<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/51298e75eab8ead86d000018-523-392/keith-rabois.jpg?maxX=400&amp;maxY=300" border="0" alt="Keith Rabois" width="400" height="300" /></div><p class="source">Dan Frommer, Business Insider</p></div>Many of the biggest names in Silicon Valley are angry at former <keyword id="688028" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Square">Square</keyword> COO <keyword id="1538502" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Keith-Rabois">Keith Rabois</keyword> for nasty comments he tweeted about another hot company, Foursquare, this weekend.</p>
<p>Buddy Media cofounder <keyword id="355798" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Michael-Lazerow">Michael Lazerow</keyword> just jumped into the argument, too.</p>
<p>Rabois, now a venture capitalist at Khosla, has been duking it out with Foursquare cofounder <keyword id="257639" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Dennis-Crowley">Dennis Crowley</keyword> and others on Twitter.</p>
<p>Rabois slammed Foursquare in a series of tweets, accusing the company of not having very many customers and needing a "Hail Mary" acquisition.</p>
<p>Crowley retorted that Rabois was just a hater. A Twitter brawl ensued. (<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/keith-rabois-bashes-square-on-twitter-2013-3">Read the actual tweets here</a>.)</p>
<p>Lazerow, who sold his company to Salesforce for $689 million last summer, just moved the fight to LinkedIn. He posted a column there called <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130317133520-1714080-when-is-it-ok-to-bash-a-founder?trk=prof-post&amp;_mSplash=1&amp;sessionid=SlYb4CHpkQHyv-XXf0p5">"When Is It OK To Bash A Founder?"</a></p>
<p>In that column he compares Rabois's nasty tweets about Foursquare to Donald Trump's <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/312299302414331905">outlandish attacks on</a> Mark Cuban.</p>
<p>Lazerow then goes on to deconstruct Rabois's career:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"Keith is known as one of the great entrepreneurial minds of Silicon Valley. But let’s be clear about one thing – he has never actually started a company (at least not one he was proud enough to list on his own LinkedIn profile). ... he has never been relevant to entrepreneurs, always hidden behind some of the giants of the internet – Jack Dorsey (Twitter and Square), Max Levchin (PayPal and Slide) and Peter Thiel (Paypal). <strong>Keith was the Art Garfunkel to the Paul Simon of each of his companies. The Barney Fife to each of his Sheriff Taylors.</strong> Change Entourage to Entrepreneurage and Keith is Turtle to the Vincent that is Jack Dorsey."</p>
<p>Ouch!</p>
<p>We predict more fallout and barbs from this very public Valley tantrum.</p>

Buddy Media Founder Michael Lazerow: Keith Rabois Has 'Never Been Relevant To Entrepreneurs'

<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/4fc0eb62ecad04271300000b-620-465/lazerow-1.jpg?maxX=400" border="0" alt="Mike Lazerow Buddy Media" width="400" /></div><p class="source">Daniel Goodman / Business Insider</p><p class="caption">Mike Lazerow</p></div>Mike Lazerow has started a number of successful businesses. His latest is <keyword id="291779" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Buddy-Media">Buddy Media</keyword>, which was acquired last year by Salesforce for about $680 million.</p>
<p>We saw him this morning at South by Southwest and asked, "How has your life changed since the acquisition?"</p>
<p>He replied, "I work harder."</p>
<p>We noted that was unusual. Shouldn't he be relaxing on a beach somewhere? Normally you work hard to sell your company, then you get to relax. Lazerow says that isn't his personality.</p>
<p>Lazerow says he learned his work ethic from his grandfather, who worked until the day he died at age 97. "He was literally washing his car when he died, and we all basically cheered, because we thought, you know, that's a great way to go," he explained.</p>
<p>Lazerow says his grandfather always told him to work hard, so your brain never grows old, to eat healthy, and to exercise. The easiest one of those things to accomplish, Lazerow says, is the work. It's too tempting to veg out. In addition, he says he really admires his new employer, Marc Benioff, and the business he's created, which motivates him to work even more.</p>
<p>That said, there is some beach time ahead for Lazerow. His children's spring break is coming up, and the family will be jetting off to Turks and Caicos.</p>

How Mike Lazerow's Life Has Changed Since Buddy Media Was Acquired For $689 Million

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/571ffd359105841c008bf2da-1500/evan_inc.jpg" alt="evan burns" data-mce-source="Odyssey"><p class="source"><span>Odyssey</span></p><p class="caption">Odyssey CEO Evan Burns</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Digital <keyword id="6354777" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Media">media</keyword> startup Odyssey has laid off 55 people, slashing over a third of its full-time, paid staff less than a year after raising $25 million, CEO Evan Burns confirmed to Business Insider.<p>This is a dramatic change for a company that board member&#xa0;<span>Michael Lazerow <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/this-startup-is-like-a-college-newspaper-on-steroids-and-its-racking-up-30-million-uniques-a-month-2016-4">described in April</a> as being the most exciting company to him since he invested in Buzzfeed. (<span>Lazerow </span>sold his startup Buddy Media to Salesforce for $800 million.)</span></p><p><span>Odyssey has raised <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/this-startup-is-like-a-college-newspaper-on-steroids-and-its-racking-up-30-million-uniques-a-month-2016-4">$32 million in total</a>, and moved into a new New York office in December.</span></p><p><span>Burns said that the cuts were across all departments and locations, but focused mostly on the editorial side. The reason he gave for the cuts was a need to completely re-make Odyssey's&#xa0;technology platform in a way that would allow the startup to grow. "[The tech platform] wasn't able to scale," and stalled growth, he said.</span></p><p><span>Odyssey functions a bit like a college paper on steroids. </span></p><p><span>The startup has a stable of over 15,000 mostly unpaid writers, typically in the&#xa0;18-25 age bracket, who produce around one piece a week. The bulk are college students, and Odyssey began as a publication narrowly focused on Greek life.&#xa0;The content Odyssey writers produce&#xa0;spans all sorts of topics, from politics to fashion to sports.</span></p><p><span>There is no broad editorial mandate, but each Odyssey articles goes through successive layers of editing, first by a "community" editor, who is basically a power user within a geography, and then to the company's paid staff editors. Those paid editors are where many of the cuts came, Burns said, though some of the product team technical leadership was replaced as well.</span></p><p>The&#xa0;<span>Odyssey&#xa0;</span>idea is to have&#xa0;<span>bright young writers swap their work for being edited and professionally branded, and leverage their networks to have the work spread on social media. This may sound familiar, as the unpaid contributor model<span>&#xa0;initially made Turner-owned sports site Bleacher Report a success, and boosted pageviews for The Huffington Post. (Business Insider has some outside contributors as well.)</span></span></p><p><span><span>Odyssey</span> has been experimenting with different forms of making money, including sponsored content, some of which Odyssey contributors can <a href="https://backchannel.com/thousands-of-college-kids-are-powering-a-clickbait-empire-403c89c1e008#.w6d8tksci">get paid to write</a>. But right now it's certainly not a place writers can generally make a significant chunk of cash.</span></p><p><span>Burns said he is still committed to the underlying business model and structure, but that the tech reboot will take several months to get going at least.&#xa0;</span></p><p>While&#xa0;some&#xa0;<span>Odyssey writers and editors took to <a href="https://twitter.com/RealAlexWyckoff/status/827238210778525696">social media</a> to vent about the lack of communication from the company about the layoffs, Burns said the issue was simply in the amount of people they had to reach.</span></p><p><span>When you have 15,000 writers, and 1,000 various community "editor-in-chiefs" it takes time, Burns said. "It was a couple of days of phone calls" to those who&#xa0;wanted an explanation.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jk-rowling-roasts-fans-threatening-burn-harry-potter-books-donald-trump-voldemort-2017-2">J.K. Rowling roasts fans threatening to burn Harry Potter books because of her anti-Trump rhetoric</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="Y1aGZlOTE6Th6QCWP0bEPbp8pB_LUybQ" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'Y1aGZlOTE6Th6QCWP0bEPbp8pB_LUybQ',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Media startup Odyssey has slashed over 1/3 of its employees, less than a year after raising $25 million

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a4e74fb3225de52008b4777-2000/rtx43933.jpg" alt="legal marijuana california dispensary" data-mce-source="Lucy Nicholson/Reuters" data-mce-caption="Eron Silverstein, 51, (R) shops for marijuana at the MedMen store in West Hollywood, California U.S. January 2, 2018." /><p class="source"><span>Lucy Nicholson/Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Eron Silverstein, 51, (R) shops for marijuana at the MedMen store in West Hollywood, California U.S. January 2, 2018.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>US venture capital dropped $303.9 million into the cannabis industry in 2017, up from just $1 million in 2012.</strong></li><li><strong>Most of the top venture-backed companies in the space, are either biotech companies or provide ancillary services, like software platforms and payroll management.</strong></li><li><strong>The murky legal status of cannabis in the US has given rise to cannabis-focused venture funds, which thrive in the uncertainty.  </strong></li></ul><hr /><p>The legal marijuana industry is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cannabis-to-add-a-million-jobs-132-billion-tax-revenue-to-us-by-2025-2018-1">booming</a>, in spite of the federal government's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sessions-crackdown-on-cannabis-cole-memo-legal-marijuana-industry-2018-1">antagonistic</a> attitude towards the plant. </p><p>According to data and research firm Pitchbook, American venture capital put $303.9 million into 79 marijuana industry deals in 2017, up from just $1 million in 2012, when Colorado first legalized the drug. And 2018 is on pace to break 2017's record. By the end of February, there were 12 venture-backed deals worth $159.4 million alone.</p><p>Looking at the highest-valued venture-backed companies in the marijuana industry, there are two clear patterns.</p><p>Money is flowing into the ancillary-side - tech companies that provide software or payroll services to the cannabis industry but don't actually touch the plant. It's also moving into biotech companies that are researching and developing patents around cannabis compounds for medical purposes.</p><p>In the near future, the ancillary and biotech sectors look poised to dominate the cannabis industry, at least in the US. For now, venture capitalists are shying away from cultivators and other plant-touching businesses to avoid tangling with federal law and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sessions-crackdown-on-cannabis-cole-memo-legal-marijuana-industry-2018-1">inviting a crackdown</a> by the Justice Department.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5aa006145cc41032018b458d-1201/vc backed cannabis companies.png" alt="VC Backed Cannabis Companies" data-mce-source="Jenny Cheng/ Business Insider" /><p class="source"><span>Jenny Cheng/ Business Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>According to Roy Bingham, the founder of BDS Analytics, a business intelligence firm for the cannabis industry, concerns about the regulatory environment "still hang over" American investors and largely exclude mainstream venture capital firms from investing. </p><p>This has given rise to a number of cannabis-specific venture firms - mostly funded by a mix of wealthy individuals and entrepreneurs who may have a higher appetite for risk than institutional investors - like <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/poseidon-asset-management-emily-and-morgan-2016-8">Poseidon Asset Management</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/snoop-doggs-venture-capital-firm-invests-in-trellis-cannabis-tracking-casa-verde-2017-9">Casa Verde Capital</a>, and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-picking-robots-machine-learning-ag-tech-transform-food-2018-1">Phyto Partners</a>. Privateer Holdings, an investment firm which functions as a Berkshire Hathaway-type holding vehicle for cannabis companies, is valued at $490 million.</p><p>"They're very consciously only investing in cannabis-related activities as opposed to that being a piece of their bigger portfolio," Bingham said. "They've said 'Okay, that is actually a benefit, that's an advantage for us that there's this regulatory uncertainty which will keep the big guys out for a period of time.'" </p><p>That hasn't stopped some of the bigger, more mainstream venture capital firms from making investments in the marijuana space. They are just focusing on companies that offer ancillary services to the industry. </p><p>Veteran media firm Lerer Hippeau Ventures, backer of the Huffington Post and BuzzFeed, invested in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/herb-cannabis-media-company-raises-millions-to-create-digital-video-content-2017-8">HERB</a>, a cannabis media company based in Toronto in August of last year. And Michael Lazerow, of Lazerow Ventures, has personally <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/baker-the-salesforce-of-pot-raises-35-million-from-vcs-2017-3">invested in Baker</a>, <span>a software platform for dispensaries. </span><span></span></p><p>Micah Tapman, a managing director at cannabis accelerator and venture capital firm <a href="http://www.canopyboulder.com/home/">Canopy Boulder</a>, told Business Insider that the "smart money" is looking towards the high-end medical side of the industry. Of the top 15 venture-backed cannabis companies, according to Pitchbook's data, four are healthcare-specific.</p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a72486959d432270f8b4c11-2000/rtx439i2.jpg" alt="cannabis" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson" data-mce-caption="A woman holds marijuana for sale at the MedMen store in West Hollywood, California U.S. January 2, 2018." /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson</span></p><p class="caption">Where there's risk, there's opportunity for venture capital.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span><a href="https://tlscorp.com/">Teewinot Life Sciences</a>, headquartered in Florida, is working on the biosynthetic production of pharmaceutical grade cannabinoids (the active chemical compounds in the cannabis plant), according to the company's website. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tuatara-capital-raised-93-million-for-marijuana-investing-2016-8">Tuatara Capital</a>, a fund focused on the biotech side of the cannabis industry, led a Series B round for Teewinot last year, valuing the company at around $80 million. </span></p><p><span>And <a href="http://www.anandialabs.com/">Anandia Labs</a>, a Vancouver-based marijuana testing company, closed $13.4 million in funding in January, pushing the company's valuation over $50 million. </span></p><p><span>At the same time, ancillary services companies- like Baker and Leaflink - have high valuations driven up by enthusiasm around the industry. They also allow more mainstream investors to get a foothold since they aren't flouting any federal regulations by getting involved.</span></p><p><span>Some of these companies got in at the right time may be overvalued, according to Tapman. </span></p><p><span>Eaze, a cannabis delivery service, "raised money at the perfect time," Tapman said. "They had great connections, and a good story," Tapman said.</span></p><p><span> "But it's yet another delivery service of which there are a thousand," he added. </span></p><p><span>Companies like <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/leaflink-raised-17-million-in-series-a-to-expand-cannabis-tech-2017-11">Leaflink</a> - a New York-based online marijuana marketplace valued at $50 million after a round of investment in November - that have strong brands and competent management teams, could be "huge," according to Tapman and Bingham, but the risk of over-valuation is still present. </span></p><p><span>One of those brands, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/marijuana-unicorn-medmen-is-worth-billion-dollars-2018-2">MedMen</a></span>, operates 11 retail marijuana dispensaries in California, where marijuana is legal for adult consumption. It recently became one of the first American "unicorns" in the cannabis industry, valued at over $1 billion after closing a $41 million round of fundraising in February. </p><p>MedMen, the highest-valued venture-backed company, is a plant-touching company - creating an opportunity for Canadian investors, who don't need to worry about the US federal government interfering in their business. MedMen's last round was led by the Toronto-based Captor Capital. </p><p><span>"People are creating brands now that have great value," Bingham said. </span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-would-happen-if-humans-tried-landing-on-jupiter-space-2018-2">What would happen if humans tried to land on Jupiter</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/TOjqNuZO-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

The highest-valued marijuana companies of 2017 reveal two key insights about the booming industry

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57fed268da177d3e008b47fa-2400/ap566763332660.jpg" alt="marijuana cannabis pot weed" data-mce-source="Timothy J. Gonzalez/AP" data-mce-caption="A sample of cannabis is shown in a sniffer at Shango Premium Cannabis, in Portland , Ore., Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015. Oregon marijuana stores have begun sales to recreational users, marking a big day for the budding pot industry in the state. Some of the more than 250 dispensaries in Oregon that already offer medical marijuana opened their doors early Thursday to begin selling the drug just moments after it became legal to do so." /><p class="source"><span>Timothy J. Gonzalez/AP</span></p><p class="caption">HERB is making a big bet on digital.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Canadian cannabis media company <a href="http://herb.co/">HERB</a> closed a $4.1 million seed round Tuesday in a bid to expand to the US and ramp up production of video content.</p><p>"<span>This is a monumental moment for HERB and a testament to the shift of public view on the cannabis industry," Herb CEO Matt Gray said in a statement. </span></p><p><span>"As we usher in a new and diverse demographic of cannabis consumers, investors are seeing the value in the cannabis industry and importance of having a reliable technology platform to educate and inform consumers," Gray added.</span></p><p><span>HERB, based in Toronto, Canada, will use the round to expand to Los Angeles and New York City, as well as build out new studios to enhance their offering of video content online.</span></p><p><span>The 27-year-old Gray acquired HERB in 2015 - when it was called The Stoner's Cookbook - and rebranded it as a digital media company specifically for the cannabis industry, mixing original how-to videos with hard <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> and profiles. The company boasts 5.3 million unique visitors per month, and 2 billion organic video views annually as of June, according to Tubular Labs. </span></p><p><span>Gray previously told Business Insider that he sought to base HERB's growth strategy around video views like many other digital publications, as Facebook has pushed publishers to focus on video.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/595585a05124c9df64064e70-800/what-happens-in-vegas-nevada-puts-pot-on-the-menu-for-fun-seekers-2017-6.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO: A participant practices rolling a joint at the Cannabis Carnivalus 4/20 event in Seattle, Washington, U.S. on April 20, 2014. REUTERS/Jason Redmond/File Photo" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="FILE PHOTO: A participant practices rolling a joint at the Cannabis Carnivalus 4/20 event in Seattle" /><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">A participant practices rolling a joint at the Cannabis Carnivalus 4/20 event in Seattle.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p>The round was led by media veterans <span>Lerer Hippeau Ventures, along with Slow Ventures, Michael Lazerow, and hall-of-fame quarterback Joe Montana's Liquid 2 Ventures.</span></p><p><span>"During our research into the cannabis industry, it became clear to both myself and our team at Liquid 2 Ventures that HERB was the most professionally run business for relevant, informative, cannabis content," Montana said in a release announcing the round.</span></p><p><span>"There was a void in the marketplace and HERB filled it," Eric Hippeau, managing partner of Lerer Hippeau Ventures said. "Because the market is so new, brands wanted to establish themselves and reach consumers, and consumers wanted to know more about sellers, products, legislation, and all other content related to the cannabis business." </span></p><p><span>HERB announced the launch of Smoke Sessions, a new weekly video series earlier in August.  </span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/holographic-advertisements-arrived-2017-8">Holograms are taking over advertising</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/BXzaUGdv-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Cannabis media company HERB raises millions to expand to NYC and LA

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/571ffd359105841c008bf2da-1500-1125/evan_inc.jpg" alt="evan burns" data-mce-source="Odyssey" /><p class="source"><span>Odyssey</span></p><p class="caption">CEO Evan Burns.</p></div><p></p></div></div>There is a graveyard full of startups that have said they want to "democratize" the media business, Odyssey CEO Evan Burns says.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The winning model seems so tantalizingly within reach: Build a big platform that allows a lot of fresh voices to contribute. No more gatekeepers, anyone who wants to write can. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But startups, <a href="http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/media/2016/04/8596136/publishing-start-slant-news-shuts-down">like temporarily shut-down Slant News</a></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, have found that building that idea into a business that can scale, or make any money, isn't always easy.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Even so, Odyssey seems to have hit upon one formula for distributed growth in media, and the startup has come out of nowhere to top 30 million monthly uniques using a business model that sits somewhere between a conglomerate of college newspapers and a social network.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Odyssey recently raised $25 million in a round led by Michael Lazerow, who sold his startup Buddy Media to Salesforce for $800 million, and Columbus Nova's Jason Epstein. Both will be joining Odyssey's board. <span>Odyssey's total funding sits at $32 million.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lazerow tells Business Insider he hasn't been this enthusiastic about a startup since Jonah Peretti pitched him BuzzFeed (which he invested in).</span></p><h2><strong>So what exactly is Odyssey?</strong></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Odyssey is a bit like a college paper on steroids. The startup has a stable of over 10,000 writers, aged 18-28, who produce around one piece a week. Odyssey then relies on the social networks of the individual writers to push out the content to the masses.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Each writer has to apply, and the main criteria for acceptance, Burns explains, is having a unique perspective - and being able to turn in an article once a week. These writers are not paid.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sound familiar? This mass collection of unpaid contributors is the model that initially made Turner-owned sports site Bleacher Report a success. The Huffington Post used a similar contributor model to boost its pageviews, as does Forbes (Business Insider has some outside contributors as well).</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The concept sounds like a blogging platform at first, but what separates <span>Odyssey is human editors</span>. Each Odyssey article goes through three layers of editing:</span></p><ul><li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">First, a "community editor" looks at it, who is basically just a power user within a particular geography. This isn't a paid position.</span></li><li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Second, the article is copyedited by an outsourced (but paid) person.</span></li><li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Third, the article goes to one of Odyssey's 70 full-time, paid editors.</span></li></ul><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/571ffd999105841d008bf30a-2937-1646/odyssey_platform.png" alt="Odyssey" data-mce-source="Odyssey" /><p class="source"><span>Odyssey</span></p><p class="caption">Odyssey's platform</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The question remains as to how much time the 70 full-timers can actually devote to each piece. If Odyssey is producing ~10,000 articles per week, that means each editor is checking out over 140 per week. That is not an easy feat under any circumstances. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But beyond editing, Burns says the writers see an increased engagement for posts over self-published ones (2 to 4.5 times), and often reputational boost they get from their friends (who see they are being published by a branded outlet).</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This business model seems built for college, where bright young writers are willing to swap their work for being edited and professionally branded. And indeed Lazerow says the majority of the writers are in college, though Burns stresses that they are expanding in other segments of the population as well.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lazerow actually created a similar business when he was in college at Northwestern called University Wire. University Wire is a network of college papers that's now owned by CBS.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The content Odyssey produces spans all sorts of topics, from politics to fashion to sports, and is about 20-25% focused on purely local issues, according to Burns. The local contributor model has been tried before without much luck. AOL poured a lot of time and money into Patch, a local news site with articles published by an army of contributors, but ultimately shut it down. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Odyssey launched out of beta in 2014, but recently has begun to pick up steam, climbing from 20 million monthly uniques in November to 30 million in February. This type of performance doesn't seem so crazy when you realize how much content 10,000 writers are pumping out (Odyssey published 400 articles on the terrorist attacks in Brussels alone). At the current numbers, each writer is only individually accountable for around 3,000 uniques per month.</span></p><h2><strong>A tech company</strong></h2><p>Burns stresses that Odyssey isn't a media company, it's a tech company. That may be a way to woo investors, but it also makes the business proposition for writers easier to understand. If you look at Odyssey like an advanced blogging platform with added features (like human editing and advice on structure), it makes more sense that 10,000 writers have chosen to jump on it.</p><p>Burns says that legally the startup is also set up as a social network, which could help insulate it in the event of any libel or copyright claims against its writers.</p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But even with the emphasis on being a tech company, it's still hard to shake that nagging feeling that writers should get paid for their work if advertising is being sold against it, especially if it ends up going viral (perhaps I'm biased). Burns says part of what this $25 million investment is for is to build out the monetization of Odyssey, both for the company itself and for writers. He wants to build a YouTube-like model of paying writers, starting with the platform's stars. </span></p><p>And how will Odyssey make money? Besides advertising, Burns says that the huge amount of data the company is amassing is valuable, particularly insights about how content spreads on the internet. Odyssey is also readying the launch of video on its platform (like many media companies), a move Burns thinks will increase the startup's ability to make money from ads, and amp up its reach.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sandboarding-in-peru-2016-4">A desert in Peru to is becoming a sandboarding hotspot</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="dmZHI0MzE6Pv-pqzDyXlGyAyZcpxPi-f" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'dmZHI0MzE6Pv-pqzDyXlGyAyZcpxPi-f',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

A startup that just raised $25 million is like a college newspaper on steroids - and it's racking up 30 million uniques a month

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54e4bc4669bedd144fbdd5e5-908-681/john-battelle-5.jpg" border="0" alt="John Battelle"><p class="source"><span>David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div>John Battelle, who helped found Wired magazine and digital ad network Federated Media, has raised a <a href="http://blog.newco.co/2015/02/18/newco-announces-seed-financing/">$1.75 million seed round</a> for his latest venture, NewCo.</p><p>NewCo is a business-conference startup that puts a spin on typical, stuffy business gatherings. </p><p>Instead of gathering attendees in an outdated hotel conference room and making them listen to a boring lecturer, NewCo uses the offices of startups and small businesses as venues. The promotion helps introduce the startups and high-growth companies <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">to investors, potential customers, entrepreneurs, and job applicants. Attendees can take behind-the-scenes tours and get first-hand looks at the work environments.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"In the past two years, we've stood up more than a dozen NewCo festivals around the world, on a shoestring budget and with mostly volunteer staff," Battelle said in an announcement on NewCo's website. NewCo, which has been bootstrapped since its 2012 founding, has hosted events in New York, San Francisco, London and Detroit, but more cities are in the works for this year.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"Today marks a critical moment in our own company's journey - we're thrilled to announce our first ever funding round," Battelle wrote. "This seed funding will allow us to expand our staff, build a truly first-class technology platform, create new products in media and beyond, and lean into executing NewCo's mission: 'To identify, celebrate, and connect the engines of positive change in our society.'"</span></p><p><span>Investors in NewCo's seed round include Obvious Ventures, True Ventures, Bloomberg Beta, Transmedia Capital, Freestyle Capital, Foundry Fund, and angel investors including Chris Albinson, Andrew Anker, Bart Knaggs, Michael Lazerow, Dave Morgan, Dave Morin, Jordan Shlain, Owen Van Natta, and Michael Winnick.</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p><p>You can read <a href="http://blog.newco.co/2015/02/18/newco-announces-seed-financing/">NewCo's funding announcement here</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-headphones-tricks-2015-2">14 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="o2OGM3czpWcydnvhjbkDBd6feXPuExiD" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'o2OGM3czpWcydnvhjbkDBd6feXPuExiD',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Media veteran John Battelle just raised $1.75 million for his latest venture, NewCo

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/521e6e2a6bb3f7815f7fc554-489-366/hugh-herr-image.jpg?maxX=620" border="0" alt="Hugh Herr image" width="620" style="float: right;" /><p class="source">Sports Illustrated/Getty Images</p><p class="caption">Hugh Herr</p></div><p></p></div><a href="http://www.media.mit.edu/people/hherr" target="_blank">Hugh Herr</a> has been called the "Leader of the Bionic Age" because of his revolutionary work in the emerging field of "biomechatronics" - technology that marries human physiology with electromechanics. A double amputee himself, Herr has made breakthrough advances in bionic limbs that provide greater mobility and new hope to those with physical disabilities.</p>
<p>Herr's research at the <a href="http://www.media.mit.edu/people/hherr" target="_blank">MIT Media Lab</a> in Boston has led to the development of space-age-sounding computer-controlled artificial knees and more that have won numerous awards and worldwide recognition.</p>
<p>We're thrilled that Dr. Herr will be giving a TED-style talk at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/event/ignition-2013">IGNITION: Future of Digital</a>, Business Insider's flagship <keyword id="5555" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="conference">conference</keyword>, being held this year at New York's Time Warner Center November 11-13.</p>
<p>We'll also explore how technology is changing how we dress (wearables), manage our households (Internet of things), and spend money (bitcoin). IGNITION is NYC's premier digital conference and you don't want to miss it.</p>
<p>Join us to hear from:</p>
<ul>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong style="line-height: 1.5em;"> Dan Roth, </strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Linkedin</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss</span></strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">, <span>Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust</span></span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong>Fred Wilson</strong>, Union Square Ventures</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong>Ken Lerer, </strong> Lerer Ventures</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong>Nick Denton</strong>, Gawker Media</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong>Michael Lazerow</strong>, <span>Salesforce Marketing Cloud</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong>Shane Smith, </strong> VICE Media </li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong>Arianna Huffington,</strong> Huffington Post</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong>Russell Simmons, </strong> All Def Digital</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong>Irwin Gotlieb,</strong> GroupM</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;">and many more.</li>
</ul>
<p>For a preview of what you can expect in November, check out the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/event/ignition-2013/speakers">latest IGNITION 2013 line-up</a>. And <a href="http://businessinsider.ticketleap.com/ignition-2013/" target="_blank">reserve your spot</a> now!</p>
<p><a href="http://businessinsider.ticketleap.com/ignition-2013/"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/4f4d349669bedd3d5600004c-287-50/events_button.gif" border="0" alt="register" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>
<p>P.S. If you're interested in sponsorship opportunities at IGNITION, contact <a href="mailto:events@businessinsider.com">events@businessinsider.com</a>.</p>
<p>Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/bi_events" target="_blank">@BI_Events</a> on Twitter for IGNITION updates.</p>

Bitcoin, Bionics, Wearables, Internet Of Things, And The Future Of Media All Coming To IGNITION

<p><div class="image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/521e6e2a6bb3f7815f7fc554-489-366/hugh-herr-image.jpg?maxX=620" border="0" alt="Hugh Herr image" width="620" style="float: right;" /><p class="source">Sports Illustrated/Getty Images</p><p class="caption">Hugh Herr</p></div></div><a href="http://www.media.mit.edu/people/hherr" target="_blank">Hugh Herr</a> has been called the “Leader of the Bionic Age” because of his revolutionary work in the emerging field of "biomechatronics" — technology that marries human physiology with electromechanics. A double amputee himself, Herr has made breakthrough advances in bionic limbs that provide greater mobility and new hope to those with physical disabilities.</p>
<p>Herr's research at the <a href="http://www.media.mit.edu/people/hherr" target="_blank">MIT Media Lab</a> in Boston has led to the development of space-age-sounding computer-controlled artificial knees and more that have won numerous awards and worldwide recognition.</p>
<p>We’re thrilled that Dr. Herr will be giving a TED-style talk at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/event/ignition-2013">IGNITION: Future of Digital</a>, Business Insider's flagship <keyword id="5555" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="conference">conference</keyword>, being held this year at New York’s Time Warner Center November 11-13.</p>
<p>We'll also explore how technology is changing how we dress (wearables), manage our households (internet of things), and invent new products (3D printing). IGNITION is NYC's premier digital conference and you don't want to miss it.</p>
<p>Join us to hear from:</p>
<ul>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong style="line-height: 1.5em;"> Dan Roth, </strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Linkedin</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong>Fred Wilson</strong>, Union Square Ventures</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong>Ken Lerer, </strong> Lerer Ventures</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong>Nick Denton</strong>, Gawker Media</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong>Michael Lazerow</strong>, <span>Salesforce Marketing Cloud</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong>Shane Smith, </strong> VICE Media </li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong>Arianna Huffington,</strong> Huffington Post</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong>Russell Simmons, </strong> All Def Digital</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong>Rob Norman,</strong> GroupM</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;">and many more.</li>
</ul>
<p>For a preview of what you can expect in November, check out the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/event/ignition-2013/speakers">latest IGNITION 2013 line-up</a>. And <a href="http://businessinsider.ticketleap.com/ignition-2013/" target="_blank">reserve your spot</a> now before early-bird rates expire!</p>
<p><a href="http://businessinsider.ticketleap.com/ignition-2013/"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/4f4d349669bedd3d5600004c-287-50/events_button.gif" border="0" alt="register" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>
<p>P.S. If you're interested in sponsorship opportunities at IGNITION, contact <a href="mailto:events@businessinsider.com">events@businessinsider.com</a>.</p>
<p>Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/bi_events" target="_blank">@BI_Events</a> on Twitter for IGNITION updates.</p>

Bionics, Wearables, Internet Of Things, And 3D Printing Coming To IGNITION

<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:620px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/4dcd7bed49e2aed81f080000-590-442/Russell_Simmons_1.jpg?maxX=620" border="0" alt="Russell Simmons" width="620" style="float: right;" /><p class="caption">Russell Simmons, All Def Digital</p></div></div>Russell Simmons turned the music industry upside down with <strong>Def Jam Records</strong>.</p>
<p>Brian Robbins' <strong>Awesomeness TV</strong> lights up the mobile phones of those elusive tastemakers, tweens.</p>
<p>Put the two together and you get <strong>All Def Digital</strong>, the first pure-play music platform for the YouTube age. Just what we like for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/event/ignition-2013">IGNITION</a>.</p>
<p>Russell Simmons and Brian Robbins are reshaping both business and culture. We’re thrilled that they’ll be sitting down for a free-wheeling conversation with Business Insider's Henry Blodget at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/event/ignition-2013">IGNITION: Future of Digital</a>. Join them and take a deep dive into the explosive future of digital business at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/event/ignition-2013">Business Insider's flagship conference</a>, atop New York’s Time Warner Center November 11-13.</p>
<p>Join us to hear from:</p>
<ul>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong style="line-height: 1.5em;">Rich Riley, </strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">CEO, Shazam</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong>Ken Lerer, </strong>Managing Director, Lerer Ventures</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong>Nick Denton</strong>, Founder and Editor, Gawker Media</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong>Michael Lazerow</strong>, <span>Chief Marketing Officer, Salesforce Marketing Cloud</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong>Shane Smith, </strong>CEO &amp; Co-Founder, VICE Media </li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong>Arianna Huffington,</strong> President &amp; Editor-in-Chief, Huffington Post</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong>Ricky Van Veen, </strong>Co-Founder, CollegeHumor</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong>Chris De Wolfe, </strong>CEO, SGN</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0em;"><strong>Fred Wilson</strong>, Managing Partner, Union Square Ventures</li>
</ul>
<p>For a taste of what you can expect in November, check out the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/event/ignition-2013/speakers">latest IGNITION 2013 line-up</a>, or the full <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/event/ignition-2013/agenda">agendas from our previous events</a>. And <a href="http://businessinsider.ticketleap.com/ignition-2013/" target="_blank">reserve your spot</a> now because extra early-bird rates expire next week (8/16).</p>
<p><a href="http://businessinsider.ticketleap.com/ignition-2013/"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/4f4d349669bedd3d5600004c-287-50/events_button.gif" border="0" alt="register" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>
<p>P.S. If you're interested in sponsorship opportunities at IGNITION, contact <a href="mailto:events@businessinsider.com">events@businessinsider.com</a>.</p>
<p>Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/bi_events" target="_blank"><em>@BI_Events</em></a> on Twitter for IGNITION updates.</p>

Russell Simmons, Brian Robbins And More Rock IGNITION 2013

<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/518013b3ecad046879000004-493-369/travis-kalanick-uber.png" border="0" alt="travis kalanick uber" /><p class="source"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/frf_kmeron/6471426863/">Kmeron via Flickr</a></p><p class="caption">Uber CEO Travis Kalanick</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p>
<p>Whether it's founding the world's first P2P search engine, or developing the premier enterprise content delivery system, <span>Kalanick</span> believes that every problem has a solution.</p>
<p>He's guided red-hot startup Uber ($3.4B valuation) from a niche market in San Francisco to its global presence today. Uber's plans go well beyond luxury rides. Its goal is to become <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">an <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-uber-is-worth-34-billion-2013-8">"instant gratification" service</a> that gives people what the need, when they need it, whether that's a ride or </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-looking-into-delivery-service-2012-7">some other delivery</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">. </span></p>
<p><span>Along the way, <span>Kalanick</span> has actively invested in and advised other passionate startup entrepreneurs. Somehow he's also managed to rack up the second highest Wii Tennis score in the world.</span></p>
<p>Take a ride with <span>Kalanick</span> at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/event/ignition-2013">IGNITION: Future of Digital</a>, BI's flagship event November 11-13 at New York's Time Warner Center. He'll be talking with BI Editor-in-Chief Henry Blodget about entrepreneurship, building a brand, and much more.</p>
<div>That's not all. Join us to hear from:<br /> </div>
<ul>
<li><strong>Elon Musk</strong>, Tesla</li>
<li><strong>Dan Roth, </strong><span>Linkedin</span></li>
<li><strong>Fred Wilson</strong>, Union Square Ventures</li>
<li><strong>Ken Lerer, </strong> Lerer Ventures</li>
<li><strong>Paul Berry</strong>, RebelMouse</li>
<li><strong>Michael Lazerow</strong>, Salesforce Marketing Cloud</li>
<li><strong>Shane Smith, </strong> VICE Media </li>
<li><strong>Arianna Huffington,</strong> Huffington Post</li>
<li><strong>Russell Simmons, </strong> All Def Digital</li>
<li><strong>John Borthwick,</strong> betaworks</li>
<li><strong>Rob Chandhok</strong>, Qualcomm</li>
<li><strong>Martin Clarke</strong>, Mail Online</li>
<li><strong>Chris DeWolfe</strong>, Social Gaming Network (SGN)</li>
<li><strong>Allan DeBevoise</strong>, Machinima</li>
<li><strong>David Eun</strong>, Samsung</li>
<li><strong>Jennifer Fleiss</strong>, Rent The Runway</li>
<li>and many more.</li>
</ul>
<p>For a preview of what you can expect at IGNITION, check out the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/event/ignition-2013/speakers">latest IGNITION 2013 line-up</a>. <a href="http://businessinsider.ticketleap.com/ignition-2013/" target="_blank">Reserve your spot</a>!</p>
<p><a href="http://businessinsider.ticketleap.com/ignition-2013/"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/4f4d349669bedd3d5600004c-287-50/events_button.gif" border="0" alt="register" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>
<p>P.S. If you're interested in sponsorship opportunities at IGNITION, contact <a href="mailto:events@businessinsider.com">events@businessinsider.com</a>.</p>
<p>Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/bi_events" target="_blank">@BI_Events</a> on Twitter for IGNITION updates.</p>

Travis Kalanick Speaking At IGNITION 

<p>Still on the fence? Here's some great reasons to <a href="http://businessinsider.ticketleap.com/ignition-2013/">register now</a> for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/event/ignition-2013">IGNITION 2013</a>, BI's blowout flagship event, at New York's Time Warner Center next month:</p>
<ol>
<li>You think Travis Kalanick's Uber raised $258 million this summer just to give you a better taxi ride.</li>
<li>Your mobile startup needs an inside track on Samsung innovation chief David Eun's billion-dollar war chest.</li>
<li>You totally don't get Bitcoin or wearable computing or monster data.</li>
<li>Your tired old media company needs to mainline Vice's Shane Smith, Gawker's Nick Denton, and Arianna Huffington.</li>
<li>Screw it: You're quitting. Where are Fred Wilson, Ken Lerer, and John Borthwick putting the money to build the next Twitters?</li>
<li>California here you come--time to hit up Machinima's Alan DeBevoise, SGN's Chris De Wolfe and Maker Studio's Ynon Kreiz for jobs.</li>
<li>Native ads leave you cold.</li>
<li>Twitter IPO--huh?</li>
<li>You thought Nest's Tony Fadell left Apple to make the world's best thermostat.</li>
<li>You want to tell your grandkids that Elon Musk personally pitched you on going to Mars.</li>
</ol>
<p>You can do all this and more at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/event/ignition-2013">IGNITION: Future of Digital</a>, being held <strong>Nov. <strong>11-13 </strong></strong>at the top of New York's Time Warner Center. Here's what else we'll have on tap: three amazing days of smart talk, cool demos, and extended conversations. Plus more than 85 speakers doing up-close interviews, rousing roundtables, and live demos. Tesla cars! Amazing Central Park views! And even more great speakers:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Eric Migicovsky, </strong>Pebble.</li>
<li><strong>Ross Levinsohn</strong>, Guggenheim Digital Media.</li>
<li><strong>Ben Lerer, </strong>Thrillist Media Group.</li>
<li><strong>Rishad Tobaccowala</strong>, VivaKi.</li>
<li><strong>Michael Lazerow</strong>, Salesforce Marketing Cloud.</li>
<li><strong>Hilary Mason, </strong>Accela Partners.</li>
<li><strong>Rich Riley,</strong> Shazam.</li>
<li><strong>Michelle Peluso, </strong>Gilt Groupe.</li>
<li><strong>Rob Norman,</strong> GroupM.</li>
<li>and many more.</li>
</ul>
<p>For a preview of what you can expect, check out the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/event/ignition-2013/speakers">latest IGNITION 2013 line-up</a>. And <a href="http://businessinsider.ticketleap.com/ignition-2013/" target="_blank">reserve your spot</a>!</p>
<p><a href="http://businessinsider.ticketleap.com/ignition-2013/"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/4f4d349669bedd3d5600004c-287-50/events_button.gif" border="0" alt="register" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>
<p>P.S. If you're interested in sponsorship opportunities at IGNITION, contact <a href="mailto:events@businessinsider.com">events@businessinsider.com</a>.</p>
<p>Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/bi_events" target="_blank">@BI_Events</a> on Twitter for IGNITION updates.</p>

Top 10 Reasons Not To Miss IGNITION: Future of Digital On November 11-13

<p><div class="image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5228cef96bb3f7b10c8b457c-1200-924/elon-musk-2011.jpg?maxX=620" border="0" alt="Elon Musk 2011" width="620" /><p class="source">BI Events</p><p class="caption">Elon Musk is the CEO and Product Architect of Tesla Motors and the CEO/CTO of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX).</p></div></div>Is a 42-year-old serial entrepreneur already the greatest tech god since Steve Jobs? Or maybe ever? Thousands of Quora up-voters <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/elon-must-versus-steve-jobs-2013-8">think so</a>. And we won't disagree.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/10/ff-elon-musk-qa/">Extreme entrepreneurialism</a><span> is what the digital age enables -- and no one does it better than Elon. Disrupting the money world with PayPal. Launching SpaceX, already NASA's go-to rocket provider. Building Solar City, the biggest US solar-power installer. Electrifying Tesla Motors -- zero to $20B market cap, already the most transformative car maker since Henry Ford rolled out his Model T.</span></p>
<p>Oh, and almost forgot: in his spare time, re-imagining LA-SF as a half-hour trip by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-hyperloop-best-features-2013-8">hyperloop</a>.</p>
<p>All that and more is why Elon will be headlining <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/event/ignition-2013">IGNITION: Future of Digital</a>, BI's flagship event November 11-13 at New York's Time Warner Center. For a full hour he'll be talking with BI Editor-in-Chief Henry Blodget, as well as taking questions from the audience. They'll also talk money. They'll talk talent, design, and management. They'll talk about how ever-smarter software pushing ever more powerful hardware will continue rocking the planet (and maybe a few others topics). And we'll have test drives of the Tesla Model S -- hands-down winner as both the best and most transformative car in the world.</p>
<div>That's not all. Join us to hear from:</div>
<div> </div>
<ul>
<li><strong>Dan Roth, </strong><span>Linkedin</span></li>
<li><strong>Fred Wilson</strong>, Union Square Ventures</li>
<li><strong>Ken Lerer, </strong> Lerer Ventures</li>
<li><strong>Nick Denton</strong>, Gawker Media</li>
<li><strong>Michael Lazerow</strong>, Salesforce Marketing Cloud</li>
<li><strong>Shane Smith, </strong> VICE Media </li>
<li><strong>Arianna Huffington,</strong> Huffington Post</li>
<li><strong>Russell Simmons, </strong> All Def Digital</li>
<li><strong>Rob Norman,</strong> GroupM</li>
<li>and many more.</li>
</ul>
<p>For a preview of what you can expect in November, check out the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/event/ignition-2013/speakers">latest IGNITION 2013 line-up</a>. And <a href="http://businessinsider.ticketleap.com/ignition-2013/" target="_blank">reserve your spot</a> now before early-bird rates expire!</p>
<p><a href="http://businessinsider.ticketleap.com/ignition-2013/"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/4f4d349669bedd3d5600004c-287-50/events_button.gif" border="0" alt="register" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>
<p>P.S. If you're interested in sponsorship opportunities at IGNITION, contact <a href="mailto:events@businessinsider.com">events@businessinsider.com</a>.</p>
<p>Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/bi_events" target="_blank">@BI_Events</a> on Twitter for IGNITION updates.</p>

You're Not Going To Want To Miss Elon Musk At IGNITION

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/525d65c6ecad04e117890ba5-400-300/tony-fadell-1.jpg" border="0" alt="tony fadell" /><p class="source"><a href="http://www.nest.com/blog/2011/10/24/thermostats-yes-thermostats/index.html">Nest</a></p></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Forget phones, TVs, cars, and watches-bring on the connected home! Two years ago Nest CEO Tony Fadell blew everyone away by crossing a home thermostat with a smartphone. Cool! Now he's targeting all the rest of "</span><a href="http://9to5mac.com/2013/09/25/the-ipodfather-strikes-again-nests-rumored-next-move-on-the-ugly-white-plastic-crap-in-our-homes/" target="_blank">the ugly white plastic crap</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">" controlling most living spaces, from the front door to the bedroom TV.</span></p>
<p>Nest's gorgeous design, native connectivity, and game-changing ambition are no accident: Fadell's previous gig was leading the Apple engineering A-team that built the iPod and iPhone. That's what we look for in selecting speakers for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/event/ignition-2013">IGNITION: Future of Digital</a>: a killer combination of high concept and over-delivery.</p>
<p>Here's what else we'll have on tap: three amazing days of smart talk, cool demos, and extended conversations. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/event/ignition-2013">IGNITION will be being held <strong>Nov. <strong>11-13 </strong></strong></a> at the top of New York's Time Warner Center. Speakers include:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Uber's</strong> Travis Kalanick, explaining why taxis are just the start of transportation disruption.</li>
<li><strong>Elon!</strong> A spectacular hour of Tesla electric cars, next-gen space transport, profitable solar power, and the explosive future of silicon-powered R&amp;D.</li>
<li><strong>Godfathers!</strong> Ken Lerer and Fred Wilson, whose collective investments fuel Twitter, Foursquare, BuzzFeed, and more than 100 of the world's hottest digital startups.</li>
<li><strong> Legends!</strong> Def Jammer Russell Simmons, explaining why YouTube rules the music world.</li>
<li><strong>Winklevii!</strong> Cameron and Tyler, explaining why Bitcoin matters.</li>
<li><strong>Media moguls!</strong> VICE lord Shane Smith, AOL's Arianna Huffington, Mail Online's Martin Clarke, Gawker's editor-in-chief Nick Denton, and BI's own Henry Blodget.</li>
</ul>
<p>We'll also tackle content marketing, life after cookies, socializing television, mobile commerce, wearable computing, and really big data. More than 85 speakers, doing up-close interviews, rousing roundtables, and live demos. Tesla cars! Amazing Central Park views! And-yes, we're listening-more networking breaks.</p>
<p>Join us next month to hear from:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Eric Migicovsky, </strong>Pebble.</li>
<li><strong>Ross Levinsohn</strong>, Guggenheim Digital Media.</li>
<li><strong>Ben Lerer, </strong> Thrillist Media Group.</li>
<li><strong>Rishad Tobaccowala</strong>, VivaKi.</li>
<li><strong>Michael Lazerow</strong>, Salesforce Marketing Cloud.</li>
<li><strong>Hilary Mason, </strong> Accela Partners.</li>
<li><strong>Rich Riley,</strong> Shazam.</li>
<li><strong>Michelle Peluso, </strong> Gilt Groupe.</li>
<li><strong>Rob Norman,</strong> GroupM.</li>
<li>and many more.</li>
</ul>
<p>For a preview of what you can expect next month, check out the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/event/ignition-2013/speakers">latest IGNITION 2013 line-up</a>. And <a href="http://businessinsider.ticketleap.com/ignition-2013/" target="_blank">reserve your spot</a>!</p>
<p><a href="http://businessinsider.ticketleap.com/ignition-2013/"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/4f4d349669bedd3d5600004c-287-50/events_button.gif" border="0" alt="register" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>
<p>P.S. If you're interested in sponsorship opportunities at IGNITION, contact <a href="mailto:events@businessinsider.com">events@businessinsider.com</a>.</p>
<p>Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/bi_events" target="_blank">@BI_Events</a> on Twitter for IGNITION updates.</p>

Smart Things! Nest's Tony Fadell Heats Up IGNITION 2013

<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/512959766bb3f7f168000016-606-454/keith-rabois-2.png?maxX=400&amp;maxY=300" border="0" alt="Keith Rabois " width="400" height="300" /></div><p class="source"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fortunelivemedia/5955831107/">Fortune Live Media via Flickr </a></p><p class="caption"><keyword id="1538502" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Keith-Rabois">Keith Rabois</keyword></p></div>Keith Rabois, former <keyword id="688028" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Square">Square</keyword> COO, prolific angel investor and new partner at venture firm Khosla Ventures, has been bashing another hot tech company, Foursquare, on Twitter this weekend.</p>
<p>This prompted Foursquare cofounder <keyword id="257639" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Dennis-Crowley">Dennis Crowley</keyword> to take to Twitter, defend his company, and bash Rabois back.</p>
<p>And now many of the Valley's biggest names have jumped in to defend Crowley and Foursquare and blast Rabois.</p>
<p>It all started when former Googler Hunter Walk <a href="https://twitter.com/hunterwalk/status/312962558153871361">innocently tweeted</a> about a TechCrunch story: "Wow, who knew 40,000 developers used the Foursquare API"</p>
<p>Rabois tweeted this reply "@hunterwalk same number of real users."</p>
<p>Walk replied:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>@<a href="https://twitter.com/p2chairman">p2chairman</a> eh, VC has softened @<a href="https://twitter.com/rabois">rabois</a>. Prev he would have predicted an actual date of failure ;-)</p>
— Hunter Walk (@hunterwalk) <a href="https://twitter.com/hunterwalk/status/312969073782824960">March 16, 2013</a></blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>Developer Sriram Krishnan jumped in defending Foursquare and its API:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>@<a href="https://twitter.com/rabois">rabois</a> @<a href="https://twitter.com/hunterwalk">hunterwalk</a> Their API is one of the best sources of location data around. Used it all my apps.</p>
— Sriram Krishnan (@sriramk) <a href="https://twitter.com/sriramk/status/312969545683980288">March 16, 2013</a></blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>Crowley hit back: "Keep hating... and while you're doing so Foursquare will keep becoming the location layer for the Internet."</p>
<p>And Rabois responded to that with another slam, indicating that Foursquare needs to be acquired to save itself and referencing Bebo, acquired by AOL in 2008 for $850 million, and sold off in 2010 for a fraction. In the Valley, invoking the name "Bebo" often refers to when the founders sell a company they know is troubled.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>@<a href="https://twitter.com/dens">dens</a> @<a href="https://twitter.com/sriramk">sriramk</a> @<a href="https://twitter.com/hunterwalk">hunterwalk</a> great use of jargon.Maybe Hail Mary Bebo-style acquisition will bail you out.</p>
— Keith Rabois (@rabois) <a href="https://twitter.com/rabois/status/312974304155422721">March 16, 2013</a></blockquote>
<p>And then it devolved into a bigger Twitter brawl, with all sorts of people weighing in and quite a bit of four-letter words and name calling. Entertaining reading. <a href="https://twitter.com/sriramk/status/312969545683980288">Here's the link.</a></p>
<p>Buddy Media's Michael Lazerow also took up the fight, publishing a column today on LinkedIn, asking <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130317133520-1714080-when-is-it-ok-to-bash-a-founder?trk=prof-post&amp;_mSplash=1&amp;sessionid=SlYb4CHpkQHyv-XXf0p5">"When Is It OK To Bash A Founder?"</a> and coming up with a strange answer: only when you are trolling the 'net making outrageous comments trying to stay relevant. He compared Rabois to Donald Trump, and not in a good way.</p>
<p><strong>Correction</strong>: An earlier version of this story confused Square, a payments company where Keith Rabois used to be COO, with Foursquare, an app you use to check-in. Also, it described <span>Sriram Krishnan as a former Google/YouTube developer, which he is not. We've updated the post, and apologize for the errors.</span></p>

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