Billion Dollar Tech

Delve inside the world of top seed stage technology investor Adam Burrows. We explore:

• How Adam evaluates opportunities + what makes a great deal
• Top mistakes seed stage companies make
• Adam's top books

And much more.

About Adam Burrows

Adam Burrows has been instrumental in building several of the most successful tech companies in Denver and is dedicated to partnering with the most ambitious founders in Colorado to create the next generation of big winners.

As senior vice president and general manager at HomeAdvisor, Adam was part of the executive team that grew the company from $100M to over $1B in revenue, taking the company public in 2017 in Colorado's largest tech IPO.

As the first C-level executive at Guild Education, he helped the company raise its Series C and sign their largest clients towards a $1B+ valuation. Additionally, Adam has served as an advisor to the founders of two other successful Denver exits, Artifact Uprising and FareHarbor.

What makes effective selling? That's what we're going to dissect in today's episode. We'll explore the process, tactics and unique approaches of one of the brightest minds working in sales today.

In this episode, we're going to talk about how to become a successful VC founder. We'll dissect common attributes, Zac's path to VC, and how this intersects with entrepreneurs. We'll also explore how to identify a good company to invest in including the basic investment philosophies Zac uses to evaluate a wide range of businesses in many different industries.

Chris Vincent is the Director of Demand Generation at Datashield, an ADT company and one of the most tenured cybersecurity firms in North America. For Datashield, Chris manages the digital marketing specialist along with a team of sales development representatives, serves as the champion, power user, and implementation expert for HubSpot Enterprises, and supports channel sales through event management, webinar production, and more.

Outside his role as an SEO and marketing expert, he is also the host of Datashield's podcast, The Hash-Time Show, and the sales/marketing training series, The Quaff and Pony Show. Equipped with his content marketing expertise, Chris has the power to craft a powerful vision for launching Datashield to new heights—and help clients take charge of their cybersecurity strategy.

What makes a website stand out in the sea of information? The answer? SEO. But, it's much deeper than you think.

SEO isn't just using a few keywords here and there and instantly ranking as the first option on Google. Instead, it's a combined effort of crafting a strategic content marketing plan and creating an opportunity for others to expand their knowledge in the most accurate way possible.

Don't believe us? Chris Vincent, Director of Demand Generation at Datashield, has used effective content marketing strategies to connect and communicate with clients while creating new sales channels. He describes SEO as a "long game" where the content creator has to pay special attention to their cross-section, including locale, pain-points, and solutions.

Tune in to this week's episode as host Brendan Dell sits down with Chris Vincent, SEO expert and Director of Demand Generation at Datashield. They discuss how to build content that stands out, what defines effective inbound marketing, and the purpose of marketing. Chris also shares his love for content creation and how he got his start in marketing. Stay tuned.

Stephan Mathys is a big-picture thinker, storyteller, and Chief Product Evangelist for Slope Software, an actuarial financial projection modeling software company that helps actuaries get back to being actuaries again. His personal goal is to make innovative professionals like actuaries, data scientists, and engineers as well-known and respected as doctors, lawyers, and the clergy. Stephan's creative and data-driven approach to marketing and content creation, sales, and product expertise make him a triple threat in and out of the field.

If marketing were a calculated science, then we would conclude that there are diminishing returns in specificity.

Specificity robs us of our time—but what if you could use the ability to specify without complex codes or software and make your work hours shorter and productive rather than longer and ineffective? Wouldn't you opt-in for the dramatic change over time while building an accurate and effective workflow? Stephan Mathys, copywriter, marketer, and Chief Product Evangelist for Slope Software, is here to show you more about how Slope is changing their piece of the pie in actuary science.

Slope is differentiating how actuaries get stuff done and save time to focus on the bigger projects. Stephan Mathys, Chief Product Evangelist for Slope Software, and Brendan Dell sit down to talk about the importance of Slope in small and emerging companies, how to differentiate yourself in a red ocean, and the purpose of marketing. Stephan shares his three tactics for engagement and how Slope is making a difference. Keep listening.

Phil Golub is a seasoned UX designer with over 20 years of experience and a unique focus on digital product innovation, service design, and cognitive experiences. His deep understanding of creating the best user experience has helped redefine how companies interact with their users.

He is currently the Senior Director of Digital Product & Innovation at Total Wine & More. Before joining Total Wine, he pushed the bounds of creativity and client satisfaction at Sapient.

A brand is a promise; experience is proof.

The marketing world has continued to shift to a more digital role in the last 30 years. Words like digital transformation, UX/UI, interface developer, and many more now define what it means to create user-friendly software. Companies can't develop new products with just their name as a promotion anymore; now, they have to innovate and adjust their content to match the fast-paced market.

Phil Golub understands the need for effective market strategies and the process of nurturing an idea from its infancy stage to a final product. His user experience and the digital world's expertise gives him the knowledge to actively dictate the roadmap for product and user experience success.

In this week's episode of The Hook, host Brendan Dell discusses the intricacies of marketing and development with the Senior Director of Digital Product & Innovation at Total Wine & More, Phil Golub. They discuss UX Developer vs. UI Designer, opportunity vs. complexity, and what companies need to know about digital transformation. Phil shares his thoughts on companies who have taken advantage of this transition to create an unshakeable product development and marketing strategy roadmap.

Ran Avrahamy is the CMO at AppsFlyer, the leading mobile attribution and marketing analytics platform. Before joining AppsFlyer, Ran was the Co-Founder and VP of Marketing and Products at Scringo, which allowed native apps with social and communication capabilities to become more than a pipedream but a reality. For more than 13 years, Ran has worked in various marketing and business development roles, including helping startups grow

The market is like artificial intelligence: consistently growing and evaluating its potential to accumulate more data—and produce more results than ever before. It can be hard to keep up with the new trends, whether you support the mid-market or not. But it's not impossible: it merely requires prioritization, consistency, and re-evaluation at every point of contact.

Ran Avrahamy has shown the world that market fit and consistency are some of the key elements in success. By using one of Ed O'Keefe's principles of Time Collapsing in the early days of AppsFlyer, Ran skipped the lesser points of AppsFlyer marketing campaign to fine-tune what makes their product stand out: their ability to pivot creatively.

In this episode of The Hook, host Brendan Dell sits down with Ran Avrahamy, CMO of AppsFlyer, as they discuss data attribution, the purpose of marketing, and the importance of consistency. Ran emphasizes building a brand that lives up to its name and the beauty of making connections. He also shares his thoughts on how marketers can take their campaigns to the next level. What to find out how? Keep listening!

Karen Cooper is the Senior Manager of Product Marketing at Spectralink, specializing in helping companies create human connections. In business, Karen is known for her ability to boil complex ideas into simple narratives that touch on human emotions—and compel connection. As a technology enthusiast, she started her career as a biochemist and chemical engineer before developing into a seasoned B2B product marketer. Karen has worked in Fortune 500 companies as well as high-growth startups like Medtronic, Conga, and now Spectralink.

How do you lower your churn-rate? The answer lies in content marketing.

From crafting a generalized story to a fine-tuned narrative, what you share with your customers can help them understand how your product benefits their way of life. Or, at least, that's the notion that has led Karen Cooper to thrive in her career as an expert product marketer. All stories are connected, from the delivery driver to the CEO of your organization. The gift of crafting a narrative that drives the market is what product marketing is all about.

In this episode of The Hook, host Brendan Dell sits down to talk with Karen Cooper, Senior Manager of Global Product Marketing at Spectralink and Problem-Solver Extraordinaire! They discuss the purpose of marketing, the similarities between working as a chemist and an engineer, and the power of a good story. Karen also shares some of her favorite speakers in the marketing space and the secret to a successful campaign. Stay tuned.

Brandon Laws is the Senior Director of Marketing and Product at Xenium HR. He has worked with Xenium HR for the past 12 years, helping clients grow their business with mindful personal and professional strategies. He is also the host of Xenium's Transform Your Workplace Podcast, the HRO Growth Show, Talkin' Entertainment, and contributes to the podcast, It's About People.

What's your favorite podcast? Is it a podcast that focuses on thought leadership in your industry? Maybe one on lifestyle and self-care? Or, Is it The Hook? (Don't worry—we'll find a way to forgive you if it's not.)

Regardless of your favorite, it's an understatement to say that podcasts are everywhere. Podcasting has taken off in the last ten years, and the industry's room for growth continues to skyrocket with specialized B2B and B2C podcasts. Case in point: Brandon Laws. He became the host of Xenium's Human Resources for Small Business, which later became the Transform Your Workplace podcast in 2012. Since then, he has had 500,000 downloads, countless expert guests, and hundreds of insightful lessons to keep his listeners entertained and informed.

In this episode of The Hook, host Brendan Dell sits down with fellow podcaster and marketer, Brandon Laws. They discuss podcasting in the B2B space, the purpose of marketing, and the lessons they've learned over the past 12 years. Brandon also highlights some of the challenges he faced earlier in his career and tips and tricks he shares with novices about podcasting and marketing. Stay tuned.

Britton Clark is the Vice President of Channel Partnerships at Gravy. Gravy helps companies increase their retention rate by building strategic relationships. Britton has worked in marketing for more than ten years while cultivating his love for storytelling, unignorable content, and building relationships with clients. Before working at Gravy, he worked with Deputy, Red Bull, and many more.

What is the purpose of marketing? Is it to drive revenue for the company? Or maybe the point is to establish an unshakeable brand? No matter who you ask, their answer will be different each time, because no two people approach marketing the same way.

According to Britton Clark, VP of Channel Partnership at Gravy, marketing aims to add value and build relationships. Because of this, his secret sauce has two ingredients: connecting with clients and customers on a relational level and building upwards.

In this week's episode of The Hook, host Brendan Dell sits down with Vice President of Channel Partnerships at Gravy, Britton Clark. They discuss the purpose of marketing, how relationships build revenue, and the strategies for building a referral program that keeps clients and customers engaged and happy. Britton also shares why focusing on adding value is more important than selling a product.