A company that organizes events or provides services related to startups in Istanbul, Turkey.

Startup Istanbul

Startup Istanbul is the leading startup event which brings together founders, investors and executives in the region. 

It's a gathering of the leading startups, internet companies, business angels and venture capitalists from Asia and Europe.

Istanbul is the perfect setting for a tech conference for Digital Minded Companies, Ventures and Startups with global ambitions in the region. This event is made of networking. Hours of networking with best founders, executives, entrepreneurs and investors all around the region. 
This year’s event will have more than 100 selected startups and more than 1.000 attendees.

The Sales AI tooling wave is moving fast.

3 ways to surf it and what to watch out for:

1. Pairing AI tooling + reps that leverage authenticity and creativity = unfair advantage.

2. Adopting a culture of rapid experimentation will help you figure out what part of the tech stack to leverage.

3. Training salespeople to live in their prospect’s world + build their own personal brand = raising above AI noise.

And a few strong opinions, loosely held:

• AI will disrupt other jobs first that don’t rely as much on core human skills, sales is full of them. 

• We are probably experiencing “AI overhype”, with an incoming AI winter. There's lots of corporate FOMO budget floating around.

• That being said, I am seeing big opportunities to improve Sales  productivity. Especially considering  that 75% of sales rep time is spent on non-selling activities.

• The role of the SDR is particularly susceptible to disruption, but for the better! 

• Being an SDR is hard, and I suspect the role will become more interesting with this AI wave.

• We’ll see the rise of “10x SDR’s” where they’'ll have to become masters of AI  tools to stay ahead of the curve.

Visual by Sapphire Ventures

#sales #salesb2b #tech #founders

Insights on Improving the Maternity Journey with Cara Health's Anna Strubel

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Anna Strubel, co-founder of CARÁ Health, an innovative startup aiming to improve the maternity experience for women and families.

Cara Health began by offering in-person services like yoga, midwife appointments, and family education classes. But after seeing a need for more comprehensive support throughout pregnancy and postpartum, Anna and her co-founders Carina Vantsi, Keiro Vantsi developed a hybrid model combining online and offline resources.

Don Valentine, the founder of Sequoia Capital🌿, is often regarded as a pivotal figure in the history of Silicon Valley and Venture Capital.

He founded Sequoia in 1972, before the terms “Silicon Valley” and “venture capital” had been coined.

He invested in companies like Apple, Atari, Nvidia, Oracle, Electronic Arts, and many more that became some of the most significant technology companies of the century.

Here are some of his teachings  for founders from a special Stanford Masterclass 👇 

1. Target Big Markets: https://lnkd.in/dFu97QWh

2. Invest in areas where there are multiple products: https://lnkd.in/dqxEn82B

3. Never underestimate marketing. How Apple killed Sony: https://lnkd.in/dnfcS5QD

4. How to pitch your business plan: https://lnkd.in/d267JfQj

5. Learn to tell a story: https://lnkd.in/dUcFe5sp

Other must reads: 

- How Don Invested in Steve Jobs: https://lnkd.in/dBjfDyvc

- How to get invested by Sequoia Capital: https://lnkd.in/d8WXMq2x

Burak is an amazing community builder and I loved catching up with him.

Perfect Pitches? FORGET It. 
↳ Aim for a Good Start Instead!

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗜𝗧𝗖𝗛 𝗗𝗘𝗖𝗞.

Creating a compelling pitch deck is crucial for capturing investor interest. Based on Guy Kawasaki's framework, here are the 10 essential slides:

1. 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲: Make your company name prominent, introduce the presenter, and ensure contact info is clear.
2. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗦𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲: Identify and articulate the target market's problem. Emphasize the need for a solution.
3. 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲: Present your product/service as the solution. Explain its benefits and why it's better.
4. 𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲: Share the unique technology or innovation behind your product. Mention patents or proprietary tech.
5. 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗦𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲: Describe how you make money and provide pricing strategy and customer acquisition plans.
6. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴/𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲: Outline your market strategy and sales channels. Explain how you will build customer relationships.
7. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲: Identify key competitors and highlight your differentiators.
8. 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗦𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲: Introduce key team members and mention advisors or board members who add value.
9. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗦𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲: Provide a 3-5 year forecast of revenue, profits, and major expenses. Share important business metrics.
10. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗦𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲: Detail your achievements so far and share your roadmap for the next milestones. Explain how you intend to use the investment.

Credit: Chris Tottman

#StartupTips #PitchDeck #Entrepreneurship #BusinessStrategy #InvestorPitch #StartupSuccess #LeanStartup #Innovation #BusinessModel #MarketingStrategy #FinancialProjections

10 Top Resources for Founders 

1️⃣ Startup Investors lists
https://lnkd.in/dTatJ3nb

2️⃣ Fundraising pitch decks used by renowned unicorns
https://lnkd.in/dMiwJ4_d

3️⃣ How to Determine Your Startup's Market Size
https://lnkd.in/decm3wGR

4️⃣ AI tools for founders and VCs
https://lnkd.in/djpJvd-M

5️⃣ Where do unicorn founders come from? 
https://lnkd.in/dsp8sGaN

6️⃣ How long did it take today’s top B2B startups to get to PMF?
https://lnkd.in/dUNNsAcq

7️⃣ Why are startup ideas worthless? 
https://lnkd.in/dnDbsAp2

8️⃣ How to create a GPT app in under 4 minutes, no coding needed
https://lnkd.in/deQvGK8y

9️⃣ Sequoia's pitch deck template for founders seeking to secure funding
https://lnkd.in/dWgJtHca

🔟 The slides you need in your pitch deck 
https://lnkd.in/daDV_Cus

I hope you find them helpful!

Check my free newsletter for more insights: https://lnkd.in/dCpgAYjt

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Startup Istanbul