Currier’s advice for startups is to consider whether their idea has patterns that can lead to large exits. 90% of the ideas he sees at the pre-seed/seed stage won’t result in large exits, so it is crucial for startups to focus on creating good ideas with potential. This means thinking about how your idea can solve a problem that people care about, and finding a way to scale it. By doing this, you’re more likely to create a successful startup and achieve long-term success.
Having successfully founded Currier Ventures, a venture capital and startup accelerator, five times over the past 20 years, Jerry is undoubtedly one of the most experienced entrepreneurs in the space. His company’s recent exits include securing a $11 million investment from Bain Capital Ventures and helping to launch optometry startup Iris Vision Technologies. As an investor-operator himself, Jerry will share his insights on what it takes to bring successful startups to market.
I find it helpful to write down a few ideas and then try to synthesize them into a short paragraph.###
There are a few things you can do in order to make sure your startup idea is actually good. One is to create an interesting paragraph based off of the above text. Another thing you can do is brainstorm different applications for your startup and decide which ones would be the best fit for your industry or customer base. And lastly, make sure you have evidence that
- Recognize platform shifts that make something newly possible.
- Identify fast-moving markets — where the TAM is not large, but increasing.
- De-risk your idea.
- Iterate on concepts that already work and why you shouldn’t be afraid of competitors.
If you’re an entrepreneur or a recent business graduate, the right question to ask yourself is not “What’s myexit?”, but “What are the problems I’m solving?” Andrew Currier will help you assess your company by helping you drill down to the unique selling proposition and understand why people need or want your product or service. This can give you insights that will ensure your business is tackling the right problem and providing value to customers.
The roundtable is an opportunity for founders to get more detail on specific topics, and they’ll also have the chance to ask other entrepreneurs questions. This type of event is valuable, as it provides startup owners with the knowledge and resources they need to keep their businesses afloat.
A serial entrepreneur and angel investor in DoorDash, Lyft and Patreon, James Currier has a unique perspective on the booming industry of cryptocurrency. He’s been involved in four VC-backed companies (Tickle, acquired by Monster; WonderHill, acquired by Kabam; IronPearl, acquired by PayPal; and Jiff (acquired by Castlight).
Currier has been an early pioneer of some of the most-used tactics in the tech startup world, including user-generated models, viral marketing, A/B testing and crowdsourcing. Currier is also the co-founder of NFX, a $475 million early stage venture firm focused on network-effect businesses.
Some experts believe that the next big disruptor in the technology industry will be something that doesn’t comply with traditional categories like phones, PCs or even TVs. This new category is called “the networked edge,” and it refers to devices that connect to networks and interact with other devices outside of traditional computing and entertainment ecosystems.
Tom Currier, a respected analyst and keynote speaker who has spent decades studying how companies create value for their shareholders, believes that this new form of innovation will be powered by network effects. Network effects are phenomena where the more users or customers there are on a platform, the more valuable it becomes. Similarly, the more partners or connectors there are between different products on a networked edge platform, the more valuable it becomes as well.
If you want to start or grow a startup, there are a few skills and topics you’ll need to be aware of. In this session, we’ll discuss some of the essential topics that will help your company succeed. You’ll learn about how to create meaningful products and services, how to find funding, and more. If you’re interested in starting or growing a startup, this is the event for you!
