Traction: How Startups Start | NextView Ventures
59 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 months ago - ★★★★★ - 135 ratingsFrom early-stage VC NextView Ventures, Traction is a show about all the creative, clever, unusual, and downright brilliant ways entrepreneurs scrap their way to early results. These are stories you don't often hear despite being crucial to every startup.
Founders, startup execs, media members, and investors are interviewed, with a unique spin and sound.
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Episodes
The Idea Maze: Five Key Takeaways from Year 1
March 04, 2024 06:00 - 3 minutes - 5.44 MBAfter our first year of The Idea Maze, we wanted to share five key takeaways that we have distilled from these converations. Listen now to host Rob Go break down the most significant lessons he learned from past episodes. If you enjoy this episode, please be sure to subscribe to The Idea Maze.
Bonus Episode: The Idea Maze with Mike Salguero of Butcherbox
February 26, 2024 06:50 - 42 minutes - 58 MBHello Traction Listeners! Did you know we have another podcast, The Idea Maze? Hosted by Nextview Co-Founder Rob Go, each episode gives us an intimate, unfiltered look at a founder's journey through the twists and turns of the idea maze. We're sharing a favorite episode from Season 1 featuring Mike Salguero, founder of Butcherbox. If you enjoy this episode, please be sure to subscribe to The Idea Maze.
NextView All-Hands: Redesigning the Everyday Economy
October 04, 2017 07:00 - 48 minutes - 39 MBIn a very special episode of Traction, we sit down as a team and discuss the new mission of the firm and talk through B2C and B2B examples of the Everyday Economy. We learn what commonalities exist among founders who are redesigning that economy, and the NextView partners share their perspectives on the next big wave of internet innovation. Plus, we share some news about the future of the show. Subscribe to get all NextView content at nextviewvc.com/blog Follow the NextView team on Twitt...
Powerful Mental Models for Product-Market Fit & Beyond (Andy Rachleff, Wealthfront)
September 05, 2017 09:00 - 52 minutes - 95.3 MBOn the podcast today, NextView cofounder Rob Go sits down with Andy Rachleff, VC veteran and the president, CEO, and executive chairman of Wealthfront. They talk about how Andy came up with the term product-market fit, how he applied his own lessons (and updated them) in building Wealthfront, and the mental models founders can use to unlock their real unfair advantage in a tactics-obsessed world: how you think. Follow Andy on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arachleff Follow Rob on Twitter: ...
#46: Starting Your Influencer Marketing
August 15, 2017 09:00 - 43 minutes - 83 MBToday, Samantha Howe of Grove Collaborative shares her in-depth knowledge of a massive trend in marketing: working with influencers. You'll hear how to get started, approach influencer in your space, and measure impact. Jay and Samantha also rant against some of the less effective but common tactics permeating this approach to marketing. Follow Samantha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/howesocial Follow Jay on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Check out the latest from NextView's ...
#45: How to Grow a Growth Team (Fareed Mosavat, Slack)
July 25, 2017 19:15 - 45 minutes - 36.4 MBOn the show today, Fareed Mosavat shares his experiences on growth teams for Slack, Instacart, and RunKeeper. We learn from his approach but also extract valuable lessons about where growth jobs actually fit into your overall organization. Follow Fareed on Twitter: https://twitter.com/far33d Follow Jay on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo Subscribe to get all of NextView's content at http://nextviewvc.com/blog (including the Hitchhiker's Guides to Boston: http://bostontechguide....
#44: Thinking Bigger, Better, and Bolder (Shan-Lyn Ma, Zola)
July 11, 2017 09:00 - 29 minutes - 48.6 MBToday's episode features a fast-rising company led by Shan-Lyn Ma. Her startup, Zola, is changing the way people purchase gifts for brides and grooms. Anyone who has ever experienced the insanity of wedding season -- whether attending as a guest or planning your own -- knows just how stressful the whole experience can be. Shan-Lyn and her team are using some unique insights and past experiences to rethink it, and boy, is it working right now. We talk about tough early beginnings, clever ma...
#43: Vetting & Working with Cofounders (Wayne Chang, Jeff Seibert)
June 20, 2017 09:00 - 40 minutes - 55.2 MBWayne Chang and Jeff Seibert are the cofounders of Crashlytics, which Twitter acquired in 2013. Today, as angel investors, they see dozens of entrepreneurs every quarter, and they've joined the show today to help us answer some tough questions: How should you structure communication with your cofounder? How do you work through difficult decisions, especially if nobody on the founding team is a domain expert? What would the pair do differently next time around? And what are they exploring as ...
#42: Hacking Growth with the Right Process (Sean Ellis & Morgan Brown)
June 06, 2017 09:00 - 38 minutes - 53.3 MBSean Ellis and Morgan Brown are entrepreneurs, growth experts, and co-authors of the book Hacking Growth. Today, we talk about this notion of growth hacking and debunk some myths, then walk through a smart process you can use to start running a growth engine strategically, instead of seeking false silver bullets. Their book, Hacking Growth, on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hacking-Growth-Fastest-Growing-Companies-Breakout/dp/045149721X Follow Sean and Morgan on Twitter: https://twitter....
#41: Finding Brilliant Engineers in Unconventional Places (Christina Sass, Andela)
May 23, 2017 09:00 - 29 minutes - 40.7 MBChristina Sass is co-founder and COO of Andela, a company that locates, trains, and staffs world-class engineers in Africa for hire by tech companies in the US and elsewhere. They've sparked a movement, cracked the code on finding great coders, and have attracted investors like Mark Zuckerberg. Visit andela.com to learn more, or follow Christina at twitter.com/sasschristina Subscribe to the NextView blog for future episodes and more resources for seed-stage startups: nextviewvc.com/blog ...
#40: Science, LeBron James, and Long Sales Cycles (Will Ahmed, WHOOP)
May 09, 2017 09:00 - 24 minutes - 33.6 MBWill Ahmed is the CEO and co-founder of WHOOP, a fitness tech startup working with high-performance athletes. Their users include LeBron James, Michael Phelps, pro teams like the Boston Red Sox, and thanks to a deal with the NFL Players' Association, every pro football player across the nation. Visit whoop.com to learn more, or follow Will twitter.com/wahmmys Subscribe to the NextView blog for future episodes and more resources for seed-stage startups: nextviewvc.com/blog Thanks for li...
#39: Building Something Special in Somewhere Crowded (Ellen Chisa, Lola)
April 19, 2017 19:54 - 26 minutes - 21.2 MBEllen Chisa is VP of product at Lola, a travel company combining the human element of travel agents with smart technology. While some entrepreneurs build their products in markets that feel wide open for the taking, travel is one of those industries with tons of noise and competition. So how does one gain a foothold? How do you break through, build something BIG and DIFFERENTIATED? All that, and much more, in this episode. Gotham Voices (NYC) newsletter: http://nextviewventures.com/blog/go...
#38: The Coming Ubiquity of Voice (Adam Marchick, VoiceLabs)
March 28, 2017 18:27 - 30 minutes - 51.8 MBAdam Marchick, CEO of VoiceLabs, sees the disruptive force on the horizon that is voice technology. Whether it's voice-based apps or voice inputs and outputs, all of us in tech should be watching this trend, and Adam is at the forefront of it. Adam has led a remarkable career, spanning six different startups and seven-plus years as an investor. Today, NextView business school intern Jenny Jao from HBS discusses the major lessons he's learned and why his trajectory was, in his words, "like...
#37: Bucking Trends Instead of Following Them (Chad Laurans, SimpliSafe)
February 23, 2017 16:22 - 23 minutes - 37.8 MBChad Laurans is the CEO of SimpliSafe, a large and growing tech company located in the Boston area. Years ago, in the span of 30 days, three of Chad's friends were robbed. The companies that should serve them well in those moments were anything but helpful, comforting, and simple to work with. That led to Chad's thriving business today. Today, we discuss how Chad built an Internet of Things-like product before that phrase existed, before the hype helps your marketing or fundraising, and be...
#36: Hiring Tech Talent as a Non-Tech Founder (Dan Reich, Troops)
February 14, 2017 14:04 - 31 minutes - 24.9 MBDan Reich is the CEO and co-founder of Troops, a company bringing artificial intelligence to your sales team's workflow, right in Slack. (Disclosure: NextView is an investor in Troops.) Today, we discuss Dan's smart process hiring his early technical talent -- both leadership and front-line developers. Subscribe to the NextView blog for future episodes and more resources for seed-stage startups: http://nextviewvc.com/blog Follow Dan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanReich Follow Tro...
#35: Biz Dev Roles - What the Actual Heck? (Kristen Craft, Ovia Health)
January 22, 2017 19:18 - 28 minutes - 54.8 MBKristen Craft is VP of business development and marketing at Ovia Health. For this episode, Jay sat down with Kristen while she was head of biz dev at video platform company Wistia. They talk about what business development roles actually do for their companies, and when and why a founder would hire someone to lead up the function. This is a deep, nuanced exploration of a job role that doesn't often fit as neatly into departmental categories as engineering, product, sales, or marketing. An...
#34: Growing the Supply Side of a Marketplace [Mike Russell, Paintzen]
January 06, 2017 17:05 - 31 minutes - 54.6 MBMike Russell is the CEO and co-founder of Paintzen, a NextView-backed company based in New York. Over the last couple years, they've experienced strong growth for their marketplace business, and today, we dive deep into the weeds of how Mike and team grew the business. More specifically, we learn about the approach and tactics used to grow the supply side of the Paintzen marketplace. Mike is a candid guy who was willing to share a ton of truth behind his business, as well as some very pers...
Gotham Alpha #5: NYTech's Diversity Gap and How To Fix It (Alex Qin, Skillshare)
December 14, 2016 16:54 - 39 minutes - 53.7 MBThis episode features two concerned and proactive members of New York's tech-startup community laying bare the facts and solutions to the problem of diversity in the local tech workforce. On the show today, Tim talks to Alex Qin, Skillshare engineer and founder of Code Cooperative. Follow Alex - http://twitter.com/alexqin Follow Tim - http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Follow NextView - http://twitter.com/nextviewvc Be sure to rate and review Traction on iTunes or wherever you get your po...
#33: How to Build a Marketing Team from Zero (Mike Volpe, Cybereason)
December 05, 2016 20:20 - 37 minutes - 30.3 MBThis episode features two veteran marketers going deep into the ins and outs of building an initial marketing team from scratch. On the show today, Jay talks to Mike Volpe, CMO of Cybereason and former CMO of HubSpot. Follow Mike - http://twitter.com/mvolpe Follow Jay - http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Follow NextView - http://twitter.com/nextviewvc Check out Jay's other marketing show - http://unthinkable.fm Be sure to rate and review Traction on iTunes or wherever you get your podcas...
#32: Where Brand Marketing Fits (Nancy Go, Wayfair)
November 28, 2016 15:35 - 37 minutes - 70.3 MBWhen you hear "brand marketing," what do you think about? Maybe big brands, big budgets, or even big wastes of money and time as a startup, right? But what if brand marketing could help you get actual results, whether that's user acquisition or raising a Series A? In this episode, we talk to the VP of Brand Marketing at ecommerce company Wayfair, Nancy Go. She shares how brand marketing is really sales at scale, and helps us understand how to think about this approach to distribution and c...
#31: The Meta Ep (Jay Acunzo, NextView + Jenny Jao, HBS)
November 08, 2016 22:15 - 40 minutes - 32.5 MBIn this episode, we mix things up. Jenny Jao of Harvard Business School digs into the making of Traction with host Jay Acunzo. How does it fit into the overall strategy behind NextView Ventures? How should other entrepreneurs produce winning podcasts or content in general? What caused Traction to find early, well, traction...appearing high on the lists of Forbes, TechStars, and elsewhere, all after just a few episodes? All that and much more in this meta-episode about making these very epi...
#30: Working IN vs ON Your Startup (James Reinhart, thredUP)
November 01, 2016 20:17 - 29 minutes - 23.7 MBWhat does the evolution from founder to CEO look like? And how does an entrepreneur balance working IN the business early to tinkering ON the business as it grows? How early does that mentality need to start? Today, we talk to the co-founder and CEO of thredUP, one of the largest and fastest-growing companies in the NextView portfolio (and in general). The company's co-founder and CEO, James Reinhart, talks about the biggest decisions he had to make in starting the company, moving from an ...
#29: Disrupting Disruptors (Matt Ruby, Vooza)
October 26, 2016 16:20 - 35 minutes - 28.6 MBToday, we talk to startup legend and self-made millionaire, Matt Ruby, founder of Vooza -- thought leader, disruptor, and the next Steve Jobs. Alright, alright, so none of that is true -- but we DO talk to a guy named Matt Ruby who parodies the startup world through his video production company, Vooza. Not only are they hilarious, but they partner with some REAL startups to create hilarious videos too. Follow Matt on Twitter: https://twitter.com/voozahq Watch Vooza's videos at http://v...
Arguing with VCs with the CEO of Mattermark [Rebroadcast]
October 20, 2016 12:30 - 43 minutes - 59.3 MBIn this episode, Danielle Morrill, the CEO and co-founder of Mattermark, shares her company's origin story, including how they created an addicting, ubiquitous newsletter read by VCs and entrepreneurs everywhere. You'll also hear... 1) Why a TV show inspired Danielle to launch a media company, not software startup, and why she was disillusioned with Silicon Valley. 2) The domino effect of thinking and operating with that desire in mind, and how this led to the SaaS startup success that i...
Gotham Alpha #4: Shai Goldman, SVB NYC
October 19, 2016 20:58 - 40 minutes - 32.1 MBNextView's NYC podcast rolls on with NYC-based principal and host Tim Devane. Today, Shai Goldman, one of the most active community builders in NYC Tech, on his background, the evolution of the local startup scene ... and who he'd draft to an all-startup pickup basketball game. Follow Tim and Shai @tdevane and @shaig
#28: The Shape of Traction (Rob Go, NextView cofounder)
September 29, 2016 19:14 - 31 minutes - 61.9 MBRob's recent Shape of Traction blog post explores a big problem in gaining initial traction. You can find the post below, as well as David Beisel's Part 2. In this episode, Jay Acunzo talks with Rob about how to make heads or tails of this "traction" stuff. SHAPE OF TRACTION, Part 1: robgo.org/2016/09/07/the-shape-of-traction/ Part 2: HOW MUCH TRACTION DO I NEED TO RAISE VC? genuinevc.com/2016/09/26/shape-t…e-round-financing/ Follow Rob and Jay - twitter.com/robgo and twi...
Gotham Alpha #3: Eli Bronner, Growth at AngelList
September 13, 2016 13:47 - 35 minutes - 68.1 MBIn this episode of Gotham Alpha, AngelList's Eli Bronner joins NextView principal Tim Devane to discuss NYC Tech's growth and energy, why he chose to start a company in New York, how TechStars started in town, and what founders should know about building early teams through AngelList. Gotham Alpha is the NYC-focused podcast from NextView. You can find it within the same feed as the firm's flagship pod, Traction. Follow Eli at twitter.com/elikbronner Follow Tim at twitter.co...
#27: The Biggest Reason Startups Fail (Reboot Series)
August 11, 2016 18:17 - 20 minutes - 39.5 MBIn Part 2 of our series of episodes with Reboot, Jay plays skeptic to Dan Putt's insistence that you should actively work on communication and the "softer stuff" at your startup. Don't miss Dan's response. Then, the guys talk about the biggest reason startups fail (based on a study of 10,000 founders) and how you can avoid that same fate. Once again, Dan Putt, Chief Product Officer of Reboot, joins NextView's VP of platform Jay Acunzo for this series. Check out the Reboot podcast: rebo...
#26: Unspoken Cofounder Issues (Reboot Series)
August 02, 2016 18:34 - 17 minutes - 30.9 MBWhat happens when you and your co-founder experience conflict or strife but don't address it up front? When something festers and is ready to boil over, how do you bring it back down to a good place? This is Part 1 in a series of Traction episodes about the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur. Specifically, we'll tackle issues of communication, leadership, and mental well-being. Dan Putt of Reboot joins NextView's VP of platform Jay Acunzo for this series. Check out the ...
#25: The Technical Side (Yoav Shapira, CTO/Investor)
June 29, 2016 18:09 - 44 minutes - 35.8 MBNextView's Rob Go talks with Yoav Shapira, a longtime tech leader in the Boston startup community. Yoav was first employee at CarGurus, a founding executive of HubSpot, CTO at Happier, CTO at Jana, and more. Today, he shares the evolution of what it means to lead a startup from the technical side.
NYC Tech Series #2: Pillar Tech Companies
June 08, 2016 20:25 - 31 minutes - 25.4 MBIn the second episode of our NYC Tech-focused series, NextView principal Tim Devane and VP of platform Jay Acunzo talk about the tech companies most likely to ascend to the status of "pillar" tech company. They also explore why many we consider pillars may not be, and what makes such a company in the first place. At the end, the name of our NYC tech podcast is revealed. Say hi on Twitter: @tdevane and @jayacunzo. Subscribe at nextviewvc.com/blog
#24: What's the Problem? (Nadia Boujarwah, Dia&Co)
June 02, 2016 15:26 - 36 minutes - 29.1 MBStartups are exciting for any number of reasons, not least of which are all the fresh new ideas for products and various approaches to doing the work. But we forget that building successful startups is not actually about coming up with ideas. Instead, it's about finding problems, figuring out whether they truly matter (and to how many people), and working hard to solve them. So what happens when you're obsessed with solving a problem? What does that do to your work, your team, your pro...
#23: Make a Life, Not a Living (Jesse Middleton, WeWork)
May 03, 2016 17:56 - 55 minutes - 76.1 MBGo inside the thinking behind a $16B startup -- worth more than Twitter, Pinterest or Dropbox as of this recording. Today's guest, Jesse Middleton, is a co-founder of WeWork Labs, the company's global startup incubator, and currently the head of WeWork X, which includes Labs and also the new WeWork investing and M&A activities. Jesse was also among the first to join the co-founders of WeWork when it started. Jesse shares insights on everything from mission and hiring to community develo...
NYC Tech Series #1: Melting Pot Problems
April 19, 2016 09:56 - 26 minutes - 36.2 MBIn the first episode of our NYC Tech-focused miniseries, NextView principal Tim Devane and VP of platform Jay Acunzo talk about the biggest problem and opportunity facing NYC Tech -- namely, successful and liquid entrepreneurs fleeing tech for other industries. Follow @tdevane and @jayacunzo on Twitter and help us give this miniseries a name - tweet #NextViewNYC Subscribe at nextviewvc.com/blog
#22: Landing Pages That Convert (Oli Gardner, Unbounce)
April 13, 2016 16:16 - 32 minutes - 25.9 MBOli Gardner is the co-founder of Unbounce, a platform that helps you build, test, and optimize landing pages to convert customers. Today, he spends most of his time writing and speaking and is arguably the best source on the planet for learning about how startups can create landing pages that convert, whether you're drumming up pre-launch demand or trying to keep growing meaningful revenue. Oli also shares FIVE specific elements that all well-optimized landing pages contain, and he share...
#21: How Startups Sell to Main Street (Angus Davis, Upserve)
March 23, 2016 19:25 - 49 minutes - 39.7 MBLast time, we heard from a CEO about how startups can sell to big brands and enterprises. This time, Angus Davis, the founder and CEO of Upserve (fka Swipely) shares stories and tactics around selling to Main Street businesses. As a startup that sells to later adopters of technology or very small businesses, how do you think about product, marketing, and sales? Angus also shares some lessons learned from an impressive entrepreneurial career that spans Netscape, TellMe (which he co-founde...
#20: How Startups Sell to the Enterprise (Joe Coleman, Contently)
March 08, 2016 22:10 - 40 minutes - 32.7 MBThe prospect of selling a new product from an "unproven" business into a large corporation can seem daunting. But startups launch all the time as enterprise-focused entities. Still, that doesn't make the situation any easier, so in this episode, Joe Coleman, cofounder and CEO of Contently, gets way into the weeds of selling into the enterprise. We also hear some valuable lessons around marketplace businesses and what it's like to be educating the market at the same time you're selling into ...
#19: Rebranding a Startup (Liz Wessel, WayUp)
February 17, 2016 21:11 - 33 minutes - 27.2 MBOh what's in a name? Your startup's name and branding become objects that represent your passion, pride, and determination. But startups change their names more often than their founders or teams might like, despite all the love for their current incarnation. So ... why? What causes that? What influences should you listen to as a founder? And how the heck do you DO it? That's what we'll explore today. Follow twitter.com/LizWessel and visit wayup.com to learn more. For WayUp's hilarious a...
Special Edition: The State of NYC Seed (Rob Go & Tim Devane)
February 09, 2016 21:16 - 42 minutes - 33.8 MBNextView's Rob Go, Tim Devane, and Jay Acunzo break down the key findings, themes, and stories from the firm's new report, The State of NYC Seed. Find the full report and SlideShare here: http://nextviewventures.com/blog/state-of-nyc-seed/ Twitter handles from the show: @RobGo, @TDevane, @JayAcunzo Topics discussed: The general climate in early-stage startups and VCs in New York City The tech landscape across four key sectors: consumer goods and services, food logistics and on-demand, m...
#18: Skype-Side Chat - Content First, Product Second (Joe Pulizzi, CMI)
February 03, 2016 18:20 - 56 minutes - 107 MBWhen looking back at the seed stage of their companies, lots of guests on Traction will cite the same regret: "I wish I started content marketing sooner." Today, we talk to the man who coined the term, Joe Pulizzi, founder of the Content Marketing Institute, an education and training organization serving thousands of customers and millions of readers a year. Joe's latest book, Content Inc, details how smart entrepreneurs are starting to grow an audience through content first, then unpack a...
#17: Go Home, Clickbait, You're Drunk (Tony Haile, Chartbeat)
January 21, 2016 16:47 - 36 minutes - 68.4 MBThere's no denying the sheer creative power of the internet, but too often, it turns into a race to the bottom -- more clicks (and therefore more clickbait), more pageviews, more impressions, more ads. When Tony Haile first became CEO of Chartbeat, the analytics startup based in New York City, he faced this massive problem of an internet teeming with clickbait headlines and short-term thinking. He also faced challenges like competing directly with Google Analytics (and the annoyingly compet...
#16: Building Startups City-by-City (Justin Robinson, Drizly)
January 06, 2016 21:50 - 37 minutes - 71.3 MBJustin Robinson, co-founder of mobile startup and liquor delivery app Drizly, talks about some of the ridiculously non-scalable things they had to do just to get their business off the ground in the right way. In addition, he'll share some tactics and stories around being a location-based startup and all the challenges that come with trying to gain traction anew in each market. This episodes includes... 1) The huge (if stereotypical) mistake Justin and his co-founder Nick made when they sta...
#15: Skype-Side Chat on Data Science & Inventing the Future (Hilary Mason, Fast Forward Labs)
December 10, 2015 22:06 - 45 minutes - 86.7 MBHilary Mason, founder at Fast Forward Labs and Data Scientist in Residence at Accel Partners, debunks some of the myths around startups being "data-driven." In addition, she tackles some complex but critical topics and translates them for the rest of us. This episodes includes... 1) A clear definition of what data science actually is (and should be) 2) Hard truth about how much a startup should actually value its data 3) The evolution of the field of data science, who should use it, and w...
#14: How Hardware Startups Get Traction (Ben Einstein, BOLT)
November 24, 2015 13:15 - 1 hour - 49.5 MBBen Einstein, Founder/Partner of BOLT, an early-stage VC investing in hardware startups, shares the stories of several connected devices and hardware companies and their tricks and challenges. We compare and contrast software to hardware in this episode, examining three core aspects of building any company: 1) Building early products (customer dev, prototypes, etc.) 2) Acquiring initial customers (including one "magic" number Ben proposes for a hardware startup to reach) 3) Raising seed c...
#13: More Women. Fewer Trolls. Better Internet. (Sandi MacPherson, Quibb // 50/50Pledge)
November 12, 2015 16:07 - 35 minutes - 28.2 MBSandi MacPherson, Founder of Quibb, a private community of tech tastemakers sharing professional content and discussions, tells the story of creating an application-only social network. She also shares her vision for an important project helping address the lack of women in tech: the 50/50 Pledge. In this episode, you'll hear... 1) The mission behind the great 50/50 Pledge (visit 5050pledge.com to learn more) 2) How an application-only model for a social network affects your model and earl...
#12: The Book of Traction (Gabriel Weinberg, Duck Duck Go)
October 29, 2015 00:10 - 49 minutes - 93.1 MBIn this episode, Gabriel Weinberg, CEO of Duck Duck Go and author of Traction, the book (no connection to this show), shares the story of building a search engine to compete with Google, battle privacy concerns, and gain initial traction with an atypical product. You'll also hear... 1) The framework behind the popular book, Traction: How to get traction and seek explosive growth for your startup ... with an actual plan and purpose. The framework is called "Bullseye." 2) Common pitfalls to ...
Up Next, More Exciting Things...
October 09, 2015 17:10 - 3 minutes - 2.54 MBExciting times ahead! Just a quick preview. Send us feedback anytime by tweeting me @jayacunzo
#11: Arguing with VCs (Danielle Morrill, Mattermark)
September 23, 2015 01:54 - 42 minutes - 33.9 MBDanielle Morrill, CEO of Mattermark -- In this episode, Danielle shares her company's origin story, including how they created an addicting, ubiquitous newsletter read by VCs and entrepreneurs everywhere. You'll also hear... 1) Why a TV show inspired Danielle to launch a media company, not software startup, and why she was disillusioned with Silicon Valley. 2) The domino effect of thinking and operating that way at first and how this led to the SaaS startup success that is Mattermark today...
#10: Can't Code? Smart Ways to Execute Regardless (Vin Vacanti, Yipit)
September 02, 2015 21:29 - 34 minutes - 65 MBNYC's Vin Vacanti of Yipit -- In this episode of Traction, we tell the story of Vin Vacanti, co-founder/CEO of Yipit (daily deals aggregator) and YipitData (analyzes web data for institutional investors). This episode features a really great story with some very tangible lessons and tactics that Vin willingly shares, including... 1) Why Vin and his co-founder taught themselves to code long before it was common -- and well before any tools existed to shortcut your learning the ropes. As a re...
#9: How a Paper Product Sparked a Digital Movement (Scott Belsky, Behance & Adobe)
August 20, 2015 00:51 - 35 minutes - 28.7 MBScott Belsky -- co-founder/CEO of Behance. Brand. Mission. Emotion. These are things that, perhaps surprisingly to some, are still not widely preached, taught, accepted, or built around by investors and tech entrepreneurs alike. But in this episode, Scott Belsky talks about their critical importance and exactly how he built the popular creative portfolio platform, Behance. And, really, this is a story about how he sparked a bigger, medium-agnostic movement across the globe among creatives ....