Bright Possibilities

Category: Business

  • Cash – less in the future?

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    Murali
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    In my work on eCommerce, several times I had dreamed up having cashless transactions enabled at lower costs. The dream is coming alive. I am excited to read about the cashless systems in China – NYTimes: … cash is rapidly becoming obsolete. In India, applications like Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM), PayTM, etc., are set…

  • Reducing Email Clutter

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    Murali
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    I have a half a dozen email inboxes which means it is important to keep the clutter down regularly to get through the mails. Here are some steps I take to reduce the clutter and keep the email life saner. Use Junk Mail or Spam Filters from the native email service provider. This reduces or…

  • Summer Internships for High Schoolers – from SparkSIP

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    Murali
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    Are you an entrepreneur looking for help? Are you a researcher brimming with ideas and can use extra help? Are you the creative person who wishes you had someone help you in the short term? We invite you to reach aspiring high schoolers and offer them a summer internship. SparkSIP.org is a non-profit focused on connecting aspiring…

  • Jobs at Startups -or- in smaller companies

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    Murali
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    News media is ripe with positive stories about winning startups. Over the years we heard about many successful startup companies that have grown and flourished. If you are working at an enterprise, it likely started life as a small company sometime in the past. The nice thing about startups are that they are filled with…

  • Venturing into capital?

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    Murali
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    Recently one of my relative expressed interest to be in investment banking or venture capital. I was impressed that in his early 20s she has conviction to enter the world of venturing. I was also intrigued if she had sufficient understanding the job. She claimed that she had done well in math, accounting, and business, during the college years.…

  • Economics of Electric Vehicles – are these viable?

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    Murali
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    Yesterday I read this update on Tesla Supercharger Program. The promise of electric vehicles included low or no costs paid for gasoline, and limited or no emissions. Hence electric cars like Tesla promise high savings to pocketbook and the environment. Of course this comes with a high upfront cost to purchase these vehicles. On further investigation and looking…

  • Startup Decks and selling Stories – lessons from Zuora

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    Murali
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    Every startup faces the problem of explaining themselves to the investors and customers alike. Startups live at the edge of uncertainty exploring new ideas and have to thoughtfully present their case. Recently I came across the pitch deck from Zuora – Subscription SaaS company. See the deck here and a good commentary about this deck is here. Nearly…

  • Ideas to business – another batch starts

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    Murali
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    Two days back I attended the introduction event run by 9-mile labs. Another batch of enthusiastic and energetic individuals talked about their ideas. There were 9 companies chosen for summer cohort that begins in July. Each company had a unique idea on how they are going to change the world. Ideas are hard, turning these…

  • Microsoft gets IN!

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    Murali
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    Today was historic day for Microsoft. Microsoft is acquiring Linked In. And it joins the 443,000,000 other users in a new capacity – as an owner of the Professional Networking Services firm. Only about 5-6 years back, there was caution about endorsing folks on social networks including Linked In. And now Microsoft owns it. Thousands…

  • Startup Ecosystem in Seattle – perspectives

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    Murali
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    Today I was reading Sandi MacPhearson’s Medium article discussing Startup Ecosystem mentions that Seattle is lagging behind other places. Compass’  group report on global startup ecosystem provides more depth. Over the past year I had been more exposed to startups in Seattle area. Now that I am in a startup and advising a few startups, I can reflect on the learnings. Seattle…