OpenIDEO | Venture Connect

http://www.ventureconnect.ro

OPENIDEO (www.openideo.com) endorsed by the European Commission. What it means is that the Commission crowd sources ideas on how to support web entrepreneurs. Crowd sourcing was one of the ideas suggested at the Digital Agenda Assembly 2011. The conclusions of the crowd source exercise will be presented at the Digital Agenda Assembly 2012 giving credit to the ones who propose the winning concepts. We have received 228 inspiration in less than one week, but we would like to hear from you too.

If you’ve been involved in entrepreneurial activity, or think you have a few ideas about it, the OPENIDEO project may just be your call to action! All the information can be found HERE and the process is quite easy as it is related to clever techniques currently fostering web entrepreneurs worldwide – from Berlin to London, from Silicon Valley to Shanghai. Think up some of the creative ideas that could support the industry across Europe, whether it’s through education, awareness, new activities, new services or even regulatory change.

With 12M+ Downloads, Scan Launches Scan-to-gram, A New Way To Follow People On Instagram | TechCrunch

http://techcrunch.com

Three guys from Provo, Utah set out on a mission to make QR codes, those boring pixellated, black-and-white squares come alive — in other words, to extend their functionality by turning them into realworld “like,” “follow,” and “buy” buttons. And it’s been working. In February, Scan announced a seed funding round from Shervin Pishevar, Google Ventures, CRV, Start Fund, Social + Capital, Ludlow Ventures, and more. The company moved their operations from Utah to San Francisco, and is currently sitting at just over 12 million downloads across iOS devices. As Scan is in the business of creating apps that extend the potential application of QR code tech, Scan is today leveraging the buzz around Instagram to let businesses, organizations, etc. build their Instagram user base via QR codes. The new app, appropriately called Scan-to-gram, which launches today, lets users scan QR codes and instantly follow a company and its employees. Notable Instagrammers to be part of its initial launch, including Warby Parker, Zooey Deschanel, Nike, Marc Jacobs, and, notably, the Instagram team itself.

Saas For Cows! Farmeron Raises $1.4 Million *Seed* To Ease Farmers’ Lives | TechCrunch

http://techcrunch.com

A lot of people in Silicon Valley are pretty obsessed with organic this and that. One or two startups have looked at the whole connecting-fams-with-consumers-directly model, even. So it’s odd that it’s taken a startup from little old Croatia to realise that it’s the farmers themselves that could use a little help. And let’s not be parochial about this. Farming is big business. The ‘market’ of medium and corporate-size farms around the world is worth a juicy $12 billion – but as of today it’s often run on outmoded systems. Thus, Farmeron.com, a startup billing itself as one of the world’s first agricultural SaaS companies, plans to change all that. It’s closed a $1.4 million seed (one time this word is highly appropriate) round co-led by Lee Hower of NextView Ventures and Jeff Clavier of SoftTech VC.  Other prominent angels – Evan Nisselson of LDV Capital, Niko Hrdy, Taavet Hinrikus – also participated. The funds will be used to hire key management team members and to staff sales and support teams both in US and Europe.

Shavenu Delivers Razor Blades to Your Doorstep Every Month | TechCrunch

http://techcrunch.com

European newcomer Shavenu is now offering shaving blade subscriptions to scruffy Brits, Canadians, and Deutschlanders using the DollarShaveClub.com model that set the shaving world alight last month. For £1 per month, a pack of 5 two-blade cartridges is sent to your home every month with a handle in the first package. Unfortunately, this competitive price does not include shipping cost. If you have higher standards, cartridges with three and five blades are available as well for £5 and £8 per month respectively. For these models, shipping is included. Shavenu’s founder Marc Uthay hated to wait in line at the supermarket in order to buy new Gillette cartridges he lacked at home. He faced the dilemma of losing some precious time or keeping his stubble for the day — something he would have liked to avoid. Then he came up with the idea of Shavenu.

Is Stanford Too Close to Silicon Valley?

http://www.newyorker.com

When looking for engineers, Schmidt said, Google starts at Stanford…

Is Hollywood bribing China?…

http://www.newyorker.com

This is turning out to be the season of uncomfortable questions in China—questions about how deals get made and how influence is won. With the Bo Xilai case already illuminating the way that powerful officials trade on their access,…

Are Your Co-Workers Making You Fat? How the People Around Us Influence What We Eat (Infographic)

http://blog.betterworks.com

Obesity and healthiness can be contagious.

Build a killer PR engine. | StartupPlays

http://zfer.us

How to get press coverage for your startup by Adrian Salamunovic, founder of DNA 11, who has been mentioned in Mashable, TechCrunch, Wall Stree Journal, and many more.