Notes from French TechTour (1/...)

At Veodia we have many French team members.
Recently I attended several events around the IsraelWebTour and now it is time for the French Tech Tour.




Engaging with Analysts and the Media

Panelist guests:

• Carla Thompson, Senior Analyst, Guidewire Group
• Michal Lev-Ram, Fortune Senior Writer, Fortune
• Rafe Needleman, Editor, Webware/CNET
• Dean Takahashi, DigitalMedia Lead Writer, VentureBeat

Moderator: Jeff Clavier, Founder & Managing Partner, SoftTechVC

Notes:
There is a blur between the 'official' journalists and the bloggers.

Consumer product - should be focusing on traditional channels (NY-T and such) as the bloggers are focusing on early adaptors and not on the mass audience.

Do and Don't on how to contact press and bloggers

- Introduction eMail - provide information about the company/product and how to reach you
- Contact from the CEO. Do not hide behind the PR team.
- No 25Mb PPT in eMail
- No embed video in eMail
- Make sure the mailing list does not include everyone on the TO field.
- Make sure you include the right person name and do not miss-spell the name of the Blogger...
- Embargo - control the process. In case there is a ... Notify all the bloggers who still keep it.
- Do not ask for a flow-up based on a competitor story
- Have a media kit (images, bio, white papers, demos) ready for a follow up.

To be continued.

E.T.

Thoughts About Age and the Entrepreneur

Recently I read an interesting blog by Paul Kedrosky (Age and the Entrepreneur).

I have a theory that there are 3 time frames to start/join a start up:

Age 22:
Just finish army service (I am from Israel..). Young and Naive. Following some crazy ideas with some friends. Work hard and play harder.

After you spend some time in a start up, your spouse (which somehow you manage to find while working 16 hours a day) is fed up with your schedule and "ask" you to "find a real job". Or in my case, the start up is closed and/or acquired by a bigger company.

Age 35:
So you spent some time in a big company and learn how to do things, or how not to do things, you feel it is time to do something yourself. You pick up to phone and call your friends. If you are lucky / got smarter - there are not the same from the first start up... And you start your own or join a start up you believe in and know why you should be there.

(Let's hope your spouse is OK with you following this path again...)

Age 50:
Either you spent more than 20 year in a big company or worked for 10 start ups by now, you are ready to lead or support a new idea. You are a domain expert (or at least, other think you are) with no interest to work in the same domain... So you start, join or consult to a start up.

Does this theory work for you?

E.T.