When insulation is bad

Maybe this sounds a little negative, but lately, we have been attending a lot of Web 2.0 tech events and finding that they are all the same. The same people, the same topics, the same parties and hangovers, just all samey. It dawned on us that these are like little safety zones companies run to (it’s definitely like summer camp) – where you go to feel safe, get a pat on the back and just feel like you are making progress. But in reality, you aren’t. Some of these events are just venues where you can preach to the choir over and over again, that doesn’t give you feedback and constructive criticism to help you grow and companies aren’t really expanding their footprint, they are just making sure they don’t get forgotten with their peer group. It’s like high school with ashtrays and expensive cocktails.

At some point, you have to change high schools and step outside of your comfort zone and try something different. Maybe your company goal is to get regular users outside of early tech adopters or maybe it is to reach operators… you have to look carefully and see where your influencers are.. normally they aren’t the guys that live in your town.

We met a young guy at Mobile World Congress from Smaato, the over-exposed and rumoured soon to be bought out mobile ad optimization platform. This guy went in head first judging everyone at the table (and this was a non work related event after the show) by their device — I had a Blackberry so he hurled mobile numbers at me, my colleague (much younger than me) had a Blackberry and he said she was too young for the device and my three non mobile friends who were professional cyclists in Barcelona on a training trip, were all carrying iPhones so they were okay to talk to… Trouble was, they didn’t want to talk and didn’t care what mobile penetration numbers were or who had the most apps or the difference between 3G and 4G. My point is that sometimes this industry is too myopic and in order to grow and bleed into the real world –the world where people see advertisements from Verizon about 4G and have to secretly ask me, “what does that mean and should I care? — they need to remember there is a world outside of the insulated tech bubble we all live and work in.

It’s a ramble I know, but someone has to do it. – JLH

Tags: Mobile World Congress

Lunch with the Founder of Social Media World Forum

At Mobile World Congress last week, we ran into an long-time and old friend who founded the Social Media World Forum, Ian Johnson. We have worked with Ian for many years on the IPTV side of things and were very excited to rescue him from the long line for a bocadillo and share our table with him and hear more about how he created the Social Media World Forum from scratch to what it is today, a must attend event for brands, marketers and anyone who wants to do the right thing with social media for their company. So, we will be headed over the UK on March 15 to cover the show  and take a peek at what’s new in social media marketing. We especially want to know what Mattel, Mercedes-Benz and the Labour Party are up to (bet you didn’t think you would hear that in one sentence did you? ) Follow them on Twitter.

– JLH

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Tattletech Hot Seat with Laurent Féral-Pierssens, Silentale

So we met Laurent, the CEO of Silentale nearly a year ago at Plugg in Brussels where he presented on stage in the start up rally. We instantly liked him and his sweater but didn’t quite get his presentation. This didn’t stop us from stalking him at the cocktail party to give him a few tips on improving. Each successive time we ran into him, LeWeb, NextWeb he was better and better and now he’s got users banging down his door and a whole lot of mojo going on with the application. We were recently both coaches at the KIS Partnering Forum in Rome and I had the chance over many bottles of wine to finally get him on a Tattletech Hot seat. Here is what we discovered.

Tattletech: So, you created something that let’s back up and store all of our online conversations, what gave you the idea for Silentale? Why did you think this was something we needed?

Laurent Féral-Pierssens: It came from a personal need to automatically consolidate and organize all my messages, a few going back as far as 1988 on Arpanet. And the need only grew stronger as individuals started to have multiple profiles while using multiple addresses and devices! After drafting a few algorithms for automatically matching identities I realized it was feasible, while initial assessment of the market showed a strong need and productivity gain from organizing contacts and messages.

TT: I was talking to a VC in London a couple of weeks ago and he told me he could not figure out how Silentale works, so tell us, how does it work? It has that elusive cloud ingredient that we all like to talk about but probably don’t really get.

LFP: Well, it’s quite simple in fact. Silentale polls your different messaging services, indexes their content and attachments while making a long term backup of the original messages in the cloud. While doing so, Silentale organizes the messages and figures out who are the recipients of the messages and matches them automatically to the people you know (on LinkedIn, Facebook, Google Contacts, Twitter….)

This allows Silentale to do something unique, displaying your conversations with the people you know in context. Inside your inbox or email client, social/professional networks, CRM and collaboration tools. We’re a productivity tool to your real-time communications.

TT: You are a bit of a hybrid – French-Canadian from the New World now living in Paris from the Old World, what do you think are the main differences in the start up community?

LFP: Entrepreneurship is not seen in the same way and comparisons can take years to debate. This being said what strikes me is that Europe is a real network of hubs; of startups, talent and markets. You really need to think outside of your country/culture to see what’s happening and to be successful, and it’s extremely enriching. Gives entrepreneurs of the Old World methodology and practice that you can’t experience or learn anywhere else.

TT: You said recently in a blog post that it was lonely being the only one at the dance, do you still feel that way?

LFP: Hell no! The dance floor is getting more crowded and I’m happier everyday to see great companies, both in the US and in Europe, taking a stab at the underlying problem. Gist, Xobni, Backupify or even projects like Mozilla Raindrop have great product or services that aim at solving one or more aspects of the conversation social graph.

TT: Why Silentale? Is it a quiet company?

LFP: We work silently… to rise above the noise. Here’s a longer answer to this question: http://blog.silentale.com/2009/10/02/whats-in-a-name/

TT: Before Silentale, you started and sold three successful Canadian start ups – so you clearly have a track record of how to grow and sell a business, what mistakes have you learned from in the past that you won’t do with Silentale?

LFP: So many mistakes were made along the way, it’s impossible to know if I’ll make them again in the future. But there’s definitely something about acquiring the right talent at the right time and keeping yourself open minded enough. When you’re starting and later growing a business, it’s all about the equilibrium: looking far enough ahead while executing day-to-day. And it’s really hard to keep identifying subtle nuances and forseeing the changes happening under your nose, and still apply a steady direction without being rigid.

TT: In a fight to the death, which superhero would win? Batman or Superman?

LFP: Gotta be Batman: he already defeated Superman, at least in the “The Dark Knight Returns” series. Anyway, any geek would support Batman!

- JLH

Tags: Arpanet, Silentale

Catch and Release

Twice at Mobile World Congress, I had two high profile gentlemen who had sold their start ups to very, very large corporates and in through that sale, they got a very good job. That job had shelf-life and now the time has come for them to be back out on the street. So were they happy or sad? Well the two I talked to were elated. It was like they were being sprung from prison (not that we know what this feels like) and were planning their first night out party. Their biggest request? A publicist to manage their personal brand.

Interesting isnt’ it? A personal brand. The fact that they had been elevated to tech start status really wasn’t that big of a deal for them, only that it needed to now be their master, instead of the other way around. Most young start up CEO’s live with stars in their eyes about being acquired and that is something you never know about until it happens, but the reality isn’t always what you think.

These two current corporate superstars just kept saying the same thing, I learned a lot and now I will do it my way.

–JLH

Tags: Frank Sinatra, Mobile World Congress

Our take on Mobile World Congress 2010

There was a trade show going on in Barcelona – did you know that? Or did you just think Mobile World Congress was five days and nights of cocktail parties. We actually it is both. During the day, Mobile World Congress this year put in a grown up face and decided to do some work and companies actually figured out they can do some business there. Some of the same ridiculous nonsense went on -all the big names had big announcements and hogged the spotlight, the increasing convergence of celebrity and tech, obsessed mobile geeks spewing industry stats and glares if you aren’t using an iPhone. But if you were someone with a brain and dug past all of the shiny stuff, you would have seen that the real news was tucked away in several places including the country Pavilions, the Augmented Reality Showcase and App Pavilions  – where innovation was percolating. The AR show illustrated that there is more than one company out there with good AR ideas, the App Pavilion gave us one place to look at a variety of apps not only for fun but that help the planet and the Pavilions were a great place to see country by country innovation. The best things we saw were these companies:

• Powerkiss – A Finnish start up led by a Maija Itkonen who decided that cables and wires really suck so she decided what better way to charge your mobile device than to build a device in to furniture. We call this lifestyle mobile tech and we love it. Ciara Byne of Venturebeat had the chance to talk to them at MWC and reported their plans here. And Maija has agreed to a TattleTech Hot seat so look for that coming up soon.
• Alcosystems –  We have covered them before in the top 5 start ups to watch, but in reality, they are beyond where normal web 2.0 start ups are. This a lifestyle and health mobile device that we think will really affect many people around the world. Monitor your own blood alcohol content -the uses are far reaching. Mobile Health is new business in Mobile technology, read here for more.
• Myfc - More innovation out of Sweden, and this time along the lines of green tech – a portable fuel cell to be used in current and emerging markets like Africa. Mike Butcher, TechCrunch Europe did a great interview with the CEO at MWC about the fuel cells and their uses. This is the space to watch – emerging markets and renewable energy sources for the mobile market.
• TAT – also known at the Astonishing Tribe. The design mobile user interfaces but blend aesthetics and technology together – like mobile face detection and recognition with PolarRose’s FaceLib. Very cool stuff – pushing the envelope to more intuitive UIs including aesthetic augmented reality.
• PuddingMedia – Sure a mobile ad network but completely focused on APAC. We think SUPER smart because this is where the next wave of the whole mobile revolution is coming from. Check them out, they are very nice people and focused on creating and delivering this platform in a very specific way to this market.
• WidespaceMobile – Also an ad network, but much like PuddingMedia, have been intensely targeted on the Scandinavian market and mastering that market. Talk to them, they don’t care that Google bought AdMob, they think its good for them and their numbers show it and their revenue too. They have the good fortune of working with Ericsson IPX which essentially lets them focus on the sale behind the click and maximizing where that ad its make the most revenue.

On the down side, the media coverage still focused on the big names only (shall we say big advertisers?) and in a feeding frienzy around their favorite topics related to the big boys -they were totally oblivious to other innovative companies that were floating around. Not one single media outlet covered the more than 10 country pavilions which was a shame because sometimes the best ideas start small with the exception of the Show daily which covered the Sweden Pavilion. Despite all of that, it was one of the best MWC that I have attended in the past 13 years. Yes, that was lucky 13.

–JLH

Tags: Alcosystems, App Pavilion, Augmented reality, Mobile World Congress, MyFC, Powerkiss, TAT, TechCrunch UK, VentureBeat