Some closure on those earlier posts about the NHHTC Entrepreneur of the Year question and and the selection of Skillsoft ... As Chuck Moran and his co-founders Jerry Nine, Tom McDonald and Mark Housell accepted their NH Entrepreneurs of The Year award the other night he was able to share several key factors in their success. He shared that the one thing that drives them above all else is the customer and he reinforced the point by saying that all those who stood with him on that dais spent most of every day directly interacting with customers versus "internal matters."
Competing business models to save the newspaper industry are breaking ground not in Boston or New York, but in Down East Maine, as two local publishers try web-based strategies that couldn't be more at odds. Village Soup Inc., a chain of four local papers with headquarters in Rockland, last year blurred the line between advertising and editorial by letting local merchants pay to post their blogs on its Village Soup family of websites. Last month, the Ellsworth American took a turn in the opposite direction, replacing its online presence with a site called Fenceviewer, which features summarized versions of the paper's articles. The full Ellsworth American is available weekly as a PDF download to those willing to pay a $32 annual subscription.
In Greater Boston, some news sites have surfaced but with smaller ambitions than Chi-Town's. They focus on individual communities and are often managed by one person with contributions from residents. These outlets include the Melrose Mirror website, insidemedford.com, and yourarlington.com. There are also a host of websites sponsored by local media companies, such as those owned by GateHouse Media and Boston.com's growing roster of hyperlocal "Your Town" sites.
Massachusetts Innovation vs. Silicon Valley Tech CultureInternet startup Virtual Goods Market Inc., which does business as Viximo, has pulled in an earlier $5 million financing round and named North Bridge Venture Partners principal Dayna Grayson as its acting CEO. The $5 million funding for the Cambridge-based company, which came from North Bridge Venture Partners and Sigma Partners, closed in the first quarter, Grayson said. Grayson took over the acting CEO position from former CEO Rob Frasca.
StyleFeeder Inc. has raised an inside round of $500,000 in convertible debt, its executives and investors confirm. The Cambridge-based company provides an online shopping recommendation website aimed at women ages 18 to 35. Investors Highland Capital Partners and Boston-based Schooner Capital LLC returned to participate in the round, which adds to the company's total equity funding of about $3.5 million, said Highland principal Gaurav Tewari.
Total investments in 2008 were $19.2 billion, a decrease of 26.2% over 2007, according to the Center for Venture Research at the University of New Hampshire. However, a total of 55,480 entrepreneurial ventures received angel funding in 2008, a modest 2.9% decrease from 2007, and the number of active investors in 2008 was 260,500 individuals, virtually unchanged from 2007 ... Angels are literally investing directly from their personal pocketbooks so it is not surprising that they are investing less, but it is absolutely good news that the number of deals did not decline! Combine that with the fact the same number of Angels stayed in the game and Angels remain the largest source of start-up capital. IF you have not already done so - get involved in your local Angel Groups!For more info: