Talk prepared for University of Auckland Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship "Unleash Your Potential" speaker series - Angie Chang on July 25, 2018

1. CUTTING THE NO. 8
WIRE MENTALITY: LESSONS
FROM SILICON VALLEY
Speaker:
Angie Chang

2. ➔My Entrepreneurial Journey
➔The Silicon Valley - Startups, Culture
➔Focus on New Zealand - The Future?
This Talk Consists of 3 Parts:

3. Beginnings
Lesson #1: Girl Scouts sell cookies, learn grit.

4. Beginnings
Lesson #2: Participating in team sports means
you don’t have to be #1 - just part of a team.

5. Beginnings
Lesson #3: Having a wide range of jobs and a
humanities degree in college is totally OK!
■ boba maker at a local restaurant
■ publicity intern & web designer
■ personal attendant for a disabled student
■ web designer for residential computing

6. The First Job After College
Pros and Cons

7. Jobs That Suck =
Daydreaming about Better Things,
Exploring Side Projects

8. BLOG & SHARE AS YOU LEARN!

9. Collect names & email addresses ASAP for:
■ current customers
■ future customers - your future self will thank you!
■ future investors & partners
Get in ppl’s inboxes, get your name out there!
Start an Email Newsletter

10. Jobs I’ve Had
● Web Producer @ Series A funded co (now Series E funded)
● Freelance Web Designer @ friends’ conferences / co’s
● UI Developer @ Series A funded co (now Series C funded)
● Product Manager @ Series B funded co (acquired)
● Director, Ad Operations @ Series A funded media co
● Product Manager @ Series A funded co (acquired)
● Editor-in-Chief & Founder @ Profitable bootstrapped co
● VP Partnerships @ Profitable bootstrapped co (acquired)
● CEO @ Profitable bootstrapped co

11. Started Girl Geek X in 2008.
(pic: 2008, First Bay Area Girl Geek Dinner @ Google)
Silicon Valley Highlights
What the press / Twitter like to pick up & amplify -
Joined early team at Hackbright in 2012.
(pic: 2014,alumna Zoe Kay working at New Relic)
● Angie founded Girl Geek X, now CEO
● Early Employee & Exec @ Hackbright
(acquired by Capella for $18M)
● Also founded Women 2.0, served as Editor-in
Chief and Board Member
Launched Women 2.0 with co-founders in 2006.
(pic: 2007, Women 2.0 Conference @ CNET)

12. Perception -is- Reality
What are the super-short highlights for your Twitter bio?
From Idea To Incorporation: Women 2.0, GGX
(Dare to Start Up)
“Influencers Aren’t Born, They’re Built”
(Interview Published in First Round Review)
Entrepreneurship in Palestine
(Expert Speaker presentations for US State Dept)
Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date above-the-
fold (the summary section).
➢Serial Entrepreneur
➢Writer & influencer
➢Speaker on entrepreneurship

13. Featured in: www.ivankatrump.com

14. Featured in: Women in Tech book

15. firstround.com/review/influencers-arent-born-theyre-built-heres-h
Featured in: www.firstround.com

16. Featured in: www.techiesproject.com

17. Moral of the Story
Leave behind digital breadcrumbs!

18. … and the Hustle
Leave behind digital breadcrumbs!
➔Wrote/edited/published 3 articles
every day at Women 2.0.
Syndications: Forbes, Huffington Post...
➔Organized 4 hackathons,
hosted/marketed for 100+ events,
led a dozen mentorship programs.
➔Sent many, many emails
with my name in the “from” field.
➔ Connected many people with similar interests.

19. Celebrating entrepreneurial & investor role models of all capabilities
& -isms is critical to growing a robust startup ecosystem:
1. Celebrate huge successes!
○ Israeli startup Waze sold to Google for $1B, Estonian startup Skype sold to eBay for $3.1B…
These countries’ entrepreneurs and investors are encouraged by these large exits.
1. Celebrate medium successes!
○ Raising a funding round, launching a product, reaching a new milestone or plateau…
1. Celebrate small successes!
○ This can be media coverage of a early-stage startup accelerator Demo Day, the local
university’s student accelerator program commercializing new technology
Ideally this is a multi-channel approach as media formats evolve (eg. newspapers, blogs,
podcasts, social media / Instagram stories).
Writing to illustrate

20. Writing as Practice
New York-based investors Joanne & Fred Wilson (who blog at
gothamgal.com and avc.com, respectively) began blogging on
Sunday mornings for an hour, hitting publish that hour.
Now, Joanne is a visible & vocal role model as an angel investor, and
frequently highlights up-and-coming female entrepreneurs.

21. Writing and Sharing!
99% of creativity & innovation is perspiration (trial-and-error).
Science says that you are more creative, persuasive and have MORE
POTENTIAL THAN YOU THINK! (source: @EntryLevelRebel)

22. OK, so we are not All Writers
Some people cannot put pen to paper, or
make words appear on a word processor.
Never fear!
There are writers, bloggers, magazine editors, podcasters, etc.
who are looking to interview folks, get quotes, make quality content.
There are also ghostwriters! Sheryl Sandberg didn’t write “Lean In”
by herself -- she worked with Nell Scovell (a TV and comedy writer).

23. Try bite-sized
professional ownership
Here are tools to own your accomplishments. Cover or signal boost
industry trends (past, present & future) if you can’t speak directly -
• LinkedIn: Keep your profile up-to-date with your latest projects,
and utilize the social network for professional news / updates.
• Twitter: Follow interesting people / companies and tweet at them.
• Blog: If you are not tech-savvy about keeping a blog, you can
always just post updates / articles on LinkedIn and tweet the link.
• The important thing is that you can be found online! Even if you
want to use a pseudonym, use current social media apps (eg
Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Medium, Pinterest, etc) to be
discoverable. We are creating a movement, creating the change
we wish to see in the world -- tell everyone!

24. Media / education helps prepare
entrepreneurs for crossing the chasm

26. Key Ingredients for Silicon Valley:
Historically, the Silicon Valley emerged
thanks to skilled STEM research base (Stanford),
plentiful venture capital & steady
Department of Defense spending
(source:Wikipedia)
🇺🇸

27. Startup Ecosystem Players
Includes but not limited to:
● universities
● funding organizations
● support organizations
○ incubators, accelerators, co-working spaces
● research organizations
● service providers
○ legal, finance, PR
● corporations

28. Former colleagues / alumni build
networks, confidence, competition!
~1950:
Fairchild Semiconductor founders go on to
start businesses known as “Fairchildren”
● 70% of today’s 130+ SF Bay Area’s publicly-traded
co’s were linked to the Fairchildren (source: Endeavor)
~2000:
PayPal founders go on to
start & invest in businesses ➡
media darlings “PayPal mafia”

29. Startup culture
❏ Silicon Valley startup culture
❏ “gold rush” mentality - create value, make something!
❏ competitive drive for innovation / business, not languishing in
academia - in fact, dropping out is OK!
❏ a bold vision for industry definition / disruption
❏ “fail fast” mentality - make mistakes, learn, respond quickly!
Entrepreneurs feel urgency to beat competitors in the category
❏ “once you’re lucky, twice you’re good” mentality -
❏ a drive to prove that you are good, not just lucky, has been
noted in PayPal founders / ”mafia”
❏ company alum network effect - successful entrepreneurs /
early employees coach, mentor, and invest in others
❏ Xooglers (former Googlers), ex-Facebook, ex-Twitter
❏ beginners learn from experts, who give back knowledge + $$

30. Startup ecosystem
❏ events for entrepreneurs (eg. meetups,
conferences, unconferences, startup crawl, happy
hour, office hours, startup competitions & hackathons
with VC / expert judges & mentors)
❏ investor networks & hot meeting spots
❏ where can business & technology folks
intersect to build founding teams?
❏ where are the coffeeshops that
investors like to take meetings in with
entrepreneurs?
❏ startup blogs & other business media

31. The Startup Playbook is
is readily available!
“transforming an industry...”

32. Media highlights successes
Melanie Perkins, CEO & Co-Founder, Canva
The only $1B valued Series C startup in Australia!

33. Media highlights successes
Padmasree Warrior, CEO, NIO
Valued at $5B, NIO is an autonomous vehicle co in Shanghai

34. Media highlights successes
Gillian Tans, CEO & President, Booking
Headquartered in Amsterdam, Booking was acquired by Priceline for $133M.

35. Media highlights successes
Adi Tatarko, CEO & Co-Founder, Houzz
Series E-funded Silicon Valley co valued at $5B, began by bootstrapping!

36. Media highlights successes
Julia Hartz, CEO & Co-Founder, Eventbrite
Silicon Valley company valued at $1B

37. Media highlights successes
Michelle Zatlyn, COO & Co-Founder, Cloudflare
Silicon Valley company valued at $1B

38. Media highlights

39. Future media should highlight
more smaller successes
❏ Getting into an accelerator
❏ Winning a startup competition
❏ Presenting at a startup Demo Day
when finishing an accelerator program

40. Podcasts make
accessing news easy!
➔Listen while driving, showering, washing
dishes, gardening, working, etc.
➔Recommended listening:
◆any podcast by Gimlet Media
◆“Masters of Scale” by Reid Hoffman
◆TechCrunch “Equity” podcast for
startup funding / investment news
◆“How I Built This” by Guy Raz
◆Recode “Decode” by Kara Swisher

41. Early startup fundraising
Fundraising in general takes a LOT of time.
➢ Raising a friends & family round of funding can be a
good first test of your sales/CEO abilities.
➢ Read investor Elizabeth Yin’s blog with tactical advice
on raising your first F&F round.
➢ Crowdfunding campaign for funding (eg. Kickstarter)
can capture funding -and- potential first customers.

42. The Art of the Start -
Finding your first:
❏ co-founder(s)
❏ potential customer(s)
❏ team member(s)
❏ advisor(s)
❏ sale(s)
❏ recurring sale(s)

43. Sartup culture
(warning: these posters are prettier than startup life)

44. It doesn’t have to be glamorous
(post-it notes)

45. Entrepreneurs - ducks in a pond

46. Fake it til you make it
❏ Make business cards.
❏ Update your LinkedIn to say CEO of ______.
❏ Set up shop in your garage, or moonlight at
night at home until you quit your day job.

47. Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In illustrated
how Clara Shih met her at an event, then followed up with
thoughtfu / relevant emails, and became a name passed forward
when Sandberg left her Starbucks board seat.
TRY THIS:
• Practice asking for advice & feedback.
• Share your passions / projects.
• Ask for introductions.
• Volunteer at startup events.
• Be prepared.
• Follow up.
• Shy? Try networking online (eg Twitter).
Pro tip: talk to event speakers

48. Read “Getting More”
by Stuart Diamond
A worthwhile read on asking for what
you want in work and life –
this is also known as “negotiation”.
“A flexible toolkit for getting your way, whether…
a million-dollar deal, a botched restaurant dish, or
a petulant 4-year-old.” -- Psychology Today
Learn how to ask for and
receive more!

49. Networking is
engineering
Meetups often feel as intimidating as speaking at events.
You hear how a “warm intro” is ten billion times more valuable
than a cold email or clicking a “submit” button.
A warm intro is someone connecting you to a company, job or
opportunity you are interested in!
You may have just met this person -- that’s OK!
• Connect with them on LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.
• Ask them to introduce you to someone who is hiring, or who
may be interested in investing in your company, etc.
• Send your email with supporting materials over. In a few days,
ask them to check-in on the status if you can’t do it directly.

50. Don’t hesitate to follow-up on
unanswered email every 3-5 days.
• “Let me know either way if…”
PRO-TIP: Use Boomerang in Gmail.
• Schedule follow-up emails
to be sent later (ie. 4-7 days later)
• Can be re-occurring and/or resend
if conditions aren’t met (ie. no reply)
Keep following up!

51. 9 crowdsourced
networking tips:
1. Have a goal: Is it to meet 1-3 people at an event? Is it to stay
for an hour? Have a goal when walking in the door.
2. Practice curiosity: Ask people questions about what they do,
their company, the engineering roles there, the tech stack…
3. Have a drink: Whether alcoholic or coffee, many people
have suggested having some liquid courage beforehand.
4. Early bird gets the worm: If you go to an event early, there are
fewer people so it's easier to talk - and it's probably quieter!
5. Stand by the food: Ask someone who joins you at the food
table what is good, have they been to this event before, how
did they hear about this event... to get the conversation
started and then ask what they do and where, etc.

52. Networking tips, continued
6. Join a group of two: You don't have to force yourself into a
large group of strangers. Try joining a group of two.
7. Try to look friendly: Some have suggested wearing a
conversation-starter nerdy t-shirt. Things like a warm smile, a
firm handshake and a genuine curiosity in others really helps.
8. Figure out your 1-2 line answer to “what do you do?”:
Everyone always asks, so might as well prepare your lines. You
can even try different (truthful) answers to see which answer
piques the most interest with folks!
9. Network online and off: From mailing lists to Slack channels,
from in-person events to browsing LinkedIn, send a message
asking to grab a coffee with someone to chat about X.

53. How to prove your value
Learn how to say that you are passionate, creative, responsible,
strategic – without using those exact words. Cover letters and
resumes are places this happens a lot.
Use examples that tell stories with numbers & results.
• To get across that you’re responsible, give a walk
through of some of some times when you went
above and beyond to ensure the tasks you were
assigned were completed on time.
• To show your strategic thinking skills, mention in
concrete terms some of the initiatives you started
and what problems your projects solved for your
team or company.

54. Silicon Valley: Blueprint for success?

55. (No thanks!)

56. Take a look at innovation in China...
★ blockchain
★ cryptocurrency
★ robotics manufacturing
★ artificial intelligence
★ e-commerce
★ beauty, gaming
★ smart future cities
★ to name a few...

57. Financing / Investment Trends
Chinese business models focus on enterprise services,
sharing economy, finance, AI, new retail, and
transportation - below’s chart is about investment in:

58. In the above chart, top section are Chinese startups, below are US startups.
Check out www.technode.com for more Chinese startup updates!
Endless Startups Edging in Verticals

59. And Stockholm...

60. Stockholm...

61. And Tel Aviv...

62. And New Zealand...

63. $46.5M Series D funding
(source: Crunchbase)
And New Zealand startups like:
$381.4M funding
(source: Crunchbase)

64. Don’t forget the emerging ones!

65. Thank You!