To Startup or Not to Startup, Geeks are the question A Midsummer Night’s Dream had Bottom. King Lear had the Fool. As You Like It had Touchstone. Shakespeare loved his jesters—they told the truth, made everyone feel a little awkward, swore a lot, and ultimately, saw the future. Tech startups have their own jester. He’s called Dave.Like the jesters, Dave’s a famous curmudgeon who doesn’t suffer fools. But beneath this crunchy exterior is a soft-candy inside made from a degree in engineering and math, years of coding and managing at startups like Paypal, and one-on-one involvement with more startups than he can keep track of.For the last few years, as the chief instigator at 500 Startups, Dave’s been travelling the world, putting geeks on planes to the far-flung corners of the planet. He knows that entrepreneurship is universal, In this session, Dave will take us on a tour of startup ecosystems around the world. He’ll open our eyes to the possibilities of the coming years and, in true jester fashion, warn us why the coolest thing we haven’t yet heard of may come from a place we can’t quite pronounce.
3. WARNING!!!
this deck is guaranteed to offend,
provide tragically incorrect advice,
and perhaps get you arrested.
Fucking Deal with it.
4. [This Talk]
• Be Different, Take Risk!!!
• Stand 4 SOMEthing. (or u stand 4 NOthing.)
• Tap Into Humanity: Fear, SEX, Power, etc.
• Be a Hero, or a Villain. (just don’t fucking BORE me.)
• Pictures, Text, Music: they all say 1000 words.
• When It Works, Double Down.
• Be Yourself… Only More So
KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid.
5. [Dave McClure]
2001-2012:
• Startup Investor: 500 Startups, Founders Fund
• Tech Marketing: PayPal, Simply Hired, Mint.com
• Advisor, Investor: 300+ Startups
• Conferences: Warm Gun, Lean Startup, SMASH
• Stanford Lecturer: Facebook, Startup Metrics
80’s & 90’s:
• Entrepreneur: Founder/CEO Aslan Computing (acq.)
• Developer: Windows Apps / SQL DB Admin
• User Groups: E-Commerce, Internet, Client-Server
• Engineer: Johns Hopkins ‘88, BS Eng / Applied Math
6. 500 Startups
Seed Fund & Accelerator
(330+ companies, 20+ countries)
• Design
• Data
• Distribution
13. Be Different.
• Take Risk Early. U Have Nothing 2 Lose.
• Playing it Safe = Death.
• Pissing People Off is OK. (in fact, #WINNING)
• U Can’t Build Brand around INDIFFERENCE.
• Love *or* Hate are Ok. Both are Good Signal.
14. CHANGE. PEACE.
POWER. SEX.
Stand 4 SOMEthing.
(or stand 4 NO-thing)
15. Stand 4 SOMEthing,
or Stand 4 NOthing.
• Be Iconic.
• Single word or emotion.
• Don’t be afraid 2b Hated.
• Don’t be afraid 2b Shamed.
• Aim for the Moon. [Land on the Roof]
17. Tap Into Humanity
• Fear: What u run from
• Sex: Who we love, lust 4
• Power: Ability 2 Control Ur World
• Family: Find Ur Tribe.
• Anger: Fight 4 Ur Right [2 Party]
19. Be a Hero… or Villain
• Who do u LOVE, Admire, Want 2 B?
• Who do u HATE, Despise, [secretly] jealous?
• Whatever u are Drawn 2
• Just Don’t Be BORING.
• Again: Indifference = Death.
21. Say 1000 words.
• 1 awesome picture.
• 3 powerful words, or a few sentences.
• 30 sec meaningful music or video.
• Less is more.
note: these slides are not less.
23. When It Works, Double Down.
• If someone loves u, it’s working.
• If someone hates u, it’s working.
• Once u get signal, try iteration, repetition.
• Once u get repetition, try variation.
• Good artists COPY; great artists STEAL
(from themSELVES!)
25. Always Be Your [SUPER] Self
• Start from the Heart.
• Be Yourself. Be Authentic. Be Comfortable.
• But: the MOST AWESOME, PASSIONATE u.
• Find a feeling or emotion u can sustain
• [sometimes even weakness can be ok]