Driven Forward / Blog  / Rant (Page 4)
April 18, 2019
In DCTech, Rant, Wolves of Startupland
3 Comments

Buckley Law wins Legal Judgement Against Trustify

Another legal judgment against Trustify is added to the pile. The once high-flying, never high-achieving, always unethical DC area startup has crumbled under the weight of hubris and debt. Buckley's award is just another loss in court. This latest judgment is for $245,945 awarded to Trustify's former law firm Buckley LLP.  It sucks for Danny Boice, Jennifer Mellon, and Trustify because no one with the possible exception of El Chapo needs a lawyer more than these crooks and yet most good attornies like to get paid. Legal Judgment Against Trustif 1. $245,945 - Buckley LLP: Trustify's former law firm was awarded a legal judgment against Trustify for 2 years of legal bills. How the hell do you let a shady client rack up $250 thousand in fees and keep servicing them? In someway I want lawyers this stupid that they don't care if you pay them a quarter of million dollars or not and in other ways when I need an attorney, I'd rather hire one with common sense. 2. $263,478 - JBG Smith: Trustify's former landlord awarded a legal judgment against Trustify for back rent 3. $34,708 - Eight Former Employees:  Eight employees sued and won back wages. Here's hoping they can find...

April 17, 2019
In Rant, Wolves of Startupland
34 Comments

Exec Cranky Rants On AdvisoryCloud Scam (Formerly ExecRanks)

Can we talk about the AdvisoryCloud Scam? Mind if I get Exec Cranky about the AdvisoryCloud Scam? First off what is AdviosryCloud and what is the AdvisoryCloud Scam (There ya go, I think I made enough AdvisoryCloud Scam references to get a good SEO ranking when people google  AdvisoryCloud Scam)? Advisory Cloud is a company that charges people who want a board seat but don't have the reputation, network, and/or credential to qualify to sit on a board, thousands of dollars to sit on their butts, twiddling their non-board advisory thumbs while waiting an eternity to become board members to non-existent companies (That should be their elevator pitch). Their clients are put on a list that is most likely longer than the waiting list of people who signed up five years ago for the LifeFuels Connected IoT Kool-Aid bottle from Jonathon Perrelli. People on either list have a better chance of getting rich by investing in Danny Boice and Jennnifer Mellon's Trustify than they do of ever being interviewed for a board seat or holding a LifeFuels bottle. They would have a better chance of being funded by Jason Feimster. They would have better odds of finding a thoughtful blog post on the...

April 7, 2019
In Rant, Startup, Wolves of Startupland
0 Comments

Anchorage Capital Committed Fiduciary Malfeasance

A private equity company called Anchorage Capital is suing Trustify. They think they were cheated. To my eye, it appears that Anchorage CEO, Lance Ulrich, and junior, master of the universe wannabe, Adam Besvinick cheated Anchorage's limited partners. Anchorage Capital Committed Fiduciary Malfeasance when they invested in a steaming turd called Trustify. If you are a limited partner invested in Anchorage Capital, this tale might just give you pause. In May 2017, Anchorage Capital invested slightly over $4.7 million in the A-round of a little DC-based company called Trustify. Trustify raised just under $7 million in their prior two seed rounds, $1.9 million on October 30, 2015, and $5 million in a second seed round on October 30, 2015. The terms of the A-round bogle the mind. Sources say that a rookie VC, Adam Besnivick, shepherded the deal for Anchorage. Rookie-hood can be the only excuse for the unforced errors of that investment. Let us take stock of all the mistakes made by Anchorage and all the red flags they ignored. Lead Investor Malfeasance - At $4.7 million of a $7 million round. You would think that anyone making such a relative sizeable investment in the first institutional round of a company would...

March 31, 2019
In DCTech, Musing, Rant
0 Comments

When You Block Me…

Devin Nunes, a congressman is suing Twitter and two twitter characters named @DevinNuneMom (suspended) and @DevinCow for defamation and seeking $250 million in damages. Is that what you call a snowflake (help out Deven's Cow and donate)? I talked to my attorney last night. The lawsuit can be expensive, but I’m determined to fight it. Devin should not be allowed to stop free speech. Can you please help me? Thank you 💗🐮 https://t.co/I9Ko944Ptr — Devin Nunes’ cow (@DevinCow) March 28, 2019 Why doesn't he just block them? I don't block people on Twitter...

March 27, 2019
In DCTech, Rant, Wolves of Startupland
7 Comments

Jennifer Mellon FERC

Jennifer Mellon FERC. Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner, Neil Chatterjee, hired Jen Mellon, a woman absent any positive business accomplishments of note, with no educational qualifications, and no real-world experience. It boggles the mind to think that Mellon, who in her two last roles, ran two organizations into bankruptcy is somehow qualified to be the commissioner's confidential assistant. I don't blame you, Neil Baby, I'd keep it confidential too, if I had hired my wife's friend and that friend was eminently unqualified for the job, I'd want that to be confidential too. Check out her resume. Jennifer Mellon FERC, has absolutely no background nor education in energy.  Jennifer's only successful experience to date was separating investors and charitable donors from their cash.  Over the years Jen Mellon has been living large spending other peoples money. She's stolen money from charitable donors, investors, and now she' has the opportunity to steal from taxpayers. Jennifer Mellon FERC, last two jobs ended in disaster. Mellon graduated from Bucknell University with a B.A. degree in international relations and Chinese in 2004. After graduating, Jen Mellon joined the Joint Council on International Children's Services, an organization that was founded in the 1970s and succeeded to continuously operate until Jennifer Mellon took the helm as executive...

March 26, 2019
In DCTech, Rant, Uncategorized, Wolves of Startupland
0 Comments

Communiclique Bankruptcy (AKA: CliqueAPI)

Communiclique Bankruptcy? It looks like the investors believe a Communicliaque Bankruptcy is warranted.  On Friday, March 15, 2019, several investors petitioned a Deleware court to involuntarily take the company into Chapter 7, bankruptcy (see what a Virginia Court found about the fraud Andy Powers and his team perpetrated at Communicliqe). The case was filed by Attorney Daniel A. O'Brien, of the firm Venable LLP, representing creditors/investors: Andrew and Jamie Schwartzberg, Keith Hladek, Stonehaven Capital, Erik Sachwitz, Philip Lowit, Adam Stern, Robert Mitchell Pons, and the Paitaridis Children Family Trust. In one month, two of DC's scummiest bags are being attacked and forced into bankruptcy by their investors. Danny Boice of Trustify (see article) and Andy Powers of Communiclique were litigated into bankruptcy when their investors finally had a moment of clarity and realized they had invested in sham fake bullshit Potemkin Village-esque companies   What does a Communiclique Bankruptcy have in common with Trustify's Bankruptcy (check out the crime family post here)? [caption id="attachment_81076" align="alignright" width="243"] Andy Powers (kneeling) and Danny Boice all prison-tatted ready[/caption] Both companies were founded by criminals. Both Danny Boice and Andy Powers are pathological liars and crooks. Both companies existed to take investor money and put it into the pockets to fund a...

March 3, 2019
In DCTech, Rant
4 Comments

Kyle Sandler Can’t Make It Anywhere

Queue up the song, New York, New York! If you can make it there, you'll make it everywhere. Kyle Sandler couldn't make it there. Kyle Sandler couldn't legally make it anywhere. Kyle Sandler better hope he can make it in prison...

February 8, 2019
In DCTech, Musing, Rant
0 Comments

Heard Around DC Startups

Ah DC Startups, the red-headed, bastard, stepchildren of the startup world. For instance, the other day I read a quote by a guy. In terms of DC Startups, this guy is a successful founder with a good, relative to other DC Startups exits.  I like and respect this guy and his current company.  Yet, the quote was a perfect example of the ridiculous, over-the-top, kind of sound bites it takes to get ink or bits in the startup press in the wastelands of DC Startups. This quote inspired me to pick on all the pronouncements and predictions from DC's "prestigious" prognosticators. Here's the quote that inspired me, "We have the DNA of a billion dollar company" I have the DNA of a Neanderthal (2.7 % of my DNA to be precise) but that doesn't make me a caveman. Nope, I'm a caveman because I have failed to evolve. So to the CEO of the double-helix DNA company, you have the DNA of a decent company but you aren't the next Uber of Uber. On the other hand, you aren't Lifefuels...