SV In.Fusion September Bootcamp – Final Pitching day
Success is never guaranteed but when we were selected to participate in the SV In.Fusion Startup Bootcamp in Silicon Valley, we had the opportunity to learn and apply the best tools, techniques and trends Silicon Valley entrepreneurs use every day to build lean and mean businesses. As entrepreneurs, we are driven to continuously create, innovate and sell. There’s no guarateed 1-2-3 formula but, we can make less mistakes and build successful businesses if you get the basics right. We believe that applying certain ingredients and attitudes will make your journey worthwhile, with a good chance of success.
Participated in the Data + API Hackathon on the weekend. Shoppertise Core Team from L-R: CK, Christine, and Eric with TableApp’s Benson Chang
Throughout the programme, master classes & workshops were conducted by top Silicon Valley mentors on topics ranging from Silicon Valley Culture, Networking, Fundraising, Growth Hacking, Lean Startup Methodologies, to SEO & Marketing, UX/UI Design and more. We also traveled around San Francisco and Silicon Valley meeting founders, startup advisors and developer relations resources from Twitter, Facebook, Google, Amazon Web Services, Salesforce, eBay /PayPal, Skout and more.
CK, our CEO & Geek practicing his pitch and getting feedback from Zach Finkelstein of Lumia Capital
Here are 10 powerful lessons from Silicon Valley that every entrepreneur can rely on that will offer measurable and substantial returns:
- “Build repeatable and scalable business. Make a prediction of your Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) and Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and look at the results. The numbers will help you decide when is the right time to pivot or continue building the product.” – Stephen Forte, Telerik
Stephen Forte’s master class on Lean Startup Methodologies
- “Filter what you hear.” – Ariel Poler, Best of Angel
- “Measure the number of registered users versus the number of active users.” – Zach Finkelstein, Lumia Capital
- “Think of – How do I delight this person? What will make them say, “Oh, I want that. It’s perfect!”, – Marc Escobosa, Mode Media
- “Growth Hacking tactics are recyclable, depending on your type of business and the status you’re at.” – Joe Sanchis, Queue Technologies
- “Understanding the differences between paid & organic search and implementing each correctly is vital. Not only is focusing on content good for search, it’s also good for users. And make sure you have an organic search strategy.” – Cort Tofoya, SEO /SEM /Content Marketing Consultant
Cort Tafoya’s master class on SEO /SEM /Content Marketing Strategies
- “Hire ‘A’ players. Hire people smarter than you.” – Max Shapiro of PeopleConnect
Max Shapiro’s co-working office at PeopleConnect
- “Fix the product! Hire resources instead of splurging on marketing. Work on retention and engagement. Early stages company shouldn’t be spending money on ads and marketing except for surveys and A/B testing. Unless you have a funnel that’s working really well.” – Marvin Liao of 500 Startups
- “Culture and community really matters – be hungry, be happy and be helpful.” – Marvin Liao of 500 Startups
Marvin’s master class on Best Practices in Growth from Silicon Valley
- “The ideal convergence point is made up of a balanced team – a Hacker (developer who makes sure the tech & solution works), a Hipster (designer who ensures the product serves the user), and a Hustler (business savvy person who makes sure money is made).” – Marvin Liao of 500 Startups
Elevator pitch with Scott Kupor of Andreesen Horowitz
Special thanks to all mentors who have been so kind to extend their valuable time, connections, advises and share their entrepreneurial true life stories:
Dr. Karine Schomer from Change Management Consulting & Training, Stephen Forte from Telerik, Ariel Poler from Best of Angel, Marc Escobosa from Mode Media, Rebekah Wu from Right-Hand Partners, Joe Sanchis from Queue Technologies, Cort Tafoya – SEO /SEM /Content Marketing Consultant, Marvin Liao from 500 Startups, Michael Perry of KitCRM, Jennings Segura from Merrill Lynch, Bear Douglas from Twitter, Christian Wiklund from Skout, Zach Finkelstein from Lumia Capital, Max Shapiro from PeopleConnect and Scott Kupor from Andreesen Horowitz. Also not forgetting Amir Shevat and Dan Feld at Google, Deap Ubhi and Paul Underwood at Amazon Web Services, Ludovic Ulrich at Salesforce and John Frost at eBay /PayPal.
This trip was made possible through MSC Malaysia Global Linkage Programme.
For more photos, please visit http://on.fb.me/1CGFQNV
About SV In.Fusion
SV In.Fusion offers a hands-on two week Startup Bootcamp for foreign founders in Silicon Valley taught by experienced local experts. Learn and apply the best tools, techniques & trends Silicon Valley entrepreneurs use everyday to building lean and mean startups!
The bootcamp format includes Master Classes taught by experts, immediately followed by Workshops to implement new learnings, and includes a series of immersive activities in Silicon Valley culture – visiting top tech company campuses and meeting with product people, socializing with local entrepreneurs, angels and VCs, stopping by well known coffee shops and diners, as well as visiting city (and geeky) landmarks and museums, local university campuses, etc.
SV In.Fusion, in partnership with BootstrapLabs, works directly with foreign startups, their investors, incubators, accelerator, co-working space partners, NGOs and Government agencies around the world to facilitate and accelerate the sharing of Silicon Valley best practices.
Website: http://svinfusion.com/ | Blog: http://svinfusion.com/blog/ | Twitter: @SVInFusion | Facebook: https://fb.me/SiliconValleyInfusion | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/silicon-valley-in-fusion?trk=company_name
About MSC Malaysia
MSC Malaysia is Malaysia’s national ICT initiative designed to attract world-class technology companies while grooming the local ICT industry. Fully supported by the Malaysian Government, MSC Malaysia has led the nation’s transformation towards a K-Economy over the past decade and a half. MSC Malaysia is your gateway to the ICT industry in Malaysia and the region.
About Shoppertise:
Founded in November 2013 by Malaysian co-founders CK Yap and Christine Liew, Shoppertise is a cloud-based, mobile commerce platform that allows local micro and small business owners to sell their goods online with a smartphone in 3 easy steps: Snap, Share and Sell, because it should not be more complicated than that! Shoppertise is a portfolio company of BootstrapAccelerator Asia – a partnership between Silicon Valley-based BootstrapLabs, and Malaysia-based MAD Incubator.
Website: https://www.shoppertise.com/ | iOS App: http://bit.ly/1mSJxfG | Android App: http://bit.ly/1E2iYdi | Twitter: @shoppertise | Instagram: @shoppertise | Facebook: https://fb.me/shoppertise
