It costs about $10,000 a month for your own billboard in Silicon Valley. Pebble's billboard in Palo Alto, was not a preconceived part of the most successful Kickstarter campaign in history, (they raised $10.2-million in 40 days) says Founder, Eric Migicovsky, but it's a kind of "rite of passage" shared by a few stand out Y-Combinator companies.
Judging by the gentle manner, forceful temperament and clear minded persistence that the 26-year old conveyed to about 40 Startup Grind Toronto members this week, I believe the consensus is, "WAY TO GO!".
Migicovsky appeared larger than life, head and shoulders on an 8 foot screen. He immediately worked to reach beyond his own story and connect with each startup in the room. Quickly, the interview about Pebble became the filler, as we segued between rapid fire one on one exchanges between Eric and the other Founders. The format became "snap shot of startup and latest problem", with Eric and then others quickly responding with advice and encouragement.
Eric's disposition towards action defined his message of persistence. As he tackled each startup's problems, he picked away at it, with a methodical combination of "focus on the customer", "sell product now" and "launch & iterate".
"There is nothing more encouraging, than getting up in the morning and having an email from a customer to deal with," says Migicovsky. "If they are complaining or sharing an idea or giving you a compliment, it all helps push you forward."
Key take aways:
- If you are a developer, Eric wants to connect with you. Working on the next cool iPhone app: why not take advantage of Pebble's SDK (software development kit) for adding exciting new dimensions to your user experience.
- J U S T D O I T.
- It's a global startup ecosystem. Making global connections is key to your success.
Eric moved from Vancouver and took advantage of the Velocity program and the University of Waterloo. He created his original smart watch design while on an exchange at Delft University, one of the best industrial design schools in the world. Now his company is set up entirely in the US and aside from visiting Canada to recruit engineers (heads up! he is coming to Waterloo in mid June), he considers Silicon Valley home.
For a detailed recap of everything discussed you can replay the live blog coverage provided by Brian Jackson from ITBusiness.ca.
Thanks too to PlayThink's Patricia Kambitsch, who live sketched the conversation, capturing another visual form of the highlights (see below).
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx9sEPiwVHc?rel=0&w=560&h=315]