The Mentor in the Room: Mary Lemmer

What’s the worst mistake a founder can make?

Forgetting the golden rule “cash is king”.  Don’t run out of cash.  As a founder & leader of your company you have a duty to your employees.  Be responsible & transparent.   In a similar vein, be honest.  Lying to yourself & others is one of the worst things you can do, as the false perception can be detrimental to your team, your business, and yourself.

What’s the most common Startup error?

“Thinking” not “knowing”.  I see this a lot with companies that are raising money and when telling their stories they “think” people will buy their product or they “think” the market size is $50 billion.  Do yourself a favor and don’t think…. know!  Run experiments; prove your thoughts are real or not real.  Not just for the investors’ ease, but also for yourself and the confidence that what you’re doing is worthwhile.

What does “fail fast” mean to you?

Test something quickly.  If it’s not working, cut it off and try something else.

If you could fix one thing in the startup eco-system right now, what would it be?

To inject a shot of reality into it!  We read about all the things that go well – companies raise money, hire fantastic people, or are acquired for millions of dollars – but the reality is that most companies don’t raise money, people quit, or doors are closed.  Don’t get me wrong, I think the positive press is great, but in skewing the news to include mostly the good we’re creating a false perception of reality.

What should startups be focusing on in 2013?

Monetizing.  Let’s have 2013 be the year of the business model.  Find really big problems that people will pay money to solve.  Then, solve them and charge people.  Novel idea I know.

When’s the right time to seek funding?

Before you need it.  Raising money when you’re just about out of cash is not a great idea.  Always expect fundraising to take more time.  It also helps to really know the microeconomics of your business.  Know the “x in = y out” formula for your business because with that you can identify where money needs to be spent to scale the company.

Thoughts on crowd-funding?

It’s either going to work or blow up in our face.

Best advice you’ve ever gotten?

Be yourself.  This is the most common advice I receive from people I respect the most, regardless of their ages.  It is timeless advice and when I follow it my life is so much better.  When I don’t, well, chaos ensues.  

Guess who’s coming for dinner…who would be your dream dinner guest(s) and why?

Tina Fey, because:

1.            She’s my hero

2.            We have a lot in common and therefore so much to talk about

3.            Recreating the scene in “Date Night” where her and Steve Carell create dialogues for other dinner guest = my dinner game of choice

4.            I have a letter to give her

Anything else you’d like to add?

An improv rule and life mantra – there are no mistakes, only gifts and opportunities.  We cannot change the past, we can learn from it.  Take every moment and every experience, as an opportunity to learn and growth and you will never make a mistake again.

About WIM Mentor Mary Lemmer:

Mary is an entrepreneur, having been through the trenches, starting, building, and consulting for companies since age fourteen.  She is also an Associate for an early stage VC firm, RPM Ventures, and she knows what venture capitalists really look for and the skills necessary to be a venture backed entrepreneur.  Mary is actively involved in the entrepreneurial community, advises entrepreneurs, & uses improve to help entrepreneurs improve communication, pitching, among other important skills.  Learn more about Mary on her website.

The Mentor in the Room: Adam Quinton

What’s the worst mistake a founder can make?

Many potential answers to this! Obviously this is situation dependent. But here’s one generic mistake: “following advice rather than taking advice.” Point being that founders can get deluged with advice - from peers, mentors, advisors etc. All is well intentioned BUT in my view founders need to listen, absorb, process and then use that advice as they judge best based on their circumstances and goals. Hence TAKE advice, don’t just blindly FOLLOW it.

What’s the most common Startup error?

I can’t claim to be able to answer this question convincingly either. But again errors at the business level are many and varied and depend on the specific context. What might be a dumb marketing move for one business say might be smart for another. Ironically, given the next question, as a recent Venture Beat article pointed out: “the most likely reason for startup failure is premature scaling.” Their conclusion: “Don’t invest in entrepreneurs that get ahead of themselves!”

What does “fail fast” mean to you?

If you haven’t done it already read “The Lean Start Up” by Eric Ries. He knows more about this than most people so gives a much better answer than I can. Or, if you want a pithy answer listen to Mark Zuckerberg who says: “Stay focused and keep shipping”.

If you could fix one thing in the startup eco-system right now, what would it be?

If we are talking about the NYC eco-system then … it seems in pretty good shape. However it still lacks the breadth and depth of financing for entrepreneurs that the Valley has. So, if I had a magic wand, I would conjure but some big money exits and seed the NYC system with many more cashed out entrepreneurs and others investors eager to recycle that capital back into the local start up world.

What should startups be focusing on in 2013?

What they focused on in 2012, 2011 - indeed since time immemorial. Namely - applying their energy and passion to an innovative solution to a real world problem. And delivering that solution with stellar execution.

When’s the right time to seek funding?

Mmmm, so many hard questions! First point would be that securing “money from strangers” provides benefits but also alters the balance in your business. So if you can achieve what you want by bootstrapping, maybe having some ancillary way of generating cash, then don’t rush out and get funded just because it seems cool. Founders need to remember in particular that once they have a Board they don’t just have a formal judge and jury watching over them … they also have a potential executioner. (Read Noam Wasserman’s Harvard Business Review article on the Founder’s Dilemma and work out where you stand … although perhaps best to re-gender the “Do you want to be Rich or do you want to be King” question.) Other than than other tips would be a) raise money in good time ie know your runway and act well in advance of falling off it b) take it when it’s available, you never know when funding might be harder to come by.

Thoughts on crowd-funding?

Personally I am wary because I think the erosion of investor protections inherent is dangerous. It is clear that, one assumes for the same reasons, the SEC is going to be slow (they already missed the year end deadline) on rule making because they have similar concerns. So, don’t count on this as way to raise money in 2013.

Best advice you’ve ever gotten?

You’re never as good as people think you are when you’re winning and never as bad as people think you are when you’re losing.

Guess who’s coming for dinner…who would be your dream dinner guest(s) and why?

As a Brit (dual national now!) I would love to have dinner with a younger (she is now 87 and failing) Mrs Thatcher. While controversial in many ways she saved the country from what seemed like irreversible decline. Also she famously said:  “If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.”

About WIM mentor Adam Quinton:

Adam is an active investor in and advisor to early stage companies. He is a Managing Director at Golden Seeds, the investment firm dedicated to delivering above market returns through the empowerment of women entrepreneurs and a Mentor for the Women Innovate Mobile accelerator program. Adam is a member of the Global Advisory Board for Astia and a Founding Angel at Astia Angel. Astia is a global not-for-profit organization built on a community of men and women dedicated to the success of women-led, high-growth ventures. He supports Women2.0 as a first stage judge for their San Francisco and New York pitch competitions.

Adam is a Board member at Thrive Metrics, an innovative analytics technology company that leverages corporate communication data using proprietary algorithms and advanced Big Data text and sentiment analysis capabilities. He serves on the Advisory Board of leading Board and executive search firm RSR Partners as well as Philadelphia based start up Cloudamize. In the not for profit space he is on the Board of the Center for Talent Innovation and International House, New York. He is also a member of the 2020 Women on Boards New York Steering Committee.

Adam has over 25 years of investing and management experience most recently at Bank of America Merrill Lynch where he was Managing Director and head of Global Macro Research. He was a top ranked sell side investment analyst in the UK, Asia and the US.

Additionally he is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs where he is a Capstone workshop advisor and member of the Management and Gender & Policy faculties.

He holds a MA in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University and an MBA from Cass Business School, London.

The Mentor In The Room: Elisa MIller-Out

What’s the worst mistake a founder can make?

The worst mistake a founder can make is not talking to customers early and often!

What’s the most common Startup error?

One of the most common Startup errors is not testing assumptions rigorously, right from the start. It’s helpful if you take the core assumptions on which the success of your product rests and try to prove yourself wrong, instead of assuming you’re correct and trying to prove yourself right.

What does “fail fast” mean to you?

“Fail Fast” means get your minimum viable product out in front of customers early and observe, run tests and get lots of feedback. That way, if you’re heading in the wrong direction, you’ll learn about it early and won’t have to waste lots of time and money building something that no one wants.

If you could fix one thing in the startup eco-system right now, what would it be?

If I could fix one thing about the startup eco-system right now, there would be just as many woman founders as men.

What should startups be focusing on in 2013?

In 2013, startups should get excited about Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, 3D Printing, Gestural Interfaces, Near Field Communications, Mobile Payments, the Singularity and more!

When’s the right time to seek funding?

The right time to seek funding is once you’ve validated your core assumptions, achieved product market fit and have a strong minimum viable product or prototype.

Thoughts on crowd-funding?

Crowd-funding is great, but it’s a “crowded” marketplace, so you might have to work hard to get noticed and raise the funds you need. A lot of thought and work needs to go into marketing your campaign.

Best advice you’ve ever gotten?

The best advice I’ve gotten recently is “Focus on revenue.” from Darrell Hammond, founder of KaBoom! This was particularly surprising advice, considering that it came from the founder of a non-profit, but keep in mind that KaBoom! is probably one of the most successful non-profits I’ve ever encountered and relies on innovative business models rather than just traditional fundraising.

Guess who’s coming for dinner…who would be your dream dinner guest(s) and why?

I’m sure I’m not alone in this, but I wish I had met Steve Jobs and had an opportunity to get to know him.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Make sure you read “The Lean Startup” by Eric Ries if you haven’t yet. Also feel free to check out this recent blog post for some other reading list ideas for startups.

 About WIM Mentor Elisa Miller-Out:

Elisa is CEO of Singlebrook, a web and mobile app development company based in Ithaca, NY. Singlebrook’s services include custom web application development, mobile apps, integration, databases, content management systems and design. The company also runs a startup product lab, whose first release is a mobile donations platform for non-profits called WhatCanI.Do. Singlebrook is a certified B Corp and NYS Benefit Corp and has a strong emphasis on social and environmental responsibility and a mission of “Technology for Change”. Clients include the Environmental Defense Fund, the American Chiropractic Association, Peeled Snacks, RSF Social Finance, Earthcolor, CSRwire, the Social Venture Network and Cornell University. Elisa is the winner of the 2011 B Corp Supply Chain Award, the 2010 B Corp Policy Champion Award and the 2011 NYSAE New Star Synergy Award. She has been featured in articles in the New York Times, Forbes, Mashable, The Washington Post, USA Today and many other publications. She’s spoken about social entrepreneurship and technology at several events including TechWeek, BALLE, the Finger Lakes Social Entrepreneurship Institute, and the NYSAE Technology Institute and has served as guest lecturer at Cornell. She serves as a mentor to several accelerator programs including StartFast, Women Innovate Mobile, Cornell 3Day Startup, Startup Weekend and the Media Ideation Fellowship. Prior to founding Singlebrook, Elisa founded two other companies and worked in a variety of industries in New York City, including invention & product development, theater, film & commercial production, event planning, pharmaceuticals and finance. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Barnard College of Columbia University. When she’s not working at Singlebrook, Elisa enjoys cooking with local foods, fitness, swimming in waterfalls, reading and playing Suzuki cello with her two daughters. She also volunteers as a technology sponsor for her BALLE chapter: Local First Ithaca, as President of the Barnard Club of the Finger Lakes, and as a Co-Founder of the Ithaca Venture Community. Elisa serves on the Council of Innovation Advisors for ConvergeUS and is a Strategic Advisor for CSRwire.

Greet, Hear, Meet & Network: Women 2.0

The Women 2.0 Conference (February 14 in San Francisco) is a full-day event focused on exploring up-and-coming trends in innovation for current and aspiring entrepreneurs, engineers, designers, and you!  Watch the finals of PITCH SF 2013 Startup Competition where 10 women-led startups pitch to investors for feedback and prizes. Greet the female founders of companies and emerging startups such as Evite.com, Match.com, DataGravity (sold to Dell), CloudFlare, Easilydo, Lumo BodyTech, and more! Hear speakers share best practices, growth strategies and future trends in technology & business. Meet investors from BBC Worldwide Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, SoftTech VC, Softbank, Kapor Capital, Google Ventures, AngelList and more! Network with 800+ men and women working in technology from early-stage company to corporate. 

Full agenda, speaker list & more about the action-packed day of keynotes, panels, mentoring and startup pitches here: http://www.women2.com/pitch-sf-conference-2013/

GET YOUR TICKET NOW! Save 15% on conference tickets with this link: http://pitchsf2013.eventbrite.com/?discount=Community_15

The Mentor In The Room: Augie Grasis

What’s the worst mistake a founder can make?

Choosing partners who are incompatible or not trustworthy.  Its important to set expectations and roles early in the relationship.  Too much critical company building time is wasted in startups dealing with interpersonal issues.

What’s the most common Startup error?

Inventing a product or service that is not compelling enough to change customer behavior.  You must create painkillers not vitamins.

What does “fail fast” mean to you?

Getting your product to market at a minimal cost and time commitment to learn whether your idea will fly, then walking away if it doesn’t.  While recent thinking is you must quickly abandon ideas that don’t immediately get traction, there are many success stories of perseverance that ultimately end in a very successful outcome.

If you could fix one thing in the startup eco-system right now, what would it be?

The traditional venture capital model does not match the bulk of companies being founded now because VC liquidity requires sale of the business or IPO.  Under todays low friction tech business environment companies which employ 5-10 people profitably, successfully and operate long term can be created but the funding mechanism for these doesn’t readily exist.

What should startups be focusing on in 2013?

Getting to revenue and profit with minimal investment.

When’s the right time to seek funding?

When your idea/product is proven and you need money to scale.  Don’t raise money because you can or because everyone else does it.

Thoughts on crowd-funding?

It’s a natural step in todays socially driven world.  And its cool for individuals to be able to invest in ideas they believe in.  It will be interesting to see 5-10 years out what the return is for those who invest this way.

Best advice you’ve ever gotten?

Your product idea must be a painkiller, not a vitamin if you expect it to succeed.

Guess who’s coming for dinner…who would be your dream dinner guest(s) and why?

Lance Armstrong.  We would go for a bike ride, then eat dinner and he would tell me what really went on during the Tour!

About WIM Mentor Augie Grasis: 

Named the 2009 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award Winner in the Central Midwest Technology category, Augie Grasis is an established entrepreneur known for his savvy business approach and industry-changing ideas. Since founding Handmark in 2000, Grasis has played an important role in defining the mobile content industry and changing the way people use their mobile phones. Currently as Chairman of the Board of Handmark, Grasis remains deeply engaged in the day-to-day business leveraging his experience to advance the company’s position as a leading developer and distributor of mobile applications and services, supporting some of the largest brands in the world. Prior to Handmark, Grasis founded Foresight Resources (later acquired by Autodesk) where he lead industry-first initiatives in the CAD and Home Design software business.

The Mentor In The Room: Pam Fields

What’s the worst mistake a founder can make?

Founders have to be crystal clear in evaluating the state of their business and make decisions to impact the bottom line quickly. Too often, founders see what they want to see instead of the reality evident to non-biased outsiders. This cloudy vision applies not just to under performance, but not realizing opportunities for more profitable long-term growth that are potentially adaptations of an original vision.

What’s the most common Startup error?

Founders need to be able to succinctly communicate the vision for their business and the strategic plan they will follow in pursuit of their vision. Only then can founders accurately project the resources required at key stages in the company’s development or they will underestimate the true capital requirements. Trying to be fiscally responsible, many founders think they can scrimp by without doing x,y,z when in fact the lack of a full throttle effort in these areas is holding back growth due to an inability to execute against the plan.

What does “fail fast” mean to you? 

See question number 1! Don’t fall in love with your idea; assess the performance reality and cut your losses, or pivot as soon as you see that there is no runway to success.

If you could fix one thing in the startup eco-system right now, what would it be? 

We need facilitated access to angel stage investment coupled with early access to knowledge on balance sheet and P&L management.

What should startups be focusing on in 2013? 

It is not enough to have a great idea; founders need to be able to execute. Sometimes that involves acknowledging that the skills that make someone an inspired founder do not translate to running a complex business enterprise. Founders should focus on evaluating their own operational and managerial skills and understand when their company is best transitioned to an operating professional to ensure long term success.

When’s the right time to seek funding? 

Upon completion of a detailed business plan in support of a great idea, founders should seek funding. The larger question is what amount of funding at what stage; a question that can’t be answered globally but is tailored to each specific initiative.

Thoughts on crowd-funding?

My biggest concern with crowd funding for businesses that will require ongoing capital infusions, is that potential investors may be wary of investing in an enterprise that already has multiple investors.

Best advice you’ve ever gotten? 

Fewer. Bigger. Better. Don’t get distracted by the nice to do’s; focus on the essential tasks to move the enterprise forward. Easy to say; hard to do. One of the key jobs of a founder is to focus and stay on plan.

Guess who’s coming for dinner…who would be your dream dinner guest(s) and why? 

I want to have dinner with Hilary Clinton. Just a quiet conversation with one of the most dynamic, impressive women on the planet. Do you even have to ask WHY???

Anything else you’d like to add?

Yes…foster a truth telling environment. If the culture you create is one of fear and secrecy; you’ll never really know what is going on in your business nor get the best out of your staff.

About WIM Mentor Pam Fields:

Pam has an extensive and successful track record delivering results online and offline in consumer goods manufacturing, distribution, marketing and product development for start-ups, turnarounds and ongoing businesses. From her start in the cosmetics business at Avon, L’Oreal and as part of the founding team of Bath & Body Works at The Limited, Inc., Pam moved to the accessories industry where she was President of Tag-Heuer’s US subsidiary. In 1993, Pam launched Fieldwork, a general management consultancy working with an elite roster of clients including The Gap, Timex, Swiss Army Brands, Playboy, Bulova, Del Labs, Instinet, Warnaco and Li & Fung. Prior to joining Stetson, she was responsible for the development of digital, direct and promotional strategy and programming for Unilever’s Dove brand at Ryan Partnership and Ryan iDirect. Under her direction, Ryan won three Echo awards for their work. During her tenure as CEO of Stetson Worldwide, Pam oversaw a global fashion brand. Currently on the Board of Directors for Driver Digital and Gracious Eloise, Pam is advising emerging companies in the digital space with her operating and management expertise.

TechWomen Emerging Leader 2013 Program: Application Now Open

Eligible TechWomen participants are women who are engaged or rising in professional careers that require significant expertise and knowledge of STEM fields and/or innovative application of these skills, and who already are –or show promise of being—role models for women and girls.

TechWomen is accepting applications for the 2013 program from women who are permanent residents of Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria, the Palestinian Territories, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tunisia, Yemen and Zimbabwe.

Click here for a detailed list of 2013 TechWomen Eligibility Requirements.

Application Deadline is February 22, 2013. The TechWomen program will cover travel and housing costs and provide a per diem for all selected participants.

Questions? Contact:  techwomen@iie.org

To apply now, click here for the 2013 application.

TechWomen is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). Under Secretary Clinton’s leadership, the United States has engaged in “smart power diplomacy,” thereby utilizing every asset at the United States’ disposal to create opportunities for greater understanding. A key tool in this effort is 21^st Century Statecraft, which engages people across the world through the ever-changing technology mediums.

Global Apps to Empower Competition Seeks Apps to Educate and Empower Women Everywhere

“Our challenge is to leverage the power of technology and bridge the digital divide. We need to do more to help all children and young people make the most of the opportunities provided by information and communications technology – especially all those who are still unconnected from the digital revolution.”  - UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon

Agnite Education, American Digital University, Applications for Good, BluWorld, Datawind, Equal Access International and the United Nations Office for Partnerships are pleased to announce the Global Apps to Empower competition to challenge apps developers to create apps that empower all young women in leadership and mentorship, jobs and entrepreneurship, education and conflict resolution.

Applications that best satisfy the competition criteria will receive cash prizes and the opportunity to have their apps featured on Datawind’s Ubislate educational tablet.

Datawind CEO Suneet Tuli said, “Our goal is to feature apps on our tablets for young women in developing countries who seek to become leaders in their communities; to be mentored by some of the best leaders currently in business and government; to learn how to start businesses; find meaningful work; and gain a practical skill that can improve not only her life but the lives of those in her community.”

The competition will be held from now through April 30^th, 2013 with the winners announced in July 2013.  An esteemed panel of judges includes, among others:

• Hon. Sheila Copps, former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
• Geena Davis, Academy Award winner, Hollywood Actress and Geena Davis Institute on Gender and Media
• Willa Shalit, founder, Rwanda Path to Peace and CEO, Fairwinds Trading
• Michaela Walsh, Founder, Women’s World Banking and Founder, Global Student Leadership
• Joanne Wilson, well-known angel investor and adviser

Visit www.AppsToEmpower.org for more information on contest rules, a complete list of judges, deadline and submission guidelines. Women Innovate Mobile co-founder and managing director, Kelly Hoey is an advisor to this contest. 

The Aakash 2 - a $35.00 tablet - made its debut at the UN: 

http://venturebeat.com/2012/11/28/india-aakash2-united-nations/

http://www.telecomtiger.com/Corporate_fullstory.aspx?storyid=16124&section=S162

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2012/impact/suneet-singh-tuli.html

http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/28/aakash-2-hands-on/

5 Questions & Many Inspired Answers

Q:  What’s your resolution(s) for 2013?

I don’t normally make resolutions, but if I had to make one this year it would be to stop worrying about being good enough and just be myself. – Ebony Rentas, CEO and Founder, The Women’s Age @TheWomensAge

To dedicate some time every day to aggressively pursuing business development opportunities. For me this is crucial because being a student at Stanford makes develop my business much harder. So I want to dedicate X time daily to actively working, not just answering email/doing busy work. On this note, I want to reach out to at least one new person in a different field every week to learn as much as I can, get my name and brand out there, and push myself out of my comfort zone. – Julia Landauer, NASCAR driver & student at Stanford @julialandauer

Worry less, play more. - Melissa Clark-Reynolds, www.minimonos.com Alpha Monkey & CEO @maximonos

To meet more people (especially through things like Women Innovate Mobile founder breakfasts!) - Jaclyn Siu, Founder, Wearhou.se @jaclynsiu | @wearhouse

Think without boundaries – Carrie Hammer, Founder http://www.carriehammer.com/ @carrierhammer

To be considered a thought leader in the mobile world. - Sian Morson - Founder/CEO, Kollective Mobile @kollectivemobil

To learn tennis so I can play with my boyfriend when we have some time to ourselves and to expand Damsels in Design to 3 major cities in 2013. - Jennifer Markas, Founder, Damsels in Design @damselsindesign

Don’t have any. I just make changes when I need to, not when it’s the end of the year! - Ellen Dudley, Founder peoplehunt.me @meetforeal

Grow # BFF users, grow # designers on BFF, grow ‘levels of activity on BFF’ … and, find the right investors! – Ricardo Cuervo, Founder, Best Fashion Friend @BFFapp

Water enough seeds so my company grows! Be kinder to myself and to others’ imperfections. Learn Spanish. – Diana Sonis, Founder, BuzzTarget @DianaSonis

rebalance life – Nilofer Merchant, The Jane Bond of Innovation, @nilofer

Professional : Continue to grow TOTSY, Seek new ventures ideas for investment/board support/mentoring.  Personal : Invest my time in a non-profit farm to table project. - Guillaume Gauthereau, Founder, SequoiaLab.com Totsy.com @ggauthereau

To make revenue, grow our team. – Caroline Van Sickle, Founder, Pretty in My Pocket @prettyinmypoc

Always be closing. – Karen Moon Co-Founder & CEO, StyleMusée @stylemusee

Fifth Bond is still new and we gained a great customer base in the past 6 months. My goal for next year is to increase my customer base and really create a jewelry community. - Sureena Taparia, Founder & CEO, Fifth Bond @fifthbond

To make Beauty Booked a success. I gave myself 1 year to give it my all when deciding to quit my full time job in Beauty Marketing this past summer. The next 6 months will be critical. And, to find some kind of balance managing my other launch (my baby boy, Aasher!). - Ritika Gill, Co-Founder, Beauty Booked @beautybooked

Stop asking if I’m “the expert” and just get out there and be part of the conversation. – Alexis Finch, GraphiteMind.com @agentfin

My resolution for 2013 is to schedule better. I need to set aside time for routine tasks that too often fall behind. It’s too easy to focus on the big issue of the week and forget about small tasks that add big value. - Tom Weingarten, Co-founder & CTO, Delve, @tomweingarten

Q:  Entrepreneurial discovery of 2012?

Accelerator/Incubator programs. Prior to learning of Women Innovate Mobile/IncubateNYC, I thought that the only way to build a business was to have a business background and secure financing from a bank.  – Ebony Rentas, CEO and Founder, The Women’s Age @TheWomensAge

Ocado on my ipad.  I am bored senseless by shopping.  Love putting boring household stuff on my shopping list when I remember it and having it magically delivered. - Melissa Clark-Reynolds, www.minimonos.com Alpha Monkey & CEO @maximonos

Uber – Carrie Hammer, Founder http://www.carriehammer.com/ @carrierhammer

Google Analytics—-everyone should track their website with it! - Jennifer Markas, Founder, Damsels in Design @damselsindesign

Trello maybe, but it still doesn’t solve all my list problems! The search goes on. - Ellen Dudley, Founder peoplehunt.me @meetforeal

For me it has been to realize how big the entrepreneurship community is in NYC [rivaling the west coast] and how many angels / accelerators / advisors are out there, willing to listen to you. – Ricardo Cuervo, Founder, Best Fashion Friend @BFFapp

Goodreads is the best website for bookworms (ME!) out there. I can’t believe only the NYT best selling list existed before this. AirBnB’s design principals - continuously amazing, even if I didn’t have their equity. No matter how much you believe in your idea, doubt is a constant companion…and that’s OK. Anyone who says that, as an entrepreneur, you must/will/should BLINDLY believe in your idea always and always is an ass-donkey. Entrepreneurs are human and humans have doubt. Simple as that. – Diana Sonis, Founder, BuzzTarget @DianaSonis

TONS !!! - Guillaume Gauthereau, Founder, SequoiaLab.com Totsy.com @ggauthereau

NEVER, EVER GIVE UP. It is impossible to give up. – Caroline Van Sickle, Founder, Pretty in My Pocket @prettyinmypoc

Total baby (iPhone app) - amazing.. Helps me stay organized by keeping track of baby’s poops and feeds while I’m busy running Beauty Booked - Ritika Gill, Co-Founder, Beauty Booked @beautybooked

Looking back at 2012, it has been an exciting and exceptional year for the world where mobility + commerce + content are unlocking the expansion and globalization of a new middle class.  We are experiencing what happens when the entire world has access to education and technology.  Third world countries will have opportunity to grow at unprecedented paces.  It will be interesting to look back on 2013 and see just how connected the world will be. - Kelly Stickel, Founder and President of Remodista @kstickel @bricksandmobile @mobile4mommies

StackOverflow. It ain’t what you know, it’s how well you can describe the parameters of the gap you need filled. – Alexis Finch, GraphiteMind.com @agentfin

We’ve been using podio to keep our team informed and it’s been a big help.  - Tom Weingarten, Co-founder & CTO, Delve, @tomweingarten

Q:  Doh?!!! moment of the last 12 months?

I had no clue that aging was such a dirty word. When I first started working on The Women’s Age I sincerely and naively thought that there were a plethora of women out in the world who would want to join me in celebrating aging. Nope, not the case, but that will change soon. – Ebony Rentas, CEO and Founder, The Women’s Age @TheWomensAge

Not sure I had one - or if I did and it was so obvious it’s left me  - Beth Temple, Digital Pioneer @bethtemple4u

Tablets have taken over in the kids space, and watching on-demand is now more influential that broadcast for UK kids. - Melissa Clark-Reynolds, www.minimonos.com Alpha Monkey & CEO @maximonos

Wearing the same outfit every day – Carrie Hammer, Founder http://www.carriehammer.com/ @carrierhammer

It can be too easy to make small iterations on a product/service that isn’t built to scale. Do your experiments. Get your data. Sometimes you need rebuild things. Don’t put it off. You should be working on the hardest problems. - Ellen Dudley, Founder peoplehunt.me @meetforeal

“it is the User Experience, Stupid” – Ricardo Cuervo, Founder, Best Fashion Friend @BFFapp

You can push new features/design of your own website live…only to figure out a day later that perhaps you got over-excited on the features and some of it could have waited (mildly put).  Looking at your website and hating it’s color scheme, then feeling silly for hating it because there are more important things to get done, but then…..”what WAS I thinking?!” Some of your “target” market will think you’re not cool and it hurts and you go “Doh?!!”….and that’s OK.  – Diana Sonis, Founder, BuzzTarget @DianaSonis

The biggest idea I have is around onlyness. It’s become so clear that I need to write more on this. – Nilofer Merchant, The Jane Bond of Innovation, @nilofer

Shift in the VC market investment cycle. - Guillaume Gauthereau, Founder, SequoiaLab.com Totsy.com @ggauthereau

Have a plan, work the plan. – Caroline Van Sickle, Founder, Pretty in My Pocket @prettyinmypoc

Previously, I was building a B2C company that improved the shopping experience with the long-term vision that the core value proposition would be to extract merchandising insights from consumer preference data - a B2B solution. This summer, I took a step back and figured out a smarter way to execute against my long-term vision today.  If I focused on solving the core value proposition first, I might have come to my current solution and recruited the right team faster.  In conclusion, I was constrained by what I thought was possible and didn’t seek solutions that were not so obvious. – Karen Moon Co-Founder & CEO, StyleMusée @stylemusee

The importance of content! - Sureena Taparia, Founder & CEO, Fifth Bond @fifthbond

It’s not about the idea, it’s the people you’ll be working with, the people you have to trust to throw down everything you’ve got and that they’ve got, to build something. Anything less will fail. ] – Alexis Finch, GraphiteMind.com @agentfin

Countless little DOH moments but no big one that stands out (thankfully!) - Tom Weingarten, Co-founder & CTO, Delve, @tomweingarten

Q:  What’s on your mobile wish list?

iPad or Windows tablet . – Ebony Rentas, CEO and Founder, The Women’s Age @TheWomensAge

This proves my point that you can’t ask customers what they want, they don’t know - I’ll know it when I see it! – Beth Temple, Digital Pioneer @bethtemple4u

I’d love an iPad, especially to be able to meet people, and if they show interest, immediately allow them to “like” my Facebook page and follow me on Twitter. I think marketing can be done so much more easily on an iPad than schlepping around a laptop. - – Julia Landauer, NASCAR driver & student at Stanford @julialandauer

3D printing apps. - Melissa Clark-Reynolds, www.minimonos.com Alpha Monkey & CEO @maximonos

Mobile wish list would have to be my own wearhou.se… - Jaclyn Siu, Founder, Wearhou.se @jaclynsiu | @wearhouse

A home heel repair device – Carrie Hammer, Founder http://www.carriehammer.com/ @carrierhammer

Nexus Android phone… iPad mini and more speaking engagements - Sian Morson  Founder/CEO Kollective Mobile @kollectivemobil

Not for certain if this exists, but I would love if there were a mobile app that told me all of the event spaces in NYC by cost, size, etc. It would help with event planning a ton! - Jennifer Markas, Founder, Damsels in Design @damselsindesign

Our rebuild of PeopleHunt, early release coming out January. Very excited! - Ellen Dudley, Founder peoplehunt.me @meetforeal

A standardized android platform! – Ricardo Cuervo, Founder, Best Fashion Friend @BFFapp

I want google maps back on the iphone in its previous (native) form. I need the subway info! A good networking app that would connect relevant people one-on-one would be nice. LinkedIn is OK, but something that is local and lets me connect in person.  A game that lets me discover my physical surroundings…kind of like FieldTrip but for iphone. – Diana Sonis, Founder, BuzzTarget @DianaSonis

Instapaper PLEX  My W Days  LogMeIn - Guillaume Gauthereau, Founder, SequoiaLab.com Totsy.com @ggauthereau

iPad mini. – Caroline Van Sickle, Founder, Pretty in My Pocket @prettyinmypoc

An App that let’s you book beauty appointments on the go - anywhere anytime. Stay tuned for more on that in 1H 2013 - Ritika Gill, Co-Founder, Beauty Booked @beautybooked

Please please PLEASE let me control who calls me better? It should be up to the caller to decide if they REALLY need to interrupt what I’m up to. ] – Alexis Finch, GraphiteMind.com @agentfin

My #1 request for phones has been and continues to be that I wish they were better for actually calling people. It seems like a no-brainer but it’s been years since I owned a phone that actually did that well. Slightly more ambitiously, I’d like a mobile device that nails run tracking. There’s a few that come close but so far no one’s really gotten it quite right yet. - Tom Weingarten, Co-founder & CTO, Delve, @tomweingarten

Q:  Yes! moment of 2012: (outcome, accomplishment, achievement in the past year)

Getting fired and starting a business that I love. . – Ebony Rentas, CEO and Founder, The Women’s Age @TheWomensAge

Being accepted into the BBCLabs programme in the Uk and having the glimmer of hope we might make a show! - Melissa Clark-Reynolds, www.minimonos.com Alpha Monkey & CEO @maximonos

working on my own idea, and having a few mentions on Forbes.com- Jaclyn Siu, Founder, Wearhou.se @jaclynsiu | @wearhouse

Many! Successfully funded Kickstarter campaign, appearances on CNBC and Fox news, and exponential growth. – Carrie Hammer, Founder http://www.carriehammer.com/ @carrierhammer

Do more to bridge the ‘Digital Divide’ by continuing my work with various non profits and teaching mobile ideation sessions.  - Sian Morson - Founder/CEO, Kollective Mobile @kollectivemobil

Being invited to breakfast by designer, Kay Unger to chat about DID. She is one of the most inspiring, dedicated, and passionate women I know. - Jennifer Markas, Founder, Damsels in Design @damselsindesign

Every moment that I realize I’m still working on what I’m passionate about. I’m super grateful to have such wonderful people in my life to support me in this startup life. (You would never know I’m Irish from that statement). - Ellen Dudley, Founder peoplehunt.me @meetforeal

Having created, funded, developed and grown an innovative fashion styling and social networking platform - this puts us in a great position with 2013 and to adjust our business plan to reflect the interests and wishes of the BFF community, as we are deciding how to best open the platform to designers, retailers, brands and content providers (OK - I know it sounds like self-promotion, but it has been a long Yes!! to us @BFF). – Ricardo Cuervo, Founder, Best Fashion Friend @BFFapp

Selling NabeWise. Working with my husband on a startup and making both sides of the equation actually work…that’s a startup within a startup. Taking a trip on my own (NZ/AU) and LOVING IT! – Diana Sonis, Founder, BuzzTarget @DianaSonis

To see #SocialEra get recognized as a Fast Company book of the year. This is the same book that many influential people all said didn’t need to be…a sign to me (and hopefully to others) to pursue the idea that won’t let you go, not the most popular idea. Honestly, we need to chase our passions without regard of what other people think. – Nilofer Merchant, The Jane Bond of Innovation, @nilofer

Serie B / C of TOTSY ($30M+ raised), Revenue doubled. - Guillaume Gauthereau, Founder, SequoiaLab.com Totsy.com @ggauthereau

We raised our first round of capital and are in the marketplace. – Caroline Van Sickle, Founder, Pretty in My Pocket @prettyinmypoc

Developing a working product in a relatively short period of time that solves a major unmet market need. This is something i wished for for so long and it feels great to have created it myself. - Ritika Gill, Co-Founder, Beauty Booked @beautybooked

Getting up on stage and teaching a few hundred people how to draw dinosaurs as part of my talk on why visual thinking is so key to understanding complex ideas [memory <=> emotion] – Alexis Finch, GraphiteMind.com @agentfin

My Yes! moment of the last year was getting my PhD. Doesn’t get much better than that. - Tom Weingarten, Co-founder & CTO, Delve, @tomweingarten

Female Founder Watch: Alexis Finch

Q: Who inspires you?

A: Tons of people. People who are passionate about what they do. For one? My friend Jana, the creator of Doodlebooth and Bike-A-Bee. She puts her energy into doing things she loves, things she cares about, first and foremost. The money comes after. She’s so passionate about what she does, knows so deeply the things she works on. I aspire to that kind of directed positive creative energy.

Q: Why are you an entrepreneur?

A: I like working for other people, but I’ve seen how bureaucracy and titles keep the right people from working together. On the other hand, I’m worried at the new rubrics of success we’ve been following. Number of companies flipped, number of websites built. I’m more interested in how many people you’ve learned from, how many you’ve passed that knowledge onto. I think that’s what being an entrepreneur is really about. Learning everywhere. Teaching constantly.

Q: What was a defining moment in your career?

A: Sitting in the basement of the Field Museum and realizing I didn’t want to observe cultures as some kind of “other” in the past, but to create and engineer a new one.

Q: How is your company different from your competitors?

A: I focus on real needs now. My goal is to help people find who they need, when they need them. There’s an amazing network of talent out there, and no one has figured out how to connect it. Not everyone is good at introductions. Not everyone is a good citizen of their community. I want to teach folks to do that just by showing them what really works.

Q: Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

A: Standing on a lot of stages teaching people to do things they forgot they know from childhood. Yes, I’m talking about drawing dinosaurs. But this really about teaching people to think visually. To connect to ideas emotionally so they remember them.

Q: What’s next for you?

A: I’m taking some front end development and graphic design classes. I haven’t touched HTML/CSS since 2002, and I’m excited to get dirty in the code again. I never took any design classes, so it will be interesting to see how classical art training translates into design. This is about learning to speak coherently on these topics, even more than being able to build for myself. Hopefully, there will be a beta launch of something awesome in the near future…

Q: How did you finance your business when it was at the early stage? (Self-funded, crowd-funded, Angel Investor, VC)

A: I’ve begged and bootstrapped my way to where I am. Learning what you know, and what people are willing to pay you to do is one of the biggest challenges. What comes naturally to you someone else will struggle at. This isn’t just about coding and writing up legal docs. We all have something, it’s pitching and finding it that keeps you afloat.

Q: Tell me something about yourself that we don’t know already.

A: After quitting my job at the museum, I got a job bartending. I wanted to see another side of life. When folks asked what I “really did” I told them I was researching the fall of the local bar in Chicago and the ramifications of chain restaurants on neighborhoods. I hears some amazing stories from folks after telling them a little white lie. Something to show them I was there to listen.

Q: What is your guilty pleasure?

A: Aside from chocolate, whiskey, shoes and books? I like talking to strangers. It’s this strange interaction where there is zero expectation of a second conversation. You can say anything, ask anything. When the conversation stops, or gets strange, you can just leave.

Q: Describe a time you failed. What did you learn from that experience?

A: For four years I ran TyK [Thought You Knew] as everything from creative director, to fundraiser to pr and content creator. The only product the company had was a printed calendar, put out once a year, and with the high minded intent of raising money for women’s health care. I spent so much time convincing people to work with me that I never thought to look for others with the same goal to collaborate with. Later down the line, I watched others make the same mistake: wanting to create something from scratch that was 100% “theirs.” There’s too much focus on the individual these days. I’d like to see less “beat them” and more “join them.”

Q: What is your favorite mobile app?

A: I use gmail for nearly everything. Reminders, to do lists, contacts, scratch paper… the only thing it doesn’t do is edit photos. For that, I’ve got Instagram.

Q: What do you do to help focus?

A: I put on headphones. They don’t even really need to have music playing. But headphones in a public space is perfect. Other than that, I run. I never enjoyed running til a friend casually mentioned to me “You know you can stop whenever you want to, right?” That changed everything. Now running is about a space to focus, a time when no one can contact me. I come back refreshed with all the noise gone from my head.

Q: What’s your cause?

A: I want people to get to work on what inspires them. I spend a lot of time making introductions. Really thinking about what each person should know about the other. Figuring out what they’ll get out of a meeting or a collaboration. Connecting people so they can build things and work on what they love, that’s the root of it all.

Q: Any words of advice for entrepreneurs who are trying to get their ventures launched?

A: Ask for help. Pitch your idea to EVERYONE. No one will steal it, because they’re all convinced their own idea is the going to be the next big thing. Look for people who like not only what you’re doing, but who you get along with. A good team that trusts each other really is the benchmark of success. Don’t ask for money unless you know exactly what you’re going to use it for. Raising money takes even more time and effort than you can imagine, and if you’ve been telling everyone the whole way along about your great idea, by the time it’s built enough to bring in some cash, you’ll have people ready and waiting to get in on the game.

Q: Where can we learn more?

A: I create sketchnotes about complex and interesting ideas at GraphiteMind.com I tweet as @agentfin

You can see my work in Mike Rohde’s new book The Sketchnote Handbook. http://www.amazon.com/The-Sketchnote-Handbook-illustrated-visual/dp/0321857895