Introducing the Conversion Scientist

Jonas talks with Brian Massey - the Conversion Scientist. They discuss the art and science of turning browsers into buyers.

Venture Forth - DIY'itice Recovery Plan

You know the cliche: husband is driving, wife is in the passenger seat. Husband is lost, but trying to pretend he's got it under control. Wife is getting frustrated, they are running late. She points out a gas station where they can ask for directions. Husband scoffs. Wife shakes her head and sighs, annoyed, but not surprised.

Growth

Tech Ranch Austin Expands to Cedar Park and Launches Entrepreneur Town Hall and Startup Networking Events. Tech Ranch Austin today announced its expansion into Cedar Park, Texas with the launch of Tech Ranch Cedar Park.  Beginning June 24th, Tech Ranch Cedar Park will host a series of entrepreneur support events focused on building community, increasing collaboration, and accelerating entrepreneurial activity in Cedar Park. Entrepreneur Town Hall Meeting Planned On June 24th at 6pm, business and technology leaders from across Central Texas will converge in Cedar Park

Open Ranch

Howdy Y'all! Tech Ranch Austin moved into new digs in December, and we are opening up the Ranch to network with you about accelerating technology entrepreneurship in Austin in 2009. Join us on January 9th from 2pm - 5pm to meet the Tech Ranch team, our companies and our partners.  And then from 5pm - 7pm, come grab a drink with us at NXNW,  a local watering hole around the corner from our offices. You can socialize with some of the most interesting startups in Austin like our friends at Piryx, OneSpot, BeGreeted, IPX, Studeous, Zehicle and others.

Y Combinator

My friend Trevor Blackwell is a partner in Silicon Valley tech incubator Y Combinator.  Trevor and his partners have done an awesome job in identifying, nurturing and accelerating software ventures.  They have also had an amazing run of great PR for their ventures and themselves.

At the Web 2.0 Summit this week, Y Combinator ventures were everywhere, and they definitely had their 15 minutes in the limelight.  One of the most relevant themes at the summit was how to effeciently fund startups in the downturn.  From CIO Magazine, we pass along the profiles of 7 members of the Y Combinator portfolio to keep your eyes on.