Highline Beta’s Post

💡 Academics, researchers and innovators... Are you curious to learn about designing research to optimise for real world impact? Join this one-hour online workshop with research commercialisation experts Zinc VC, designed for academics and researchers: ▶ Discover how to integrate user-centered design and prototyping principles seamlessly into your research process, propelling your innovations toward breakthrough products. ▶ Uncover strategies that bridge the gap between academia and market success. ▶ Acquire invaluable insights, empowering you to create user-centric solutions and revolutionise your approach to product development. ▶ Elevate your research to new heights by mastering the art of designing for real-world impact in this dynamic session. 👇 Click below to register: https://lnkd.in/ePen5F_V Ed Halliday | Apoorva S. | Baiqu Gonkar | Luke Charbonnier-Bevan, PhD | Natalie Pankova, PhD | Rosie Webster

"Your pitch deck  is ruining your presentation" I told one of the CLIC start-up competition competitors.  3 hours later I told another one the same thing. And later today odds are I'll say it again.  The CLIC is a McGill faculty of medicine $200,000+ research competition. The pitching event is public with researchers, doctors and investors all in the audience. My job is to help get founders ready to take center stage. Some of the competitors have been working at incubators and have developed traditional silicon valley style start-up decks.  But these decks don't help share your story.  You see the typical VC tailored pitch deck obscures your story within a template structure of must haves: unmet need, solution, market, competition, team.  Since step 1 of developing an effective pitch is developing the ability to tell your unique your story, it means you need to ditch that deck. I'm not saying you can't use visuals, I'm just saying the ones you have won't work. Go ahead and develop a traditional 10,11, 12 slide pitch deck.   Just don't use it when you are gifted the opportunity of center stage. As my friend Phil McSweeney in the founder advisor space says: "heart before head"

5 people, a good idea, a prototype and a tiny budget. A pretty average start-up with a big dream. And at that point in time: they did not the best prospects to get noticed in a super conservative market, ruled by big corporates with million dollar budgets. 𝘚𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘩𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥? They didn’t need a thousands of followers, just few key ones. They didn’t need a big huge booth, just a 3x3m well planned one. They didn’t need to have it all figured out, just a good understanding of the problem. Turns communicating one key aspect, consistently, to just a few people did the trick. Are you communicating a long list, to lots of people, via lots of different channels and getting nowhere? Let’s talk!

💡 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? No worries, we've got you covered! Join us for the second session of our webinar series, where we'll dive deep into how you can leverage commercial validation to transform new business opportunities into profitable products. 🚀 Florian Schenk from WALTER GROUP will join our Venture Manager, Maximilian Breil, and Managing Partner, Georg Frick, to share their firsthand insights from a joint venturing project where we supported WALTER GROUP in validating the business potential of a digital venture opportunity. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻: 🎯 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: Why and when to prioritize commercial validation in your venture building process. 🛠️ 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: Key steps and insights needed to validate new products, services, or markets. 📈 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀: Techniques for identifying and validating the most promising use cases, markets, and customer segments. 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: 🗓️ Date: May 16, 2024 🕚 Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (CEST) 📍 Location: Online, via Zoom Secure your free spot now: https://lnkd.in/dvvGXSrs

Among the highlights of Early Stage are the fan-favorite roundtables. These intimate, expert-led meetings delve into specific topics designed to illuminate, revitalize and enhance your business.... #Complete #Consult #Early #schedule #stage #table #TechCrunch2024InitialStage #TechCrunchInitialStage

What is it that keeps you loving your work? That keeps you realizing, “This is what I’m really doing what I do”? Here’s one of mine. I love meeting people who show me what it’s like to approach life with curiosity and adaptability. And here’s how it happened recently. I was attending a major product launch for a long-standing partner who had recently become our client. This event was a big deal, not just for them but also for us as we sought to understand their operations and impact on other partners, some of whom we had also worked with. And the atmosphere was electric! Booths were set up around the venue, each showcasing innovations and success stories. The air buzzed with excitement as people eagerly shared their experiences. It was in this vibrant setting that I met "John," a man whose enthusiasm and curiosity made a lasting impression on me. John stood out because he wasn’t just there to present; he was genuinely open to new ideas and eager to learn. This quality of being teachable is crucial in brand development, which is far from a one-size-fits-all approach. You have to be curious, adaptable Because in the end it’s not just about strategies; it’s about embracing new ideas and continuously learning. John is a reminder that the work we do is about more than just business; it's about fostering growth and learning. #fintech #finance #business #technology #innovation #socialmedia #sales

Timing is everything, right? During my time at USC, I was part of the USC Incubator with the startup I was working on (filtr). Paul Orlando - who leads the incubator - just wrote a book called "Why Now: How Good Timing Makes Great Products" - addressing the critical role timing plays in business. If you're a founder or working in innovation in any capacity & are interested in learning more about practical frameworks and real-world examples on how timing impacts market dynamics and business outcomes - from the gold rush to more current events - you should check out his book. 👇

One of the aspects of this pitch that resonated the most with me was how organized the pitch was. Each slide was clearly presented with the main features being incorporated at each time to reinforce the overall solution. Besides having all the supporting evidence, I found their argument to be very compelling. Based on their numbers and figures, they also proved how they could keep themselves in business. Not only did they have a solution in which they proved was a big problem but kept innovating to keep enhancing their solution. Not only were they focusing on providing service to Tempe, but also reaching cities across the United States. https://lnkd.in/gFuNGhZZ

🚀 Just had an incredible time at The Paris Founder and Investor Meetup 2024 on Monday, March 4! Big shoutout to organizer Adam Fulham for the invite. It was fantastic connecting with fellow innovators and investors like Filipp Trigub , Imogen Roy , Magalie Kangni , Paul Bruma , Hilary Pang , Frederic Le Brun , Camille Despesse —wishing boundless success for your projects! Nothing beats personal meetings with those shaping the future! 💡 Attending such events is always enriching. Insights gained: 1. Learn English and French - double the power! 2. Always carry impressive business cards. 3. Presentations, prototypes, or booklets make an impact. 4. Embrace business and marketing slang. 5. Don't be shy—communication is key. We ensured our project's relevance and we’re grateful for the positive feedback. Here's to building the future together! 🌐 Have a productive week, everyone! #Networking #Innovation #StartupLife