This is traditional sushi. What happens when this sushi mindset breaks outside the box?

TOMORROW, WEDNESDAY, the Hub along with friends at Kaz Matsune Sushi, Rice Cracker Sushi, and Onigilly will be hosting a sushi making demonstration. After a run through basics, the instructors will then open up participants’ culinary creativity; imagine the fun you can have with hosting friends, your team, and even future clients! Registration will close before the event, so register soon!

And don’t forget NEXT Thursday, Feb 2, we’re having a Founder’s Meetup for Good. REGISTER SOON, as spots will be limited!

Lastly, wanted to wish everybody a wonderful Lunar New Year. It’s the year of the Dragon: to a year of great ideas, innovation, prosperity, and good fortune!

Refreshed from The Rain,

Jeff

[ Hub Calendar ] [ Hub Wellness ] [ Hub Clubs ]

Hub Workbench

Hub Workshop: Resolution to Reality – So You Wanna Be a Food Entrepreneur?

This Thursday (1/26), 12:00 PM, @HubBerk

Hub Office Hours: Accounting and Business Planning

This Thursday (1/26) 1 – 4 PM, @HubBerk

Hub Office Hours: Triple Pundit Social Media

This Thursday, (1/26), 3-6 PM, @ HubBerk 

Hub Workshop: Hub Masters (Hub Bay Area Toastmasters)

Every Tuesday, 6:30 – 8PM @Hub SF

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Weekly Roll Ups provide our entrepreneurs, start ups, and larger community pertinent announcements at both our Hub locations in San Francisco and Berkeley. They are written by Tim Nichols (tim.nichols@hubbayarea.com) and Jeff Shiau (jeff@hubbayarea.com).

As part of our Hub Matching series, we are hosting another meet up with these types of heroes:

On Thursday, Feb 2, we’re having a Founder’s Meetup for Good. This is an important opportunity for entrepreneurs with scalable world-changing ideas. For designers, engineers, and skilled businesspersons ready to apply their talents to the Next Big Thing. Priya Haji, founder of World of Good and SaveUp will be our guest speaker to start off the evening’s mingling. REGISTER SOON, as spots will be limited!

Also, if you’re looking to explore Berkeley a little bit, join one of our long time members, Bay Area Green Tours, this Thursday (1/17) for a walk around town! Guess what? It’s FREE FOR HUBBERS! Use this discount code (freeinvite) when you register here.

It’s Quite Chilly Out,

Jeff

[ Hub Calendar ] [ Hub Wellness ] [ Hub Clubs ]

Hub Workbench

Hub Workshop: California Employment Laws – Peculiarities, Problems, & Proposals

THURSDAY (1/19), 12:00 – 1:00PM, @HubSF

Hub Workshop: Current Microfunding Environment: What Startups are Expected to Have in Order to Receive Funding

THURSDAY (1/19), 6:30 PM , @HubBerk

Hub Workshop: Resolution to Reality – So You Wanna Be a Food Entrepreneur?

Thursday (1/26), 12:00 PM, @HubBerk

Hub Office Hours: Triple Pundit Social Media

Next Thursday, (1/26), 3-6 PM, @ HubBerk

Hub Workshop: Hub Masters (Hub Bay Area Toastmasters)

Every Tuesday, 6:30 – 8PM @Hub SF

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Weekly Roll Ups provide our entrepreneurs, start ups, and larger community pertinent announcements at both our Hub locations in San Francisco and Berkeley. They are written by Tim Nichols (tim.nichols@hubbayarea.com) and Jeff Shiau (jeff@hubbayarea.com).

With entrepreneurs especially, this can frequently occur. What can you do?

Longtime member, Augusta Hopkins, is going to lead an 8-week course on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. If you want to feel greater flow and ease in your life and work, please check out the obligation-free intro class on Monday, January 23. The extent of what this course can offer, and Augusta’s life-long experience, are detailed here.

And we know money is always an issue. Our friends at Youth Business America are going to help the entrepreneurial community go through their checklist of raising $5000 to $50,000. This important Hub Talk will occur NEXT THURSDAY, 1/19 at Hub Berkeley. Please register soon. Special guest, Dafna Kory, will also be in attendance to talk about how her company, Inna Jams, got funded through YBA.

So take a deep breath, and know that resources are out there to help you with your entrepreneurial woes.

Cheers,

Jeff

[ Hub Calendar ] [ Hub Wellness ] [ Hub Clubs ]

Hub Workbench

Hub Workshop: Crushing the Boulder – UX and the Lean Startup

TODAY, 12:00-1:00Pm @HubSF

Hub Workshop: How to Make a Video That Doesn’t Suck for Under $100

THIS THURSDAY, 6:30PM @HubSF

Hub Workshop: California Employment Laws – Peculiarities, Problems, & Proposals

THURSDAY (1/19), 12:00 – 1:00PM, @HubSF

Hub Workshop: Current Microfunding Environment: What Startups are Expected to Have in Order to Receive Funding

THURSDAY (1/19), 6:30 PM , @HubBerk

Hub Workshop: Hub Masters (Hub Bay Area Toastmasters)

Every Tuesday, 6:30 – 8PM @Hub SF

—

Weekly Roll Ups provide our entrepreneurs, start ups, and larger community pertinent announcements at both our Hub locations in San Francisco and Berkeley. They are written by Tim Nichols (tim.nichols@hubbayarea.com) and Jeff Shiau (jeff@hubbayarea.com).

I also feel the following things will help start the year off right:

Stay Limber - Our wonderful yoga instructor, Ekabhumi, is back! And he wants to continue to share this powerful practice with you every Friday. This fun, beginner-friendly 1-hour session relaunches THIS FRIDAY at 11:30 AM. Please join us at the David Brower Center’s Tamalpais Room.

Become Aware  - Our wonderful meditation instructor, Simona, is back! And she wants to continue to share this mindful practice with you every Thursday. Give yourself a mental massage; these sessions relaunch THIS THURSDAY at 11:30 AM. Please join us in Hub Berkeley, Suite 400.

Get Tasty - Want to bake something for every Thursday’s Fika (everybody’s favorite mid-day break!)? Kick off the New Year with some mingling over Milk and Cookies. Jesse will bring homemade cookies, but his cookies will be lonely without yours. Email him to volunteer, jesse@hubbayarea.com.

Resolutions - Lastly, share your resolutions and hopes! We’ll put them up on the Ideation Board to inspire the Berkeley community. Email your thoughts to  youngjae@hubbayarea.com

Happy New Year, Everybody!

Jeff

[ Hub Calendar ] [ Hub Wellness ] [ Hub Clubs ]

Hub Workbench

Hub Office Hours: Holistic High Performance with Shane Metcalf

TOMORROW, Thursday, @ Hub SF

Hub Office Hours: Write like a Journalist

THIS FRIDAY, @Hub SF

Hub Workshop: Crushing the Boulder – UX and the Lean Startup

Next Tuesday, 12:00-1:00Pm @HubSF 

Hub Workshop: Hub Masters (Hub Bay Area Toastmasters)

Every Tuesday, 6:30 – 8PM @Hub SF

—

Weekly Roll Ups provide our entrepreneurs, start ups, and larger community pertinent announcements at both our Hub locations in San Francisco and Berkeley. They are written by Tim Nichols (tim.nichols@hubbayarea.com) and Jeff Shiau (jeff@hubbayarea.com).

[Name]: Jen Boynton

[Organization]: TriplePundit.com

[Area of Expertise]: Media for Sustainable Business

Jen never dreamed of being Editor-in-Chief, but sometimes your passion finds you. She was an MBA student at Presidio Graduate School with no plans of going into business, looking instead to learn ways that the non-profit sector might maximize its reach. But then came Triple Pundit with an opportunity to write, and then she fell in love: “Now that I’m in it, I love the entrepreneurial lifestyle. I wasn’t necessarily planning to do that, but I think it really suits me…I wake up excited to do my work, so you can’t ask for more than that.”

Jen is the Editor-in-Chief of Triple Pundit, a media platform for conversations about sustainable business. Abbreviated “3p”— denoting the triple bottom line’s concerns for “people, profit, and planet”—it frames daily topics of interest about small businesses, entrepreneurs, and decisions made by larger companies with commentary delivered from the standpoint of sustainability. The triple bottom line is a relatively new concept, referencing the fact that the financial bottom line is not the only one companies need to think about, and Triple Pundit serves as a public voice that incorporates its socially-conscious values into the everyday discourses surrounding business.

Recent article titles on TriplePundit.com include “Chicken Fat…to Fuel US Navy Ships in 2012,” “Why Second-Hand Shopping Isn’t Truly Guilt-Free,” “‘Forbes’ Top 30 Social Entrepreneurs List Lacks Social Entrepreneurs,” and “Fox News Viewers the Most Uninformed About Current Events, Including Climate Change.” Proposed child labor laws, green award ceremonies, the recent “Bank Transfer Day” and a Chevrolet Volt catching on fire are all feed and fodder for what has become one of the world’s most read websites on responsible business.

The site was founded by Nick Aster. Prior to Triple Pundit, Nick developed the online face of Mother Jones magazine and helped start TreeHugger.com, the most popular environmental website in the world. After all that, he was inspired to start something of his own. Notes Jen,

“Nick’s background has been in online media for a very long time…He was perusing an MBA in sustainable business at the same time he was working for TreeHugger and wanted to find a place to talk about all of the issues around sustainability that he was studying in school. He didn’t see any conversations like that happening online. So, the idea was: TreeHugger for the sustainable business community, and the rest is history.”

More than a news outlet, Triple Pundit is an open forum that allows contributors, guest posters and commenters to actively participate in on-going discussions on issues that question business practices of today. They publish an average of 10-15 articles per day, one of which can be your very own. Jen welcomes guest contributions from Hub members interested in reaching their growing readership of 200,000 readers per month. If you’d like to contribute, contact Jen at jen@triplepundit.com.

Their conversations have been going strong for six years now with recent partnerships attesting to the site’s growing ethos. They have just announced a merger with Sustainable Industries, a small, print-based media company that is looking to increase its online presence. In addition to this, 3p has partnered with companies from Abbott Pharmaceuticals to UPS to Microsoft to help them tell their sustainability stories. With such collaborations, Jen anticipates more opportunities for Triple Pundit to have a greater impact: “To know that we can have those in-roads with big companies, that’s where we’re looking to broaden our reach: to help companies, large and small, to improve and become more sustainable.”

Triple Pundit recognizes that it has no “right” answers as sustainability is ever-evolving, but it strives to be a space where dialogues on these topics can intelligently and passionately take place: “It’s a great place for daily and weekly information about this very niche topic that we’re all passionate about,” says Jen, “So, whether you come everyday, whether you just subscribe to the newsletter, it’s a great place to get insight and ideas about our industry, and also a great place to share your own information if anyone is interested in blogging. You should come and blog, too!”

Triple Pundit holds Free Social Media Office Hours for small companies every 3rd Thursday of the month, alternating between the Hub’s SoMa and Berkeley locations. Feel free to drop-in and chat with Jen; she’d be happy to provide any advice her years of experience in sustainable management and online media has to offer bootstrapping entrepreneurs.

Happy Holidays!

Until next time!

Jasen, Your Hub Stories Writer

———
Jasen Talise is an intern writer for the Hub Bay Area. He is a fourth year studying Rhetoric and Theater at the University of California, Berkeley. His interests range from existential philosophy, competitive hip hop dance, to the culinary arts. This past year, he was a contributing writer for Issues: The Berkeley Medical Journal.

Did you block out next  Thursday, December 15? Fresh Shucked Hog Island Oysters. Saffron Aioli. Dark Chocolate Chipotle Truffles. Register Soon, so you don’t miss out. Also, if you want the chance to get all sorts of crafts and goodies before the party (great for holiday gifts!), be sure to register for our first Hub Holiday Market.

Cheers!

Jeff

[ Hub Calendar ] [ Hub Wellness ] [ Hub Clubs ]

Hub Workbench

Hub Lab: 3 Secrets on How to Accomplish Anything

This Thursday (12/8), @Hub San Francisco

Hub Office Hours: Somatic Coaching for Work-Related Stress

TODAY (12/6), 3:30 – 6 PM @Hub Berk

Next Wednesday, 12/14, 3-5:30PM @Hub San Francisco

Hub Workshop: Hub Masters (Hub Bay Area Toastmasters)

Every Tuesday, 6:30 – 8PM @Hub SF

—

Weekly Roll Ups provide our entrepreneurs, start ups, and larger community pertinent announcements at both our Hub locations in San Francisco and Berkeley. They are written by Tim Nichols (tim.nichols@hubbayarea.com) and Jeff Shiau (jeff@hubbayarea.com).

Aaron Ableman

Dave Room

[Names]: Aaron Ableman and Dave Room

[Organization]: Balance Edutainment

[Area of Expertise]:Culturally-Relevant Environmental Education via Trans-media Storytelling

Aaron and Dave have a story to tell and they’re tailoring it to the tech-inclined youth. The two teamed up in January of this year to start Balance Edutainment, an educational entertainment production firm that tackles environmental issues through pop culture, leading first and foremost with music. Their flagship initiative is Pacha’s Pajamas, the story of an optimistic young girl who dreams one night that the animals on her pajamas come to life to address world issues by throwing the greatest concert in the world. In a recent interview with the Washington Times Communities, Dave noted, “If we want to deeply engage youth, perhaps the most important space to occupy is pop culture, as expressed in music. In the last century, music played a pivotal role in many of the world’s most important social movements.”

The environment is arguably at the center of the social movement defining our world today, and Balance Edutainment seeks to engage younger generations to take an active part. Think of Pacha as Dora the Explorer meets Hannah Montana meets the Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, making environmental education more appealing and enjoyable for younger generations. “We’re really interested in the intersection between technology, culture and education,” says Aaron, “and I can’t think of a better way to do that than [through] the power of story.”

Stories change lives, The Brothers Karamazov taken as a personal example. But they have influence over the larger fate of humanity as well. Consider what A Doll’s House did for women’s rights, what Dr. King’s Dream Speech did for civil rights, and what the Bible has done for millions of believers throughout the Common Era. As socially-conscious storytellers, Aaron and Dave contribute to this world-changing literary canon and offer a story which exposes the entrenched ideologies that divide us from each other and the natural world; they open up global narratives to re-evaluation in hopes of raising the voice of interdependence needed for change.

With several years of teaching experience under his belt—from the indigenous reservations in Northern Canada to the slums in India to Haiti after the earthquake last year—Aaron explains the logic to their approach: Put simply, “As an educator….you have to be entertaining, culturally-relevant and fun.” Cultural-relevancy is a matter of “meeting audiences where they’re at,” says Aaron, and Balance does this by embracing the transmedia reality that youth are immersed in today. A recent statistic from comScore, a leading digital technologies research firm, found that Americans watched 1 billion more YouTube videos than they conducted Google searches in August 2009. Here, Aaron and Dave find opportunity. According to Aaron,

“What’s searched most on YouTube is music. And searching music most is youth and children. In order to meet our audience where they’re at, we need to address this screen-based reality where most of the information that kids are receiving is actually coming from. That’s part of the reason why we’ve identified music as such a viral audience development strategy.”

And music is only where they begin. Balance Edutainment is a trans-media production firm, which means they develop a range of cross-platform products from traditional books, e-books, mobile apps, online apps as well as a full audio book/album with twelve songs featuring celebrity hip hop artists such as Mos Def, Talib Kweli and Lyrics Born. “What we’re particularly excited about is that this story can be delivered on a variety of media platforms and can be experienced in a number of different ways from the book all the way to curricula,” says Aaron. Each medium allows audiences to experience Pacha’s story in a qualitatively unique way and allows its message to be scaled on a wider educational spectrum unheard of in times before the proliferation of digital technologies today.

Balance Edutainment takes a stand for children, education and the environment. They present a vision for real change in the world across a variety of media platforms—even looking into the possibility of creating a digitally-interactive game—and they do this in culturally-relevant and inspiring ways. If collective action is founded upon the stories we share, Aaron and Dave are our bedtime story activists. Here’s a taste of their recently-recorded jams, and be sure to look out for more to come:

http://pachaspajamas.com/music

And, for those of you looking to give something unique this holiday season, consider the gift of environmental literacy with the Pacha’s Pajamas Book/CD available for pre-order now for delivery before Christmas! Just visit Balance’s Kickstarter page here!

Cheers!

Jasen, Your Hub Stories Writer

———
Jasen Talise is an intern writer for the Hub Bay Area. He is a fourth year studying Rhetoric and Theater at the University of California, Berkeley. His interests range from existential philosophy, competitive hip hop dance, to the culinary arts. This past year, he was a contributing writer for Issues: The Berkeley Medical Journal.

No matter the opinion, no matter the level of involvement, it’s hard to ignore what’s happening around the Bay Area, the US, and the world. Tonight, Tuesday, 11/29 at Hub SF, there is a chance to inform yourself and deeply understand Occupy. Join thought leaders from Story of Stuff, LoudSauce, Rebuild a Dream, and OccupySF for an interactive evening; you must register to attend!

On a lighter note, it’s time to have our EPIC HOLIDAY PARTY! Save the Date: Thursday, December 15. Register Here, and get ready to eat, drink, and be merry with fellow Hubbers. And right before the Holiday Party, come participate in our Holiday Market: members with great talent are selling their products, crafts, and more, with a percentage of the proceeds going to charity! To join the fun, check out info here.

It’s Getting Cold Outside,

Jeff

[ Hub Calendar ] [ Hub Wellness ] [ Hub Clubs ]

Hub Workbench

Hub Office Hours: Somatic Coaching for Work-Related Stress

Next Tuesday (12/6), 3:30 – 6 PM @Hub Berk

Hub Workshop: Hub Masters (Hub Bay Area Toastmasters)

Every Tuesday, 6:30 – 8PM @Hub SF

—

Weekly Roll Ups provide our entrepreneurs, start ups, and larger community pertinent announcements at both our Hub locations in San Francisco and Berkeley. They are written by Tim Nichols (tim.nichols@hubbayarea.com) and Jeff Shiau (jeff@hubbayarea.com).

I just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to everybody. I’m very thankful to you all; this has been a rollercoaster year of fun, challenges, and excitement. I hope everyone is winding down the year with positive energy, and looking towards well-deserved time with family and friends during the holidays.

Here is a reminder of this week’s staffing schedule. This Wednesday (11/23), staff will only be here a HALF DAY: NO STAFF BEGINNING AT 1 PM.  There will no NO STAFF THANKSGIVING DAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND.

That’s about it for this week!

Happy Thanksgiving, Hubbers.

Jeff

[ Hub Calendar ] [ Hub Wellness ] [ Hub Clubs ]

Hub Workbench

Hub Workshop: Hub Masters (Hub Bay Area Toastmasters)

Every Tuesday, 6:30 – 8PM @Hub SF

—

Weekly Roll Ups provide our entrepreneurs, start ups, and larger community pertinent announcements at both our Hub locations in San Francisco and Berkeley. They are written by Tim Nichols (tim.nichols@hubbayarea.com) and Jeff Shiau (jeff@hubbayarea.com).

Let’s turn an activity that we loved in kindergarten, into a weekly ritual here at Hub Berkeley:

Milk and Cookies! Our inaugural cookie + milk eating tradition will begin this Thursday at 2 PM! What’s the purpose? Well, it’s simply a quick, mid-afternoon break you can take in our kitchen, and enjoy the company of your fellow cookie-munching Hubbers. We’d like to start this simplified tradition of breaking bread (or cookie), to help you take a break from your laptop, and quickly meet other members in a fun way! If you love baking, we’d love for you to bring something to share.

Also, last reminder to mingle with the Global Social Venture Competition community! THIS Thursday, November 17 is a tremendous opportunity to meet with talented Cal Grad students , so register soon. Don’t miss this great opportunity to find new team members, and also vie for $45,000 in funding!

Lastly, Next Week  is Thanksgiving! We will have a HALF DAY ON WEDNESDAY, 11/23 (NO STAFF BEGINNING AT 1 PM), and are CLOSED THANKSGIVING DAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND.

Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?

Jeff

[ Hub Calendar ] [ Hub Wellness ] [ Hub Clubs ]

Hub Workbench

Hub Office Hours: SK Law Group Consultative Services

THIS WEDNESDAY, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM @ Hub Berkeley

Hub Office Hours: Somatic Coaching for Work-Related Stress and Trauma

THIS WEDNESDAY, 3:00 – 5:30PM @ Hub San Francisco

Hub Workshop: Hub Masters (Hub Bay Area Toastmasters)

Every Tuesday, 6:30 – 8PM @Hub SF

—

Weekly Roll Ups provide our entrepreneurs, start ups, and larger community pertinent announcements at both our Hub locations in San Francisco and Berkeley. They are written by Tim Nichols (tim.nichols@hubbayarea.com) and Jeff Shiau (jeff@hubbayarea.com).