from idea to exit
DESCRIPTION
Natalie launched the first version of Lanyrd.com with a co-founder and her husband Simon, while on honeymoon in Casablanca. As the site took off, they realised their side project was destined to become something much bigger. This talk will tell the story of Lanyrd from a two-week proof of concept to a fully-fledged startup, the lessons learned along the way about building and launching a product, running a company, raising investment and the entrepreneurship journey. This is the talk she wished she heard before getting started! In September 2013, just a week before the SmashingConf 2013, Lanyrd was acquired by Eventbrite.TRANSCRIPT
FROM IDEA TO EXIT.
Natalie Downe, 10th September 2013
Brighton, June 2010
Casablanca, Morocco, August 2010
If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve
launched too late.
Reid Hoffman
OH "if we fix all the bugs before launch, we won't have any fun left"
@nataliedowne, 11:36 PM, 30th August 2010
"We launched lanyrd.com ! Go easy on it, the log files are going a bit nuts, who knew Twitter was viral?"
@simonw, 10:52 AM, 31st August 2010
"Why are there ants on the wall?"
@nataliedowne, 6:24 PM, 2nd September 2010
"and we have internet again! at a nearby hotel bar now, our internet here in Casablanca reboots every day but normally comes back in an hour"
@natbat, 6:54 PM, 31st August 2010
"Had no idea how much work there would be _after_ launch, naively thought would be able to relax a bit, this thing has gone through the roof!"
@nataliedowne, 7:54 PM, 1st September 2010
"Internet at the 'Business Man Hotel' died, hot footed it in a taxi to Rick's Cafe again, waiters amused by us!"
@nataliedowne, 3:43 PM, 4th September 2010
"Being kicked out of Ricks, have to take a taxi to our hotel down the coast in time to finish scaling before the USA east coast wakes up"
@nataliedowne, 4:21 PM, 4th September 2010
"So there is no Internet in the room and they have turned all the restaurant lights off around us #sysadminingInTheDark"
@nataliedowne, 12:01 AM, 5th September 2010
Make your own luck.
Train from Cairo to Aswan, Egypt, October 2010
Egypt, November 2010
Luxor, Egypt, November 2010
What's new about what you're doing? What substitutes do people resort to because what you plan to make doesn't exist yet?
What do you understand about your business that other companies in it just don't get?
How will you make money?
How will you get users?
How do you know people need what you're making?
https://news.ycombinator.com/apply
Learn how to take advice.
Always be pitching.
Rehearsal day.
Lanyrd.com
Definitive databaseof Professional Events
and Speakers
Personalised, Social, Event Recommendation
Engine
Don't worry about people stealing your ideas.
If your ideas are any good, you'll have to ram them down
people's throats.
Howard H. Aiken
Surround yourself with a circle of trust.
Surround yourself with a circle of trust.
Raising money
Raise money to last for 18 months.
Raise money to last for 18 months.
Investor checklistElevator pitchExecutive summaryPitch deckAnswers to common questionsIntroductionsThe phone number of a really good lawyer!
Investor checklistElevator pitchExecutive summaryPitch deckAnswers to common questionsIntroductionsThe phone number of a really good lawyer!
Investor checklistElevator pitchExecutive summaryPitch deckAnswers to common questionsIntroductionsThe phone number of a really good lawyer!
Investor checklistElevator pitchExecutive summaryPitch deckAnswers to common questionsIntroductionsThe phone number of a really good lawyer!
Investor checklistElevator pitchExecutive summaryPitch deckAnswers to common questionsIntroductionsThe phone number of a really good lawyer!
Investor checklistElevator pitchExecutive summaryPitch deckAnswers to common questionsIntroductionsThe phone number of a really good lawyer!
Get a good corporate lawyer.
The way to seem most formidable as an
inexperienced founder is to stick to the truth.
Paul Graham
Building a team, designing a company.
Hire from your network.
Build tools that help you punch above your weight.
Pattern Portfolio.
One-click deploys.
Feature flags.
mobile
lanyrd.com/mobile
Always take press screenshots yourself.
Always take press screenshots yourself.
Press packs.Embargo time and timezone.Story summary and context. Numbers.Quotes.Contact details.Selection of screenshots.Link to your primary press pack.Background product info.LogosLinks and spelling of links.
Press packs.Embargo time and timezone.Story summary and context. Numbers.Quotes.Contact details.Selection of screenshots.Link to your primary press pack.Background product info.LogosLinks and spelling of links.
Press packs.Embargo time and timezone.Story summary and context. Numbers.Quotes.Contact details.Selection of screenshots.Link to your primary press pack.Background product info.LogosLinks and spelling of links.
Sign out?Add an event Simon Willison
Dashboard Conferences Speakers Coverage
Lanyrd integrates with LinkedInFor background information on Lanyrd, see our main press pack
For embargo until Saturday 14th September 2013 at 4:00pm London (11:00am Eastern / 8:00am Pacific)
Powered by WORLD TIME BUDDY 24AM/PM
STARTS IN
4 days7 hours, 23 minutes
LondonUnited Kingdom, England
4:00 pmSat, Sep 14 2013
- 4:00 pmSat, Sep 14 2013
Your TimeOn this Computer / Device
5:00 pmSat, Sep 14 2013
- 5:00 pmSat, Sep 14 2013
+1+1
Full length · Cropped Full length · Cropped
Lanyrd now helps LinkedIn users discover conferences and professional events based on their LinkedIn connections andprofile information. This fills a gap left by the shutdown of LinkedIn's events application and allows event organizers tocontinue to take advantage of LinkedIn to promote their events. LinkedIn users can also use Lanyrd to build their ownspeaker profiles, get event information on their mobile phones and network more effectively with others at events.
Lanyrd is launching the ability to sign in with your LinkedIn account and get event recommendations based on your LinkedIn contactsand profile information.LinkedIn users can now benefit from Lanyrd's directory of more than 25,000 events entered by our community in 100+ countries aroundthe world.LinkedIn announced that they will be shutting down their events app on the 26th of November in a help page on their site.Speakers and attendees can build a profile of the events they have attended and the talks they have given. Where LinkedIn acts as youronline resumé, Lanyrd can act as your online speaking portfolio.Users can subscribe to weekly emails recommending events based on their LinkedIn profile. As they grow their network on LinkedIn, theseemails will get increasingly more relevant.Event organizers can use Lanyrd to promote their events, publish their event schedule both online and through our mobile apps, andgather together slides, notes and videos once the event has ended.This also marks the first time Lanyrd have made their service available to people who do not use Twitter. New Lanyrd users can also nowcreate an account using an email address and password.
Lanyrd helps people get more out of conferences and professional events, by discovering the right events to attend, meeting the right peoplewhile there and catching up on slides, notes and video afterwards.
We have prepared a preview site for members of the press to try out the new functionality in advance of our public release on Monday at 4pmGMT. The preview is available here:
http://preview.lanyrd.com/
Use username beta and password hamster to access the preview. You can then sign in with LinkedIn using the Sign Up link on thehomepage.
Lanyrd - http://lanyrd.com/Lanyrd iPhone app - http://lanyrd.com/iphone/Lanyrd's HTML5 Mobile web app (Compatible with Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone, Kindle etc) - - http://lanyrd.com/mobile/
lanyrd-icon-square.png - 512x512 square PNGlanyrd-logo-trans-background.png - 2275x550 PNG Lanyrd Logo with transparent backgroundlanyrd-logo.eps - Vector EPS of Lanyrd logo
Please feel free to get in touch with us for more information. You can reach Lanyrd at [email protected]
You can reach our CEO, Simon Willison at +447973833945 (07973 833 945 if you are in the UK)
Summary
Key points
About Lanyrd
Press preview site
Useful links
Screenshots
Logos
Contact details
Faq · Blog · Services · Colophon
Privacy + Cookies · Email us
Follow @lanyrd on Twitter.
Lanyrd on Facebook
Sign out?Add an event Simon Willison
Dashboard Conferences Speakers Coverage
Lanyrd integrates with LinkedInFor background information on Lanyrd, see our main press pack
For embargo until Saturday 14th September 2013 at 4:00pm London (11:00am Eastern / 8:00am Pacific)
Powered by WORLD TIME BUDDY 24AM/PM
STARTS IN
4 days7 hours, 23 minutes
LondonUnited Kingdom, England
4:00 pmSat, Sep 14 2013
- 4:00 pmSat, Sep 14 2013
Your TimeOn this Computer / Device
5:00 pmSat, Sep 14 2013
- 5:00 pmSat, Sep 14 2013
+1+1
Full length · Cropped Full length · Cropped
Lanyrd now helps LinkedIn users discover conferences and professional events based on their LinkedIn connections andprofile information. This fills a gap left by the shutdown of LinkedIn's events application and allows event organizers tocontinue to take advantage of LinkedIn to promote their events. LinkedIn users can also use Lanyrd to build their ownspeaker profiles, get event information on their mobile phones and network more effectively with others at events.
Lanyrd is launching the ability to sign in with your LinkedIn account and get event recommendations based on your LinkedIn contactsand profile information.LinkedIn users can now benefit from Lanyrd's directory of more than 25,000 events entered by our community in 100+ countries aroundthe world.LinkedIn announced that they will be shutting down their events app on the 26th of November in a help page on their site.Speakers and attendees can build a profile of the events they have attended and the talks they have given. Where LinkedIn acts as youronline resumé, Lanyrd can act as your online speaking portfolio.Users can subscribe to weekly emails recommending events based on their LinkedIn profile. As they grow their network on LinkedIn, theseemails will get increasingly more relevant.Event organizers can use Lanyrd to promote their events, publish their event schedule both online and through our mobile apps, andgather together slides, notes and videos once the event has ended.This also marks the first time Lanyrd have made their service available to people who do not use Twitter. New Lanyrd users can also nowcreate an account using an email address and password.
Lanyrd helps people get more out of conferences and professional events, by discovering the right events to attend, meeting the right peoplewhile there and catching up on slides, notes and video afterwards.
We have prepared a preview site for members of the press to try out the new functionality in advance of our public release on Monday at 4pmGMT. The preview is available here:
http://preview.lanyrd.com/
Use username beta and password hamster to access the preview. You can then sign in with LinkedIn using the Sign Up link on thehomepage.
Lanyrd - http://lanyrd.com/Lanyrd iPhone app - http://lanyrd.com/iphone/Lanyrd's HTML5 Mobile web app (Compatible with Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone, Kindle etc) - - http://lanyrd.com/mobile/
lanyrd-icon-square.png - 512x512 square PNGlanyrd-logo-trans-background.png - 2275x550 PNG Lanyrd Logo with transparent backgroundlanyrd-logo.eps - Vector EPS of Lanyrd logo
Please feel free to get in touch with us for more information. You can reach Lanyrd at [email protected]
You can reach our CEO, Simon Willison at +447973833945 (07973 833 945 if you are in the UK)
Summary
Key points
About Lanyrd
Press preview site
Useful links
Screenshots
Logos
Contact details
Faq · Blog · Services · Colophon
Privacy + Cookies · Email us
Follow @lanyrd on Twitter.
Lanyrd on Facebook
Keep an eye on your out-of-money date.
December 2012
Choose a theory. Prove or disprove the theory.
Choose a theory. Prove or disprove the theory.
Lanyrd Pro, April 2013
Learn from people who used to be like you.
San Francisco, USA, March 2013
Balance your options.
Companies don't buy companies.
People buy companies.
Trust your gut instinct.
Look after yourself.Doing a start-up is a life choice not a get rich quick scheme
