9 things I learned about startups from Rohini Srihari

First event of 2015 was a success! Had a great crowd, including some new faces from 43North and Z80. The event was sponsored by Launch NY, Dig, Nickel City Graphics, Kaleidoscope Komputers, and Colligan Law.

Nicole gave a great pitch for VerbQ, a thesaurus for modern writer (check out the kickstarter). Scientista was also in attendance to help support women in STEM.

Rohini Srihari was a great speaker, and gave really practical advice on how to start a successful tech business using her startup, Content Savvy, as an example. Below are a few of my favorite pieces of advice:

1. Challenge your employee’s especially your first hires.  Rohini talked about how one of Content Savvy’s first employee’s came from Germany because he was looking for a challenging work place.


2. Be aware of different financing options, and get investments in chunks if possible. Starting with small investments can be a good option, and then use success of business to get larger investments.  If a startup needs a large sum of money to start, break it down into smaller amounts to keep momentum.


3. Have something very memorable in your VC pitch, and include quantifiable data. Rohini described how her pitch included real figures-save this amount of money or decrease cost by x %. Investors hear lots of pitches, it is important for startups to have something special in their pitch to be remembered by.


4. Practice your pitch with sales people. If you can get sales people interested in your product that proves your model, and investors will see there is revenue potential.


5. Startups are more than tech- they are about people. The team is as important as the tech, spend time building the team as well as the tech.


6. Being based out of Buffalo doesn’t mean your startup is limited to Buffalo. Content Savvy is based out of Buffalo, but Rohini talked about having a presence in Silicon Valley and beyond.


7. Focus on daily optimizations- not on the eventual exit. Work every day to be the best you can be, the big successful exits will come if you build an awesome company.


8. To get more women interested in STEM show them the benefits. Getting women into Tech is important according to Rohini, and it is critical STEM is marketed as an awesome career for women before college. Rohini pointed out STEM careers can be exciting and rewarding for women.


9. If Buffalo is to succeed it needs more anchor companies with good jobs. According to Rohini jobs are crucial for keeping young professionals in Buffalo. Companies like SolarCity will keep talented graduates in the area .