Intro to Rob Go & NextView Ventures:

Rob Go is a founding member of NextView Ventures, a Boston based micro VC, who as of February 2012 closed their inaugural seed-stage fund.....of $21 million! Rob brings an array of expertise to NextView and their portfolio companies. He is a Harvard Business School graduate, started his career at Parthenon Group (consulting firm), worked for eBay and Fidelity in product management roles, transitioned into venture capital with Spark Capital, and now is well on his way with NextView Ventures. With the hectic life of a VC: traveling, meetings, startup pitches, etc. Rob was kind enough to answer a few questions about his experiences as a VC. So lets get started:

It's that time of year again. With the holiday's well approaching it's time to reflect on this past year as we impart thanks to our noble bosses. Well for the majority of us we probably have little to thank in the way of bosses, but it is our obligation as employees to provide some sort of gift as a means of gratitude...yeah right. Gift giving is hard enough for family, let alone a person who judges our every move on a daily basis. So to make things a little easier I've compiled a list of some unique gift ideas for that special someone in the corner office.

The Drinker

$40 - Home Made Gin Kit
Gin Kit + Bottle of Premium Vodka = Happy Boss

Two weeks ago Starbucks agreed to acquire Teavana Holdings Inc. for a little over $600 million (lawsuit has been filed to halt takeover so things could get interesting). Looks like a smart move, even with the likelihood of Teavana cannibalizing Tazo Tea (already owned by Starbucks). Any thoughts on this move? Personally, I think its brilliant. Coffee is slowly falling by the wayside as tea is becoming the new drink of choice. I actually stopped at Starbucks this morning and swapped my usual grande dark roast for a grande green tea. I wish I had made the switch sooner. Needless to say, it looks like Starbucks is staying ahead of the trends in North America and appears they are looking to make a play in foreign markets....tea is way more popular in Asia.

We’re back this week with Part 2 of the Matt Christensen Q&A. In part 1, Matt discussed disruptive innovation as an investment strategy and touched on some of the main points defining disruptive innovation. In part 2, Matt explains why the concept of disruptive innovation has been historically difficult to adopt among corporate leaders and what industries are on the brink of disruption.

You touch on the point that this idea of disruption has become mainstream. In that sense why is it still difficult for companies to identify disruption and head it off before it becomes a threat?

Matthew Christensen Introduction

Mr. Christensen is one of the leading practitioners of disruptive innovation. His father, Clayton Christensen, coined the phrase in his famed NYT bestseller, The Innovators Dilemma, which has developed a worldwide audience as the forward thought on business model strategy. Matt has used the term, disruptive innovation, to break the mold of traditional investment strategies. As a founder of Rose Park Advisors, a Boston based hedge fund; Matt uses his expertise in identifying and applying disruptive innovation frameworks to encompass the foundation of Rose Park's investment strategy. In summary, Rose Park Advisors has one simple criterion for investing: Is the company disruptive or not?

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share two recent travel experiences that highlight the differences between a night’s stay at a hotel vs. Airbnb. Who do you think fared better? The hotel chain with over 100 years of experience or the online company that has been around for 4 years. For some background on these events, both trips took place in Boston within 3 months of each other. Same location, but very different experiences....

Hotel Chain
I won't name names but this hotel is part of the largest organization of hotels and resorts in the world. Here is the timeline of events:

1. I go to Kayak.com to find the best rates/location for accommodations in Boston

Public speaking is tough. All eyes on you, the thought of failure slowly setting in, gripping you with fear and anxiety. Most of us have felt this at some point in our lives. I felt this in college giving a presentation on asset management, I felt it during an investment pitch on the job. So how do we overcome this fear. Thankfully there's an easy remedy: practice, practice, practice. The more familiar you are with public speaking the easier it becomes. Again, public speaking is tough, but it can also be your greatest asset. Forbes.com featured an article short list of why public speaking is great for you:

Hi everyone,

This is the final part of the Jon Yeazel interview, How to Dress for Success on Wall Street. Jon has given us some great info over the past couple weeks; from suit accessories to selected styles and fit. To conclude our interview Jon has given us some of his top online locations for ties, pocket squares, and suits. He also gives a brief run down of his successful Kickstarter campaign. So lets get started.

Jon's Favorite Sites:

1. The Tie Bar - where I get almost all of my ties and pocket squares

Leaving a job can be a highly charged emotional situation. It seems that of late, many individuals have taken to social media to air out the dirty laundry upon exit. In March, Greg Smith, formerly of Goldman Sachs provided a scathing review of his former employer, providing insight into the inept nature of Goldman's management and the mistreatment of its clients.

Now its September and yet another scandalous resignation letter has hit the wire. This time its out of a UK media company, MEC. Similar to Greg Smith, the individual felt slighted by management. Again, this individual felt the need to share their disdain for the company while naming names. If you haven't seen it take a look (highlight of the letter: accusing his boss of having sex with a female colleague at the office).

So I have to ask, is it worth all the trouble? If anything it looks like career suicide...

This is the 3rd and final part of the Peter Schiff interview. In Part 1 & 2 Peter Schiff explored the issues, reasoning, variables, and effects of another economic collapse.

Q: What can we learn from this disaster that was overlooked in the collapse of 08?