14 tips for building a startup sales team

14 tips for building a startup sales team

Your sales force if your company’s lifeblood. No matter how good your product is, it won’t sell itself, no matter how much you believe otherwise. Establishing a competent, effective team to draw customers is often challenging for entrepreneurs, though, who would rather focus on research… Continue Reading

Roundup: FCC opens airwaves, Google slows hiring and more

Roundup: FCC opens airwaves, Google slows hiring and more

Here’s the latest action (aside from a certain election):

FCC agrees to open up the airwaves — A section of the radio spectrum known as white space has been set aside for public use, a move pushed for by tech companies like Google and Microsoft.

Google slows hiring —… Continue Reading

Model Metrics grabs $2.5M for iPhone and Salesforce apps

Software-as-a-service provider Model Metrics announced today that it took $2.5 million in first-round funding from undisclosed investors. The money will go toward development of iPhone apps and software tailored specifically for Salesforce.com.

The Chicago-based company supplies others with the mobile and computer software they need to… Continue Reading

Salesforce and Google take their partnership a step further with new APIs

Salesforce and Google take their partnership a step further with new APIs

Google and Salesforce announced today that they’re releasing the Force.com Tool for Google APIs, a library that allows developers using Salesforce’s Force.com platform to access the data in Google Apps. Like the Google-Salesforce partnership announced in April, this deal should benefit both companies — Force.com… Continue Reading

Zoho releases enterprise-grade CRM

Zoho releases enterprise-grade CRM

There are already numerous customer relationship management software offerings out there that target large corporations. So you’d think it was game over as far as new CRM entrants was concerned.

But start-up Zoho has launched an “enterprise edition” of its low-cost CRM products, in yet another… Continue Reading

Google-Salesforce details: We love the cloud, we love each other

Google-Salesforce details: We love the cloud, we love each other

Executives from Google and Salesforce took the stage in San Francisco today to celebrate what they’re saying is the impending death of desktop software. The newest nail in the coffin? The integration of Google Apps into Salesforce’s customer relations management service, as outlined by Salesforce… Continue Reading

Desktop applications beware: Salesforce integrates Google Apps

Desktop applications beware: Salesforce integrates Google Apps

Desktop business applications just took another hit with the launch of Salesforce for Google Apps, which integrates Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Talk and Google Docs into Salesforce’s customer relationship management service.

The concept is pretty simple: Companies who use Salesforce’s online service to manage sales,… Continue Reading

Appirio raises $1.1M for Salesforce interface

Appirio, a provider of front-ends and interfaces for businesses using Salesforce, has raises its first round of funding from Salesforce itself and some angel investors, according to VentureWire (subscription required).

The company so far has a Google Gadget builder that can create a Salesforce-based widget for… Continue Reading

Zuora offers subscription services to all those online software companies

Zuora offers subscription services to all those online software companies

updated
Zuora is a Silicon Valley company that says it offers a simpler, less expensive way for companies to offer online subscription services. It launches today announcing it has gotten $6.5 million in a first round of funding led by venture firm Benchmark Capital.

Until now, software… Continue Reading

Roundup: Kyte gets more, Microsoft’s ad deal, NetSuite’s golden IPO, more

Roundup: Kyte gets more, Microsoft’s ad deal, NetSuite’s golden IPO, more

Here’s the latest (updated) action:
1) Kyte.tv raises $15 million
2) Electric Sheep Company lays off 22
3) FCC receives 700MHz auction applications
4) Microsoft signs $500M ad deal
5) GPS devices fly off the shelves
6) Netsuite sets high price for planned IPO
7) Eric Eldon, celebrity at large?

Kyte.tv raises $15M… Continue Reading

VC’s set up fund for apps on Salesforce’s Force.com

VC’s set up fund for apps on Salesforce’s Force.com

“Platform” has become a buzzword this past year. With more and more business going online, the big Internet companies want to put logs in the fire, and make their living rooms cozy: Like never before, they’re providing third-party software developers support services and access to… Continue Reading

IT roundup: OnForce, Freelance, PlanHQ and Salesforce

IT roundup: OnForce, Freelance, PlanHQ and Salesforce

Earlier this week, Forrester released two reports about social software, and how it is getting adopted within companies

Blogs, wikis, social networks, sharing — it’s all giving IT departments a major migraine.

Here’s a summary of the findings, plus a listing of recent fundings and other news… Continue Reading

More thoughts on Google-Salesforce

More thoughts on Google-Salesforce

Here’s more on the product integration announcement yesterday between Google and Salesforce, two of the most important players in online applications space.

At some point, the two companies were bound to collide because their target customers in the online applications world are the same. Salesforce has… Continue Reading

Roundup: EA goes to China, Google-Salesforce, 13-year-old CEO continued, and more

Roundup: EA goes to China, Google-Salesforce, 13-year-old CEO continued, and more

Links to the latest action:

Our post about the 13-year-old CEO founder and chief executive of Elementeo, Anshul Samar, attracted an impressive number of outside links, briefly crashing VentureBeat’s site. Take a look at the additional video after the jump below to see him articulate his idea… Continue Reading

Roundup: Frontline, Breitbart, Maxthon, Clipsearch, Yahoo-Viacom, Salesforce-Koral

Roundup: Frontline, Breitbart, Maxthon, Clipsearch, Yahoo-Viacom, Salesforce-Koral

Here’s the latest action:

Big names support Frontline Wireless, which wants to end-run carriers — James Barksdale, former chief executive of Netscape (left, top), and John Doerr, a big-name venture capitalist with Kleiner Perkins (left, bottom), are the latest to back Frontline Wireless, the company we wrote… Continue Reading