Pajama Entrepreneur

This is an amazing story of how three bloggers in Spain managed to create the most popular pro basketball site (Hoopshype) in the US. Never mind that one of them doesn’t even like the sport or that they’ve been blogging (and continue to blog) out of Madrid. Fantasy Sports Ventures bought Hoopshype from the founder, Jorge Sierra, for an amount in the low seven figures, according to the Wall Street Journal, and continues to blog with his colleagues.

I have also been running Muniwireless for several years out of Amsterdam and am often asked how I managed to become the authority on the US municipal wireless market. My answer: anyone can blog from anywhere and become an expert, if he or she is interested, writes well, has passion and . . . a good broadband connection. I can do my work from anywhere in the world as long as I have broadband. Indeed, if you make good money from ads on your site, why not live in a place that has good broadband but a lower cost of living? Why not Buenos Aires or Bangkok?

Famous Dutch designer Marcel Wanders has been hired to do the interiors of a new creative class hangout in Amsterdam, which will be in the former public library on the Prinsengracht. The building will house a cafe, ateliers, work spaces, museum and design hotel.

In the past few years, the city has realized that there’s a need for more ateliers and work spaces for the growing number of entrepreneurs who work in technology, advertising, media, etc. And of course, their counterparts abroad need a cool place to stay when they are in town.

Let’s hope the library has a superfast connection to the Internet (gigabit, anyone?). I know the new public library, which is a magnificent space, has very fast connections.

Anyway, this is a great addition to the city.

Not exactly a business you can do in your pajamas and quite hazardous but fascinating and rewarding if you are up to it: opening a restaurant in Kabul (Afghanistan). A number of foreign women have opened restaurants in Kabul according to Women’s eNews, offering Thai, Mexican, Filipino, Indian and other kinds of cuisines to residents. It’s not for the faint-hearted. Entrepreneurs must meet United Nations security specifications, which means stationing armed guards at the doors and installing barbed wire around the perimeter. On the other hand, there is a large group of expats and Afghans working in Kabul, who are willing to spend money for chicken adobo and lamb tikka masala.

[via Broadsheet]

Blyk has finally launched in the UK, with service coming to other European countries in 2008. I’ve been waiting for Blyk to begin its service because the model is totally different from that of other operators:

• only 16-24 year olds can get the service
• they get 43 minutes and 217 text messages free every month
• they agree to receive up to 6 messages per day from advertisers of their choice

Read more on Muniwireless.

This is a much more acceptable way of advertising that Pudding Media.

The Silicon Valley Business Journal reports: “Investors directed at least $464.2 million into 101 Web 2.0 deals worldwide in the first half of the year, according to a report released Monday . . . Overall, the number of global Web 2.0 deals climbed 14 percent in the first half, the report said — but the gain was in Europe and Israel, while U.S. investments were virtually unchanged from the first half of 2006 with 67 deals and $357 million invested.”

It’s 2007 and by now, things should have changed, especially in this part of the world - “progressive” Europe that likes to look down on those backward Americans and unwashed Third Worlders with weird ideologies. But check out this video and the Financial Times stories about Seedcamp. Who do you see? Men, men and more men.

Where are the women? Sitting at home knitting cute little sweaters, baking cakes, filing their nails?

This is a serious question because according to the Chamber of Commerce here in Amsterdam women have been starting a large number of new enterprises, including in technology. Indeed, across the European Union, women have started a lot of new businesses but you wouldn’t find them in the super-macho world of VC backed technology companies.

I dumped on Seedcamp a few days ago as being a total joke and watching that room full of male geeks only reinforces my argument.

(1) UK telecom company Noodle pays you when you use your phone (from the Times UK):

“Some customers are already making up to £100 a week, more than enough to cover a phone’s running costs, according to Noodle, the telecom firm providing the service. Noodle customers make 2p a minute if they make or receive a call during peak hours and 1p at other times. You can also make money by signing up a friend. You earn money each time you receive a call on your Noodle number, which is obtained by texting “Noodle” to 81025. Calls made by dialling the Noodle number first also earn money. There is no contract or monthly fee and you can keep your mobile number and any free bundled minutes you have with your existing provider.”

(2) Share an office, desks, Wi-Fi, coffee, everything: this is a trend I’m seeing in Amsterdam too, where you can rent a large desk in an office with other entrepreneurs for 300 EUR a month. It’s definitely for people who can’t work from home (because of kids, noise) or those who crave company. See this post on GigaOm about co-working spaces.

France: www.bureauxapartager.com

Boston-Cambridge, Massachusetts: www.betahouse.org