When a TV crew rings you up and asks you to appear in a report you generally say yes, though one doesn’t normally know how it’ll turn out. In this case I think Reuters got the story right (embedded below). Berlin is indeed becoming a big startup hub in Europe (and ‘ll be back there again next week, as it happens). Why is this? First of all: it’s cheap. It’s

Some of the following examples are the kinds of things all bad startups do. But a few of them are particular to European startups. Let’s see…

I come across a lot of immaturity in the startup market in Europe. Some of it is accidental. Some wilful ignorance, created because people simple won’t inform themselves.

So here, dear reader, is your cut out and keep guide to how not to do a startup in Europe.

Let’s start off with money.

Stay really dumb about money. Don’t read anything. Subscribe to no blogs about how venture capital works. Next up, confuse venture capital with startups and assume you simply must have an Angel round. Avoid working out a business model which may actually bring in revenue. Cashflow always beats taking investment — but you’ll ignore that.

I am just out of the first ever meeting of the brand new Digital Advisory Board to the Mayor of London (a pro-bono post). I am absolutely delighted to have been invited to join the Board for all the obvious reasons. But, to add a personal note, I was also born (in Hammersmith) and raised in London, and have lived in London for most of my life. I’m a great

Downing Tweet from whcinsider on Vimeo.

How did I do it? I took all of the names of the Twitter lists I am on and ran those phrases through Wordle. Simples. It’s produced a reasonably accurate portrayal of the kinds of things I do and am known for. But then I have the privilege of being on a lot of lists. Someone who has less of a public role (i.e. not a journalist or well known

What MIT Personas think “mikebutcher” and “Mike Butcher” is: “Personas is a component of the Metropath(ologies) exhibit, currently on display at the MIT Museum by the Sociable Media Group from the MIT Media Lab. It uses sophisticated natural language processing and the Internet to create a data portrait of one’s aggregated online identity. In short, Personas shows you how the Internet sees you.”

New web show: If Google was your Roommate. And here’s episode Two and Three. Very funny!

Via iPhone. Contact details: http:/uk.techcrunch.com/about Posted via email from Mike Butcher’s Posterous

PSFK recently held a Good Ideas Salon in London bringing together commentators (including me) to discuss key areas steering innovation and opportunity. PSFK’s Piers Fawkes moderated a panel that included Dan Hon (Six To Start), me, Matt Jones (Dopplr) and Jonathan MacDonald (Ogilvy) on how the ever-presense of mobile is unveiling new, interesting ways for us to explore, work, and play. Themes: People, not technology. Applications and tools. Individual needs

So yesterday I did a fundraising stunt for Red Nose Day / Comic Relief. In order to confirm the widely-held belief that most bloggers blog in their pyjamas, I tried to blog on Waterloo Bridge in said pyjamas. In Winter. It was cold, I can tell you. So far I’ve raised a pretty decent £785, just by asking for donations on my Twitter account. You can still sponsor me here.