Hi team,
As you know, the deadline for the Andrews Launch Accelerator is rapidly approaching. Tonight we'll run our last INCUBATE group session before moving to individual meetings next week. Tonight is the last official chance to learn more about Andrews and its process. All aspiring entrepreneurs are welcome, even if you couldn't make it to our last meeting. Please, register here.
So founders, see you all tonight.
“There are no traffic jams along the extra mile"
Roger Staubach
Top 5
🦄 In order to succeed in business over a decent period of time, you need defensibility. In technology, especially for platforms, network effects are the industry darling. You fundamentally need to these about the company: Does this platform become more valuable as more people join? Is there a natural incentive for the participant, or the participants on each side, to deal with only this one platform? Then, and only then, you may have on of “The 4 Types Of Defensibility”.
🎤 “How many marketing or sales enablement companies can you recall from the top of your head?”. Typically, not many. This is true for every industry. Success at accomplishing that recall comes from amazing marketing. See how the best do it in “How Industry Leaders Create Strong Brands”.
✅ One of the hottest trends in entrepreneurship is community-based growth. Let's face it, we are tribal beings. For many companies, this should be a target when creating real value. If you can nurture your customers as equals and as partners, then at a bare minimum you can get real feedback from who will buy your product. The beauty is that founders can do all of this online. For those just getting started how do they find their community? Ian covers that here.
💰 Most pitches happen over a beer or a coffee and typically take a long time to close. However, there is a time in most entrepreneurial journeys where founders need to present their concept with a pitch deck. Here is “The deck Airbyte used to raise money in 13 days”.
🎯 Nothing like evergreen content right? Every time we approach the Accelerator I like to share this 500 startups video on how to validate your product before building it. Please. give it a careful watch here.
If you enjoyed these posts, please do share it with your community.
Events
Pop-Up Downtown Raleigh Grant Program
Downtown Raleigh Alliance (DRA) is now accepting interest forms for Pop Up Downtown Raleigh, a program designed by DRA to help attract new storefront businesses to downtown.
The program has two parts: (1) DRA will assist interested pop-up concepts with finding and securing space in Downtown Raleigh and (2) DRA will offer grant funding to select pop-up businesses in Downtown Raleigh with lease terms of less than one year. The grant is a competitive funding opportunity offering reimbursement grants up to $2,500 to cover upfit and stand-up expenses associated with the pop-up space. Pop-up businesses that are 50% or more minority-or-women-owned may apply for an additional $2,500 in funding (up to $5,000).
With this program, DRA hopes to attract new businesses that provide unique products, innovative concepts, and needed services to the downtown community. Pop Up Downtown Raleigh is also a way for businesses to test the storefront market while contributing to the overall vitality of downtown.
For more information, go here.
RIoT
RIoT Accelerator Program and a cash prize of $40k. Register here. And take a look at the RIoT Accelerator Program!
The Scoop
Ambitious Entrepreneurial Senior?
FeedStation is looking to hire an Operations Assistant in the very near future and thinking this might be a great opportunity for an ambitious graduating senior. Our ideal candidate would have strong technical acumen (doesn't have to be a tech major though) and is interested in jumping into a startup where they can quickly move up.
Qlair
Looking for Business Development Intern
Amazing opportunity to get into tach. Check out the company here. Ping me and I can make a relevant intro if a fit.
BioMason
Required Skills and Interests:
Drive bioMASON’s market research
Proven ability to research creatively on cutting edge and disruptive technologies
Collect and disseminate market assumptions with evidence based approaches
Provide multiple fast paced research-based memos and reports to the various groups within the company, including Executive, Board and Investor level
Monitor trends and developments in the markets of competitors and current states of the art
That's it for today amig@s. See you next week or tonight at INCUBATE. And you know, pardon the typos :)