We were very thrilled to have Tim Westergren, the founder of Pandora on the StartupLounge.com podcast this week. In addition to discussing how Pandora was really on the verge of extinction during the dot com flameout, we had a pretty good chat about the current RIAA ruling, the new royalty rates for Internet broadcasting, and what lies ahead for Internet broadcasters (including Pandora.)

There are some great lessons in this episode about sacrifice, and what it really takes to raise capital and weather tough storms.

We also throw capital brokers and people who charge to make connections “Under the Bus.” Always fun.

A special thanks for Tim for taking time out of his schedule to hang out with for a bit.

Cheers.

Mike Blake and I spent a few hours with Lance Weatherby of the ATDC yesterday. Enjoy the latest installment of our StartupLounge.com podcast! This is a must hear show if you are an early-stage entrepreneur in Georgia who is considering applying to the ATDC.

What is the ATDC and how does it work? What does the ATDC have in store for Georgia entrepreneurs in 2007? How can entrepreneurs get involved? What is the current early-stage/venture landscape here in Atlanta? Welcome to SL #7! In this show, we are joined by Lance Weatherby, a Venture Catalyst with Georgia Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC).

As a bonus, join us for the debut of our “Under the Bus” segment, where we feature a healthy dialog on the Atlanta early stage venture scene.

This discussion not only provided a nice overview of the inner workings of the ATDC, but also a very interesting exchange of ideas and perspectives on the Atlanta (and Georgia) early-stage venture scene. From venture capital to angel investors to traction/execution, you’ll find it all here! We even managed to drag some “sleeper picks” out of Lance - if you want some tips on a couple of hot startups, give it a listen.

Thanks to Lance for coming on and hanging out with us for a while.

Cheers.

We published an impromptu edition of the StartupLounge.com podcast. Check it out - it features Anne Simons; Mike and I had a great chat with Anne about how early stage entrepreneurs can best leverage consultants to achieve their goals.

We also rolled out our Startup Lounge forums - if you are an early stage entrepreneur, we invite you to pop in and post your questions (and help others). That’s what it’s all about!

Cheers.

I have teamed up with Michael Blake at Adams Capital to do a monthly podcast focused on entrepreneurship and startups in the southeast (including Atlanta.) We are hosting our podcast at a new site called StartupLounge.com. We just posted our first show today!

In this inaugural show, we focus on how entrepreneurs can better “network” in the real world. Should you hard sell the money guy at the networking event? What if the entrepreneur is “shy”, and not very outgoing? How can you evaluate your network, and what are the effective ways of building those key connections as an entrepreneur? How do you get the most out of your professional network?

We’ve got a great show lineup already underway - more details on the other site.

I invite you to head to the StartupLounge.com web site, check out the show notes, and give it a listen!

Cheers.