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Viridus Launches Green Business News Aggregator

This is a shameless plug for my company (Viridus) which I try not to do much on this blog.  But in this case, I think you'll find this interesting and valuable (for some of you at least).

Over the past couple of years, I have collected my favorite sources of "green business" news. For me, it's mostly RSS feeds, but I also get about a dozen daily emails from newsletters, Google Alerts and friends. Keeping all the news organized and being able to categorize and go back and search has been a pain (I have 100+ RSS feeds pertaining to green business) and probably a dozen or two daily emails.

So to solve my own problem (and thinking others might have the same one) we created a green business news aggregator, Viridus News. Viridus News is a service that aggregates news stories at the intersection of business and sustainability (we strip out most non-business green news just the same as business news that isn't related to sustainability). The goal is to simplify busy daily lives by collecting all of the day’s most relevant, and most interesting green business news and articles on a single page.

If you look at the design and functionality, it's really an homage to Hacker News, one of my favorite websites. 

Any user can submit a story and users collectively rate the value and popularity (and of course users can comment as well). One of the cool features of Viridus News is that we aggregate stories from a variety of sources (over 100 so far) filtered for stories that focus on green business, so you're certain not to miss important stories. No more do you have to hunt around looking for stories or tracking RSS feeds full of irrelevant news.

Another valuable feature is the introduction of "categories." In this case, we aimed to create categories that roughly track job descriptions or responsibilities. The feature I personally value the most is the ability to search the news stories.

There is also a bookmarklet that easily drops in your browser links bar which allows users to submit stories to Viridus News.

You can learn more about Viridus News here or just go check it out.

If you've read this far, then there is one more favor I'd like to ask...please tell some of your friends or colleagues who might be interested about Viridus News.

Thank you!

Extraordinary Popular Delusions & the Madness of Crowds

Extraordinary Popular Delusions & the Madness of Crowds is one of my favorite books and included in it is one of my all time favorite quotes:

Men, it has been well said, think in herds ; it will be seen that they go mad in herds , while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one! - Charles MacKay, from EPD&MC

That's as true now as it was in 1841 when Charles MacKay published his tome.

The book is written as a series of stories in three categories: "National Delusions," "Peculiar Follies" and "Philosophical Delusions."  Each little story is 10-50 pages in length and the entire book is nearly 3 inches thick.  I confess that when I first bought the book in 1999, it took me a full year to read it as it sat in my "reading rack" in my bathroom.

The three stories that the book is most famous for are the "economic bubbles" specifically, tulip-mania, the South Sea Company bubble and the Mississippi Company bubble. 

Each of these bubbles was based on irrational exuberance driven by "new rules" and innovation in the absence of any oversight or regulation.  And, of course, each bubble crashed leaving most people disillusioned and poor.

The true moral of the story is that if you don't know history you are doomed to repeat it. 

But even that doesn't go far enough. 

I read this book in 1999 at the height of the internet bubble and still wasn't smart enough to short the market in time.  And then 5 years later, I bought a house at the height of the real estate bubble!  I hear that I'm not alone.  I guess some people never learn...   

So as penance I'm going back and re-reading this great book and as part of my public service I want to ask you to also read this book.  Recovery from a bubble is a very individual task (as opposed to the very public mania of how we got into this).  Take this opportunity to reach out to someone you know who got caught up in the credit bubble and recommend this book.

Top 10 Posts From 2008

As ranked by traffic to website during the year (as opposed to when it was written):

1. The Science & Art Of Term Sheet Negotiation
2. 5 Reasons Convertible Debt Sucks  
3. Venture Debt For Startups  
4. Due Diligence - What To Expect  
5. How To Blog Like A Pro  
6. How Liquidation Preferences Work  
7. 2008 Startup Compensation Survey  
8. 10 Tips On Negotiating With VCs  
9. 10 Web 2.0 Tips: $75  
10. Killver VC Pitch Deck

Not much to learn here.  That's actually about what I would have guessed had I not seen the Google Analytics numbers.  Although in 2008 I did learn that this is called a "sneeze page."   Who knew?

Popular Posts

Once again, here is a list of some of the more popular posts on this blog.  The two most popular posts are relatively recent ones: this one on term sheet negotiation and this one on venture debt.  I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of my readers, particularly those who have voted, commented or contacted me about this blog...your interest is my motivation!

Raising Capital:

• 5 Reasons Convertible Debt Sucks HOT
• 10 Tips On Negotiating With VCs NEW
• Dating...er...Fundraising Etiquette
• The Science & Art of Term Sheet Negotiation HOT
• How Liquidation Preferences Work HOT
• How Much Money Should I Raise? NEW
• How To Get Introduced to VCs
• How To Pitch To VCs
• Killer VC Pitch Deck NEW
• Top 10 Tips For Entrepreneurs Pitching VCs
• Top 10 VC Objections (And How To Overcome Them) NEW
• Triage NEW
• Venture Debt For Startups HOT
• What To Expect In Due Diligence HOT
• Why Dividends Matter HOT

Startups:

• 'Tis The Season To Change The CEO
• 10 Things To Consider Before Joining a Startup
• 10 Web 2.0 Tips: $75 HOT
• All-Hands Team Meeting NEW
• Board Management Tips For Startup CEOs
• Customer Support 2.0
• Financial Modeling Tips For Early-Stage Startups NEW
• Hiring Your First Salesperson
• How To Demo Your Startup NEW
• How To Pitch The Press
• Interview with Professor Noam Wasserman
• Sales Learning Curve
• Startup Compensation HOT
• Startup Entertainment
• Strategies For Two-Sided Markets
• What To Include In A Board Package

Community Manager

Here's a cool opportunity at an early-stage startup that aims to change the world.

Viridus is an online, members-only network focused on corporate sustainability.  Full-disclosure: I started the company. We provide a forum for tips, tools and advice by and for business professionals.  While many have defined "green collar" jobs as those jobs involving alternative energy, we believe every job can be a green collar job--it's how you do the job that makes it green or not.  IT professionals should be thinking about energy consumption and asset recycling, facilities managers should be measuring and reducing their carbon footprint, buyers should be factoring sustainability into their procurement processes and the list goes on.  Viridus provides a forum for business professionals to share best practices and collaborate on practical solutions.

We're looking for someone to join our team either part- or full-time.  The person who would be the most successful and get the most out of the role is someone who is passionate about business and the environment, is a "digital native" and is outgoing online.  If you or someone you know are interested, please feel free to contact me.  No need to send a resume (unless you want to)...better still is to point us to your blog, community or other online presence.

Environmentalism Goes Mainstream

I saw this picture in an article about a German company signing a contract to produce wind energy in Africa and I just had to share.  What's happened over the past few years is that, what used to be an industry driven by passion and personal motivation has turned into a huge financial opportunity.  As a result, it's brought together two groups you never would have expected: tree huggers and Wall Street.

I suspect this odd-couple marriage of convenience is going to have a few bumps after the honeymoon period wears off.  I bet that there are a lot of projects that will be mis-managed due to inexperience and a lot of money will be invested and wasted.

Alternative Energy

Well, here's a photo you don't see every day.  It's from the University of Michigan Solar Car Team blog.  At the beginning of June, the team spent a few days of practice on the actual race route in advance of next month's North American Solar Challenge.  In the picture, you can't see the actual car, just one of the support vehicles (the black hybrid SUV with the #2 on it).  So here's a car powered only by the sun driving down the freeway and what's passing on the left?  That's a giant blade for a windmill that will soon be producing electricity.  How about that!?

Green Is Good

21st century version of a classic 80's moment.

Go Green @ Work

After several months in the oven, I am thrilled to announce the launch of my new venture, Viridus, a community for business professionals to discuss and advance corporate sustainability. 

Viridus is a practical "how to manual" for issues everyone faces at work.  Our belief is that everyone has a "green collar" job and it is how you do your job that actually makes it green or not.  An accounting department working on reducing paper billing, an engineering group designing for recyclability, a purchasing department seeking to reduce the ghg footprint of their supply chain, a facilities department looking to reduce energy or water consumption and especially those who work in corporate sustainability will all find value at Viridus.

Viridus is a members-only site with 100% user-generated-content.  We feel that an environment of business professionals who have responsibility for the sustainability of their organization is particularly valuable.  This way members don't have to worry about being solicited by vendors, press, regulators, NGOs, etc.

We are strongly committed to improving the sustainability of businesses everywhere and look forward to building the Viridus community.  We are currently in invite only private beta.  If you would like to request an invite, please sign up here.  In the meantime, please feel free to send us feedback, comments or questions.

And lastly, over the next few weeks I'll be posting more on my transition from EIR back to entrepreneur, so stay tuned!

Topics Covered On This Blog (So Far)

Once again, here is a list of some of the more popular posts on this blog.  The two most popular posts are relatively recent ones: this one on term sheet negotiation and this one on Web 2.0 tips.  I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of my readers, particularly those who have voted, commented or contacted me about this blog.

Raising Capital:

The Science & Art of Term Sheet Negotiation
Dating...er...Fundraising Etiquette
How to Get Introduced to VCs
Top 10 Tips For Entrepreneurs Pitching VCs
Venture Debt For Startups
How Not To Select A VC
What To Expect In Due Diligence

On Startups:

10 Web 2.0 Tips: $75
Board Management Tips For Startup CEOs
Customer Support 2.0
How To Pitch The Press
Hiring Your First Salesperson
10 Things To Consider Before Joining a Startup
Interview with Professor Noam Wasserman
Picking A Domain Name
Sales Learning Curve
Startup Compensation
Startup Entertainment
Strategies For Two-Sided Markets
'Tis The Season To Change The CEO
What To Include In A Board Package

Industry Commentary:

Death of Headhunting
I Need a Social Network Aggregator!
Overjustification Effect and Web 2.0
Plaxo 3.0
The Future of Job Recruiting?
MIT $100K Business Plan Contest
On Wikipedia Fraud

Personal Commentary:

U of M Solar Car Team Crashes; Earns Moral Victory
U of M Solar Car Team Unveils New Technology
2007 University of Michigan Solar Car Team
Alternative Energy No Longer Just For Tree Huggers
Just When You Thought You Were A Good Dad
I want That Job!
Why I'm Voting For Obama

You Already Have An Eco Job!

I've been following the growth of the industry of "corporate sustainability."  That's basically the business of making a company greener (among other things including being more socially responsible).  Over 100 US companies now have a "chief sustainability officer" and it's becoming common place for businesses to think about greenness at every level.  That said, most people don't really think of their job as having a "green component."  It is interesting to see that when companies create a "green project" they usually get a deluge of employee requests to join or help.  Often the response from the project leader is "we don't have any more openings," but Dave Douglas, VP of Eco Responsibility at Sun totally nailed it with his article, "You Already Have An Eco Job!" In it he makes the case that every employee in every function has a part to play in improving their company's sustainability.

Topics Covered On This Blog (So Far)

Once again, here is a list of some of the more popular posts on this blog:

Raising Capital:

Dating...er...Fundraising Etiquette
How to Get Introduced to VCs
Top 10 Tips For Entrepreneurs Pitching VCs
Venture Debt For Startups
How Not To Select A VC
What To Expect In Due Diligence

On Startups:

Board Management Tips For Startup CEOs
How To Pitch The Press
Hiring Your First Salesperson
10 Things To Consider Before Joining a Startup
Interview with Professor Noam Wasserman
Sales Learning Curve
Startup Compensation
Startup Entertainment
It's Lonely at the Top?

Industry Commentary:

Death of Headhunting
I Need a Social Network Aggregator!
Overjustification Effect and Web 2.0
Plaxo 3.0
The Future of Job Recruiting?
MIT $100K Business Plan Contest
On Wikipedia Fraud

Personal Commentary:

U of M Solar Car Team Crashes; Earns Moral Victory
U of M Solar Car Team Unveils New Technology
2007 University of Michigan Solar Car Team
Alternative Energy No Longer Just For Tree Huggers
Just When You Thought You Were A Good Dad
I want That Job!

Topics Covered On This Blog (So Far)

Taking a page from my friend Noam Wasserman's playbook, I'm posting a categorized summary of some of the content on my blog.  So here goes:

Raising Venture Capital:

Dating...er...Fundraising Etiquette
How to Get Introduced to VCs
Top 10 Tips For Entrepreneurs Pitching VCs

On Startups:

10 Things To Consider Before Joining a Startup
Interview with Professor Noam Wasserman
Sales Learning Curve
Startup Compensation
Startup Entertainment
It's Lonely at the Top?

Industry Commentary:

Death of Headhunting
I Need a Social Network Aggregator!
Overjustification Effect and Web 2.0
Plaxo 3.0
The Future of Job Recruiting?
MIT $100K Business Plan Contest

Personal Commentary:

2007 University of Michigan Solar Car Team
Alternative Energy No Longer Just For Tree Huggers
Just When You Thought You Were A Good Dad
I want That Job!