It’s not easy to sell into an industry being disrupted
Looking to sell into an industry that’s currently undergoing disruption? At first glance, it sounds like a great idea. After all, companies getting disrupted are experiencing some very real challenges and pain points; they need to adapt quickly and could be looking for that silver bullet to save them. During my time at AbeBooks, I […]
The best way to approach investors: four tips
When you’re on the hunt for funding, it’s natural that you want to get things moving as quickly as possible. However, identifying and approaching the right investor should be a measured process. Blasting the same quick email to a dozen investors will never work in your favor. The average investor receives hundreds of pitches each […]
Bicycles, gears, and the future of education
At the recent GROW Conference, I caught up Aidan Nulman of Fleetbit. We were talking about one of Version One’s portfolio companies…Talentbuddy. If you’re not familiar with Talentbuddy, it’s a platform where programmers can post and solve programming challenges, covering all different areas and difficulty levels. It’s exercise for a programmer’s brain. During our discussion, Aidan reminded […]
Something special is happening in the Toronto-Waterloo area
It has not been a great couple of weeks for the Toronto-Waterloo area as BlackBerry, the big anchor tech company of that region, is struggling with its turn-around and just put itself up for sale. But where a giant tech company struggles, one of the most exciting startup ecosystem in North-America has emerged over the […]
The engagement threshold: transforming one-time customers into repeat business
Are you focused on new sales or bringing in loyal, repeat customers? Whenever a business is completely dependent on new customers, it’s vulnerable. Not only are customer acquisition costs high, but new customers are just as likely to turn to any new competitor that enters the market. The better a company is at turning one-time […]