Introducing the Nori Lights - Bicycle Illumination System

San Diego Kickstarter and Inventor, Chris Flynn, came up with a smart way to Illuminate your bike wheels, letting drivers recognize you instantly at night. Well all know that tiny front and rear lights are not enough. Check out this video:

I know Chris Flynn, he's family, as Nori is my Uncle Nori.  I'll be the first to tell you that Uncle Nori would be very proud of Chris.  You can trust Chris to deliver on his promises and deliver on your pledge.  I would appreciate if you would support this project, by:

• Telling your friends about it.  Add the link to your Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn profiles.
• Buy a Nori Light System if you own a bike, purchase a tee shirt if you don't.
• Forward this link to one bike shop in your area. Look them up on the web and send them an email via their contact us page.

Let's start another small business in America.  Please support this project today.

Thank you!

...Jim

The Living Room continues to evolve.

I likely have a very common living room which consists of a 55" Sony HD TV, XBOX 360, LG BluRay DVD, Apple TV and a DirecTV HR21 DVR. My DirecTV cost $121.99 per month, a whopping $1,463.88 per year.  When it comes to programming, we have DirecTV's Choice Xtra package which includes 195 channels, HD and DVR features. In reality, my wife and I watch primarily 13 channels.  We've tried to cut the cord and live off of Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus and AirPlay from our iPad to Apple TV, but it has it's drawbacks.  One drawback I would like to address in this blog is content from the major networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and PBS).

Introducing Simple TV (known as Simple.TV as in http://www.Simple.TV)

Assuming you can receive HD signals from the major networks at your home or office, Simple.TV is a small device that captures these signals, converts them to digial and stores them on a network storage device.  Simple.TV does not plug into your TV, it connects to your home network via an Ethernet port, an HD antenna or basic cable connection, a USB 2.0 Port for an external drive and power.  As I understand it, once connected it will appear as another media device on XBOX, Roku or iPad.  It records full 1080p HD Video and allows you to watch live TV from any of these devices.  You can also purchase their programming guide service for $4.99/month and schedule programs to be recorded just like any standard DVR.

(photo from http://www.Simple.TV)

A Kickstarter backed product.

Simple.TV was launched with the help of the Kickstarter community. 1,046 backers pre-purchased $226,415 in product to help them get launched back on June 29th.  The product is scheduled to ship this year.  The company was also a recipient of CNET's Best of CES 2012.

DVR software development is not easy and other concerns.

I purchased one of the first TiVo units in March 1999 and stayed with DirecTV when they lunched their first DVR in 2008.  What I learned as a customer from these experiences is managing broadcast content is not easy. I have not seen or used Simple.TV's program guide, so I can't comment on how stable it is.  What I can tell you is DirecTV DVR software still has it's challenges. Simple.TV only has one tuner, where TiVo now sports 4 tuners and DirecTV HR24 has 5 tuners.  Still, the trend is to having a central playlist available to every TV, Tablet and Smart phone in your home.  If Simple.TV can pull off the programming challenges, since they're not relying on cable or satellite companies to resell their device, they may gain traction.  Also, there is no reason your Simple.TV can't live outside your home network, something that DirecTV doesn't allow.  Simple.TV has possibilities and has the ability to disrupt on-air content.

Television is going to get disrupted, it's just a matter of time.

We're seeing the walls starting to crack.  Video consumption is moving rapidly to tablets and smart phones.  I know this is crazy to consider, but the TV of the future may be a monitor, yes a simple display like the flat screen on your desk.  The industry is digesting new technologies like OLED and 4K resolutions.  It may make more sense for Microsoft, Apple, LG, and Samsung to focus on building devices to connect to your TV (or Monitor) through your AV receiver instead of building the firmware in the actual TV. I don't think people are going to purchase TVs like they do smart phones today, on a two-year cycle. Therefore devices like DVD, DVRs, Game Consoles as well as devices like Roku, iTV and Simple.TV may find their way in more living rooms as consumers want the latest features of a smart, Internet connected TV, without purchasing a new TV.

I'll keep an eye on Simple.TV and will forward any reviews on the programming guide and DVR functions.  If you come across any other startups like Simple.TV, please drop me comment below.

...Jim

Eric Ries’s bestseller, The Lean Startup, is a thoughtful book that has created a conversation about startups.  It focuses on how to go from the back of the napkin to a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), to get in front of prospects in order to see if the idea is viable.

As with any new methodology, framework or process for the matter, I do not think audiences can truly measure its viability until they practice it themselves and spend time teaching it to others.
I’ve had the chance to do both, use it with a couple of startups I’m involved in and teach it in the VentureBox business accelerator in Bend, Oregon.

The key principle of The Lean Startup is BUILD-MEASURE-LEARN.  The goal is to come up with a minimal feature set, bring it to market, measure actionable metrics and finally learn from the experience and then start again.  It barrows heavily from agile software development and favors learning from early adopters versus relying deeply on requirements management by someone in marketing.

I’m all for Build-Measure-Learn, what I have a problem with is Minimum Viable Product (MVP).   What is the definition of “Minimum”? I’ve witnessed entrepreneurs get so caught up in this MVP concept, that they test a product too soon and pivot based on incomplete data.  In my opinion, more time, not less, needs to be spent defining the MVP, including who the audience is that will see it, at each iteration.  Don't make the mistake of thinking the MVP is outside of the product lifecycle. 
MVPs should be matched to audiences. For example, your first MVP may be designed to only been seen by the development team, then management, then marketing and then prospects under NDA.  My point here is, be thoughtful about the process and audience.  Showing it to management or marketing, can quickly throw the team off the rails.  An MVP has its own product lifecycle development process, some stages should only be viewed by the core team.

Keep in mind if you’re building hardware, versus software, you have more challenges because of soft tooling requirements.  Also, don’t under-estimate the power of look and feel.  Ignoring UX/UI in some applications can take you down a rat hole you didn't intend. Each product is different. Craigslist appealed to its audience with it's simplistic UI.  Instagram's UX/UI from the get-go is what helped it go viral. 

When showing an MVPs to outsiders for the first time, I recommend you reset expectations and goals for the preview before you dive in with the demo.  Even though MVPs are designed to test the viability of the product and idea, its natural for people to react to UX/UI as if it's a finished product. Setting expectations before the reveal, will get outsiders to focus on the things that matter at that moment in time.

Remember, there is no rule that says everyone gets to see your MVP or how minimal it really is. If you're working to disrupt a market or competitor, your MVP baseline may already be set. I've seen entrepreneurs focus too much on building a Minimal Viable Product, especially in an accelerator with weekly mentor reviews, rather than a Minimal Desirable Product, that focuses on solving a gap in the marketplace. I would contend focusing on desirability over viability is more important.  Anyone agree?

I'd love to hear your comments.

…Jim

Let me start-off by saying, "I love my Xbox 360". It's actually hard to believe it just celebrated it's 7th birthday (May 12th).  According to Microsoft, about 70 million consoles have been sold.  When you think about it, a piece of hardware that has lasted 7 years is pretty amazing. It's a testament to the design team, I tip my hat to them.  

Let me switch gears now and discuss what puzzels me about their strategy. Perhaps some of you can comment and help me better understand what I have wrong.

My living room has an Xbox 360 + Kinect, DirecTV HR20-700 DVR and LG BD670 BlueRay Player all connected to my home theather and Sony 55 Bravia/  It's a nice system, not great in today's terms.  The LG BluRay player is less than a year old, everything else was purchased when we bought our home in 2007.  The piece of equipment I hate the most is the DirecTV DVR.  If you scan our recordings, we only watch like 10 channels on our DTV. It's not worth the $100 bucks a month we pay for it.

In an ideal world, it would be great if my Xbox 360 could be hooked up to receive my free, over the air, HD channels and allow me to record them, like the old Microsoft TV.  That would get me pretty close to dumping DirecTV altogether.  It would be great if they could add the balance of the channels offered on PlayOn (a neat application to sling content from your PC to any DLNA device). It would allow me to turn off my PC, save power and add videos from NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, Comedy Central, TV.com, TBS, Spike, and a dozen more. I often wonder why Microsoft doesn't just buy PlayOn from MediaMall and grab Jeff Lawrence (President and CEO) and David Karlton (Chief Technology Officer) two smart and passonate guys?  

Next, I would do everything possible to make sure every living room and bedroom had an Xbox 360 in it.  Here are some of the things I would talk to the team about:

• Skype - Microsoft owns Skype, so I'm not sure why it's still not supported in the Xbox 360 + Kinect?  The new line of Samsung Smart TVs has Skype built-in and they don't even come with HD cameras, it's an extra $170.00 bucks!
• Apple's Airplay - Anyone who has used AirPlay, loves it.  It's a great way for Microsoft to tap into Apple's AppStore.  Want to watch TED talks on your TV? No problem. With the number of iOS devices on the market today, this has become a must have feature.  Even companies line Denon and Pioneer are adding it to their new midrange AV receivers.
• Other Services - I'm a pretty fierce competitor, so I wouldn't let companies like Roku go unchallenged. All their apps should be available in the Xbox 360 app store.
• Media Sharing - It would be great if all the Xbox 360s were connected in the house and they all could share eachother's hard drive.
• More Apps - I don't understand why my LG BluRay has more apps in their AppStore than my Xbox 360? I'd love to know why.
• 3D BluRay Player -  I know all the reasons Microsoft didn't add a BluRay player, and yes I know things are moving to streaming, but dammit, my grandkids love watching the same old disney DVDs all the time. Why does Microsoft want me to go out and purchase a 3D BluRay player and add it to my home theatre?  Honestly, I wished the Xbox 360 team got pissed when we added any additional equirement to our receivers, because I want the Xbox 360 to be it all.

There you have it, I welcome your comments and suggestions below.

• ...Jim

One of the things I love watching our 9 founders go through our VentureBox Venture Launch program, is the energy they get from each other. As the class finishes week 4 today, it’s really fun to watch the team development among the founders. Each are struggling with many of the same challenges, however since they’re going through the class as a group, they’re managing those challenges better than going it alone.

Don't underestimate the power of the team dynamic in a business accelerator. Even though each founder is working on a completely different product or service, they're all doing it together. No question is dumb, and the answers often apply to each of the startups anyway. So it's all good.

That brings me to Kickstarter. If you haven’t heard or visited this site I encourage you to do so.

What is Kickstarter?

• Kickstarter is the world's largest funding platform for creative projects. Every week, tens of thousands of amazing people pledge millions of dollars to projects from the worlds of music, film, art, technology, design, food, publishing and other creative fields.
• A new form of commerce and patronage. This is not about investment or lending. Project creators keep 100% ownership and control over their work. Instead, they offer products and experiences that are unique to each project.
• All or nothing funding. On Kickstarter, a project must reach its funding goal before time runs out or no money changes hands. Why? It protects everyone involved. Creators aren't expected to develop their project without necessary funds, and it allows anyone to test concepts without risk.
• Each and every project is the independent creation of someone like you. Projects are big and small, serious and whimsical, traditional and experimental. They’re inspiring, entertaining and unbelievably diverse.

What I like about Kickstarter is the fact an Entrepreneur can take their idea and pitch it to the crowd. If the crowd likes the idea, they will pledge dollars for some benefit. When you think about it, this is what Lean Startup and Customer Development is all about. Not wasting your time (or money) on something no one wants. If your pitch sucks, and you don’t hit your pledge goal, then maybe your idea needs additional refinement or ditched all together.

I found Kickstarter to have another benefit. It allows you to browse the thousands of ideas and simply be inspired by the creativity and passion of entrepreneurship. If you’re leading a startup and feel like you’re on an island alone, spend an hour on Kickstarter and I bet you'll get re-energized. 

Every Kickstart begins with some type of pitch, similar to an investment pitch, but you’re not selling equity. Think of it more as an advance sale where you pre-order today for a discounted price or basket of goodies. When the project is completed, you get the item, warts and all of a version 1.0. Most of the time people are asking you to pledge the cost of a nice dinner out, though you can pledge a serious amount if the basket of amenities appeals to you. The power is with the crowd, if many pledge a little, it adds up to a lot.

Here is an example, Tim Schafer is an industry veteran in the software gaming industry. He decided he wanted to publish a classic point-and-click adventure game. He estimates the game will cost $300k to produce (seems low to me). To make things interesting, he teamed up with a video documentation company to film the process for another $100k in costs, bringing it to $400k. You can watch his video pitch here.

So far, 70,630 people have pledged an average of $34.71 for this project, well exceeding the $400k needed for the project by over $2 million!

Here is what a $30.00 pledge gets you:

• The finished game in all of its awesome glory DRM free on PC, Mac, and Linux, or via Steam for PC and Mac, exclusive access to the Beta on Steam, access to the video series, and access the private discussion community.
• HD download of the documentary series with extras, Digital game soundtrack, Digital documentary soundtrack, and all previous reward tiers.

Keep in mind, the more you pledge, the more you get. The full menu of options are available here. For example, $10k get you lunch with the founders, office tour, signed posters and other goodies. As of this writing two people have signed up for this top honor.

Should all startups use Kickstarter to fund their projects? No. It’s not a one size fits all. Should all startup founders consider crowd-sourcing as a funding method? Yes, I believe so. I think it’s good for you to go through the exercise and ask if it's right for you.

At a minimum, I think all of us need to be inspired by our fellow entrepreneurs, Kickstarter.com is a site that does that for me.

Enjoy,

…Jim