#TCSW15 + #betadotmn Recap

The week after the week has come and gone and I’ve had some time to reflect on all things TCSW.

First off…wow.  I was absolutely blown away by the startups, the events, and overall enthusiasm sustained throughout TCSW15.  I’m not just playing cheerleader here either. Well done everyone.  Hats off to you!

It really felt like the whole week began to take on a life of its own. Planning for TCSW15 began in January and a lot of time and effort was put forth by the founding partners.  However, as the week approached most of the 60+ events fell into place. Hosts did an amazing job and it sounded like attendance levels were high (still compiling data on this).

As for Beta.MN 2.5..wow.  Once again, the startups, venue, and level of attendance set new standards of excellence for us.  It will be hard to top that one, but you know we’ll be trying in 2016. Congrats to Woodchuck on taking home the coveted Golden iPod.  We’re banking on a fresh layer of wood on the trophy when it returns!

So…what’s next?  Bigger and better, of course. Planning for next year’s TCSW16 will begin in the new year.  Would love to hear any and all feedback for improvement.  Also, if you’d like to get involved in the planning, all are welcome.

– Ryan

Where I’ll Be During #TCSW15

The 2nd annual Twin Cities Startup Week is next week and this year it really blew up. 60 events over the entire week and, by the looks of it, many events are completely sold out. Whoa.

The week will be fun, busy and crazy.  Kind of like life in a startup!

Here’s what I’m looking forward to attending:

Tuesday:

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

See you next week!

– Ryan

Calling All Minnesotans!

Lately I’ve been witnessing a positive trend for the Twin Cities startup community. One that I think positions it uniquely amongst other markets I’ve visited.

At least once a week I get contacted by a Minnesotan who lives somewhere else but wants to move back. They either work for or started a tech company and now are contemplating a move back. Maybe they just had their first kid and want to be closer to family. Maybe they’re contemplating buying a house and can’t fathom it in San Francisco. Maybe they just want to be around when the Vikings win the Super Bowl next year. Regardless, they are “hearing great things” about the startup scene in Minnesota. They are just looking for the right excuse to move back.

I think these “Boomerangs” are a phenomenon fairly unique to Minnesota. People grow up in Minnesota, love it, but want to get away for awhile while they are young. Gain some experience. See the world. Do something wild.

I should know. I was one of them. After graduating from the University of Minnesota and selling my first company, I went on a five month adventure to Argentina. I followed this up by a 4.5 year stay in Boulder. I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world, but I was excited to move back North. I had been “hearing great things” about the local startup community. Upon my return, I think my experiences I gained while away unique positioned me back in MN.

The “hearing great things” narrative is also important. Word is spreading and people are talking positively about the startup community. While I believe their is still work to do, the narrative is positive and proliferating.

While some people may argue that we have a “talent flight” problem, at least those flights seem to have a return ticket. People who take this path have unique perspectives and experience to share from their adventures. I think this adds to the local creative culture that is prominent throughout the Twin Cities.

So, to all the Minnesotans abroad….Welcome! Come back and join us. The time is now. This will be fun.

Communication Cadence for Startups

As they say, communication is key. Never more is this so than during a fundraising process. Maybe even more so when not fundraising for startups.

First off, if you’re fundraising you should have a weekly update email. Start sending these out at least a month before you start fundraising. This should include anyone you’ve targeted as a potential investor, advisor, or key hire. Let’s call them “supporters”.

Make sure they have opted in. Email content should breakdown as follows:

  1. Specific asks (Help us crush it!)
  2. What we did last week (Here’s how much we are crushing it!)
  3. What we are going to do next week (We plan to continue crushing next week!)
  4. 3-4 KPIs (See! The data proves we are crushing it!)

Email lengths should not go below the “fold” of a laptop screen. Bullet points. This gives your supporters exactly what they need to know in a digestible form.

Post fundraising, make sure you continue to communicate with your “supporters”. Preferably via a monthly email – bcc’d of course!

The dirty little secret about your supporters is that they talk to each other about you behind your back. That’s kind of our job. They also travel and talk to other potential supporters. Your update emails provide the ammo your supporters need to brag and boast about your pending unicorn.

Trust me, nobody wants to receive the “We’re going to run out of money next month so please send money!!” email from a founder. This is bush league. Regular communication builds trust and will help grease the wheels for future support.

Finally, be transparent and really real in the emails. This isn’t a sales pitch. If you totally messed up everything last month, let it be known. Discussing real problems will produce real solutions.

George Bernard Shaw said, “The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion it has taken place.” Take control of the narrative of your company and your supporters will reward you.

Welcome to the BrosharBlog

Hello Internet,

My name is Ryan Broshar. This is my blog. Broshar+Blog = BrosharBlog. Genius, right?

I’m excited to finally get the blog up and running. There are a lot of blogs out there. Why should you read this one? To be honest, I’m not really sure yet. This is a bit of a personal experiment. I can’t guarantee anything profound (beyond the genius blog name) but I do plan to provide some keen observations and transparency into things that interest me. These include:

  • Startup Life
  • Minnesota
  • Traveling
  • Venture Capital
  • Technology
  • Biking
  • Bullet point lists

The BrosharBlog will be separate from the Matchstick Ventures Blog, which will focus on our portfolio companies and company announcements. I plan to make frequent posts with a loosely held definition of “frequent”.

I hope you find these observations interesting. I’d love to hear your thoughts and keep the conversation going in the comments section below.

Until next time,

Ryan