Some of you were quick to point out that the video I linked to in my recent post covering bOK Systems (specifically, the video pitch for their product given by CEO Aydin Mirzaee), was pulled from YouTube.

I received an email from Aydin providing a new video and some clarification on why he pulled the original video. Here is an excerpt from his email:

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In continuing with our torrid pace of podcasting, Mike Blake and I sat down and had a great discussion with Stephen Fleming of VentureLab. Enjoy the latest installment of our StartupLounge.com podcast. We also picked Stephen’s brain on the current early-stage/venture landscape here in Atlanta. We also did a deep dive into XCOR Aerospace (one of his portfolio companies) and the emerging commercial space flight industry.

As a bonus, we threw the service provider community “Under the Bus” (because they had it coming.) Also, you won’t want to miss the announcement of the first StartupLounge.com Capital Connections event!

I say “torrid” because it feels that way. We’re doing 2-3 shows a month now, and we’re finding that it is an enormous undertaking to put each show together. We have several meetings prior to each show, where we go over questions for the guest, show format, flow, future show lineups, etc. There are also several hours of post-production editing and mixing. The actual recording of the show is the smallest activity, in terms of actual time spent. So after just 8 shows, we’re right at 1,700 listeners now. Seeing that number climb with each show and reading your emails and comments is nice motivation to keep pushing us along.

A special thanks to Stephen for coming on the show and rolling up his sleeves to help entrepreneurs everywhere.

Cheers.

A little bird flew in my window yesterday and told me that Noro Moseley Venture Partners should be closing Fund VI sometime next week.

There has been much speculation on the street about the difficulties they’ve had in raising this fund, so it is good to see this finally reach a positive conclusion. Now, the next indicator for me, will be to see how they deploy this capital, and at what stages and frequency.

Cheers.

I’ve been saying for a while that one of the biggest trends in venture is transparency. Unless you are considered to be a tier 1 global player (and most investors aren’t), you can’t expect to get good deal flow by sitting in your office. You have to be part of the solution, and not the problem.

There are a lot of VCs that can take a lesson from Jason Caplain of Southern Capitol Ventures. Click here to read a very poignant recent post on his blog. Jason will be coming on as a guest on our StartupLounge.com podcast soon, and I’m sure this will be a topic of discussion.

Cheers.

For those of you who are playing along at home, one of the many problems we have here in Georgia is that the State’s pension funds are not tappable for investment within the private sector. Georgia is one of the few states that doesn’t allow this. This issue has long been considered one of the things helping to hold Georgia back as a player on the national venture stage.

Passing this bill would eventually result in the re-investment of potentially hundreds of millions of dollars (up to 5% of the total pension fund) within the private sector over the next few years (through participation in the venture capital and private equity process.)

There was to be a committee vote today on SB80 (Pension Fund Bill) from the House Retirement Committee. For whatever reason, it was cancelled. I’ll post updates as I hear more. Hopefully, this will get to a committee vote soon, and make its way to the floor, then to the governor.

Last year, I believe this bill was killed in committee (knuckleheads!) Here’s hoping this doesn’t happen this go around. From what I gather, the vote may be closer this time.

If you would like to do your part, please contact the House Retirement Committee and urge them to approve the bill so it will go to the full House of Representatives for a vote. Here is a link to the committee member list with contact information.

Cheers.

I don’t care much for the product, but then again, what do I know about anything? For all I know, it could be the next Google. The thought of having to listen to ads on my cell phone everytime I want to make a call is enough to make me want to go back to tin cans and a wire, but …

I will say this, though. This young CEO (Aydin Mirzaee) has developed a great way of getting his message out. Is it is presentation style? No. Don’t get me wrong, he’s smooth, energetic, well put together, and polished, but that isn’t the point.

What he is doing is the grown-up version of “Show and Tell” – instead of just telling you about his product or idea, he is showing you how it works. What does this tell me? (A) what the idea is *really* all about, and (b) that he can execute (since he’s showing you the prototype). Both are very important in these early stages. Very impactful. Good job, Aydin.

I also like the viral video nature of his pitch. Idea + Prototype + Pitch + YouTube = reach

Also, note the comment at the end (during the credits) about “willing to relocate.” Nice touch. bOK Systems is a startup in Canada, and he realizes the importance of potentially moving to a more vibrant technology/startup/venture community.

EDIT: The original video was pulled. See my followup post here.

Just click the video to play it:

Cheers.

One of the things that I ponder a great deal are the various ways that we can enhance the startup ecosystem here in Georgia. As I blogged about recently, there is definitely a lot of pent-up energy out there, and I really do feel that we’re on the verge of breaking through. However, one issue that I haven’t talked much about is how Atlanta’s sprawl represents a substantial speed bump for these initiatives.

There are those out there who disagree with this statement, so I’ve assembled some facts and figures that may just surprise you.

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