starting up with sex, love, & violence

Starting Upwith

Sex, Love, & Violence.

WARNING:

WARNING!!!

this deck is guaranteed to offend, provide tragically incorrect advice, and perhaps get you arrested.

Fucking Deal with it.

[This Talk]

• Be Different, Take Risk!!!• Stand 4 SOMEthing. (or u stand 4 NOthing.)

• Tap Into Humanity: Fear, SEX, Power, etc.• Be a Hero, or a Villain. (just don’t fucking BORE me.)• Pictures, Text, Music: they all say 1000 words.

• When It Works, Double Down.• Be Yourself… Only More So

KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid.

[Dave McClure]

2001-2012:• Startup Investor: 500 Startups, Founders Fund• Tech Marketing: PayPal, Simply Hired, Mint.com• Advisor, Investor: 300+ Startups• Conferences: Warm Gun, Lean Startup, SMASH• Stanford Lecturer: Facebook, Startup Metrics

80’s & 90’s:• Entrepreneur: Founder/CEO Aslan Computing (acq.)• Developer: Windows Apps / SQL DB Admin• User Groups: E-Commerce, Internet, Client-Server• Engineer: Johns Hopkins ‘88, BS Eng / Applied Math

GEEK, CODER,

ENTREPRENEU

R

Blogger, Marketing, Angel/VC Investor

500 StartupsSeed Fund & Accelerator

(330+ companies, 20+ countries)

• Design• Data• Distributio

n

[Interesting Shit]

Read Geoffrey Miller.Sex + Evolution + Consumer Mktg = Awesome

Sauce.

More Great Shit. Psychology + Comics

[Geek Renaissance]

• Tech Innovation• Finance Innovation• Design Innovation• Social Innovation• Global Innovation• Gender Innovation

[Start(up) + Heart]

Be Different

Take Risk.

Drag picture to placeholder or click icon to add

Be Different.

• Take Risk Early. U Have Nothing 2 Lose.• Playing it Safe = Death.• Pissing People Off is OK. (in fact, #WINNING)

• U Can’t Build Brand around INDIFFERENCE.• Love *or* Hate are Ok. Both are Good

Signal.

Stand 4 SOMEthing.

(or stand 4 NO-thing)

CHANGE.

POWER. SEX.

PEACE.

Stand 4 SOMEthing, or Stand 4 NOthing.

• Be Iconic. • Single word or emotion.• Don’t be afraid 2b Hated.• Don’t be afraid 2b Shamed.• Aim for the Moon. [Land on the Roof]

Tap Into Humanity

Fear, Sex, Power

Tap Into Humanity

• Fear: What u run from• Sex: Who we love, lust 4• Power: Ability 2 Control Ur World• Family: Find Ur Tribe. • Anger: Fight 4 Ur Right [2 Party]

Be a HeroBe a Villain

Be a Hero… or Villain

• Who do u LOVE, Admire, Want 2 B?• Who do u HATE, Despise, [secretly]

jealous?• Whatever u are Drawn 2• Just Don’t Be BORING.• Again: Indifference = Death.

Say 1000 words.

[or just 1 Finger]

Say 1000 words.

• 1 awesome picture.• 3 powerful words, or a few sentences.• 30 sec meaningful music or video.• Less is more.

note: these slides are not less.

If/When It Works

Double Down.

When It Works, Double Down.

• If someone loves u, it’s working.• If someone hates u, it’s working.• Once u get signal, try iteration, repetition.• Once u get repetition, try variation.• Good artists COPY; great artists STEAL

(from themSELVES!)

Be Your SELF.

(But Be Ur SUPER Self)

Always Be Your [SUPER] Self

• Start from the Heart.• Be Yourself. Be Authentic. Be Comfortable.• But: the MOST AWESOME, PASSIONATE u.• Find a feeling or emotion u can sustain• [sometimes even weakness can be ok]