Misplaced Pages

#527472

37-531: Launched in 2009 by tech entrepreneur and media figure Jason Calacanis , the event was the culmination of a series of public comments by Calacanis questioning the ethics of groups who charge fledgling companies to present to wealthy investors. Calacanis, already co-founder of startup competition TechCrunch50 with Michael Arrington (which ran from 2007 to 2009), had spoken out repeatedly against specific groups he characterized as preying on small, hopeful companies seeking financing. The conversation evolved quickly over

74-524: A B.A. in psychology . Calacanis started his career in the 1990s as a reporter covering the internet industry in New York. Calacanis was the founder and CEO of Rising Tide Studios, a media company that published print and online publications. During the dot-com boom, Calacanis was active in New York's Silicon Alley community, and in 1996 began producing the Silicon Alley Reporter . Originally

111-643: A 16-page photocopied newsletter, it eventually expanded into a 300-page magazine, with a sister publication called the Digital Coast Reporter for the West Coast. Calacanis' socializing earned him a nickname as the "yearbook editor" of the Silicon Alley community. The company also organized conferences in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco focused on the Internet, web, and New Media. Calacanis co-founded

148-609: A book titled "Angel: How to Invest in Technology Startups—Timeless Advice from an Angel Investor Who Turned $ 100,000 into $ 100,000,000" on angel investing published by HarperCollins in 2017. In 2018, Calacanis invested in Calm , a meditation app that is valued at $ 1 billion. This Week in Startups is a weekly podcast created and hosted by Calacanis. The Wall Street Journal contributor Cecilie Rohwedder described

185-497: A month and achieved profitability in 2011, but suffered a sharp decline in traffic that year from the Google Panda search algorithm update and shut down in 2014. Calacanis founded ThisWeekIn.com, which shut down in 2012 but is live again and available as a weekly podcast. This Week in Startups (also called TWiSt ) is a show founded and hosted by Calacanis. The show was co-hosted by Molly Wood from 2021 to 2023. Molly left

222-493: A new online media subsidiary. Then Verizon sold that to private equity firm Apollo Global Management . Currently, Engadget and Autoblog are the only remaining former Weblogs Inc. titles. Launched in March 2004, Engadget is updated multiple times a day with articles on gadgets and consumer electronics . Engadget is a webzine that looks like a blog. Launched in June 2004, Autoblog

259-499: A single 10- or 15-minute presentation. Calacanis is an angel investor in Robinhood , Wealthfront , Uber , Desktop Metal , Datastax , Thumbtack , Superhuman and Trello . Calacanis raised a $ 10 million fund for his own venture investment firm to invest in startups that emerged from the Launch conference. Limited partners in the fund include David Sacks . Following the success of

296-417: A smaller number of breakout titles, as was typical of most large-scale successful blog networks of the mid-2000s. Popular blogs included Engadget , Autoblog, TUAW, Joystiq , Luxist, Slashfood, Cinematical, TV Squad, Download Squad, Blogging Baby, Gadling, AdJab, and Blogging Stocks. Today, Engadget and Autoblog are the only remaining brands from the company, now existing as part of Yahoo! Inc. The company

333-585: A time when it had less than a dozen remaining blog brands. Following AOL's $ 315 million acquisition of The Huffington Post in February 2011, the former Weblogs Inc blogs, along with TechCrunch and many of AOL's other content brands, were reorganized under a new division called the "Huffington Post Media Group." Under the arrangement, the Huffington Post editorial team took responsibility for editorial oversight of AOL's other blogs and news sites. Months after

370-543: Is an automotive news and car shopping website formerly based in Birmingham, Michigan . A winner of a 2014 Webby Award for its original video series The List , Autoblog produced daily articles and videos covering all facets of the auto industry, as well as a weekly video podcast featuring the editors of the site. Autoblog was also home to vehicle shopping tools and research pages where users could search for new and used vehicles for purchase. Autoblog's final Editor-in-Chief

407-478: Is when a person loses weight by exercising and then posting their weight afterwards onto their blog for encouragement and support from commenters and other fatbloggers. He launched the web directory Mahalo ("thank you" in Hawaiian), which raised $ 20 million in venture capital from investors including Sequoia Capital , News Corp , CBS , Mark Cuban , and Elon Musk . Mahalo hit a peak of 15 million unique visitors

SECTION 10

#1732869184528

444-479: The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike , while some industry blogs stopped or wrote articles in support of the strike, TV Squad continued to publish material normally. TV Squad operated as a separate, independent site until May 2011, when AOL merged TV Squad with AOL. This meant all of the old TV Squad content would then be found on AOL TV. Originally, TVSquad.com was automatically redirected to AOLTV.com. Just seven months later, AOLTV became HuffPost TV, moving

481-667: The Best Business Podcasts". As of 2022, Calacanis is co-host of the All-In podcast, alongside Chamath Palihapitiya , David O. Sacks , and David Friedberg . In May 2022, the All-In Podcast team hosted their first All-In Summit in Miami, where leaders in business and tech attended to discuss the central theme of "What problem do you want to solve right now?" Calacanis married Jade Li sometime between 2006 and 2009. Calacanis

518-644: The Gillmor Gang podcast. Calacanis joined Sequoia Capital , a venture capital firm, as an EIA (entrepreneur in action) in December, 2006, a position which he held until May, 2007. Through this program, Calacanis invested $ 25K in Travis Kalanick 's company, Uber . As of 2017 the investment was worth roughly $ 100 million. In 2007, Calacanis is credited with starting an internet trend he called "fatblogging" after being fed up with being overweight . Fatblogging

555-425: The Launch conference, Calacanis declared his intent to get closer and more involved in the new ventures that emerged from that conference. The level of investment was around $ 25,000 to $ 100,000 in five to 10 startups per year. In 2016, Calacanis was banned from attending Y Combinator's Demo Day. According to a post on Hacker News by then-president of Y Combinator Sam Altman , the decision to exclude Calacanis

592-505: The acquisition, AOL further consolidated its total count of content websites to just 20 brands, of which Engadget, Autoblog, Joystiq, and TUAW were the only remaining former Weblogs, Inc. titles. The Huffington Post Media Group branding was never used in any significant public-facing capacity, but the Huffington editorial team was put firmly in control of AOL's news websites. This led to numerous controversies over editorial direction, including

629-663: The blog network Weblogs, Inc. with Brian Alvey on September 24, 2003, and the startup was supported by an angel investment from Mark Cuban . Two years after its inception, the Weblogs, Inc. blogs business was generating $ 1,000 a day just from AdSense . Time Warner 's America Online agreed to buy Weblogs, Inc. in October 2005 for $ 25–30 million. On November 16, 2006, TechCrunch reported that Calacanis had resigned from his position as CEO of Weblogs, Inc. and general manager of Netscape . Calacanis later confirmed this on his blog and

666-484: The company Twitter along with David Sacks. In 2009, Calacanis founded the Open Angel Forum , an event that connects early-stage startups with angel investors. The forum was the culmination of a series of public comments by Calacanis questioning the ethics of pay-to-pitch angel forums. Calacanis believes startups shouldn't have to pay to pitch angel investors, calling out fees that can range from $ 1,000 to $ 8,000 for

703-437: The content once again. TUAW covered tips, reviews, news, analyses, and opinions on Apple Inc .'s products. Founded in 2004 and one of the most successful blogs from Weblogs, Inc., TUAW was shut down February 3, 2015, and its archives republished on Engadget. The blog was revived in mid 2024, publishing AI-generated articles . Many are AI-generated summaries of old posts from the original staff, often incorrectly attributing

740-602: The course of several days, beginning with a blog post calling for " Jihad " against the Keiretsu Forum , a discussion on his online broadcast This Week in Startups, and two impassioned polemics outlining the impetus for creating an alternative model: the first self-described as "declaring war" and "written with boiling blood" quickly followed by a second containing quotes from other prominent tech industry pundits such as Fred Wilson and Brad Feld as well as anonymous individuals claiming to be formerly affiliated or familiar with

777-419: The departure of TechCrunch editor and founder Michael Arrington . Joystiq and TUAW were shut down and folded into Engadget in February 2015. Around the same time, AOL Autos and AOL Tech were shut down and redirected to Autoblog and Engadget, respectively. In 2015, AOL was acquired by Verizon . In 2017, AOL's content business, along with that of Yahoo! , which was also acquired by Verizon, were combined into

SECTION 20

#1732869184528

814-630: The groups in question. Upon formalizing the organization, several principles were outlined regarding qualifications and structure, the most notable legacy of the initial controversy being a strict rule against fees for both presenters and investors for participation. Startups presenting at the Open Angel Forum are picked by the event's organizers (which include regional "chapter heads" as well). Six companies are chosen and each presents for 10 minutes. Angel investors must apply for admission as well, and required to be active, with at least four investments in

851-680: The growth of blogs before being sold to AOL . Calacanis is also an angel investor in various technology startups and co-host of the All-In podcast alongside David Sacks , Chamath Palihapitiya and David Friedberg , and the host of This Week in Startups Podcast . Calacanis was born in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn , New York, and has two brothers. He is of half- Greek and half- Irish descent. He graduated from Xaverian High School in 1988 and attended Fordham University , where he received

888-509: The past year. The first event was held on January 14, 2009, in Los Angeles and to date events have been held in six cities: Los Angeles , San Francisco , Palo Alto , Boston , Boulder, CO and New York City . Though news reports and blog postings by participating companies, as well as the organization itself, have touted funding offers following the events, the group does not maintain a comprehensive list of presenters, nor have they announced

925-409: The podcast as "an influential Web series filmed in the U.S." Plans for the podcast were announced on March 16, 2009, through a blog post. The 60-minute program premiered on May 1, 2009, featuring Brian Alvey , CEO and founder of the content management and hosting system Crowd Fusion, as its first guest.. This Week in Startups was listed in an article at Fortune.com titled "The Ultimate Guide to

962-563: The podcast in 2023 for unnamed reasons. He also founded a startup Inside.com which focuses on delivering thematic newsletters. The company raised $ 2.6 million. In June 2019, Calacanis partnered with the NSW Government to create the Sydney Launch Festival for startups to give their pitches to global audiences. After Elon Musk acquired Twitter in 2022 and re-organized the management and governance structure, Calacanis helped run

999-402: The site was realized, with several other Weblogs, Inc. bloggers contributing on an irregular basis. TV Squad had about 20 regularly contributing bloggers. Writers include Adam Finley, Keith McDuffee, Bob Sassone, Jane Boursaw, Jay Black , Wil Wheaton , and Paul Goebel , and the site's main television critic is former Chicago Tribune critic Maureen Ryan, who came to the site in 2010. During

1036-464: The success rate or other metrics as to the efficacy of the program as a source for startup capital for participants. Jason Calacanis Jason McCabe Calacanis (born November 28, 1970) is an American Internet entrepreneur, angel investor , author and podcaster. His first company was part of the dot-com era in New York. His second venture, Weblogs, Inc. , a publishing company that he co-founded together with Brian Alvey , capitalized on

1073-479: The wrong author and including AI-generated images of people alongside their bylines . According to TUAW's website, the brand was acquired by Web Orange Limited in 2024, "without its original content". Web Orange Limited says on its website to be a Hong Kong –based "advertising services" company. Download Squad was a popular blog following web-based and downloadable software and news for desktop and mobile platforms. Consistently cited among popular software blogs, it

1110-458: Was Engadget , a stand-alone site covering new technology in blog format. Engadget was co-founded by Peter Rojas, the former editor of Gizmodo in the Gawker Media network. Eventually a plethora of independent brands were established, including 26 stand-alone sites and over 50 sub-blogs. A few of the company principals also maintained personal blogs on the network, including Mark Cuban. Weblogs Inc

1147-480: Was Greg Migliore and its last General Manager is Adam Morath. Staff were let go and the website converted to an all AI driven blog effective September 2024. Joystiq was a weblog covering video games and video game culture. It was shut down on February 3, 2015. Founded in September 2004, Hack a Day (also known as HackADay ) is a weblog covering hacks, mods, and projects popular among computer enthusiasts. It

Open Angel Forum - Misplaced Pages Continue

1184-532: Was an early supporter and founder for the effort behind the successful recall election of the San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin in 2022. Weblogs, Inc. Weblogs, Inc. was a blog network that published content on a variety of subjects, including tech news, video games, automobiles, and pop culture. At one point, the network had as many as 90 blogs , although the vast majority of its traffic could be attributed to

1221-493: Was driven by feedback received from YC founders regarding their interactions with him. Calacanis publicly announced in 2018 that he had sold all of his Facebook stock, expressing sharp criticism of company CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg on the Too Embarrassed to Ask podcast. He called Zuckerberg "completely immoral" in how he runs the business and said, "No founder should ever sell a company to him." Calacanis authored

1258-416: Was founded in September 2003 by Jason Calacanis and Brian Alvey , in the wake of Calacanis's Silicon Alley Reporter magazine, with backing from investor Mark Cuban . By early 2004, Weblogs, Inc. and Gawker Media were establishing the two most notable templates for networked blog empires. Initially, Weblogs, Inc. consisted of a few dozen blogs, all residing as subdomains of weblogsinc.com. The exception

1295-426: Was increased following the spin-off of AOL from Time Warner in 2009. Up until mid-2010, Weblogs, Inc. branding remained subtly alongside AOL's, on titles like Engadget and Autoblog, but in late 2010, the name was dropped and the official website was redirected to AOL.com, approximately coinciding with a major redesign of AOL branded properties. Around the same time, AOL also acquired tech industry blog TechCrunch , at

1332-419: Was not included in the sale of Weblogs, Inc. to AOL, but remained a separate entity until it was sold to SupplyFrame in 2013. TV Squad was a television weblog founded on March 10, 2005. By 2006, it was one of the most popular on the Internet. TV Squad was originally conceptualized to allow any Weblogs, Inc. blogger to write about the television shows they watch. Eventually, a core group of bloggers for

1369-628: Was sold to AOL for a reported $ 25 million in October 2005. The move came as AOL was preparing to become an independent division within Time Warner . Weblogs Inc continued to operate independently from AOL's other content websites for many years, until AOL began phasing out the Weblogs Inc branding in favor of its own, consolidating to a few of the strongest titles, and integrating more closely with its namesake media division, which included AOL News, AOL Autos, AOL Tech, etc. The emphasis on AOL branding

#527472