My presentation at the Login Conference entitled: Startup Strategy - How to get fast traction while selling the big vision to investors… or …How to focus on the trees while selling the forest.

1. Startup Strategy: How to get
fast traction while selling the big
vision to investors
… or …
How to focus on the trees while
selling the forest
Andris K. Berzins / @akberzins
Login Conference 2012

2. Andris K. Berzins
• Stanford during
dotcom boom
• Bain & Company
• 12 years building tech
startups
• Startup mentor
@akberzins

3. The weapon of choice for
most startups
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4. Why?
Fear of investors
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5. The dreaded question:
“How big is the market?”
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6. But investors buy
1. Team
2. Traction
3. Market potential
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7. Traction
• Reduces market risk
• Proves team
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8. Market size is
hypothetical
potential
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9. Why focus?
Limited
resources
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10. The risk of not focusing enough
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11. What to do?
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12. Laser-like focus on a niche …
but keep whole market in view
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13. Find customers
that will buy the
minimum Minimum
Viable Product
… as similar as
possible
…as easy to
access as possible
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14. Example: VitalFields
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15. B2C: Pick a
specific target
user group
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16. B2B: Look
for a short
decision cycle
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17. Find specific product
features for this niche
and build them
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18. Find the specific
marketing channels to
reach the niche
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19. T to users.
alk
Personally.
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20. Focus on fewer, returning,
paying, satisfied users
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21. Rapid learning
and iterations
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22. Then pick the next
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closest niche

23. Avoid big
partners
and
resellers
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24. Create arguments
why potential
market much
bigger than initial
focus
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25. Exceptions:
Platform plays
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26. Exceptions:
Infrastructure &
Partner dependency
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27. So what to do tomorrow?
FOCUS
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28. Thanks!
Andris K. Berzins
@akberzins
www.techhub.com/riga