LATEST BLOGS

The 16th Annual Rivers of Chocolate Festival Proved to be a Sweet Success

The 16th annual Rivers of Chocolate Festival, held at the breath-taking Mountain Winery in the Saratoga hills, was an event where friends, both old and new, enjoyed Silicon Valley’s best of the best in all culinary categories while, at the…

DSC_0127

FASHTECH WAR: Who got Seed Funding last year?

The #fashtech war is on! While major players like Gilt Group, Polyvore and Pinterest have all closed major Venture Capital rounds in the past year, an elite new group of technology startups are emerging (and getting funded) to reinvent the way that fashionistas shop for clothes online. Here’s a look at some of the leading companies that have raised Seed Rounds.

looklet

Everything Is A Remix

Nothing is unique. Nothing is original. Nothing is uninspired. And nothing can ever be successful without having an air of familiarity…. In this 4-part video series by Kirby Ferguson, music, fashion and technology is broken down by timeline and proven to be nothing more than evolutionary remix.

remix

FASHTECH WAR: “Showrooming” and “Product Hyperlinking” vs. Fashion’s Fragmentation

“What we aren’t willing to do is let online-only retailers user our brick-and-mortar stores as a showroom for their products,” says Target’s CEO. Mobile shopping habits are creating a major revolution in the retail vs. e-commerce industry. With innovations in “Product Hyperlinking” and the evolution of fashion’s fragmented and industry, there is a space for an wide arrangements of new products to emerge.

ssavy

FASHTECH WAR: What Technology Can Learn From Fashion’s Free IP

“The reason that the fashion industry doesn’t have any copyright protection is because the courts decided long ago that apparel is too utilitarian to qualify for copyright protection,” says Johanna Blakley, Deputy Director of the Norman LearCenter (a media-focused think tank at the University of Southern California). “They didn’t want any designers owning the seminal building blocks of our clothing. Then everyone would have to license this cuff or sleeve because Joe Blow owns it.”

the-internet-f1

Upular by Francis Melhop for Italian Vogue

SPOTLIGHT: We just love pictures of floating girls. And blue. And Balloons. These things are nice.Upular by photographer Francis Melhop for Italian Vogue.

UPULAR

Why “Fashion Star” and Randi Zuckerberg’s “Silicon Valley” Have It All Wrong…

As Randi Zuckerberg announces a “Silicon Valley” reality show for BRAVO and NBC’s “Fashion Star” charges through it’s first season, I can’t help but notice that however great of ideas they might be, they just aren’t resonating with the people that matter most. Here’s some thoughts on what the industry leaders are thinking and where these great ideas have gone wrong.

fashionstar

Cinequest 22 Ends on a High (Tech) Note

Like a film that is so engaging that no one wants it to finish, all great things must, alas, come to an end. But even though Cinequest 22 has had its last curtain call, the passion, enthusiasm, and excitement of…

Cinequest-badge

Straight Off New York’s Couture Fashion Week, BlacMéra Begins Talks With Investors

Designer Yuliana Candra of BlacMéra, who won the inaugural AF Accelerator event on January 10th, testifies that the “Keiretsu Bump” is shaping up to be everything that we would hope of it. Here’s an update on the label from New York’s Couture Fashion Week and the Oscars to initial talks with investors.

BlacMera-13

Daniel Sudar + Boditecture to Showcase at “The Gracious Shark Tank”

The AF Accelerator is turning out to be one of the hottest things to ever hit the San Francisco fashion industry. Their bi-monthly event being held on March 6th will mark their second showcase for fashion/technology companies from around the…

i-2fL9Dpt-L

An Acquisition Story: Fab < Fashion Stake < Moxsie

What’s a fashtech startup worth without the hope of an exit? The good news is that Fashionpreneurs, and their investors, don’t have to worry about it yet because the canibalizing companies haven’t been made yet. Earlier this year, Fab.com (founded in 2010) acquired FashionStake.com (founded 2009) which had itself previously acquired Palo Alto’s Moxsie.com (founded in 2008. Here’s the story of how it all went down and where they are now.

moxsie

Cinequest 22: The Passion Continues

Cinequest’s perpetual goal of never-ending passion is once again under way at this year’s film festival. In its 22nd installment, this year Cinequest will, like in years past, bring the passion of film, filmmaking, and film buffs to Silicon Valley…

cinequest-post-2012