Stage Two’s blog

Next week the TechCrunch50 and DEMOfall conferences will see the launch of some 122 new startups (my estimate based on the 70 presentations at DEMO and 52 at TC50 - the number may be wrong). Beyond all debate about which conference to attend, I must say I’m amazed at the numbers, especially considering how many were rejected (rumored to be many hundreds more). While some companies will do well at the events (my prediction is less than 10 brands will be memorable within 2 weeks of the shows), most will not.

I typically advice clients against launching at events like these (though attending is a completely different story). I think they are losing propositions for most really good companies. Being forced onto a stage to present your entire vision in 6 minutes and then be judged and scrutinized in front of the media isn’t quite a comfortable scenario. So many things can go wrong regardless of your product, technology, rehearsing, etc. Further, anyone with a really good technology or product and a decent marketing/PR team can line up the necessary press at their own schedule with a good demo environment.

That said, I can see a few reasons/benefits and thought I’d share some strategies.

• The Unknown Players. Let’s face it, there’s most certainly an advantage to the well-networked entrepreneurs (which is why people like Jason Calacanis and Loic Lemeur think PR is so worthless - they are already so well networked they can get the press and meetings just by asking friends). If you are from outside the Valley, or this is your first startup and you can’t afford a PR firm, events like these will let you build up a rolodex in just a couple of days. Your goal: networking.
• Almost Ready Products. Maybe you’ve been working on your tech for a long while (or not-so-long) and you aren’t quite ready for “real” launch yet. But there’s a huge conference happening just around the corner, let’s say a few weeks prior to your readiness. This could be a clever way to generate some buzz around your vision. BTW - your vision better be good! Your goal: build buzz.
• Amazing Presenters. If you are an over-the-top good presenter, the shows could be good venues for you. Let’s face it, most presenters are not good, they don’t listen/react/engage with their audience, they aren’t compelling, show too many dull slides, etc. If you are an A+ presenter, this is a fun time to shine out amongst the dullards. Your goal: wow em, win some kind of recognition.
• Me-Too Trendy Tech. Following/chasing a bandwagon? Building in the moment? These conferences are often breeding grounds for follow-the-leader companies, and could be a good place to network for a future acquisition. Please note: I’m certainly not encouraging everyone to go out and build the same stuff, but let’s face it - it happens, and if you find yourself in a sea of similar products, you’ll need all the networking help you can get. Your goal: standing out from the crowd.

Will the shows be full of interesting companies? Absolutely. Are there other reasons to demo/launch? Probably a few I can’t think of. Will new companies launch in the third week of September, thus moving on to new shinier toys for us to all play with? Yes. Will 100+ companies launch and nearly vanish moments thereafter? Yup.

Don’t believe me? Name 10 companies (without googling) who launched at DEMOspring or TechCrunch40 last year. I’ll get you started: Xobni, Mint, … uh… hmm…

This entry was posted on Monday, September 1st, 2008 at 1:09 pm and is filed under Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.