This Week in Startups

It's the fifth show from our LAUNCH Incubator series! Over 12 weeks, 7 companies are learning how to make game-changing startups under the guidance of the best in the business. Today we feature Des Traynor, Co-Founder & VP of Customer Success, Intercom. Des, who was the highest rated speaker from our LAUNCH Scale conference, today is teaching the incubator how to manage a product as it grows: from understanding its origins (why is a product even created?!), to navigating scale, scope & creep, to delivering the magic. You won't want to miss this master class from the "Product Whisperer"!

How should you interact with journalists in order to get great press for your product? And where do you even find the right journalists, the ones who will really care about what you're doing? On the program today is an entrepreneur with the answer. Greg Galant, CEO & Cofounder of Sawhorse Media, created Muckrack, a site that matches individuals, startups & PR companies with the best of the press. Armed with research from his site and decades in the biz (including creating and exec producing The Shorty Awards), Greg shares all the Dos & Don'ts of researching, cultivating & maintaining relationships with journalists. (Hint: don't be a spammer! and yes there IS a right time of day to email.) Jason and Greg also dive into a fascinating discussion of media trends past present & future, the ever moving target of truth in journalism, press releases are dead (long live press releases), and of course, the riddle of the startup sphinx: to hire or not to hire PR professionals. (No spoilers -- but if you're the CEO? Always be promoting.) It's a riveting, information-packed talk, capped by an excerpt of the incomparable Will Ferrell accepting his Shorty Award. Join us!

It's the fourth show from our LAUNCH Incubator series! Over 12 weeks, 7 companies are learning how to make game-changing startups under the guidance of the best in the business. Today leading the class is Sam Shank, CEO & Cofounder of the wildly successful Hotel Tonight, the world's leading hotel booking app. Sam walks us through all of his steps in creating and growing this phenomenal product, from whiteboards & mockups to pilot launch goals & early results, to figuring out their supernova growth strategies. An extremely valuable, tactical TWIST you don't want to miss.

It can be the most emotional and difficult decision you make as a founder. You've worked so hard to get here -- but things change. Whether it's going gangbusters and purchase offers are piling up or it's spiraling downward and you're facing a shut down, preparation is key. Recognize the signs and exit gracefully. In this Startup Basics, Jason breaks it down: "When should I sell or shut down my company?"

One of the toughest realities you'll face as an entrepreneur is the cost of business. You need to prove you can deploy resources intelligently to gain the trust of valuable investors and employees. It's just like the Zombie Apocalypse ... you can't waste bullets! In this "Startup Basics" Jason spells out the cold hard facts and gives up the red hot tips. So listen and learn: How to save money running your startup.

This BONUS TWIST features Jason on an Edelman panel of distinguished colleagues discussing the future of journalism. Is journalism being compromised by technology and the drive for click-through rates? Or is technology actually opening up new opportunities and areas for quality journalism? Tune in to find out! Joining Jason on the panel: Amir Efrati (The Information), Pui-Wing Tam (Bloomberg), Dave Callaway (USA Today), and Evan Hansen (Medium).

Investors and founders begin their relationship with the best intentions, to build something meaningful in the world. But the road can get rocky, and miscommunications abound. So be straight from the very start. In this "Startup Basics" Jason lays it out: What should investors and founders expect from each other?

In this "Startup Basics," Jason sits down with special guests, WSGR attorneys Rachel Proffitt and Todd Carpenter, who give us in-depth advice on the legal aspects of getting your startup off the ground. In this episode Todd and Rachel explain THE essential issue in protecting your ideas: Intellectual Property. What is IP, what is its purpose, and how do you safeguard your startup's secrets? Tune in to find out!

In a special bonus TWIST, Jason hosts students from Singularity University for a lively Q&A! The young entrepreneurs ask burning questions, and Jason shares his thoughts on angel investing, radical employment, international timidity, Occupy Wall Street, 3D-printed chocolate Nutella, and what he will do when he is President of the World.

This episode of Startup Basics will handle one of the most difficult decisions you'll make as an entrepreneur. At some point the going will most definitely get tough -- but when do you persevere and when do you pivot?? Jason shows us some surefire signals and red flags.