Brandery Mentor Q&A
A rountable of tech industry professionals sponsored by The @Brandery
What is the balance between persistent and annoying when contacting & following up with VCs?
What's the most exciting investment opportunity you've had in the past year?
What's the biggest "missed opportunity" you passed on that was later successful?
How does VC ecosystem in New York differ from that of Silicon Valley?
What are the industries that you see really breaking out over the next 2 years?
How important is it to have defensible technology when you make investments?
What are your least favorite parts of the VC experience?
For seed stage startups, which is a stronger indicator of success: early traction or product?
There's been a lot of chatter in the investment comm abt conv debt vs equity. What's your take?
What is the outlook for startups continuing to grow in Cincinnati after the seed stage?
Is office space a worth-while expense for software startups? Should we just work from home?
Do you think the Brand Ventures model is something that will become more widespread & popular?
What is the one piece of information you look for when you hear a pitch?
If all the jobs you're doing disappeared tomorrow, what would you do next?
What is one exciting start-up that you are keeping an eye on this year?
If your job disappeared tomorrow, what would you do next?
Could recent technological advances help Instacart perform better than Webvan logistically?
What is one start-up that you are really impressed with this year and why?
In all honesty, are VC's absolutely necessary for start-up's? Why or why not?
What are 3 of the most crucial attributes to develop as an entrepreneur and why?
How do you balance lean startup principles/MVP with traditional best practices in branding?
I know user traction is super important, but...
All things being equal (revenue, margins) would you rather invest in b2b or b2c company?
What would you say are the top advantages for locating a start-up in New York?
What are some of the biggest mistakes that companies make after investment?
Social Media Marketing in the Future
What is the #1 thing you want to hear in an investor pitch?
What nation do you see as the next up-and-coming producer of successful startups?
How do you feel about non-NYC companies approaching you for investment?
How effective is it really to raise your twitter follower numbers?
Describe the most creative or obscure marketing strategy that you have developed.
What are your least favorite parts of the entrepreneur experience?
What are 3 of the most crucial attributes to develop as an entrepreneur and why?
What is the biggest investment mistake that you have made? How did you learn from it?
What do you make of a study that says there is only 1% engagement from "Fans" of top brands on FB?
What is the best pitch deck format you have seen?
How many companies remain in the Cinci area after their initial 14-week period at The Brandery?
What advice would you give college students who want to start their own company BEFORE graduation
There's been a lot of chatter in the investment comm abt conv debt vs equity. What's your take?