It might be hard to believe, but Startup Day dates back more than six years. In fact, it began before GeekWire existed.
Seattle 2.0 founder Marcelo Calbucci launched the event as a way of helping entrepreneurs — including those emerging from the region’s largest tech companies — turn their best ideas into successful businesses. The goal is to empower the startup community by sharing the experiences of people who’ve built companies before, in some cases multiple times.
We’ve always learned a lot from this event, and those lessons have proven even more valuable in recent years as we’ve gotten GeekWire off the ground. It’s a huge help to hear how top people in the tech world manage the everyday business of building a company — everything from the big wins to the difficult mistakes.
So we look forward to this day, and we’re honored to carry on the tradition.
Thanks to the more than 600 of you who joined us Friday for the sold-out GeekWire Startup Day. We heard from Seattle’s mayor, a noted chef, two nationally recognized Entrepreneurs of the Year, and two former roommates who just sold their company for $8.3 billion.
We learned what happens when the cash runs out, and what people do after they leave Microsoft.
And we were introduced to some promising new companies that are trying to make their own dent in the world.
Thanks to our title sponsor, EY, and to all of the sponsors who made this event possible.
Thanks to our speakers, and to the 15 startups that participated in our Startup Demo Zone. That’s where companies had a chance to receive in-person feedback from investors and give one-on-one presentations to attendees.
From that group, three were chosen to pitch on-stage to our VC panel — who picked as their winner the Seattle startup EdRepublic, which is trying to make it easier for companies to identify and hire the best coders.
Congrats also to the People’s Choice Winner, UrbanBin, a Seattle company preparing to launch what you might call the Uber of on-demand storage services.
And thanks to the great group of experts who dished out advice in the Startup Resource Room, where attendees were able to ask questions about finance, sales, law, design, development and many other critical startup topics.
GeekWire staff reporter Taylor Soper pulled together these highlights from Startup Day 2015, in tweets, quotes and photos — starting with one of the recurring themes of the day: company culture.
Lessons from Jordan Ritter founder of Napster, Ivy softworks: 'Culture is the most important thing. Find the right talent.' #gwstartupday
— MosaicTrack (@MosaicTrack) January 30, 2015
Great to hear @mhilton @rsingh68 talk about how culture is crucial for growth at scale #gwstartupday
— MadronaVentureGroup (@MadronaVentures) January 30, 2015
This is great: "You have to be gritty. You have to believe. You can never give up." – Kristen Hamilton, Koru #gwstartupday
— Leslie Mabry (@LMabry4) January 30, 2015
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray opened the day by touting Seattle as one of the best cities for startups and entrepreneurs.
“Technology and the IT sector should only grow in Seattle even larger than it is now,” Murray said.
#Seattle has what it takes to be a better home to start-ups than silicon valley: Better talent, investors & quality of life. #gwstartupday
— Ed Murray (@MayorEdMurray) January 30, 2015
Mayor Murray just disclosed his bet with the mayor of Boston. "We are going to hurt them again on Sunday". #gwstartupday
— Todd Rohs (@toddrohs) January 30, 2015
Unikrn CEO Rahul Sood on preparing yourself for entrepreneurship
Next up was Rahul Sood, Unikrn CEO and a former general manager at Microsoft Ventures, who offered up a bevy of tips to those thinking about making the startup leap.
"You have to believe you have a great idea" to be a successful entrepreneur @rahulsood @unikrnco #gwstartupday
— Charlie Malley (@MalleyJLL) January 30, 2015
I love that @rahulsood emphasized having a diverse team men & women. #startupadvice #gwstartupday
— Jaclyn Reiner (@JaclynReiner) January 30, 2015
@rahulsood advice for entrepreneurs: get a rich spouse. #gwstartupday
— Bill Hankes (@bhankes) January 30, 2015
He also noted how “Seattle is the best place to build a startup company right now.”
“There is no better talent pool on the planet,” Sood said.
Koru CEO Kristen Hamilton on startup culture and having grit
Following Sood was Koru CEO Kristen Hamilton, who spoke about “intentional culture” and confidence at a startup.
“When you’re in a startup, it often feels like you’re running to a cliff … and you have to hope there’s a bridge, or a platform, or a parachute you can grab,” she noted.
Kristen Hamilton on #Seahawks and #startups: remember: "Why Not Us?" And "Always believe in yourself and your team" #gwstartupday
— UW Buerk Center (@UWBuerk) January 30, 2015
You have until your company has 50 people to develop a culture for your company #KristenStewart #gwstartupday
— Scott Usher (@UsherBMPS) January 30, 2015
This is great: "You have to be gritty. You have to believe. You can never give up." – Kristen Hamilton, Koru #gwstartupday
— Leslie Mabry (@LMabry4) January 30, 2015
Cheezburger CEO Ben Huh on handling your self-doubt and thriving through challenges
Rounding out the early morning sessions was Cheezburger CEO Ben Huh, who revealed some struggles he had with self-doubt and explained what he did to work through that. Huh also shared tips for entrepreneurs and noted that failing at a startup, especially after coming from a large company, is not literally a matter of life or death.
“If you screw up at a startup, the most probable outcome … is that you will get a raise at a bigger company,” he said.
I love this guy. @benhuh When you're in the belly of the beast, the only way out is through." #startup #gwstartupday
— dorothyho (@dorothyho) January 30, 2015
Clarity > Ambition
Simplicity > Minimalism
Listening > Strategy#startup wisdom from @benhuh at #gwstartupday— Greg Meyer (@grmeyer) January 30, 2015
Live to learn. Give in to my fears . Find joy in my strengths. Enjoy the grind. 4 tips from @benhuh #gwstartupday
— Krishnan Gopalan (@KrishG) January 30, 2015
Former Microsofties on making the leap from big company to small
Buuteeq CEO Forest Key, Acumatica CEO Jon Roskill and INRIX CEO Bryan Mistele all share something in common: They are former Microsoft employees who left to pursue their own startups. They talked about the transition away from those big companies.
Enjoyed myself on #gwstartupday panel sharing (and learning!) about networking, sacrifices, and orgies w @forestkey @BryanMi #startup
— Jon Roskill (@Jon_Roskill) January 30, 2015
"Getting something done at MS was like lobbying congress." Ouch. #gwstartupday
— Vinny Pasceri (@vinnypasceri) January 30, 2015
Working smart is more important than working long hours…I go home and see my kids. That's my meditation. – Forest Key #gwstartupday
— Rebecca J. Conner (@TechFinAdvisor) January 30, 2015
Former Rivet & Sway CEO on ‘when the rubber skids off the road’
Up next was former CEO Rivet & Sway Sarah Bryar, who gave a candid talk about how and why her company ultimately had to shut down, and what lessons entrepreneurs can learn from that experience.
Congrats to #sarahbryar of @rivetandsway for being #candid, #empathetic and #humble abt her start-up journey. #welldone #gwstartupday
— JC Beck (@JLCBeck) January 30, 2015
Lessons from Rivet & Sway – didn't go big fast enough. Too many small experiments over the first year. @sarahbryar #gwstartupday
— Keela Robison (@keelarobison) January 30, 2015
Thx Sarah Bryar for sharing how to shut down a co with grace and kindness. #gwstartupday
— Britt Stromberg (@brittstrom) January 30, 2015
Fireside chat with Concur co-founders Raj Singh and Mike Hilton
Just before lunch, Concur co-founders Mike Hilton and Raj Singh spent 30 minutes talking about wisdom they’ve picked up over the past 22 years running the Bellevue-based travel expense management company. Friday also happened to be the pair’s final day at Concur, which was acquired by SAP for $8.3 billion in September.
“As a founder, it’s like giving up your baby — it was gut wrenching, internally,” Hilton said of the SAP acquisition. “It was not easy for any of us. It was very, very difficult.”
Singh also stressed the importance of culture at Concur, and credited it to much of the company’s longevity over the years.
We talk about culture first. We talk about people first. Then we talk results – Concur founders at #gwstartupday
— Rebecca J. Conner (@TechFinAdvisor) January 30, 2015
"Live the words that you preach" when you're small. Build your culture the right way & your employees will sustain it. #gwstartupday @Concur
— Donna Manders (@SmokeFreeLife) January 30, 2015
You should do something you enjoy. You should do it with people you enjoy. @mhilton #gwstartupday
— Rebecca J. Conner (@TechFinAdvisor) January 30, 2015
Elevator Pitch and VC panel
After lunch, we had a chance to hear three pitches from the Demo Zone companies that garnered the most “OfferUp Bucks.” Executives from EdRepublic, Bloom, SERPs, and Surefield pitched to a panel of venture capitalists that included Ignition Partners’ John Connors, DFJ’s Bill Bryant, and Maveron’s Jason Stoffer.
Ultimately, the VCs were most impressed with EdRepublic, a cloud platform that evaluates software development skills using analytics that calculate a suitability index for recruiters. The startup won tickets to the upcoming GeekWire Ping Pong and Anniversary Bash in March, as well as a coveted spot in the Demo Pit area of the Launch Festival in San Francisco.“Every company is becoming a software company, and every company is really struggling with finding, assessing, and securing talent for technical hires,” Connors said. “We thought there could potentially be a real opportunity here and it’s extensible to other technically-oriented jobs that are hard to assess in just an interview.”
After the elevator pitches, the VCs talked about the Seattle startup ecosystem and shared best tips for pitching and raising money.
"best pitch: know your market, know your competition, know your early adopters. Crisp story w/spot on customer feedback." #gwstartupday
— Lyndsey Patterson (@misslyndseyp) January 30, 2015
Startup companies spend way too much time telling us what they do and not enough on why it matters. -Bill Bryant, @dfjvc #gwstartupday
— Greg Meyer (@grmeyer) January 30, 2015
Jason Stoffer on why #Seattle beats the Valley for startups: your team is more likely to stick around here #gwstartupday
— Marty Wolk (@martywolk) January 30, 2015
Ethan Stowell shares entreprenurial lessons from the restaurant business
Following the VC panel was a unique presentation from Seattle-based chef and restaurateur Ethan Stowell, who shared lessons he’s picked up over the years that all entrepreneurs — in the restaurant business or not — could use.
Ethan Stowell @ESRseattle speaking about entrepreneurship at #gwstartupday @geekwire. The pics behind Ethan are making me hungry.
— Andy Shawber (@ashawber) January 30, 2015
"Do what you love to do. Success will come later." – Ethan Stowell #gwstartupday
— Vinny Pasceri (@vinnypasceri) January 30, 2015
"Make what you do matter" – Ethan Stowell @ESRseattle #gwstartupday
— Chris Kennewick (@chriskennewick) January 30, 2015
Napster co-founder Jordan Ritter on the hardest thing to get right
Up next was Jordan Ritter, co-founder of Napster and current CEO of Ivy Softworks, a stealthy “innovation studio” in Seattle that Ritter describes as a “startup that builds startups.” Ritter touched on the importance of hiring the right people at your startup.
"The 3Cs: Culture, Capacity, Craft" Does this hire match our 3Cs? what to focus on when hiring for a startup #jordanritter #gwstartupday
— Ken Horenstein (@kenhorenstein) January 30, 2015
Jordan Ritter: It is better to suffer alone than suffer with fools. But with the right people you will suffer happily. #gwstartupday
— Todd Rohs (@toddrohs) January 30, 2015
@jpr5 great presentation at #gwstartupday "Startups are like diamond-making machines, marriages and emotional roller coasters"
— Troy Niehaus (@tfwn93) January 30, 2015
Entrepreneur of the Year Smackdown
Last, but certainly not least, was our final session of the day: Entrepreneur of the Year Smackdown.
At the end of 2013, Porch CEO Matt Ehrlichman and Gravity Payments CEO Dan Price were named “Entrepreneur of the Year” by two different publications — Ehrlichman receiving the honor from USA Today and Price picking up the hardware from Entrepreneur Magazine.
Ehrlichman and Price agreed to speak together on stage, and the result was a fantastic look into the way each CEO has built a successful company.
@DanPriceSeattle says if you want to launch a startup ask yourself why, be ready to sacrifice. #gwstartupday
— Marty Wolk (@martywolk) January 31, 2015
#GWStartupDay: be conscious of how u build the culture. Get definition and early group all in.–Matt Ehrlichman, http://t.co/CsRFaKrDss
— SteveFawthrop (@SteveFawthrop) January 30, 2015
And to truly determine who is the real Entrepreneur of the Year, Ehrlichman and Price battled in a geeky paper plane contest, with the Porch CEO out-flying the Gravity Payments chief.
Startup Day wouldn’t have been possible without our sponsors.
- Presenting sponsor: EY.
- Gold Sponsors: UPS; eBay; Moz; OfferUp; Frontier Business Edge; Rightside; Atlas Networks.
- Silver Sponsors: Greythorn; COJK; Williams Kastner; Lighter Capital.
- Supporting Sponsors: Startup Seattle; Washington State Opportunity Scholarship; The Seattle Public Library; Launch Festival; Pitchbook; Protingent; and Keiretsu Forum.
So that was Startup Day 2015! Hope to see you at our big Ping Pong & Anniversary Bash on March 26.