transitioning into tech
TRANSCRIPT
Transitioning into TECH
by
Gillian Morris
Presented at Harvard in Tech meetup, 18 November 2014
@gillianim
FORMER LIFE Journalist/Consultant in Istanbul
view from my kitchen
@gillianim
2 years later Founder & CEO of Hitlist, a mobile app that
helps you build a list of places you’d like to go then alerts you when there are cheap flights to get to those places • 200k+ downloads • Venture backed • Won 4 hackathons • ‘35 under 35’ Young Leaders
to watch in Travel
1. Build something people= want
Not just you and your yuppie friends
@gillianim
Know the difference*:
Lifestyle Do what you love! And make enough
to live comfortably
• Incremental improvement on something that already exists
• Nice to have not need to have
Venture backable Build something market-changing in a
minimum $1bn market
• Differentiated: new product or 10x better
• Sustainable: network effects
• Compelling: solves a real problem
@gillianim *there are exceptions to every rule, but have a good reason if you think you’ll be one
Validate your idea • In a weekend
• In a quarter
@gillianim
2. Build your network (virtual & local)
@gillianim
FACT: • the best investor introductions
come from fellow entrepreneurs who are already making/have made the investor money
• The best jobs come from personal referrals
• The best employees come from personal referrals
@gillianim
@gillianim
Useful meetup groups: • NY Tech Meetup • Women 2.0 • Ultra Light Startups • Entrepreneurs’ roundtable • PandoMonthly / Startup Grind
Check out my ‘complete guide to NY Tech – Abridged!’
3. Build your track record
@gillianim
‘Investors invest in lines not dots’ - Mark Suster Google this & read the blog post!
@gillianim
FREE ways to build your track record: Hackathons • TechCrunch Disrupt (NY in May, SF in September) • NYC BigApps • Look for ones related to your industry Pitch competitions • AlleyNYC Startup Battles • TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield Speak at/organize Meetups Blog Send updates Help others
RECAP: 1. Build something
people want 2. Build your network 3. Build your track
record @gillianim
