Limelight

8 years ago, I got fired from my dream job at Indeed. 30 minutes before HR fired me, the CEO gave me a $250k grant. My plan? To build a platform to help us hire non-US citizens. But then… they realised I was on a student visa. Under a technical policy they said... "Dave, we have to let you go...” “You're replacing an American worker’s job." I had 30 days to pack my bags and leave the US. I thought my career was over. Fast forward 5 years... I'd brought the idea to life without them and raised $34MM for my own tech startup that helped companies hire under-represented talent. What’s even crazier? Indeed reached out to invest in us. 3 years AFTER they fired me! Today, I'm scaling Limelight (with over 450+ brands signed up!). I feel like I’m right where I belong. In the trenches building a startup from 0-1… Everyone has an entrepreneurial spirit inside them. Sometimes you just need a little push! Getting fired was my biggest blessing.

The #1 marketing channel for B2B brands in 2024? (according to ALL the data I’m seeing) → Content creators. Would you rather... Spend $100K competing in crowded ad spaces OR spend $20k for 5-10 creators to post content about your brand for 3 months? It’s a no-brainer. With creators, you benefit from: Large, highly targeted audiences Distribution via TRUSTED thought leaders Top quality content from expert creators Most importantly? Better ROI. B2B marketing is about long-term, authentic partnerships. Not one-off posts Not one off clicks. Not one-off ads. Creators should be a KEY part of every B2B brand team. Either have internal employees become creators or invest in creators in your niche who are already nailing it on social media. (Or even better, both!) Brands that do this will outperform every competitor. Agree or disagree? P.S. Thanks Daniel Disney for having me on your podcast! Links to listen are in the comments.

How to build a product in 2024: #1 Share idea with intended user → get feedback… #2 Absorb feedback into version 2 → get feedback… #3 Absorb feedback into version 3 → get feedback… #4 Absorb feedback into version 4 → get feedback… (Repeat this until you’re 75% there). Don’t chase perfection. Chase ‘good enough to launch’ Now what? Launch → get feedback → implement → repeat More feedback = more improvements More improvements = more problems solved More problems solved = better product Better product = more sales More sales = longer runway Longer runway = scaleable business Limelight is growing 150% month on month. Why? Feedback. We’re using it daily to build the ULTIMATE B2B Creator Partnership platform. Post inspired by: Greg Isenberg

Here's how B2B brands SHOULD be using content... So they don’t waste money! People say "content is king" I DISAGREE ❌ There's a better way to leverage content... ✅ It's more affordable ✅ It builds trust faster ✅ It actually delivers ROI (Watch this 2 min explainer video) P.S. 420 brands have signed up to Limelight and are doing this already with INSANE results.

Today is a huge Launch Day for Limelight. We are introducing Limelight 2.0 🎉 Watch our new product video! 👀 We’ve done so much since going live 5 months ago. What we had then: → A tiny team of 3 with a big goal → 120+ hours of market research → 0 brands or creators signed up → 0 storefronts created What we have today: → 397 brands signed up → 329 storefronts created → 28 strategic company advisors → $272,522 total proposals sent to creators → 5 brand new product features (see the video) After 100s of iterations and 1,000s of minutes speaking to users... We now have a product taking the market by storm. This is a NEW WAVE of influencer marketing in B2B. Interested? DM me if you’re a brand or creator! Join Apollo, Clay, Instantly, Webflow, Intercom, Chili Piper & more. P.S. What do you think of the new product video?

STOP obsessing over new customer acquisition. These 3 metrics are FAR more important: #1 Product usage - are users engaged? #2 Time to value - how quickly do users see value? #3 Churn rate - how often do users disappear? Since launching Limelight 5 months ago, we’ve grown 150% MoM by focusing on these metrics. I’m constantly asking: Is onboarding simple? Is UX intuitive and clean? Is our value proposition clear? Are we solving key pain points? Is service quality top-notch? Is integration smooth? New customers don't mean you have a good product. → They mean you have good salespeople (or good marketing). That's all. P.S. In this vid, I break down the 3 key metrics (and explain HOW I'm using them to scale, fast).

We are excited to announce we've added 5 advisors to Limelight! Peter Walker, Jacob Karp, Elvi Caperonis, 👩🏻🏫 Krysten Conner, and Mark Kosoglow 🎉 Over the past few months, we've been blessed to get incredible product feedback and market insights from them. They are helping us build the first-ever B2B partnership platform. Let's do this ⚡

In 4 months, 334 brands have signed up to Limelight 🎉 Including Hubspot, The Washington Post and Clay. That’s over 2.7 brands signed per DAY!!! The future of B2B marketing is not: Cold prospecting (→ intrusive & high effort) Paid advertising (→ expensive long term) In-person events (→ limited reach) The #1 strategy in 2024? B2B Creator partnerships. Why the hype? _______________ Reason #1: B2B Creators "get it" They understand content, social algorithms and copywriting. They are marketing, messaging & distribution experts. = fail-proof campaigns. _______________ Reason #2 Brands can track ROI You get detailed campaign data (engagement, audience demographics, clicks, conversion rates, sign-ups). = measurable results. _______________ Reason #3 Brands can steal authority Endorsements from respected B2B Creators (with highly aligned audiences) are powerful social proof. They amplify trust. = higher conversions _______________ We have 2,000+ Creators with MILLIONS of followers! (Active, engaged and content-hungry audiences) That's an insane opportunity... To put YOUR brand into the limelight. P.S. DM me for a free Limelight demo! (2 slots only).

127 days ago, I launched my startup. And we just BROKE a record! 🎉 Limelight had its biggest partnership yet. One of our B2B creators signed a $12,000 content partnership with one of their DREAM brands 💸 (300% increase from our previous biggest). The creator will get: • $12,000 in the bank • Free product access • Creator credibility The brand will get: • A 3-month (done-for-you) marketing campaign • Direct promo to a highly targeted 300k audience • Features in podcasts, newsletters & social posts I had the idea for Limelight last year & launched 4 months ago. 334 brands and 259 creators have signed up. This week we hit $250,000+ in total proposals sent. (To come this far so quick… is CRAZY). Big shoutout to our investors (pre-seed $1.1M), our team and all our advisors. We're just warming up 🔥

I run a startup with 3 people. (but we do the work of 15!) Me: our marketing, sales, and ops guy Demir Capan: our product designer Youngjae J.: our developer In just 4 months, our tiny remote startup... Has achieved all this 🎉 → 334 brand sign ups → 259 creator sign ups → 114 partnership proposals sent → $229,525 total proposal value → 109 applicants to live campaigns The SPEED of adoption at Limelight is insane. We help brands run B2B creator campaigns (and pay creators for their content) The best part? You can use our product for free. We're not revenue-driven… yet! We exist purely to deliver the most convenient, effective and money generating product for our users, so THEY benefit. (I know if they’re happy, we’ll benefit too). It feels good to do great work. Month 5? LFGGGGGG 😎 P.S. I have some exciting videos coming soon…