Thursday, March 31, 2016



CEO Mavi Miller has been working diligently to get her dream startup off the ground, and we're please to announce that KukyWorld (https://kukyworld.com/) has finally launched! Please check out her wonderfully creative and beautiful e-commerce site for really neat and kooky items! Okay, truly many of them are just beautiful. Browse and shop everyone!
Kuky Launches! Come Take a Look!
Thursday, March 31, 2016

Kuky Launches! Come Take a Look!

Tuesday, January 26, 2016


It's that time again. Pitch season! In fact, it's always pitch season. This is one of our favorites. Gumhoo's TK Chen at DEMO USA. Mr. Chen demonstrates his terrific ability to tell a simple and compelling story. We were happy to have the opportunity to work with TK, who went on to get funded by Startup Labs.

Select here for Startup America talk
And if you didn't get enough of TK, here he is again at Startup America! As TK explains, ask yourself, "Gumhoo?"
REVISITED: Gumhoo at DEMO USA
Tuesday, January 26, 2016

REVISITED: Gumhoo at DEMO USA

Friday, January 22, 2016

Kevin Chen leads the Sales Kickoff Meeting for
Hwashing Publishing and Jibao team held in
Xceleration Labs Taipei offices this week.

Our very own Kevin Chen, Insitti (a partner organization of Xceleration Labs in Taiwan), leads the kick off sales meeting for Hwashing Publishing and Jibao as they tackle the Taiwan High School market.

2015 cycle had been the initial introduction of Jibao System cloud computing software to teachers featuring it's unique concept map nodes imbedded with text, photos, url links and video. This years version features an innovation easy to use presentation tool, which allows teachers to easy and efficiently grab text, photos, video and urls for their slide building.

More to come as we track their progress!
It's a New Year! Tis the Season of Sales Kickoff!
Friday, January 22, 2016

It's a New Year! Tis the Season of Sales Kickoff!

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Each year, college graduates from Ivy League schools and comparable fine institutions search for meaning and their first jobs out of college, it is well documented that many of them turned to investment banking and management consulting. Work that requires long hours, travel and dedication befitting their overachieving status. See recent literary works such as  William Deresiewicz's Excellent Sheep or Marina Keegan's The Opposite of Loneliness.  (This writer has seen this phenomena up close and personal)


They are perfect candidates for these banking and consulting jobs, because it leverages their basic attributes of being able to work long hours and sacrifice a proper work life balance for a delayed gratification result.

It is common for these entry level bankers and consultants to complain-brag of their 100 hour weeks, their 4 all nighters in a row, and not seeing daylight for weeks at a time. If it were any other profession or job, they'd be the labor outcry of the terrible working conditions that are destroying our elite youth.

(By the way, how could you have a 100 hour week? - even at 12 hour days x 7 days that's only 84, still another 16 hours in there some where)

So where's the high? Why do they do it? Don't get me wrong, the jobs are prestigious and intoxicating. Where else can you have a 24 year old tell a 55 year old business owner what to do with themselves? They pay handsomely for a young man or woman who's only claim to life may be that they mastered the ability to do well in school. And yet, at the high 5 figures or low 6 figure salaries versus the annual hours worked, and they're getting minimum wages (We use to say, McD's wages, but now even McD workers get $15/hr in many states).

(Don't get me wrong some of my "best" friends are Ivy League wall streeters).

Inevitably the attrition is high and after a two to three year stint, these high achieving elite move on to other professions, graduate school, (Although, some do remain and eventually go on to rule Wall Street and the corporate world). At least this has been true of the previous generation of overachieving ivy leaguers and comparable institutions entering the workforce.

THE NEW ENTRY LEVEL JOB FOR THE EDUCATED ELITE: Startup Founder

Fast forward to today, where the new generation of graduating seniors of elite institutions have been told they are "special", they will do something "big," and they matter. They've now migrate to the new entry job - Startup Founder. 

As a startup founder, master's of their own universe, when asked how they're doing, the answer is inevitably "crushing it." They sport the same complain-brag of the entry level banker-consultant, "Yeah, it's 24/7." "We're at it 12 hours a day/7 days a week." Much of this is self-induced, part of this is because they believe this is what their investors want to hear.

But wait. . . there's no pay? And even when they are successful and get their funding that gives them those fancy aero chairs and Macbook airs, when all is said in done, they exit with little of their original company. Profits to be made by their new masters who made the risky investments and bet on their success. 

The final act of this story is yet to play out, but it is definitely food for thought as to what's becoming of these educated elite youth and how they fare in the long term. 
The Changing First Jobs Out of College for the Ivy League Elite: From Banking to Startups
Thursday, January 07, 2016

The Changing First Jobs Out of College for the Ivy League Elite: From Banking to Startups

Wednesday, January 6, 2016


Xceleration Labs Guest Blog by Mitch de Leon, European Lead. Reprinted from his Linkedin post:

People from both Asia and North America where I used to live and work write to me often and ask about the Nordic "unicorns", start-ups and all the innovation buzz around the Nordics. 

Having spent some time working side by side Nordic Entrepreneurs both men and women,  CEOs, founders and their teams, I can tell you there is something really special here. You have to also understand that the Nordics is changing and while you think it is a homogenous mix of typically blond fellows, this isn't the case here. Cognitive, gender and ethnic diversity is alive and well in the Nordics. 

I wrote recently that folks in the Nordics simply "Get Shit Done".  

Here's 5 Secrets Nordic Entrepreneurs Have In Their Back Pockets and Why You Should Care:

1. Nordic Entrepreneurs are Laser-Focused. Once they've identified a big problem to solve, worked out their access to decision-makers,  they seem to be able to streamline a lot of their processes and be singularly-focused. This is apparent in the very early stages of their formation, growth and eventual rocket-ship trajectory.

2. They GET-SHIT-DONE quietly and efficiently. People will point you to 
Jantelagen (Law of Jante). I don't think they give a hoot about that. There is little desire to draw attention to themselves and care about what other people think.  It's ingrained that they have to do quality work and spend time with their family. They want to have a life. The majority of Entrepreneurs I have worked with have deep sense of integrity i.e. doing the right thing even if no one is looking.

3. Consensus doesn't slow them down. Once Entrepreneurs find the right team members their strategy isn't about making elaborate plans, often their strategy is about their core beliefs. Once everyone is aligned, they do work efficiently, effectively and in tight unison and with consensus often at warp speed.

4. They care (period). It's not just empathy or social sensitivity. They care about their employees, customers, the environment and the good of humanity. 

5. Shieldmaidens. You've heard about the Vikings and the Viking mentality. The burning of the viking ships to get them to be focused on the task -- that part is true. What you probably have not heard too much about are Shieldmaidens. They were women who are chosen to fight as warriors. There is little doubt in my mind that the Women Entrepreneurs from the Nordics shall be the leaders of tomorrow. While the corporate world has only 3% penetration in Sweden at least, I am seeing more women led entrepreneurial teams in the Nordics -- I see this in Asia as well but the Nordic women like their Asian counterparts are fearless, uber-Smart, creative and most importantly they really really care. Historical accuracy of Shieldmaidens may be hard to prove but in my mind Shieldmaidens are reincarnated in spirit through women I have worked with here. Personally, I am biased. I grew up with 8 sisters and a University professor mom who had a PhD and an MBA while raising 10 kids. I am comfortable working with strong, independent and smart women. Perhaps, you didn't grow up in that environment and may not be ready for this paradigm and reality. 

Nordic women are poised to change the world. In truth and in fact, in a technology laden world, where computers might outsmart us like Cylons, I personally think a Shieldmaiden mom will discover how to make computers more human. 

You should care because while Nordic Entrepreneurs don't purposefully set out to eat your lunch, they probably will if you don't take notice. 

5 Secrets Nordic Entrepreneurs Have In Their Back Pockets and Why You Should Care - RePost from Linkedin
Wednesday, January 06, 2016

5 Secrets Nordic Entrepreneurs Have In Their Back Pockets and Why You Should Care - RePost from Linkedin