Seed to Sequoia

Aaron Endré is the founder of Endré Communications, that helps groundbreaking tech companies achieve their growth and impact goals with integrated marketing and PR strategies. Over the past 15 years, he has worked with some of the most innovative and disruptive companies in Silicon Valley — from pre-seed to publicly-traded — helping 3 of them achieve unicorn status; 12 secure profitable exits; and raise over $3 billion in VC funding to date.

Join Host Alex Shartsis in this episode as Aaron takes us into the world of startup PR, sharing the know-how and importance of building effective PR strategies that align with company vision, messaging and timing with market entry.

Show Notes:

0:00 - Introduction of Aaron Endré

4:15 - Structural Advantages for American Startups

7:12 - Understanding Startup PR

18:56 - Evolving PR Strategies for Growing Companies

28:20 - Importance of Messaging for Early-Stage Startups

33:15 - Measuring PR ROI and Impact on Business Metrics

41:24 - Preparation for Journalist Interviews

51:59 - Integrating Marketing Strategies in Customer Contracts

Guest: Aaron Endré (linkedin.com/in/aaronendre)

Host: Alex Shartsis(linkedin.com/in/shartsis)

Audio Engineer & Video Editor - James Fixx (fixxmusic.com)

The Seed to Sequoia podcast is created by Silverwood Advisors to help founders with practical advice on building successful startups.

If you would like to get expert advice for your startup reach out to us on:

Website: silverwood.ai
Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/silverwood-advisors

Janel Gallucci, is the founder of Gallucci Ventures. She is a sales powerhouse whose career spans from the bustling streets of New York City to the heart of Silicon Valley's tech landscape. Rising through the ranks from SDR to sales director, Janel's relentless hustle led her to spearhead a startup office to profitability within its first quarter in San Francisco. Her tenure at Hearst and LinkedIn solidified her reputation as a formidable force in tech sales, ultimately propelling her into the realm of startup consultancy, where she shares invaluable insights from these Industry giants.

Join Host Alex Shartsis and Janel Gallucci in this episode as they discuss the need for entrepreneurs to recognize their position to attract talent and build effective sales strategies, focusing on sustained growth, proper onboarding, and creating a vibrant talent bench.

00:00 Episode Preview

00:53 Introducing Janel Gallucci

02:05 Janel’s Journey: From New York Hustle to Sales Leadership

05:14 The Art of the Hustle in Sales Success

08:47 Mastering Sales Metrics and Goals as a Founder

10:47 Early Stage Sales Strategy: Identifying Your ICP

14:19 Leveraging Customer Feedback for Sales Strategy

20:13 Building Your First Sales Team: Strategies and Insights

23:38 Understanding Sales Compensation: OTE, Quotas, and More

31:43 Unlocking Sales Success: Strategies and Missteps

32:11 Incentivizing Sales Teams: Beyond the Basics

32:50 The Art of Sales Compensation: Finding the Right Balance

34:07 Building a Strong Sales Team: From Hiring to Retention

37:08 Navigating Sales Challenges: A Founder’s Guide

42:42 Sales Tactics and Hiring Insights: A Deep Dive

43:08 Leveraging Experience: The Power of Hiring in Pairs

57:22 Final Thoughts and Advice for Founders

Guest: Janel Galucci(linkedin.com/in/janelgallucci)

Host: Alex Shartsis(linkedin.com/in/shartsis)

Audio Engineer & Video Editor - James Fixx (fixxmusic.com)

The Seed to Sequoia podcast is created by Silverwood Advisors to help founders with practical advice on building successful startups.

If you would like to get expert advice for your startup reach out to us on:

Website: silverwood.ai

Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/silverwood-advisors

Many startup founders tend to not plan around series B and C since they're too focused on closing earlier stages of investment, missing the forest for the trees in the bargain.

In this episode, Hammad Aslam of Susa Ventures outlines the transformative journey of startups from seed stage to Series A and the crucial reasons behind considering Series B and C stages early on.

Founders have plenty to gain from tuning into this episode as Hammad offers some very practical advice on :

In this episode, we dive deep into the world of clean tech with Kristian Hanelt of Ultra Capital, exploring the ever-evolving landscape of renewable energy, funding cycles, and market dynamics.

Tune in to the episode to discover:

Kristian Hanelt has also been on the Board of the below companies:

What's new in the startup legal landscape? Turns out, something never seen before!

In this episode of the Seed to Sequoia Podcast we speak to Ronnie Roy of DME Law.

What's that new change? It's much more merger-of-equals activity than ever before. This rare type of deal has become very popular with startups. Learn about this unique type of deal, whether it might be right for your company, and how to pull it off.

We also discuss the importance of clear commercial and legal terms in deals, other market trends in the startup space, and the risks and considerations when considering a merger or acquisition. Ronnie also touches upon topics of fundraising, insider participation, negotiating power and more.

In this week's Coaching Snack we revisit insights from successful founder Sean Burns and the importance of customer focus, finding a visually compelling problem, and listening to feedback.

Sean Byrnes is a Partner at Near Horizon (nearhorizon.vc). He started his first company, Flurry, in 2005, which became one of the largest analytics and ad platforms in the world. He later sold it to Yahoo in 2014. Sean has been a founder, investor and advisor over the years and has a wealth of lessons to share.

Join host Alex Shartsis In this episode as Sean shares with us the essentials of successful company building, emphasizing the significance of pivoting, meticulous customer research, and the pursuit of problems that resonate with customers.

Show Notes:

0:00 - Importance of Pivoting

1:22 - Sean's Background: Founder, Investor, Coach

6:35 - Finding Needed Problems for Successful Products

14:47 - Real Business with Revenue Over Fundraising

17:10 - Necessity of Founder-Led Sales, Avoiding Early Hiring

20:48 - Making Founder's Selling Replicable

22:46 - Challenges in Bringing in First Salespeople

25:06 - Importance of Getting Help in Hiring Salespeople

45:46 - Early Stage Sales Hires: Variable Compensation

48:02 - Commitment Over Lower Quota

52:33 - Prioritizing Customer Success Before Sales

54:31 - Customer Success: Not Just a Cost Center

56:19 - Product Leading to Revenue Growth

1:05:40 - Managing Board's Expectations

1:09:03 - Trial and Error in Go-To-Market Strategy

1:12:29 - Building a Cohesive Team

Guest: Sean Byrnes(linkedin.com/in/sbyrnes/)

Host: Alex Shartsis(linkedin.com/in/shartsis)

Audio Engineer & Video Editor - James Fixx (fixxmusic.com)

The Seed to Sequoia podcast is created by Silverwood Advisors to help founders with practical advice on building successful startups.

If you would like to get expert advice for your startup reach out to us on:

Website: silverwood.ai

Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/silverwood-advisors

More about Sean Byrnes:

Aside from Flurry, Sean has also been the CEO of Outlier AI, a Board Member of Great NonProfits and the Author of the Newsletter - The Breaking Point.

Here are some questions founders can have answered through this episode:

This week's coaching snack recaps lessons from the intricate world of building a climate tech startup. We explore essential practices for success, from harnessing the power of customer feedback to navigating the fundraising landscape with integrity.

Key takeaways:

Join us as we unpack these valuable insights and empower you to build a thriving, sustainable startup!

Joshua Posamentier is Managing Partner of Congruent Ventures, an early stage which invests early in companies in the sustainability ecosystem with companies focused on the energy transition, smart cities and mobility, food and agriculture, and sustainable consumption and production. With over 25 years of experience spanning venture (Prelude Ventures, ICap) and operating roles (Intel, NSC, TI, Blipstream), he was a core part of Intel’s first wireless chip team, built $100M+ business units, and has 50+ patents issued or pending.

Josh's journey is a testament to the power of interdisciplinary expertise. Join Host Alex Shartsis as we explore Josh’s unique path and his impact on the startup ecosystem.

Technical founders have plenty to gain from this episode as he shares some great tips for them having being a technical person himself.

Show Notes:

0:38 Sales Capacity in Early Stages  

5:25 Raising a Venture Fund

8:03 Execution in Fundraising

17:43 Founders' Preparation for Series A

30:16 Transition to Sales Team

38:37 Scaling Sales Teams

41:38 Choosing Board Members

47:57 Advice for Technical Founders

Guest: Joshua Posamentier(linkedin.com/in/posamentier)

Congruent VC(congruentvc.com)

Host: Alex Shartsis(linkedin.com/in/shartsis)

Audio Engineer & Video Editor - James Fixx (fixxmusic.com)

The Seed to Sequoia podcast is created by Silverwood Advisors to help founders with practical advice on building successful startups.

If you would like to get expert advice for your startup reach out to us on:

Website: silverwood.ai

Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/silverwood-advisors

Below is a list of Companies Josh has either invested in or been a board member of:

Every week we post a 'coaching snack' to start your week off. We hit highlights from our last Thursday's guest and give you a couple of things to think about for the week that was past and the one that's coming.

In this episode we talk about