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Traction: How Startups Start | NextView Ventures

In this story-driven show from seed-stage VC NextView, tech startup founders, executives, journalists, and investors share how they gained initial traction against the odds. Every startup hears that they should do things that don't scale -- scrappy, atypical, whatever-it-takes things. Traction asks a simple question: What ARE those things? With a unique sound that avoids the boring, typical talking head format, Traction features some of the most interesting early-stage stories, tactics, and theories from some of the best entrepreneurs today. For all episodes plus exclusive resources for early-stage startups, subscribe at nextviewvc.com/blog.
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Now displaying: Category: startups
Dec 14, 2016

This episode features two concerned and proactive members of New York's tech-startup community laying bare the facts and solutions to the problem of diversity in the local tech workforce. On the show today, Tim talks to Alex Qin, Skillshare engineer and founder of Code Cooperative. 

Follow Alex - http://twitter.com/alexqin

Follow Tim - http://twitter.com/jayacunzo

Follow NextView - http://twitter.com/nextviewvc

Be sure to rate and review Traction on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening!

Jun 2, 2016

Startups are exciting for any number of reasons, not least of which are all the fresh new ideas for products and various approaches to doing the work. But we forget that building successful startups is not actually about coming up with ideas. Instead, it's about finding problems, figuring out whether they truly matter (and to how many people), and working hard to solve them.

 

So what happens when you're obsessed with solving a problem? What does that do to your work, your team, your product, your success? Nadia Boujarwah, co-founder of Dia&Co, shares her story to answer those questions and more.

 

Plus, 3 special announcements about the future of the show.

 

SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE CONTENT FROM NEXTVIEW:

bit.ly/nvsubscribe

 

GO BEHIND-THE-SCENES:

Follow Jay on Snapchat: snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo

Mar 8, 2016

The prospect of selling a new product from an "unproven" business into a large corporation can seem daunting. But startups launch all the time as enterprise-focused entities. Still, that doesn't make the situation any easier, so in this episode, Joe Coleman, cofounder and CEO of Contently, gets way into the weeds of selling into the enterprise.

We also hear some valuable lessons around marketplace businesses and what it's like to be educating the market at the same time you're selling into it.

Follow Joe at twitter.com/joedcoleman and visit contently.com to learn more.

And let me know what you think of the show — tweet me (Jay Acunzo) @jayacunzo. You can also subscribe to receive every episode plus weekly insights and resources about gaining startup traction: bit.ly/nvsubscribe

Feb 17, 2016

Oh what's in a name? Your startup's name and branding become objects that represent your passion, pride, and determination. But startups change their names more often than their founders or teams might like, despite all the love for their current incarnation.

So ... why? What causes that? What influences should you listen to as a founder? And how the heck do you DO it?

That's what we'll explore today.

Follow twitter.com/LizWessel and visit wayup.com to learn more.

For WayUp's hilarious announcement video after their rebrand, check out this video:www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGK5-lVLwjU

And let me know what you think of the show -- tweet me (Jay Acunzo) twitter.com/jayacunzo.

You can also subscribe to receive every episode plus weekly insights and resources about gaining startup traction: goo.gl/4eP9Ch

Feb 9, 2016

NextView's Rob Go, Tim Devane, and Jay Acunzo break down the key findings, themes, and stories from the firm's new report, The State of NYC Seed.

Find the full report and SlideShare here: http://nextviewventures.com/blog/state-of-nyc-seed/

Twitter handles from the show: @RobGo, @TDevane, @JayAcunzo

Topics discussed:

  • The general climate in early-stage startups and VCs in New York City
  • The tech landscape across four key sectors: consumer goods and services, food logistics and on-demand, media and publishing, and fintech
  • The effects of legacy industries and companies to NYC tech, as well as those of recent fast-risers like Warby Parker, Buzzfeed, Vice, Vox, and more.
  • The talent surplus and where the next wave of top-tier founders will originate
  • And much more...

 

Feb 3, 2016

When looking back at the seed stage of their companies, lots of guests on Traction will cite the same regret: "I wish I started content marketing sooner."

Today, we talk to the man who coined the term, Joe Pulizzi, founder of the Content Marketing Institute, an education and training organization serving thousands of customers and millions of readers a year.

Joe's latest book, Content Inc, details how smart entrepreneurs are starting to grow an audience through content first, then unpack a product second. In this episode, you'll also learn...

1. The 6 steps startups can use to grow an audience with content.

2. Why you should consider growing an audience (and, specifically, a subscriber list) before building any product -- even when thinking venture-backed and venture-scale

3. The history of CMI, one of INC's fastest-growing companies (including the pivot Joe had to make that was so obvious, he missed it at first)

4. The biggest mistakes marketers and founders make when doing content marketing.

Follow @JoePulizzi on Twitter and visit contentmarketinginstitute.com to learn more.

And let me know what you think of the show -- tweet me (Jay Acunzo) @jayacunzo.

You can also subscribe to receive every episode plus weekly insights and resources about gaining startup traction: goo.gl/4eP9Ch

Jan 21, 2016

There's no denying the sheer creative power of the internet, but too often, it turns into a race to the bottom -- more clicks (and therefore more clickbait), more pageviews, more impressions, more ads.

When Tony Haile first became CEO of Chartbeat, the analytics startup based in New York City, he faced this massive problem of an internet teeming with clickbait headlines and short-term thinking. He also faced challenges like competing directly with Google Analytics (and the annoyingly competitive price point of "free"). It was his first experience in analytics, too, and he wound up selling his product to a user base (writers and others in editorial) that historically strayed away from data.

Easy, right?

This episodes also includes…

  1. The tradeoffs Tony made to compete with a goliath like Google
  2. Tips for media and other content-driven platforms (including blogs) for rethinking its key metric from clicks and pageviews to something else -- and the tech breakthrough that helped Chartbeat create it
  3. What the future holds for an internet that's becoming increasingly divided between gaming systems and refreshing creativity

Follow Tony @arctictony and visit chartbeat.com to learn more.

And let me know what you think of the show — tweet me (Jay Acunzo) @jayacunzo. You can also subscribe to receive every episode plus weekly insights and resources about gaining startup traction: bit.ly/nvsubscribe

Jan 6, 2016

Justin Robinson, co-founder of mobile startup and liquor delivery app Drizly, talks about some of the ridiculously non-scalable things they had to do just to get their business off the ground in the right way. In addition, he'll share some tactics and stories around being a location-based startup and all the challenges that come with trying to gain traction anew in each market. This episodes includes...

1) The huge (if stereotypical) mistake Justin and his co-founder Nick made when they started, and how that ironically helped them

2) Why they spent six months working for a liquor retailer and the comical but powerful things that led to

3) How expanding from your home city to other locations differs

4) How to gain credibility in an industry populated by traditionally-minded partners

Follow Justin @glassrobinson and visit drizly.com to learn more.

And let me know what you think of the show -- tweet me (Jay Acunzo) @jayacunzo.

You can also subscribe to receive every episode plus weekly insights and resources about gaining startup traction: goo.gl/ybmG2V

Dec 10, 2015

Hilary Mason, founder at Fast Forward Labs and Data Scientist in Residence at Accel Partners, debunks some of the myths around startups being "data-driven." In addition, she tackles some complex but critical topics and translates them for the rest of us. This episodes includes...

1) A clear definition of what data science actually is (and should be)

2) Hard truth about how much a startup should actually value its data

3) The evolution of the field of data science, who should use it, and where it's going and why

Follow Hilary @hmason and visit fastforwardlabs.com to learn more.

And let me know what you think of the show -- tweet me (Jay Acunzo) @jayacunzo.

You can also subscribe to receive every episode plus weekly insights and resources about gaining startup traction: goo.gl/4eP9Ch

Nov 24, 2015

Ben Einstein, Founder/Partner of BOLT, an early-stage VC investing in hardware startups, shares the stories of several connected devices and hardware companies and their tricks and challenges. We compare and contrast software to hardware in this episode, examining three core aspects of building any company:

1) Building early products (customer dev, prototypes, etc.)

2) Acquiring initial customers (including one "magic" number Ben proposes for a hardware startup to reach)

3) Raising seed capital. (In a fun rant, Ben addresses his fellow investors and tells them how they need to change their approaches to hardware startups and their founders.)

Follow Ben @beneinstein and visit bolt.io to learn more.

And let me know what you think of the show -- tweet me (Jay Acunzo) @jayacunzo

You can also subscribe to receive all NextView projects focused on helping startups gain initial traction, as well as episodes of the show. Click here: goo.gl/4eP9Ch

Nov 12, 2015

Sandi MacPherson, Founder of Quibb, a private community of tech tastemakers sharing professional content and discussions, tells the story of creating an application-only social network. She also shares her vision for an important project helping address the lack of women in tech: the 50/50 Pledge. In this episode, you'll hear...

1) The mission behind the great 50/50 Pledge (visit 5050pledge.com to learn more)

2) How an application-only model for a social network affects your model and early traction (and why it's CRUCIAL that Quibb use this model).

3) How Sandi has been able to build a social network where thoughtful, meaningful, and human conversations actually happen in the comments. (Are we sure this is the internet?)

Follow Sandi @sandimac and apply to join Quibb at quibb.com.

And let me know what you think of the show -- tweet me (Jay Acunzo) @jayacunzo.

You can also subscribe to receive all NextView projects focused on helping startups gain initial traction, as well as episodes of the show. Click here: goo.gl/4eP9Ch

Aug 20, 2015

Scott Belsky -- co-founder/CEO of Behance.

Brand. Mission. Emotion. These are things that, perhaps surprisingly to some, are still not widely preached, taught, accepted, or built around by investors and tech entrepreneurs alike. But in this episode, Scott Belsky talks about their critical importance and exactly how he built the popular creative portfolio platform, Behance. And, really, this is a story about how he sparked a bigger, medium-agnostic movement across the globe among creatives ... all on the backs of those things that some in tech too easily brush aside.

Scott's thought leadership is popular and widely followed, and you'll want to hear some of the things he did to bootstrap Behance and gain initial traction, not least of which was creating and selling a paper notebook as his very first product. From his description of the resulting digital movement, it doesn't seem possible that a notebook is where they could have started. Credit goes to the power of a passionate mission combined with an entrepreneur hellbent on gaining traction.

LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Scott's Company: Behance.net

Scott's Twitter: @ScottBelsky

DESIGNER CONTRIBUTORS (IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE)

Dan DiGangi (@dandigangi, http://dandigangi.com/)

Tyler Littwin (@tblittwin, https://dribbble.com/TBLittwin)

Kyle Mitchell (@jaggedlines, http://jaggedlines.com)

Renessa Ciampa (http://ciampacreative.com/)

Bobby Kane (@bobbyjkane, http://www.bobbyjkane.com/)

Ariel Simon (@arielsimonsays, http://arielsimon.com/)

>>> Let me know what you think of the show -- tweet me (Jay Acunzo) @Jay_zo 

 

Aug 3, 2015

DraftKings' Jason Robins -- In this episode, NextView partner Rob Go talks to the CEO of the newest unicorn -- Jason Robins of DraftKings. Jason is generous with his storytelling and tactical tips for fundraising when VCs aren't receptive, partnering with larger players in your industry (as DraftKings was able to do with brands like Disney/ESPN, the MLB, the NHL, etc.), and building a company that's capable of being truly analytical -- not just driven by data but obsessed with it.

So ... how does a unicorn gain traction anyway?

STARTUP LESSONS YOU'LL LEARN:

- A clever question to ask VCs to ensure you get a firm answer.

- Tactics for fundraising when being met with some resistance.

- How young startups can partner with massive brands.

- Why and how you should build a data-obsessed team.

- Marketing and user acquisition advice for those in hot, competitive markets.

STORIES YOU'LL HEAR:

- The early struggles Jason experienced while raising fundraising (and the way they overcame this pushback).

- The surprising companies that breed highly analytical minds and user acquisition geniuses.

- The hiring process at DraftKings and other data-obsessed companies.

LINKS MENTIONED:

- Jason's company: DraftKings.com

- Jason's Twitter: @JasonDRobins

Let me know what you think of the show -- tweet me (Jay Acunzo) @Jay_zo

Jul 6, 2015

Bootstrappin' CEO Patrick Campbell, cofounder of SaaS startup Price Intelligently, shares his story of leaving Google, bootstrapping a startup, beating cancer, and more. 

STARTUP LESSONS YOU'LL LEARN


  • What tradeoffs a bootstrapped startup's CEO must make
  • How to price a software product correctly to maximize revenue and avoid leaving money on the table early on
  • A definition of content marketing that actually makes sense
  • Tactics to build an audience using limited resources and content, which you can then use to validate your product idea, get feedback, and convert

GREAT STORIES YOU'LL HEAR


  • Patrick and team validated the market and built their initial business around one educational ebook written for their customers
  • The lunacy of Patrick and host Jay Acunzo leaving Google and staying in Boston tech (crazy at that time)
  • The moving story of Patrick beating cancer and the surprising way that changed him as a founder


LINKS MENTIONED:


[ Get all episodes plus other useful content for startups: Subscribe at ViewFromSeed.com and follow @NextViewVC ] 

Let me know what you think of the show -- tweet me (Jay Acunzo) @Jay_zo

Jun 22, 2015

Tech Journalist Dennis Keohane -- Imagine you were told to enter a brand new field tomorrow and that you had 18 months to get hired by one of the top brands in that space. What would you do? That's where the story of Dennis Keohane, national tech reporter for Pando Daily, begins.

Dennis shares the story of his whirlwind year and a half, during which time he went from innovative teacher to writer covering tech innovation. Plus, he offers his perspective on how to fix Boston tech's lack of broader awareness and, specifically, how media can help.

If you like the show and want more episodes and related content, subscribe at ViewFromSeed.com. You'll receive new episodes of Traction as soon as they're available, along with more stories, resources, and advice for seed-stage startups from entrepreneurs, VCs, and industry experts.

Let me know what you think of the show -- tweet me (Jay Acunzo) @Jay_zo

Jun 9, 2015

General Assembly CEO Brad Hargreaves -- When Brad set out to create General Assembly, he had to face both an unusual and a difficult decision: the "Chicken, Egg, or Farm to Put It All" problem. Listen for an explanation, as well as his story of how GA gained its first few results on the way to a global organization in the education space.

Also on the show:

  • Horrible improv comedy
  • When students walk out.
  • A centuries-old industry tells Brad to operate one way while a handful of potential customers tells him another. (What would you do?)
  • In a credibility-driven business, Brad finds a clever way to make GA credible from Day One.
  • The toughest city for GA to land and build (as well as the only place where they couldn’t)
  • And our closing segment for all episodes, Alpha-Beta-Scale — three questions about the entrepreneur, from their early life to today to something unusual they think about the future.

Like the show? Subscribe at ViewFromSeed.com to get every new episode plus more exclusive resources and stories from entrepreneurs and VCs.

Let me know what you think of the show -- tweet me (Jay Acunzo) @Jay_zo

May 26, 2015

NatureBox Co-founder/CMO, Ken Chen -- If ever there was a sneaky way to learn and gain initial traction, this is it. NatureBox currently ships millions of healthy snacks to consumers everywhere, but they all started with a single observation, a single hack using some free tools, and a single weekend of effort. Fastforward to 2015, and they're a Series C startup some would call a success, relative to most startups that launch.

Ken Chen, co-founder and CMO of NatureBox, reveals the story of how he and his co-founder Gautam Gupta launched and began building an actual brand -- a rare thing for startups to care about from Day 1, but a crucial thing for NatureBox to achieve.

Like the show? Subscribe at ViewFromSeed.com to get every new episode plus more exclusive resources and stories from entrepreneurs and VCs.

Let me know what you think of the show -- tweet me (Jay Acunzo) @Jay_zo

May 26, 2015

LinkedIn Co-Founder Lee Hower -- Imagine being on the founding team of not one, but TWO of the startup world's biggest legends: PayPal and LinkedIn. Lee Hower experienced exactly that. In the episode, he shares his stories of how LinkedIn scrapped towards early results back before most of the tech we all use today was even around -- it'll sound pretty archaic to most young entrepreneurs today.

Lee also shares what it was like to get hired by Elon Musk, as well as work alongside the great Reid Hoffman twice.

If you like the show and want more episodes and related content, subscribe at ViewFromSeed.com. You'll receive new episodes of Traction as soon as they're available, along with more stories, resources, and advice for seed-stage startups from entrepreneurs, VCs, and industry experts.

Let me know what you think of the show -- tweet me (Jay Acunzo) @Jay_zo

May 25, 2015

Fred Shilmover, InsightSquared -- In Traction's first-ever episode, NextView's VP of platform Jay Acunzo briefly explains the concept behind the show - to share the stories of the creative, unusual, and brilliant ways entrepreneurs scrap their way to early results. Then, Jay and co-founding partner Rob Go hear the seed-stage story of InsightSquared, a successful SaaS startup that's exploded in Boston, all based on a smart-yet-sneaky tactic used by co-founder and CEO Fred Shilmover before he had any capital, co-founders, or even software.

If you like the show and want more episodes and related content, subscribe at ViewFromSeed.com. You'll receive new episodes of Traction as soon as they're available, along with more stories, resources, and advice for seed-stage startups from entrepreneurs, VCs, and industry experts.

Let me know what you think of the show -- tweet me (Jay Acunzo) @Jay_zo

Apr 23, 2015

Launching this spring, a podcast from NextView Ventures about the creative, unusual, clever, and downright brilliant things that entrepreneurs do to gain early results. While everyone gets told to "do things that don't scale," we don't often hear what those things actually are -- at least not until a company succeeds and the story gets polished for the press.

NextView partner Rob Go and VP of Platform Jay Acunzo talk to top founders, startup executives, media members, and VCs about how they scrapped and fought their way to enough traction to survive and advance against the odds.

Subscribe at the NextView blog for seed-stage startups, the View from Seed.

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