Posted by Janis Behan on August 4, 2011 at 12:50 pm
Finding a payment processing system that is simple and accessible for Launch Party and other Bootup events has not been an easy task for us. That is why we were so excited to discover and partner with local startup, Payfirma for Launch @ GROW on August 17, 2011.
Canadian born, Payfirma is a young company headquartered right in the heart of Vancouver. Payfirma’s processing swiper plugs right into your iPhone, which makes it easy for us to sell drink tickets throughout the venue and at the door. If you are an on-the-go-business such as a photographer or designer, their swiper makes it easy for you to close deals on the spot. No credit card data is stored on their card swiper or the iPhone, guaranteeing to keep clients’ info safe, and allows receipts to be e-mailed.
If you’re coming to Launch @ GROW, you’ll be able check out their booth for more information. We also encourage you to check out their website at Payfirma.com for more details and use them at your next event.
Posted by Janis Behan on August 2, 2011 at 2:30 pm
It’s the announcement you’ve all been waiting for! Our awesome judges have chosen the 15 Finalists to demo their startups at Launch @ GROW on August 17th.
Congratulations and good luck to all of the companies. Without further ado, here they are:
MentionMapp provides powerful new ways to understand the rapidly changing social network. Starting with Twitter, MentionMapp displays the unique characteristics of how messages map, through the social community. View MentionMapp’s entry.
Summify creates a periodic summary of the most relevant news stories, from all of your social networks, and delivers it by email and on the web. View Summify’s entry.
The Tiipz plaform gives businesses a brand new way to reach out and gain insights from customers by creating and sharing Micropinions. View Tiipz’ entry.
The Unbounce Landing Page Platform makes it easy to create, publish and A/B test targeted landing pages without having to rely on IT or web developers. View Unbounce’s entry.
Warranty Life – Manage all your purchases & warranties for free
Warranty Life provides free instant online access to receipts, product registration, warranty claim information and even manuals in one central place. View Warranty Life’s entry.
ZapTap makes product-specific information and customized incentives available when and where in-store purchasing decisions are made. View ZapTap’s entry.
Media Coverage
Techvibes will be highlighting each of these 15 startups in the coming weeks leading up to the event. They have already profiled Vancouver startup, Unbounce.
Tickets
Also, if you are still looking for tickets to the Launch @ GROW Reception, there are a few left here on Eventbrite.
Feel free to leave some love for the finalists in the comments below!
As you may already know, the voting round for the Startup competition for Launch at Grow has ended, and the Top 25 finalists have been chosen by voters to move on to the next round. Check out the 25 Semi-Finalists here.
Our top-notch judges, from across Canada and Silicon Valley, are currently in deliberation until July 30th. The top 15 companies that will get do demo their startup live during the Opening Reception of Grow Conference will be announced Tuesday, August 2. So stay tuned! Feel free to tell us who your favourite startups are in the comments below, too.
Thank you to ALL of the startups who entered, and to all of the voters for supporting Canada’s startup community.
Dave talked about three different types of people that want to be a part of your posse: rockstars, gardeners, and interns. They all have different motivations for being a part of your community, and have different talents to offer you, thus, they should be rewarded accordingly. You must provide them with some restraints, though, so that no one is speaking on behalf of your brand but you.
Rockstars are the ones who are concerned with their personal brand, and what they get out of their relationship with you. A great example of a rockstar is a high profile blogger. If they help promote your product online, they are going to want to be rewarded publicly online, so Dave’s suggestion is to thank them on the blog with trackback links, pictures (flickr), twitter mentions, etc. Plus, everyone loves some good swag every now and again.
Gardeners are the power users of your product that do things for you because they are fans, and they care about the product. This might be a developer who discreetly tips you off about a bug or glitch in your system, or a keener who makes a video tutorial on a product you just launched. Dave’s tip for rewarding these types of people is obviously a huge personal THANK YOU, and a mail delivered package of company swag, to make them feel like the special person that they are.
Interns are exactly what you think they are. Recently graduated from university, looking for a career, and wanting to be a part of an awesome company. Dave’s advice on interns (and he’s an expert, he’s had about 20 at Hootsuite, and calls himself the “intern whisperer”) is to NOT treat them like interns. First of all, give them a title that means something, not just “intern.” Don’t make them go get your coffee. There are always going to be mundane tasks in every job, but give them inspiring tasks to feel like they are doing a real job. In the process, you will find out what they excel at. They are going to be an extension of your company, and they’re going to be talking about your company.
Twitter Lists
Hootsuite uses twitter lists to monitor these different types of people and their conversations. Using just search terms and hashtags gets too messy and too complicated. One thing Dave told us, is that when he finds someone who has said something interesting about Hootsuite on twitter, he will go to their profile and find out: who they are (even check their LinkedIn profile), where they’re from, what do they tweet about, and who are they having conversations with. He then jumps into their conversation to “lob the tennis ball,” and then waits for them to hit it back.
HootUps
A new initiative Hootsuite is working on is organizing Hootups (like a tweetup, but for Hootsuite users), and they have encouraged people to start organizing their own Hootups. If you organize an event, and send an e-mail to Hootsuite telling them about it, they’ll send you some hootkits (swag) to give away as door prizes. Obviously these people are going to be posting pictures, tweeting and blogging about the event, so it’s a wicked way to get people talking about your product.
Talk is Cheap
Another thing Dave pointed out is that it doesn’t require a lot of money to be an influential brand. Hootsuite was named one of the top 5 influential companies at SXSW in 2011, and the biggest expense for the conference was for handing out free beer koozies. They didn’t do any major stunts like sponsor parties and give away free booze, but they DID pay someone to wear the Owly mascot suit every day during the conference. See, marketing can be cheap!
Tips & Takeaways
Lastly, I’ll leave you with some of the main takeaways that stood out to me from Dave’s talk:
“Hi. You Matter. We’re Listening.”
What makes people want to feel a part of your community? Find out and amplify their story.
Inspiration is the key to motivation.
Amplify your success to make more!
Please share any ideas you have or takeaways we may have missed in the comments below.
Missed SMKF? Find the Notes here:
Our notes from the last couple of talks can be found here and here, and Dave posts all of his notes on Tumblr for those that have missed the previous talks.
Join Vancouver Enterprise Forum (VEF) Momentum on Friday June 24th at 6pm at the Republic, as they host Mike Tippett, co-founder of NowPublic, and the Executive Director of GrowLab, Vancouver’s newest accelerator for early-stage startups and entrepreneurs. Mike will share some of his own experiences as an entrepreneur and talk about how incubators such as GrowLab can help accelerate the development of tech startups.
Get your ticket now as this event is sure to sell out.
VEF Year End BBQ Event, June 28
A Casual Chat With Jonathan Ehrlich, Former Head Of Marketing At Facebook and Founder of Google Ventures Backed Copius
VEF is delighted to welcome guest speaker, Jonathan Ehrlich, former Head of Consumer Marketing at Facebook and Vancouver resident. Jonathan will talk about about his role and why he decided to leave and start up a new tech company all over again.
Jonathan will also share war stories about life in the Valley during the roller coaster years of the dot-com boom and bust as one of the founders of Mobshop, an early group buying pioneer that raised tens of millions of dollars and arguably paved the way for companies like Groupon a decade later.
Please note that NO tickets will be available/sold on the night. Pre-registration only. Tickets include a yummy BBQ dinner.
Posted by Janis Behan on June 10, 2011 at 11:16 am
If you are an early stage startup, and you haven’t heard about GrowLab, Vancouver’s new startup accelerator, or the Launch @ GROW startup competition, you need to listen up!
Deadlines to apply for these amazing startup opportunities are coming up, and they’re coming up fast!
GrowLab: Vancouver Startup Accelerator
Deadline to Apply: June 15, 2011
GrowLab supports the world’s best entrepreneurs through seed funding, office space, mentorship & programming in Vancouver & San Francisco. GrowLab is now accepting applications for its Fall 2011 program, which begins August 15, 2011. Find out if you should apply. Five companies will be chosen for the first cohort.
GrowLab startups get access to:
Up to $25,000 in seed funding
Office space
Four months of intensive programming
Three months in Vancouver. One month in San Francisco
Deadline for Fall 2011 Program applications: June 15, 2011. Apply today!
You could win the chance to be 1 of 15 companies to demo your startup at the Launch @ GROW reception, AND possibly qualify to be 1 of 4 companies, who get to pitch their startup live on stage during Day 2 of the GROW Conference, on August 18. The competition is open to startups across Canada.
On Wednesday, June 1st, we had Brian LeRoux from Nitobi come by Bootup to talk about the PhoneGap story and the future of mobile app development.
PhoneGap is the only open-source mobile framework that supports 6 platforms – Apple iOS, Android, Palm, Symbian, Blackberry, and even more platforms will be available soon. Nitobi built this framework for developers to decrease the difficulty of trying to build apps that will function across all mobile devices.
Brian gave some background on how Nitobi shifted from being mainly a product-based company to a service-based one, and how PhoneGap came together in the process. PhoneGap’s source code has been downloaded more than half a million times, and the open source community has jumped on board with fervor.
The entire presentation was based on the internet meme that Tanner Glass, of the Vancouver Canucks, can fight bears. Check out his slides from the presentation and you’ll see what I mean. It sounds like it makes no sense at all, but it was rather fitting, seeing as how Wednesday was Game 1 of Vancouver Canucks vs. Boston Bruins for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Brian had some great advice & suggestions for other startups in regards to web & mobile development:
Bill hourly. Nitobi tracks their time to the minute, and never gives fixed bids on projects. Makes sense.
NO overtime. Longer hours are detrimental to success.
Speaking at conferences is one of their best marketing tools. Not a lot of devs like to do presentations, but it is great for word of mouth and getting your name and your product or service out there.
Ship early. If a client wants a project completed in a month, see if you can ship it in two weeks.
Find a really tough problem and attempt to solve it. It’s more than anyone else is doing.
Some of the main takeaways from the talk were:
Tech deprecates. You do not have to. Stay on top of new tech by talking to devs.
Facilitate learning within your team.
Use devs wisely. Ask them about their passion projects. What are they hacking on over the weekend?
Brian then went into the actual PhoneGap code structure and ran some quick demos to show devs how fast you could deploy a mobile app on the platform. This is where the developers got all excited. If you’re technical, we highly suggest you walk through the slides below to take a look at the freedom the platform provides your mobile ambitions. With HTML, CSS, and Javascript you’re up and one multiple devices in minutes.
It’s really remarkable.
You can view the rest of the presentation slides here:
A huge thanks to Brian and Nitobi for such an enjoyable and technically exciting event. We hope to continue these PhoneGap events to follow the technology as it matures.
How are we going to make BC the best place in the world to start and grow technology companies? Well, BC Innovation Council’s CEO, Danny Robinson, has a plan. And we all have to help.
Yesterday at the BCIC Town Hall, to a packed room at SFU Segal Graduate School of Business, Danny shared BCIC’s mission, strategies and guiding principles that will help to fortify BC’s technology ecosystem, and support the creation of thousands of new technology jobs in BC.
Prior to the Town Hall meeting, Danny wrote a blog post outlining these strategies and principles. At the meeting, which was also viewable via webcast, Danny explained BCIC’s plan in further detail, ensuring us that are to be no holes whatsoever in the technology entrepreneurial ecosystem. Danny further stated that this new mission can not be completed by one person, or one organization alone – that in order for BC to become be THE technology hub of North America, the startup community has to work together.
BCIC’s intention is to actively monitor the quality and availability of the support programs available to BC entrepreneurs, and ensure that there is always somewhere, in every region, for entrepreneurs to go for help in every stage or technology sector. Whether companies anchor, exit, or fail, BC will still benefit from the knowledge and experience gained. As Danny stated, “Never believe anyone that says they did it right the first time.” Those failures mean that they might get it right the next time. Or even the next time.
BCIC is also currently developing software to be able to track and help entrepreneurs as they progress through the stages with their startup companies.
An important item to mention, is that everything BCIC does, or plans to do, is going to be fully transparent. All of their plans will go up on their VOTE site, for the public to give feedback on, before they happen. And every year, program ideas available to entrepreneurs will go back up on VOTE, to re-evaluate them, and see if anyone has any suggestions to improve on them.
Entrepreneurs have already been pitching program ideas on the site, and voting and commenting on them. BCIC is reviewing all suggestions and will be responding to each of them. An entrepreneur added Bootup Garage to the list of Programs on Vote.BCIC.ca and it is the top Voted suggestion on the site. Thanks so much to everyone who voted and commented.
Lastly, Danny reminded the crowd that we, the entrepreneurs in BC, need to start telling our stories “loudly and proudly.” Not enough people know that major startups like Flickr and HootSuite were started in Vancouver, BC.
At the end of the presentation, Danny opened up the floor to questions, and those watching via webcast could also contribute via twitter throught the hashtag: #BCICTownHall.
The webcast and Danny’s presentation slides are now available online, or below, for those that missed the first Town Hall, but if you already have ideas or suggestions on how to improve BC’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, make sure to drop by http://vote.bcic.ca/ to contribute them.
Posted by Janis Behan on April 29, 2011 at 11:00 am
Photo by Kris Krug
On Wednesday, April 27th, I sat in on my first startup talk at the Bootup Garage. Dave Olson, Director of Marketing at Hootsuite, came in to do his third talk in a series aptly named Social Marketing Kung Fu (#smkf).
Dave is always a joy to listen to – I’ve seen him speak at a few different conferences – so I was eager to hear what he had to say in session number three: Social Marketing Kung Fu, Purple Belt – Release Day. His talks are always full of interesting tidbits and useful information, and this one was definitely no different.
I jotted down a few notes to share with you, but you can also find Dave’s notes on getting your Purple Belt here.
What to Release
Should be something substantial, or a few things bundled together and released around the same time.
Code names for product releases are always smart, as they’re memorable.
Know Your Coverers
Reach out to the media that you want to cover your story: RT them, comment on their stories, add them to twitter lists, etc.
Get to know them, and what they write about.
Personally invite them to join your media e-mail list.
When you send them info, make their life easy. Respect their time.
Spoon feed them the story, but never be condescending.
Craft Stories
Take 3 important talking points, and craft them into different forms.
Tell them why your story matters!
Get quotes from your customers, not your CEO (unless it’s a special circumstance, where a quote from the CEO is appropriate).
Putting a boiler plate “About” section at the bottom of a press release is unnecessary and a waste of space. Link to your website/blog instead.
Tune your vocab. Make it active, not passive. Lose the buzz words, and keep your vocab as consistent as possible.
Include image(s) to support your story, so they use your image and not their own.
Line up Dominoes &/or House of Cards
Constantly keep your media kit up to date. If you have one page on your website, this should be it.
Thursday before the release: Send an internal memo to your team to share the master plan. Include your 3 main talking points, who you’re telling, and why it matters.
Monday 1PM: Local press release, & media preview e-mail. Include assets, like an infographic, if possible. Make them feel like they are getting the story first.
You can also send a preview e-mail to your key clients, to keep them in the loop, and ultimately, make them feel special.
Tuesday 5AM: Scheduled blog post. Make everything point here, so it answers any questions people may have. This way you are controlling the conversation.
Next comes Twitter & Facebook updates, a general e-mail to clients, and a wire release (with links, tags, etc.) Keep the Facebook update light and airy. You don’t want it to become your main feedback channel.
Tuesday 9AM: Make sure your dominoes have fallen into place! You can also update any LinkedIn groups, Forums, Q & A sites like Quora, Formspring, etc.
Tuesday 11AM: Optionally, you can host a webinar, an hour at most, to go over any details that go along with the release.
Schedule any interviews requested by the media.
Then…
LISTEN
REPLY
THANK
SHARE
REPEAT
Prepare for the haters
If you comment on articles right away and thank the author for sharing your story, you may prevent a good portion of negative comments, because they know you’re there listening.
Prepare some stock comment copy for the trolls, so that you don’t take their criticism personally.
Finally
Thursday: Send a News Round-up. Share your favourite coverage from the release. If someone has created a video tutorial on your product, make sure to include that. Don’t forget to trackback to those articles.
Next month, Dave O will be back for the fourth installment of Social Marketing Kung Fu at the Garage, so be sure to come check it out.
After the talk, most of us headed over to the Alibi Room for Startup Drinks. Sign up for the Bootup Meetup Group if you haven’t yet, so you don’t miss out on the next one!
Additionally, if you have any other notes or tips that I have missed, please feel free share them here.
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Finding a payment processing system that is simple and accessible for Launch Party and other Bootup events has not been an easy task for us. That is why we were so excited to discover and partner with local startup, Payfirma for Launch @ GROW on August 17, 2011.
