Customer acquisition
Good article with some practical advice on user & customer acquisition, channels and testing. Also have to appreciate the pithy, Field of Dreams-inspired subtitle: ”If you build it, they may not come”.
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Protip: Don’t do this.
“Your search for an Associate has ended, as I have the background and experience you are looking for.”
Don’t be that guy. This kind of stuff helps give MBA-types a bad name, and deservedly so. (said best here: Get an MBA, Don’t be an MBA)
The adage gets thrown around that recruiters spend 10 seconds on each resume for the first screen. This is likely in the ballpark for competitive positions that attract many high quality candidates. Don’t give anyone an excuse to not make it past your opening. Nuance is particularly difficult to portray via email (see also: Sarcasm Font). We’ve all made this mistake at some point, but certain occasions require one to be particularly careful.
VC jobs require you to communicate a wide range of often difficult topics via email. Passing on investment opportunities is difficult to do graciously while providing rationale and feedback. It is easy to screw up, I know I have done it. This simply reinforces the need for thoughtful communication in first impressions.
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[Update: POSITIONS FILLED] Want to work in VC? Greycroft is hiring!
***Thanks to the many who have applied, we have filled both available positions at this time****
Pre-MBA Associate role in NYC
Post-MBA Senior Associate role in LA (or equivalent, MBA not required)
Our Firm:
Greycroft Partners is a leading early stage venture capital firm focused on investments in digital media. With offices in the two media capitals of the world - New York and Los Angeles – Greycroft is uniquely positioned to serve entrepreneurs who have chosen us as their partners. We leverage our extensive network of media and technology industry connections to help our entrepreneurs gain visibility, build strategic relationships, successfully bring their products to market, and build successful businesses.
Greycroft manages $225MM and has made over sixty-five investments in leading companies including Huffington Post, Buddy Media, Maker Studio, Babble, Collective Media and Klout. In 2012 Greycroft companies will generate $750MM of revenue and employ 3,000 people. We have a deep respect for the role that entrepreneurship and venture capital play in the world economy, and are committed to learning from both success and failure.
The Role:
• Evaluate potential investments in early stage companies, including management meetings, financial due diligence, market research, and competitive analysis.
• Assist in the preparation of fundraising documents, valuation memos, and investor updates.
Qualifications:
• Two years of investment banking, management consulting, private equity or venture capital experience
• Strong analytical and qualitative skills
• Extraordinary attention to detail
• Team-oriented
• Enjoy mixing with the technology incubator/accelerator community
• A passion for the media and technology industries, and a deep respect for entrepreneurship
• [LA only] For post-MBA Senior Associate role, industry experience is also preferable
Details:
• Compensation is market-competitive
• This is a two-year position for pre-graduate school professionals (NYC)
• Please submit resumes and personal statements along with location preference to resumes@greycroftpartners.com.
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Startups, This is How Design Works →
Great design primer for startups, timely and relevant as design becomes essential for emergent consumer internet products.
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How / When / Why to Incorporate your Startup via TNW →
Another early startup resource — a common first question: how do I incorporate, and why? This article hits the major points.
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Summer opportunity for students/recent grads
A great opportunity from our friends at OMD & GE —> Get paid to work on your startup in NYC for the summer.
2012 GE | OMD INCUBATOR OVERVIEW
GE and Omnicom’s OMD have partnered to create a 10-week incubator bringing together the brightest student entrepreneurs to work in New York City for the Summer of 2012. Now in its second year, the GE | OMD Incubator aims to create a collaborative environment where entrepreneurs can learn, thrive and build great digital products.
Located in the heart of Manhattan, the GE | OMD Incubator provides a space where accepted applicants will develop their ideas, learn from industry mentors and become entrenched in New York City’s startup scene. In addition, participants will learn and meet with key marketing and advertising executives to help build their companies.
As part of the program, selected entrepreneurs will receive complimentary work space, mentorship from GE and OMD executives, free access to classes at General Assembly weekly sessions with founders and product/design leads from notable startups, compensation throughout the summer, and most importantly, no equity exchange. At the end of the summer, participants will have the opportunity to pitch to GE and OMD executives for the chance to win $10,000.
Important Dates:
Application Deadline: Thursday, April 12th, 2012 Program duration: Monday, June 4 - Friday, August 17
Distinctive Features:
-NO EQUITY EXCHANGED WHATSOEVER
-Free work space and access to conference rooms
-Get paid to work on your startup; stipend of $4,000 for the summer
-Opportunity to win $10,000 at the end of the program
-Free access to classes at General Assembly in UX/UI design, programming, business development, community building, user acquisition, etc.
-Exclusive access to Fortune 50 brands
-Weekly speaker series including startup founders, product/design leads, venture capitalists and startup lawyers
-Intimate access to GE and OMD executives
-Advertising, marketing and media instruction from OMD mentors
The GE I OMD Incubator is accepting applications for consideration in this year’s program through Thursday, April 12th, 2012. If you are an entrepreneur enrolled in or a recent graduate from a major university and involved with a high-potential startup, we want to hear from you!
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Clever startup resource - matching designers & devs
http://www.developmentfordesign.com/
This is a marketplace for bootstrapping startups. Without money it’s hard to hire out the skills you don’t have but here you can barter your skills to get professional work done in the fields you are lacking.
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Learning from one of the greats
“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.” — Thomas Jefferson
and, presciently, in 1802:
“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.
If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property - until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.”
He was a student of history. Scary stuff.
And a parting one, “It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.”
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10bn API calls per month for @klout - super impressive growth
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Stunning in Pictures - Google+ Growth vs FB & Twitter
