End-of-year twitter digest, 2013

Thank you to all our readers for joining the conversation here in 2013.  We wish you all a happy and prosperous 2014, and look forward to seeing many of you at the Florida Venture Capital Conference, January 28&29 at Hyatt Regency Orlando.

Offered for your reading pleasure, in case you missed any:  a compendium of our twitter highlights from 2013.

• As Exit Runways Grow, So Does Growth Equity. Growth equity is a class of venture capital not be confused with private equity or leveraged buyouts.
• CA taxes entrepreneurs & investors 5 yrs retroactively, and maybe even after they flee… to Texas & the Southeast.
• Vintage Future, V – special ’80s edition. Our 5th (Vth?) look at how today’s trend can be tomorrow’s punchline.
• Transparency, objectivity, truth-telling, opening doors. Making the Most of Your Board.
• Don Burton honored for his pioneering work as a founding father of the Florida venture capital industry.
• FL to pass NY in population. Pro-business/low-tax environment, plus actual climate environment cited as reasons.
• Interesting piece on the history of patent reform.  Did 1979 law create tidal wave of software litigation?
• 7 Things Investors Love To See (with bonus “7 Signs You’re Not Entrepreneur Material” in Read More section).
• What every entrepreneur needs to learn from food trucks: make it easier for customers to engage & transact.
• 6 Things Successful Entrepreneurs Always Do.  Even if there were a genetic component to “entrepreneurial engagement,” entrepreneurs succeed because of their good habits which they repeat day in and day out.
• Florida’s entrepreneurial activity rate exceeds national average. (From the 2012 GEM U.S. Report from Babson College.)
• A statistical ranking reveals which states have the most thriving startup communities, and which states have work to do. FL&TX ranked 1&2 in “The United States of Innovation.”
• SEC making it harder for start-ups to raise $:  A Red-Tape Turnoff for Startups.
• Might be for earlier stage companies, but still good advice:  5 Things VCs Want You to Know Before You Pitch.
• Lessons in Entrepreneurship – MIT prof re-examines how e-ship is taught. Interesting, especially for early stage companies.
• Rise of the high-tech south, cont. – Austin to get non-stop London service from British Airways.
• SEC set to cripple angel investing.  Government regulations rarely get the details right even when intent is good.
• HB 705 creates Florida Capital Technology Seed Fund. Companies who receive $ from the Fund must provide 1:1 private $ match.
• Kleiner’s Laws – great entrepreneurial wisdom from legendary VC Eugene Kleiner.
• Tampa #2 in Forbes “10 Best Cities For Young Entrepreneurs.” Southeast &Texas grab 5 out of 10 slots.
• “Existing companies execute a business model, start-ups look for one.” ‘Lean’ practices for (very) early stage companies.
• 5 Habits of Great Startup CEOs.   If a candidate fits this profile, move quickly to hire them. But do your diligence.
• Keys to innovation from The Economist: Government get out of the way of entrepreneurs, reform public sectors. and invest wisely.
• “Seeing Steve Jobs Everywhere” – Watermark Medical and its founder Sean Heyniger mentioned in BusinessWeek.