Finance

Silicon Valley’s 9+, an accelerator founded by serial entrepreneur and company builder Peter Relan is investing $110,000 into game developers to quit developing games and shift to consumer, mobile, Big Data and wearable apps.

Do you understand your true business costs? Do you know how much it really costs to run your business? If you don’t really understand your fixed and variable costs, how can you make sure that you are covering them?

“How can I connect with investors?” is one of the most common questions I hear from early-stage entrepreneurs. “Connect” is a good word to use. If you’re looking for funding, you don’t just want to “meet” investors, shake their hands and give them your quick pitch. You want to “connect” with them, to really make a deeper connection.

Social media aggregator RebelMouse recently raised $10.25 million in Series A funding led by Oak Investment Partners, SoftBank, Sterling Investment Partners and Michael Lazerow in a move that will help the firm power clients sites to better engage their audiences and nab in more clients.

If the point of a business is to make money, then obviously you want to be very careful when it comes to managing that money. Your bank is key in this matter. Choosing a banking solution is one of the most important decisions you need to make as a startup. Your bank is more than just a place to store your money; it’s a tool to help you to minimize your financial risks and to manage your cash flow.

It can be a confusing world to seek funding when you’re just starting out and Silicon Beach Fest (#SBF) was a great place to learn what investors are looking for, meet investors of all levels in a collaborative environment, network with like-minded entrepreneurs, and develop relationships to further your dream and business.

Yelp, the company that connects consumers with great local businesses, has acquired SeatMe, a web and iPad-app based restaurant and nightlife reservation service.

Silicon Valley? That’s so yesterday. Today’s startup innovators come from about six hours south of Silicon Valley. If that’s news to you, here are eleven of Los Angles’ best and brightest. Get to know them now before they become household names.

ResearchGate, the professional network for scientists, has raised a $35 million series C investment from Bill Gates and Tenaya Capital with participation from Dragoneer Investment Group, Thrive Capital, and the company’s existing investors Benchmark and Founders Fund.

Dwolla, a payment network that allows users, either business or individuals to person to send, request and accept money to email addresses, phone numbers, Facebook friends, LinkedIn connections, Twitter followers has today announced it has integrated with Mint.com, a move that will allow users to easily track their expenses and financial accounts easily.