTC, partly due to all of the positive reviews of the HTC One. Investors seem to agree as the stock price has been rising ever since release of the flagship device. Analysts also point to the recent partnership with Facebook to bring the HTC First to market as a positive step for HTC. Although the HTC First is more of a marketing move for the company, it is evidence the company is taking several small but sure steps as it regains its footing.
What do you think – has HTC turned the corner?
source: CNET
Come comment on this article: HTC adds context to first quarter financial numbers
MediaTek is best know for producing inexpensive, quality processors for cheaper smartphones, and they’ve just announced another chip to their lineup. The MT6572 system-on-a-chip is a next-generation processor for entry level phones, many of which will likely be Android devices. It’s based on a 28nm dual-core A7 CPU and boasts clock speeds up to 1.2 GHz, and can handle up to 720p video playback, along with support for 5 megapixel cameras and 540 by 960 screens. As for connectivity, it has integrated HSPA+/TD-SCDMA radios.
Nothing ground breaking here, but it’s going to be a solid chip for upcoming entry level phones. Hit the break for the press release.
Come comment on this article: MediaTek announces dual-core MT6572 SoC for entry level smartphones