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7 episodes with startup incubator
4 episodes with startup incubator
4 episodes with startup incubator
3 episodes with startup incubator
3 episodes with startup incubator
2 episodes with startup incubator
2 episodes with startup incubator
2 episodes with startup incubator
2 episodes with startup incubator
Silicon Valley loves billion-dollar moonshots and AI darlings. Sam Gerstenzang and Dan Friedman are doing something different—they're starting medical spas and funeral homes.On this episode of AI & I, Dan Shipper sat down with Gerstenzang and Friedman, partners at Boulton and Watt, which they call the "world's slowest startup incubator." Their model: Come up with an idea, achieve five or 10 million dollars in revenue themselves, then hand it off to a CEO who can take it to the next stage. They've used this playbook to build Moxie, a Series C company that helps nurses open their own medical spas, now with 600-plus customers and a 200-person team globally. Their second company, Meadow Memorials, is a contemporary funeral home with no physical real estate. It has become the largest provider of funeral services in California.Both businesses launched right around the arrival of ChatGPT—and neither was built with AI in mind. So how are they thinking about AI inside companies where the core work isn't going to change? In this conversation, Gerstenzang and Friedman share how they built an AI agent called Matthew Bolton to power their customer discovery process, why synthetic customer calls completely failed for them, and why they believe you shouldn't give anyone credit for using AI.If you found this episode interesting, please like, subscribe, comment, and share!Want even more?Sign up for Every to unlock our ultimate guide to prompting ChatGPT here: https://every.ck.page/ultimate-guide-to-prompting-chatgpt. It's usually only for paying subscribers, but you can get it here for free.To hear more from Dan Shipper:Subscribe to Every: https://every.to/subscribeFollow him on X: https://twitter.com/danshipperIntent is what comes after your IDE. Try it yourself: augmentcode.com/intentHead to granola.ai/every to get 3 months free.Ready to build a site that looks hand-coded—without hiring a developer? Launch your site for free at www.Framer.com, and use code DAN to get your first month of Pro on the house.Timestamps00:00:00 — Introduction and how Sam and Dan's paths first crossed00:01:40 — What it means to be “the world's slowest incubator”00:04:50 — Why Bolton and Watt runs companies to several million in revenue before handing off to a CEO00:07:30 — How specialization across the founding journey creates advantages00:10:40 — Building AI-durable businesses versus AI-native ones00:16:10 — How an AI agent transformed their customer discovery process00:19:30 — Where synthetic customer calls completely fail00:29:30 — Deploying AI inside established companies00:32:30 — Why newer projects see huge gains from AI while mature companies see 10 percent00:37:00 — A preview of what's next for Bolton and Watt
Fluent Fiction - Dutch: Sven's Startup Saga: Triumph in the Tech Incubator Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/nl/episode/2026-03-03-08-38-20-nl Story Transcript:Nl: In de bruisende wereld van de Startup Incubator heerst een constante sfeer van opwinding.En: In the vibrant world of the Startup Incubator, a constant atmosphere of excitement prevails.Nl: Grote ramen laten het zonlicht binnenstromen, terwijl de lichte koelte van de vroege lente de ruimte vult.En: Large windows let the sunlight stream in, while the light chill of early spring fills the space.Nl: Sven is geconcentreerd bezig aan zijn tafel, omringd door onderdelen en een half voltooid prototype van zijn project: een duurzame energie-oplader voor mobiele apparaten.En: Sven is focused at his table, surrounded by components and a half-finished prototype of his project: a sustainable energy charger for mobile devices.Nl: Sven is een gedreven student.En: Sven is a dedicated student.Nl: Hij is gepassioneerd over hernieuwbare energie.En: He is passionate about renewable energy.Nl: Hij wil de schoolwedstrijd winnen.En: He wants to win the school competition.Nl: Zijn vrienden, Milo en Fleur, ondersteunen hem.En: His friends, Milo and Fleur, support him.Nl: Maar de druk is groot.En: But the pressure is high.Nl: Andere teams hebben indrukwekkende projecten.En: Other teams have impressive projects.Nl: Sven weet dat hij moet uitblinken.En: Sven knows he must stand out.Nl: De competitie is hevig.En: The competition is fierce.Nl: Op de tafels om hem heen ziet hij glanzende gadgets en innovatieve ideeën.En: On the tables around him, he sees shiny gadgets and innovative ideas.Nl: Sven voelt zich onzeker, maar hij weet dat zijn project uniek is.En: Sven feels uncertain, but he knows his project is unique.Nl: Toch gaat er iets mis.En: Yet something goes wrong.Nl: De oplader werkt niet zoals gepland.En: The charger does not work as planned.Nl: Hij moet een beslissing nemen: vereenvoudigen om zekerheid te hebben, of riskant verder innoveren?En: He has to make a decision: simplify to ensure reliability, or continue innovating despite the risk?Nl: Het is de dag van de presentatie.En: It is the day of the presentation.Nl: De ruimte bruist van spanning.En: The space buzzes with tension.Nl: Sven stapt naar voren.En: Sven steps forward.Nl: Hij begint vol zelfvertrouwen, maar dan stopt zijn model plotseling met werken.En: He begins confidently, but then his model suddenly stops working.Nl: Het publiek houdt de adem in.En: The audience holds its breath.Nl: Sven voelt de bekende angst voor mislukking.En: Sven feels the familiar fear of failure.Nl: Hij sluit zijn ogen, ademt diep in en heropent ze met een nieuwe vastberadenheid.En: He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and reopens them with renewed determination.Nl: Hij begint te improviseren.En: He begins to improvise.Nl: Sven legt uit hoe het model in theorie werkt en benadrukt de innovatieve ideeën erachter.En: Sven explains how the model works in theory and emphasizes the innovative ideas behind it.Nl: Hij haalt een kleinere, reservecomponent uit zijn tas.En: He pulls a smaller, spare component from his bag.Nl: Met vlotte handen laat hij zien hoe het ontwerp kan worden aangepast.En: With swift hands, he shows how the design can be adapted.Nl: De jury kijkt geboeid toe.En: The jury watches intently.Nl: Zijn vrienden, Milo en Fleur, glimlachen bemoedigend.En: His friends, Milo and Fleur, smile encouragingly.Nl: De presentatie eindigt met applaus.En: The presentation ends with applause.Nl: Sven heeft zichzelf bewezen.En: Sven has proven himself.Nl: Hij voelt zich sterker, wetende dat flexibiliteit net zo belangrijk is als een nauwkeurig plan.En: He feels stronger, knowing that flexibility is just as important as a precise plan.Nl: De jury is onder de indruk.En: The jury is impressed.Nl: Ze prijzen zijn creativiteit en vindingrijkheid.En: They praise his creativity and ingenuity.Nl: Als de resultaten worden aangekondigd, hoort Sven zijn naam.En: When the results are announced, Sven hears his name.Nl: Hij heeft gewonnen.En: He has won.Nl: De overwinning betekent meer voor hem dan de prijs.En: The victory means more to him than the prize.Nl: Het geeft hem vertrouwen in zijn toekomstige mogelijkheden.En: It gives him confidence in his future possibilities.Nl: In de Startup Incubator is het Simeer dan alleen technologie; het is passie, doorzettingsvermogen en aanpassing.En: In the Startup Incubator, it's about more than just technology; it is passion, perseverance, and adaptation.Nl: Sven loopt trots de ruimte uit, klaar voor nieuwe uitdagingen in de toekomst.En: Sven walks out proudly, ready for new challenges in the future. Vocabulary Words:vibrant: bruisendestream: binnenstromenchill: koelteprototypes: prototypededicated: gedrevenpassionate: gepassioneerdrenewable: hernieuwbareimpressive: indrukwekkendefierce: hevigegadgets: gadgetsuncertain: onzekerunique: unieksimplify: vereenvoudigenreliability: zekerheidtension: spanningconfidently: vol zelfvertrouwenaudience: publiekbreath: ademfear: angstdetermination: vastberadenheidimprovise: improviserentheory: theorieemphasizes: benadruktswift: vlotteadapted: aangepastintently: geboeidencouragingly: bemoedigendapplause: applausflexibility: flexibiliteitperseverance: doorzettingsvermogen
Fluent Fiction - Dutch: Pitch Perfect: Navigating the Pressure of Startup Success Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/nl/episode/2026-03-03-23-34-02-nl Story Transcript:Nl: De winterzon scheen door de grote ramen van het Startup Incubator in Amsterdam.En: The winter sun shone through the large windows of the Startup Incubator in Amsterdam.Nl: Het was een levendige plaats vol jonge ondernemers.En: It was a lively place full of young entrepreneurs.Nl: De geur van verse koffie hing in de lucht.En: The smell of fresh coffee lingered in the air.Nl: Aan een tafel met uitzicht op de gracht zaten Lars, Femke en Jasper.En: At a table with a view of the canal sat Lars, Femke, and Jasper.Nl: Ze werkten aan hun pitch voor een nieuwe technologie-app.En: They were working on their pitch for a new technology app.Nl: Lars, energiek en ambitieus, bladerde door zijn notities.En: Lars, energetic and ambitious, flipped through his notes.Nl: "We moeten indruk maken," zei hij vol zelfvertrouwen.En: "We need to make an impression," he said confidently.Nl: "Investeren in schone technologie is de toekomst!"En: "Investing in clean technology is the future!"Nl: Femke zuchtte en keek naar de lijst met details die nog niet helemaal klopten.En: Femke sighed and looked at the list of details that weren't quite right yet.Nl: "Lars, ik ben het met je eens.En: "Lars, I agree with you.Nl: Maar we moeten voorbereid zijn op vragen.En: But we need to be prepared for questions.Nl: We kunnen ons geen fouten veroorloven."En: We can't afford any mistakes."Nl: Haar stem klonk vastberaden.En: Her voice sounded determined.Nl: Ze wilde dat de presentatie perfect zou zijn.En: She wanted the presentation to be perfect.Nl: Jasper zat met zijn laptop aan de tafel en luisterde stilletjes.En: Jasper sat with his laptop at the table, listening quietly.Nl: Hij voelde de druk van de naderende deadline.En: He felt the pressure of the approaching deadline.Nl: Zijn gedachten dwaalden naar de code die hij nog moest afronden.En: His thoughts wandered to the code he still needed to finish.Nl: "Femke, we hebben geen tijd meer om alles te perfectioneren," antwoordde Lars haastig.En: "Femke, we don't have time to perfect everything," Lars replied hastily.Nl: "De presentatie moet indruk maken, zelfs als het niet helemaal af is."En: "The presentation needs to make an impression, even if it's not completely finished."Nl: Femke fronste, maar knikte uiteindelijk.En: Femke frowned but eventually nodded.Nl: Ze wist dat Lars zijn zinnen had gezet op grootse plannen.En: She knew Lars had set his sights on grand plans.Nl: "Oké, maar we moeten wel klaar zijn voor vragen die lastig zijn."En: "Okay, but we need to be ready for tough questions."Nl: Op de dag van de pitch was de ruimte vol met potentiële investeerders.En: On the day of the pitch, the room was full of potential investors.Nl: Lars begon met zijn presentatie.En: Lars began his presentation.Nl: Zijn woorden waren inspirerend, maar toen kwamen de technische vragen waar Femke bang voor was.En: His words were inspiring, but then came the technical questions Femke had feared.Nl: Even leek het mis te gaan.En: For a moment, things seemed to go wrong.Nl: Toen stapte Jasper naar voren.En: Then Jasper stepped forward.Nl: Hij legde de complexe details eenvoudig uit.En: He explained the complex details simply.Nl: Zijn rustige stem en heldere uitleg hielpen de investeerders om de app te begrijpen.En: His calm voice and clear explanation helped the investors understand the app.Nl: De presentatie kreeg een nieuwe energie.En: The presentation gained new energy.Nl: Na afloop kregen ze positieve feedback.En: Afterwards, they received positive feedback.Nl: Een van de investeerders zei: "Jullie hebben iets met potentieel.En: One of the investors said, "You have something with potential.Nl: Laat ons zien hoe dit verder wordt ontwikkeld."En: Show us how this will be further developed."Nl: Terug in het incubator hieven ze mokken met koffie op nog een goed stuk werk.En: Back in the incubator, they raised mugs of coffee to another piece of good work.Nl: Lars glimlachte naar Femke.En: Lars smiled at Femke.Nl: "Je had gelijk.En: "You were right.Nl: Detail is belangrijk."En: Detail is important."Nl: Femke lachte terug.En: Femke laughed back.Nl: "En ambitie helpt om verder te komen.En: "And ambition helps to move forward.Nl: We vormen een goed team."En: We make a good team."Nl: Jasper voelde zich ineens zelfverzekerd.En: Jasper suddenly felt confident.Nl: "En ik denk dat ik wel een goede uitleg kan geven in het vervolg."En: "And I think I can give a good explanation in the future."Nl: De winterdag eindigde met een belofte voor een tweede meeting.En: The winter day ended with a promise for a second meeting.Nl: Hun samenwerking had zijn vruchten afgeworpen.En: Their collaboration had paid off.Nl: Ze waren klaar voor de volgende stap.En: They were ready for the next step.Nl: De koude Amsterdamse lucht voelde ineens minder koud.En: The cold Amsterdam air suddenly felt less cold.Nl: Samen keken ze uit over de gracht, klaar om verder te bouwen aan hun droom.En: Together they looked out over the canal, ready to continue building their dream. Vocabulary Words:incubator: incubatorentrepreneurs: ondernemerslinger: hingenambitious: ambitieusimpression: indrukinvesting: investerenclean technology: schone technologiedetails: detailsprepared: voorbereidmistakes: foutendetermined: vastberadendeadline: deadlineperfect: perfectionerengrand plans: grootse plannenpotential investors: potentiële investeerdersinspiring: inspirerendcomplex: complexecalm: rustigefeedback: feedbackpotential: potentieeldeveloped: ontwikkeldmugs: mokkenpromise: beloftecollaboration: samenwerkingpaid off: vruchten afgeworpencanal: grachtbuilding: bouwendream: droomenergetic: energiekexplanation: uitleg
Fluent Fiction - Serbian: From Code to Connection: Love and Startups in Beograd Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sr/episode/2026-03-03-08-38-20-sr Story Transcript:Sr: У срцу Београда, где стари сусреће ново, налази се Стартап Инкубатор.En: In the heart of Beograd, where the old meets the new, lies the Startup Incubator.Sr: Место где се иновација рађа сваки дан, и где млади предузетници попут Светлане и Милана траже своју прилику за успехом.En: A place where innovation is born every day, and where young entrepreneurs like Svetlana and Milan seek their chance for success.Sr: Било је пролеће, лагани ветрић је доносио мирисом свежег цвећа, док су зраци сунца миловали стаклене фасаде модерне зграде инкубатора.En: It was spring, a gentle breeze carrying the scent of fresh flowers, while the sun's rays caressed the glass facades of the incubator's modern building.Sr: Светлана, дама са очигледном страсти за технологију, провела је недеље развијајући апликацију која би олакшала свакодневицу.En: Svetlana, a woman with an obvious passion for technology, had spent weeks developing an application that would make everyday life easier.Sr: Њен циљ био је да пронађе партнера који ће јој помоћи да њена визија постане стварност.En: Her goal was to find a partner who would help turn her vision into reality.Sr: С друге стране просторне хале, Милан, графички дизајнер, трагао је за инспирацијом и новим сарадницима.En: On the other side of the spacious hall, Milan, a graphic designer, was searching for inspiration and new collaborators.Sr: Двоје људи, различити али комплементарни.En: Two people, different yet complementary.Sr: Те вечери у инкубатору, организован је догађај за умрежавање, савршена прилика за све присутне да поделе идеје и можда започну нове пројекте.En: That evening at the incubator, a networking event was organized, the perfect opportunity for everyone present to share ideas and perhaps start new projects.Sr: Светлана је стајала крај свог штанда, показујући демо своје апликације.En: Svetlana stood by her booth, demonstrating a demo of her application.Sr: Испред је застао Милан, привучен њеном енергичношћу и идејама.En: In front of her stopped Milan, attracted by her energy and ideas.Sr: "Ваша апликација изгледа одлично," рекао је Милан с осмехом, посматрајући екран.En: "Your application looks great," said Milan with a smile, watching the screen.Sr: "Можда бих могао да помогнем са визуелним аспектима.En: "Maybe I could help with the visual aspects."Sr: "Светлана се насмешила, препознавши прилику за сарадњу.En: Svetlana smiled, recognizing the opportunity for collaboration.Sr: "Увек сам отворена за креативне предлоге.En: "I'm always open to creative suggestions.Sr: Уууу, можда бисмо требали разговарати више.En: Ooh, maybe we should talk more."Sr: "У наредним данима, Светлана и Милан су се почели сусретати редовно.En: In the following days, Svetlana and Milan began meeting regularly.Sr: Разрадили су идеје, оцртали планове и кроз све то развили поверење.En: They developed ideas, sketched plans, and through it all, developed trust.Sr: Но, професионални изазови нису били једини: Светлана се двоумила да ли да Милана, ког је тек упознала, уведе у свој пројекат.En: However, professional challenges weren't the only thing: Svetlana was hesitant about whether to bring Milan, whom she had just met, into her project.Sr: Милан, пак, размишљао је да ли је спреман за неуобичајену каријерну стазу уз Светлану.En: Milan, on the other hand, pondered whether he was ready for an unconventional career path with Svetlana.Sr: Док су се спремали за велики дан пред инвеститорима, тензија је расла.En: As they prepared for the big day in front of investors, tension was rising.Sr: Знали су да ће њихов успех зависти од тога како се представе као тим.En: They knew their success would depend on how they presented themselves as a team.Sr: Дошао је и тај дан.En: The day finally came.Sr: Уз зачуђене погледе, Светлана и Милан су започели свој питч.En: Under astonished glances, Svetlana and Milan began their pitch.Sr: Комбиновали су њене техничке вештине са његовим креативним цртама.En: They combined her technical skills with his creative flair.Sr: Узбудили су инвеститоре својом визијом.En: They excited the investors with their vision.Sr: Када је све завршило, Светлана и Милан су знали да су остварили успех.En: When it all ended, Svetlana and Milan knew they had achieved success.Sr: Инвеститори су показали стварно интересовање.En: The investors showed genuine interest.Sr: Њихови професионални циљеви су постали једна стварност, спојени њиховим личним односом који је само јачао.En: Their professional goals became a reality, united by their personal relationship which only grew stronger.Sr: Светлана је научила да верује другима и прихвати сарадњу, док је Милан пронашао нову поузданост у себи и својим способностима.En: Svetlana learned to trust others and embrace collaboration, while Milan found new confidence in himself and his abilities.Sr: Као тим, били су непресушив извор иновација, а као партнери у животу, подршка једно другом.En: As a team, they were an inexhaustible source of innovation, and as partners in life, a support to one another.Sr: Пролеће је за њих донело нови почетак, у раду и љубави.En: Spring brought them a new beginning, in both work and love. Vocabulary Words:entrepreneurs: предузетнициinnovation: иновацијаcaressed: миловалиspacious: просторнеbreeze: ветрићfacades: фасадеcollaborators: сарадницимаnetworking: умрежавањеdemonstrating: показујућиenergy: енергичношћуcollaboration: сарадњаinspiration: инспирацијомdemonstrate: показујућиdemo: демоunconventional: неуобичајенуopportunity: приликаunited: спојениchallenges: изазовиhesitant: двоумилаastonished: зачуђенеflair: цртамаgenuine: стварноconfidence: поузданостinexhaustible: непресушивsketched: оцрталиtrust: поверењеscent: мирисомvisual: визуелнимpitch: питчpartners: партнери
Fluent Fiction - Dutch: Snowy Nights and Startup Dreams: A Holiday Pitch to Success Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/nl/episode/2025-12-16-23-34-02-nl Story Transcript:Nl: De sneeuw dwarrelde zachtjes neer op de straten van Amsterdam.En: The snow gently fell onto the streets of Amsterdam.Nl: De stad was versierd met fonkelende kerstlichtjes en er hing een warme geur van kaneel en dennennaalden in de lucht.En: The city was decorated with twinkling Christmas lights, and there was a warm scent of cinnamon and pine needles in the air.Nl: Midden in deze winterse sfeer bevond zich het Startup Incubatorgebouw, waar jonge ondernemers hard werkten aan hun dromen.En: Amidst this wintry atmosphere was the Startup Incubator building, where young entrepreneurs were hard at work on their dreams.Nl: Het was een plek vol met enthousiaste en gedreven mensen die hoopten op succes.En: It was a place full of enthusiastic and driven people hoping for success.Nl: Sven stond in een van de vergaderzalen, zijn handen trilden lichtjes.En: Sven stood in one of the meeting rooms, his hands trembling slightly.Nl: Het was een belangrijke dag voor hem.En: It was an important day for him.Nl: Hij zou zijn mobiele app presenteren aan een groep investeerders.En: He was going to present his mobile app to a group of investors.Nl: Het was zijn kans om de financiering binnen te halen die zijn startup zo hard nodig had.En: It was his chance to secure the funding his startup desperately needed.Nl: Hij wilde slagen voordat Kerstmis aanbrak, het perfecte cadeau voor zijn team en familie.En: He wanted to succeed before Christmas arrived, the perfect gift for his team and family.Nl: Aan de andere kant van de zaal zat Lotte met een geruststellende glimlach.En: On the other side of the room sat Lotte with a reassuring smile.Nl: Ze kende Sven al jaren en wist van de druk die op zijn schouders lag.En: She had known Sven for years and understood the pressure resting on his shoulders.Nl: Ze was zelf ook ondernemer, maar vandaag was zij hier om Sven te steunen.En: She was also an entrepreneur herself, but today she was there to support Sven.Nl: Toen het moment van zijn presentatie naderde, voelde Sven zijn hart sneller kloppen.En: As the moment of his presentation approached, Sven felt his heart beating faster.Nl: Terwijl hij begon te spreken, overviel een vlaag van paniek hem.En: As he began to speak, a wave of panic overwhelmed him.Nl: Zijn ademhaling werd oppervlakkig, en de ruimte leek plotseling kleiner.En: His breathing became shallow, and the room suddenly seemed smaller.Nl: De angst om te falen en zijn geliefden teleur te stellen overweldigde hem.En: The fear of failing and disappointing his loved ones engulfed him.Nl: Op dat moment stak Lotte haar hand op en glimlachte bemoedigend naar Sven.En: At that moment, Lotte raised her hand and smiled encouragingly at Sven.Nl: Zonder aarzeling stond ze op en begon met kalme zelfverzekerdheid te spreken.En: Without hesitation, she stood up and began to speak with calm confidence.Nl: "Dames en heren," zei ze, "laten we even pauzeren voor een kleine wijziging in de presentatie."En: "Ladies and gentlemen," she said, "let's pause for a slight change in the presentation."Nl: Haar charmante stijl trok de aandacht van de investeerders en gaf Sven tijd om tot rust te komen.En: Her charming style caught the investors' attention and gave Sven time to regain his composure.Nl: Buiten de zaal probeerde Sven zichzelf te kalmeren.En: Outside the room, Sven tried to calm himself.Nl: "Ik kan dit niet opgeven," fluisterde hij tegen zichzelf.En: "I can't give up," he whispered to himself.Nl: In gedachten zag hij het harde werk van zijn team en voelde hij hun vertrouwen.En: In his mind, he saw the hard work of his team and felt their trust.Nl: Hij ademde diep in en uit, en keerde terug naar de vergaderzaal.En: He took a deep breath and returned to the meeting room.Nl: Het was Lotte's signalering die Sven moed gaf.En: It was Lotte's signaling that gave Sven courage.Nl: Ze knikte hem bemoedigend toe.En: She nodded encouragingly at him.Nl: "Als je er klaar voor bent, zullen ze luisteren," zei haar blik.En: "When you're ready, they're going to listen," said her gaze.Nl: Met hernieuwde vastberadenheid hervatte Sven zijn presentatie.En: With renewed determination, Sven resumed his presentation.Nl: Hij sprak gepassioneerd over zijn app, zijn stem won aan kracht en overtuiging.En: He spoke passionately about his app, his voice gaining strength and conviction.Nl: Het was alsof de vreugdevolle kersttijd om de stad hen inspireerde.En: It was as if the joyful Christmas atmosphere around the city inspired them.Nl: De investeerders luisterden aandachtig en stelden vragen.En: The investors listened intently and asked questions.Nl: Sven beantwoorde elk van hen met zelfvertrouwen dat hij niet wist dat hij had.En: Sven answered each one with a confidence he didn't know he had.Nl: Na de presentatie stapten de investeerders op hem af.En: After the presentation, the investors approached him.Nl: Ze waren onder de indruk en wilden graag investeren.En: They were impressed and eager to invest.Nl: Sven kon zijn geluk niet geloven; zijn droom was binnen handbereik.En: Sven couldn't believe his luck; his dream was within reach.Nl: Lotte gaf hem een grote knuffel.En: Lotte gave him a big hug.Nl: "Je hebt het gedaan," zei ze.En: "You did it," she said.Nl: Die avond, terwijl de sneeuw bleef vallen, besefte Sven iets belangrijks.En: That evening, as the snow continued to fall, Sven realized something important.Nl: Hij realiseerde zich dat het omarmen van hulp en de steun van vrienden net zo belangrijk was als zijn eigen vastberadenheid.En: He realized that embracing help and the support of friends was just as crucial as his own determination.Nl: Samen hadden ze het onmogelijk ogende mogelijk gemaakt.En: Together, they had made what seemed impossible possible.Nl: En zo, op een koude maar betekenisvolle Amsterdamse winteravond, leerde Sven om niet alleen op zichzelf maar ook op zijn vrienden te vertrouwen.En: And so, on a cold but meaningful winter night in Amsterdam, Sven learned to rely not only on himself but also on his friends.Nl: Het was het beste kerstgeschenk dat hij zich kon wensen.En: It was the best Christmas gift he could have wished for. Vocabulary Words:gently: zachtjestwinkling: fonkelendecinnamon: kaneelpine needles: dennennaaldenatmosphere: sfeerincubator: incubatortrembling: trildendesperately: hard nodigreluctantly: met tegenzinreassuring: geruststellendepressure: drukapproached: naderdeoverwhelmed: overweldigdehesitation: aarzelingcomposure: rustencouragingly: bemoedigendconviction: overtuigingrenewed: hernieuwdeintently: aandachtigembracing: omarmencrucial: belangrijkdetermination: vastberadenheidimpressed: onder de indrukeager: graagmeaningful: betekenisvolleuncommon: onmogelijk ogendenthusiastic: enthousiastecharming: charmanteresumed: hervattepassionately: gepassioneerd
Fluent Fiction - French: From Snowflakes to Startups: Élise's Eco-Friendly Journey Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/fr/episode/2025-12-16-08-38-20-fr Story Transcript:Fr: C'était une froide soirée d'hiver.En: It was a cold winter evening.Fr: Le vent faisait tournoyer délicatement des flocons de neige devant les grandes fenêtres du Startup Incubator.En: The wind delicately swirled snowflakes in front of the large windows of the Startup Incubator.Fr: À l'intérieur, la chaleur et la lumière des guirlandes de Noël créaient une ambiance accueillante.En: Inside, the warmth and the light from the Christmas garlands created a welcoming atmosphere.Fr: Des stands improvisés accueillaient de jeunes entrepreneurs.En: Improvised stands welcomed young entrepreneurs.Fr: Élise était l'une d'entre eux.En: Élise was one of them.Fr: Élise avait consacré toute son énergie à son projet : une ligne de produits éco-responsables.En: Élise had devoted all her energy to her project: a line of eco-friendly products.Fr: Elle rêvait de changer le monde, un produit à la fois.En: She dreamed of changing the world, one product at a time.Fr: Mais pour réaliser son rêve, elle avait besoin d'investissements.En: But to realize her dream, she needed investments.Fr: Ce soir, elle espérait le convaincre.En: This evening, she hoped to convince someone.Fr: Elle savait que Vincent, un investisseur expérimenté à la recherche d'idées novatrices, serait présent.En: She knew that Vincent, an experienced investor looking for innovative ideas, would be present.Fr: Vincent était déjà dans la salle.En: Vincent was already inside the room.Fr: Avec son flair pour identifier les projets prometteurs, il était attentif aux présentations.En: With his knack for identifying promising projects, he paid close attention to the presentations.Fr: À ses côtés, Clara, sa partenaire d'affaires, regardait chaque pitch avec un œil critique.En: By his side, Clara, his business partner, watched each pitch with a critical eye.Fr: Élise prit une profonde inspiration avant d'approcher Vincent.En: Élise took a deep breath before approaching Vincent.Fr: Elle savait que Clara était sceptique envers de nombreux projets comme le sien.En: She knew that Clara was skeptical of many projects like hers.Fr: Mais Élise décida de suivre son instinct.En: But Élise decided to follow her instincts.Fr: Elle s'approcha de Vincent, le cœur battant.En: She approached Vincent, her heart pounding.Fr: "Bonsoir, Vincent," dit-elle avec un sourire chaleureux.En: "Good evening, Vincent," she said with a warm smile.Fr: "Je m'appelle Élise.En: "My name is Élise.Fr: J'aimerais vous parler de mon projet."En: I'd like to talk to you about my project."Fr: Vincent était captivé par la passion dans le regard d'Élise.En: Vincent was captivated by the passion in Élise's eyes.Fr: Elle lui parlait avec cœur de l'importance de préserver la planète pour les générations futures.En: She spoke to him sincerely about the importance of preserving the planet for future generations.Fr: Elle décrivait avec enthousiasme sa gamme de produits, expliquant comment ils pourraient réduire les déchets et encourager un mode de vie durable.En: She described her product line enthusiastically, explaining how it could reduce waste and encourage a sustainable lifestyle.Fr: Clara écoutait en arrière-plan, les bras croisés.En: Clara listened in the background, arms crossed.Fr: Elle semblait peu convaincue.En: She seemed unconvinced.Fr: Mais Vincent, lui, sentit une étincelle d'excitation.En: But Vincent felt a spark of excitement.Fr: Les idées d'Élise résonnaient en lui.En: Élise's ideas resonated with him.Fr: Il voyait en elles non seulement une opportunité d'affaires, mais aussi un projet qui avait du sens.En: He saw in them not only a business opportunity but also a project with meaningful purpose.Fr: Après la présentation d'Élise, Vincent s'éloigna avec Clara pour discuter.En: After Élise's presentation, Vincent stepped aside with Clara to discuss.Fr: Clara exprima ses doutes.En: Clara expressed her doubts.Fr: "C'est un risque," dit-elle.En: "It's a risk," she said.Fr: "Mais quelque part en lui, Vincent savait que cela valait la peine de prendre un risque pour le bien de la planète et de soutenir un esprit aussi passionné qu'Élise.En: But somewhere inside him, Vincent knew that it was worth taking a risk for the good of the planet and to support a spirit as passionate as Élise.Fr: Plus tard dans la soirée, Vincent fit part de sa décision à Élise.En: Later in the evening, Vincent shared his decision with Élise.Fr: "Je veux soutenir ton projet," dit-il.En: "I want to support your project," he said.Fr: "Mais Clara a raison sur certains points.En: "But Clara is right on some points.Fr: Nous devrons intégrer ses conseils pour solidifier le projet."En: We will need to integrate her advice to strengthen the project."Fr: Élise était ravie, et elle accepta avec gratitude.En: Élise was thrilled, and she accepted with gratitude.Fr: Elle se sentit plus confiante que jamais.En: She felt more confident than ever.Fr: C'est ainsi que commença leur collaboration.En: That's how their collaboration began.Fr: Avec le soutien de Vincent, Élise put lancer son projet à une plus grande échelle.En: With Vincent's support, Élise was able to launch her project on a larger scale.Fr: Et, au-delà du succès professionnel, une amitié particulière se développa entre Vincent et Élise, en semant peut-être les graines d'une future relation.En: And beyond professional success, a special friendship developed between Vincent and Élise, perhaps sowing the seeds of a future relationship.Fr: Dans la chaleur de l'incubateur, alors que la neige continuait de tomber dehors, Élise avait pris un grand pas vers la réalisation de ses rêves.En: In the warmth of the incubator, as the snow continued to fall outside, Élise had taken a big step towards realizing her dreams.Fr: Vincent, quant à lui, apprenait à écouter son cœur, autant qu'à suivre ses calculs d'investisseur.En: Vincent, meanwhile, was learning to listen to his heart, as much as to follow his investor's calculations.Fr: Une simple soirée d'hiver pleine de magie de Noël avait changé leur vie.En: A simple winter evening full of Christmas magic had changed their lives. Vocabulary Words:evening: la soiréesnowflakes: les flocons de neigewindows: les fenêtresgarlands: les guirlandesentrepreneurs: les entrepreneursenergy: l'énergieinvestments: les investissementsinvestor: l'investisseuridea: l'idéeknack: le flairpartner: la partenairebreath: la respirationinstinct: l'instinctheart: le cœurlook: le regardwaste: les déchetslifestyle: le mode de viebackground: l'arrière-planspark: l'étincelleopportunity: l'opportunitépurpose: le sensrisk: le risqueadvice: les conseilsgratitude: la gratitudestep: le pasdreams: les rêvescalculations: les calculsmagic: la magieproject: le projetsuccess: le succès
Fluent Fiction - Danish: From Envelope to Opportunity: Søren's Entrepreneurial Leap Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/da/episode/2025-09-30-07-38-20-da Story Transcript:Da: I København, midt i det moderne Startup Incubator, var der en særlig energi i luften.En: In København, in the middle of the modern Startup Incubator, there was a special energy in the air.Da: Søren, en ivrig ung iværksætter, færdedes mellem glasdøre og skinnende skriveborde, hvor idéer fødtes og formede fremtiden.En: Søren, an eager young entrepreneur, navigated between glass doors and shiny desks where ideas were born and shaped the future.Da: Han havde en klar mission.En: He had a clear mission.Da: Hans hjerte bankede for bæredygtige teknologier, og han arbejdede utrætteligt for at gøre sin vision til virkelighed.En: His heart beat for sustainable technologies, and he worked tirelessly to turn his vision into reality.Da: En råkold oktobervind blæste i det åbne kontorrum, og gyldne blade susede mod de store vinduer.En: A raw cold October wind blew in the open office space, and golden leaves swirled against the large windows.Da: På en morgen præget af sådan skarphed, opdagede Søren en mystisk kuvert i sin postkasse hos inkubatoren.En: On a morning marked by such sharpness, Søren discovered a mysterious envelope in his mailbox at the incubator.Da: En simpel, brun konvolut uden afsender.En: A simple brown envelope with no sender.Da: Uden at spilde tid åbnede han den.En: Without wasting time, he opened it.Da: Et enkelt stykke papir egnede sig ud og bar en kryptisk besked: "Følg sporet til byens lys."En: A single sheet of paper emerged, bearing a cryptic message: "Follow the trail to the city's lights."Da: Søren rynkede panden, mens han overvejede betydningen.En: Søren furrowed his brow as he contemplated its meaning.Da: En del af ham ønskede at ignorere det og fortsætte sin oprindelige plan for at sikre den eftertragtede partnerskab.En: Part of him wanted to ignore it and continue his original plan to secure the coveted partnership.Da: Men nysgerrigheden greb ham.En: But curiosity grabbed him.Da: Hvad hvis dette kunne føre til den nøgleinvestor, han havde drømt om?En: What if this could lead to the key investor he had dreamed of?Da: Han forlod skrivebordet og trådte ud i efterårsluften, fornuft og håb i en skrøbelig blanding.En: He left his desk and stepped out into the autumn air, reason and hope in a fragile mix.Da: Han pralede rundt i Kopenhagens gader, fulgte spor af vage lampelys, der førte ham hen mod et lille og afsidesliggende café.En: He wandered around København's streets, following traces of vague lamplights that led him towards a small and secluded café.Da: Her blev mystikken dybere.En: Here, the mystery deepened.Da: Da han trådte ind i caféen, var der en enkelt kunde ved et bord bagerst.En: As he entered the café, there was a single customer at a table in the back.Da: En velklædt mand med en aura af indflydelse vinkede Søren hen.En: A well-dressed man with an aura of influence beckoned Søren over.Da: Det var den kendte, men hemmelighedsfulde venturekapitalist, Anton Vestergaard.En: It was the well-known but secretive venture capitalist, Anton Vestergaard.Da: "Jeg har ventet på dig," sagde Anton med et nik, der både var betryggende og udfordrende.En: "I've been expecting you," said Anton with a nod that was both reassuring and challenging.Da: De talte om Sørens projekt, om bæredygtighed og fremtidige muligheder.En: They talked about Søren's project, about sustainability and future opportunities.Da: Anton afslørede, at han havde fulgt Søren og hans arbejde.En: Anton revealed that he had been following Søren and his work.Da: "Din dedikation er beundringsværdig," sagde han, "og jeg vil hjælpe dig."En: "Your dedication is admirable," he said, "and I want to help you."Da: Søren forlod mødet med en overraskende allieret.En: Søren left the meeting with a surprising ally.Da: Det var begyndelsen på en ny rejse fyldt med ukendte, men spændende udfordringer.En: It was the beginning of a new journey filled with unknown but exciting challenges.Da: Han havde vovet sig ud fra det trygge og fandt en vej, han aldrig havde forestillet sig.En: He had ventured out from the safe and found a path he had never imagined.Da: Som Søren gik tilbage til inkubatoren, følte han sig ændret.En: As Søren headed back to the incubator, he felt changed.Da: Livets uforudsigelighed skræmte ham ikke længere.En: The unpredictability of life no longer scared him.Da: Han havde lært at omfavne det ukendte, og i København denne dag, blev en ny succesfulde historie skrevet.En: He had learned to embrace the unknown, and in København on this day, a new successful story was written.Da: Han var ikke længere kun en iværksætter.En: He was no longer just an entrepreneur.Da: Han var blevet en pioner på vej mod nye horisonter.En: He had become a pioneer on his way toward new horizons. Vocabulary Words:incubator: inkubatorentrepreneur: iværksættersustainable: bæredygtigetirelessly: utrætteligtenvelope: konvolutsender: afsendertrail: sporetcoveted: eftertragtedecuriosity: nysgerrighedensecluded: afsidesliggendeventure capitalist: venturekapitalistdedication: dedikationadmirable: beundringsværdigunpredictability: uforudsigelighedembrace: omfavnepioneer: pionermission: missioncryptic: kryptisklamplights: lampelysalliance: allieretjourney: rejsefragile: skrøbeliginfluence: indflydelsemystique: mystikkenopportunity: mulighederhover: praledesharpness: skarphedventure: vovettransform: ændrethorizons: horisonter
Fluent Fiction - Catalan: Pere's Leap: From App Idea to Startup Dream Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/ca/episode/2025-09-30-07-38-20-ca Story Transcript:Ca: L'aire de tardor filtrava suaument pels finestrals del modern espai.En: The autumn air gently filtered through the windows of the modern space.Ca: El Startup Incubator era una forja d'idees, amb joves plens de somnis i portàtils que xiuxiuejaven en sintonia.En: The Startup Incubator was a forge of ideas, with young people full of dreams and laptops whispering in harmony.Ca: Les parets engalanades amb cites inspiradores recordaven a tots que el futur s'escrivia aquell mateix moment.En: The walls adorned with inspiring quotes reminded everyone that the future was being written at that very moment.Ca: Pere, un estudiant d'enginyeria amb cabell desmanegat i ulls brillants, es trobava assegut al seu lloc preferit.En: Pere, an engineering student with unkempt hair and bright eyes, sat at his favorite spot.Ca: Les mans li tremolaven lleugerament mentre repassava mentalment la seva idea de l'app que tant l'apassionava.En: His hands trembled slightly as he mentally reviewed his app idea that fascinated him so much.Ca: El seu desig ocult era començar la seva pròpia empresa tecnològica.En: His secret desire was to start his own tech company.Ca: Però una ombra de dubte l'acompanyava sempre, com una fulla enganxada a la vora de la seva sabata.En: But a shadow of doubt always accompanied him, like a leaf stuck to the edge of his shoe.Ca: Al seu costat, Laia i Marc xerraven animadament.En: Beside him, Laia and Marc chatted animatedly.Ca: Laia, amb la seva energia contagiosa, havia assistit a més tallers del que podia comptar.En: Laia, with her contagious energy, had attended more workshops than she could count.Ca: Marc, més tranquil, escoltava, mentre prenia notes al seu portàtil.En: Marc, more reserved, listened while taking notes on his laptop.Ca: Eren companys de la universitat i suport incondicional de Pere.En: They were university mates and unwavering support for Pere.Ca: Aquell dia, el focus era la innovació i l'emprenedoria.En: That day, the focus was on innovation and entrepreneurship.Ca: Els estudiants assistien a un taller clau que els prometia eines per donar vida a les seves idees.En: The students were attending a key workshop that promised them tools to bring their ideas to life.Ca: El moment se sentia màgic i intimidant alhora.En: The moment felt magical and intimidating at the same time.Ca: Pere sabia que hi havia altres participants amb més experiència.En: Pere knew there were other participants with more experience.Ca: Temia que la seva idea, encara tendra i sense polir, no estigués a l'altura.En: He feared that his idea, still tender and unpolished, might not measure up.Ca: Però una veu dins seu, més persistent que les seves pors, li deia que ho havia d'intentar.En: But a voice inside him, more persistent than his fears, told him he had to try.Ca: Quan va arribar el moment de les presentacions, Pere va fer un pas endavant.En: When the moment for presentations arrived, Pere stepped forward.Ca: El silenci es va fer mentre es posava davant de la multitud.En: Silence fell as he stood before the crowd.Ca: Va començar a parlar, però la seva veu vacil·lava com si intentés trobar el seu camí.En: He began to speak, but his voice wavered as if trying to find its way.Ca: Les primeres paraules van sortir nervioses, i per un moment, va sentir que les seves pors el podien.En: The first words came out nervously, and for a moment, he felt his fears might overcome him.Ca: Però, aleshores, va veure a Laia i a Marc al fons de la sala, somrient-li amb complicitat.En: But then, he saw Laia and Marc at the back of the room, smiling at him with complicity.Ca: Amb un alè, va recordar per què aquella idea era tan important per a ell.En: With a breath, he remembered why that idea was so important to him.Ca: Poc a poc, la seva veu es va fer més ferma.En: Gradually, his voice became stronger.Ca: Va compartir la seva visió amb passió, els seus ulls reflectint l'esperança i la determinació.En: He shared his vision with passion, his eyes reflecting hope and determination.Ca: La sala va començar a murmurar d'interès, les mirades fixades en ell, atentes i encoratjadores.En: The room began to murmur with interest, eyes fixed on him, attentive and encouraging.Ca: En acabar, la sala va esclatar en aplaudiments.En: When he finished, the room erupted in applause.Ca: Mentors i companys es van acostar per felicitar-lo, fer-li preguntes, i oferir-li consells i suport.En: Mentors and peers approached to congratulate him, ask questions, and offer advice and support.Ca: Pere no podia creure l'efecte que havia tingut el seu discurs.En: Pere couldn't believe the effect his speech had had.Ca: Aquella tarda, mentre el sol començava a posar-se pintant el cel amb tons daurats, Pere es va sentir canviat.En: That afternoon, as the sun began to set, painting the sky with golden hues, Pere felt changed.Ca: Les seves pors semblaven ara petites en comparació amb el potencial que veia dins seu.En: His fears now seemed small compared to the potential he saw within himself.Ca: Va prometre a si mateix que seguiria treballant, convençut que el seu somni podria esdevenir realitat.En: He promised himself that he would keep working, convinced that his dream could become a reality.Ca: Amb el cor ple de nova determinació, Pere va sortir del Startup Incubator, sabent que el futur era tan brillant com ell decidís lluitar-hi.En: With his heart filled with newfound determination, Pere left the Startup Incubator, knowing that the future was as bright as he decided to fight for it. Vocabulary Words:autumn: tardorair: airewindow: finestralforge: forjadream: somniquote: citaengineering: enginyeriaunkempt: desmanegattrembled: tremolavenshadow: ombraleaf: fullaedge: vorashoe: sabatacontagious: contagiosaworkshop: tallerunwavering: incondicionalentrepreneurship: emprenedoriatool: einamagical: màgicintimidating: intimidantparticipant: participantsilence: silencicrowd: multitudvision: visióhope: esperançadetermination: determinacióapplause: aplaudimentsmentor: mentorsunset: posta de solgolden: daurat
Midwest startups has come out with its ranking of the top cities in the Midwest. If you've got a startup, and we've got some highlights for you. Before we get to the rankings though, first, the criteria by which the cities were ranked 43 point half percent of the weight in this ranking was determined by a measure of each city's startup, community, activity and vibrancy, including factors such as the number of active startups. Growth in startup formation over the past few years and other related factors. Access to resources was about 39% of the weight. A measure of how supportive each city's ecosystem is, including the availability of resources that helped startups grow, and again, other related factors. Business climate, 17.5% was the weight of this factor. A measure of how conducive each city's economic environment is to attracting and scaling businesses. So how did they rank? Well, Detroit came in seventh in the Midwest. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Rogel Mari Sese is Director at ADDVentures Innovation Center. ADDVentures Innovation Center is the technology business incubator and innovation hub of Ateneo de Davao University in Davao City. ADDVentures Innovation Center incubates startups in the aerospace and robotics technologies, helping them turn ideas into market-ready products. Watch the episode to learn more about the services that ADDVentures Innovation Center provides for startups! This episode is recorded live at ADDVentures Innovation Center, technology business incubator and innovation hub of Ateneo de Davao University in Davao City.In this episode | 01:37 Ano ang ADDVentures Innovation Center? | 06:31 What services are provided by the incubator? | 17:13 What type of startups are supported? | 24:46 How can interested startups join? | 30:07 What is the story behind the incubator? | 37:57 How is the startup ecosystem in Davao? | 46:55 What are future plans for the incubator? | 52:41 How can listeners find more information?ADDVENTURES INNOVATION CENTERFacebook: https://facebook.com/ADDUVenturesTHIS EPISODE IS CO-PRODUCED BY:SPROUT SOLUTIONS: https://sprout.ph, https://bit.ly/SproutPayrollStarterAPEIRON: https://apeirongrp.comTWALA: https://twala.ioSYMPH: https://symph.coSECUNA: https://secuna.ioRED CIRCLE GLOBAL: https://redcircleglobal.comMAROON STUDIOS: https://maroonstudios.comAIMHI: https://aimhi.aiCHECK OUT OUR PARTNERS:Ask Lex PH Academy: https://asklexph.com (5% discount on e-learning courses! Code: ALPHAXSUP)PIXEL by Eplayment: https://pixel.eplayment.co/auth/sign-up?r=PIXELXSUP1 (Sign up using Code: PIXELXSUP1)School of Profits: https://schoolofprofits.academyFounders Launchpad: https://founderslaunchpad.vcHier Business Solutions: https://hierpayroll.comAgile Data Solutions (Hustle PH): https://agiledatasolutions.techSmile Checks: https://getsmilechecks.comCloudCFO: https://cloudcfo.ph (Free financial assessment, process onboarding, and 6-month QuickBooks subscription! Mention: Start Up Podcast PH)Cloverly: https://cloverly.techBuddyBetes: https://buddybetes.comHKB Digital Services: https://contakt-ph.com (10% discount on RFID Business Cards! Code: CONTAKTXSUP)Hyperstacks: https://hyperstacksinc.comOneCFO: https://onecfoph.co (10% discount on CFO services! Code: ONECFOXSUP)UNAWA: https://unawa.asiaSkoolTek: https://skooltek.coBetter Support: https://bettersupport.io (Referral fee for anyone who can bring in new BPO clients!)Britana: https://britanaerp.comWunderbrand: https://wunderbrand.comEastPoint Business Outsourcing Services: https://facebook.com/eastpointoutsourcingDoon: https://doon.phDVCode Technologies Inc: https://dvcode.techLookingFour Buy & Sell Online: https://lookingfour.comNutriCoach: https://nutricoach.comUplift Code Camp: https://upliftcodecamp.com (5% discount on bootcamps and courses! Code: UPLIFTSTARTUPPH)START UP PODCAST PHYouTube: https://youtube.com/startuppodcastphSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6BObuPvMfoZzdlJeb1XXVaApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/start-up-podcast/id1576462394Facebook: https://facebook.com/startuppodcastphPatreon: https://patreon.com/StartUpPodcastPHPIXEL: https://pixel.eplayment.co/dl/startuppodcastphWebsite: https://phstartup.onlineThis episode is edited by the team at: https://tasharivera.com
Fluent Fiction - Dutch: Rivalry and Resolution: A Triumph in Amsterdam's Incubator Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/nl/episode/2025-07-15-22-34-02-nl Story Transcript:Nl: Op een zonnige zomerdag in Amsterdam, vulde de ruimte van de Startup Incubator zich met gespannen en nieuwsgierige zielen.En: On a sunny summer day in Amsterdam, the space of the Startup Incubator filled with tense and curious souls.Nl: De lucht trilde van verwachting terwijl jonge ondernemers zich klaarmaakten om hun innovatieve projecten te pitchen.En: The air trembled with anticipation as young entrepreneurs prepared to pitch their innovative projects.Nl: Bij de ingang hing de geur van versgezette koffie en ontelbare laptops werkten op volle toeren.En: At the entrance, the scent of freshly brewed coffee hung, and countless laptops worked at full capacity.Nl: Fenna stond middenin deze drukte, haar handen licht trillend van opwinding.En: Fenna stood in the middle of this bustle, her hands slightly trembling with excitement.Nl: Ze wist dat deze dag belangrijk was voor haar toekomst.En: She knew that this day was important for her future.Nl: Haar project, een duurzame technologie die afval omzet in bruikbare energie, was klaar om de wereld te zien.En: Her project, a sustainable technology that converts waste into usable energy, was ready to face the world.Nl: Maar er was een probleem: Joris, een oude rivaal, stond klaar om een vergelijkbaar project te presenteren.En: But there was a problem: Joris, an old rival, was ready to present a similar project.Nl: Fenna voelde de druk van de concurrentie.En: Fenna felt the pressure of competition.Nl: Daan, een mentor bekend om zijn scherpe feedback, keek van een afstand toe.En: Daan, a mentor known for his sharp feedback, watched from a distance.Nl: Zijn goedkeuring was cruciaal, en hoewel hij kritisch was, waardeerde Fenna zijn eerlijke mening.En: His approval was crucial, and although he was critical, Fenna valued his honest opinion.Nl: Ze wist dat ze hem moest overtuigen om succesvol te zijn.En: She knew she needed to convince him to be successful.Nl: Toen Joris aan de beurt was om te presenteren, luisterde Fenna aandachtig.En: When Joris had his turn to present, Fenna listened attentively.Nl: Zijn presentatie was indrukwekkend met glimmende slides en een vlotte uitleg.En: His presentation was impressive with shiny slides and a smooth explanation.Nl: Een lichte ongerustheid kroop in Fenna's gedachten.En: A slight anxiety crept into Fenna's thoughts.Nl: Ze moest een manier vinden om haar project te laten opvallen.En: She had to find a way to make her project stand out.Nl: Toen haar naam eindelijk werd omgeroepen, stapte Fenna het podium op.En: When her name was finally called, Fenna stepped onto the stage.Nl: De zonnestralen vielen door de ramen op haar gezicht en gaven haar een schittering van moed.En: The sun's rays fell through the windows on her face, giving her a gleam of courage.Nl: Ze begon te praten, benadrukte de unieke aspecten van haar project en richtte zich op haar sterke punten.En: She began to speak, emphasizing the unique aspects of her project and focusing on her strong points.Nl: Ze vermeed elke vergelijking met Joris, geconcentreerd op haar eigen verhaal.En: She avoided any comparison with Joris, concentrating on her own story.Nl: Halverwege haar presentatie kwam het moment waarop Daan zijn hand opstak.En: Midway through her presentation, the moment came when Daan raised his hand.Nl: De vraag die volgde was scherp en uitdagend, de soort vraag die menig persoon uit het veld zou slaan.En: The question that followed was sharp and challenging, the kind of question that would throw many off course.Nl: Een stille spanning hing in de lucht.En: A silent tension hung in the air.Nl: Fenna haalde diep adem en leunde in op haar kennis en passie.En: Fenna took a deep breath and leaned into her knowledge and passion.Nl: Ze beantwoordde de vraag met zelfvertrouwen en helderheid, gebruikmakend van gegevens en feiten die de voordelen van haar benadering onderstreepten.En: She answered the question with confidence and clarity, using data and facts that underscored the advantages of her approach.Nl: De zaal was stil, en toen ze klaar was, volgde er een glimlach van goedkeuring op Daan's gezicht.En: The room was silent, and when she was finished, a smile of approval appeared on Daan's face.Nl: Met haar pitch tot een einde, voelde Fenna zich opgelucht en triomfantelijk.En: With her pitch concluded, Fenna felt relieved and triumphant.Nl: Ze had niet alleen Daan's goedkeuring gekregen, maar ook een nieuwe zelfzekerheid gevonden in haar unieke aanpak.En: She had not only gained Daan's approval but also found a new confidence in her unique approach.Nl: De rivaliteit met Joris vervaagde in het licht van haar eigen overwinning.En: The rivalry with Joris faded in the light of her own victory.Nl: Terwijl de zon langzaam zakte en de start-up gemeenschap gidste naar het eind van een opwindende dag, wist Fenna dat ze een belangrijke stap had gezet in haar weg naar succes.En: As the sun slowly set and guided the start-up community to the end of an exciting day, Fenna knew she had taken an important step on her path to success.Nl: Ze verliet de incubator met vernieuwd vertrouwen, klaar om de wereld te veranderen met haar eco-vriendelijke technologie.En: She left the incubator with renewed confidence, ready to change the world with her eco-friendly technology.Nl: Fenna's glimlach was breed; ze had zichzelf bewezen en was klaar voor de toekomst.En: Fenna's smile was wide; she had proven herself and was ready for the future. Vocabulary Words:sunny: zonnigeincubator: incubatortense: gespannencurious: nieuwsgierigetrembled: trildeanticipation: verwachtingentrepreneurs: ondernemerspitch: pitcheninnovative: innovatievebustle: drukterival: rivaalcompetition: concurrentiementor: mentorapproval: goedkeuringcritical: kritischhonest: eerlijkeattentively: aandachtigpresentation: presentatieimpressive: indrukwekkendanxiety: ongerustheidcourage: moedemphasizing: benadruktecomparison: vergelijkingchallenging: uitdagendsilent: stilleknowledge: kennisconfidence: zelfvertrouwenapproach: benaderingtriumphant: triomfantelijkrivalry: rivaliteit
Rosine Labado is Study Leader at CAPSU ABI. CAPSU ABI is an agribusiness startup incubator based in Capiz State University - Burias Campus in Mambusao, Capiz. CAPSU ABI, through DA, BAR, and ACEF is nurturing agribusinesses to help grow, brand, and market their agri-products. Watch the episode to learn more about the services that CAPSU ABI provides for startups! This episode is recorded live at CAPSU ABI. CAPSU ABI is an agribusiness startup incubator based in Capiz State University - Burias Campus in Mambusao, Capiz.In this episode | 01:21 Ano ang CAPSU ABI? | 03:16 What services are provided by the incubator? | 11:35 Who are notable startups supported by the incubator? | 14:10 How can interested startups join? | 17:55 What is the story behind the incubator? | 27:28 How is the startup ecosystem in Capiz? | 35:35 What are future plans for the incubator? | 39:46 How can listeners find more information?CAPSU BALAY ABI | Facebook: https://facebook.com/capsuabiTHIS EPISODE IS CO-PRODUCED BY:SPROUT SOLUTIONS: https://sprout.ph / https://bit.ly/SproutPayrollStarterAPEIRON: https://apeirongrp.comTWALA: https://twala.ioSYMPH: https://symph.coSECUNA: https://secuna.ioRED CIRCLE GLOBAL: https://redcircleglobal.comMAROON STUDIOS: https://maroonstudios.comAIMHI: https://aimhi.aiCHECK OUT OUR PARTNERS:Ask Lex PH Academy: https://asklexph.com (5% discount on e-learning courses! Code: ALPHAXSUP)Founders Launchpad: https://founderslaunchpad.vcAgile Data Solutions (Hustle PH): https://agiledatasolutions.techSmile Checks: https://getsmilechecks.comCloudCFO: https://cloudcfo.ph (Free financial assessment, process onboarding, and 6-month QuickBooks subscription! Mention: Start Up Podcast PH)Cloverly: https://cloverly.techBuddyBetes: https://buddybetes.comHKB Digital Services: https://contakt-ph.com (10% discount on RFID Business Cards! Code: CONTAKTXSUP)Hyperstacks: https://hyperstacksinc.comOneCFO: https://onecfoph.co (10% discount on CFO services! Code: ONECFOXSUP)UNAWA: https://unawa.asiaSkoolTek: https://skooltek.coBetter Support: https://bettersupport.io (Referral fee for anyone who can bring in new BPO clients!)Britana: https://britanaerp.comWunderbrand: https://wunderbrand.comDrive Manila: https://facebook.com/drivemanilaphEastPoint Business Outsourcing Services: https://facebook.com/eastpointoutsourcingDoon: https://doon.phHier Business Solutions: https://hierpayroll.comDVCode Technologies Inc: https://dvcode.techLookingFour Buy & Sell Online: https://lookingfour.comNutriCoach: https://nutricoach.comUplift Code Camp: https://upliftcodecamp.com (5% discount on bootcamps and courses! Code: UPLIFTSTARTUPPH)START UP PODCAST PHYouTube: https://youtube.com/startuppodcastphSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6BObuPvMfoZzdlJeb1XXVaApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/start-up-podcast/id1576462394Facebook: https://facebook.com/startuppodcastphPatreon: https://patreon.com/StartUpPodcastPHWebsite: https://phstartup.onlineThis episode is edited by the team at: https://tasharivera.com
Natalie Shmulik transformed her passion for food into a mission-driven career helping hundreds of founders grow their food and beverage businesses. In this episode of Owning Your Legacy, Natalie takes us behind the scenes of The Hatchery—Chicago's premier food incubator—and shares her journey from running a franchise restaurant in Canada to building one of the nation's most impactful entrepreneurial ecosystems.You'll hear how she created programs that not only support product innovation but also champion founder mental health, community development, and legacy-building. From navigating burnout to redesigning what it means to lead with heart, Natalie is the kind of change-maker who makes you want to roll up your sleeves and build something real.
Ted Hyacinth Asperas is TBI Manager at WVSU BINHI TBI. WVSU BINHI TBI is a startup incubator based in West Visayas State University in Iloilo City. BINHI TBI is providing an enabling ecosystem for startups focused on healthcare, green economy, and emerging technologies. Recorded live at WVSU BINHI TBI a startup incubator based in West Visayas State University, Iloilo City.In this episode | 01:17 Ano ang WVSU BINHI TBI? | 04:46 What services does the TBI provide for startups? | 08:17 Who are notable startups supported by the TBI? | 09:46 How can interested startups join? | 12:14 How is the startup ecosystem in Iloilo? | 15:47 What is the story behind the TBI? | 25:54 What are future plans for the TBI? | 27:11 How can listeners find more information?WVSU BINHI TBI |Website: https://wvsu.edu.ph/binhi | Facebook: https://facebook.com/wvsubinhiTHIS EPISODE IS CO-PRODUCED BY:SPROUT SOLUTIONS | Website: https://sprout.ph | Sprout Payroll Starter: https://bit.ly/SproutPayrollStarterAPEIRON | Website: https://apeirongrp.com | Facebook: https://facebook.com/apeirongrpTWALA | Website: https://twala.io | Facebook: https://facebook.com/twalaioSYMPH | Website: https://symph.co | Facebook: https://facebook.com/SymphCoMAROON STUDIOS | Website: https://maroonstudios.com | Facebook: https://facebook.com/maroonstudiosincAIMHI | Website: https://aimhi.ai | Facebook: https://facebook.com/aimhiconstructionCHECK OUT OUR PARTNERS | Ask Lex PH Academy: https://asklexph.com (5% discount on e-learning courses! Code: ALPHAXSUP) | Founders Launchpad: https://founderslaunchpad.vc | CloudCFO: https://cloudcfo.ph (Free financial assessment, process onboarding, and 6-month QuickBooks subscription! Mention: Start Up Podcast PH) | Cloverly.tech: https://cloverly.tech | BuddyBetes: https://buddybetes.com | HKB Digital Services: https://contakt-ph.com (10% discount on RFID Business Cards! Code: CONTAKTXSUP) | Hyperstacks: https://hyperstacksinc.com | OneCFO: https://onecfoph.co (10% discount on CFO services! Code: ONECFOXSUP) | UNAWA: https://unawa.asia | SkoolTek: https://skooltek.co | Better Support: https://bettersupport.io (Referral fee for anyone who can bring in new BPO clients!) | Britana: https://britanaerp.com | Wunderbrand: https://wunderbrand.com | Fail Coach: https://fail.coach | Drive Manila: https://facebook.com/drivemanilaph | EastPoint Business Outsourcing Services: https://facebook.com/eastpointoutsourcing | Doon: https://doon.ph | Hier Business Solutions: https://hierpayroll.com | DVCode Technologies: https://dvcode.tech | Mata Technologies: https://mata.ph | LookingFour Buy & Sell Online: https://lookingfour.com | NutriCoach: https://nutricoach.com | Uplift Code Camp: https://upliftcodecamp.com (5% discount on bootcamps and courses! Code: UPLIFTSTARTUPPH) | Digest PH: https://digest.ph (10% discount on legal services! Code: DIGESTXSUP)START UP PODCAST PH | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Facebook | Patreon | WebsiteEdited by: https://tasharivera.com
Fluent Fiction - Serbian: Mystery Under Skies: Innovation at Belgrade's Vrbica Night Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sr/episode/2025-04-29-22-34-01-sr Story Transcript:Sr: У средишту Београда, на месту где се креативност сусреће са технологијом, налази се Стартап инкубатор.En: In the heart of Belgrade, where creativity meets technology, there lies a Startup Incubator.Sr: Ту се састају млади умови, сваки са својом визијом будућности.En: Here, young minds gather, each with their own vision of the future.Sr: У пролећне дане, када цветови дрвећа украшавају улице, а ваздух је испуњен свежећом и обећањем нових почетака, дешава се мистерија која је пред изазовом ставила овај мали оазис иновације.En: On spring days, when tree blossoms adorn the streets, and the air is filled with freshness and the promise of new beginnings, a mystery unfolds, challenging this small oasis of innovation.Sr: Лука, иновативан али тајанствен инжењер, пазио је на свој последњи проналазак – прототип уређаја за одрживу енергију.En: Luka, an innovative but enigmatic engineer, was keeping a close watch on his latest invention—a prototype sustainable energy device.Sr: То је било његово ремек-дело, нешто што је могло да промени ток енергетске индустрије.En: It was his masterpiece, something that could change the course of the energy industry.Sr: Лука је те вечери био посебно опрезан, јер се припремала прослава Врбице, када су модерна времена налазила мост ка традицији.En: Luka was particularly vigilant that evening, as preparations were underway for the celebration of Vrbica, when modern times found a bridge to tradition.Sr: Мила, пројектни менаџер, била је одлучна да све тече глатко.En: Mila, the project manager, was determined to ensure everything ran smoothly.Sr: Упркос томе што је била нова у компанији, желела је да покаже своју способност и осигура добар углед инкубатора.En: Despite being new to the company, she wanted to showcase her capability and secure the incubator's good reputation.Sr: Њена радозналост била је добронамерна, и није могла да одоли истраживању када су ствари кренуле неочекиваним путем.En: Her curiosity was well-intentioned, and she couldn't resist investigating when things took an unexpected turn.Sr: Све је почело то вече.En: It all began that evening.Sr: Док су се светла Врбичке прославе видела кроз прозоре, у инкубатору је дошло до изненадног нестанка струје.En: As the lights of the Vrbica celebration shone through the windows, there was a sudden power outage in the incubator.Sr: Завладала је конфузија.En: Confusion ensued.Sr: Са њом је дошао и нестанак Лукиног прототипа.En: Along with it came the disappearance of Luka's prototype.Sr: Мила и Лука су се брзо обрели у канцеларији, гледајући једно у друго са мешавином неверице и хитности.En: Mila and Luka quickly found themselves in the office, looking at each other with a mix of disbelief and urgency.Sr: „Морамо да пронађемо уређај пре него што буде касно,“ рекао је Лука, одлучан да заштити своју иновацију.En: "We must find the device before it's too late," Luka said, determined to protect his innovation.Sr: Иако је више волео да ради сам, знао је да му је сада потребна Милена помоћ.En: Although he preferred to work alone, he knew he needed Mila's help now.Sr: Мила је први пут приметила у Лукама нешто више од технолога; видела је инжењера који се плашио за судбину свог рада и зато му је одлучила веровати.En: For the first time, Mila saw something more in Luka than just a technologist; she saw an engineer who feared for the fate of his work, and thus she decided to trust him.Sr: Док су заједно расплитали запетљане информације, схватили су да постоји могућност унутрашње претње.En: As they unraveled the tangled information together, they realized there was a possibility of an internal threat.Sr: Последњих дана, био је приметан нови члан тима, чије понашање није било сасвим уобичајено.En: In recent days, a new team member had been noticeable, whose behavior was not quite typical.Sr: Лука је, уз Милену помоћ, открио траг који је водио до овог члана у ноћи прославе.En: With Mila's help, Luka uncovered a clue leading to this member on the night of the celebration.Sr: Током обележавања Врбице, када је српска традиција оживљавала на улицама Београда, Лука и Мила су наставили свој истраживачки поход.En: During the Vrbica observance, when Serbian tradition was revived on the streets of Belgrade, Luka and Mila continued their investigative quest.Sr: Док се гужва појачавала, они су били сведоци сцена које доносе нове увиде у случај.En: As the crowd intensified, they witnessed scenes bringing new insights into the case.Sr: Преобучени у одећу која није откривала њихове намере, ухватили су осумњиченог у покушају да продужи са украденим прототипом.En: Disguised in outfits that concealed their intentions, they caught the suspect attempting to sneak away with the stolen prototype.Sr: Тај човек био је агент ривалске стартап компаније.En: This man was an agent of a rival startup company.Sr: Уз брзо размишљање, Лука и Мила су га зауставили и вратили је свој технолошки бисер на сигурно.En: With quick thinking, Luka and Mila stopped him and secured their technological gem.Sr: Захваљујући сарадњи, Лука је научио да цени важност тимског рада, а Мила је стекла неопходно самопоуздање да предводи у тешким ситуацијама.En: Thanks to their collaboration, Luka learned to appreciate the importance of teamwork, and Mila gained the necessary confidence to lead in challenging situations.Sr: И тако, у пролећној топлини, са звуком празничног славља у позадини, инкубатор је наставио да буде место где идеје расту, а пријатељства цветају.En: And so, in the warmth of spring, with the sound of festive celebration in the background, the incubator continued to be a place where ideas grew, and friendships blossomed.Sr: Лука и Мила остали су сложни у својој борби за напредак и постали пример како јединство и поверење могу да реше и најзахтевније мистерије.En: Luka and Mila remained united in their pursuit of progress and became an example of how unity and trust can solve even the most demanding mysteries. Vocabulary Words:creativity: креативностstartup: стартапincubator: инкубаторblossoms: цветовиmystery: мистеријаenigmatic: тајанственprototype: прототипsustainable: одрживvigilant: опрезанcelebration: прославаdetermined: одлучанreputation: угледcuriosity: радозналостunexpected: неочекиванoutage: нестанакconfusion: конфузијаdisbelief: неверицаurgent: хитанinnovation: иновацијаcollaboration: сарадњаinsights: увидиdisguised: преобучениintentions: намереrival: ривалскиagent: агентconfidence: самопоуздањеdemanding: захтеванunity: јединствоtrust: поверење
Rayjand Gellamucho is General Manager at ISAT U Kwadra TBI. ISAT U Kwadra TBI is a startup incubator based in Iloilo Science and Technology University in Iloilo City. Kwadra TBI is nurturing startups in the advanced and deep tech fields, pushing for inclusive growth and sustainable development. Watch the episode to learn more about the services that Kwadra TBI provides for startups and the motivations behind the incubator!This episode is recorded live at ISAT U KWADRA TBI. ISAT U KWADRA TBI is a startup incubator based in Iloilo Science and Technology University, Iloilo City.In this episode | 01:20 Ano ang ISAT U Kwadra TBI? | 2:58 What services does the TBI provide for startups? | 14:17 Who are notable startups supported by the TBI? | 17:14 How can interested startups join? | 25:24 What is the story behind the TBI? | 35:18 How is the startup ecosystem in Iloilo? | 46:54 What are future plans for the TBI? | 49:44 How can listeners find more information?ISAT U KWADRA TBI | Website | FacebookTHIS EPISODE IS CO-PRODUCED BY:SPROUT SOLUTIONS | Website: https://sprout.ph | Sprout Payroll Starter: https://bit.ly/SproutPayrollStarterAPEIRON | Website: https://apeirongrp.com | Facebook: https://facebook.com/apeirongrpTWALA | Website: https://twala.io | Facebook: https://facebook.com/twalaioSYMPH | Website: https://symph.co | Facebook: https://facebook.com/SymphCoMAROON STUDIOS | Website: https://maroonstudios.com | Facebook: https://facebook.com/maroonstudiosincAIMHI | Website: https://aimhi.ai | Facebook: https://facebook.com/aimhiconstructionCHECK OUT OUR PARTNERS | Ask Lex PH Academy: https://asklexph.com (5% discount on e-learning courses! Code: ALPHAXSUP) | Founders Launchpad: https://founderslaunchpad.vc | CloudCFO: https://cloudcfo.ph (Free financial assessment, process onboarding, and 6-month QuickBooks subscription! Mention: Start Up Podcast PH) | Cloverly.tech: https://cloverly.tech | BuddyBetes: https://buddybetes.com | HKB Digital Services: https://contakt-ph.com (10% discount on RFID Business Cards! Code: CONTAKTXSUP) | Hyperstacks: https://hyperstacksinc.com | OneCFO: https://onecfoph.co (10% discount on CFO services! Code: ONECFOXSUP) | UNAWA: https://unawa.asia | SkoolTek: https://skooltek.co | Better Support: https://bettersupport.io (Referral fee for anyone who can bring in new BPO clients!) | Britana: https://britanaerp.com | Wunderbrand: https://wunderbrand.com | Fail Coach: https://fail.coach | Drive Manila: https://facebook.com/drivemanilaph | EastPoint Business Outsourcing Services: https://facebook.com/eastpointoutsourcing | Doon: https://doon.ph | Hier Business Solutions: https://hierpayroll.com | DVCode Technologies: https://dvcode.tech | Mata Technologies: https://mata.ph | LookingFour Buy & Sell Online: https://lookingfour.com | NutriCoach: https://nutricoach.com | Uplift Code Camp: https://upliftcodecamp.com (5% discount on bootcamps and courses! Code: UPLIFTSTARTUPPH) | Digest PH: https://digest.ph (10% discount on legal services! Code: DIGESTXSUP)START UP PODCAST PH | YouTube: https://youtube.com/startuppodcastph | Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6BObuPvMfoZzdlJeb1XXVa | Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/start-up-podcast/id1576462394 | Facebook: https://facebook.com/startuppodcastph | Patreon: https://patreon.com/StartUpPodcastPH | WebsiteThis episode is edited by the team at: https://tasharivera.com
Paul Pajo is Director & TBI Manager at Benilde HIFI. Alexander Abear is Incubation Management Unit Head at Benilde HIFI.Benilde HIFI DOST-TBI is a startup incubator in College of St. Benilde in Manila. Benilde HIFI is trailblazing Benildean innovation. Supporting startups in the creatives industries, Benilde HIFI is pushing towards social innovation and inclusion. Watch the episode to learn more about the services that Benilde HIFI provides for startups and the story behind the incubator!This episode is recorded live at Benilde HIFI in Manila.IN THIS EPISODE | 01:38 Ano ang Benilde HIFI? | 08:42 What is the story behind the TBI? | 22:25 What services does the TBI provide for startups? | 39:57 Who are notable startups supported by the TBI? | 44:58 How can interested startups join? (after the break) | 50:36 What are future plans for the TBI? | 57:41 How can listeners find more information?BENILDE HIFIWebsite: https://benildehifi.webflow.ioFacebook: https://facebook.com/benildehifiTHIS EPISODE IS CO-PRODUCED BY:SPROUT SOLUTIONS | Website: https://sprout.ph | Sprout Payroll Starter: https://bit.ly/SproutPayrollStarterAPEIRON | Website: https://apeirongrp.com | Facebook: https://facebook.com/apeirongrpTWALA | Website: https://twala.io | Facebook: https://facebook.com/twalaioSYMPH | Website: https://symph.co | Facebook: https://facebook.com/SymphCoMAROON STUDIOS | Website: https://maroonstudios.com | Facebook: https://facebook.com/maroonstudiosincAIMHI | Website: https://aimhi.ai | Facebook: https://facebook.com/aimhiconstructionCHECK OUT OUR PARTNERS | Ask Lex PH Academy: https://asklexph.com (5% discount on e-learning courses! Code: ALPHAXSUP) | Founders Launchpad: https://founderslaunchpad.vc | CloudCFO: https://cloudcfo.ph (Free financial assessment, process onboarding, and 6-month QuickBooks subscription! Mention: Start Up Podcast PH) | Cloverly.tech: https://cloverly.tech | BuddyBetes: https://buddybetes.com | HKB Digital Services: https://contakt-ph.com (10% discount on RFID Business Cards! Code: CONTAKTXSUP) | Hyperstacks: https://hyperstacksinc.com | OneCFO: https://onecfoph.co (10% discount on CFO services! Code: ONECFOXSUP) | UNAWA: https://unawa.asia | SkoolTek: https://skooltek.co | Better Support: https://bettersupport.io (Referral fee for anyone who can bring in new BPO clients!) | Britana: https://britanaerp.com | Wunderbrand: https://wunderbrand.com | Fail Coach: https://fail.coach | Drive Manila: https://facebook.com/drivemanilaph | EastPoint Business Outsourcing Services: https://facebook.com/eastpointoutsourcing | Doon: https://doon.ph | Hier Business Solutions: https://hierpayroll.com | DVCode Technologies: https://dvcode.tech | Mata Technologies: https://mata.ph | LookingFour Buy & Sell Online: https://lookingfour.com | NutriCoach: https://nutricoach.com | Uplift Code Camp: https://upliftcodecamp.com (5% discount on bootcamps and courses! Code: UPLIFTSTARTUPPH) | Digest PH: https://digest.ph (10% discount on legal services! Code: DIGESTXSUP)START UP PODCAST PH | YouTube: https://youtube.com/startuppodcastph | Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6BObuPvMfoZzdlJeb1XXVa | Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/start-up-podcast/id1576462394 | Facebook: https://facebook.com/startuppodcastph | Patreon: https://patreon.com/StartUpPodcastPH | Website: https://phstartup.onlineThis episode is edited by the team at: https://tasharivera.com
Launching and growing a business doesn't have to be a slow, painful process. With Freedymm.com, you'll learn what to do and how to do it correctly, from the start. Learn more at https://freedymm.com AMGroup City: Carson City Address: 3250 Retail Drive Website: https://amgroup.com
Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute. Chicago’s startup incubator 1871 is giving up its office space at the Merchandise Mart. The group’s CEO says 1871 continues to perform but not at level that allows the organization to sustain its real estate footprint in the city. A letter […]
Fluent Fiction - Danish: Finding Balance: A Winter's Tale of Risks and Partnerships Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/da/episode/2025-02-11-23-34-02-da Story Transcript:Da: Solen skinnede svagt gennem vinduerne i Startup Incubator.En: The sun shone faintly through the windows of the Startup Incubator.Da: Selvom det var vinter og koldt udenfor, summede lokalet af energi.En: Although it was winter and cold outside, the room buzzed with energy.Da: Ambitiøse unge iværksættere fyldte rummet med snak og drømme om succes.En: Ambitious young entrepreneurs filled the space with talk and dreams of success.Da: Midt i alt dette stod Soren og Kirsten ved deres lille kontorplads.En: In the midst of all this stood Soren and Kirsten at their small office space.Da: Soren, ivrig og anspændt, havde besluttet, at i dag var dagen, hvor de skulle købe nye kontorforsyninger.En: Soren, eager and tense, had decided that today was the day they needed to buy new office supplies.Da: "Vi skal imponere investorerne," sagde Soren entusiastisk.En: "We need to impress the investors," said Soren enthusiastically.Da: "Det kræver de rigtige kontormøbler."En: "That requires the right office furniture."Da: Kirsten, altid praktisk, nikkede.En: Kirsten, always practical, nodded.Da: "Vi har brug for en liste.En: "We need a list.Da: Og et budget," svarede hun.En: And a budget," she replied.Da: Hun trak en notesbog frem og begyndte at skrive.En: She pulled out a notebook and began to write.Da: Det næste stop var den nærliggende kontorforsyningsbutik, hvor lysrørene summede over de lange gange af artikler.En: The next stop was the nearby office supply store, where the fluorescent lights hummed over the long aisles of items.Da: Soren blev straks tiltrukket af det nye og stilfulde konferencebord, der næsten lignede noget fra en designmesse.En: Soren was immediately drawn to the new and stylish conference table, which looked almost like something from a design fair.Da: "Kirsten, kig på dette bord!En: "Kirsten, look at this table!Da: Det vil se fantastisk ud på vores kontor," sagde Soren og pegede ivrigt.En: It would look fantastic in our office," said Soren, pointing eagerly.Da: Kirsten kiggede på prisen.En: Kirsten looked at the price.Da: "Det er for dyrt.En: "It's too expensive.Da: Vi bør holde os til de basale ting.En: We should stick to the basics.Da: Vi har kun en begrænset sum," advarede hun.En: We only have a limited amount," she warned.Da: Soren smilede skævt.En: Soren smiled wryly.Da: "Vi skal bare tænke lidt større."En: "We just need to think a little bigger."Da: De begyndte at samle deres varer.En: They began picking out their items.Da: Kirsten valgte papirblokke, kuglepenne og praktiske opbevaringskasser.En: Kirsten chose notepads, pens, and practical storage boxes.Da: Soren lagde hæfter i kurven, som han troede ville imponere ved første blik.En: Soren added notebooks to the cart, which he thought would impress at first glance.Da: Men hovedattraktionen var stadig det dyre bord, som Kirsten modvilligt lod ham lægge i vognen.En: But the main attraction was still the expensive table, which Kirsten reluctantly allowed him to put in the cart.Da: Ved kassen kom sandheden frem.En: At the register, the truth came out.Da: De havde overskredet deres budget.En: They had exceeded their budget.Da: Kasseren kiggede venligt, men sekundernes stilhed føltes som minutter.En: The cashier looked kind, but the seconds of silence felt like minutes.Da: "Vi må beslutte os," sagde Kirsten med rynket pande.En: "We have to decide," said Kirsten with a furrowed brow.Da: Soren tænkte hurtigt.En: Soren thought quickly.Da: "Vi kan returnere noget af dekorationen," foreslog han, øjnene skiftede mellem Kirsten og bordet.En: "We can return some of the decorations," he suggested, his eyes shifting between Kirsten and the table.Da: Efter en kort, intens diskussion fandt de en løsning.En: After a short, intense discussion, they found a solution.Da: Soren skulle returnere sin posterlygte og blomstervaserne, som i virkeligheden var overflødige.En: Soren would return his poster lamp and the flower vases, which were really superfluous.Da: De besluttede at dele udgiften til bordet som en personlig investering i deres drøm.En: They decided to share the cost of the table as a personal investment in their dream.Da: Da de gik tilbage til startup inkubatoren, bar de på de essentielle forsyninger og selvfølgelig det stilfulde bord.En: As they returned to the startup incubator, they carried the essential supplies and, of course, the stylish table.Da: Soren følte respekt for Kirstens evne til at planlægge.En: Soren felt respect for Kirsten's ability to plan.Da: Samtidig lærte Kirsten at se potentialet i at tage risici, når det var nødvendigt.En: At the same time, Kirsten learned to see the potential in taking risks when necessary.Da: De gik ind i fællesrummet, hvor lyset skinnede ind og gav en varm glød i kontrast til vinterkulden udenfor.En: They entered the common room, where the light shone in, giving a warm glow in contrast to the winter cold outside.Da: Sammen satte de bordet op, klar til næste uges store møde.En: Together, they set up the table, ready for the big meeting next week.Da: Soren og Kirsten vidste, at de havde fundet en balance mellem ambitioner og realiteter.En: Soren and Kirsten knew they had found a balance between ambition and realities.Da: Den vinterdag i kontorforsyningsbutikken var en start på mere end blot en virksomhed; det var begyndelsen på et stærkere partnerskab.En: That winter day in the office supply store was the beginning of more than just a business; it was the start of a stronger partnership. Vocabulary Words:faintly: svagtambitious: ambitiøseentrepreneurs: iværksættereeager: ivrigimpress: imponereenthusiastically: entusiastiskpractical: praktiskbudget: budgetfluorescent: lysrøreneaisles: gangestylish: stilfuldeconference table: konferencebordexpensive: dyrtdecorations: dekorationensuperfluous: overflødigeinvestors: investorernenotepads: papirblokkepractical storage boxes: praktiske opbevaringskasserwryly: skævtexceeded: overskredetcashier: kasserenfurrowed brow: rynkede pandesolution: løsningreturn: returnereflower vases: blomstervasernecommon room: fællesrummetglow: glødcontrast: kontrastrealities: realiteterbeginning: begyndelsen
Danny Bernstein is the Managing Partner of Reservoir Ventures and the CEO of the Reservoir, an ecosystem of nonprofit and for-profit ventures tackling California's most urgent challenges and opportunities. Before founding the Reservoir, Danny spent 20 years in Silicon Valley leading business development, partnerships, and developer programs at Google and Microsoft. At Google, he worked across products like Search, Chrome, Firebase, and Google Identity after the acquisition of Meebo, a Web 2.0 startup that was sold to Google 2012. At Microsoft, he led critical product lines for Microsoft Teams. — This episode is presented by MyLand. Learn more HERE. — Links The Reservoir - https://www.reservoir.co Danny on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannybernstein/ Join the Co-op - https://themodernacre.supercast.com Subscribe to the Newsletter - https://themodernacre.substack.com
EJ Sajo is TBI Manager at UPB SILBI. UPB SILBI - Social Innovation Laboratory and Business Inclusion - is a DOST-funded technology business incubator (TBI) in University of the Philippines Baguio in Baguio City, Cordillera Region. Startups in the Cordillera Region that are doing social innovation, crafts, and creatives, can be incubated in UPB SILBI. Watch the episode to learn more about the services that UPB SILBI provides for startups, the startup ecosystem in Baguio City, and the story behind the creation of UPB SILBI. This episode is recorded at UPB SILBI in Baguio City. IN THIS EPISODE | 01:03 Ano ang UPB SILBI? | 04:31 What are the services that UPB SILBI provides for startups? | 06:56 Who are current incubatees of UPB SILBI? | 19:39 How can interested startups join? Is there a criteria? | 25:41 How is the startup ecosystem in Cordillera and Baguio City? | 32:36 What is the story behind UPB SILBI? | 39:39 How is the experience being a TBI manager? | 43:45 What are future plans for UPB SILBI? | 44:54 How can listeners find more information? UPB SILBI | Website: upbsilbi.com | Facebook: facebook.com/upbsilbitbi THIS EPISODE IS CO-PRODUCED BY: SPROUT SOLUTIONS | Website: sprout.ph | Sprout Payroll Starter: bit.ly/SproutPayrollStarter APEIRON | Website: apeirongrp.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/apeirongrp CHECK OUT OUR PARTNERS | Ask Lex PH Academy: asklexph.com - Get 5% discount on e-learning courses & certifications! Code: "ALPHAXSUP" | OneCFO: onecfoph.co - Get 10% discount on CFO and financial services! Code: "ONECFOXSUP" | Twala: twala.id | Better Support: bettersupport.io (They are offering a referral program for anyone who can bring in new BPO clients! Send us a message to know more) | Britana: britanaerp.com | Fail Coach: fail.coach | Wunderbrand: wunderbrand.com | SkoolTek: skooltek.co | Doon: doon.ph | EastPoint Business Outsourcing Services: facebook.com/eastpointoutsourcing | Enspace Cebu: enspace.ph/en | Mommyki Super Pet App: mommyki.com | Marketmind Local: marketmindlocal.com | Mata Technologies: mata.ph | Hier Business Solutions: hierpayroll.com | Smile: getsmileapi.com | DVCode Technologies: dvcode.tech | Drive Manila: www.facebook.com/drivemanilaph | Ignite Careers: ignitecareers.ph | LookingFour Buy & Sell Online: lookingfour.com | NutriCoach: nutricoach.com | Benjoys Food Products: benjoysfoodproducts.com | Digest PH: digest.ph - Get 10% discount on legal services! Code: "DIGESTXSUP" | Contakt RFID Business Cards: contakt-ph.com - Get 10% discount on RFID Business Cards! Code: "CONTAKTXSUP" | DOHE Philippines | EdFolio | HiveRooms | Kazam | CodeChum | Jur.ph | Big Giant Games | Founders Launchpad | Packetworx | Uplift Code Camp | Pareto Consulting | Agile Data Solutions - Hustle PH | Board Prep | Zayls | SeriousMD | Pahatid.ph START UP PODCAST PH | YouTube: youtube.com/StartUpPodcastPH | Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/6BObuPvMfoZzdlJeb1XXVa | Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/start-up-podcast/id1576462394 | Facebook: facebook.com/startuppodcastph | Patreon: patreon.com/StartUpPodcastPH | Website: phstartup.online This episode is edited by the team at: tasharivera.com
Fluent Fiction - Swedish: From Panic to Peace: How Herbal Tea Saved the Pitch Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sv/episode/2024-11-26-23-34-02-sv Story Transcript:Sv: Det var en krispig höstmorgon på Startup Incubatoren i Stockholm.En: It was a crisp autumn morning at the Startup Incubator in Stockholm.Sv: Kontoret var fyllt av förväntan.En: The office was filled with anticipation.Sv: Människor pratade ivrigt vid de eleganta vita skrivborden.En: People chatted eagerly around the elegant white desks.Sv: LED-belysningen blinkade varsamt, och i köket hördes klirret av koppar.En: The LED lighting blinked gently, and in the kitchen, the clatter of cups could be heard.Sv: Men något saknades – kaffemaskinen fungerade inte.En: But something was missing—the coffee machine wasn't working.Sv: Henrik, en ambitiös teknikentreprenör, kände en knut i magen.En: Henrik, an ambitious tech entrepreneur, felt a knot in his stomach.Sv: Han behövde en koffeinkick för att få styrkan att presentera sin pitch.En: He needed a caffeine boost to have the strength to present his pitch.Sv: Han hade arbetat dag och natt för att få sin idé perfekt.En: He had worked day and night to perfect his idea.Sv: Idag, precis när han behövde kaffet som mest, var maskinen trasig.En: Today, just when he needed coffee the most, the machine was broken.Sv: Det fick honom att bli osäker.En: It made him uncertain.Sv: Maja, en investerare med ett lugn som smittade av sig, satt och läste på sin telefon.En: Maja, an investor with a contagious calmness, was sitting and reading on her phone.Sv: Ingen visste, men hon var en hemlig kaffefanatiker.En: No one knew, but she was a secret coffee fanatic.Sv: Även hon saknade sin morgonkopp.En: She, too, missed her morning cup.Sv: Lars, kontorschefen, fnissade för sig själv.En: Lars, the office manager, chuckled to himself.Sv: Hans knepiga lösningar var kända över hela kontoret.En: His quirky solutions were known throughout the office.Sv: Han började rigga ihop en provisorisk kaffekokare.En: He started to rig together a makeshift coffee maker.Sv: Men Henrik visste att improviserat kaffe kanske inte skulle räcka.En: But Henrik knew that improvised coffee might not be enough.Sv: Henrik hade ett val att göra.En: Henrik had a choice to make.Sv: Skulle han chansa utan kaffe och hoppas på det bästa?En: Should he take a chance without coffee and hope for the best?Sv: Eller hitta någon annan koffeinlösning?En: Or find another caffeine solution?Sv: Med Lucian närmande sig inspirerades Henrik av traditionen och bestämde sig för att prova något nytt.En: With Lucia approaching, Henrik was inspired by the tradition and decided to try something new.Sv: Han hittade en burk med örtte i köket.En: He found a jar of herbal tea in the kitchen.Sv: Dess arom av kanel och ingefära fyllde rummet.En: Its aroma of cinnamon and ginger filled the room.Sv: Med koppen i hand, mitt i en blandning av nervositet och nyfikenhet, gick Henrik upp på scenen.En: With the cup in hand, in a mix of nervousness and curiosity, Henrik stepped up onto the stage.Sv: Örtteet var annorlunda, men det gav honom en oförväntad frid.En: The herbal tea was different, but it gave him an unexpected peace.Sv: När hans presentation var över hördes applåder från publiken.En: When his presentation was over, applause could be heard from the audience.Sv: Maja log och reste sig.En: Maja smiled and stood up.Sv: "Bra gjort, Henrik," sade hon med beundran i rösten.En: "Well done, Henrik," she said with admiration in her voice.Sv: Henrik insåg att han inte behövde kaffe för att lyckas.En: Henrik realized he didn't need coffee to succeed.Sv: Teet blev hans nya turdryck.En: Tea became his new lucky drink.Sv: Han promenerade ut ur rummet, stärkt av insikten att hans egen förmåga var nog.En: He walked out of the room, strengthened by the realization that his own ability was enough.Sv: Det blev startskottet för något nytt.En: It was the start of something new.Sv: Medan Löven föll och Lucia närmade sig sakta men säkert, klev Henrik in i framtiden med hemgjort te och glöd i blicken.En: As the leaves fell and Lucia slowly but surely approached, Henrik stepped into the future with homemade tea and a spark in his eyes. Vocabulary Words:crisp: krispiganticipation: förväntanelegant: elegantaclatter: klirretknot: knutcaffeine: koffeinpitch: pitchperfect: perfektuncertain: osäkercontagious: smittadefanatic: fanatikerquirky: knepigamakeshift: provisoriskimprovised: improviserataroma: aromcinnamon: kanelginger: ingefäranervousness: nervositetcuriosity: nyfikenhetstage: scenunexpected: oförväntadpeace: fridapplause: applåderadmiration: beundranstrengthened: stärktrealization: insiktability: förmågaspark: glödapproaching: närmandetradition: tradition
Kirsten Korosec, Devin Coldewey, and Margaux MacColl are unpacking another busy week in the tech world, kicking things off with Governor Newsom's veto of SB 1047, the controversial AI bill aimed at stopping real-world disasters caused by AI systems before they happen. This may not be the last we'll see of the bill, however, as its author has plans to return with a revamped SB 1047 next year.What else went down this week, you ask? Kirsten had us looking to the skies with Joby Aviation's $500 million investment from Toyota. While Toyota seems to believe that the electric air taxi dream is finally taking off, the Equity crew is skeptical. Margaux argued that aeronautics startup Salient Motion is taking off, despite attempts from Palmer Luckey to shut it down. On the AI front, Devin wanted to discuss Poolside's massive round, the latest drama surrounding Y Combinator-backed PearAI and why it's making waves in the open source community. Speaking of community, Paris-based Motier Ventures . had the team feeling optimistic about the French tech scene with its announcement of its new startup hub, La Maison. Hit play to join the conversation, and Equity will be back next week!Equity is TechCrunch's flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. For the full episode transcript, for those who prefer reading over listening, check out our full archive of episodes over at Simplecast. Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. Bryce Durbin is our Illustrator. We'd also like to thank the audience development team and Henry Pickavet, who manages TechCrunch audio products.
Fluent Fiction - Dutch: A Prank at the Startup: Balloons, Alarms & Laughter Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.org/a-prank-at-the-startup-balloons-alarms-laughter Story Transcript:Nl: De lucht was vol van opwinding en herfstige frisheid in het Startup Incubator, een plek waar dromen en ideeën samenkwamen in het hart van Amsterdam.En: The air was filled with excitement and autumn freshness at the Startup Incubator, a place where dreams and ideas converged in the heart of Amsterdam.Nl: Glasheldere kantoren lagen zij aan zij met gedeelde werkruimtes, terwijl de geur van ambachtelijke koffie de lucht vulde.En: Crystal-clear offices stood side-by-side with shared workspaces, while the aroma of artisanal coffee filled the air.Nl: Iedereen was hard aan het werk, als kleine wielen in een grote machine.En: Everyone was hard at work, like tiny cogs in a larger machine.Nl: Onder hen waren Thijs, Inge en Daan.En: Among them were Thijs, Inge, and Daan.Nl: Thijs, altijd vol energie en gekke ideeën, kwam op het geniale idee om wat plezier in hun drukke leven te brengen.En: Thijs, always full of energy and wild ideas, came up with the brilliant notion of bringing some fun into their busy lives.Nl: "Laten we onze baas een beetje laten zweten door zijn kantoor vol te blazen met helium ballonnen!" stelde hij voor, zijn ogen glinsterend van plezier.En: "Let's make our boss sweat a bit by filling his office with helium balloons!" he suggested, his eyes sparkling with delight.Nl: Inge, met een meer zakelijke insteek, fronste.En: Inge, with a more business-minded approach, frowned.Nl: "Het klinkt grappig, maar het kan ook misgaan," waarschuwde ze.En: "It sounds funny, but it could also backfire," she warned.Nl: Maar Daan, de altijd jolige vriend van Thijs, kon niet wachten.En: But Daan, Thijs's always cheerful friend, couldn't wait.Nl: "Ach kom op, Inge! Een beetje plezier kan geen kwaad," zei hij lachend.En: "Oh, come on, Inge! A little fun never hurt anyone," he said, laughing.Nl: Toch stribbelde Inge niet tegen.En: Inge didn't resist, though.Nl: Ze hielp zelfs mee, vooral om ervoor te zorgen dat Thijs en Daan het niet al te gek maakten.En: She even helped out, mainly to make sure Thijs and Daan didn't take it too far.Nl: Het plan was eenvoudig: de ballonnen snel vullen en in het kantoor van de baas plaatsen voordat iemand iets kon merken.En: The plan was simple: fill the balloons quickly and place them in the boss's office before anyone noticed.Nl: De drie vriendengroep ging aan het werk, lachend en grapjes makend, terwijl ze de kleurrijke ballonnen vulden.En: The trio got to work, laughing and joking as they filled the colorful balloons.Nl: Maar in het enthousiasme van het moment vergaten ze één klein detail. Het hoogtechnologische alarmbeveiligingssysteem van het gebouw.En: But in their excitement, they forgot one small detail—the building's high-tech security alarm system.Nl: Zo stonden Thijs, Inge, en Daan daar, omringd door massa's ballonnen en plotseling blèrde het alarm door het pand.En: There stood Thijs, Inge, and Daan, surrounded by masses of balloons, when suddenly the alarm blared throughout the building.Nl: De lichten begonnen te flitsen en de deuren vergrendelden zich automatisch.En: The lights began to flash, and the doors locked automatically.Nl: "Wat gebeurt er?!" riep Daan uit, zijn lach verstomde snel.En: "What's happening?!" exclaimed Daan, his laughter quickly fading.Nl: Inge slaakte een zucht. "Ik zei het je toch," mompelde ze, maar haar gezicht was niet kwaad.En: Inge sighed. "I told you so," she muttered, her expression not angry but amused.Nl: Via de luidspreker klonk de stem van de beveiliging. "Dit is geen oefening. Verklaar onmiddellijk uw aanwezigheid."En: A voice from the security speaker rang out. "This is not a drill. Explain your presence immediately."Nl: De drie keken elkaar nerveus aan.En: The three glanced at each other nervously.Nl: Thijs greep de intercom en probeerde te kalmeren.En: Thijs grabbed the intercom and tried to calm down.Nl: "Hallo daar, het spijt ons echt. We probeerden gewoon een grap uit te halen met wat ballonnen, niets ernstigs!"En: "Hello there, we're really sorry. We were just pulling a prank with some balloons, nothing serious!"Nl: Na een paar spannende momenten van stilte, kwam er eindelijk respons.En: After a few tense moments of silence, a response finally came.Nl: De beveiliger klonk meer geamuseerd dan boos. "Ballonnen? Een grap? Dat hebben we nog niet eerder gehad."En: The security guard sounded more amused than angry. "Balloons? A prank? Haven't encountered that one before."Nl: Het alarm stopte abrupt en de lichten keerden terug naar normaal.En: The alarm stopped abruptly, and the lights returned to normal.Nl: De deuren gingen weer open.En: The doors unlocked again.Nl: Uiteindelijk, toen hun baas het kantoor binnenstapte en de zee van ballonnen zag, begon ook hij te lachen in plaats van te schreeuwen.En: Eventually, when their boss entered the office and saw the sea of balloons, he started laughing instead of yelling.Nl: "Nou", zei hij glimlachend, "eindelijk wat kleur in dit kantoor!"En: "Well," he said with a smile, "finally some color in this office!"Nl: Nadat de spanning was gezakt, realiseerde Thijs zich dat Inge gelijk had gehad.En: Once the tension had eased, Thijs realized that Inge had been right.Nl: Hij begreep nu dat planning en een beetje voorzorg belangrijk waren.En: He understood now that planning and a little foresight were important.Nl: "Inge, je had gelijk," gaf Thijs toe met een knipoog.En: "Inge, you were right," Thijs admitted with a wink.Nl: "De volgende keer luister ik eerst naar jou."En: "Next time, I'll listen to you first."Nl: Zo eindigde hun avontuur met een lach, een les geleerd, en een kantoor dat nog lang herinnerd werd als het vrolijkste van de Startup Incubator die herfst.En: And so their adventure ended with laughter, a lesson learned, and an office remembered as the happiest place in the Startup Incubator that fall. Vocabulary Words:excitement: opwindingautumn: herfstigeincubator: incubatorconverged: samenkwamenartisanal: ambachtelijkearoma: geursparkling: glinsterendbusiness-minded: zakelijkebackfire: misgaanresist: stribbeldeforesight: voorzorgblared: blèrdealarm: alarmglanced: kekennervously: nerveusintercom: intercomtense: spannendesilence: stilteabruptly: abruptunlocked: opendepresence: aanwezigheidencountered: gehadadventure: avontuurlesson: lesoffice: kantoorcheerful: joligejoking: grapjes makendetail: detailsecurity: beveiligingapologizing: spijt
Shandy Pañares is Startup Alumni Programs Specialist at CDObites. CDObites is the premier TBI of USTP (University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines) in Cagayan de Oro. Startups anywhere in the Philippines are allowed to be incubated in CDObites. Learn more about it in our conversation. The application for the next cohort of CDObites is still open! This episode is recorded at the CDObites office. IN THIS EPISODE | 01:51 Ano ang CDObites? | 05:31 What are the programs and services that CDObites provides for startups? | 16:20 What are some success stories of CDObites? | 19:21 How can interested startups join? Is there a criteria? | 22:38 How is the startup ecosystem in Cagayan de Oro? | 26:36 What are the challenges faced by CDObites? | 33:41 What is the objective of CDObites? | 35:10 How is the experience working in a TBI? | 40:17 How can listeners find more information? CDOBITES | Website: cdobites.com | Facebook: facebook.com/cdobites THIS EPISODE IS CO-PRODUCED BY SPROUT SOLUTIONS | Website: sprout.ph | Sprout Payroll Starter: bit.ly/SproutPayrollStarter CHECK OUT OUR PARTNERS | Ask Lex PH Academy: asklexph.com - Get 5% discount on e-learning courses & certifications! Code: "ALPHAXSUP" | ROC.PH: roc.ph/ref/1706/?campaign=ROCPHXSUP | OneCFO: onecfoph.co - Get 10% discount on CFO and financial services! Code: "ONECFOXSUP" | Enspace Cebu: enspace.ph/en | Twala: twala.id | Mommyki Super Pet App: mommyki.com | Marketmind Local: marketmindlocal.com | Mata Technologies: mata.ph | Hier Business Solutions: hierpayroll.com | Smile: getsmileapi.com | DVCode Technologies: dvcode.tech | Drive Manila: www.facebook.com/drivemanilaph | Ignite Careers: ignitecareers.ph | LookingFour Buy & Sell Online: lookingfour.com | NutriCoach: nutricoach.com | Benjoys Food Products: benjoysfoodproducts.com | Digest PH: digest.ph - Get 10% discount on legal services! Code: "DIGESTXSUP" | Contakt RFID Business Cards: contakt-ph.com - Get 10% discount on RFID Business Cards! Code: "CONTAKTXSUP" | Jur.ph | Big Giant Games | Founders Launchpad | Packetworx | Uplift Code Camp | Pareto Consulting | Agile Data Solutions - Hustle PH | Board Prep | Zayls | SeriousMD | Pahatid.ph START UP PODCAST PH | YouTube: youtube.com/StartUpPodcastPH | Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/6BObuPvMfoZzdlJeb1XXVa | Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/start-up-podcast/id1576462394 | Facebook: facebook.com/startuppodcastph | Patreon: patreon.com/StartUpPodcastPH | Website: phstartup.online This episode is edited by the team at: tasharivera.com
Send us a Text Message.E130: Startup Incubators are everywhere but none quite like the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) at Georgia Tech. E85 reviewed ATDC in detail and today ATDC director John Avery updates listeners on what's happening now at ATDC. They offer three active tracts: 1) ATDC Educate, a foundational curriculum and mentorship for early entrepreneurs. 2) ATDC Accelerate, for early-stage companies that have at least one full-time and one part-time employee, have developed a minimal viable product (MVP), and have begun refining product-market fit. 3) ATDC Signature, offers a targeted, growth-centric program for scaling tech and life sciences startups, bridging them with essential coaching, capital, and exclusive access to Georgia Tech vast resources. Currently sporting ~115 startups enrolled in the Accelerate Program and ~40 in the Signature program, ATDC is at the top of the incubator leader board in the South by scale and breadth, comparable to Y Combinator and TechStars. Their funding record to date in 2024 includes 52 enrolled companies that have raised $150M with a median raise of ~$2M and a median post-money valuation of ~$16M. Over their 40+ year history, 48% of the ATDC portfolio have had a successful exit. (recorded 8/2/24)Follow David on LinkedIn or reach out to David on Twitter/X @DGRollingSouth for comments. Follow Paul on LinkedIn or reach out to Paul on Twitter/X @PalmettoAngel We invite your feedback and suggestions at www.ventureinthesouth.com or email david@ventureinthesouth.com. Learn more about RollingSouth at rollingsouth.vc or email david@rollingsouth.vc.
What's the common thread between Tesla, building startups, General Motors, venture capital and Lyft? Jon McNeill, co-founder and partner of DVx Ventures, joins TechCrunch editor Kirsten Korosec on Equity to discuss how Elon Musk's pay package has influenced founders, when it makes sense to go light on cash and heavy on equity, and his firm's unique approach to investing that eschews the traditional management fee structure. McNeill describes DVx as VC 2.0. The firm comes up with business ideas and builds them into a startup within the firm before it goes out to find the leadership team. To date, the firm has started and invested in 14 portfolio companies that span EVs and AI, SaaS, consumer tech and climate tech. McNeill also walks Equity through the startup creation process, managing risk and how to spot opportunities that can disrupt the market. Equity is TechCrunch's flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts.You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. For the full episode transcript, for those who prefer reading over listening, check out our full archive of episodes over at Simplecast. Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. Bryce Durbin is our Illustrator. We'd also like to thank the audience development team and Henry Pickavet, who manages TechCrunch audio products.
Fluent Fiction - Dutch: Overcoming Trust and Failure: A Startup Love Story Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.org/overcoming-trust-and-failure-a-startup-love-story Story Transcript:Nl: Op een warme zomerdag liep Sanne het Startup Incubator gebouw binnen.En: On a warm summer day, Sanne walked into the Startup Incubator building.Nl: De zon scheen fel door de grote ramen.En: The sun shone brightly through the large windows.Nl: Het was druk.En: It was busy.Nl: Overal waren jonge ondernemers die hun dromen volgden.En: Everywhere, young entrepreneurs were chasing their dreams.Nl: Sanne voelde zich een beetje zenuwachtig.En: Sanne felt a bit nervous.Nl: Ze had net een grote mislukking achter de rug.En: She had just experienced a major failure.Nl: Toch had ze een nieuwe, duurzame tech-idee en zocht ze een betrouwbare partner.En: Still, she had a new, sustainable tech idea and was looking for a trustworthy partner.Nl: Aan de andere kant van de ruimte stond Freek.En: At the other end of the room stood Freek.Nl: Hij praatte met een groep mensen over zijn startup in AI en machine learning.En: He was talking to a group of people about his startup in AI and machine learning.Nl: Freek was charismatisch, maar hij had moeite met vertrouwen.En: Freek was charismatic but had issues with trust.Nl: Eerdere samenwerkingen waren niet goed afgelopen en dat had zijn sporen nagelaten.En: Previous collaborations had not gone well and had left their mark.Nl: Bij de koffiemachine ontmoetten Sanne en Freek elkaar.En: At the coffee machine, Sanne and Freek met.Nl: "Hoi, ik ben Sanne," zei ze glimlachend.En: "Hi, I'm Sanne," she said, smiling.Nl: "Hoi, ik ben Freek," antwoordde hij vriendelijk.En: "Hi, I'm Freek," he replied kindly.Nl: Ze begonnen te praten over hun projecten.En: They started talking about their projects.Nl: Sanne legde haar duurzame technologie uit en Freek vertelde over zijn AI-studies.En: Sanne explained her sustainable technology, and Freek talked about his AI studies.Nl: Beide waren geïnteresseerd, maar ook voorzichtig.En: Both were interested but also cautious.Nl: Ze besloten om een kopje koffie te drinken en verder te praten.En: They decided to have a cup of coffee and continue the conversation.Nl: Sanne voelde zich op haar gemak met Freek.En: Sanne felt at ease with Freek.Nl: Ze merkte dat hij echt interesse had.En: She realized he was genuinely interested.Nl: Toch was er een stemmetje in haar hoofd dat zei: "Pas op, je bent al eens gefaald."En: Still, there was a voice in her head that said, "Be careful, you've failed before."Nl: Freek had soortgelijke gedachten.En: Freek had similar thoughts.Nl: Kon hij Sanne vertrouwen met zijn visie?En: Could he trust Sanne with his vision?Nl: Na een paar ontmoetingen besefte Sanne dat ze Freek meer kon vertrouwen dan ze dacht.En: After a few meetings, Sanne realized that she could trust Freek more than she had thought.Nl: Ze besloot haar innovatieve ideeën te delen.En: She decided to share her innovative ideas.Nl: "Ik wil een project starten dat AI en duurzaamheid combineert," zei ze.En: "I want to start a project that combines AI and sustainability," she said.Nl: Freek glimlachte.En: Freek smiled.Nl: "Dat klinkt geweldig.En: "That sounds great.Nl: Laten we samenwerken."En: Let's work together."Nl: Freek besloot ook eerlijk te zijn.En: Freek also decided to be honest.Nl: Hij sprak over zijn eerdere ervaringen en de pijn die ze hadden achtergelaten.En: He talked about his earlier experiences and the pain they had caused.Nl: Sanne luisterde aandachtig en begreep hem.En: Sanne listened attentively and understood him.Nl: Het was een begin van wederzijds vertrouwen.En: It was the beginning of mutual trust.Nl: Ze werkten weken samen aan hun plan.En: They worked together for weeks on their plan.Nl: Toen kwam de dag van de grote pitch.En: Then came the day of the big pitch.Nl: Het was beslissend.En: It was decisive.Nl: In een glazen vergaderzaal vol investeerders stonden Sanne en Freek zij aan zij.En: In a glass meeting room full of investors, Sanne and Freek stood side by side.Nl: Ze deelden hun visie, vulden elkaars zinnen aan en toonden de kracht van hun samenwerking.En: They shared their vision, completed each other's sentences, and showcased the strength of their collaboration.Nl: De investeerders waren onder de indruk.En: The investors were impressed.Nl: Ze ontvingen de financiering die ze nodig hadden.En: They received the funding they needed.Nl: Na de pitch stonden ze buiten, onder de warme zon.En: After the pitch, they stood outside under the warm sun.Nl: "We hebben het gedaan," zei Freek blij.En: "We did it," Freek said happily.Nl: Sanne knikte en voelde een golf van vertrouwen.En: Sanne nodded and felt a wave of confidence.Nl: Niet alleen in hem, maar ook in zichzelf.En: Not just in him, but in herself as well.Nl: Hun zakelijke relatie bloeide op en werd al snel persoonlijker.En: Their business relationship blossomed and soon became more personal.Nl: Ze ontdekten dat ze niet alleen goede partners, maar ook goede vrienden waren.En: They found that they were not only good partners but also good friends.Nl: Na een tijdje ontstond er een romantische band tussen hen.En: After a while, a romantic bond developed between them.Nl: Door samenwerking en vertrouwen herwonnen ze allebei iets waardevols.En: Through collaboration and trust, they both regained something valuable.Nl: Sanne herwon haar zelfvertrouwen en leerde opnieuw te vertrouwen.En: Sanne regained her self-confidence and learned to trust again.Nl: Freek overwon zijn vertrouwen issues en zag de waarde van een echte partner.En: Freek overcame his trust issues and saw the value of a true partner.Nl: Hun nieuwe bedrijf bloeide in het levendige en moderne Startup Incubator.En: Their new company thrived in the lively and modern Startup Incubator.Nl: Maar belangrijker nog, hun relatie groeide mee.En: But more importantly, their relationship grew as well.Nl: Samen konden ze elke uitdaging aan.En: Together, they could face any challenge. Vocabulary Words:incubator: incubatorentrepreneurs: ondernemerssustainable: duurzametrustworthy: betrouwbarecharismatic: charismatischcollaborations: samenwerkingenpitch: pitchdecisive: beslissendexecuted: uitgevoerdededicated: toegewijdefinancing: financieringconfidence: zelfvertrouwenrelationship: relatiepartner: partnerthriving: bloeidemodern: modernelively: levendigefailure: mislukkingvision: visieattentively: aandachtigmutual: wederzijdsinnovative: innovatievecollaboration: samenwerkingshowcased: toondenunderstood: begrependeveloped: ontstondawkward: onhandigglassroom: glazen vergaderzaalsmiled: glimlachteempathy: empathie
Fluent Fiction - Norwegian: Emotion and Innovation: Sigrid's Journey to Winning Investment Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.org/emotion-and-innovation-sigrids-journey-to-winning-investment Story Transcript:Nb: Det var en lys sommerdag i Oslo, og Startup Inkubator var fylt med energi.En: It was a bright summer day in Oslo, and the Startup Incubator was buzzing with energy.Nb: Store glassvinduer lot sollyset flomme inn, og overalt satt folk og diskuterte nye ideer.En: Large glass windows let sunlight flood in, and everywhere people sat discussing new ideas.Nb: Inne i et av konferanserommene, med glassvegger som skilte henne fra det summende kontoret, stod Sigrid klar til å presentere appen sin for panelet.En: Inside one of the conference rooms, with glass walls separating her from the bustling office, Sigrid was ready to present her app to the panel.Nb: Sigrid kjente hjertet hamre i brystet.En: Sigrid felt her heart pounding in her chest.Nb: Hun visste at dette var en stor sjanse.En: She knew this was a big opportunity.Nb: Hvis hun kunne overbevise Lars, den mest skeptiske investoren, hadde hun en sjanse til å bringe appen til live.En: If she could convince Lars, the most skeptical investor, she had a chance to bring her app to life.Nb: Lars hadde en sterk tilstedeværelse.En: Lars had a strong presence.Nb: Han var kjent for sin erfaring, men også for å være vanskelig å imponere.En: He was known for his experience but also for being hard to impress.Nb: "God morgen," begynte Sigrid litt nervøst.En: "Good morning," Sigrid began a bit nervously.Nb: "Min app heter 'Hjemmehelper'.En: "My app is called 'Home Helper'.Nb: Den hjelper eldre med å holde kontakten med sine pårørende.En: It helps the elderly stay in touch with their relatives.Nb: Den har enkle funksjoner som videosamtaler, påminnelser om medisiner, og enkel tilgang til helseinformasjon."En: It has simple features like video calls, medication reminders, and easy access to health information."Nb: Mens hun snakket, så hun at Lars krysset armene.En: As she spoke, she saw Lars crossing his arms.Nb: Han virket ikke overbevist.En: He did not seem convinced.Nb: Men så skjedde noe.En: But then something happened.Nb: Sigrid så tilfeldigvis på bildet av bestemoren hennes som hun hadde festet på mappen.En: Sigrid happened to glance at the photo of her grandmother that she had attached to her folder.Nb: Plutselig bestemte hun seg for å legge bort notatene.En: Suddenly, she decided to put away her notes.Nb: "Jeg må fortelle dere noe personlig," sa hun.En: "I need to tell you something personal," she said.Nb: "Denne appen betyr mye for meg fordi min bestemor bodde alene.En: "This app means a lot to me because my grandmother lived alone.Nb: Hun slet med å huske medisiner og følte seg ofte isolert.En: She struggled to remember her medications and often felt isolated.Nb: Jeg ønsket å hjelpe henne, og derfor skapte jeg 'Hjemmehelper'.En: I wanted to help her, and that's why I created 'Home Helper'.Nb: Jeg tror den kan gjøre en stor forskjell for mange eldre."En: I believe it can make a big difference for many elderly people."Nb: Rommet var stille.En: The room was silent.Nb: Lars senket armene og lente seg litt fremover.En: Lars lowered his arms and leaned forward slightly.Nb: Han så tydelig berørt ut.En: He looked visibly moved.Nb: "Fortell meg mer om hvordan du vil implementere appen," sa Lars til slutt, med en mykere tone.En: "Tell me more about how you plan to implement the app," Lars said finally, with a softer tone.Nb: Sigrid smilte og begynte å forklare detaljene om appen, hennes visjon for fremtiden, og hvordan hun ønsket å gjøre livene til eldre bedre.En: Sigrid smiled and began to explain the details of the app, her vision for the future, and how she wanted to improve the lives of the elderly.Nb: Hennes selvtillit vokste for hvert ord.En: Her confidence grew with each word.Nb: Hun visste nå at hun snakket fra hjertet, og det ga henne styrke.En: She knew now that she was speaking from the heart, and it gave her strength.Nb: Da presentasjonen var over, var det tydelig at hun hadde påvirket panelet.En: When the presentation was over, it was clear she had influenced the panel.Nb: Lars snudde seg mot henne.En: Lars turned to her.Nb: "Jeg liker hva jeg hører," sa han.En: "I like what I hear," he said.Nb: "Din lidenskap og personlig historie skinner gjennom.En: "Your passion and personal story shine through.Nb: Jeg vil støtte deg både med midler og veiledning."En: I want to support you both with funds and guidance."Nb: Sigrid kunne ikke tro det.En: Sigrid could not believe it.Nb: Gleden fylte henne, og hun takket dypt.En: Joy filled her, and she thanked him deeply.Nb: Hun hadde oppnådd målet sitt – ikke bare med notater og fakta, men med ekte følelser og lidenskap.En: She had achieved her goal—not just with notes and facts, but with genuine feelings and passion.Nb: Utenfor kunne hun høre lydene fra Midsommerfeiringen.En: Outside, she could hear the sounds of the Midsummer celebration.Nb: Folk feiret fortsatt sommeren, lyset og livet.En: People were still celebrating summer, light, and life.Nb: For Sigrid føltes det som en perfekt dag til å begynne noe nytt og viktig.En: For Sigrid, it felt like a perfect day to start something new and important.Nb: Hun visste at hun hadde fått mer enn bare investeringer; hun hadde også funnet troen på seg selv.En: She knew she had gained more than just investments; she had also found belief in herself.Nb: Samtidig hadde Lars gjenoppdaget gleden ved å støtte ekte innovasjon og lidenskap.En: At the same time, Lars had rediscovered the joy of supporting true innovation and passion.Nb: Med fornyet selvtillit og støtte fra Lars, var Sigrid klar for å bringe 'Hjemmehelper' til verden.En: With renewed confidence and support from Lars, Sigrid was ready to bring 'Home Helper' to the world.Nb: Oslo var lyst og fullt av muligheter, akkurat som fremtiden.En: Oslo was bright and full of opportunities, just like the future. Vocabulary Words:buzzing: summendeflood: flommeopportunity: sjanseconvince: overbeviseskeptical: skeptiskepresence: tilstedeværelseexperience: erfaringmedication: medisinerstruggled: sletimplement: implementereconfidence: selvtillitinfluenced: påvirketguidance: veiledninggenuine: ekteisolated: isolertrenewed: fornyetelderly: eldrefunds: midlervision: visjoncelebration: feiringenmoved: berørtforward: fremovernotes: notateneshare: delefolder: mappensupport: støttebelief: troenpassion: lidenskapstartup: inkubatorconference room: konferanserommene
Fluent Fiction - Japanese: Startup Pitch: Yuuki and Hinata's Journey to Winning Investors Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.org/startup-pitch-yuuki-and-hinatas-journey-to-winning-investors Story Transcript:Ja: 夏の暑い日、Startup Incubatorは活気にあふれていました。En: On a hot summer day, the Startup Incubator was bustling with energy.Ja: 共有作業スペースにはスタートアップチームが集まり、モダンな会議室ではビジネスプランが次々と議論されていました。En: In the shared workspace, startup teams gathered, and in the modern conference rooms, business plans were being discussed one after another.Ja: デジタルディスプレイには最新のビジネストレンドや株価が表示されています。En: The digital displays showed the latest business trends and stock prices.Ja: その中で、雄樹（ゆうき）と日向（ひなた）は自分たちのビジネスアイディアで投資家たちを引きつけようとしています。En: Among them, Yuuki and Hinata were trying to attract investors with their business idea.Ja: "大丈夫だよ、日向。ここまで一生懸命やってきたんだから、絶対成功するよ。"雄樹は元気よく言いました。En: "Don't worry, Hinata. We've worked hard to get this far, so we'll definitely succeed," Yuuki said energetically.Ja: 彼は野心的で、このチャンスを逃したくありませんでした。En: He was ambitious and didn't want to miss this opportunity.Ja: でも日向は心配そうに言いました。「市場の反応がどうなるか、まだわからないし..."En: But Hinata said worriedly, "We still don't know how the market will react..."Ja: 「心配しないで！もしプランがダメなら、その場で変えればいいんだ。」En: "Don't worry! If the plan doesn't work, we'll change it on the spot."Ja: 雄樹の自信に少し心を軽くした日向は、彼について行くことを決心しました。En: Reassured a little by Yuuki's confidence, Hinata decided to follow his lead.Ja: 二人は会議室に入りました。En: The two entered the conference room.Ja: そこには数人の投資家たちが座っていました。部屋の中には緊張感が漂っています。En: Several investors were seated inside, and the atmosphere was tense.Ja: 雄樹は深呼吸し、プレゼンテーションを始めました。En: Yuuki took a deep breath and started the presentation.Ja: 彼が新しいテクノロジープロダクトを紹介すると、投資家たちは興味を持ち始めました。En: As he introduced their new technology product, the investors began to show interest.Ja: しかし、ある投資家が手を挙げました。En: However, one investor raised a hand.Ja: 「この製品の市場はまだ形成されていないと思います。どうやって成功するつもりですか？」En: "I don't think the market for this product has formed yet. How do you plan to succeed?"Ja: 雄樹は一瞬戸惑いましたが、すぐに笑顔を取り戻しました。En: Yuuki hesitated for a moment but quickly regained his smile.Ja: 「それについては、今ちょうど新しいビジネスモデルを考えていました。」En: "Regarding that, we've just thought of a new business model."Ja: 彼はすぐに自分のアイディアを修正し、新しいプランを説明しました。En: He immediately adjusted his idea and explained the new plan.Ja: 日向は不安そうでしたが、雄樹の勢いに任せることにしました。En: Hinata was anxious, but she chose to go with Yuuki's momentum.Ja: "彼の考えに賛成です。」彼女も発言しました。En: "I agree with his thinking," she also stated.Ja: 投資家たちは一瞬静かになりましたが、リーダー的な投資家が微笑んで言いました。En: The investors were silent for a moment, but the leading investor smiled and said,Ja: 「君たちには適応力がある。条件付きで資金を提供しよう。」En: "You have adaptability. We'll provide funding under certain conditions."Ja: 雄樹と日向は顔を見合わせました。En: Yuuki and Hinata looked at each other.Ja: 喜びが内心に溢れましたが、同時に責任を感じました。En: Though joy filled their hearts, they also felt the weight of responsibility.Ja: 外に出ると、雄樹は日向に言いました。「チームワークが大事だね。これからもっと君の意見を尊重するよ。」En: As they stepped outside, Yuuki said to Hinata, "Teamwork is important. I'll respect your opinions more from now on."Ja: 日向も頷きました。「私も自信を持つね。ありがとう、雄樹。」En: Hinata nodded, "I'll be more confident too. Thank you, Yuuki."Ja: 彼らは新しい挑戦に向けて、さらに強い絆で結ばれました。En: They were now tied with a stronger bond as they faced new challenges.Ja: そして、Startup Incubatorは再び活気ある場所に戻りました。未来への期待がふたりの胸に広がっていました。En: And the Startup Incubator returned to its lively state, filled with their anticipation for the future. Vocabulary Words:bustling: 活気にあふれているconference rooms: 会議室digital displays: デジタルディスプレイbusiness trends: ビジネストレンドstock prices: 株価investors: 投資家ambitious: 野心的market: 市場react: 反応するadjusted: 修正したtension: 緊張感presentation: プレゼンテーションintroduce: 紹介するtechnology: テクノロジーproduct: 製品formed: 形成されたmodel: モデルmomentum: 勢いadaptability: 適応力conditions: 条件funding: 資金提供responsibility: 責任teamwork: チームワークconfidence: 自信bond: 絆challenges: 挑戦anticipation: 期待shared workspace: 共有作業スペースplan: プランhesitated: 戸惑った
In this episode of the Product Thinking podcast, host Melissa Perri is joined by Mark McNally, a venture innovator who founded Nobody Studios, a startup incubator on the path to creating 100 compelling companies in the next 5 years. Join them as they discuss the fundamentals of building successful companies, the importance of culture, and the role of venture studios in supporting founders.
AYO! Welcome back to The Luck Management Podcast with an invigorating chat with Chris Daniels, founder of The Shrimp Society, Miami's answer to Silicon Valley's accelerators. Chris details his journey from launching and selling three startups to fostering Miami's startup ecosystem, aiding over 500 founders. He highlights the Built in Miami Startup Program, and his collaboration with Venture Miami and the City of Miami, aiming to transform Miami into a thriving hub for innovation.Chris also shares entertaining stories about his boss, Shawn Dagley, and their connections to Notre Dame football, alongside discussions on the rising influence of cryptocurrencies in business, and the significance of community-building and engaging activities for local enterprises. Plus, learn how Chris leverages 'luck' in business strategies.For more on The Shrimp Society and to get involved, visit www.theshrimpsociety.com and explore their initiatives at www.builtmiami.com. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in entrepreneurship and community-driven business growth.Keep Living The Luck Management Lifestyle! Support the Show.Instagram: @the_luckmanagementpodcastApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1637190216Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4JsxM55BY6tRlGzJCiUnvzKeep living The Luck Management Lifestyle!All Episodes are presented and brought to you by CharmND. CharmND is a lucky charm business providing memories, nostalgia, and pieces of Notre Dame to hold in your hand! Check us out on Instagram @charm_ND & @CharmNDShop on Etsy for your piece of Notre Dame.
If you missed the other episodes with thoughtbot Incubator Program partcipants and founders Mike Rosenthal and Chris Cerrito of Goodz, you can listen to the first episode (https://podcast.thoughtbot.com/s3e2incubatorgoodz) and the second episode (https://podcast.thoughtbot.com/s3e4incubatorgoodz), and the third episode (https://podcast.thoughtbot.com/s3e6incubatorgoodz) to catch up! Lindsey Christensen and Jordyn Bonds catch up with the co-founders of Goodz, Chris Cerrito and Mike Rosenthal, where they share insights from their journey during the Incubator program, including the usefulness of the application process in aligning their vision and the challenges and benefits of user interviews and the importance of not overreacting to single user feedback and finding a balance in responding to diverse opinions. They reveal the varied reactions of users to Goodz's product, highlighting the different market segments interested in it. As the Incubator program nears its end for Goodz, Chris and Mike reflect on their achievements and future plans. They've made significant progress, such as setting up an e-commerce site and conducting successful user interviews. The co-founders discuss their excitement about the potential of their product and the validation they received from users. Mike mentions the importance of focusing on B2B sales and the possibility of upcoming events like South by Southwest and Record Store Day. Transcript: LINDSEY: Thanks for being here. My name's Lindsey. I head up marketing at thoughtbot. If you haven't joined one of these before, we are checking in with two of the founders who are going through the thoughtbot Startup Incubator to learn how it's going, what's new, what challenges they're hitting, and what they're learning along the way. If you're not familiar with thoughtbot, we're a product design and development consultancy, and we hope your team and your product become a success. And one way we do that is through our startup incubator. So, today, we are joined by our co-founders, Mike Rosenthal and Chris Cerrito, Co-Founders of the startup Goodz. And we also have another special guest today, Danny Kim, from the thoughtbot side, Senior Product Manager at thoughtbot. So, I think, to start off, we'll head over to the new face, the new voice that we've got with us today. Danny, tell us a little bit about your role at thoughtbot and, specifically, the incubator. DANNY: Yeah, sure. First of all, thanks for having me on, and thanks for letting me join in on all the fun. I'm one of the product managers at thoughtbot. I typically work for the Lift-Off team. We usually work with companies that are looking to, like, go into market with their first version MVP. They might have a product that exists and that they're already kind of doing well with, and they kind of want to jump into a new segment. We'll typically work with companies like that to kind of get them kicked off the ground. But it's been really awesome being part of the incubator program. It's my first time in helping with the market validation side. Definitely also, like, learning a lot from this experience [laughs] for myself. Coming at it specifically from a PM perspective, there's, like, so much variation usually in product management across the industry, depending on, like, what stage of the product that you're working in. And so, I'm definitely feeling my fair share of impostor syndrome here. But it's been really fun to stretch my brand and, like, approach problems from, like, a completely different perspective and also using different tools. But, you know, working with Mike and Chris makes it so much easier because they really make it feel like you're part of their team, and so that definitely goes a long way. LINDSEY: It just goes to show everyone gets impostor syndrome sometimes [laughter], even senior product managers at thoughtbot [laughter]. Thanks for that intro. It's, you know, the thoughtbot team learns along the way, too, you know, especially if usually you're focused on a different stage of product development. Mike, it's been only three weeks or a very long three weeks since last we checked in with you, kind of forever in startup time. So, I think the last time, we were just getting to know you two. And you were walking us through the concept, this merging of the digital and physical world of music, and how we interact with music keepsakes or merchandise. How's my pitch? MIKE: Good. Great. You're killing it. [laughter] LINDSEY: And has anything major changed to that concept in the last three weeks? MIKE: No. I mean, I can't believe it's only been three weeks. It feels like it's been a long time since we last talked. It's been an intense three weeks, for sure. No, it's been going really well. I mean, we launched all sorts of stuff. I'm trying to think of anything that's sort of fundamentally changed in terms of the plan itself or kind of our, yeah, what we've been working on. And I think we've pretty much stayed the course to sort of get to where we are now. But it's been really intensive. I think also having sort of Thanksgiving in there, and we were kind of pushing to get something live right before the Thanksgiving break. And so, that week just felt, I mean, I was just dead by, you know, like, Thursday of Thanksgiving. I think we all were. So, it's been intense, I would say, is the short answer. And I'm happy, yeah, to get into kind of where things are at. But big picture, it's been an intense three weeks. LINDSEY: That's cool. And when we talked, you were, you know, definitely getting into research and user interviews. Have those influenced any, you know, changes along the way in the plan? MIKE: Yeah. They've been really helpful. You know, we'd never really done that before in any of the sort of past projects that we've worked on together. And so, I think just being able to, you know, read through some of those scripts and then sit through some of the interviews and just kind of hearing people's honest assessment of some things has been really interesting. I'm trying to think if it's materially affected anything. I guess, you know, at first, we were, like, we kind of had some assumptions around, okay, let's try to find, like...adult gift-givers sounds like the wrong thing, adults who give gifts as, like, a persona. The idea that, like, you know, maybe you gift your siblings gifts, and then maybe this could be a good gift idea. And I think, you know, we had a hard time kind of finding people to talk in an interesting way about that. And I think we've kind of realized it's kind of a hard persona to kind of chop up and talk about, right, Chris? I don't know [crosstalk 04:55] CHRIS: Well, it also seemed to, from my understanding of it, it seemed to, like, genuinely stress out the people who were being interviewed... MIKE: [laughs] CHRIS: Because it's kind of about a stressful topic [inaudible 05:03], you know, and, like, especially -- LINDSEY: Why? [laughs] CHRIS: Well, I think, I don't know, now I'm making assumptions. Maybe because we're close to the holiday season, and that's a topic in the back of everybody's mind. But yeah, Danny, would you disagree with that? Those folks, from what we heard, seemed like they were the most difficult to kind of extract answers from. But then, if the subject changed and we treated them as a different persona, several of those interviews proved to be quite fruitful. So, it's just really interesting. DANNY: Yeah. It really started, like, you kind of try to get some answers out of people, and there's, like, some level of people trying to please you to some extent. That's just, like, naturally, how it starts. And you just, like, keep trying to drill into the answers. And you just keep asking people like, "So, what kind of gifts do you give?" And they're just like, "Oh my goodness, like, I haven't thought about buying gifts for my sister in [laughs], like, you know, in forever. And now, like [laughs], I don't know where to go." And they get, like, pretty stressed out about it. But then we just kind of started shifting into like, "All right, cool, never mind about that. Like, do you like listening to music?" And they're like, "Yes." And then it just kind of explodes from there. And they're like, "This last concert that I went to..." and all of this stuff. And it was much more fruitful kind of leaning more towards that, actually, yeah. LINDSEY: That's fascinating. I guess that speaks to, especially at this stage and the speed and the amount of interviews you're doing, the need for being, like, really agile in those interviews, and then, like, really quickly applying what you're learning to making the next one even more valuable. MIKE: Yeah. And I think, you know, like, we launched just a little sort of website experiment or, like, an e-commerce experiment right before Thanksgiving. And I think now, you know, we're able to sort of take some of those learnings from those interviews and apply them to both sort of our ad copy itself but also just different landing pages in different language on the different kind of versions of the site and see if we can find some resonance with some of these audience groups. So, it's been interesting. LINDSEY: Are you still trying to figure out who that early adopter audience is, who that niche persona is? MIKE: I think we -- CHRIS: Yes, we are. I think we have a good idea of who it is. And I think right now we're just trying to figure out really how to reach those people. That, I think, is the biggest challenge right now for us. MIKE: Yeah. With the e-commerce experiment it was sort of a very specific niche thing that is a little bit adjacent to what I think we want to be doing longer term with Goodz. And so, it's weird. It's like, we're in a place we're like, oh, we really want to find the people that want this thing. But also, this thing isn't necessarily the thing that we think we're going to make longer term, so let's not worry too hard about finding them. You know what I mean? It's been an interesting sort of back and forth with that. CHRIS: From the interviews that we conducted, you know, we identified three key personas. Most of them have come up, but I'll just relist them. There's the sibling gift giver. There was the merch buyers; these are people who go to concerts and buy merchandise, you know, T-shirts, albums, records, things along those lines to support the artists that they love. And then the final one that was identified we gave the title of the 'Proud Playlister'. And these are people who are really into their digital media platforms, love making playlists, and love sharing those playlists with their friends. And that, I would say, the proud playlister is really the one that we have focused on in terms of the storefront that we launched, like, the product is pretty much specifically for them. But the lessons that we're learning while making this product and trying to get this into the hands of the proud playlisters will feed into kind of the merch buyers. MIKE: Yeah. And I think that, you know, it's funny, like, this week is kind of a poignant week for this, right? Because it's the week that Spotify Wrapped launched, right? So, it's like, in the course of any given year, it's probably, like, the one week of the year that lots and lots and lots of people are thinking about playlists all of a sudden, so trying a little bit to see if we can ride that wave or just kind of dovetail with that a bit, too. LINDSEY: Absolutely. And do you want to give just, like, the really quick reminder of what the product experience is like? MIKE: Oh yeah [laughs], good call. CHRIS: This is a prototype of it. It's called the Goodz Mixtape. Basically, the idea is that you purchase one of these from us. You give us a playlist URL. We program that URL onto the NFC chip that's embedded in the Good itself. And then when you scan this Good, that playlist will come up. So, it's a really great way of you make a playlist for somebody, and you want to gift it to them; this is a great way to do that. You have a special playlist, maybe between you and a friend or you and a partner. This is a good way to commemorate that playlist, turn it into a physical thing, give that digital file value and presence in the physical world. LINDSEY: Great. Okay, so you casually mentioned this launch of an e-commerce store that happened last week. MIKE: It didn't feel casual. LINDSEY: Yeah. Why [laughter]...[inaudible 09:45] real casual. Why did you launch it? How's it going? MIKE: I don't know. Why did we launch it? I mean, well, we wanted to be able to test some assumptions. I think, you know, we wanted to get the brand out there a little bit, get our website out there, kind of introduce the concept. You know, this is a very...not that we've invented this product category, but it is a pretty obscure product category, right? And so, there's a lot of sort of consumer education that I think that has to go on for people to wrap their heads around this and why they'd want this. So, I think we wanted to start that process a little bit correctly, sort of in advance of a larger launch next year, and see if we could find some early community around this. You know, if we can find those core people who just absolutely love this, and connect with it, and go wild around it, then those are the people that we're going to be able to get a ton of information from and build for that persona, right? It's like, cool, these are the people who love this. Let's build more for them and go find other people like this. So, I think, for us, it was that. And then, honestly, it was also just, you know, let's test our manufacturing and fulfillment and logistics capabilities, right? I mean, this is...as much as we are a B2B, you know, SaaS platform or that's what we envision the future of Goodz being, there is a physical component of this. And, you know, we do have that part basically done at this point. But we just, you know, what is it like to order 1,000 of these? What is it like to put these in the mail to people and, you know, actually take orders? And just some of that processing because we do envision a more wholesale future where we're doing, you know, thousands or tens of thousands of this at a time. And so, I think we just want to button up and do some dry runs before we get to those kinds of numbers. CHRIS: I think it also it's important to remember that we are talking in startup time. And while this last week seems like an eternity, it's been a week [laughs] that we've had this in place. So, we're just starting to learn these things, and we plan on continuing to do so. MIKE: Yeah. But I think we thought that getting a website up would be a good way to just start kind of testing everything more. LINDSEY: Great. Danny, what went into deciding what would be in this first version of the site and the e-commerce offering? DANNY: I mean, a lot of it was kind of mostly driven by Chris and Mike. They kind of had a vision and an idea of what they wanted to sell. Obviously, from the user interviews, we were starting to hone in a little bit more and, like, we had some assumptions going into it. I think we ultimately did kind of feel like, yeah, I think, like, the playlisters seem to be, like, the target market. But just hearing it more and hearing more excitement from them was definitely just kind of like, yeah, I think we can double down on this piece. But, ultimately, like, in terms of launching the e-commerce platform, and the storefront, and the website, like, just literally looking at the user journey and being like, how does a user get from getting onto a site, like, as soon as they land there to, like, finishing a purchase? And what points do they need? What are the key things that they need to think through and typically will run into? And a lot of it is just kind of reflecting on our own personal buyer behavior. And, also, as we were getting closer to the launch, starting to work through some of those assumptions about buyer behavior. As we got there, we obviously had some prototypes. We had some screenshots that we were already working with. Like, the design team was already starting to build out some of the site. And so, we would just kind of show it to them, show it to our users, and just be like, hey, like, how do you expect to purchase this? Like, what's the next step that you expect to take? And we'd just kind of, like, continue to iterate on that piece. And so... LINDSEY: Okay. So you were, before launching, even showing some of those mockups and starting to incorporate them in the user interviews. DANNY: Yeah, yeah. I mean, we tried to get it in there in front of them as early as possible, partially because, like, at some point in the user interviews, like, you're mostly just trying to first understand, like, who are our target customers? Who are these people? And we have an assumption of or an idea of who we think they are. But really, like, once you start talking to people, you kind of are, like, okay, like, this thing that I thought maybe it wasn't so accurate, or, like, the way that they're kind of talking about these products doesn't 100% match what I originally walked into this, you know, experiment with. And so, we, like, start to hone in on that. But after a certain point, you kind of get that idea and now you're just like, okay, you seem to be, like, the right person to talk to. And so, if I were to show you this thing, do you get it, right? Like, do you understand what's happening? Like, how to use this thing, what this product even does. And then also, like, does the checkout experience feel intuitive for you? Is it as simple as, like, I just want to buy a T-shirt? So, like, I'm just going to go by the T-shirt, pick a size, and, you know, move on with my life. Can we make it as seamless as that? LINDSEY: And so, you mentioned it's only been a week since it's been live. Have you been able to learn anything from it yet? And how are you trying to drive people to it today? MIKE: Yeah, I think we learned that sales is hard [laughs] and slow, and it takes some time. But it's good, and we're learning a lot. I mean, it's been a while since I've really dug deep in, like, the analytics and marketing kind of metrics. And so, we've got all the Google Tag Manager stuff, you know, hooked up and just, you know, connecting with just exploring, honestly, like the TikTok advertising platform, and the YouTube Pre-Rolls, and Shorts. And, like, a lot of stuff that I actually, since the last time I was heavily involved in this stuff, is just totally new and different. And so, it's been super interesting to see the funnel and sort of see where people are getting in the site, where people are dropping off. You know, we had an interesting conversation in our thoughtbot sync yesterday or the day before, where we were seeing how, you know, we're getting lots of people to the front page and, actually, a good number of people to the product page, and, actually, like, you know, not the worst number of people to the cart. But then you were seeing really high cart abandonment rates. And then, you know, when you start Googling, and you're like, oh, actually, everybody sees very high cart abandonment rates; that's just a thing. But we were seeing, like, the people were viewing their cart seven or eight times, and they were on there sort of five times as long as they were on any other page. And it's this problem that I think Danny is talking about where, you know, we need to actually get a playlist URL. This gets into the minutiae of what we're building, but basically like, we need to get them to give us a playlist URL in order to check out, right? And so, you sort of have to, like, put yourself back in the mind of someone who's scrolling on Instagram, and they see this as an ad, and they click it, and they're like, oh, that thing was cool. Sure, I will buy one of those. And then it's like, no, actually, you need to, you know, leave this, go into a different app, find a play...like, it suddenly just puts a lot of the mental strain. But it's a lot. It's a cognitive load, greater than, as you said, just buying a T-shirt and telling what size you want. So, thinking through ways to really trim that down, shore up the amount of time people are spending on a cart. All that stuff has been fascinating. And then just, like, the different demographic kind of work that we're using, all the social ads platforms to kind of identify has been really interesting. It's still early. But, actually, like, Chris and I were just noticing...we were just talking right before this call. Like, we're actually starting to get, just in the last 12 hours, a bunch more, a bunch, but more people signing up to our email newsletter, probably in the last 12 hours that we have in the whole of last week. Yeah, I don't know, just even that sort of learning, it's like, oh, do people just need time with a thing, or they come back and they think about it? CHRIS: Yeah. Could these people be working on their playlists? That's a question that I have. MIKE: [chuckles] Yeah, me too. CHRIS: It's like, you know, I'm making a playlist to drop into this product. It's really interesting. And I think it gives insight to kind of, you know, how personal this product could be, that this is something that takes effort on the part of the consumer because they're making something to give or to keep for themselves, which is, I think, really interesting but definitely hard, too. DANNY: Yeah. And I also want to also clarify, like, Chris just kind of said it, like, especially for viewers and listeners, like, that's something that we've been hearing a lot from user interviews, too, right? Like, the language that they're using is, like, this is a thing that I care about. Like it's a representation of who I am. It's a representation of, like, the relationship that I have with this person that I'm going to be giving, you know, this gift to or this playlist to, specifically, like, people who feel, like, really passionate about these things. And, I mean, like, I did, too. Like, when I was first trying to, like, date, my wife, like, I spent, like, hours, hours trying to pick the coolest songs that I thought, you know, were like, oh, like, she's going to think I'm so cool because, like, I listen to these, like, super low-key indie rock bands, and, like, you know, so many more hours than she probably spent listening to it. But that's [laughs] kind of, like, honestly, what we heard a lot in a lot of these interviews, so... LINDSEY: Yeah, same. No, totally resonates. And I also went to the site this week, and I was like, oh damn, this is cool. Like, and immediately it was like, oh, you know, I've got these three, you know, music friends that we go to shows together. I'm like, oh, this would be so cool to get them, you know, playlists of, like, music we've seen together. So, you might see me in the cart. I won't abandon it. MIKE: Please. I would love that. CHRIS: Don't think about it too long if you could -- [laughter]. LINDSEY: I won't. I won't. CHRIS: I mean, I would say I'm really excited about having the site not only as a vehicle for selling some of these things but also as a vehicle for just honing our message. It's like another tool that we have in our arsenal. During the user interviews themselves, we were talking in abstract terms, and now we have something concrete that we can bounce off people, which is, I think, going to be a huge boon to our toolset as we continue to refine and define this product. MIKE: Yeah, that's a good point. LINDSEY: Yeah. You mentioned that they're signing up for, like, email updates. Do you have something you're sending out? Or are you kind of just creating a list? Totally fine, just building a list. MIKE: [laughs] No. CHRIS: It's a picture of Mike and I giving a big thumbs up. That's, yeah. [laughter] MIKE: No. But maybe...that was the thing; I was like, oh great, they're signing up. And I was like, gosh, they're signing up. Okay [laughter], now we got to write something. But we will. LINDSEY: Tips to making your playlist [crosstalk 19:11] playing your playlist -- MIKE: Yeah [crosstalk 19:13]. CHRIS: Right. And then also...tips to making your playlists. Also, we're advancing on the collectible side of things, too. We are, hopefully, going to have two pilot programs in place, one with a major label and one with a major artist. And we're really excited about that. LINDSEY: Okay. That's cool. I assume you can't tell us very much. What can you tell us? MIKE: Yeah. We won't mention names [chuckles] in case it just goes away, as these things sometimes do. But yeah, there's a great band who's super excited about these, been around for a long time, some good name recognition, and a very loyal fan base. They want to do sort of a collection of these. I think maybe we showed the little...I can't remember if we showed the little crates that we make or not, but basically, [inaudible 19:52] LINDSEY: The last time, yeah. MIKE: So, they want to sell online a package that's, you know, five or six Goodz in a crate, which I think will be cool and a great sort of sales experiment. And then there's a couple of artists that we're going to do an experiment with that's through their label that's more about tour...basically, giving things away on tour. So, they're going to do some giveaway fan club street team-style experiments with some of these on the road. So, first, it's ideal, provided both those things happen, because we definitely want to be exploring on the road and online stuff. And so, this kind of lets us do both at once and get some real learnings as to kind of how people...because we still don't know. We haven't really put these in people's hands yet. And it's just, like, are people scanning these a lot? Are they not? Is this sort of an object that's sitting on their shelf? Is it...yeah, it's just, like, there's so much we're going to learn once we get these into people's hands. LINDSEY: Do you have the infrastructure to sort of see how many times the cards are scanned? CHRIS: Mm-hmm. Yep, we do. MIKE: Yeah. So, we can see how many times each one is scanned, where they're scanned, that sort of thing. CHRIS: Kind of our next step, and something we were just talking about today with the thoughtbot team, is building out kind of what the backend will be for this, both for users and also for labels and artists. That it will allow them to go in and post updates to the Goodz, to allow them to use these for promotion as people, you know, scan into them to give them links to other sites related to the artists that they might be interested in before they move on to the actual musical playlist. So, that's kind of the next step for us. And knowing how users use these collectibles, both the kind of consumer Good and the artist collectibles that we were just talking about, will help inform how we build that platform. LINDSEY: Very cool. And right now, the online store itself that's built in Shopify? MIKE: Yeah. The homepage is Webflow that Kevin from the thoughtbot team really spearheaded in building for us. And then, yeah, the e-commerce is Shopify. LINDSEY: Y'all have been busy. MIKE: [laughs] LINDSEY: Is there anything else maybe that I haven't asked about yet that we should touch on in terms of updates or things going on with the product? MIKE: I don't know. I don't think so. I think, like Chris said, I mean, we're just...like, now that the site has kind of stood up and we're really switched over to kind of marketing and advertising on that, definitely digging into the backend of this kind of SaaS platform that's going to probably be a big focus for the rest of the, you know, the program, to be honest. Yeah, just some other things we can do on the next front that could eventually build into the backend that I think can be interesting. No, I guess [laughs] the short answer is no, nothing, like, substantial. Those are the big [crosstalk 22:26] LINDSEY: Yeah. Well, that was my next question, too, which is kind of like, what's next, or what's the next chunk of work? So, it's obviously lots more optimization and learning on the e-commerce platform, and then this other mega area, which is, you know, what does this look like as a SaaS solution? What's the vision? But also, where do we start? Which I'm sure, Danny, is a lot of work that you specialize in as far as, like, scoping how to approach these kinds of projects. DANNY: Yeah. And it's interesting because, I mean, we were just talking about this today. Like, part of it is, like, we can, like, really dig into, like, the e-commerce site and, like, really nailing it down to get it to the place where it's like, we're driving tons more traffic and also getting as low of a, like, cart abandonment rate as possible, right? But also, considering the fact that this is in the future, like, large-scale vision. And there's, like, also, like, we're starting to, I think, now iron out a lot of those, like, milestones where we're kind of like, okay, like, we got, like, a short-term vision, which is, like, the e-commerce site. We got a mid-term vision and a potential long-term vision. How do we validate this long-term vision while also still like, keeping this short-term vision moving forward? And, like, this mid-term vision is also going to, like, help potentially, either, like, steer us towards that long-term or maybe even, like, pivot us, like, into a completely different direction. So, like, where do you put your card, right? Like, how much energy and time do we put into, like, each of these areas? And that's kind of, like, the interesting part of this is starting to talk through that, starting to kind of prioritize, like, how we can maximize on our effort, like, our development and design effort so that things just kind of line up more naturally and organically for our future visioning, so... MIKE: Yeah. A lot of different things to juggle. I saw there was a question. Somebody asked what the URL is, but I don't seem to be able to [crosstalk 24:10]. LINDSEY: The same question as me. We got to drop the link for this thing. MIKE: Yeah, getthegoodz.com. CHRIS: That's G-O-O-D-Z. LINDSEY: Get in there, folks MIKE: Yeah, get [crosstalk 24:23]. LINDSEY: And let us know how it goes. MIKE: Yeah, please [laughs]. Any bugs? Let us know. Yeah. I think that those...yeah, I mean, it's a good point, Danny, in terms of juggling kind of the near-term and longer-term stuff. You know, it's a good kind of reminder our big focus, you know, in the new year is going to be fundraising, right? We're already talking to some investors and things like that. So, it's like, okay, yes, as you said, we could tweak the cart. We could tweak the e-commerce. Or, like, can we paint the big picture of what the longer-term version of this company is going to be in a way that makes it compelling for investment to come in so that there can be a long-term version of this company? And then we can build those things. So yeah, it's definitely a balance between the two. LINDSEY: Oh, also, just casual fundraising as well. [crosstalk 25:06] MIKE: Yeah, yeah. LINDSEY: [laughs] MIKE: But it's hard. It's like, you wake up in the morning. It's like, do I want to, like, write cold emails to investors? Or do I want to, like, look at Google Analytics and, like, tweak ad copy? That's actually more fun. So, yes. LINDSEY: Yeah, life of the founder, for sure. All right. So, that's getthegoodz (Goodz with a z) .com. Check it out. We'll tune in and see what happens with the e-commerce site, what happens with the SaaS planning the next time that we check in. But Chris, Mike, Danny, thank you so much for joining today and sharing what's been going on over the last few weeks: the good, the bad, the challenge, the cart abandonment. And, you know, best of luck to you over the next few weeks, and we'll be sure to check in and see how it's going. AD: Did you know thoughtbot has a referral program? If you introduce us to someone looking for a design or development partner, we will compensate you if they decide to work with us. More info on our website at: tbot.io/referral. Or you can email us at referrals@thoughtbot.com with any questions. Transcript: LINDSEY: Thank you to our viewers and listeners. We are catching up once again with one of the startups going through the thoughtbot Incubator. My name is Lindsey Christensen. I'm joined today by Jordyn Bonds, who heads up the thoughtbot incubator, as well as our Co-Founders of Goodz, Chris Cerrito and Mike Rosenthal. Welcome, everybody. MIKE: Thanks, Lindsey. LINDSEY: Before we get started, before we put Chris and Mike back in the hot seat, at the top here, Jordyn, we have a special announcement for our viewers and listeners. JORDYN: Application window is open for session 1 of 2024, folks. You can go to thoughtbot.com/incubator and apply. And Chris and Mike can tell you how easy or hard applying was. MIKE: It was easy. It was totally easy. It's a very straightforward process. CHRIS: Yeah, it was way more straightforward than a lot of applications that we've dealt with in the past, for sure. JORDYN: Ha-ha. And if you've got a business idea that involves software but you haven't gotten anything out there yet, come talk to us. We will help you make sure that it's a good idea and that there are people who might buy it, and maybe get you even a little further than that. MIKE: We actually have a friend who's considering applying. I'll tell him applications are open. He's worried his idea is not big enough to actually be a business idea, so we'll see. CHRIS: Even the process of doing the application was really helpful for us because it helped us get aligned on exactly what we were doing, yeah. JORDYN: I love that. And I found that to be true when I was a founder applying to some of these things, in particular, applying for an SBIR grant was one of the most challenging things that we did, but it was so productive. I was so annoyed by it at the time, and then I cribbed from that thing. It actually sort of forced us to make a business plan [laughs], and then, basically, we ran it, and it was great [laughs]. CHRIS: Yeah. I think that was, for us, that was our point where we were like, "Is this idea fleshed out enough to move forward?" And we were like, "Yes, it is. Let's go. Let's do this." JORDYN: So, use the application as a forcing function, everybody. It will help you clarify your thinking. LINDSEY: Yeah. Jordyn, what would you say to Mike's friend who's questioning if their idea is big enough? How do you respond to that sentiment? JORDYN: That is a fascinating sentiment because I feel like so much more often, I am trying to help founders with the opposite problem where they think this thing is so big that they are not thinking about what step 1 is going to look like. They're just, like, in 10 years, we're going to be the next Amazon, and I'm like, "Maybe [laughter]. Let me help you figure out how to get to that giant vision." So, I don't come across the "Is this big enough to be a business?" question as often. And, I don't know, what would I say? I guess I need the details. LINDSEY: It could be a perfect fit MIKE: It could be. JORDYN: It could be a perfect fit. LINDSEY: In a way, that's what you're answering, right? MIKE: Right. LINDSEY: In some of this work. MIKE: That is true. So, yeah, you guys would certainly...just thinking through the process we've gone through the last two months, it would definitely help them flesh that out. LINDSEY: Which is a great segue. MIKE: Great segue. LINDSEY: Chris and Mike, we're actually coming up to the end of your incubator time. CHRIS: It's so sad. LINDSEY: Can you believe it? MIKE: It's gone by really fast. I mean, eight weeks is not a long time, but it has gone by very, very fast. CHRIS: It felt like a very long time in the middle of it. MIKE: [laughs] CHRIS: But now that it's over, it feels like a blink that it's coming to a close. MIKE: I don't know. It's funny. I think we had some note in our retro today that was like, maybe the very end of the year is not the best time to do an accelerator just because you have, like, the holidays kind of jumping in here in the end. So, that might have helped make it feel like a... I feel like the end of the year always feels like a rush anyway. So, I think just life gets a little bit busier this time of year, too, but yeah. CHRIS: Yeah, my gingerbread man decorating game is, like, really down this season because we've been so busy. Tragic. LINDSEY: Chris, can you remind our viewers and listeners who might not be familiar what was the idea that you and Mike have been exploring with the incubator or, like, what did you come in with? CHRIS: So, with Goodz, what we're trying to do is make little, physical collectibles objects that connect back to the digital content that a user loves. The idea being that today, we are awash in these digital files, links, so many things on our desktops, on our phones, on our devices, and it's really hard to tell which part of those are really, really important to us. So, by giving them a presence in the physical world, that denotes that's something that's really important, worth keeping, worth sharing, and showing off to your friends and family. And to start this off, mostly because Mike and I are both kind of music nerds, we're starting off with a music focus, but at some point, we're hoping to move into other realms, too. LINDSEY: And a lot of the incubator, as repeat listeners will know, is focused on really kind of evolving user interviews all the way through and narrowing in on, you know, a core audience, a core market. Mike, how has that evolution been? I think the last time we chatted was around three weeks ago. What has the latest iteration of user interviews looked like in terms of the people you're talking to and even what you're asking them? MIKE: It's been a really fascinating process. I mean, I'm trying to think of where we were exactly the last time we talked to you, but I think we'd probably just launched the e-commerce site that we had been experimenting with putting up. LINDSEY: Yeah, exactly. MIKE: And so, and we really then started cranking on user interviews kind of once that was live. And so, moving away from the conceptual and more into like, "Okay, share your screen. Here's the link. Like, tell me what you think is going on here," and really sort of getting users who had never, you know, never heard our pitch, never been involved with us to sort of try to wrap their heads around what we are and what we're doing just based on that website and trying to sort of make iterative changes based on that. You know, for me, because I had not done user interviews very much in the past, like, it's very tempting, like, you get sort of 1 note from 1 person in 1 interview, and you're like, oh, we need to change this word. That word didn't make any sense to them, or this thing needs to be blue instead of pink. I think, for me, it was like, all right, how do we kind of synthesize this data in a responsible way? And it emerged naturally, which, I mean, Jordyn and all thoughtbot folks said that it would, but you sort of started hearing the same things again and again. And we never really got to a place where, like, you heard the exact same things from everyone. But there were enough buckets, I feel like, where we're like, okay, like, this part really isn't making that much sense to people, or, like, we do really need to, you know, structure this differently to convey. So, it was a bunch of that kind of work over the last three weeks or so and sort of just getting a sense of like, are we conveying our message? It's hard. I mean, it's a new, like, we're not the only people making physical products with NFC chips in them, but it is not the most common, like, product. Like, it is kind of a new category out there. And so, really trying to understand just right off the bat, do people get it? And you get wildly different answers [laughs] as to whether they get it or they don't, which has been fascinating, too. JORDYN: Yeah. [crosstalk 7:12] LINDSEY: Chris or Jordyn, anything to add there? JORDYN: Yeah. You get the best, like, bootcamp in the don't overreact to a single user interview experience in some ways because we [laughs]...it would literally be like, interview in the morning someone says this thing. Interview in the afternoon, someone says the exact opposite thing [laughter]. And you're like, okay [laughs], like, which one of these things are we going to respond to, if either of them? CHRIS: Yeah. It's hard. As somebody with, like, a strong desire to please, it's hard to reign yourself in and want to change things immediately, but it definitely makes sense to do so in the long run. MIKE: But yeah, but, I mean, like I said, I do feel like it kind of came down to buckets. It's like, okay, you're that. I can, like, categorize you with all those other people and you with all those other people. And yeah, I hear you. I'm like, yeah, it's tempting to want to please them all. But I think with this one, we're fighting hard to be like...or we sort of have a philosophy that this product is emphatically not for everyone because, at the end of the day, you get a lot of people who are like, "Wait, you're just putting a link to a streaming playlist on a physical object? Why don't I just text someone the link?" And sometimes that breaks down by age group, like, 18-year-olds being like, "What are you talking about, old man? LINDSEY: [laughs] MIKE: Like, why the hell would I do that? It makes no sense." But it sort of skews all over the age ranges. But then there'll be other people who are 18 or 20 years old who are like, "Wow, I never had cassettes when I was growing up," or "I never got to make, you know, mixtapes or CD-Rs for people." And like, you know, so it's, yeah, it's about finding the people who are the early adopters. As Jordyn has said a lot, it's like, we need to find those early adopters and, like, make them love us, and then other people will come later. CHRIS: I mean, some of the most gratifying moments, I think, are there's been some interviews where people have been so excited that after the interview, they've gone and purchased our products, which is just, like, the coolest feeling ever. LINDSEY: Wow. MIKE: Yeah, it's pretty cool. LINDSEY: Are you open to sharing a little bit more about what those buckets or what those segments look like? CHRIS: I mean, I think there's folks who outright just get it almost immediately, and I think those people tend to be hardcore music collectors, hardcore music fans, Jordyn and Mike, please feel free to jump in if you disagree with any of this. They just get it right off the bat. Then I think there's, in my experience, there's another bucket of people who are a little more hesitant, and maybe they wouldn't buy it, but they seemed really excited about the idea of getting one as a gift, which is really interesting. They're like, "I don't know if I'd buy this, but I'd really like to have one." And then there is another segment, like, which Mike just mentioned, of folks who just don't see the value in this whatsoever, which is totally fair. MIKE: Yeah, totally. I think it's also...I see it almost as, like, a matrix. There's, like, desirability, and, like, technical understanding because people were like, "I technically understand what this is, and I do not want it in my life." Or like, "I get what this is and, oh my God, I have to have that," or like, "I don't really understand what you're talking about, but, man, I love physical stuff. Like, sure I want..." you know, it's like, it goes across those two planes, I think. JORDYN: I will say that it, I think you alluded to this before, Mike, but, like, we're going to run a whole analysis of...because we did a ton of interviews, and we haven't actually done that, like, sort of data-driven thing of like, are there trends in the demographics somewhere that we're not getting? Because the pattern has not been there. Like, someone will talk to an 18-year-old, you know, at 1:00 p.m. who is just, like, "Why on earth would I ever want this?" And then I, like, you know, will talk to a 21-year-old who is like, "I love this." And it's like, why? Like, this is the answer. The thing we're trying to get out now is, like, what is the difference between those two people? It's not a demographic thing that we can see from the outside, so what is it instead? But with consumer stuff like this, often, you don't necessarily...you don't need that in such great detail when you're starting. You just kind of, like, throw it out there and see who grabs it, and then you start to build sort of cohorts around that. And that is kind of what these interviews have shown us is that there are people who will grab it, and that was part of what we were trying to validate. Are there people who Mike and Chris do not know personally who will, like, get this and be psyched about it immediately? And that is, you know, check unequivocally true. Like Chris said, there are people that we were, you know, that we had recruited on this user interviews platform [chuckles] who then just turned around and bought the product because they were so psyched about it. One of the guys I interviewed was like, "Can I invest in your company right now?" Like, during the interview, and I was like, "Maybe?" [laughs] CHRIS: There was, like, another person who wanted to work for us immediately... JORDYN: Yes, great. CHRIS: Which was really interesting and kind of awesome. JORDYN: Yeah, they're like, "Are you hiring?" You're just like, okay. So, it's validating that there are people all over that spectrum. Like, where those trends lie, though, which is, I think, what you were asking, Lindsey, not as straightforward and in a fascinating way. So, we still have a little more, like, number crunching to do on that, and we may have an answer for you later. LINDSEY: That's exciting. Exactly. I'm curious: what are the connecting dots between the folks who are really into it, and how might that impact how you approach the business? MIKE: Yeah, it's hard. It's definitely going to be a niche to start. And so, we got to figure out kind of got to crack the code on how we find those people. LINDSEY: And, Mike, I think you had also mentioned last time that, you know, you or both of you have a network kind of in the music industry, and you've been floating the idea past some people there. Have you been having more of those conversations over the last few weeks, too? MIKE: We have, yeah. Well, so yeah, we've had a couple more just kind of straight-up pitch calls versus like, "Hey, there's this cool thing we're doing," and having those people be like, "Cool. Let's do a pilot." And so, they're ordering, you know, 500 or 1,000 units at a time, which is rad. LINDSEY: Whoa. MIKE: For the first...yeah. LINDSEY: Okay, very cool. MIKE: Yeah. The first two or three of those should happen in January or maybe early February, but yeah, those are done and in production and arriving soon. So, that's really exciting with some cool bands. We won't say the names in case it doesn't [laughs] work out, but it does look like it's going to work out. LINDSEY: And so, it's specific bands that are creating merch for their fans. MIKE: Yeah, yeah. So, we're working with one artist manager on a band that he manages, and then we're working with a record label. And they're going to try with a couple of smaller artists. And so, yeah, it's actually really good for us. One is going to be straight-up sales, most likely, and it's, like, selling these things. And the other ones will be given away as kind of promo items on tour artists, which is also a really interesting use case for us, too, that we're excited about and using them as a way to sort of get email addresses and, like, fans engaged and stuff, so... And then yeah, then I had another conversation, and they want to talk about doing some pilots. So far, like, that side of things is going great. We're sort of 3 for 4 in terms of initial calls leading to pilots right off the bat, which is kind of unheard of from [laughs] my experience. LINDSEY: Yeah, I'd say so. No, a lot of very good signals. MIKE: Really good signals. But then we were able to turn some of those into user interview conversations, actually, as well over the course of the last couple of weeks, which has been really helpful, like, talking to manager and label-type people about what they might want out of a software product that is associated with this because we're not just thinking about making physical products but sort of coupling that with an online toolset. And that part, we haven't gotten as far along as we did with the direct-to-consumer e-commerce, but it's been fascinating. LINDSEY: So, what has been happening with the online shop? As you noted the last time we talked, it was just a baby less than a week-old Shopify site getting, you know, some first hits of people going around maybe putting things in their basket. I'm sure a lot has happened over the last few weeks. What kind of work, what kind of insights have you seen around the site? CHRIS: We've been, I mean, we've been selling stuff at a slow but steady pace. It's been great because it's enough to, you know, because our product really straddles the line between physical and digital; there's a lot of physical aspects to this that we need to figure out and kind of the level of orders that we've been getting have been really...it's, like, the perfect number to think about fulfillment issues, things like what kind of package does this go in? How do we mail this out? Things along those lines, just very basic, practical questions that needed to be answered. But yeah, it's been great. We actually, I mean, we hit our goal for the amount of these that we wanted to get in people's hands before Christmas, which is pretty awesome. And we continue now with the lessons learned. I think our plan is to try and make a push for Valentine's Day because these seem like they would be a great Valentine's Day present: make a playlist; share it with your loved one; share it with a friend; share it with somebody you don't like at all. Who knows? LINDSEY: [laughs] CHRIS: But yeah, that's kind of our next sales push, we think. LINDSEY: The hate playlist. CHRIS: [inaudible 15:40] hate playlist. MIKE: Yeah, perfect. Real passive-aggressive. CHRIS: Just Blue Monday, like, by New Order, like, 14 times. LINDSEY: [laughs] Yeah, every song is just like a sub-tweet... MIKE: [laughs] LINDSEY: About something they've done and [inaudible 15:53] Have you updated the site? Like, how do you decide what gets updated on the site? [laughter] Everyone laughed. MIKE: It was a little haphazard, I would say, there for a minute. But -- CHRIS: We got the site up very, very quickly. And from my perspective, I've been dealing a lot with the physical side of things, just getting great product photos up there, which is, like, something that thoughtbot has actually been super helpful with. You know, everybody on the team is starting to submit photos of their Goodz in the real world and using their Goodz, which is great. And we continued to update the site with that but also making sure our text made sense, refining copy in response to things that people said during user interviews. The checkout process, the process of adding the URL that we point the Good to that, we did a bunch of experimentation there based on what people were saying during user interviews. So, it has been a little haphazard, but we have made a bunch of changes. LINDSEY: Jordyn, has there been any experiment, like, structured experimentation around the site or how you're getting people to the site? JORDYN: Mike actually did a little bit of ad funnel work that I don't think we've, like, even remotely scratched the surface of. So, I wish I could say that was conclusive, but I think we've found a little bit more...here are plenty of sales that are from people that nobody here knows. MIKE: True. JORDYN: So, people are finding out about this somehow [laughs]. But I think it's a little bit, like, word-of-mouth sort of chain of events is our sense so far. I wanted to say, though, about the site, we did get what Chris was saying about, like, this experiment was, in part, about fulfillment and figuring out how fulfillment would work and packaging, and not just messaging and not just closing the sale with consumers, but also, just, like, how do you fulfill these? But one of the really fun things we've managed to do in the last, since we talked last time, which I can't even believe...I feel like this wasn't even a gleam in our eyes for this project, but we managed to get out, like, stood up and out the door, and working in production in the last few weeks is a way for folks to actually assign the URL to their mixtape themselves. Previously, the plan had just been for Chris and Mike to do that, which is fine but a little bit unscalable, right? CHRIS: That was a huge dream or, like, that was high on our wish list. And we didn't think we'd get to it. And it's been pretty amazing that we have, yeah. JORDYN: Yeah, so that was one thing that is an update to the site. So, then we had to do a little bit of, like, micro iterating, on, like, the messaging around that. Like, how do you communicate to people? This is, like, a little bit of an abstract challenge, right? Like, here's this object. It's going to point to a digital thing. How do you tell the physical object which digital thing it's pointing to [laughs]? So, a lot of our recent interviewing has been to sort of get inside the mind of the consumer about how they're thinking about that and how we can best communicate that to them. So that's been a lot of the, like, recent iteration is getting that mechanism stood up and then the messaging around it. CHRIS: It's also really cool because it adds to the utility of the object itself in the sense that now our Goodz, when a user gets one, they can add a URL to their Good themselves, but they can also change that URL. So, it's much more malleable. JORDYN: Which is something that in one of our early user interviews was, like, a hot request [laughs], and we were like, "Someday, someday." And it's, you know, I should actually go back to her and be like, "Someday is today." [laughter] MIKE: Well, yeah, and just as Chris was saying, it just makes it so much easier to ship these out without having to manually load them, and you could sell them, and yeah, retail outlets, like, it just opens up a lot of opportunities for us for them. LINDSEY: And Mike mentioned that some of the, like, kind of future looking aspirations for the solution are, you know, how might you figure out the B2B, like, SaaS aspect of it? Jordyn, is that something that's been explored at all at this point, or is it early? JORDYN: That experiment I just described is actually sort of the link between the two projects. It sort of proves the concept and proves the value in some ways, and it has given us a little bit more visibility into sort of how we're going to execute some of this technical stuff. Like, how easy, how difficult is it going to be? These little experiments all build your confidence around your ability to do those things and what it's going to look like. And so, this experiment absolutely feeds into that question. But I would say it was really this week where we got to have a really fun brainstorming sort of blue sky conversation about that that I don't think would have been nearly as both creative and blue sky or rooted in reality as it was if we hadn't done these experiments and hadn't talked to so many...we had so much work...we could participate in a conversation like that so much more confidently and creatively because all of us had a lot more shared context. So, we really got to dream big, like, what is a SaaS platform built around these physical objects? And I don't want to, you know, I'm not going to give it away at this moment because we had a lot of, like, really cool ideas. It's one part talking to the B2B customer, which, you know, you mentioned earlier, getting what their pain points are, and what they're looking for, what they need, but then also dreaming big about now we understand the technology a little bit more and how it feels to use it. What does that unlock in our brains? The analogy I used in that conversation and that I use all the time is like, the users of Twitter invented hashtags, right? Twitter did not invent hashtags. And so, hey, everybody out there, newsflash: users invented hashtags, not Twitter or something else, if you didn't realize that Twitter was where those things kind of emerged. But there was just a user behavior that was happening in the wild, and Twitter was just very good at making that easier for them, looking at that and being like, "Oh, hey, is this a thing you all want to do? Here, we'll make that even more useful for you." And it was part of Twitter's early success that they were able to do that. And so, that was the kind of thinking we were trying to employ here is, like, now that we have these objects and we understand a little bit more how it feels to use them, you get these second order effects. What does that then make us think of? What is then possible to us that we wouldn't have been able to dream of previously because we didn't quite get it? So, that was really happening this week. LINDSEY: So, as the incubator time wraps up, what are the kind of final activities or deliverables, one, that Goodz wants and you know that they're going to get? What are the parting gifts as we send you out into the next phase? MIKE: Yeah, well, loads of stuff. I mean, we're getting all that code that [SP] Guillermo and the guys worked on to let people set their own playlist settings. And we've got that up in a GitHub repository now. And we've got a bunch of great design work that's all being handed over, like Chris was saying, product shots that a bunch of the team members were taking, synthesizing all the user interviews. We're actually sort of making some kind of final reports on those, so it's kind of more usable, actionable data for us. The whole website, you know, that didn't exist before. And that will sort of continue to grow as the entire website for Goodz moving forward. I don't know. That's a lot. What else was there, Chris? CHRIS: As a result of all that, I mean, one of the things I'm most excited about is now we have a small user base who actually has the physical products that, hopefully, we can get them to answer questions. That's huge for what's coming next. Starting the path towards the SaaS platform, too, it's really helped narrow our scope and think about, you know, how to make that successful or if it will be successful. LINDSEY: Yeah, that sounded like a big discussion this week that I know has been on your minds from the beginning. Wait, the last time, also, you said you were starting to get emails, too. Have you emailed anyone yet, or are you still holding on to them? MIKE: Oh. No, I still haven't sent a newsletter out [laughs], actually, but we have Mailchimp set up. Yeah, no, we've got a good kind of core of our, yeah, early folks on there. We'll start getting a newsletter out with some sort of regularity. We're building up the socials very slowly just focusing on Instagram mostly right now and trying to get back into that game. It's been a long time since I've had to do kind of social marketing stuff. And so, it's a lot of work, as it turns out, but we'll get all that cooking. I think this was just such a sprint, working with the thoughtbot folks and trying to get all this stuff done. Before the end of the year, now we can sort of take a breath and start engaging folks in the new year. LINDSEY: Yeah. Well, so, do you know what you want to do next or what the next phase looks like? Are you going to do fundraising? MIKE: We're certainly going to continue to have some fundraising conversations. We've had some conversations emerge over the last, you know, since we've been in thoughtbot, again, not the greatest time of year to try to be raising a round. But we're also not, like, desperately, urgently needing to do that right this second. I think, you know, part of it is the fundraising landscape, you know, doesn't look amazing. And we're still sort of building out a lot of traction, and sort of every week, there's some new, exciting thing, or we've got some new, big artists who wants to do something. So, I think, in some ways, to the extent that we can bootstrap for a little while, I think we will, yeah. So, we will focus on...I'd like to get back to focusing on, like, B2B sales. I'd like to hit the ground in January and just start talking to a bunch of music industry folks. And thinking ahead a little bit, sort of Q1 and Q2, like, what are the big tentpole events? You know, you got South by Southwest coming up in March. You got Record Store Day in April, or whenever it is. But, you know, there's, like, a bunch of those sorts of things that it's like, oh, let's not let those things suddenly be tomorrow. Like, right now, they're all still two or three/four months out. Like, let's make sure we're queued up for those things and see what happens. And Jordyn has been giving really good advice on the fundraising side where it's just like, just keep getting cool stuff like that and just do almost like little drip campaigns with funders who aren't maybe giving you the time of day or think it's too early, and just kind of keep going back to them. Like, the best excuse to go back to funders is like, "Hey, we just closed this new thing. We just launched this new thing. We just got this thing working. Hey, we're launching with this major band," Like, enough of those happen, and I think the fundraising will happen more organically. It's a strategy. CHRIS: I think we're really lucky in the fact that, you know, now, at this point, we're not talking about vapourware, you know, like, these are actual things that actually exist that, like, anybody could go onto our site right now and buy, which is awesome. And because of that, the product's going to continue to evolve, and, hopefully, our sales record will continue to evolve, too. LINDSEY: Amazing. Well, that feels like a good place to wrap up, maybe. Are you going to hang around in our incubator Slack, the thoughtbot incubator Slack for all our past founders? MIKE: Yes. Emphatically, yes. LINDSEY: Okay. We're holding you to it then [laughs]. CHRIS: I'm excited about that. We met with the other founders yesterday for the first time, and it was a really great and interesting conversation. It was cool seeing how diverse all these projects are and how folks are working on things that we had no idea about and how we're working on stuff that they have no idea about, and it was really great. It felt like a good cross-pollination. MIKE: Agreed. LINDSEY: That's awesome to hear. Jordyn, any final thoughts? JORDYN: [inaudible 26:58] out there listening and watching and want to join this community of founders [laughs], don't you want to have office hours with Chris and Mike? LINDSEY: All right, thoughtbot.com/incubator. You can apply for session 1 of the 2024 incubator program. And yeah, you two, if you have more recommendations, referrals, definitely send them our way. Chris, Mike, Jordyn, thank you so much once again for joining and catching us up on all the exciting developments for Goodz. MIKE: Thank you. LINDSEY: A lot of really cool milestones. JORDYN: I got to say, so much good stuff. And like, you know, just wrapping it all up almost diminishes the impact of any single one of those things that we just talked about, but it's, like, pretty amazing. People out there, apply to the incubator but also go buy yourself a Goodz mixtape. It's cool with playlists on it. MIKE: It's a good point. JORDYN: Give it to your BFF. Come on. LINDSEY: Getthegoodz.com. MIKE: Getthegoodz.com. Awesome. LINDSEY: All right. Thanks, Chris and Mike. AD: Did you know thoughtbot has a referral program? If you introduce us to someone looking for a design or development partner, we will compensate you if they decide to work with us. More info on our website at: tbot.io/referral. Or you can email us at referrals@thoughtbot.com with any questions. Special Guests: Chris Cerrito, Jordyn Bonds, and Mike Rosenthal.
If you missed the first and second episodes with thoughtbot Incubator Program partcipants and founders Mike Rosenthal and Chris Cerrito of Goodz, you can listen to the first episode (https://podcast.thoughtbot.com/s3e2incubatorgoodz) and the second episode (https://podcast.thoughtbot.com/s3e4incubatorgoodz) to catch up! Lindsey Christensen, head of marketing at thoughtbot is joined by Mike Rosenthal and Chris Cerrito, co-founders of the startup Goodz, and Danny Kim, Senior Product Manager at thoughtbot. Mike and Chris discuss the progress of Goodz, focusing on the recent intense weeks they've had. Goodz, a startup merging the digital and physical worlds of music, has stayed on course with its initial concept. Mike details their approach to Thanksgiving and the launch of their e-commerce experiment. He shares insights from recent user interviews, which have influenced their approach and understanding of their target audience. When the discussion turns to the challenges of launching and maintaining their e-commerce platform, Mike and Chris talk about learning from analytics, marketing strategies, and the importance of understanding consumer behavior. They discuss the challenges in balancing short-term and long-term goals, and the upcoming fundraising efforts. Transcript: LINDSEY: Thanks for being here. My name's Lindsey. I head up marketing at thoughtbot. If you haven't joined one of these before, we are checking in with two of the founders who are going through the thoughtbot Startup Incubator to learn how it's going, what's new, what challenges they're hitting, and what they're learning along the way. If you're not familiar with thoughtbot, we're a product design and development consultancy, and we hope your team and your product become a success. And one way we do that is through our startup incubator. So, today, we are joined by our co-founders, Mike Rosenthal and Chris Cerrito, Co-Founders of the startup Goodz. And we also have another special guest today, Danny Kim, from the thoughtbot side, Senior Product Manager at thoughtbot. So, I think, to start off, we'll head over to the new face, the new voice that we've got with us today. Danny, tell us a little bit about your role at thoughtbot and, specifically, the incubator. DANNY: Yeah, sure. First of all, thanks for having me on, and thanks for letting me join in on all the fun. I'm one of the product managers at thoughtbot. I typically work for the Lift-Off team. We usually work with companies that are looking to, like, go into market with their first version MVP. They might have a product that exists and that they're already kind of doing well with, and they kind of want to jump into a new segment. We'll typically work with companies like that to kind of get them kicked off the ground. But it's been really awesome being part of the incubator program. It's my first time in helping with the market validation side. Definitely also, like, learning a lot from this experience [laughs] for myself. Coming at it specifically from a PM perspective, there's, like, so much variation usually in product management across the industry, depending on, like, what stage of the product that you're working in. And so, I'm definitely feeling my fair share of impostor syndrome here. But it's been really fun to stretch my brand and, like, approach problems from, like, a completely different perspective and also using different tools. But, you know, working with Mike and Chris makes it so much easier because they really make it feel like you're part of their team, and so that definitely goes a long way. LINDSEY: It just goes to show everyone gets impostor syndrome sometimes [laughter], even senior product managers at thoughtbot [laughter]. Thanks for that intro. It's, you know, the thoughtbot team learns along the way, too, you know, especially if usually you're focused on a different stage of product development. Mike, it's been only three weeks or a very long three weeks since last we checked in with you, kind of forever in startup time. So, I think the last time, we were just getting to know you two. And you were walking us through the concept, this merging of the digital and physical world of music, and how we interact with music keepsakes or merchandise. How's my pitch? MIKE: Good. Great. You're killing it. [laughter] LINDSEY: And has anything major changed to that concept in the last three weeks? MIKE: No. I mean, I can't believe it's only been three weeks. It feels like it's been a long time since we last talked. It's been an intense three weeks, for sure. No, it's been going really well. I mean, we launched all sorts of stuff. I'm trying to think of anything that's sort of fundamentally changed in terms of the plan itself or kind of our, yeah, what we've been working on. And I think we've pretty much stayed the course to sort of get to where we are now. But it's been really intensive. I think also having sort of Thanksgiving in there, and we were kind of pushing to get something live right before the Thanksgiving break. And so, that week just felt, I mean, I was just dead by, you know, like, Thursday of Thanksgiving. I think we all were. So, it's been intense, I would say, is the short answer. And I'm happy, yeah, to get into kind of where things are at. But big picture, it's been an intense three weeks. LINDSEY: That's cool. And when we talked, you were, you know, definitely getting into research and user interviews. Have those influenced any, you know, changes along the way in the plan? MIKE: Yeah. They've been really helpful. You know, we'd never really done that before in any of the sort of past projects that we've worked on together. And so, I think just being able to, you know, read through some of those scripts and then sit through some of the interviews and just kind of hearing people's honest assessment of some things has been really interesting. I'm trying to think if it's materially affected anything. I guess, you know, at first, we were, like, we kind of had some assumptions around, okay, let's try to find, like...adult gift-givers sounds like the wrong thing, adults who give gifts as, like, a persona. The idea that, like, you know, maybe you gift your siblings gifts, and then maybe this could be a good gift idea. And I think, you know, we had a hard time kind of finding people to talk in an interesting way about that. And I think we've kind of realized it's kind of a hard persona to kind of chop up and talk about, right, Chris? I don't know [crosstalk 04:55] CHRIS: Well, it also seemed to, from my understanding of it, it seemed to, like, genuinely stress out the people who were being interviewed... MIKE: [laughs] CHRIS: Because it's kind of about a stressful topic [inaudible 05:03], you know, and, like, especially -- LINDSEY: Why? [laughs] CHRIS: Well, I think, I don't know, now I'm making assumptions. Maybe because we're close to the holiday season, and that's a topic in the back of everybody's mind. But yeah, Danny, would you disagree with that? Those folks, from what we heard, seemed like they were the most difficult to kind of extract answers from. But then, if the subject changed and we treated them as a different persona, several of those interviews proved to be quite fruitful. So, it's just really interesting. DANNY: Yeah. It really started, like, you kind of try to get some answers out of people, and there's, like, some level of people trying to please you to some extent. That's just, like, naturally, how it starts. And you just, like, keep trying to drill into the answers. And you just keep asking people like, "So, what kind of gifts do you give?" And they're just like, "Oh my goodness, like, I haven't thought about buying gifts for my sister in [laughs], like, you know, in forever. And now, like [laughs], I don't know where to go." And they get, like, pretty stressed out about it. But then we just kind of started shifting into like, "All right, cool, never mind about that. Like, do you like listening to music?" And they're like, "Yes." And then it just kind of explodes from there. And they're like, "This last concert that I went to..." and all of this stuff. And it was much more fruitful kind of leaning more towards that, actually, yeah. LINDSEY: That's fascinating. I guess that speaks to, especially at this stage and the speed and the amount of interviews you're doing, the need for being, like, really agile in those interviews, and then, like, really quickly applying what you're learning to making the next one even more valuable. MIKE: Yeah. And I think, you know, like, we launched just a little sort of website experiment or, like, an e-commerce experiment right before Thanksgiving. And I think now, you know, we're able to sort of take some of those learnings from those interviews and apply them to both sort of our ad copy itself but also just different landing pages in different language on the different kind of versions of the site and see if we can find some resonance with some of these audience groups. So, it's been interesting. LINDSEY: Are you still trying to figure out who that early adopter audience is, who that niche persona is? MIKE: I think we -- CHRIS: Yes, we are. I think we have a good idea of who it is. And I think right now we're just trying to figure out really how to reach those people. That, I think, is the biggest challenge right now for us. MIKE: Yeah. With the e-commerce experiment it was sort of a very specific niche thing that is a little bit adjacent to what I think we want to be doing longer term with Goodz. And so, it's weird. It's like, we're in a place we're like, oh, we really want to find the people that want this thing. But also, this thing isn't necessarily the thing that we think we're going to make longer term, so let's not worry too hard about finding them. You know what I mean? It's been an interesting sort of back and forth with that. CHRIS: From the interviews that we conducted, you know, we identified three key personas. Most of them have come up, but I'll just relist them. There's the sibling gift giver. There was the merch buyers; these are people who go to concerts and buy merchandise, you know, T-shirts, albums, records, things along those lines to support the artists that they love. And then the final one that was identified we gave the title of the 'Proud Playlister'. And these are people who are really into their digital media platforms, love making playlists, and love sharing those playlists with their friends. And that, I would say, the proud playlister is really the one that we have focused on in terms of the storefront that we launched, like, the product is pretty much specifically for them. But the lessons that we're learning while making this product and trying to get this into the hands of the proud playlisters will feed into kind of the merch buyers. MIKE: Yeah. And I think that, you know, it's funny, like, this week is kind of a poignant week for this, right? Because it's the week that Spotify Wrapped launched, right? So, it's like, in the course of any given year, it's probably, like, the one week of the year that lots and lots and lots of people are thinking about playlists all of a sudden, so trying a little bit to see if we can ride that wave or just kind of dovetail with that a bit, too. LINDSEY: Absolutely. And do you want to give just, like, the really quick reminder of what the product experience is like? MIKE: Oh yeah [laughs], good call. CHRIS: This is a prototype of it. It's called the Goodz Mixtape. Basically, the idea is that you purchase one of these from us. You give us a playlist URL. We program that URL onto the NFC chip that's embedded in the Good itself. And then when you scan this Good, that playlist will come up. So, it's a really great way of you make a playlist for somebody, and you want to gift it to them; this is a great way to do that. You have a special playlist, maybe between you and a friend or you and a partner. This is a good way to commemorate that playlist, turn it into a physical thing, give that digital file value and presence in the physical world. LINDSEY: Great. Okay, so you casually mentioned this launch of an e-commerce store that happened last week. MIKE: It didn't feel casual. LINDSEY: Yeah. Why [laughter]...[inaudible 09:45] real casual. Why did you launch it? How's it going? MIKE: I don't know. Why did we launch it? I mean, well, we wanted to be able to test some assumptions. I think, you know, we wanted to get the brand out there a little bit, get our website out there, kind of introduce the concept. You know, this is a very...not that we've invented this product category, but it is a pretty obscure product category, right? And so, there's a lot of sort of consumer education that I think that has to go on for people to wrap their heads around this and why they'd want this. So, I think we wanted to start that process a little bit correctly, sort of in advance of a larger launch next year, and see if we could find some early community around this. You know, if we can find those core people who just absolutely love this, and connect with it, and go wild around it, then those are the people that we're going to be able to get a ton of information from and build for that persona, right? It's like, cool, these are the people who love this. Let's build more for them and go find other people like this. So, I think, for us, it was that. And then, honestly, it was also just, you know, let's test our manufacturing and fulfillment and logistics capabilities, right? I mean, this is...as much as we are a B2B, you know, SaaS platform or that's what we envision the future of Goodz being, there is a physical component of this. And, you know, we do have that part basically done at this point. But we just, you know, what is it like to order 1,000 of these? What is it like to put these in the mail to people and, you know, actually take orders? And just some of that processing because we do envision a more wholesale future where we're doing, you know, thousands or tens of thousands of this at a time. And so, I think we just want to button up and do some dry runs before we get to those kinds of numbers. CHRIS: I think it also it's important to remember that we are talking in startup time. And while this last week seems like an eternity, it's been a week [laughs] that we've had this in place. So, we're just starting to learn these things, and we plan on continuing to do so. MIKE: Yeah. But I think we thought that getting a website up would be a good way to just start kind of testing everything more. LINDSEY: Great. Danny, what went into deciding what would be in this first version of the site and the e-commerce offering? DANNY: I mean, a lot of it was kind of mostly driven by Chris and Mike. They kind of had a vision and an idea of what they wanted to sell. Obviously, from the user interviews, we were starting to hone in a little bit more and, like, we had some assumptions going into it. I think we ultimately did kind of feel like, yeah, I think, like, the playlisters seem to be, like, the target market. But just hearing it more and hearing more excitement from them was definitely just kind of like, yeah, I think we can double down on this piece. But, ultimately, like, in terms of launching the e-commerce platform, and the storefront, and the website, like, just literally looking at the user journey and being like, how does a user get from getting onto a site, like, as soon as they land there to, like, finishing a purchase? And what points do they need? What are the key things that they need to think through and typically will run into? And a lot of it is just kind of reflecting on our own personal buyer behavior. And, also, as we were getting closer to the launch, starting to work through some of those assumptions about buyer behavior. As we got there, we obviously had some prototypes. We had some screenshots that we were already working with. Like, the design team was already starting to build out some of the site. And so, we would just kind of show it to them, show it to our users, and just be like, hey, like, how do you expect to purchase this? Like, what's the next step that you expect to take? And we'd just kind of, like, continue to iterate on that piece. And so... LINDSEY: Okay. So you were, before launching, even showing some of those mockups and starting to incorporate them in the user interviews. DANNY: Yeah, yeah. I mean, we tried to get it in there in front of them as early as possible, partially because, like, at some point in the user interviews, like, you're mostly just trying to first understand, like, who are our target customers? Who are these people? And we have an assumption of or an idea of who we think they are. But really, like, once you start talking to people, you kind of are, like, okay, like, this thing that I thought maybe it wasn't so accurate, or, like, the way that they're kind of talking about these products doesn't 100% match what I originally walked into this, you know, experiment with. And so, we, like, start to hone in on that. But after a certain point, you kind of get that idea and now you're just like, okay, you seem to be, like, the right person to talk to. And so, if I were to show you this thing, do you get it, right? Like, do you understand what's happening? Like, how to use this thing, what this product even does. And then also, like, does the checkout experience feel intuitive for you? Is it as simple as, like, I just want to buy a T-shirt? So, like, I'm just going to go by the T-shirt, pick a size, and, you know, move on with my life. Can we make it as seamless as that? LINDSEY: And so, you mentioned it's only been a week since it's been live. Have you been able to learn anything from it yet? And how are you trying to drive people to it today? MIKE: Yeah, I think we learned that sales is hard [laughs] and slow, and it takes some time. But it's good, and we're learning a lot. I mean, it's been a while since I've really dug deep in, like, the analytics and marketing kind of metrics. And so, we've got all the Google Tag Manager stuff, you know, hooked up and just, you know, connecting with just exploring, honestly, like the TikTok advertising platform, and the YouTube Pre-Rolls, and Shorts. And, like, a lot of stuff that I actually, since the last time I was heavily involved in this stuff, is just totally new and different. And so, it's been super interesting to see the funnel and sort of see where people are getting in the site, where people are dropping off. You know, we had an interesting conversation in our thoughtbot sync yesterday or the day before, where we were seeing how, you know, we're getting lots of people to the front page and, actually, a good number of people to the product page, and, actually, like, you know, not the worst number of people to the cart. But then you were seeing really high cart abandonment rates. And then, you know, when you start Googling, and you're like, oh, actually, everybody sees very high cart abandonment rates; that's just a thing. But we were seeing, like, the people were viewing their cart seven or eight times, and they were on there sort of five times as long as they were on any other page. And it's this problem that I think Danny is talking about where, you know, we need to actually get a playlist URL. This gets into the minutiae of what we're building, but basically like, we need to get them to give us a playlist URL in order to check out, right? And so, you sort of have to, like, put yourself back in the mind of someone who's scrolling on Instagram, and they see this as an ad, and they click it, and they're like, oh, that thing was cool. Sure, I will buy one of those. And then it's like, no, actually, you need to, you know, leave this, go into a different app, find a play...like, it suddenly just puts a lot of the mental strain. But it's a lot. It's a cognitive load, greater than, as you said, just buying a T-shirt and telling what size you want. So, thinking through ways to really trim that down, shore up the amount of time people are spending on a cart. All that stuff has been fascinating. And then just, like, the different demographic kind of work that we're using, all the social ads platforms to kind of identify has been really interesting. It's still early. But, actually, like, Chris and I were just noticing...we were just talking right before this call. Like, we're actually starting to get, just in the last 12 hours, a bunch more, a bunch, but more people signing up to our email newsletter, probably in the last 12 hours that we have in the whole of last week. Yeah, I don't know, just even that sort of learning, it's like, oh, do people just need time with a thing, or they come back and they think about it? CHRIS: Yeah. Could these people be working on their playlists? That's a question that I have. MIKE: [chuckles] Yeah, me too. CHRIS: It's like, you know, I'm making a playlist to drop into this product. It's really interesting. And I think it gives insight to kind of, you know, how personal this product could be, that this is something that takes effort on the part of the consumer because they're making something to give or to keep for themselves, which is, I think, really interesting but definitely hard, too. DANNY: Yeah. And I also want to also clarify, like, Chris just kind of said it, like, especially for viewers and listeners, like, that's something that we've been hearing a lot from user interviews, too, right? Like, the language that they're using is, like, this is a thing that I care about. Like it's a representation of who I am. It's a representation of, like, the relationship that I have with this person that I'm going to be giving, you know, this gift to or this playlist to, specifically, like, people who feel, like, really passionate about these things. And, I mean, like, I did, too. Like, when I was first trying to, like, date, my wife, like, I spent, like, hours, hours trying to pick the coolest songs that I thought, you know, were like, oh, like, she's going to think I'm so cool because, like, I listen to these, like, super low-key indie rock bands, and, like, you know, so many more hours than she probably spent listening to it. But that's [laughs] kind of, like, honestly, what we heard a lot in a lot of these interviews, so... LINDSEY: Yeah, same. No, totally resonates. And I also went to the site this week, and I was like, oh damn, this is cool. Like, and immediately it was like, oh, you know, I've got these three, you know, music friends that we go to shows together. I'm like, oh, this would be so cool to get them, you know, playlists of, like, music we've seen together. So, you might see me in the cart. I won't abandon it. MIKE: Please. I would love that. CHRIS: Don't think about it too long if you could -- [laughter]. LINDSEY: I won't. I won't. CHRIS: I mean, I would say I'm really excited about having the site not only as a vehicle for selling some of these things but also as a vehicle for just honing our message. It's like another tool that we have in our arsenal. During the user interviews themselves, we were talking in abstract terms, and now we have something concrete that we can bounce off people, which is, I think, going to be a huge boon to our toolset as we continue to refine and define this product. MIKE: Yeah, that's a good point. LINDSEY: Yeah. You mentioned that they're signing up for, like, email updates. Do you have something you're sending out? Or are you kind of just creating a list? Totally fine, just building a list. MIKE: [laughs] No. CHRIS: It's a picture of Mike and I giving a big thumbs up. That's, yeah. [laughter] MIKE: No. But maybe...that was the thing; I was like, oh great, they're signing up. And I was like, gosh, they're signing up. Okay [laughter], now we got to write something. But we will. LINDSEY: Tips to making your playlist [crosstalk 19:11] playing your playlist -- MIKE: Yeah [crosstalk 19:13]. CHRIS: Right. And then also...tips to making your playlists. Also, we're advancing on the collectible side of things, too. We are, hopefully, going to have two pilot programs in place, one with a major label and one with a major artist. And we're really excited about that. LINDSEY: Okay. That's cool. I assume you can't tell us very much. What can you tell us? MIKE: Yeah. We won't mention names [chuckles] in case it just goes away, as these things sometimes do. But yeah, there's a great band who's super excited about these, been around for a long time, some good name recognition, and a very loyal fan base. They want to do sort of a collection of these. I think maybe we showed the little...I can't remember if we showed the little crates that we make or not, but basically, [inaudible 19:52] LINDSEY: The last time, yeah. MIKE: So, they want to sell online a package that's, you know, five or six Goodz in a crate, which I think will be cool and a great sort of sales experiment. And then there's a couple of artists that we're going to do an experiment with that's through their label that's more about tour...basically, giving things away on tour. So, they're going to do some giveaway fan club street team-style experiments with some of these on the road. So, first, it's ideal, provided both those things happen, because we definitely want to be exploring on the road and online stuff. And so, this kind of lets us do both at once and get some real learnings as to kind of how people...because we still don't know. We haven't really put these in people's hands yet. And it's just, like, are people scanning these a lot? Are they not? Is this sort of an object that's sitting on their shelf? Is it...yeah, it's just, like, there's so much we're going to learn once we get these into people's hands. LINDSEY: Do you have the infrastructure to sort of see how many times the cards are scanned? CHRIS: Mm-hmm. Yep, we do. MIKE: Yeah. So, we can see how many times each one is scanned, where they're scanned, that sort of thing. CHRIS: Kind of our next step, and something we were just talking about today with the thoughtbot team, is building out kind of what the backend will be for this, both for users and also for labels and artists. That it will allow them to go in and post updates to the Goodz, to allow them to use these for promotion as people, you know, scan into them to give them links to other sites related to the artists that they might be interested in before they move on to the actual musical playlist. So, that's kind of the next step for us. And knowing how users use these collectibles, both the kind of consumer Good and the artist collectibles that we were just talking about, will help inform how we build that platform. LINDSEY: Very cool. And right now, the online store itself that's built in Shopify? MIKE: Yeah. The homepage is Webflow that Kevin from the thoughtbot team really spearheaded in building for us. And then, yeah, the e-commerce is Shopify. LINDSEY: Y'all have been busy. MIKE: [laughs] LINDSEY: Is there anything else maybe that I haven't asked about yet that we should touch on in terms of updates or things going on with the product? MIKE: I don't know. I don't think so. I think, like Chris said, I mean, we're just...like, now that the site has kind of stood up and we're really switched over to kind of marketing and advertising on that, definitely digging into the backend of this kind of SaaS platform that's going to probably be a big focus for the rest of the, you know, the program, to be honest. Yeah, just some other things we can do on the next front that could eventually build into the backend that I think can be interesting. No, I guess [laughs] the short answer is no, nothing, like, substantial. Those are the big [crosstalk 22:26] LINDSEY: Yeah. Well, that was my next question, too, which is kind of like, what's next, or what's the next chunk of work? So, it's obviously lots more optimization and learning on the e-commerce platform, and then this other mega area, which is, you know, what does this look like as a SaaS solution? What's the vision? But also, where do we start? Which I'm sure, Danny, is a lot of work that you specialize in as far as, like, scoping how to approach these kinds of projects. DANNY: Yeah. And it's interesting because, I mean, we were just talking about this today. Like, part of it is, like, we can, like, really dig into, like, the e-commerce site and, like, really nailing it down to get it to the place where it's like, we're driving tons more traffic and also getting as low of a, like, cart abandonment rate as possible, right? But also, considering the fact that this is in the future, like, large-scale vision. And there's, like, also, like, we're starting to, I think, now iron out a lot of those, like, milestones where we're kind of like, okay, like, we got, like, a short-term vision, which is, like, the e-commerce site. We got a mid-term vision and a potential long-term vision. How do we validate this long-term vision while also still like, keeping this short-term vision moving forward? And, like, this mid-term vision is also going to, like, help potentially, either, like, steer us towards that long-term or maybe even, like, pivot us, like, into a completely different direction. So, like, where do you put your card, right? Like, how much energy and time do we put into, like, each of these areas? And that's kind of, like, the interesting part of this is starting to talk through that, starting to kind of prioritize, like, how we can maximize on our effort, like, our development and design effort so that things just kind of line up more naturally and organically for our future visioning, so... MIKE: Yeah. A lot of different things to juggle. I saw there was a question. Somebody asked what the URL is, but I don't seem to be able to [crosstalk 24:10]. LINDSEY: The same question as me. We got to drop the link for this thing. MIKE: Yeah, getthegoodz.com. CHRIS: That's G-O-O-D-Z. LINDSEY: Get in there, folks MIKE: Yeah, get [crosstalk 24:23]. LINDSEY: And let us know how it goes. MIKE: Yeah, please [laughs]. Any bugs? Let us know. Yeah. I think that those...yeah, I mean, it's a good point, Danny, in terms of juggling kind of the near-term and longer-term stuff. You know, it's a good kind of reminder our big focus, you know, in the new year is going to be fundraising, right? We're already talking to some investors and things like that. So, it's like, okay, yes, as you said, we could tweak the cart. We could tweak the e-commerce. Or, like, can we paint the big picture of what the longer-term version of this company is going to be in a way that makes it compelling for investment to come in so that there can be a long-term version of this company? And then we can build those things. So yeah, it's definitely a balance between the two. LINDSEY: Oh, also, just casual fundraising as well. [crosstalk 25:06] MIKE: Yeah, yeah. LINDSEY: [laughs] MIKE: But it's hard. It's like, you wake up in the morning. It's like, do I want to, like, write cold emails to investors? Or do I want to, like, look at Google Analytics and, like, tweak ad copy? That's actually more fun. So, yes. LINDSEY: Yeah, life of the founder, for sure. All right. So, that's getthegoodz (Goodz with a z) .com. Check it out. We'll tune in and see what happens with the e-commerce site, what happens with the SaaS planning the next time that we check in. But Chris, Mike, Danny, thank you so much for joining today and sharing what's been going on over the last few weeks: the good, the bad, the challenge, the cart abandonment. And, you know, best of luck to you over the next few weeks, and we'll be sure to check in and see how it's going. AD: Did you know thoughtbot has a referral program? If you introduce us to someone looking for a design or development partner, we will compensate you if they decide to work with us. More info on our website at: tbot.io/referral. Or you can email us at referrals@thoughtbot.com with any questions. Special Guests: Chris Cerrito and Mike Rosenthal.
thoughtbot's Incubator Program is back for a third round! This episode introduces founder Josh Herzig-Marks of Knect, and he will be sharing his journey from freelance work to joining the program and what happens throughout! So far, he appreciates the deliberate communication practices required for practical remote work, despite remote work already being second nature to him, and he understands the importance of proactive and transparent communication in a team setting. One critical insight for Josh so far was the misconception surrounding the term "CRM" in personal relationship management. His moment involved mislabeling a survey, which led to confusion about the project's intent. As the Incubator Program progresses and continues to scale, Jordyn expresses excitement about involving more teams with different geographic focuses. The goal is to foster a collaborative environment within the thoughtbot Incubator Slack channel, encouraging past and present participants to share experiences and advice. We invite listeners who resonate with any of the challenges heard or have potential solutions to reach out! Our next Incubator episode will introduce our other Session 3 participants, Mike and Chris, founders of Goodz. Follow Josh Herzig-Marx on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuaherzigmarx/) or X (https://twitter.com/herzigma). Visit his website at joshua.herzig-marx.com (https://joshua.herzig-marx.com/). Follow thoughtbot on X (https://twitter.com/thoughtbot) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/150727/). Become a Sponsor (https://thoughtbot.com/sponsorship) of Giant Robots! Transcript: LINDSEY: My name is Lindsey Christensen, and I head up marketing for thoughtbot. For anyone listening or joining who isn't familiar with thoughtbot, we're a product design and development consultancy that helps you make great products and help make your team a success. One of the very cool ways we do that is with the thoughtbot Startup Incubator, which is a program that we launched this year and that Jordyn, who's with us today, has been heading up. What's up, Jordyn? And today, what we're going to be doing is catching up with one of the latest founders who's participating in the incubator and seeing what he's been up to since the kickoff over these last two weeks. JOSH: It's been two weeks. It's been two really fast weeks. LINDSEY: [laughs] Josh, could you give us a little introduction to yourself? JOSH: Sure. I'm Josh. Hi. I've been in tech product management for, like, 20-ish years, 15 or so of those were in head-of-product roles. And a bunch of those early on were my own startup, where I discovered I was a pretty mediocre founder but really liked this product leadership thing. I had a very lucky exit, which I leveraged into a series of first product manager, first head of product, first product leader roles at a series of early-stage companies across a ton of domains: B2B, B2C, FinTech, mobile, Revtech. And then, a little over a year ago, my partner and I got to do this thing we've been talking about for a while, which was we swapped who the primary parent was. We have two kids, two teens, 13 and 15, right now, so that's eighth grade and ninth grade. I wanted to take over primary parenting so that they could focus as much or as little on their career as they wanted to in the same way they had allowed me to do for the first 15-ish years of our kids being kids. And if I were a better person, I would have found some kind of job that allowed for work-life balance, but I'm not. I have a whopping case of ADD, which we'll probably come back to later on in this conversation. And the way that I knew I'd be able to actually fulfill my responsibility as a primary parent was by retiring from salaried work. So, I did that a little over a year ago, last summer. And kind of keep me busy and occupied in between 8:30 in the morning, you know, school drop off and 3:00 o'clock in the afternoon school pickup. And when I'm not doing shopping, and cooking, and lunches, and doctor's appointments, and dentist appointments, and orthodontist appointments, and play dates, and soccer practices, and basketball practices, and soccer games, and basketball games, and Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, and all the other things that we do, I built a very small niche coaching mentorship and advisory practice around founders, solo product managers, and first-time heads of product. And that's pretty much up until about two weeks ago what I had been doing with myself. LINDSEY: That's a great update. I especially liked all the practices that you have to go to. [crosstalk 02:54] JOSH: I do like practices. We went to a co-ed soccer game for my middle school kid. And it was the first time that the boys' team and the girls' team ever played together, and they got totally clobbered by this other team. And what I loved about it at the end was the kids weren't bummed. They were like, "That was really fun." And, you know, for a lot of these kids, they've been friends since kindergarten. So, this is, like, nine years of being friends and playing recess soccer together. And they're not very good at soccer, but they just really love all playing together so much. And they just bring so much sportspersonship to the field. It was really a pleasure. LINDSEY: Okay. So, you're doing all this fun primary parenting and going to all the fun practices. You've got a coaching business that you're working on as well. But there was this idea, this idea that's needling. What brings you to us? JOSH: I think before it was an idea, it was a problem. And I knew this was a Josh problem. And the Josh problem was that I have a really big network, you know, built over the past, you know, more than 20 years of professional life. And, you know, one of the joke lines I have is that the solution to almost any business problem is found in talking to more people. I really value being able to, you know, call people up, message them, text them, email them, get together with them, ask them lots of questions, listen hard. And I try really hard to reciprocate, doing the same thing. I don't know what your professional network looks like, Lindsey or Jordyn, over the past, I don't know, couple years, decade, however long it's been, you know. But what used to be email and LinkedIn, maybe, and maybe getting together in some local meetups, has really spiraled what, to me, feels, again, whopping case of ADD, completely out of control, right? I have my LinkedIn network, which has not gone away, right? And now I'm a member of, I don't know, Jordyn, we share these a lot, a dozen different professional networking Slacks. Those are the ones that Jordyn and I share, probably far, far more than that, right? Product management ones, entrepreneurship ones, product marketing ones, engineering ones, tech company ones, ones geographically based for the Boston area, ones that are focused on things like climate change and climate tech. So, a ridiculous number of these. And as somebody with some experience and the privilege to have some free time, it feels kind of like, I don't know, an obligation sounds too grandiose, but it feels like a nice way that I can give back is by participating and trying to be helpful inside of these. So, that's happened. And Discord became a thing, you know, certainly, it had been a thing for gamers since before that. But since the beginning of the pandemic, Discord became a thing. I'm in, like, I don't know, a dozen different similar Discord groups. And I'm in WhatsApp communities, and I'm in Telegram communities. And in-person meetups have started to happen again. And I found myself kind of losing control. I was telling people, whether, you know, over the phone, or in Zoom calls, or direct messages, that I'd make connections to them, make intros, and it was getting increasingly hard to do that. I was forgetting about people, you know, like, it's hard to remember to stay in touch with all of your colleagues when you move on from past roles. And, you know, I would try to make connections to people to be like, okay, Lindsey, you know, you wanted to meet somebody else in marketing in the Boston area. And I remember that, like, six years ago, they worked at Rocket, and now they've moved on to something else. I can't remember what it's called. And, like, how do you, like, you know, page through your email and your Slack connections and your LinkedIn to find that person? And that was really hard, too. So, I have ADD. My family would say that I'm, like, moderately functional. So, how do I achieve that? By creating systems for myself. And I did all the things which other people have tried to do. I built myself, like spreadsheets and Notion databases. I have an awful lot of, like, Notion databases now powered by forms. I'm like, just put your information in, and it'll appear magically into my database where I try to, you know, push the work onto other people. And none of it was really working for me. And that was kind of the genesis of the idea and then trying to figure out, is this a Josh problem, or is this a broader problem? That's kind of how I got started. LINDSEY: Lots of people, lots of channels, not a lot of tracking or confusing tracking. And we chatted briefly before, you know, you were starting the program. And this really resonated for me. And I also ended up doing a user interview [chuckles] with the team about it. JOSH: Yeah [laughs]. LINDSEY: Because yeah, in my role, and moving from different companies or doing mentoring on the side, and being in investor communities and marketing communities, it gets overwhelming for sure. And I feel the pain. And I've had the embarrassing moments of not remembering how I know someone or a conversation we had, or someone I really respect asking me for an intro, and I'm like, I don't remember anything about how I know that person. JOSH: I mean, that was both gratifying and disappointing. Gratifying, like, oh, it's not just a Josh problem; we all struggle with this, and disappointing, right? And as I've had more of these conversations, just to realize, like, I know almost nobody who doesn't struggle with this. There's a few. There's a few outliers, a few weirdos, a few superheroes who are able to do this really well and who feel in control. And, like, literally, as they describe it, it sounds like...Jordyn, you're nodding, right? It sounds like a superpower as they're describing how they do this, how they kind of manage it. JORDYN: [laughs] JOSH: But for the most part, thank goodness it's not a Josh problem. The bummer is, nobody has, like, you know, the magic incantation, right? The spell or the secret or, like, the one weird trick, or the tool or, like, could I just give you money and solve this thing? And none of this really exists today. And that was kind of a bummer. I was hoping for, you know, better news that this was a solved problem. LINDSEY: [laughs] Yeah. Jordyn, heading over to you for a minute, Josh applied for the incubator with this problem that he was working on. We had a lot of great applications, I think, for this session. What made you think or you and the team land on Josh as one of our session three founders that would be a great fit for the programming? JORDYN: I'd say it was probably two factors; one is the stage. What's really tough was figuring out who's a good stage fit for us. So, like, what that means is you've identified a specific enough problem. You're not just, like, I want to solve world hunger or something, like, super broad. There's enough of a specific pain point or a problem that you're trying to solve that there's, like, we might conceivably make progress on it in eight weeks. But you're not so far along that you are basically like, "Hey, I've got the specs for an MVP. Can you just build it?" Which is, like, too late for us. And part of that is a discovery mindset of, "Hey, I've identified this pain point. I think other people have it. But I am very open to how we solve the problem or learning new things about it, learning that it is a bigger need in a market I've never thought about," like being open to the things we might learn together. So those things: stage fit, mindset fit. But, also, like, it is a problem that is addressable with software, right? thoughtbot's focus is software. Like, yes, we have worked on products that are not software products, but, like, our bread and butter is software. And my personal bread and butter professionally is software. So, is the problem on the table something that, you know, software is a big component in meeting the need? So, it's, you know, it's stage. So, I guess it's three things: stage, founder mindset, which is this combination of having conviction but being open-minded, a very weird [laughs] thing to find in a person. And then, you know, can we conceive of a way to address this with software without jumping to a solutionizing? That's sort of what we're looking for, and Josh checked all of those boxes. And I think, also, just had a problem that people really resonated [laughs] with, which is clear from [laughs] what Lindsey was saying and for me personally as well, I think I should [laughter] say. This is a problem I have. So, when Josh and I first talked about it, I was just like, yes, I would love to solve this problem. I also wish there was some spell, or incantation, or weird trick, or existing products, et cetera. JOSH: We might have spent an hour nerding out over all of the things that we've tried, yeah. JORDYN: The things that we've tried, emphasis on the nerding. JOSH: On the nerding part, yeah. JORDYN: Any of you listening [crosstalk 10:45] JOSH: Or what if we get sneakier connect Google Sheets to this, like, really weird web query and [laughs] -- JORDYN: [laughs] Exactly. And then giving up because it's totally unmaintainable or, like, [laughter] impossible, yeah. So... JOSH: Right. Oh, and it's all crap, too [laughs]. JORDYN: Right, right. So, if anyone out there listening is like, "Oh yeah, that's me," first of all, you're not alone. Second of all, please reach out to us. We would like to interview you [crosstalk 11:09] JOSH: Or, if anyone out there is like, "Oh, I have this thing solved," right? If you got the solution, please reach out to us. JORDYN: [laughs] Yes, also, please. JOSH: You can save us six more weeks of work [laughs]. JORDYN: If you know the solution, definitely tell us. Anyway, so to your question, though, Lindsey, that's how this [inaudible 11:23], and it just seemed like a great fit along those lines. LINDSEY: Yeah. So but, Josh, you mentioned...well, I think you kind of downplayed your founder history a little bit. But you've been a founder who had success, certainly a product team leader who has been very successful in the early-stage teams. What were you looking for from thoughtbot? Like, what attracted you to working with the thoughtbot team on your problem when you have all this kind of past experience already? JOSH: I think there's probably three parts to it; one is I know a bunch of people in the thoughtbot team pretty well. In past roles, I have actually hired thoughtbot; I think it was twice. And I've referred a bunch of your current and past clients as well. Like, I'm just generally a big thoughtbot fan. I think I've even used thoughtbot products long before I even knew, like, Chad or Jordyn, some of your old products from, like, you know, the early 2000s. So, we're going really OG here. So, I knew thoughtbot really well and think really highly of everybody who I've interacted with there. Number two is, I know, you say incubator, but, for me, the word that's really been resonating has been accelerator. It can be really slow the early, I don't know, weeks, months, years to go from an idea to, hey, this is really an opportunity. And I didn't want to spend weeks or years at this. I have a full-time job. It's, you know, taking care of the family. Like, that's what I wanted to be focused on. And if this was really an opportunity, I wanted to figure this out relatively quickly. And I love the fact that thoughtbot has this eight-week accelerating program. And the third one is I had this...and, you know, not every assumption I came in with was one that I'm going to leave the program with. But I came in with the assumption that a lot of the risk was technology risk. I had a rough idea. I was quickly discovering this wasn't just a Josh problem; this was a broader problem, right? There's plenty of challenges beyond that, but it's good to discover that your problem is broad. But is it something which can actually get built and built relatively straightforward? Jordyn here [inaudible 13:27] this all the time. You know, I don't like science project problems, right? And thoughtbot is really, really good at building software and partnering with somebody who could help to remove that kind of risk as a non-technical founder, as somebody with literally zero technical skills, I find that very, I don't know, comforting, exciting. LINDSEY: Okay, writes down in marketing notebook: "Accelerator resonating more than incubator." [laughs] JOSH: I wanted to get to the decision...incubator is a better word for it. But I personally wanted to get to that is this a good opportunity or a bad opportunity decision faster. LINDSEY: To quickly validate invalidate. JOSH: Right. I wanted this, like, I wanted to timebox this thing, and eight weeks is a nice chunk of time. LINDSEY: Love that, yeah. JORDYN: I want to just, like, flag here that, like, all of these words are very frustrating [laughter]. And we had a really hard time picking one. LINDSEY: I know [laughs]. JORDYN: And we really actually, like, in literal terms, I think that program is way more, like, founder bootcamp than anything, but thoughtbot can't run a bootcamp without people thinking it's a Rails bootcamp, right? JOSH: Yeah. LINDSEY: [laughs] JORDYN: Like, if we just said, "thoughtbot bootcamp," people would be like, oh, as a developer, I should go to this bootcamp, and thoughtbot will teach me how to be a better engineer, which would be totally reasonable from a brand standpoint, right? So, we were like, all right, not bootcamp. And then accelerator typically comes with investment dollars, in my experience as a founder, and we don't invest cash in the companies that we work with yet. So, that was off the list. And that just left incubator, which, eh, like, I don't disagree that it's not the best word, but, whatever, we lack a good one. JOSH: I'll tell you one thing. So, I'm involved with other things in this space. I'm based in Boston but for Raleigh's brand-new Founder Institute chapter, which I think is a great program. And I'm really proud of the, you know, first cohort of founders that are going to the program down there. And I love them. And I love their energy, and enthusiasm, and focus and that we at Founder Institute are providing them with value. I think we really are, or I wouldn't be participating. But I wanted people to work alongside me. And I think that's actually one of the things which is really unique about thoughtbot's program. This isn't, like, you know, a bunch of other founders with varying amounts of experience working alongside you. This is, like, actual people who do things: designers and software engineers, developers who are working alongside you and learning alongside you. But it makes it, I would say, less of a lonely process. This is one of the things I remember. When I founded a company, the one time I did this prior, I did it with my best friend, which is about as unlonely as you can possibly get. And it still is really, really lonely. Having this like, you know, team backing you up and a company backing up that team and organization is nice. LINDSEY: Thanks for sharing that about the loneliness factor. That kind of reminds me, Jordyn; I know in the last session, you were trying out the idea of, like, this founder emotion tracker. Has that made its way to session 3? JORDYN: Not really, mostly because both of the teams we're working with, two teams, by the way, not just Josh, have been founders before. And so, the emotional rollercoaster of, like, literally every day, you know, Monday, you feel like a million bucks because you have a really great idea, and you're really excited about it. And then, Tuesday, you talk to a bunch of people who add some complexity to the assumptions that you had [laughs] made on Monday. And then you start to feel like maybe this isn't a thing, oh no. And then, Wednesday, you learn about some, like, technical thing that you didn't realize was a stumbling block. And so, by the end of Wednesday, you're like, everything is doomed. I shouldn't even be doing this. I've just wasted everyone's time. But then the team wakes up on Thursday and is like, "Actually, there's an easy solution to this. And we've found a new group of people to talk to who have this problem in a really clear way." And then you feel like a million bucks again. And then you just cycle through it. Like, that cycle is something that Josh and our other founding team have actually felt before. And so, we haven't really been, like, leaning on the emotional roller coaster timeline as much just because it hasn't been as relevant. And that's kind of what's tough about the program we're running, which is that everybody comes to it with different assets in hand. I always think of that scene in The Princess Bride when they're outside the castle, and Westley is like, "What do we have? What are our assets?" It's like you arrive to this with different assets in hand. You might have already talked to 50 people, but you have no technical background. So, you don't know what on earth to do about the information that you've learned. Or, you know, maybe you do have a technical background. And so, you've done a bunch of solutionizing, but you haven't talked to a single person about [laughs] whether they have the problem you're trying to solve. Anyway, it really runs the gamut. And so, the programming is designed to help teams find focus and find market message fit. But what people roll up with is very different. In this case, we have a cohort, so to speak, that has some prior startup experience, especially as founders. And so, they know a little bit more about how every day is going to emotionally feel different. And that emotional rollercoaster workstream is on the roadmap. But we don't spend as much time with it as we did with Ashley and with Agnes before in the first two sessions because they were first-time founders and really didn't know how they should be feeling. And that, to me, is one of the many value adds, including what Josh mentioned, like just having a team diligently focused on your problem space full-time is a huge boost of momentum and confidence. Just, like, people thinking about the same thing you're thinking about with you and bringing their earnest efforts to solving the problem has been one of the main things people have found valuable about it, in addition to the acknowledgement that, like, you're going to have a lot of different emotions. And it doesn't mean anything necessarily. Like, your day-to-day emotion does not mean that you are a failure or that this is a bad idea or that you're a success, and this is a good idea [laughs]. Like, neither of those things is necessarily true. LINDSEY: So, let's chat a little bit about what has actually been happening since kickoff. So, two weeks ago, started. Jordyn, maybe I'll start with you. What has the first two weeks of programming looked like? JORDYN: We have been really heads down on interviewing. Josh rolled up having done a survey, which yielded a bunch of conversations already, conversations [inaudible 19:34]. So, we iterated on the scripts. You know, part of the efforts of the first couple of weeks are really geared toward having our team understand the things that Josh understands already. We need to kind of get on the same page. And so, we try to talk to as many people as we can because there's nothing...One of our theses here, beliefs, I don't know what the right word is, is that there's really nothing that drives momentum quite like team alignment, and there's nothing quite like talking to customers and hearing for yourself what their pain points are. That drives alignment. So, it's like, everyone's talking to people. I'm sure people out there have been on teams where it's like one person talks to customers, and they're translating to everybody else. "Here's what I'm hearing. So, this is what we need to build." And it's like if everybody has first-hand experience with the conversations, alignment and conviction sort of grows organically out of it. It's a lot less work to align if everybody's talking to people. So, it's always, like, the first order of business is, how do we talk to people so that we know the things you know to the level that you know them? So, we've been doing a ton of interviewing. And then, that's about driving alignment and understanding, but it's also ultimately about trying to drive focus. So, as we are talking to people and listening to them, we're really trying to listen for patterns and to map those to the market segments these people inhabit. So, like, every one of us has our own network that we're bringing to this effort, and so we start there. And we start where you are with what you have, right? I think that's, like, a Teddy Roosevelt quote: start where you are with what you have. Somebody said that. Anyway, so we all do that. But really, ultimately, we want to...building software is all about a repeatable problem that you can address with a one-size-fits-all [laughs] more or less product. What we're trying to find is, like, we're trying to listen for patterns and listen for pain points that are addressable and really focus in on a narrow niche or a situation context that we can address in some repeatable way. And I would say, at this moment, we've done a bunch of that interviewing. And we're now like, okay, we're feeling the need to focus, but we have not quite started that dive. I don't know, Josh, maybe you feel the same or different. JOSH: No, I think that's right on. I mean, you know, the first thing we all had to do was develop our own [inaudible 21:45] understanding of the problem and the potential user, right? It wasn't going to happen from me talking to people. It was going to happen from us talking to people. And then, the next step is to start to align that empathic understanding, which sounds like a thing that gets finished, but really, it's only a thing that gets started and never really ends. And then, you know, we got to be willing to make some bets, right? We got to figure out, you know, what is our hypothesis? You know, what do we think are the risky bits? And what are the things that differentiate this from being a problem? Where I think we have broad agreement across the entire team. And, literally, everybody we spoke to, the only people who don't think this is a problem are the ones who have some complicated, ridiculous system they built themselves, which they will acknowledge is not going to apply to anybody else. So, the problem is broad, right? But where exactly is the opportunity? Because at the end of the day, we're looking to build a business. LINDSEY: Josh, I saw your head nodding during the alignment discussion. How has it been aligning with the team around the problem you've been thinking so much about? JOSH: I don't know, Jordyn, how you feel about it. I've found it really fun. And it's been fun for a couple of reasons. I think the number one reason that I really like it is this is a really diverse team, right? So, Jordyn and I are in Boston and have; I would say, fairly similar tech company entrepreneurish sort of, you know, hand-wavy, miscellaneous tech people, startup folks background. We have somebody in Denmark, but she's Spanish. We have someone in maybe London right now, but he's Nigerian. And we have a member of our team in Saudi Arabia. That's a lot broader perspective. And I think that comes to play in, like, at least three different ways. They come with their own perspectives, and their own world experiences, and lived experiences, and values, and ways they talk about those things, right? Number one. They come with their own networks of people to talk to you for whom it's easy to reach. So, it's not just all hand-wavy, tech startupy folks like I'd be talking to. And, like, literally, my entire list is, like, oh, they're all people like me. Like it was really easy to get 60 people to want to talk to me because they're all people I've been talking to for a while, which is awesome and maybe a little bit uninteresting. But more than that, they all bring different language. Like, we've been struggling. Like, this is what we did. We spent what? Two hours of our hour and a half meeting this morning struggling with, like, are we having a difference, like, meaning or a difference of words? And it's not an efficient way to use your time, but it really is an effective way to use your time. Because, like, that struggle of trying to communicate what we're hearing and try to communicate what we're thinking and what we're feeling, I think, has led to a much better understanding of the problem and maybe even the opportunity than we would have had otherwise. I'm a big fan of struggle. JORDYN: Definitely. And I do feel like there's an element of this where you can never understand your customers' problems in too much detail. It's like every pass we do at this, we kind of have a deeper, more granular, nuanced sense of the problems. And just in that conversation this morning, we, like, took a problem that we had understood one way and, like, were able to break it down, like, okay, what are the actual pieces of this? Oh, there's, like, many pieces of it, right? Like you said, Josh, it feels inefficient, or sometimes it just feels like you walk out of a call and you're like, what was that about? And then only later do you find, you know, maybe when we are ideating, like, ways we might solve a problem, that conversation we had that felt really murky and, like, are we just arguing about semantics here? Are we arguing [laughs]...I don't know, like, however, you might frame that, like, actually becomes really important where you're like, oh, well, I'm very glad we took the time to break this problem down because now that we're trying to develop a solution, it becomes clear that there are many, little things we're trying to solve. And we can't solve them all at once. And so, it's great that we all have a fluent understanding of the details of that because it makes those conversations much faster so [inaudible 25:30]. JOSH: Can I say a nice thing about thoughtbot? I know this isn't, like, the, you know, [crosstalk 25:34] LINDSEY: Please. Please do. Welcome, Josh. Yeah, the floor is yours. JOSH: Let me say a nice thing about thoughtbot. The last time I did this, I did this with my best friend, Ben, a person I had literally known since I was six years old, maybe five, I don't know, since first grade. And we were entering a new space. This was, like, grocery marketing. And we talked to a crap ton of people, a lot of them doing things like going to grocery store headquarters and just talking to people and meeting people who are, like, manufacturers of a grocery product and going to trade shows with 60,000 grocers all in one giant room. Remember those days pre-COVID? We would, like, you know, take the samples with your left hand and shake with your right hand, and don't get those two things mixed up because there's a lot of people in the room with you. And we talked to easily 1,000 people, and we knew how to establish that, like, shared empathic understanding of the market and the problem really well because we were side by side. We were really well-practiced at having those conversations. And, you know, after the day of, you know, shaking hands, and meeting people, and introducing ourselves was done, we'd go back to the hotel room, shared, of course, because we were young entrepreneurs who couldn't afford to get nice hotel rooms. And we'd spend the next couple of hours, like, talking about it. We, like, talked to each other all the time. One nice thing about thoughtbot is you're really good at working remotely and working asynchronously. And if, you know, it had been up to me by myself to be like, okay, you know, Josh, you have this, like, remote team in different time zones with, you know, non-overlapping hours. How are you going to, like, work together to establish this common understanding, this common semantic model, this common syntax for talking about the problem, and the users, and the needs, and the opportunity? I'd be like, I don't know, right? And this is somebody who's, like, worked remotely for the past, I don't know, 5,6, 7 years, I mean, most of his job. But, like, still, that early bit is a thing, which, you know, I've seen a lot of thoughtbot practice and skill around. And it's not an easy skill to master. And it's one that you practiced organizationally. And that's really valuable. And I don't think I fully appreciated that until we got started. LINDSEY: Oh, thanks. Jordyn, any thoughts on that? Were you thinking about remote setup of the program, or at this point, it's just everything is remote? JORDYN: Working remotely can really deepen, in good ways, one's communication practices because it forces you to be intentional about communicating in a way that when you are co-located with people, you kind of don't have to because there's people in front of you when you talk to them. So, I agree, Josh, that thoughtbot does a good job of making that work, the work to communicate and stay on the same page, like, tangible, visible, whatever it is. That's also just something I've given a ton of thought to because I've been working remotely, like, as a primary orientation since 2010. And so, this is just, like, how I work. And it's very; I don't know, organic to my mind now that it's basically, like, if I'm doing something and I don't tell someone about it, it's like a tree falls in the forest, you know, if there's no one around to hear it. If I'm working on something and I don't tell anyone about it, it's like I didn't do anything. Communication is, like, 60% of the job. And the setpoint is, oh, I did something. Oh, I emailed someone. Maybe I should tell the team about this [laughs]. Just literally because you're not in a situation where I'm going to overhear a phone call that Josh is having because he's at the desk next to mine, or I'm going to, like, ambiently be aware that, like, Carol and Toby went into a conference room to talk about something. Like, while I maybe didn't consciously think about that, it's sort of in my periphery. Like, none of that is happening because we're not in the office together, right? We don't get to do the thing that you did with Ben, where we just talk about stuff because we're near each other. So, you really have to get into this practice of externalizing very proactively the things going on in your own mind with the team. And it's a challenge. It's work. It doesn't just happen effortlessly, right? But yeah, to say it's critical or to say it's a critical piece of how we approach the work is an understatement. I don't know, it's like, it is the work [laughs]. The making of the software, whatever, that's easy [laughs]. Communicating about making software that's hard [laughs]. So, I don't know, it's very heartening -- LINDSEY: Yeah, that makes sense. JORDYN: To hear, Josh, that you think that we do a good job of that. I think we're constantly trying to do a better job of it, frankly. I don't know if you can do [crosstalk 29:28] JOSH: That's probably why you do a good job. LINDSEY: So, I know a lot of the early weeks, days has been around alignment and doing a lot of these user interviews. Have there been any moments yet, Josh, any new, like, light bulbs for you or insights, or are we not quite there yet; it's more kind of setting the scene? JOSH: I'll share one really embarrassing one. LINDSEY: Oooh. JOSH: Which keeps on coming back to bite me. When I sent out the survey and, of course, I [inaudible 29:57] for everybody listening, basically, surveys are useless, except they're really nice lead generation tools for people who are willing to talk to you. But when we sent out the survey, at the top, it says something like, "Personal CRM survey." And I'm pretty sure that when I set up the calendar invite system, which is, by the way, for folks listening out there, like, you want to get your, like, operational side of this thing done before you start sending emails out because you're going to quickly, like, lose the ability to keep track of stuff. I think the meeting of it also, I said something like personal CRM survey. And it was, I don't know, sometime in the middle of the first week, maybe later on, when, like, I think we all realized on the team that, like, CRM is the wrong framing for this thing, right? Nobody likes CRMS [laughs]. CRMs are transactional. They're tools to sell something to somebody. You know, they are tools for, like, auditing your behavior if you're a salesperson to make sure you're doing what you're supposed to be doing. They're, like, on a cadence. Like, CRMs are tools for a world, which is not what most people aspire for their personal relationships to be. And I don't think we've quite settled on what this thing actually is. And maybe there isn't a thing yet, right? Maybe that's part of the challenge that we're having, like, this thing doesn't exist, but it's not a CRM. And three-quarters of the way through the interviews is when I asked people like, "So, what question should I have asked you?" They all said, "Well, you didn't ask me about personal CRMs at all." I'm like, "Okay, that's a good point [laughs]." So, there have been plenty of pivots inside of my head around this and the way that I think about this problem, and some of these things are still embarrassing and still kind of coming back to haunt me and maybe haunt the rest of the team as well. I don't know, Jordyn, what [crosstalk 31:27] LINDSEY: Honestly, I was hoping for something way more embarrassing, but [laughs] -- JOSH: Way more embarrassing. JORDYN: If that's your embarrassing...[laughs] LINDSEY: Yeah, you're doing great. You're doing great. JORDYN: You're doing great. JOSH: Okay, the number of video calls where I'm not wearing pants. [laughter] LINDSEY: Okay, onto the next question, Jordyn –- JOSH: Embarrassing or awkward, I don't know, yeah. [laughter] LINDSEY: Jordyn, you mentioned that Josh is not the only participant in this [crosstalk 31:52] JORDYN: Great question. LINDSEY: Tell me about, why not just Josh? What's going on? What are the developments there? JORDYN: Yeah, this is really exciting. So, we wanted to scale this program from the moment that we ran single companies [inaudible 32:08] to start because we wanted to learn as much as we could in a kind of intense, focused way from developing a process and seeing what's valuable about it. So, this was always kind of on our minds to do. And the way it worked out was just that there were two teams at thoughtbot ready and willing to serve. And we had, you know, anytime we [inaudible 32:28] the application window, we always kind of have a list of folks that we're excited about. We can't take all of them. But in this case, we had the two teams. And it also kind of fell in this nice way where we've got this team with a center of gravity, you know, GMT center of gravity, essentially. And then we have another team, which has more of a, like, U.S. center of gravity. And so, the timing kind of worked out. And yeah, I don't know, it wasn't anything more complex than that. It's just we'd always been on the lookout for how we could scale this effort––bring it to more folks. And this was the first opportunity where it appeared like it would work out. I mean, TBD if it's working out [laughs]. We can decide at the end [laughs]. But it's very exciting. It's fun. And we're really looking for ways to help these teams collaborate, you know, we'll see how. Everybody's in a Slack channel together inside of thoughtbot's Slack called thoughbot incubator. And our past participants are in there as well. And we're really trying to create an atmosphere where people can help each other, share tips, talk about what they're working on. There is actually some intersection between what Josh is working on and what the other team is working on, I think, just because, Josh, what you're working on applies [laughs] to a lot of people. I think it applies to these people, too. Anyway, that's [crosstalk 33:42] LINDSEY: It's fun to see the incubator Slack start to build out and folks talking to each other, and more thoughtboters are trickling in there. Because, Josh, you mentioned you've been a client before and a thoughtbot fan in the past. And now you can officially live in thoughtbot Slack, too, and hang out with us 24/7. JOSH: Still just a guest. LINDSEY: [laughs] JOSH: Only got my two channels. Can't DM you unless you're in one of those two channels. LINDSEY: One [crosstalk 34:11] JOSH: But yes, it is very exciting. This is better than snacks at your downtown Boston office. LINDSEY: Yeah, that's great. JOSH: I think I even added an emoji to Slack. I was pretty happy with that. LINDSEY: Oh, nice. We've got a good custom emoji library. JOSH: I mean, that's what we have for company culture, right? Is company emojis. LINDSEY: To kind of finish this out here, Josh or Jordyn, do you have any calls to action for our viewers or listeners, maybe interviews or survey participants or anything else? JORDYN: Well, certainly, if the pain point we described resonates for you [laughs], reach out. We would love to interview you. Or, like Josh said, if you actually have solved this problem [laughs] -- LINDSEY: Oh yeah, that was a good one. JORDYN: Please reach out [laughs]. That would be amazing. JOSH: But I actually meant that. So, like, hey, if you out there are a software developer, an entrepreneur, own a company that you think has really solved this, I would love to learn from that if you want to talk to us. If you are a person who struggles with this and feels like you've tried really hard to solve this, I'd love to hear from you as well. You know, did you search for a tool? Did you ask your friends? Did you try to build something yourself? Do you still use that thing you built yourself? Did you try one of those CRMs? [crosstalk 35:26] Did you try a personal CRM tool out there, right? Clay, Dex, Monica, folk, if those names resonate with you, like, I want to hear, right? I want to hear about people who feel like they're doing this thing really well or people who don't feel like they're doing as well as they should but who feel like they've put, like, real effort into it. LINDSEY: Great. Well, we're going to be catching up with Josh here every other week. JOSH: Great. LINDSEY: We'll have some updates on the thoughtbot blog. And in our alternating week, we're going to be catching up with the other founders going through the incubator. So, next week, we're going to chat with Mike and Chris. And y'all will get to meet them and hear a little bit about their journey and what's led them to validating their idea in the thoughtbot incubator as well. JOSH: And strong rec people to tune in for that one. They are extremely photogenic and very funny, and they talk slower than me, too, so a greater chance for people to understand what they're saying. So, all in all, definitely tune in for that. LINDSEY: That's a great promo. If you want to stay up to date with the incubator or are thinking about applying for the next session, I think will be in the new year, you can go to thoughtbot.com/incubator. And you can also sign up for email updates. And we can make sure to send you recordings of these interviews as well as the blog updates and then keep you up to date about when applications open and end. Jordyn and Josh, thank you so much for joining today and sharing what's been going on in the early days. It's really exciting to follow along. All right, have a great day. Thanks, everyone, for watching. AD: Did you know thoughtbot has a referral program? If you introduce us to someone looking for a design or development partner, we will compensate you if they decide to work with us. More info on our website at tbot.io/referral. Or you can email us at referrals@thoughtbot.com with any questions. Special Guests: Jordyn Bonds and Josh Herzig-Marx .
This is our Wednesday show, where we sit down with a guest, talk about their work and dive deep into the rest. Mary Ann and Alex invited Marisa Warren onto the show. You may remember that we discussed her new fund — ALIAVIA Ventures' first — on the show the other week.We wanted to talk with her to go over a few key topics that we care a lot about:The current state of venture investment in women; why the numbers aren't changing, and what she thinks could make a difference.When startups should target their second market, and how.The two themes are not as far apart as they may initially seem. ALIAVIA invests in startups based in the US and Australia that have at least one female founder, and also helps their portfolio companies tackle new markets. It was a really interesting, and fun conversation. Enjoy!For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity's Simplecast website.Equity drops at 7 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders and more!
In this episode of Product Thinking, Jag Duggal, Chief Product Officer at Nubank, joins Melissa Perri to unravel the process of building a strong global product management team in a fast-growing business. They also dive into the importance of customer obsession, challenges in talent acquisition, and the power of documented principles in scaling businesses.
In this episode of Product Thinking, Tom Eisenmann, Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, joins Melissa Perri to dive into "Why Startups Fail," his transformative book. Specifically, they dive into the inspiration of the book, six unique types of startup failures and how to avoid them, as well as strategies for hiring your first product manager.
ATDC is one of the original startup incubators and accelerators in the US. Founded in Atlanta, GA 40 years ago it is supported by the State of Georgia and hosted by Georgia Tech. ATDC Director John Avery walks us through the history and strategic vision of ATDC as Georgia's technology business incubator, assisting entrepreneurs throughout the state. Using a unique blend of coaching, curriculum, community, and connections, and not just to Georgia Tech and its resources, but also to capital and customers. ATDC helps Georgia startups at various stages navigate the choppy waters of taking an idea from concept to product prototype to launch and ultimately to scale. ATDC annually graduates successful portfolio companies with 48% of ATDC companies having a successful exit. ATDC guides entrepreneurs through 3 stages of development: Educate, Accelerate, and Signature. Educate embraces entrepreneurs at the very beginning of their startup journey with a targeted three step educational curriculum with ATDC Educate Entrepreneurship 101, ATDC Educate Financial Literacy 102, and ATDC Customer Discovery. This curricula prepares founders for advanced classes on functional areas such as sales, digital marketing, product development, etc., as well as market-specific classes throughout the year in Industry Program verticals: FinTech, Advanced Manufacturing, HealthTech, 5G, Supply Chain/Logistics, Sustainability, and Robotics & Automation. Accelerate is the Launch stage for entrepreneurs who usually have at least a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) or are beta testing their product, are adding initial customers, and refining their business model. Signature is the growth stage for Accelerate graduates who are usually adding customers, hiring more employees, raising venture funding, and learning to scale their business. In this stage, ATDC is providing connections to industry, customers and capital. For 2017, 2018, and 2019, ATDC's portfolio Accelerate and Signature companies collectively raised over $100M each year from investors and cumulatively have raised over $2.9B in capital since 1980. The ATDC Investor Connect Program connects ATDC portfolio companies to Investors with a dedicated program manager who tracks, monitors, and reports on regional and national investment trends and is available for consultations. In addition, ATDC's coaching staff works with each presenting company to hone and polish their pitch until your pitch and placement materials are perfect. An Angel in Residence is also on-hand to provide experienced guidance. Founders can become members of ATDC for a modest fee and do not give up equity to join the ATDC program. (recorded 9/7/23)We invite your feedback and suggestions at ventureinthesouth.com or email david@ventureinthesouth.com. If you like the podcast, leave us a review and share with your friends! Follow David and Paul on LinkedIn to stay updated on the newest episodes. To learn more about the RollingSouth Funds, visit rollingsouth.vc or email david@rollingsouth.vc. Thanks for listening and remember: Our mission is to MAKE MONEY, HAVE FUN AND DO GOOD
In these two episodes, former managing director Yonit Serkin takes us inside her career path to becoming the head of Startup Nation's largest incubator, the application process for being admitted to MassChallenge, what separates the ones that make it, and the differences and challenges of being a founder in Israel vs. in the U.S.Produced by Uri Westrich
Today's guest is Avi Stoller, co-founder and chief revenue officer of TAIV, a place-based ctv disruptor that uses AI to perform maybe one of the most agreeably useful tasks for humanity - changing the channel on the TV during commercial breaks.Find out how drinking beer and watching playoff hockey led to building AI that changes the channel during commercial breaks in sports bars during the biggest moments in sports to position brands front and center at the right place and right time.Here's a fun fact for you - 94 of the top 100 most-watched pieces of television programming last year was a sporting event. 82 of them were NFL games. Now, think about how many tv commercials you see playing on tv's in public places. Now think about how many of those are in sports bars and consider the ability to automate changing the channel on all of those TVs as soon as they go to commercial break and infusing more timely and relevant content.Check out TAIV on AdScout by clicking here.Do you have napkin sketches and big ideas that you want to bring to life for a brand? If so, you should head over to tryadscout.com Expedite procurement with verified & responsive companies who turn napkin sketches into reality. TryAdScout.com Is Simplified Discovery For Marketing In The Real World.
In these two episodes, former managing director Yonit Serkin takes us inside her career path to becoming the head of Startup Nation's largest incubator, the application process for being admitted to MassChallenge, what separates the ones that make it, and the differences and challenges of being a founder in Israel vs. in the U.S.Produced by Uri Westrich
On today's episode, Kunle is joined by Leonardo Caracas, Partner at Jump Ventures, an incubator and VC holistically supporting companies to scale from $1 million to $10 million in revenue. (06:20) - Leonardo's Backstory (15:23) - What is Jump Ventures? (21:26) - The Growth of Gocase (23:19) - Growth Methodology (30:10) - Content from UGC to Brands to IGC (33:53) - Pricing and Merchandising (37:56) - On P&L and Growth Plan (41:42) - Points on Financial Health (44:52) - Gross Margins on a Product Level (46:48) - Growth Strategy from Jump's POV (52:12) - Resources for Organic Building (55:07) - Jump's Data and Tech Stack Overview (01:00:11) - Leonardo's Advice to Entrepreneurs for 2023 When Leonardo got tired of working in the corporate world, he turned his attention to entrepreneurship. He contacted his university friend, Rafael, who was working then in Brazil with a startup called Gocase. Leonardo's love for adventure carried on to his career. Fast forward to five years, Gocase already is in the international market and in addition to it, they also have Jump Ventures. Jump Ventures is a mix of incubator and venture capital which sets them apart from other similar companies. They help companies from start to planning and achieving their growth plan which is a sustainable strategy for growth. While there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for brands, Leonardo shares how Jump Ventures were able to achieve growth for every company they work with. It's an insightful episode as you'd hear Kunle and Leonardo talk more about what Jump Ventures is and does, growth methodology, demand generation, the importance of testing, and what a magic number means.----------- SPONSORS: This episode is brought to you by: Tidio This episode is sponsored by Tidio, the highest-rated live chat app on Shopify. Tidio is a versatile platform that offers personalized shopping experiences, boosts customer satisfaction, and manages all communication channels on one dashboard. It can automate up to 47% of recurring questions with its deep Shopify integration. With the budget-friendly Tidio Plus Plan, you get a dedicated customer success manager, personalized training sessions, and more. Tidio powers over 300,000 brand websites, including Shell, Wellbots, and Valyou Furniture. Head to Tidio.com/2X to take control of your customer relationships and supercharge your growth. TreydThe 2X eCommerce Podcast is sponsored by Treyd, a revolutionary financing service transforming product launches for eCommerce brands. As the ultimate inventory purchasing solution, Treyd lets you sell first, pay suppliers later. Treyd's unsecured funding and credit model improves cash flow, supports larger orders, and even helps negotiate supplier discounts. With a transparent, pay-as-you-go model, Treyd offers unmatched flexibility and minimal onboarding, independent of eCommerce platforms. Experience the power of "Sell first, pay suppliers later" and snooze invoices for up to 120 days. Transform your business with Treyd today on Treyd.io.
Smart Agency Masterclass with Jason Swenk: Podcast for Digital Marketing Agencies
Do you have passion for your agency and clients? Have you identified your agency's purpose? Do you know your why and does your team buy into your vision? One agency had a hard time with this and decided to begin a startup incubator to fill the void. The results have been amazing for the agency, the team, and their clients. She managed to create a very cool agency model that both creates opportunities for startups with a lot of potential and also provides investment opportunities for her staff, even in the early stages of their careers. Laura Hutfless is the Co-Founder at FlyteVu, an entertainment marketing agency that helps brands connect to consumers via pop culture and purpose. Their work varies depending on the client, but it includes music events, influencers, endorsement deals, and more recently gaming. In short, they help clients try to keep up with pop culture and stay at the forefront. In this interview, we'll discuss: Why agency projects need to have a purpose. The process for working with incubator clients. Advice for agency owners starting to invest. Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio | Stitcher | Radio FM Sponsors and Resources Verblio: Today's episode of the Smart Agency Masterclass is sponsored by Verblio. Check out Verblio.com/smartagency and get 50% off your first month of content creation. Our team loves using Verblio because of the ease of their process and their large pool of crowd-sourced writers. Why Every Agency Project Should Have a Purpose Laura started her own agency, but her niche was something she stumbled upon accidentally. Before starting the agency, she worked in the talent agency CAA brokering deals between talent and corporate brands. As brands began to spend more on entertainment and influencers, Laura was asked to work for them. She saw the need to help companies navigate the new influencer culture to stay relevant to younger consumers, which led her to start her own agency. She wanted to take on as many clients as possible to help these companies make sense of this new landscape. However, she felt that she was only helping people who already had a lot of money just make even more money; and she began to lose her passion for the job. To combat this, she decided that every project at her agency would have an actual purpose. This means working on either a movement, a change in culture, or a gift bag. Laura also applied these principles to her incubator clients, investing only in startups she truly believed in and incorporating causes that were close to her heart. Laura wanted 20% of the agency's revenue to go to charity. So, she created the FlyteVu fund, which clients, teams, and vendors can access, and which can reach up to $1 million dollars each year. One of her agency's first clients was Bumble. Although they did not receive equity, it was a mutually beneficial partnership that allowed the agency to earn credibility and learn a lot about the process and what a brand like that needs. Laura wanted to set up a startup incubator for future opportunities and to help entrepreneurs with great ideas and no funds. Now the agency has enough staff and hours to dedicate to these kinds of projects without taking payment. The Process of Working with Startup Incubator Clients When choosing incubator clients, Laura looks for mission-driven brands that resonate with her and her team's values, ensuring that it is something they believe in. There is a dollar amount attached to the equity they will receive in the company. This determines the hours spent on that client, and they are capped on the number of hours. Laura also looks at the brand's growth plan, strategy, and where they are in their timeline to better understand what the agency's role is and how far they can get them. Laura's agency offers services for incubator clients for a year. After a year, they can either go off on their own or retain FlyteVu as their agency and pay their fee. Laura also pays for the equity of companies that are not yet at a point where they can benefit from their services. When it comes to having dedicated teams, Laura only sees the need to have a separate account team. She wants to offer her staff opportunities for investment and wealth-building, which she never had as a young executive. By setting up her own incubator, Laura is able to give back and provide opportunities for entrepreneurs while also benefiting her agency. Advice for Agency Owners who Want to Start Investing If you're interested in setting up an incubator, Laura recommends you start small. It has taken her agency some time to figure out a process that was right for them and she is thankful she gave herself that time. “You don't have to dive in a big way,” she says. A lot of these startups need a phone call a month or some advice. These entrepreneurs don't have the connections you have and at the beginning that's a huge part of the agency's involvement. Do You Want to Transform Your Agency from a Liability to an Asset? If you want to be around amazing agency owners that can see what you may not be able to see and help you grow your agency, go to Agency Mastery 360. Our agency growth program helps you take a 360-degree view of your agency and gain mastery of the 3 pillar systems (attract, convert, scale) so you can create predictability, wealth, and freedom.
On today's episode of McKinsey on Startups, our guest is Camila Lecaros, the Managing Director of MassChallenge Mexico, a start-up accelerator that is part of a global network with other outposts in Boston, Texas, Israel, and Switzerland. MassChallenge uses a relatively unique model in its work with budding entrepreneurs. It takes no equity in the start-ups it helps get off the ground over an intensive, 3-4 month program; its offering is completely free to the very early stage companies that are chosen after a competitive judging process. Camila has been with MassChallenge Mexico for several years; she started her career in entrepreneurial outreach in Latin America working at local accelerator Endeavor Colombia and then VC firm Nazca Ventures. She has an abiding passion for working with founders just starting to try to turn their ideas and visions into reality; in her more than a decade career doing so, she has seen the region's ecosystem similarly take flight from a nascent state to a vibrant, burgeoning entrepreneurial environment. As she told me, her greatest professional motivation is that “entrepreneurship is the only way we can create sustainable economic development.”See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information
Jeremy has spent the last decade working with entrepreneurs and craftspeople around the world. He is passionate about knowledge sharing, transparency, and creative collaboration and is a member of the Cultural Intellectual Property Rights Initiative. He is driven to help others succeed and has a strong love for the community.Alloy Development Co. is a marketplace where organizations, businesses, and communities can find the resources they need to grow. We are a commercial capital lender, a growth lab for startups, and an economic development partner all under one roof, which makes us an active and influential business partner, able to assist any organization at any stage of growth.Support the show
Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Alex, Natasha and Mary Ann jumped on the mic, with Theresa on backup, to talk through the biggest headlines.We started with a look at the Figma-Adobe deal, worth some $20 billion. TechCrunch's news coverage is here, and Alex has more notes here.Deals of the Week: Maven, Patreon, and Modulous.We also spoke about the Launch House issue, and what to make of the model, and management of the company. The conversation naturally landed us on just what community is.From there, Europe! Which is seeing a wave a new venture funds, leading to some notable intra-continent competition.And then we wrapped with a short note on the latest on the Twitter-Musk deal.If you are coming to Disrupt, use the code “EQUITY” to save 15%. It makes us look good internally, and gets you a cheaper discount to our first Disrupt live show in the history of the podcast.Equity drops every Monday at 7 a.m. PDT and Wednesday and Friday at 6 a.m. PDT, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts.
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Mike Anderson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeandersonjr/) and I discuss the launch of a new startup incubator program hosted by Prota Ventures (learn more and apply here → https://www.protaventures.com/labs). We talk about the program's background, motivation, vision, details, mentorship and investor opportunities, cohort model, and more. Prota has an enormously successful track record of incubating and investing in startups at their earliest stages. This new incubator is for those who either want to work as a startup CEO on an existing idea, bring their own idea to the table, and/or propose a general market area for us to incubate a new startup idea together within.Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-112 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned. You can watch this episode via video here. 1:29 - Setup for the new incubator, in light of the internet era and Web3 2:02 - Mike intro, background, DAOs, and tee-up for the new cohort coming Oct 4th3:10 - More information about the new incubator with the labs division of Prota Ventures: https://www.protaventures.com/labs 5:05 - Clarity about the definition of what an “incubator” is, the types of founders that should apply to Prota's new incubator...7:00 - Web2, to Web2.5, to Web3…and the various types of companies can leverage the changing internet. 7:30 - Mike's story of back in high school he thought that all the good startup ideas were already taken…but new technology brings new innovation and entrepreneurial opportunities. 8:30 - How would Will advise entrepreneurs to think about starting and validating their new venture idea: link to apply: https://www.protaventures.com/labs // How to determine if people actually want your new product. 10:45 - You can also apply to this incubator if you want to work on an existing idea. 11:26 - More information about the “Plate” idea that you could be CEO of. 12:31 - More about the structure of the incubator in Q414:30 - The Figment story and Will's background in Web3, different segments in Web3, the power of DAOs. 16:34 - Mike's commentary on why he's sending his friends to Prota's incubator. // “Best path I can imagine for starting a company”17:33 - More information about the “Startup Rocket” idea that needs a CEO. https://www.startuprocket.com/ 19:41 - More information about “Satchel” that needs a CEO → https://satchel.works/20:40 - Info about “Connect Hero”, its need for a CEO, and its promise for the future.22:35 - Info about “Research and Me” and its need for a CEO → https://www.researchandme.com/23:35 - Info about 80 West Labs / CEO need → https://www.getvessi.com/24:49 - Info about the “Workstreams” app / CEO need.26:28 - Summarizing the community based support and cohort model for the incubator that begins Oct 4th. Mike is hosting welcome meetings between now and when the cohort starts. First meeting is this coming Thursday at 11am PDT. 27:27 - Concluding thoughts from Will, also summarizing what the incubator is and how to apply. Go to → https://www.protaventures.com/labs
How do we stay healthy? We must understand our own challenges! You are your own judge and need to learn how to say no! Ashutosh Garg has written 8 books and his dad was the first to read his manuscripts! He's interviewed over 1200 guests on his top rated podcast, The Brand Called You, where he shares knowledge, wisdom, and lessons from business leaders around the world! He's constantly investing in his brand and getting a deeper perspective on life! Ashutosh says you can chose your friends but not your family, make sure you make your peace! He also now reaches out to his own children for advice! Better Call Daddy: The Safe Space For Controversy. Ashutosh Garg, an MBA worked for ITC Limited for 17 years, leaving in 1995 as Managing Director of one of the ITC group companies, based in Singapore. Thereafter he spent 8 years in the aerospace industry. He founded Guardian Pharmacy in India in 2003 and grew it to the second largest pharmacy chain in India. He also brought in GNC as a partner to India. He exited from the company he founded in August 2016. Ashutosh served as a director of the GAVI Vaccine Alliance for 8 years. He is Chairman of Bizdome, a Startup Incubator of the Indian Institute of Management, Rohtak. He has also served on the Advisory Council of the Centre for Policy Research and continues to serve on the boards of several companies. He was recognized as a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum, Switzerland. He is an active member of the Young Presidents' Organization and is the Chairman elect for YPO Gold, South Asia for the period 2017 - 19. He has written 5 highly acclaimed best sellers titled “The Buck Stops Here – my journey from manager to entrepreneur”;“The Corner Office"; "Reinvent Reboot Rewire. Managing Retirement in the 21st Century"; "The Buck Stops Here - Learnings of a Startup Entrepreneur" and "An Eye for an Eye".He writes regularly for various online publications like Times of India, Business Insider, Inc., Entrepreneur, The Quint and Big Decisions. An avid golfer, he plays the Indian flute and enjoys reading and listening to Indian classical and vocal music. Connect with Ashutosh https://tbcy.in/ Connect with Reena bettercalldaddy.com linkedin.com/in/reenafriedmanwatts twitter.com/reenareena instagram.com/reenafriedmanwatts Me and my daddy would love to hear from you ratethispodcast.com/bettercalldaddy podchaser.com/bettercalldaddy
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