Hackathoning Your Way To Your Next BFD Idea

Bootstrapping a startup isn’t easy in the best of times, but the founders of Digital Brain had it a bit tougher than most - they survived by entering and winning hackathons to pay their rent and put food on the table. 

One of the ideas they came up with during those hackathons was DigitalBrain, a layer that sits on top of customer service software like Zendesk to streamline tasks and ease the job of customer service agents. They ended up in Y Combinator in the Summer 2020 class, and in October the company announced a $3.4 million seed investment. 

One of the founders is the subject of an article with a sexy title in this week’s Business Insider (This founder used a rubik's cube to raise $3.4 million for his startup), but it’s behind a paywall (boo), so we found this one for you which is free, but still has all the good stuff. Read and be inspired!

Follow: @DigitalBrainApp

Becoming the Next WhatsApp, Uber, Slack etc.

What do WhatsApp, Uber, Groupon, Slack, AirBnb, and Groupon have in common? They were all launched right after the 2008 economic crisis. Seems that crises are opportune moments for new ideas, innovations, and systems - which would make 2020 just about the perfect time for launching your disruptive startup!

The Harvard Business Review has some good practical stuff for both existing startups and new startups that are planning to fundraise in the next six to 12 months. Check it out! 

If you don’t have the time to read the whole article, here’s the three bullet point summary:

• Do your research — figure out if potential investors are adventurous or conservative, and be transparent with them about your company and the challenges you may be facing.

• Rely on a board of advisors with experience in running startups to provide guidance.

• Manage cash cautiously and set your organization up for survival. But have a plan ready for post-crisis growth.

Follow: @HarvardBiz

Think Broad Not Deep

Computer vision startup Chooch.ai is trying to differentiate itself from other AI startups by taking a broader approach that could work in any setting, rather than concentrating on specific vertical applications. 

Using the pandemic as an example, CEO and co-founder, Emrah Gultekin says you could use his company’s software to identify everyone who is not wearing a mask in the building or everyone who is not wearing a hard hat at construction sites.

So when you’re brainstorming your Vision/Mission for your pitch deck, decide whether you are in Transportation (Broad) or Trains (Deep).

The approach seems to be working - Chooch.ai has just scored a $20M Series A. Read more!

Follow: @Chooch_AI

Startup Tips From A Rockstar Entrepreneur

Roger McNamee is the end point of where many startup founders want to be. If you watched Silicon Valley you saw him mentioned as one of the Sand Hill savants. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe, spent 34 years as a VC and technology investor, was an early investor in Facebook, and an adviser to Mark Zuckerberg.

In this interview he shares startup and business tips that are even more valid in COVID times than when the article was written. It’s a blast from the past from the master level investor. Spoiler alert! Mea culpa for the writing! 

Exec summary for fast trackers:

• Be an expert

• No room for wrong

• Test the timely tech.

• To be good, anticipate the bad

• Don’t forget to rock

Follow: @Moonalice