At age 18, Rob Gough was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer. He was just finishing his freshman year in college, but he would have to put his studies on hold and spend the next year and a half going through chemotherapy. Those 17 long months were spent in and out of the hospital. He…
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In political campaigns, from city councilman to president, candidates first have to fight to get the official party nomination. With that blessing from above comes financing and support, including access to the party’s software and database. If you don’t get nominated, you’re faced with an uphill battle raising money solely from donors. That money is…
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After creating Sortfolio, a site for finding web designers, Jason Fried and his team at 37signals spent months searching for new parents for their baby. They knew it could grow up to have a good, successful life, but they were unable to provide for it themselves. Finally, they chose Krishna Gupta and Eric Marthinsen. The…
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CompStak, a startup that sells comparison data on commercial property leases, has just announced its planned expansion into the Los Angeles market June 1st, and into the Washington D.C. market July 1st. Opportunity exists where data are hard to come by. CompStak is positioning itself as a partner to a commercial real estate market that…
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Dog owners and their loyal companions share similar characteristics. They are approachable, affectionate, passionate, fun-loving, social, energetic, and silly. Dog owners take on the personalities of their dogs…or is it dogs who take on the personalities of their owners? Jonathan Kolker, cofounder and CEO of Where My Dogs At, believed that dog owners and their four-legged…
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In recent years, online meeting sites and applications have focused on bringing the online connection offline for in-person meetings. The only problem is, these online sites are primarily focused on dating. Eric Lai and Ben Tao saw this as an opportunity to build a solution for users who want to make real-world connections online, but…
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We see plenty of deals websites out there that allow users to participate in fun activities, educational opportunities, or fitness classes. However, the flip side of the coin is interesting to consider: What about the people who need to host - versus attend - major events? Karla Amador and Mary “Lou” Lomibao, cofounders of Event Finds, have set out to…
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Ever find yourself a little curious to find out what brand of shirt or shoes a friend was wearing, or where they got it? Perhaps you went as far as to comment on their Facebook photo or Instagram pic, asking the same questions, or letting them know that you loved it, and want one. The…
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Jeremy Murphy and Mike Aucoin never planned on ending up in the travel business. But a common need led the duo to the creation of TheSuitest, an online data cruncher that delivers comprehensive and dynamic hotel searches. Murphy is a former quantitative analyst and risk manager, engineering a risk management system and asset allocation system….
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When it comes to driving, teenagers seem to be like a category five hurricane: destruction apparently follows them everywhere. Insurance agencies tend to gouge this demographic on premiums and monthly rates simply because of their age. But what if you do not fit this mold? What if you are a fantastic teenage driver? You can…
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While emerging corporate cloud applications aim to make businesses more productive, the sheer volume of all the different apps makes it difficult for companies to keep everything organized and everyone involved. Scott Kriz and Erik Gustavson created Bitium as a solution for companies that want a better way to manage these applications across teams of…
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Be Great Partners, a new incubator in Los Angeles, launched in February with a $6 million fund planned for startups. The company is actually a hybrid of an accelerator and an incubator (a coworking space with extra programs and mentorship). Like the former, Be Great Partners offers office space, mentorship, and capital (around $25,000 per startup,…
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Atlas is known in Greek mythology as the primordial titan who held up the celestial sphere. The poet Virgil commonly associated adjectives with these titans to help describe their nature of being. For Atlas, he chose the Latin durus: hard, enduring. Apply that knowledge to Hunter Gray and Michel Bayan’s time scheduling platform, aptly named…
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If you want to make some extra money on the side, HangPay lets you charge money for Google Hangouts. The process is simple: just share your personal HangPay link with someone. When they click on it, you’ll get a notification. Open up the Hangout, choose a price, and start talking. If they reject the fee,…
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If a photo is worth a thousand words, what’s the going rate for a sleek photo aggregation app? Evidently the title of Los Angeles’s hottest showcasing startup. This was the fate for Photovine, the first app released from the Los Angeles-based app development startup, Silo Labs. Based on the promise that “something cool is going to…
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Exec is an errand running and cleaning service with on-demand, high-quality personal assistants for individuals and companies. Exec started last year in San Francisco; this week Exec announced plans to expand to New York City, Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles. As they scale, Exec is focused on user growth and premium customer service. Exec is…
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Two months after the iPad 2 debuted in March, around 40% of users surveyed said... Read More
This post is part of Tech Cocktail’s “Healthy Entrepreneur” series,... Read More
Locating quality startups in San Francisco is like spotting bees in a hive.... Read More
Today, we’re excited to announce that Tech Cocktail has taken a $2.5M... Read More
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