Friday’s MHH was a great success—thanks to all the members that came & participated, and to Sol and 12seconds for the Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery beer!

Lets face it—NextSpace members are busy people. You see, they’re kind of a big deal. Being up on the latest with fellow members and in the know of projects and opportunities at NextSpace is sometimes hard to work into our schedules.

That’s why last Friday we dedicated our MHH to doing just that! Members took turns letting us all know what projects they just launched, would like to work on, or would like to partner up on. Here are a few who pitched…

Cari Class, designer and founder of Design Source Creative Inc. says, “I specialize in branding, print, packaging and web design. I help businesses define who they are and what they do, then articulate that graphically into a brand that tells their story in a powerful way. I translate that branding consistently to all of their marketing materials, print, signage, product packaging and web.

I would love the opportunity to collaborate with other professionals; designers, developers, writers and photographers to win larger accounts.

I’m always looking for web developers to collaborate on projects with, from smaller WordPress sites to large scale eCommerce sites. I do the front end design, site architecture and manage the project, but need rock-solid back end development support.

I’m a fixture around NS and love being here. I invite you to pop your head into my office, Suite 216 (across the Café from the kitchen) anytime to chat.”

Matt Steele announced the launch of my new company, BridgeWorx. www.bridgeworx.biz.  Matt says, “I help small businesses improve their customer and vendor relations. I work primarily virtually, returning voicemail, answering Email along with a variety of other services that help small business owners bridge the gap between what they want to accomplish and what they can accomplish. This allows them to focus on the core of their business without missing opportunities or losing existing customers.”

Jessica Johnson of Johnson Education Solutions (www.jestoday.com) says, “I typically work with busy professionals who know how to make money but need to understand better ways to make their money work for them.  I provide financial education plus systems and plans, that can be implemented at a manageable pace, allowing people to actually enjoy the lifestyles they are working so hard for.  While some clients prefer high-end one-on-one consulting, others appreciate the group workshop environment, both of which offer ongoing online support.  I also offer a 2-day Camp Millionaire program so that kids can learn about money before they get into trouble with it.

I am looking to hire dynamic instructors familiar with accelerated learning techniques and sales professionals who can bring in large corporate clients on a commission only basis.  I could really benefit from introductions and client referrals. I am also actively seeking a business partner and strategic partnerships.

With my background in the Secret Service, I also work with companies or individuals planning large scale events that require a comprehensive security plan or security plan review.  I ensure that the environment is conducive to having a successful and safe event.  

I am looking for introductions and referrals to people/companies looking to hire a security consultant on a project basis.”

In fact, this MHH was so successful that we have decided to make this a monthly MHH theme…pretty sweet right?! Stay tuned for the next “Shameless Self Promotion Member Happy Hour!”

He knows what he's talking about.

The first day Einar Vollset walked into NextSpace I sat and chatted with him for a while as we do with every person who enters our doors inquiring about membership. When I asked him what he did for work he responded that he was unemployed. It was about a week later that I found out that this plaid wearing, norwegian “lumberjack” is a former Cornell professor and was at the time unemployed as a direct result of Google having acquired the modest little start up reMail which he cofounded. As I have gotten to know Einar more over the past year he has only proved my initial impression: this guy is the epitome of understated. Everything Einar does seems to shine, while he continues to be about as down to earth as someone can be.

Ns: So what is Left Coast R&D anyway?

EV: We are a Santa Cruz, CA based research and development firm. We

specialize in rapid prototyping of software targeted at mobile

(particularly iPhone and iPad) consumer, but also have deep technical

background in architecting and developing large scale distributed and

cloud systems.

Ns: What is your role in the company?

EV: Founder/CEO

Ns: Tell me about your favorite recent project.

EV: My favorite project is one I can’t talk about yet…

Ns: Do you find you you prefer to work with clients from a specific vertical, or do you work

with anyone?

EV: No we don’t care – in fact one of the things I really like doing is

working on projects for clients whose business is not traditionally

wound up with technology. Some of the most satisfying things we’ve

done is putting together a quick solution that saves our clients time

or money, preferably both

I think with the advent of smart phones with capabilities like the

iPhone or Android, we’ll see more and more of this.

Ns: What criteria do you use when deciding whether to take a project?

EV: We like doing projects that have immediate appeal.

Ns: What compelled you to start your business in Santa Cruz?

EV: I was living here and like the vibe. The Valley is too much highways

and lowrises.

Ns: Has the current economy affected your business?

EV: It hasn’t.

Ns: What was the initial reason you decided to join NextSpace?

EV: Was getting sick of Lulu’s wifi dropping.

Ns: Is NextSpace your first experience with coworking?

EV: Yes.

Ns: What, if any, challenges and or benefits have you experienced as a result of

coworking?

EV: The obvious benefits are meeting like minded and interesting people.

Challenges – I keep using the moisturizer instead of the handsoap in

the bathroom.

Ns: How has working at NextSpace changed the way you do business?

EV: It hasn’t.

Ns: What benefits have you seen to your professional life/business/product as a

result of the NextSpace Effect?

EV: You mean “The NextSpace Effect”(tm)?  ;-)

Like I said, meeting likeminded and interesting people.

Ns: What’s the best way for someone to get in touch with you?

EV: Probably by email: einar@lcrnd.com

(More info about Einar and Left Coast R&D can be found here)

Ns: Describe your business and it’s core offering.

EG: AvatarLabs is an award-winning, full-service digital agency.  Since 2001 our mission has been to push the boundaries of interactive design and technology.  We are pioneers in the interactive advertising space and have worked on marketing campaigns for many of the biggest entertainment properties including AVATAR, STAR TREK, THE DARK KNIGHT, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, and several films in the HARRY POTTER franchise. We have also developed our mobile offerings and have had over 2 million cumulative downloads of iPhone apps we’ve created for clients and for ourselves.

Ns: What is your role in your company?

EG: I help with corporate strategy, creative consulting, and business development.

Ns: Name your favorite recent project/product.

EG: AVATAR! What a fun movie!  We worked closely with the producers to craft some really neat rich ads and are now working on the home video campaign, which like the movie itself will be the biggest in Hollywood history.

Ns: Do you prefer to work with clients from a specific vertical, or do you work with all? Why?

EG: We have specialized in entertainment, but work with a variety of clients and enjoy the opportunities and challenges of working with major brands in many verticals, from consumer goods to government agencies.

Ns: What criteria do you use when deciding whether to take a project?

EG: We like to work on projects that challenge us and demand innovation in design and technology.

Ns: What compelled you to move your business to Santa Cruz?

EG: AvatarLabs is based in Los Angeles.  I love Santa Cruz for it’s natural splendor, but am also excited by the creativity, innovation, and opportunities in the business community locally, and “over the hill”.  And I like the cool people here!

Ns: How has the current economy affected your business?

EG: We have actually grown this year.  Our savvy CEO, Rex Cook, has kept costs in check and focused on quality and customer service.  Of course we might have grown faster if things were different in the macro-economy.

Ns: What was the initial reason you decided to join NextSpace?

EG: I heard “innovative”, “co-working” and “high tech”, and had to check it out.  The flexibility and community have kept me here.  And the charming staff, of course.

Ns: Is NextSpace your first experience with co-working?

EG: Yes.

Ns: What, if any, challenges and or benefits have you experienced as a result of co-working?

EG: I think the challenges are the same as in any office.  The benefits too.  The difference is in rubbing shoulders with people in different lines of work and tapping the resultant network for opportunities, community, and friendship.

Ns: How has working at NextSpace changed the way you do business?

EG: More surfing.  Does that count?  Honestly, I think the collaborative environment is where I’m finding value.

Ns: What benefits have you seen to your professional life/business/product as a result of the NextSpace Effect?

EG: I have had some success with finding talent for projects and finding leads for jobs.

Ns: What is the best way for people to get in touch with you?

EG: Erik Gillberg

erik@avatarlabs.com

cell 818.312.0491

main office 818.784.2200

http://www.avatarlabs.com

16030 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 102

Encino, CA 91436

But given the current state of the economy, I think I’m most proud of this accomplishment: over the past year, NextSpace, Inc. has created five full- and part-time jobs.  And that number doesn’t take into account the jobs that our members and their companies have created.  At a time when the national unemployment rate is at its highest point in a generation and as the specter of a “jobless recovery” looms large, NextSpace and our members are doing something remarkable:  we’re creating jobs.

How?  By creating the infrastructure and the community that freelancers, independent consultants, and start-ups need to make their businesses successful.  The economic downturn has forced a lot of people into these employment categories and NextSpace has been there to provide a safe haven.  Even better, we’ve provided the networking and collaboration opportunities that many of them needed to land their first gigs, close their first deals, and connect with their first teammates.  And through our sponsorship of Freelance Camp, Hope Foundry, Girls in Tech, and the UC Santa Cruz Business Plan Competition, we’re providing the training that these new entrepreneurs need to make their ideas fly.

Over the past year, we’ve noticed an interesting trend:  many of the people who have been forced into entrepreneurship (make no mistake, a freelancer is an entrepreneur and I’ve begun using the terms interchangeably) have no intention of ever getting another “real job.”  Sure, they’ve been able to make a living and pay the bills.  But they’re finding that entrepreneurship has a bunch of intangible benefits.  These entrepreneurs like their newfound professional flexibility as opposed to the daily grind.  Many have ditched their daily commutes.  And they’ve become more engaged with their communities and their families.

For many of our members at NextSpace, freelancing and entrepreneurship have ceased to be a stop-gap measure or a “career of last resort.”  Instead, they’re using freelancing to take control of their lives and their careers.  Our members work when and how they want, on projects that make the best use of their skills and passions, and in a way that allows them to more fully integrate work, family, and the environment.

Companies like NextSpace are providing the community and physical infrastructure these entrepreneurs need.  Companies like Elance are creating new marketplaces that connect freelancers with clients and provide a virtual space to find, manage, and complete high-quality work.  And (slowly!) policymakers are beginning to consider revamping the outdated legal and regulatory infrastructure that governs the “old” way of working (check out this op-ed that my co-founder Ryan Coonerty and I wrote on healthcare and entrepreneurism).  Collectively, we’re creating a new landscape that allows NextSpace members to choose entrepreneurism as their job, rather than instead of their job.

Which brings me back to job creation.  When Ryan and I were doing our business planning for NextSpace in the spring of 2008, we made a remarkable discovery.  More than 6,000 businesses are licensed to operate in the City of Santa Cruz and nearly two-thirds (dude, two-thirds!) of those businesses have exactly one employee.  So Santa Cruz is a town full of freelancers numbering nearly 4000.  And that number doesn’t count the hundreds of freelancers that haven’t bothered to get a business license.  As Ryan has brilliantly observed, if half of those businesses were able to bring on one more employee, it would be the largest job-creation phenomenon in the history of Santa Cruz.  Imagine replicating that phenomenon in hundreds of communities across the country.  We’d chase away the specter of a “jobless recovery” pretty quickly.

I won’t try to deny that Santa Cruz is a quirky place. In fact, I wouldn’t want it any other way. What the rest of the world may see as quirky, most of us Santa Cruzans see as tolerant, welcoming, creative, and innovative. Still, I’m troubled by the possibility that the viral spread of the Huffington Post video is giving our fair seaside town a bad rap. So in the interest of providing a more complete version of the character of Santa Cruz, please take a spin through the following few items:

–In this short video, Greg Gumble (yep, THE Greg Gumble) from The Economic Report shows why Santa Cruz is a unique ecosystem that boasts a balanced lifestyle, a history of innovation, a strong entrepreneurial spirit, and a highly educated workforce. These are the exact ingredients for a strong, vibrant economy and we’ve got more than our fair share of those ingredients in Santa Cruz.

–Santa Cruz is loaded with creative designers, scrappy entrepreneurs, and savvy business people. This video, produced and directed by NextSpace member Dusty Nelson, features a who’s who of local educators, engineers, bankers, designers, government officials, and CEOs, all offering their pitch on why Santa Cruz is a great place to work, live, and play. Take 10 minutes and watch the whole thing. It’s an awfully damn impressive piece of filmmaking and showcases some of the world-class talent in this town.

–Speaking of world-class talent, check out this Business Week article about Santa Cruz-based Plantronics and Altec Lansing.  Together, these companies racked up six innovation awards at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.  Tens of millions of people all over the world use their award-winning products and every one of those products was designed right here in Santa Cruz.

–What about the money? You need a pile of it to build great companies, not an easy task in these cash-strapped times. But local social networking start-up UserVoice recently landed $800,000 in seed stage capital. AlgaeOMEGA, a bio-fuels company spun out of research at NASA and UC Santa Cruz, received another $800,000. NextSpace member Carmen Kubas led her company, Lightfoot Industries, to a third place finish in a regional venture capital competition.  And local heroes 12seconds.tv are luring investors with their new iPhone app and their huge community of users. Want to invest in some of the hottest new companies across a range of industries? Look no further than quirky Santa Cruz.

Like any city, Santa Cruz has lots of faces. We’re a surfing town, a tourist town, and a university town. Despite our depiction in the Huffington Post Santa Cruz is a town that’s building an enviable ecosystem of business, lifestyle, and innovation. What’s our secret? We take ourselves seriously, just not too seriously.

As you probably know by now, our mission at NextSpace is (wait for it!) to catalyze local talent, local ideas, and local capital in Santa Cruz to create products, services, and solutions for the global marketplace.  A hugely important repository of talent and ideas and, indirectly, capital is right in our backyard and is, in my humble little opinion, completely underutilized as a community resource:  the University of California Santa Cruz.

I won’t go into all of the recent and longstanding town-gown issues between the city and UCSC.  Instead, I’ll simply assert that NextSpace cannot reach its full potential as an entrepreneurial catalyst and Santa Cruz cannot claim its rightful place as a world-class innovative community unless we take positive steps to access the wealth of talent and ideas resident in the faculty, students, and staff at UCSC.  So, here are a few examples of what NextSpace and UCSC have done together to build some bridges:

UCSC Business Plan Competition

Last month, UCSC held its first-ever business plan competition.  The inspiration of Steve Bourdow from the Baskin School of Engineering and a group of entrepreneurial undergrads, the competition was a huge success.  Mostly, the competition proved that there is a nascent spirit of entrepreneurship at UCSC.  I served on the competition’s advisory board and helped screen the semi-finalists. And NextSpace was proud to host the semi-final event.  The energy at NextSpace shot up on the day of that event as we were flooded with enthusiastic, eager competitors.  I’m not shy to say that I was incredibly impressed and deeply moved by the passion and the smarts that these kids displayed.  A few of the finalists will be pitching for capital at an event at NextSpace next week, and a couple of the competitors have joined us a members.  It’s safe to say that the competition exceeded everyone’s expectations, marking the beginning of a new era of entrepreneurship at UCSC.  Yeah, that sounds kind of lofty.  But I think it’s true.

Senior Design Competition

Twice a year, seniors in the Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering programs at UCSC participate in a Senior Design capstone course.  Students work in cross-disciplinary teams to complete a significant interdisciplinary design project.  At the end of the course they compete for cash prizes and street cred.  This year, NextSpace and the Soquel Group have partnered to offer a prize for the Most Commercializable project.  You can read our fancy press release here.  Last week, I spent some time with David Munday, who was the winner in 2007.  He’s now a Ph.D. candidate and the TA for the Senior Design course.  He gave me a quick rundown of the projects that the students are working on this year.  I was blown away.  The competition is tomorrow, June 12th, so stay tuned for results.  I’m prepared to be amazed.  So should you.

Pilot Project for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Now almost a year old, PPIE is a collaboration between the City of Santa Cruz and UCSC.  And from what I can tell, it was one of the first positive steps between the two entities after the settlement of their mega-lawsuit.  PPIE gives undergraduates an opportunity to put their classroom training in business and economics to practical use by working on projects in fields such as alternative energy, medical devices, and transportation systems.  Many of the PPIE students also served as interns for companies at NextSpace such as Quiddities and Open Spectrum.  And I had the honor of speaking to the students at their end-of-year wrap up.  Make no mistake:  the undergraduates at UCSC are smart, serious, and ready to contribute to the Santa Cruz economy.

NextSpace and Shakespeare Santa Cruz

We’ve had a special relationship with Shakespeare Santa Cruz a world-class reparatory theater company resident at UCSC for a while now.  A couple of SSC board members were among our very first NextSpace members and we’ve supported the organization by providing space for some of their staff and board meetings.  But we’re most proud of the fact that SSC chose NextSpace to host the kickoff of their emergency fundraising campaign.  At that event, I had the pleasure of meeting Marco Barricelli, SSCs artistic director, who gave the simplest, most impassioned, most articulate defense of the arts and why the arts are a critical part of any community.  Tonight, Marco will be our special guest at a roundtable discussion about the intersection of the arts and technology and how those two sectors overlap.  Along the way, we hope the conversation will broaden into a discussion of the essential ingredients of a world-class creative and innovative community.  But I’m sure of this:  the world-class talent at SSC is an absolutely essential part of the creativity and innovation in Santa Cruz.

So that’s a quick snapshot of what NextSpace and UCSC have done together.  What do you think?  What opportunities might be ahead?  I’ll say it again:  NextSpace in specific, and Santa Cruz in general, cannot reach its full potential unless we work together to unleash the talent, ideas, and capital resident at UCSC.  I’d love to hear your ideas.

The boys from 12seconds.tv graced the cover of last week’s Good Times magazine. The article focuses on the meteoric rise of 12seconds. But it also tells the story of how this homegrown Santa Cruz company has relied on community, collaboration, and a ton of hard work to create the world’s coolest social media company.

UserVoice got some great press in the Wall Street Journal recently. Why? Because they just closed an $800,000 angel investment round. ‘Nuff said.

As you may have heard, the economy isn’t doing so hot these days. Small cities like Santa Cruz are getting especially hard hit, leaving our fair seaside town with an $8 million budget shortfall. Literally overnight, NextSpace members Shane and Peter, Inc., put together an interactive website (with the help of the newly-funded guys from UserVoice) to help local citizens understand the scope of the crisis. But here’s the cool part: citizens can use the site to suggest ways to close the gap, giving elected leaders immediate, aggregated feedback on what their constituents think. Check out the Sentinel article here. Attention governments of all sizes: small, agile innovators might be your best bet for solving our current financial mess.

Economy got you down? NextSpace members Sean Tario and Nick Sobrak-Seaton are here to cheer you up. Sean and Nick with the help of fellow ‘spacers Ryan Coonerty and the team at Parachute Creative just launched a campaign called Santa Cruz Makes Me Happy. You can read the press here. Sure, this site might sound a little fluffy. But attitude is everything in life. And with so many amazing attributes and so many talented people, it’s hard not to feel just a little cheerful here in Surf City.

NextSpace member Sun McNamee was profiled in a recent article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel. A filmmaker, editor, and designer, Sun is a part of Awake Media. Most impressive is her affiliation with Youth Empowering Youth, where she mentors high school girls in the making of short documentary films and teaches them the power of media.

The Sentinel also profiled NextSpace member Rich Mundell from Udutu. An e-learning company based in British Columbia and Santa Cruz, Udutu boasts some big clients like Microsoft and the United Nations. Which means Udutu does a nice job of validating the NextSpace mission of making Santa Cruz a hub for providing products, services, and solutions for the global marketplace.

Then there’s the heartbreakingly wonderful story of NextSpace member Dave Wardle and his daughter Sofia. Dave took a sabbatical from Critical Networks to create the Sofia Maze, an interactive game to honor the memory of his daughter, who recently passed away from a rare disease called histiocytosis. Dave’s efforts garnered plenty of press and attention. This clip from local NBC affiliate KSBW does a nice job of telling Dave and Sofia’s touching story.

Last, but certainly not least, is a profile of the Q-Mamas from Quiddities. The headline of the article in the Sentinel perfectly captures the spirit of Quiddities, the spirit of NextSpace, and the spirit of this community: Santa Cruz Tech Company Thrives on Collaboration. That just about sums it up.

Whew, okay, that’s quite a round-up. Whenever people ask us about the early success of NextSpace, we’re always quick to give the credit back to our members. They’re the ones on the front lines of innovation and entrepreneurship. And this deluge of press is proof of their hard work and effort. Things are happening in Santa Cruz, folks. Come on down, check it out, and get on board.

1) ZoomPool will be presenting their platform for a safer, more reliable rideshare/carpool matching service.

2) Studio Cruz, an industrial design company, will be presenting a prototype for their disruptive innovation: a continuously variable gear system for bicycles.

3) RideSpring will be presenting their web-based service that make alternative commuting easier, more convenient, and more rewarding.

4) Verdafero, an enterprise software company, will be presenting their enterprise-based SaaS product for managing your company’s triple bottom line.

5) Neighborsville, a Web 2.0 company, will be presenting their hyper-local social networking platform.

What about the angel investors?  Here’s a flavor of who will be there: current and former CEO’s of publicly-traded companies; current and former senior managers at big companies like Intel and eBay; serial entrepreneurs who have founded and led companies to seven-, eight-, and nine-figure exits; attorneys with plenty of experience with start-up deal flow; former hedge fund managers and private equity managers; serial angel investors who have made early placements in companies like Google and Sun Microsystems; and former statewide office-holders (these guys might not write checks, but I bet they know people who will….!).

So, local talent? Check. Local ideas? Check. Local capital? Check. Product, services, and solutions for the global marketplace? Check, check, and….check.

Something very special is happening in Santa Cruz around entrepreneurship and sustainability.  Thanks to all five of tonight’s companies for having the brains and the guts to be a part of it.  And thanks to the NextSpace community–and all the entrepreneurs, geeks, and innovators in Santa Cruz–for creating a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in this amazing little seaside city.

Meanwhile, if you’re an entrepreneur looking for a chance to pitch, or if you’re an investor looking for a chance to help build the Santa Cruz economy, please drop us a line.  I’ll say it again: Something very special is happening in Santa Cruz around entrepreneurship and sustainability.  Get on board.