VZV: Verizon Ventures Podcast

“We all have FitBits and Apple Watches. Imagine if you can start connecting your numbers, your analytics, your sports performance with your favorite players.”

(click to tweet)

Welcome back to Verizon Ventures.

This is Part 2 of our conversation around sporting technologies. Last week we discussed how technology can enhance fan experience, and today we focus on how it can improve player development. Joining us are the talented:

• LJ Rader, Product Manager at Verizon
• Jeff Angus, Head of Marketing at Playsight

“We’ve been working with everyone from the Golden State Warriors to sports academies with 10-12 year-olds. It’s a tool for athletes to help them get better. Everybody can use it.”

(click to tweet)

Highlights

• Products like Nike’s Fuelband aren’t innovation in terms of disrupting a learning process
• Look at Verizon Ventures’ portfolio company PlaySight’s SmartCourt to see how an innovative product empowers a coach to more effectively cut through the noise in his/her students
• Simulating in-game conditions helps mentally train players
• Imagine being a soccer goalkeeper who can virtually look at all previous kickers tendencies/habits
• Most experts favor augmented reality or virtual reality
• A new jumbotron prototype empowers spectators to use the technology when dormant
• Utilization technologies repurposes assets that aren’t being used (ex: Lyft, jumbotron)
• Stadium AR could pipe venue analytics to the user to improve gameday experience (ex: concessions prices, bathroom lines, etc.
• Opening analytics to the public could mean knowing Lebron’s heart rate at the free throw line or distance run all season

“For athletes, the mental aspect is arguably more important than the physical talent.”

(click to tweet)

Resources

PlaySight SmartCourt https://www.playsight.com/

Full Show Notes at: VerizonVentures.com/podcast

“We’re not going to change the purity of the game. We’re just going to enhance the experience in a way bigger than we ever imagined.”

(click to tweet)

Welcome back to Verizon Ventures.

On today’s episode, we are discussing the rise of sporting technologies that enrich the fan experience. From VR headsets to live-streaming in multiple languages, there are many different ways in which tech can be integrated into our sports-viewing paradigm. Joining us are the talented:

• LJ Rader, Product Manager at Verizon
• Jeff Angus, Head of Marketing at Verizon Ventures portfolio company, Playsight

“If you have a Head of Innovation, you’re doing it wrong. Innovation is a department.”

(click to tweet)

Highlights

• Some innovation comes off as gimmick-y
• Innovation is a department, not a single person effort
• Look at PlaySight’s SmartCourt as an example of how innovation intended for one purpose (player development) can be reappropriated for another purpose (live-streaming)
• There’s a trend in sports broadcasting where spectators harness live-streaming platforms like Facebook Live to commentate
• Real Madrid is the most valuable sports team in the world; not because of their fans in Madrid, but because of their fans all over the world
• It’s getting increasingly more expensive to attend live sporting events
• There is still a long way to go with VR before you feel completely in the venue
• The social component of VR will make you able to sit amongst your friends’ avatars
• Look to the chat logs of sporting event live-streams to see the power of social in fan experience
• Broadcast technologies will empower viewers to choose commentator of genre choice (ex: funny vs. tactical/strategic)

“When the technology catches up to the in-person venue experience, that’s when it gets exciting.”

(click to tweet)

Resources

PlaySight SmartCourt https://www.playsight.com/

Full Show Notes at: VerizonVentures.com/podcast

“Investments create an opportunity to learn more about emerging technologies” - Meredith Finn

(click to tweet)

If you’re the founder of a company it can be a challenge to know when it’s the right time to reach out to an investor. If you’re in the seed stage of your company, it may be tougher for you. It might be best to spend  your time developing your company, your technology, and acquiring clients to reach a sustainable point in your company.

Because of this, many Corporate Venture Capitalists shy away from a company that’s in too early of a stage. They may find it better to wait until a company is in Stage A, when they can take the time to branch out and really communicate and build a relationship with a CVC.

Don’t let that discourage you if you’re the kind of a founder that thinks you can do it all. There are certainly a number of CVC’s out there whose portfolio is filled with companies they invested in their infancy.

The biggest thing is that you really need to analyze your company from a realistic standpoint. Know if this is the time to reach out or not. If you feel it’s the time, really research the CVC you plan to reach out to. KNow their portfolio, what they invest in, and when they typically invest in a company. It may sound like a no brainer, but make sure you always make sure you do your due diligence.

There’s nothing worse than wasting your time and an investor's time just because you didn’t take a little extra time to really research a CVC’s portfolio.

On this episode of Verizon Ventures we continue our discussion with Meredith Finn and Marcelo Ballvé to dive deeper into what CVC’s are looking for.

Download this episode of Verizon Ventures to learn what investors are looking for and how you can increase your success rate when reaching out to them.

Our guests include:

• Meredith Finn, Director of Sales Force Venture - the strategic investment arm SalesForce.com.
• Marcelo Ballvé, Senior Director of Research at CB Insights - a software and data platform that helps companies predict technology trends.

“Corporate Venture Capital is increasingly having a larger and larger footprint in the venture ecosystem as a whole.” - Marcelo Ballvé

(click to tweet)

Highlights

• Sales Force tends to avoid investing at the seed stage.
• • Seed stage isn’t necessarily the right time to think about partnerships.
• Series A stage is the right time to start considering a partnership.
• Some CVC’s, like Google Ventures, do invest primarily at the seed stage.
• When investing, Sales Force doesn’t take control of the partnership.
• In 2016 alone there was around 100 CVCs that were created.
• • We are seeing a boom from a variety of industries.
  • Not just tech, but even automotive and food industry CVCs.
• CB Insights has a newsletter with all the newest trends and developments in CVC.
• Sales Force actively reviews and encourages people to send over ideas to their company.

“There’s some variance in Corporate Venture Capital in terms of how closely and how strategically aligned investments are.”

(click to tweet)

Resources

CB Insights

Sales Force Venture

“Today there’s a much more mature ecosystem around technology.” - Marcelo Ballvé

(click to tweet)

Venture investment is a very tricky game. It can be very difficult to find the balances between financial and strategic investing when looking at a new company. This makes it tough for some Venture Capitalists to decide what route to take when looking over proposals.

On this episode of Verizon Ventures we are joined but Meredith Finn and Marcelo Ballvé, two Directors in charge of researching and finding new companies to partner with.

Download this episode today to hear what investors are looking for, how to pitch them, and if you’re the right fit for the venture capitalists you are reaching out to.

Our guests include:

• Meredith Finn, Director of Sales Force Venture - the strategic investment arm SalesForce.com.
• Marcelo Ballvé, Senior Director of Research at CB Insights - a software and data platform that helps companies predict technology trends.

“We define strategic as the ability to plug into our platform and partner with us closely.” - Meredith Finn

(click to tweet)

Highlights

• Each success in corporate venture capital can be attributed to a major breakthrough in technology.
• • GM/Dupont wave.
  • Invention of the PC.
  • Internet boom.
  • .com bubble
  • Mobile computing/Social network revolution.
• We’ve seen the rise and fall of many technology trends, which makes this business interesting.
• AI and Machine learning is the new frontier for investments.
• The largest tech companies in the world have been starting tech venture companies.
• People believe it’s unlikely to be a big shake up like we saw in previous tech bubbles.
• • There seems to be a more sustained build up.
• There’s always a tensions between strategic and financial ventures.
• Founder need to consider if venture capitalists have invested in their type of business before reaching out.
• There’s communication issues that need to be ironed out in the relationships between venture capitalist investors and founders.

“50% of our investment is split between a 3-5 and 5-10 year value ahead of where we are today.”

(click to tweet)

Resources

CB Insights

Sales Force Venture

“It’s not just about a return on investment… It’s really about a return on relationships” -Rei Wang

(click to tweet)

One of the benefits of being an on campus student is the infinite amount of resources available to you at your university. You have access to professors who have been through it all, are surrounded by students full of energy and eager to get things going, and now more and more companies funding innovations.

Companies like Dorm Room Fund and Verizon Ventures have been reaching out to campuses to find the newest up and coming talent. They are funding students, and letting them take the reigns on projects that would normally be just a dream.

The support doesn’t end when students get their degrees. In fact, it’s the contrary. The students who join these programs become life-long members of a support group that will continue to help and nurture their ideas and companies. It’s a very exciting time to be a university student.

Download this episode today to hear more about on campus integration from the leaders of top companies like Dorm Room Fun, Verdigris, and of course - Verizon Ventures.

Our guests include:

• Lemu Coker, who is the partnerships lead on the open invitation team at Verizon. He works with campuses to bring in talent, product, and insights into verizon.
• Mark Chung, the CEO of Verdigris Technologies. Verdigris Technologies makes the world’s most intelligent energy monitoring systems for high end commercial building.
• Rei Wang, the Director of Dorm Room Fund, which is dedicated to funding student entrepreneurs.

“You don’t give them (students) the guard rails, you let them create the guard rails and create the structure...” -Lemu Coker

(click to tweet)

 

Highlights

• Being a student on campus means you have access to infinite resources.
• Stanford’s program is supportive well beyond graduation.
• Every year Dorm Room Fund does a giant summit where alumni and founders stay connected.
• Value is created through on campus integration by providing support.
• Giving students the resources to create their own systems is a stronger tactic than forcing them into events and situations.
• Your first five hires need to be complicated and skill specific.
• On Campus Integration gives students access to real world problems a lot of university students never get the chance to deal with.
• There can be a lot companies are missing by going to the administration and not directly to the students.

“What I’ve seen be very effective in providing a nurturing environment is creating frameworks for experiential learning” - Mark Chung

(click to tweet)

 

Resources

VerizonOpenInnovation.com

Verdigris.co

DRF.VC

Full Show Notes at: VerizonVentures.com/Episode

 

“I found it really inspiring to be around a lot of other young people that wanted to do something meaningful and impactful.” - Mark Chung

(click to tweet)

Many Universities around the country support innovation and technology development. There’s groups dedicated to seeing entrepreneurs on campus move forward with their projects, and major companies have taken notice to what students are doing. Everyone knows it’s practically impossible to start up your own company while being a full time student.

What’s exactly why major companies like Dorm Room Fund and Verizon Ventures has begun partnership programs where they find and fund the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Welcome to Verizon Ventures! Today, we discuss on campus innovation and the different approaches companies take to seek out new talent and products in development.

Download this episode today to hear from top experts and leaders who are searching for new talent, and hear from entrepreneurs who went through these types of programs.

Our guests include:

• Lemu Coker, who is the partnerships lead on the open invitation team at Verizon. He works with campuses to bring in talent, product, and insights into verizon.
• Mark Chung, the CEO of Verdigris Technologies. Verdigris Technologies makes the world’s most intelligent energy monitoring systems for high end commercial building.
• Rei Wang, the Director of Dorm Room Fund, which is dedicated to funding student entrepreneurs.

“We believe there is a LOT of innovation happening on campuses today.”

(click to tweet)

Highlights

• Rei explains that the Dorm Room Fund started in 2012 to help full time students be able to start their own business while staying in school.
• • They recruit and trains selected students in each region they are active and let the students make investment decisions.
  • Students meet with founders, and make the pitch.
  • They invest in all kinds of products, not just mobile or tech.
• Mark discusses how working with startups at Stanford was very inspirings, surrounded by other young people who really wanted to do something meaningful and impactful.
• • Since the beginning, standing for climate change and something really impactful stood as a unifying piece for the company.
  • Evolving into a company means more grounded reality outside of the company’s mission
• You have to learn to scale what you build when making a transition to a profitable company.
• Verizon looks for students who have an entrepreneurial drive, but may not be ready to step out into the world and start their own business.
• • They look for students who can help build out current products and what products should come next.
• Verizon has a concept studio, where they go bring in ten students with various skills. They give them a challenge to overcome and a six month deadline.
• • At the end of 6 months they may be offered a job, or the chance to continue on that project as a startup.
  • It’s basically a six month full time on boarding position.
• Verizon is willing to spend money to invest in projects, which can spin out into their own companies with Verizon as an investor.
• • They want right to use the product, but don’t require exclusive rights to a product.
• Verizon engages with over 50 schools all over.
• Most of the investments Verizon Ventures makes are very young companies that already have a product ready to go.
• Both teams and individuals are supported by Verizon Ventures.

“Most people who think of university founders think of consumer mobile apps, but that’s actually not the case.” -Rei Wang

(click to tweet)

Full Show Notes at: VerizonVentures.com/Podcast

 

“There are places where digital and traditional co-exist, even on digital platforms.”

(click to tweet)

Welcome back to part 3 of Verizon Venture’s live video content discussion, where we continue to discuss the evolution of branding content and the constantly growing media and entertainment industry. Joining us are the talented:

• Ivana Kirkbride, Chief Content Officer for Go90, a Verizon company.
• Allison Stern, Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer for Tubular Labs.
• Matt Levin, Co-founder and CEO of Donut Media.
• Rhoades Rader, Head of Content Studios at Mitu, a Verizon Ventures portfolio company.
• Allen DebeVoise, Managing Partner of Third Wave Ventures.    

“Television in the last 15 years has begun to fill a void that was created by the movement in the film industry.”

(click to tweet)

Highlights

• When you think about what it means to look at Youtube and other platforms, it shows a lot of opportunities. We’re just at the beginning of what that means.
• Television in the last 15 years has begun to fill a void that was created by the movement in the film industry.
• If you look at the movie model, one 90 minute piece of film can produce $1 billion in revenue. If you look at the live programming model and compare them, it doesn’t work.
• From a spectacle perspective, there are different value prospects in the live programming models compared to traditional formats.
• Context in platform matters. You have to treat each ecosystem as it’s own unique beast.
• Platforms mature and change and at their best, are self reflexive.
• Audiences mature, and so do their expectations in the TV and entertainment fields.
• Every platform will see more formats evolving and more sophistication from the audience, thus leading to the industry being able to take more risks.
• Success comes from keeping an eye on the content and data. What works and what doesn’t work? Be aware.
• Audiences now have a short attention span, and more places to go for their content. It will become harder for businesses to captivate them if they do not stay on top of their content data.
• 2017 predictions; Allen: Facebook and YouTube do more premium content with their audiences.
• 2017 predictions; Rhoades: More traditional narrative structures beginning to manifest in the digital space.

“Every platform will see more formats evolving, and more sophistication from the audience, thus leading to the industry being able to take more risks.”

(click to tweet)

Resources

Go90 https://www.go90.com/

Donut Media http://www.donut.media/

Tubular Labs: https://tubularlabs.com/

Mitu Studios: https://www.wearemitu.com/

Third Wave Ventures: http://thirdwavedigital.vc/

Matthew Levin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-levin-7205033b

Ivana Kirkbride: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivanakirkbride

Allison Stern: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonjstern

Rhoades Rader: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhoadesrader

“Because all the video platforms are global, it is a very different mindset than television.”

(click to tweet)

Welcome back to part 2 of Verizon Venture’s live video content discussion, where we continue to discuss the evolution of live content in relation to shoppable content and branding within videos. Joining us are the talented:

• Ivana Kirkbride, Chief Content Officer for Go90, a Verizon company.
• Allison Stern, Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer for Tubular Labs.
• Matt Levin, Co-founder and CEO of Donut Media.
• Rhoades Rader, Head of Content Studios at Mitu, a Verizon Ventures portfolio company.
• Allen DeBevoise, Managing Partner of Third Wave Ventures.  

“Shoppable videos have become a really cool trend for business models, that can work.”

(click to tweet)

Highlights

• Information and items now within videos have the capability to be itemized, and in turn shoppable.
• Shoppable videos have become a really cool trend for business models that can work.
• The rise of sponsored content and branded content is going to be a huge theme in 2017.
• The idea of content within videos grew ten times last year from the previous year, and we’re expecting that to be a large piece of the way to make money within media companies.
• Companies in the space are beginning to build creative agencies, and see how they can further scale this department.
• Allison: There’s a spectrum of how brands engage in content. One end is uploading TV ads onto Youtube or a video platform, which we have evolved from. The next step is partnering with influencers.
• Businesses are going to be creating branded content to market, separate from their TV ads, to showcase their brand
• GoPro has become a media company on par with other media companies.
• A main challenge is how much appetite there are in brands to become their own media company.
• The big question for publishers and programmers now becomes: How do we scale? How do I own a mindset?
• In digital media -- it’s a global opportunity instead of the US centric mind frame.
• The type of content you’re creating will heavily influence the budget and quality of the production in your videos.
• The notion of what people would want to watch is expanding widely, thanks to the on-demand nature.

“The next step for businesses in this space isn’t for the faint of heart: becoming a media company yourself.”

(click to tweet)

Resources

Go90 https://www.go90.com/

Donut Media http://www.donut.media/

Tubular Labs: https://tubularlabs.com/

Mitu Studios: https://www.wearemitu.com/

Third Wave Ventures: http://thirdwavedigital.vc/

Matthew Levin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-levin-7205033b

Ivana Kirkbride: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivanakirkbride

Allison Stern: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonjstern

Rhoades Rader: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhoadesrader

“The standardized measurement for how businesses should be evaluating content is the larger question within the industry.”

(click to tweet)

The live video platform has been exploding in recent years, with some even calling 2016 the “Year of Facebook Live.” Companies worldwide are adapting the idea of boosting engagement through creative and exciting content via live platforms, such as Snapchat, Instagram Stories, and Facebook Live. But what drives higher engagement, and how do businesses measure success rates, beyond view count? Our guests this week join us to discuss the evolution of Live video, and where it’s headed in the years to come. Joining us this week are:

• Ivana Kirkbride, Chief Content Officer for Go90, a Verizon company.
• Allison Stern, Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer for Tubular Labs.
• Matt Levin, Co-founder and CEO of Donut Media.
• Rhoades Rader, Head of Content Studios at Mitu, a Verizon Ventures portfolio company.
• Allen DeBevoise, Managing Partner of Third Wave Ventures.  

“The difference between live and on-demand video, is that live video is similar to traditional TV, and we’re familiar with the concept.”

(click to tweet)

Highlights

• The average successful Facebook Live video is around 18 minutes, and is twice as engaging as a normal Facebook video.
• Allison: The way we’re looking at measurement in video is an interesting sector to explore.
• Allen: Companies building branding right now see these type of companies and platforms (Snapchat, Instagram Story, Facebook Live, etc.) as an opportunity to build engagement through live content.
• Allen: Unlike TV, which is all on the same signal, the content is different and the timing is different on live, requiring different skill sets
• Matt: Live videos cause us all to be more creative to create high engagement type content.
• Allison: measurement is a real question in the industry right now--everyone is looking for a standardized form of measurement.
• Views are the current metric people use to measure their content on, but as we start to move towards types of videos and types of platforms, time watched is going to become the unifying metric.
• The difference between live and on-demand video, is the advantage live has being similar to TV as we know it, in concurrent viewers.
• The notion of views is limited in relation to the number of engaged views.
• High engagement is favored more than shares in some ways.
• Males are shown to share less than females do.
• The standardized measurement for how businesses should be evaluating content is the larger question within the industry.
• The Advertising agencies are invested in the way they’ve been doing business, which, in turn, makes some of them careless to real data.

“Being live teaches us to be more creative with our content, in order to create high engagement.”

(click to tweet)

Resources

Go90 https://www.go90.com/

Donut Media http://www.donut.media/

Tubular Labs: https://tubularlabs.com/

Mitu Studios: https://www.wearemitu.com/

Third Wave Ventures: http://thirdwavedigital.vc/

Matthew Levin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-levin-7205033b

Ivana Kirkbride: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivanakirkbride

Allison Stern: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonjstern

Rhoades Rader: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhoadesrader

“We have to make sure we don’t put people at dead ends in product development. They want to be in a world where they have choices.”

(click to tweet)

We welcome you back for part two of our discussion regarding home security systems, and the past, present, and future of this exciting technology. Returning from last week includes:

• Roel Peeters is the CEO and founder of Roost. Roost built a home telematics platform focused on the property insurance industry, and works with IOT devices.

• Ian Swanson is the CEO of Data Science, Inc. Data Science offers a platform as well as Data Science as a service, working with many IOT companies.

• Ohad Zeira is the Director of Product and Strategy for Verizon Smart Home

• Nate Williams is the Chief Revenue Officer and Head of Business at August Home, a market leader in home access control.

“The market has three segments right now: DIY solutions, professional installment, and capable consumers that have the “do it for me” attitude.”

(click to tweet)

Highlights

• In a home, the replacement timelines are very long. In fact, most people don’t even buy their washer or dryers, it just comes with the home, giving them little to no choice over their buying options.
• Simplicity and ease of use is essential: With the battery, it’s one of the smart home products that can be sent to consumers and they know what to do with it. It’s just as easy as your basic light bulb.
• The focus should be on “how can we make these products easier to install?”
• There’s an emerging trend right now with professional installation within this industry, where companies are working to make it easier for you to install your own smart items.
• However, some products are not the easiest UX or UI to set up, and will require professional installation.
• The market has three segments right now: DIY solutions, professional installment, and capable consumers that have the “do it for me” attitude.
• Fun Fact: It took 45 years for 50% of US households to have dishwashers!
• It took less than ten years for 80% of US households to have broadband. This is an amazing success with new technology!
• Consumers only want one neck to choke. They do not want to call ten different people for the same issue. They want to call one person.
• Ohad: Voice interactions are going to be across a lot of devices very soon, into the home or outside of the home.
• We have to make the products so sewn into the home, that consumers can’t imagine going back to a life without these products.

“You’re not asking people to change their environment, you’re leaving existing functionality, and simply adding to it.”

(click to tweet)

Resources

https://www.datascience.com/company

http://august.com/

http://www.getroost.com/about-roost