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Posted by Josh Lewis

From a speech by Google’s CEO on technology, innovation and the global economy plus social theorist Jonathan Zittrain suggesting that the Internet is made up of millions of acts of kindness to how the Internet can impede democracy, a CSPAN look at health care technology and a New York Times review of Zune, a new show is launched every week day on WebVisions: a TAG TV compilation of tech news and information clips from various popular Internet video sites.  Watch a show a day to expand your tech IQ! 

Go to WebVisions Now!

Monday: Google CEO on Tech, Innovation & More
Eric Schmidt speaks on technology, innovation and the global economy in terms of availability of more information historically stimulating economic growth – and now, of course, the role of the Internet. 66 minutes

Tuesday: The Internet as Random Acts of Kindness
Feeling like the world is becoming less friendly? Social theorist Jonathan Zittrain begs to differ. The Internet, he suggests, is made up of millions of disinterested acts of kindness, curiosity and trust.  20 minutes

Wednesday: How the Internet Can Impede Democracy
Journalist Evgeny Morozov punctures the assumption that tech innovation always promotes freedom, democracy with chilling examples of ways the Internet helps oppressive regimes stifle dissent.  12 minutes

Thursday: CSPAN Explores Health Care Technology
On CSPAN’s The Communicator show Chris Schoeder, CEO of HealthCentral, discusses the increased use of technology in the health care industry.  30 minutes

Friday: The New York Times Reviews Zune
David Pogue, The New York Times Technology Editor, takes a look at Microsoft’s new Zune music/video player.  4 minutes

Go to WebVisions Now!

Other TAG TV Features: Weekly Tech Talk on TAG Radio
TAG President Tino Mantella interviews Atlanta’s top executives, with a new show launching every Tuesday afternoon. Click to listen to Tino’s latest interview!

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Posted by Tino

Skillproof produces a report, each month, providing TAG stakeholders information in respect to the technology job market, after several months of decline I am happy to see that last month produced a slight uptick.  The author suggests that there is a “bottoming out”.  Signs are pointing that way, although I recently read a story, out of Forbes, that suggests that the other shoe might drop next year.  It hasn’t happened often, as the normal trend is growth, after a downturn, but this recession feels different.  Still seems like much instability to me, so we need to keep our guard up.
Check out the Skillproof report http://www.tagonline.org/it-job-trends.php. 

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Posted by Tino

I have been on this earth a fairly long time, so, according to historical facts, I have been through a number of recessions.  Why then is this the first one I feel like I am experiencing?  After careful consideration to the possibilities, I have come down to three primary reasons:
1.  The media is relentless in finding new ways to tell us that we are hurting.  Technology gives us the opportunity to hear the bad news 24/7.
2. My job allows me to be up close and personal with what’s happening with people and companies.  Many people are living in kind of “quiet desperation”.  And, it’s impacting those I live with - the white collar community.  Jobs are being lost, and/or not found, by the highly educated.  One example is a person that told me that their son graduated in the top 10 in his law class and had a great job lined up with a prestigious law firm and the “plug was pulled”.  I recently received an email from a member who told me, “I have been out of work for a long time and I am about to lose my home. I have an MBA and am a Six Sigma Black Belt....can you help me find a job....”?
3. No matter what the analyst tell us, this has to be the worst recession since the “great depression”.  What’s going on with the banks, the auto industry, and the housing industry?  I have contact with a number of young startup companies that simply have had to put their idea/business on hold and go find a paying job.

The Human Factor comes in when one thinks about it from the context that there are people hurting, but there are also people helping.  The human spirit is alive and well.  Every day I run across people and organizations that are doing something to help someone else.  Just go to Starbucks any time of day or night and see the human spirit at its best.  Even if the helper does not have a job for the one in need, sometimes a cup of coffee and a few kind words of encouragement is all that’s needed.

Anyway, this recession will pass.  Maybe one measure, as we do go through it, is if we are all doing our best to do more than save ourselves. In this Easter season it’s a good time to get in the game of life…
Tino

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Posted by Tino

I am happy to report that I am now looking in the rearview mirror, in respect to the 2009 Georgia Technology Summit.  Anyone who has ridden “point” on a major event, including planning and executing a wedding, will know what I mean when I say that I was happy that the team pulled it off, and thrilled that it’s behind us.  Unlike a wedding, where one would hope a do-over isn’t required, we will gear up to repeat the performance in a short few weeks.
The Top 40 Innovative Company competition has become a focal point of the Summit.  Since there has been some confusion surrounding it’s orign, history, and purpose, I went back to the key originator, Dennis Zakas, to be sure I conveyed the accurate story.  ‘09’ represented the 5th year of the Top 40, and Dennis has led this effort in each of those years.  A special shout out to Dennis for his hard work, and to Ron Donlinsky who has added his marketing acumen to the mix, each of those years. Chris Mangum was also a key player in those early years.  Allen Moseley and Dawn Patrick were providing leadership from the TAG Board of Directors level, in year one and year two.
I was on the job for just a brief time when the first Top 40 was launched, so I take zero credit for its creation. So, I recently went back to Dennis to be sure that my facts were straight.  That’s always a good idea, BTW, for those that simply enjoy shooting something out there, with no real basis of fact other than what they have heard along the water cooler (or the twitter-rama in this case), it just might be something to consider.
I asked Dennis how the Top 40 came into being.  The central point was to provide a showcase for innovation of technology in Georgia.  The Top 40 (as opposed to some other number) was based on logistics - it was how many booths could fit in the Cobb Galleria lobby.  That TAG was needing to generate additional revenue was also factored in.  At that time, TAG was struggling to work its way back up from the tech-bust.
During the first few years, everyone was charged $1,000 to participate.  Then, after several conversations with some of the leadership, including Dennis and Stephen Fleming, we evolved to what I think is a better model.  The new model provided scholarships for those companies that were younger and without significant revenue.  We also added options where companies could upgrade for more seats at the Summit and more prominent placement of their exhibit booth. The task force, many of whom are entrepreneurs, innovators and investors (like Sig Mosley, Ben Dyer, and Stephen Fleming), became comfortable with this model. Most of us felt/feel that we were/are offering the best “trade show” space in the state.  What’s it worth to have 1200 leaders visit your booth?  What would you pay if you were going to a trade show, like GTS, somewhere else?  If your company has revenue, why would we provide this opportunity for free?  Finally, as Dennis says, “don’t apply if you don’t want to participate by the rules”.  Since we have had over 400 participants, applying, in the last 5 years....and its growing, the interest is obviously there.  It was important, we believed, to spell out the rules clearly on our web site, which we have.  We have now given out about 10 scholarships in the past few years. The program, again, is about innovation in Georgia technology. It’s not designed for any particular segment of our population (e.g. young companies).  We have, and will continue, to encourage everyone to submit their application.  If they qualify for a scholarship we will be more than happy to provide it.
Finally, I want to thank the many volunteers that have spent hours reviewing and judging the competitors.  These are high-level accomplished leaders who believe enough in this program to devote their time.  I, for one, am most appreciative. 

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Posted by Tino

There was a lot of information covered in the TAG/ATDC Entrepreneur Society meeting this morning, and I wanted to make sure all of you had access to it.  I invite you to take a few moments to look through the Entrepreneur Research, as well as the Venture Capital Research, via the links below.

Click here for the Entrepreneur research.

Click here for the Venture Capital research.

Click here for the entire presentation from the 2/5/09 meeting.

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Posted by Tino

Since I am President of a technology association I often “dip my tow in the water” in respect to participating in some of the web 2.0 tools.  I first became aware of Twitter about 6 months ago when I learned that someone was “following me”.  My first reaction was to ask myself why is someone following me...are they some kind of stalker?  Well; that wasn’t quite my reaction, but I suppose it could have been.  Since then I have done an occasional twit, and actually follow a few people. 
I am sure, with ample research, I could understand the original intent of Twitter, or someone may want to respond to my blog who is more in the know.  If I had any say as to how it should work it would be more along the lines of people conveying information that is actually important.  Maybe it’s just that I see myself as all business about business, but I don’t really need to know if you went out and bought an ice cream for lunch or if your washing machine broke down.  This really could be a good tool if everyone could just agree to talk about things that make a difference. 
Wouldn’t this be a good topic for Andy Rooney to discuss on 60 minutes? 

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Posted by Tino

When considering who are Georgia’s top, active, serial entrepreneurs, I would suggest that Tripp Rackley be given some consideration.  Come hear his story firsthand at the next TAG/ATDC Entrepreneur Society meeting. 

More about Tripp…
Each year, nearly 600,000 businesses are launched in the United States. Many will succeed, while others fail. How can you be sure that your start-up will be one of the lucky ones? Aside from being consumed with your budding idea and pulling long hours at the kitchen table trying to get it off the ground, what else can you expect as an entrepreneur and what are the secrets to building a successful business?

In his 13 year career, “serial entrepreneur” and Firethorn Chief Executive Officer Tripp Rackley has built two companies from the ground up, leading both to successful, profitable acquisitions.

His first venture, nFront, was an Internet banking solutions provider for financial institutions and was sold to Digital Insight (now an Intuit company), giving $750 million in value back to the nFront shareholders. Digital Insight’s acquisition of nFront brought together two of the leaders in Internet banking technology and ushered in a new era of e-commerce.

His latest venture, mobile financial services provider Firethorn, is poised to forever change the way consumers use their cell phones. The company allows consumers to perform banking transactions on their mobile devices with ease and convenience. Only in its second year since its public launch, Firethorn has already signed partnerships with more top financial institutions and wireless carriers and is certified on more handsets and platforms than any other provider in the industry. In 2007, Rackley led Firethorn to a $210 million sale to Qualcomm, Inc.

Join Rackley as he shares insight into building a successful start-up venture, avoiding the pitfalls along the way and increasing your odds of success.

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Posted by Tino

One of my favorite things in the world is when the kernel of an idea actually becomes reality.  One of my favorite personal bests was when I was CEO of the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago and my team raised over $50 million dollars to build new inner city and suburban YMCAs.  It started as an idea to double the amount of money that was ever raised before.  Many community leaders that didn’t wanted to do any ordinary thing jumped on board.  The size and the scope of the project created the momentum.  It was big....and we did it.
Venture Atlanta is tracking a similar path.  Allen Moseley, Fred Sturgis, Ashish Mistry, and other leaders from TAG and the CEO Council said we need to have a world-class venture conference in Atlanta.
They knew that we had all the ingredients to pull it off.  Their bold thinking quickly caught the attention of David Hartnett and the Metropolitan Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and leaders of the three organizations set out to make it happen.  This initiative has had many firsts.  One of the most notable was that our three non-profit organizations agreed to front the money (a loan) to hire an Executive Director to run Venture Atlanta Coalition Incorporated. Allyson Eman was brought on board and is doing a great job.
The first Venture Conference is now only a month away.  Moving from an idea to reality has been rewarding. Everything is falling into place to make this event the best venture conference ever held in Georgia.  We will have twenty great companies to showcase to over 100 investors from around the USA.  Sponsors, led by Morris Manning & Martin have responded as well.  We are ready to go and it will be big....and we will have added a great new element to the entrepreneurial infrastructure of Atlanta.

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Posted by Tino

We are so busy in the TAG office that staff found themselves always engaged in the tactical nature of the work. I wanted to find a way to help my young and able team to lift above the tactics to hit strategic issues square on. When one of my team members asked about periodic days to work from home it came to me.  Strategy days would allow staff to periodically work from home, save gas, and focus on strategy, without the normal distractions at work.  The main requirement of strategy days are that each staff submits a one page summary, on what strategy they want to accomplish, prior to taking their day. Then the report back on their success, when they return.  It seems to be working quite well.  Now I need to find a time to do it!

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Posted by Tino

Our Georgia Technology Summit, which should draw 1000 people, is slated for March 3rd, 2009.  Our theme is “Energy of Innovation”.  I would love to find a top speaker who has developed a disruptive technology on energy or has a disruptive vision (e.g. T. Boone Pickens) in respect to changing the world (for the better), and how we act and think about energy.  Feel free to respond with names and ideas.  If you have a contact and can open a door, even better.  TAG has given out a “Captain of Innovation” award in the past, so that is a possibility if we can pull in the right person.  Ted Turner has been a past winner of the award. Thanks, in advance, for your feedback.

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Posted by Tino

Vote for TAG member company SoloHealth for Forbes Boost Your Business.
ATDC’s SoloHealth is racking up initial sales and continuing to be recognized as one of the nation’s most promising early stage ventures, recently selected as a semifinalist in Forbe’s Boost your Business contest.
SoloHealth was a participant in ATDC’s CapVenture program where CEO Bart Foster was recognized for delivering the “perfect Pitch.”
See Bart in action in the 30 second video pitch that Bart recorded for this contest and vote for this promising Georgia startup, the only Georgia-based startup in the semi-finals.  http://www.forbes.com/byb/2008/byb08_solohealth.html (Video)
Voting is for a good cause also - SoloHealth would use the $100,000 to develop an EyeSite version to be used in public schools. According to Prevent Blindness America, 1 in 4 school children in the U.S. have an undiagnosed eye issue. SoloHealth can help change this.
Vote Here - http://boost08.perfectprize.com/voting/

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Posted by Tino

A March 14th article in the Washington post reported that a presidential panel declared math education in the United States “broken”.  Closer to home it was recently revealed that 40% of Georgia’s 8th graders failed their CRCT math tests.  Meanwhile, I recently reviewed a chart presented by Lockheed Martin showing 33% of their science and technology workforce will come of retirement age within the next 5 years.  And, most of us know that today’s H1-B visa process sends bright foreign born, advanced-degreed university grads, back to their homeland after graduation.  If that were not enough, we have all kinds of stats showing that the last thing on most US high schoolers’ minds is to take STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) curriculum, if they go on to college at all.  Okay, I must admit, that it wasn’t on my top 10 list either, but I still want to have TAG and our Foundation play a role in encouraging today’s young people to consider STEM.
Now to my point - a June 6th article of the ABC revealed that four years after the founding of Tech High (an Atlanta based school) that the average SAT score of the first graduating class was 1397 - the second highest scores in the Atlanta Public School system.  It goes on to report that all but three of the graduates have accepted into a four-year or two-year tech school. Before someone jumps to the conclusion that, the best students came to Tech High I can let you know that 73% didn’t meet the minimum reading score and 90% didn’t meet the minimum math score when they entered.  The school expenses were far less than the Atlanta school system average too (only $8151 per student). 
Recently Gwinnett opened a STEM school and I understand the results are superb.  So; am I the only one that thinks that we should be shouting from the rooftops that our state should open up as many of these privately run STEM based schools as fast as humanly possible??

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