Jon Pierce

Betahouse is Expanding (Hopefully)!

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:25:00 -0400

Founded in April 2007, Betahouse is Boston’s longest running coworking space. We value community first, and our community consists of early stage startups, entrepreneurs, developers, designers and other creative types working in or around technology. But really, anyone who’s awesome and would add something to the space is welcome. We’ve had DIY biologists, food and culture writers, you name it. The core is definitely tech startups and independents though.

Well, we’re finally expanding (hopefully)! The new Betahouse will be twice the size and appropriate for teams of up to 6 people (depending on how they’d use the space, of course). If Betahouse seems like the place for you, tell us through the form below! To make the move though, we need to know there’s enough interest to make the economics work.

Fill out this form if you’re interested in joining.

Vision

The vision for Betahouse is to be a hub of startup and creative activity: a place where new connections are formed, new ideas and companies are born, people work together, and things gets made.

Community, collaboration, creativity and independence are our pillars.

We also want to do our part to support startups, entrepreneurs, students, makers, community leaders, artists, etc. Ideally, we’ll eventually be able to offer free or subsidized space to select individuals and teams. In fact, we already offer free space to winners of Awesome Foundation grants, and we hope to do more things like that in the future, provided the economics work out. We may seek out sponsorship to help make that happen. Get in touch if you’d like to sponsor.

There’s also another big idea in the works that would complement the space really well and be a *HUGE* win for early stage startups and entrepreneurs. It’s too early to say more on that though. Soon, hopefully.

If you’re interested in being a part of Betahouse, whether as an active resident or as part of our extended family of community members (great for occasional use, or for people who want to support Betahouse and ensure that it thrives), let us know by filling out the form below.

Note that the Community Member option is a super low commitment ($50 / month or $500 / year) for occasional access to the space and conference room, participation in the community, access to events and other benefits, with day passes available for additional days.

That said, our community and culture are important to us, so we need to learn a little about you and why you want to be a part of it.

Fill out this form if you’re interested in joining.

Events

We also organize and host events regularly. Well, we used to… and we will again in our new space! (We’ve been a little hamstrung by our current space for a while.)

What sorts of events?

Meetups
Talks and panel discussions (e.g. Ryan Sarver of Skyhook, now Twitter, and Seth Fitzsimmons of Yahoo!, now SimpleGeo, talking geolocation; or Shawn Broderick of TechStars and Bijan Sabet of Spark Capital talking new funding models)
Hackfests (e.g. DevHouse, Open Gov Hack Day, Boston.rb)
Demo nights
Pitch sessions
Office hours
Group lunches
Mixers
Founder dating
Underground kitchens
Beer tastings
Movie nights
Classes
Awesome Foundation award ceremonies
Jellies and Jelly Talks
Epic parties!

We’ll probably also do some recreational sports teams in the future (e.g. kickball, softball).

Basically, Betahouse is as much a social space as it is a work space, and we hope the community is a large part of what brought you here. Work hard, play hard, right?!

Fill out this form if you’re interested in joining.

The New Space, Plans and Rates

As we touched on above, we plan to move into a new space soon, most likely still in Central Square but perhaps a short walk from the center of the square, and we’d be doubling our capacity. We need to fill that space, and we need to know that we’ll have the numbers soon to make it work!

The new space will be mostly open and loft-like, with a mix of social and quiet space, a couple conference rooms, a kitchenette, possibly a private office or two for those who need one, possibly some parking.

Here’s what the monthly rates will probably be for the new space:

$425 - Full (24x7) + Dedicated Desk
$350 - Full (24x7)
$250 - Lite (3 days / week)
$175 - Nights and Weekends
$125 - Basic (5 days / month)
$50 - Community Member (2 days / month, various benefits, e.g. access to selected events, online community) (or $500 / year - great for occasional use, or as a way to support Betahouse and ensure that it thrives)
$20 / $25 - Day Pass (residents / non-residents - for additional days, guests, etc.)

We might also have a private office or two for companies that need one, as well as offer a discount for larger teams.

Fill out this form if you’re interested in joining.

Discounts / Rewards for Early and/or Long Term Commitments

Since we plan to move into a new, expanded space and need commitments from people to make it work, we may offer discounts or rewards to people who commit early or pre-pay for longer terms. We haven’t finalized the details on that though.

What’s Included

Convenient, T accessible location in Central Square, Cambridge (most likely)
Open, creative space with both social and quiet areas
Keys to come and go as you please (for residents only)
Month-to-month commitment
High speed wired and wireless internet
Printer / scanner / copier
Conference room usage
Whiteboards
Projector
Espresso machine, coffee, etc. (and maybe other beverages — certainly beer on occasion!)
Kitchenette with refrigerator, microwave, etc.
Growing library of books
Foosball, Xbox, Rock Band
Access to lots of events and social activities
Space to host your own events
Discounts on other services (e.g. Zipcar)
Local artists’ work on display
Perhaps a few dedicated parking spots, as well as on-street parking and a nearby garage
Perhaps a bike share program
Access to over 60 other coworking spaces around the world through the Coworking Visa
Membership in an awesome community!

Interested? Let us Know!

Fill out this form if you’re interested in joining Betahouse. We can’t make it happen without you.

Spread the Word!

Since we’re doubling capacity, we’ll need to double our membership, and we’ll need to get commitments soon to make it happen. Please help us spread the word! Know anyone — or any companies — who might be interested? Let them know!

Want to Help, Partner, Donate or Sponsor?

Want to help or partner in some way, or perhaps donate to or sponsor the space or the startups we host? We need your support to make Betahouse thrive and be an even better resource for the community.

Contact Jon Pierce at jon@betahouse.org, follow us on Twitter at @betahouse and @jonpierce, or subscribe to our new Betahouse mailing list for updates, events, job postings, availability, etc.

Thanks!

Fill out this form if you’re interested in joining.

Angel Boot Camp Roundup

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:03:00 -0400

(See below for links to photos, slides and video of the event)

When I started planning Angel Boot Camp a couple months ago, I had a hunch there were a lot of people in Boston with the means and inclination to do angel investing. They just didn’t know whether it was right for them, how to be successful at it, or how to get started. If we could only connect them with the people who are doing it and doing it well, it would be a huge win for Boston. Still, I really didn’t know how big a turnout to expect.

Well, with roughly 275 people in attendance at the invite-only event, a good number of which were new or prospective angels, I think we can safely say that hunch was correct. If you consider that we probably only reached a fraction of would-be angels in the area, it’s hardly a stretch to think we could double that number next time. The task now is to build on what we’ve started. I have some thoughts on how to do that and will share them soon. But I’m pretty pumped about the future of angel investing in Boston!

Want to hear about upcoming Angel Boot Camp events and initiatives?

Follow @jonpierce and @angelbootcamp on Twitter and subscribe to the super low-traffic mailing list.

Let me know what you thought of Angel Boot Camp in the comments. Please also take the feedback survey if you attended.

In case you missed it, we’ve posted the video and slides online. You can also check out photos from Bill Warner and Steve Garfield. Note that the video uploads are still in progress. Lower quality versions of some of the talks are also available here.

(See more videos and slides from Angel Boot Camp)

Here’s a roundup of what other people have been saying:

Brad Feld with Suggestions for Angel Investors

Don Dodge on How to be an Angel Investor… and Make Money

Jeff Bussgang on Angels Soaring During Innovation Month

Will Herman on Here’s What I’m Thinking When I Make an Angel Investment

WBUR interview with Scott Kirsner and John Landry on how Angel Boot Camp Keeps Investors Cash Close to Home

Wade Roush’s coverage in Xconomy

Jennie White’s coverage in BostInnovation

Scott Kirsner’s article on angel investing in the Boston Globe

I also want to thank everyone who helped make Angel Boot Camp possible:

First, the speakers. We had over 20 of them, and they were all outstanding. Second, the sponsors, Microsoft NERD, DLA Piper, Silicon Valley Bank and CommonAngels, who enabled us to keep the event free. Lastly, the many people who contributed behind the scenes: Bill Warner, who has been working hard to revitalize the ecosystem and is a constant source of inspiration; Gus Weber and the crew at Microsoft NERD, who have been an invaluable resource to the community over the past couple years; Roy Rodenstein, who helped lead the charge on the startup pitches; and Chris Sheehan of CommonAngels, Reed Sturtevant and Katie Rae of Project 11 Ventures, Sim Simeonov of FastIgnite, John Landry of Lead Dog Ventures, John Prendergast of Blueleaf, Sachin Agarwal, formerly of oneforty and currently helping Blueleaf, Shawn Broderick, David Cohen and Brad Feld of TechStars, John Harthorne, David Constantine and Akhil Nigam of MassChallenge, Healy Jones of OfficeDrop, Joe Medved of SoftBank Capital, Rob Go, formerly of Spark Capital, Itai Nevo of DLA Piper, Laura Fitton of oneforty, Durjoy “Ace” Bhattacharjya, Rich Miner of Google Ventures, Jeff Bussgang and Matt Witheiler of Flybridge Capital, Dayna Grayson of North Bridge Venture Partners, Bilal Zuberi and Kevin Wang of General Catalyst, Brian Balfour of Viximo, and Tim Rowe, Geoff Mamlet and Carrie Stalder of the CIC and Venture Cafe. I also want to thank Brian Del Vecchio, Amanda Schuneman, Nikhil Kalghatgi, Robby Grossman, Sachin Agarwal and Mike Kowalchik for volunteering at the event, and Derek Dahmer for recording and editing the video you see above.

Elliott Smith - Waterloo Sunset (Ray Davies cover) Tonight at...

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 16:26:17 -0400

Elliott Smith - Waterloo Sunset (Ray Davies cover)

Tonight at IFFBoston, I’m seeing “Searching for Elliott Smith”, a documentary about one of my generation’s great songwriters, and one of my personal favorites. Here’s a recording of Elliott covering “Waterloo Sunset” by The Kinks, featuring a classic Elliott moment. This was recorded at one of my all-time favorite concerts, Lou Barlow’s going away show at Green Street Grille in 1998. Lou Barlow was my introduction to indie rock, so it was a pretty bittersweet night for me. You can download all the songs from the show here, courtesy of the Internet Archive.

The Wave Pictures - Strange Fruit for David I’ve been...

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 15:22:00 -0400

The Wave Pictures - Strange Fruit for David

I’ve been digging this London trio for a while now. This song’s from their album, Instant Coffee Baby.

David Bazan - Flirted With You All My Life (Vic Chesnutt...

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 00:10:00 -0400

David Bazan - Flirted With You All My Life (Vic Chesnutt cover)

Robby Grossman put me on to this beautiful cover by David Bazan of the late Vic Chesnutt’s heartbreaking song, Flirted With You All My Life. This was recorded as part of Bazan’s American Songwriter session.

Boston's Best Angel Investors

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 10:00:00 -0400

In the run up to Angel Boot Camp, I thought it’d be interesting to do a poll on who are the best angel investors in and around Boston. While the results are hardly scientific, I do think this list maps pretty well to reality, and if just one entrepreneur benefits from it, I’ll be happy.

So by popular vote, here are Boston’s best angels, roughly in order of the number of votes received (there were some ties):

Dharmesh Shah
Andy Payne
David Cancel
Brian Shin
Joe Caruso
Lee Hower
John Landry
Bill Warner
Jean Hammond
Rich Miner
Reed Sturtevant
Shikhar Ghosh
Don Dodge
Dave Balter
Will Herman
Angus Davis
Steven Kane

Note: Lee Hower and Angus Davis are actually based in Providence, so it’s to their credit that they even rank on this list, and Lee scores highly still.

Want to follow these folks on Twitter? Here’s a list I created of Boston’s best angels.

Incidentally, I know many of these folks personally. So if you and I know each other reasonably well and you’d like an intro, drop me a note. Happy to help.

Any glaring omissions? Send ‘em my way.

Angel Boot Camp

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 23:57:00 -0400

Assuming you buy the premise that Boston needs more seed capital, what can we do about it? Well, aside from encouraging our venture capital friends to create new funds aimed at seed stage investments, which some have done (e.g. Start@Spark), maybe we can grow the angel investor community. After all, Boston is certainly not short on wealthy individuals, including many who made their wealth as high tech entrepreneurs.

What are these folks doing now? Perhaps they’re retired, perhaps they’re building or running another company. But are they angel investing? If not, why not? What if we could convince them to start? How big of an impact might that make on the Boston startup ecosystem? Sure, these new angels wouldn’t all start off as leads. But having more capital in the system to fill out angel rounds led by experienced angels would help immensely. And over time, they’d gain experience and start leading; new companies would form and some would thrive; and a new generation of entrepreneurs and angel investors would be returned to the ecosystem. That’s the virtuous cycle.

So to that end, I’ve started organizing an event called Angel Boot Camp, which will bring together a dozen or more of the best angels - some local, some from around the country - to share their experiences with prospective angels. But for this to be successful, we need your help. Spread the word, and if you know or hear of someone who might make a good angel, encourage them to come out for a day of learning and networking. No harm done if it doesn’t suit them. But who knows? Maybe they’ll have a hand in creating the next great Boston company, and that would be pretty special.

Angel Boot Camp will be held on June 1, the day before TechStars Investor Day. It’s invitation-only, so request an invite from the site if you’re interested. The event will also feature a startup demo session in the evening for any angels interested in sticking around.

To stay up to date on the latest news, follow @jonpierce or @angelbootcamp on Twitter.

Boston Needs More Seed Capital

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 21:49:00 -0400

All things considered, Boston’s a pretty great place to do a startup. Its concentration of world class schools pretty much assures us of that. But every day I hear from entrepreneurs frustrated in their efforts to find seed capital here. Now, it’s fair to ask whether that’s more a reflection of Boston being short on seed capital or good startups. The answer, of course, is both. But really, it’s a cycle, and seed capital is a necessary input (talent is another, but we have that in spades, albeit with a few areas of relative deficiency: great designers and product leaders).

With abundant seed capital, entrepreneurs are free to test ideas. Many will fail miserably, to be sure, but a few will succeed gloriously, and with that success will spawn dozens or hundreds more entrepreneurs and angel investors. We’ve seen this play out in Silicon Valley several times over: Google, eBay and PayPal, to name a few. I have no doubt that it can happen here. But for it to happen, we need more abundant - and more risk tolerant - seed capital.

The road from Boston to Silicon Valley is littered with stories of successful companies who might have called Boston home under the right conditions. We all know about Facebook, but more recently, companies like Dropbox, Xobni and WePay were all founded by bright young entrepreneurs educated in Boston. For Boston to be successful, we need to create an environment where companies such as these can succeed here, and while more abundant seed capital might not be a sufficient condition, it is a necessary one.