Top-5 Things I've Learned in Silicon Valley by Jonathan Chizick

http://JonathanChizick.com Top-5 Silicon Valley Learnings @JCinSVhttp://JonathanChizick.com @JCinSV
Top-5 Things I’ve Learned in
Moving to Silicon Valley
Jonathan Chizick
@JCinSV
Slides available at:
http://www.slideshare.net/chiz147
© Jonathan Chizick

http://JonathanChizick.com Top-5 Silicon Valley Learnings @JCinSV
Background:
2
What I do:
Who I help:
Startup advisor, former engineer. Actively involved in the Silicon Valley
startup world, as a mentor at the 500 Startups Accelerator, and advisor to
several startups and Venture Capital funds.
Early stage (Seed/Series A) startups in need of guidance and hands-on
assistance with business model & growth strategy, and customer & business
development. Focus on B2C or B2B2C in the consumer internet, mobile, and
marketing technology spaces.
Connect startups with customers, partners, and investors to grow their
business. Mentor tech startups for marketing, biz dev, and growth strategy.
Connections in large consumer brands, tech firms, and the SV ecosystem
www.linkedin.com/in/jchizick
https://angel.co/jonathanchizick
http://jonathanchizick.com
https://twitter.com/JCinSV
What I do

Meanwhile in Silicon Valley…

• Driving to in-person meetings is 10x more productive vs. remote
• “I do think the Valley is still the best place in the world by a huge margin to
build a start-up” – Sam Altman, President of Y Combinator
• “The reasons for a move are clear, but not many people understand the challenge.
Splitting up a small company…is one of the worst things you can do as it adds
tremendous execution risk. But the only thing worse is not doing it. Between the
execution risk (that is within your control) and the risk of not being there (which
becomes out of your control), I choose the former. I want to choose the risk I take.” –
Noam Bardin, Founder of Waze
– If your core market is the US, it’s critical to be there for product feedback
– You will raise more money, at a better valuation, from better investors
– Your media coverage will be greater both in number and in influence
– Your network, partnerships and contacts will accelerate dramatically
– The odds of being acquired and size of transaction grow in your favor
Learning #1: You have to be here

• Referrals matter.
• Cold intros have low hit
rates…and even lower success
rates
– Most investors use intros as
screening process
• SV has a relatively informal
culture, but one that is
extremely interconnected. I’m
constantly amazed at the people
I run into. I’m also amazed by
the willingness of the
community to introduce,
connect, and mentor
#2: Your Network is Your Most Important Asset

• Venture investing is extremely interconnected
• Top-tier investors (and accelerators) make it easier to
attract employees and follow-on investments
#3: Brands matter

• Deliver results and investors will come to you
• Dramatic growth attracts investors &
employees…but the bar is high
#4: …but performance tops everything

• Companies Jeff Clavier said ‘no’ to:
• Josh Koppelman passed on:
• Fred Wilson:
• Ron Conway:
#5: Don’t let a ‘no’ stop you

Top-5 Learnings
1. Be here
2. Network
3. Brands matter
4. Performance tops everything
5. Don’t let ‘no’ stop you

Where to start?

• Tip: Start thinking about Marketing now
– Lie entrepreneurs tell: “All our growth is with zero
marketing”
• Inability to scale customer acquisition is the single
greatest factor in not getting Series A
• "The Valley skill set that should be in highest
demand and greatest scarcity is neither engineering
nor design, but rather internet marketing." – Dave
McClure, 500 Startups
Keep Building your Business!
Don’t be (too) distracted by the bright lights

• Definite benefits to a remote technical team, but
expect to travel a lot
• Great post from Noam Bardin, Founder of Waze:
http://buff.ly/1pOds5k
– “Your job description will include flying back and forth every 4-5
weeks. Nothing beats the face to face time and you MUST
preserve your relationship, bring your feedback to the team,
hearing their feedback, eating dinner together, going out and
maintaining personal bonds etc. It sucks but that’s life”
• Start building connections to brand names – it will take
time (but much faster being in SV vs. remote)
Plan your move
Don’t underestimate the challenge

• The volume of networking events,
conferences, meetups,… will be overwhelming
– Prioritize and know why you’re going
• List of key networking events & resources:
– http://jonathanchizick.com/2014/06/29/silicon-valley-networking-resources/ *
* your mileage may vary. Starter list also included in the appendix
Filter the Noise
Don’t let networking overwhelm you

• Build out your AngelList profile
– Requires building real relationships
• Follow key blogs & Twitter accounts
– Seriously, Silicon Valley LOVES Twitter
• Use CRM tools for Networking
– LinkedIn is mandatory. Contactually, RelateIQ, or similar
personal CRM manager is recommended. Rapportive is also
a very useful tool
* there are always exceptions, but building your profile can only help
* Starter list included in the appendix. List is kept updated at jonathanchizick.com
Build your company’s online profile
If you’re not on the Internet, you don’t exist*

Good luck, and thank you!
www.jonathanchizick.com
@JCinSV

Blog Starter List
Mark Suster: http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com/
Fred Wilson: http://www.avc.com/
Brad Feld: http://www.feld.com
The Foundry Group: http://www.askthevc.com/wp/
Steve Blank: http://steveblank.com/
Eric Ries: http://www.startuplessonslearned.com/
Paul Graham: http://paulgraham.com/
Dave McClure: http://500hats.com/
Marc Andreessen: http://blog.pmarca.com/
Chris Dixon: http://cdixon.org/
Josh Kopelman, First Round Capital: http://redeye.firstround.com/
David Hornik, August Capital: http://ventureblog.com/
David Skok, Matrix Partners: http://www.forentrepreneurs.com/
Hunter Walk: http://hunterwalk.com/
Tomasz Tunguz: http://tomtunguz.com/

Networking Resources for Silicon Valley
Event Listings:
Web Wallflower: http://webwallflower.com/
BASES: http://bases.stanford.edu/ (email list: link)
Startup Digest: https://www.startupdigest.com/
TechCocktail: http://tech.co/
Recurring events with changing topics:
SVForum's events: http://svforum.org/
VLAB: http://www.vlab.org/
Founders Space: http://www.foundersspace.com/roundtable/
Worthwhile Conferences:
LAUNCH Festival: http://events.launch.co/festival ; Other LAUNCH conferences: http://events.launch.co/
DEMO: http://www.demo.com/
TechCrunch Disrupt: http://techcrunch.com/event-type/disrupt/
Everything from 500 Startups: http://500.co/events/
VentureBeat conferences: http://events.venturebeat.com/
Accelerators/Co-Working spaces with events:
Plug & Play: http://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/
NestGSV: http://www.nestgsv.com/
RocketSpace: http://rocket-space.com/

Top-5 Things I've Learned in Silicon Valley by Jonathan Chizick

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