Meet your Local Startup
check out this Guest blog-post on The Creative Coast from our Tour Buddy founder. See the full blog post here: http://www.thecreativecoast.org/meet-your-local-startup/#.Ul6rrFBJN8E
Technology companies in Savannah. That’s what everyone wants. We can debate and speculate on the chicken or the egg of needing funding vs talent but we can also just DO something. Everyone can SUPPORT Savannah’s growing TECHNOLOGY COMMUNITY by USING and talking about their PRODUCTS!! Come out and meet the people and companies that are building technology companies right here in the Low Country!
On July 17th, ten of Savannah’s tech companies will be presenting along the Downtown Tech Crawl. You’ll meet a good mix of brand spanking new startups, some established success stories and everything in between. Learn about their products and meet the entrepreneurs who are making it happen –while enjoying food, beverages and a scenic ride around downtown courtesy of Old Savannah Trolley.
Step One is meeting them. Now, how can you support them? Here is how it works: The most important thing for a product based technology startup is (in order of importance):
- 1. Users (friends, family, paid relatives, etc)
- 2. Feedback
- 3. Early Adopters (ongoing users)
- 4. Paying Customers
Not what you expected? The trajectory of a typical startup starts with a concept that can usually be built fairly easily. The hard part is turning it into a sellable product. This involves getting users, iterating, repositioning, and then marketing. And these type of companies are built on the idea of scalability meaning that each additional “product” or “user” doesn’t require a lot of work so they are happy to give it away for free to gain feedback and early adopters.
All of us can foster technology companies in Savannah! It’s easy-
- 1. Get to know them and learn about their products. Here are some companies that you’ll get to meet on theTech Crawl
- 2. Go to their website, see if you can be one of those four things they need or recommend them to someone who can.
- 3. Talk about them! “Like” them on Facebook or “follow” them on Twitter. When they announce new products or success, help spread the word. Word of mouth goes a long way during the struggling first months of a new company. They need your voice!
Speaking of which, there are two cool Savannah startups on the verge of launching their products and looking for beta testers. Check out Green Light, an online management system for insurance certificates and other official documents and Bright Here that is reinventing the way we consume the news.
So why participate? In the long run, how does helping one little startup company foster technology companies in Savannah?
- 1. The success of some of these technology pioneers will inspire others to take the risk to pursue their concept.
- 2. Successful entrepreneurs can serve as mentors (and investors) to aspiring entrepreneurs as I was a grateful beneficiary.
- 3. Startups are magnetic! If we create a community of successful technologists (as some like to be called) other ones will want to move here, providing the talent we desperately need and a new group of startups.
- 4. So come out on July 17th and show some love for Savannah’s Technology community. You can RSVP here for a spot on one of the Trolleys.
And you can also come out to The Creative Coast Office at 6 PM on July 6th to mingle with local technologists at the Tech Crunch Meetup. Tech Crunch is one of the hottest technology blogs/websites in the country and will be stopping in Savannah, Atlanta, Raleigh-Durham, Charlotte, and Greenville to write about the startup scene in the Southeast (WOW!). RSVP here or just drop in to show your support.