Directly from Finland, AudioDraft brings a free browser-based music tool that Teemu Yli-Hollo, Arto Tolonen, Tommi Koskinen and Kimmo Nurmisto have put together, so musicians from all over the world can collaborate and create music regardless of their location, using its 'Sketching' feature.

This platform is also a great environment for a fairly new concept in music: crowd-sourcing. The AudioDraft Sourcing service enables every company or individual to order their custom-made audio through a contest, which means that they get many options to choose from. This dramatically changes the traditional ordering process of custom-made audio. Not only is it an innovation for customers looking for their own customized music (as Teemu puts it, “you don't just get the audio, you get a powerful marketing campaign as well”) but it opens up many possibilities for musicians: “Artists and audio designers can also collaborate to make audio productions for companies. The combination of our Sourcing and Sketching service makes AudioDraft really unique. We are offering them more work opportunities and visibility”.

Now Teemu and his team are coming to Silicon Valley to take the US market by storm: “The US market is really appealing for us because of the significant advertisement and movie production markets. And Silicon Valley is a great starting point as it's really receptive for new technologies and services. Our goal is to get steady customerships in the US and be the natural way of ordering custom-made audio. We are confident that Opinno will help us get through the first steps and help us grow our customer base in the United States.” Here at Opinno, we are definitely thrilled to work with such an exciting startup!

The AudioDraft team is certainly being very active and it has just launched its first sourcing contests, including Phil McKinney's (Vice President / CTO of Hewlett-Packard's Personal Systems Group) audio logo.

Check them out:
http://beta.audiodraft.com/sourcing/contests/

It's impossible to get bored in this area. There is always something to do, somewhere to go to, someone to meet... Any time of the year, there is always something going on. This is what our calendar shows for the next few days:

• Women 2.0 Founder Friday (July 23rd): Networking event and in this occasion, also a little warm-up before the kick-off of the Startup Weekend.

http://www.women2.org/founder-friday-in-san-francisco-on-july-23rd/

 

• Startup Weekend, at Kicklabs (July 23-25): Build a startup in a weekend!

http://bayarea.startupweekend.org/

 

• Hackers and Founders Meetup (July 29). This gathering is actually taking place at Opinno's incubator. So please feel free to stop by and say hello!

  http://www.meetup.com/Hackers-and-Founders/calendar/13712630/?from=list&offset=0

   

• TechCrunch August Capital Party (July 30). Happening at Stanford University and Palo Alto, the TechCrunch crew have put together a mini-conference about social currency and a networking event afterwards.

  http://techcrunch.com/social-currency-crunchup-and-summer-party-at-august-capital/

Are you hosting any entrepreneurship event in San Francisco or the Bay Area sometime soon? Let us know!

The month of July brought with it an influx of startup founders and new Opinno team members at Pier 38 in San Francisco.  We have been enjoying the opportunity to get to know them all, and here is your chance to learn about them too!

Francesco Baschieri, Spreaker:  Francesco is the founder of the Italian startup, Spreaker, a social web radio that allows its user community to create their own radio shows (music, talk, entertainment) and to broadcast them live on internet-enabled radios.  Spreaker is one of our Open Office Startups this summer.  Surprised by the sheer number of people interested in listening to entrepreneurs and innovative ideas, he has taken full advantage of his time in the technology capital to spread the word about his product. He recently demo-ed to hundreds of founders and investors at SF Beta and looks forward to continuing to pitch his product and ideas over the next few months!

Anu Nigam, BuzzBox:  Anu has had experience as a lead team member at no less than 6 different startups, and is no foreigner to life in Silicon Valley. These startups include Hi5 Networks, 411Sync, and Siara Systems. Currently, he is running BuzzBox, a news platform that filters the top news stories, giving users a personalized list of news stories. In addition to his work as a founder, Anu is a member of the Opinno Investor Network and President of Sand Hill Angels.  He is enjoying the chance to work at the Pier 38 space and to form part of this community of startup founders and supporters.

Eli Rabek:  Eli has joined us here in San Francisco after having spent the last 10 months leading challenges for companies in Spain from the Opinno office in Madrid.  He will continue directing Venture Challenges.  Eli is currently trying to figure out how to cope with all the fog in San Francisco after leaving sunny Spain!

Carlos Pastor Laín:  Carlos will be interning with Opinno for a month this summer.  He just completed his second year of Mechanical Engineering in Valencia, and is looking forward to the opportunity to practice his English and learn more about the world of entrepreneurship here in the United States.

Alejandra Lynberg:  Alejandra is majoring in International Relations at Stanford.  While studying in Madrid earlier this year she was exposed to Opinno’s work through an internship.  She enjoyed her experience and has decided to continue her internship at Opinno’s San Francisco office this summer helping lead Opinno’s Open Office program.   

This is just a sneak-peak of the kinds of people and companies you will have the opportunity to meet in San Francisco!  There is still room for you to join us in San Francisco through our Open Office Program during August and September.  Fill out an application today!

From the 19th until the 23rd July, Oregon is going to host a new edition of the Open Source Convention (OSCON) organized by O'Reilly. If you are not familiar with this topic, the only thing you need to know about Open Source is that it is "a fundamental principle at the core of many established and emerging technologies, driving the future of the computer industry. It describes practices in production and development that stimulate access to the end product's source materials" (source: www.oscon.com).

The main focus of the OSCON convention, as you probably have guessed by now, is technology. By organizing this event, O'Reilly has the intention of analyzing the major trends in this industry and finding answers to the challenges that are going to be faced in the upcoming year in relation to it. OSCON is, without a doubt, the best place to speak with experts in different fields, network with numerous people and find inspiration for your own projects, all in relation to the Open Source phenomenon. In addition, this event is used every year to make major announcements and revealing releases. If you want to be the first to know what is happening with the Open Source you will certainly not be disappointed coming to Oregon!

As Zack Urlocker from InfoWorld puts it, ‘for those who have not been to OSCON, it's a great technical conference covering the whole spectrum of open source, including Linux, MySQL, the LAMP stack, Perl, Python, Ruby on Rails, middleware, applications, cloud computing, and more. OSCON always has great keynotes, tutorials, and evening Birds-of-a-Feather sessions. As with many conferences, a lot of the
meat takes place in hallway conversations and impromptu sessions.’

Get a 15% discount on the price using our special code "os10opi" Click here to register!

Summer is here, the sun is shining, the sky is blue and from our window, we can see the Bay Bridge and the boats sailing on the bay. Spectacular view by day and breath-taking by night. We know how lucky we are for being in such a wonderful and convenient place. That's why we are so thrilled to share it with the startups joining us for Open Office in the next weeks.

The application process for the Open Office program is still open and if you are considering joining either in August or in September, you can apply up to 2 weeks before the beginning of each month.

So, dear visitors, you'll get to our office at the Pier 38 and then you'll realize San Francisco is out there, willing to be explored. You'll be quickly itching to venture yourselves in the city. What will you find?

1. Right next door to us, there's a kayak rental place - It's really fun to paddle in the bay and contemplate the city from a different perspective.
 
2. The AT&T Park - Literally at stone's throw. Many days, crowds of people will be passing by the Pier, showing off their SF Giants jerseys, on their way to the ball park. When you come over from Europe, a baseball game is probably one of the best ways to experience the American culture.

3. The Embarcadero - One of the nicest places in town for a walk with beautiful views of the bay, the Bay Bridge and the city skyline. Both the modern Muni trams and the old-fashioned ones can be boarded along this promenade and the latter go to the Fisherman's Wharf.

4. The Ferry Building - It's the San Francisco Port landmark and a great area for restaurants and shopping. A street market also livens up the area several days a week.

5. The MOMA - The Museum Of Modern Art has always interesting exhibitions on: Paul Klee, Avendon, Warhol... The best artists on display. The museum is currently celebrating its 75th anniversary, so you can expect exciting stuff!

6. The Yerbabuena Gardens - Opposite to the MOMA, this is the kind of garden you would never expect to find in the middle of a city. They are surrounded by the Moscone Center, the Center for the Arts and an ice rink. Plenty of choice for entertainment.

7. Market St - the Financial District, punctuated by both modern and majestic buildings, is always buzzing with people, buskers and stores.  At the junction with Stockton St, you'll find the emblematic Apple Store. By Powell St, you can get a ride on the famous cable cars.

8. Union Square - If you like fashion, this is your place. All the best brands in a few blocks. Go to Macy's and then pay a visit to the Cheesecake Factory. Check its fabulous views overlooking the square, and of course, grab one of its gigantic cheesecakes. Definitely the cherry on the cake after a spending spree.

9. China Town - The largest chinatown outside Asia and the oldest in North America. The famous Dragon Gate on Grant & Bush welcomes visitors to an area full of history, restaurants, shops and attractions.

10. The Fisherman's Wharf - One of the most popular places in San Francisco, especially the Pier 39, with shops, restaurants, seafood stalls and sea lions! You can hop on the ferry to Alcatraz, Sausalito, Tiburón and Angel Island. You can also rent bikes - a very good option to reach the Golden Gate Bridge- and 'go cars', which is another fun way to explore the city.

More information on this Opinno Open Office program link.