Startup Matchmaker for Duke MBA Students: July 2010

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Chris Duke '87 looking for student interns to help with startup

Hi all,

Chris Duke (Fuqua '87) is an alumnus. He's looking for some students to intern with him to help him going. The mission is "To help individuals and organizations see opportunities more clearly, break free from self-imposed constraints and follow the signposts along their own path."

See attached and contact Chris directly if you are interested.

Howie

--
Howie Rhee, MBA
Managing Director, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
Office A236
919-617-1123 Google Voice / Mobile
919-660-1929 Office

Learn more about Entrepreneurship at Duke - www.EntrepreneurshipAtDuke.com
and read our Duke Entrepreneurship Manual - www.dukeven.com.
Twitter: @EshipAtDuke

Monday, July 12, 2010

boutique production company needs MBA for Business Plan

Hi all,

Sending this to the incoming class and the rising second years.

There are some folks in the Krzyzewski Center who are looking to start a production company

"We are establishing a production company that focuses on the world of sports on a global scale. Initially, we plan to do a series of documentaries in an attempt to educate people about various issues within the world of sports. In particular, we are hoping to investigate the world of coaching and characteristics that separate highly credible coaches from others. We hope to investigate the current state of youth sports with a critical eye on specialization at an early age, over-involement of parents, the negative effect sport has on moral character, and the general "arms race" to athletic stardom. Finally, we hope to investigate the landmark legislation that is known as Title IX and how it currently affects women in sports.

A second phase of this company will focus largely on dramatic television and feature length films in the sports genre."

A little bit more info is below.

Contact Greg directly if interested.

Howie

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Greg Dale <gdale@duaa.duke.edu>
Date: Mon, May 17, 2010 at 11:41 AM
Subject: Business Plan
To: jon.fjeld@duke.edu, hwr2@duke.edu

Hello Jon and Howie,

I received your names from Leslie Marx. I am in the process of developing a "boutique" production company with a producer and production company in Hollywood. The producer's name is John Carls and the production company is the Herzog Group. Our work will focus on the world of sports. We plan to develop and produce a series of documentaries as well as a dramatic television series and feature length films. We have developed a mission statement and a general outline of our proposed projects.

We are interested in developing a business plan to help raise the initial funds for these projects. We have several potential investors in mind and would like to present them with a business plan. I thought it might be a good exercise for one or two second year Fuqua student/s to develop this type of plan. Please let me know if this is something that is feasible and perhaps we can talk further about it.

Thanks

Greg

Gregory A. Dale, Ph.D.

235 Krzyzewski Center

PO Box 90555

Duke University

Durham, NC 27708

Phone - 919-613-7520

Fax- 919-681-6181

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Fwd: The Labs are Open!

For those of you with gaming startups, definitely check this out.

Howie

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Joystick Labs <info@joysticklabs.com>
Date: Fri, Jul 2, 2010 at 8:09 AM
Subject: The Labs are Open!
To: info@joysticklabs.com

You are receiving this email because you requested to be notified when the Joytick Labs website went live.

The Labs are now open and can be found at http://www.joysticklabs.com! We would also like to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter so that you can always be kept up-to-date on the latest happenings in the Labs. Links to both of those resources can be found on our home page.

We have received a fantastic response on our launch and are pleased to be able to share some of the amazing media coverage with you!

"I'm sure there are plenty of indie developers out there with teary-eyes of joy right now, because this means that the idea that you've been storing in your head all these years can finally come to fruition....This game industry solution makes a ton of sense, only given that most of the big name games that has become popular in today's culture usually started off as indie projects...that became household names over the years for most gamers." William Usher, GameBlend, 6-29-10 http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Joystick-Labs-Opens-Studio-For-Indie-Developers-25512.html

"In the past, game developers were at the mercy of game publishers, who controlled retail distribution of games and could often dictate terms. The costs of game development for the consoles became so large that the publishers only backed sequels of hits or proven teams. The indie developers were often left out in the cold, scrambling for any kind of funding. Around 2007, venture capital investments came on strong as new web-based distribution opened up. The growth of Facebook and the iPhone as game platforms also opened up huge avenues for developers to directly distribute their games." Dean Takahashi, GamesBeat, 6-30-10 http://games.venturebeat.com/2010/06/30/joystick-labs-starts-seed-stage-venture-fund-for-indie-video-games/

Thank you for your continued interest in Joystick Labs and please be sure to pass this information along to anyone that you think would be interested in learning more about Joystick Labs or even submitting an application to participate in our program!

Thanks!

The Joystick Labs Team

Scratch Music Group - C++ Audio Progammer

C++ Audio Progammer

C++ Audio Programmer
Scratch Music Group

Scratch Music Group ─ a music and media start-up founded by Jam Master Jay of Run DMC and Duke '95 grad Rob Principe ─ is searching for a talented and entrepreneurial software developer. If you have a strong expertise in audio programming, excel in a start-up environment, and have an interest in music, this may be the position for you.

OPPORTUNITY

Scratch Music Group has recently secured distribution for its first software product. The product allows anyone to import a playlist from iTunes and automatically mix their tracks just like a professional DJ. We are currently searching for a C++ programmer to join our small development team (2-3 total software developers). The Audio Programmer will be in charge of adding functionality to the existing product and supporting our senior / lead developer.

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Founded in 2002 by Jam Master Jay (Run DMC) and Rob Principe (current CEO), Scratch is a music and lifestyle company with services including talent booking, trend research, music programming, and more. Scratch Music Group also owns and operates Scratch DJ Academy (www.Scratch.com), which is the world's first and leading DJ and music production school. Scratch DJ Academy currently has locations in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles and has been featured in major press outlets including CNN, MTV, ABC, FOX, The NY Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and many more.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Work with the Lead Software Developer to add features to our existing software product (C++).

• Meet strict deadlines set by distributors and Scratch management.

• Conduct stability tests / focus groups.

• Excel in a chaotic and creative environment. Add value everyday by being a self-starter and self-motivated leader.

• Creatively solve problems with limited resources and budgets.

• Add value to overall strategic direction of the product (including future versions, mobile applications, etc.).

Most importantly, the Audio Programmer must love to code and have an interest in music!

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in computer science or related field required.

• 3 to 7 years of C++ programming experience required, with a strong knowledge of object-oriented design.

• Experience with a consumer-based application that utilizes real-time audio preferred (audio plug-in, audio sequencer, video gaming).

• Experience with both Windows and Mac OSX development required. Experience developing a cross-platform application a plus.

• Experience working with at least two of the following third-party libraries or equivalents required: juce, wxwidgets, rtAudio, boost, ffmpeg, zplane (aufTAKT, elastique, toNaRT), soundtouch

• Experience with the following a plus: MAX/MSP, Jack, MatLab, iPhone/iOS SDK

• Familiar with Agile Software Development methods a plus.

• Experience with a source control system required, SVN a plus

COMPENSATION

• Competitive salary, benefits, and stock option plan.