Jonathan Romley is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Clear Research, a San Francisco-based developer of artificial intelligence technology for mobile devices. Previously, Jonathan served as CEO of Avarla, leading digital business transformation of large Telecom, FMCG, Retail and Finance enterprises in Eastern Europe, CEO of ArtistForce, a pioneering developer of cloud software for the entertainment industry, and Executive Vice President of Viewdle, a Palo Alto and Kyiv, Ukraine-based computer vision company acquired by Google.

1. #STARTUPADDVENTURE
JONATHAN ROMLEY
CEO, CLEAR RESEARCH
going big, from small^
relatively

3. Viewdle

4. Viewdle
Founded 2007
in Kyiv
University team
Diaspora angels
brighton beach
ukrainian photo

5. $18M
RAISED FROM US INVESTORS

6. $45M
SOLD TO GOOGLE FOR

7. Why did it work?
• Core tech, universal concept.
• Global business profile.
• Active M&A market demand.
• Dedicated investors.
• Management focused on liquidity.

8. How can I do it?

9. Here’s one way…

10. Unicorn free zone

11. Focus on incremental data points

12. Start, fund, sell, repeat

13. Pick a universal problem

14. JUST SAY NO
Consumer Internet Business Software
E-Commerce

15. Avoid first world problems

16. Work with experienced investors

17. No exits = Not helpful

18. Get Help

19. Hire non-founder execs

20. Establish a global footprint

21. 4 steps
• Pick a problem that is universal.
• Take outside capital that has experience.
• Recruit experienced management to take you
across the finish line.
• Establish global footprint, de-risk geographic
perception.

22. a blueprint for emerging markets
*
* for added fun, try
identifying the problem
before starting a company
Start
Company
Identify Universal
Problem
Add Experienced
Investors
Establish global
presence
Hire non-founder
execs
Exit Big
Success
Success
A
A
A
Y N
Y
N

23. There are lots of ways to do this