Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

What being hopelessly single taught me about pitching tech celebs

geekwire.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 50 posts

Re: What being hopelessly single taught me about pitching tech celebs

#31

Post by cek »

jadoint wrote: post #26
cek wrote: post #2

Great article. The first thing I do when mentoring noob entrepreneurs/founders is ask them about their networks. "How are you growing it?" "Who are your mentors?" "Who are your mentees?" "Who are the big-wigs in your network?" I have found, much to my surprise, given that I'm a "black belt ninja networker type" (apparently;per the article) that people haven't really given much thought to these questions. They know (o…

Hi, I've been an HN lurker for a few months but finally signed up today just to inquire about mentors when I saw your comment. I am a complete beginner when it comes to startups. In fact, I happened to stumble into my niche rather accidentally. How do I go about finding great mentors or at least a group of like-minded people that I can learn from? If it helps, I'm currently located in NJ about 45 mins from NYC. I apo…

I searched Bing for "New York Tech Startup Calendar" and got this:

http://startup-ventures.meetup.com/cities/us/ny/new_york/

Just start attending events, smiling, and introducing yourself to people. Make sure you are not shy about asking for what you are looking for. For example "I'm just figuring this startup thing out. I think I've got some great ideas but I don't have any mentors. If you know of any one I could talk to that would be great."

Good luck!

Re: What being hopelessly single taught me about pitching tech celebs

#32

Post by rsl7 »

neurotech1 wrote: post #4

I remember meeting Mike Arrington at TechCrunch Disrupt, and he said that he "hates being pitched to [unsolicited], I'll probably think its a bad idea. I thought twitter was a bad idea.." Not sure how that changes with CrunchFund. My guess is that some Angels/VCs are way more approachable than others.

And yet it is also fashionable to say ideas are worthless. so yeah, here's my great idea.

Re: What being hopelessly single taught me about pitching tech celebs

#33

Post by tgrass »

The price tag is key: if I'd pay someone ten dollars to make my pitch...

Ten bucks? Whether its a phone number I want or a pitch I'm making, ten bucks is way low. And if I'd pay a hundred for either, clearly I ought to suck it up and get in there ans get what I want.

Put a price on it. Makes you realize when you are just being a little bitch.

Re: What being hopelessly single taught me about pitching tech celebs

#34

Post by pg »

zach wrote: post #28
pg wrote: post #8

Maybe my case is unusual because YC takes applications online, but I don't like it when people walk up to me and "pitch" me by reciting some preformulated speech about their startup. I can almost never understand what they're talking about. And it makes me feel like a target, in much the same way it probably does to women when guys walk up to them and recite preformulated pickup lines. The unit of conversation with a…

This is a tough thing for founders. I was in this situation earlier this year after I won a ticket to Google I/O. One of the events was a Google Ventures mixer, which turned out to be a "speed-dating" event. I was excited to meet Joe Kraus, who gave my favorite Startup School speech ever, but what to do in this format? Launch into a cooked-up pitch? But I wanted to talk to Joe, not use him for target practice based o…

Probably the optimal plan would be to engage the investor and let them draw the idea out of you by asking questions. Not just because this is less aggressive, but because it's more efficient. Preformulated pitches are usually so bad that it makes my head ache trying to figure out what the company does. If I could just ask questions I could probably narrow it down pretty rapidly.

Re: What being hopelessly single taught me about pitching tech celebs

#35

Post by leviathan »

patio11 wrote: post #30

So hypothetically if you have a very busy person who is mobbed by a lot of cold pitches, they might have a bit of pitch fatigue and assume that anybody cold pitching them is likely about as good a fit as the average cold pitcher, which is to say "total waste of my time." That very busy, selective individual probably has friends who are less mobbed by pitchers. Those friends might even be flattered to hear from you. P…

This also works in the dating game where you approach indirectly by striking up a conversation with the less attractive friend.

Re: What being hopelessly single taught me about pitching tech celebs

#36

Post by peteretep »

aneth wrote: post #14

I agree overcoming "approach anxiety" is key to just about any goal that requires someone else to be attracted to you in one way or another - dating, investing, friendship, ordering a drink in a crowded bar, .... However, the key to ultimate success in all of these is that the person needs to like you and respect you. Girls don't like guys that approach them and rattle off about how funny they are, how much money the…

There seem to be an infinite number of parallels between 'the game' and networking in general. I worked for 4 years as a full-time dating coach, and many years before that trying to get my game up to scratch, and the benefits in contacts, in rapport building, in sales arenas, in any area where I need to present, are immeasurable.

Re: What being hopelessly single taught me about pitching tech celebs

#37

Post by gaius »

Mystalic wrote: post #13

Coming from the point of view of somebody who gets pitched daily... I can barely distinguish them from each other. Sure, I'll give you my card with contact info, but it doesn't mean I will be interested when I get the email. Yes, you did more than most people and had the balls to approach me. Great. But that won't fix a mediocre product or a product I'm not interested in. I'll just end up ignoring your email. I look…

I look for cues, such as who is funding you

Someone has to go first, no? Why do you trust rival VCs more than your own judgement?

Re: What being hopelessly single taught me about pitching tech celebs

#38

Post by illumen »

pg wrote: post #34
zach wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a tough thing for founders. I was in this situation earlier this year after I won a ticket to Google I/O. One of the events was a Google Ventures mixer, which turned out to be a "speed-dating" event. I was excited to meet Joe Kraus, who gave my favorite Startup School speech ever, but what to do in this format? Launch into a cooked-up pitch? But I wanted to talk to Joe, not use him for target practice based o…

Probably the optimal plan would be to engage the investor and let them draw the idea out of you by asking questions. Not just because this is less aggressive, but because it's more efficient. Preformulated pitches are usually so bad that it makes my head ache trying to figure out what the company does. If I could just ask questions I could probably narrow it down pretty rapidly.

The 'What do you do' question almost always comes up. Or the 'what are you working on?' question. That's when you can say your few words about what you do and what you are working on. If the other person is interested they might ask a question. You say something like:

"I'm a app/web developer who just finished contracting at the fastest growing company in the world making apps for fortune 100s and am now working on a start up doing Travel Guide-Apps."

Their eyes may glaze over half way through your "I'm a web developer..." at which point you notice this and drop it, ask them what they do, or ask them some other question.

Anyway, I guess that is basic 101 conversation techniques.

A fun game I used to play with friends in bars/clubs was introducing someone else. My friend would pretend to be a french student new to the city and I was introducing them around. Got into some very funny conversations with people... especially when they realized what the game was.

Re: What being hopelessly single taught me about pitching tech celebs

#39

Post by TorKlingberg »

pg wrote: post #8

Maybe my case is unusual because YC takes applications online, but I don't like it when people walk up to me and "pitch" me by reciting some preformulated speech about their startup. I can almost never understand what they're talking about. And it makes me feel like a target, in much the same way it probably does to women when guys walk up to them and recite preformulated pickup lines. The unit of conversation with a…

I think part of YC:s success is that you take applications online. One doesn't need a lot of networking and pitching skills to get into YC, just a great team, ambition and some kind of idea. That means you get startups that other investors will never see.

Re: What being hopelessly single taught me about pitching tech celebs

#40

Post by dagw »

illumen wrote: post #38
pg wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably the optimal plan would be to engage the investor and let them draw the idea out of you by asking questions. Not just because this is less aggressive, but because it's more efficient. Preformulated pitches are usually so bad that it makes my head ache trying to figure out what the company does. If I could just ask questions I could probably narrow it down pretty rapidly.

The 'What do you do' question almost always comes up. Or the 'what are you working on?' question. That's when you can say your few words about what you do and what you are working on. If the other person is interested they might ask a question. You say something like: "I'm a app/web developer who just finished contracting at the fastest growing company in the world making apps for fortune 100s and am now working on a…

I think you could seriously improve your 'What do you do' answer. If you'd simply said "I develop travel guide apps" you probably wouldn't get any eye-glazing and in all likelihood it might even lead to an interesting conversation about traveling and favorite destinations. Don't brag about how awesome you are and don't get into details about who you work for or how awesome they are. Simply state in as high-level terms as possible actual real world problem you are solving, and don't worry if your short answer isn't technically correct. If they care you can clear up any confusion when they ask for more details.
Post reply on HN