how to launch your own startup in 90 days

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How to Launch Your Own Startup in 90 Days Siavash Mahmoudian

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How to Launch Your Own Startup in 90 DaysSiavash Mahmoudian

Introduction● Started computer programming when I was 10, built my first shooting game

with Pascal at 11, implemented my first Web Application at 13 sold it to my school for $1600.

● Started coding remotely for companies in US at 15.● Studied Industrial Engineering, Civil Engineering and Information Technology

in three different universities at the same time.● Got 1st and 3rd prize in International Robotics Competitions

(Robocup 2007, Robocup 2009)● Founded my first startup while I was at university.● Came to US with H1B visa in 2011.● Co-founded Breezio (formerly called Programming.com)● Technical advisor of Company.com (Ranked #10 in the Inc 500 fastest growing companies)

● Have been speaker and mentor in Startup Weekend, Startup Grind, etc.

#GWUStartup @siavash

Startups!

Startups vs

Small Companies

It’s very hard!

It’s very counter intuitive.Like skiing. Lean back and you’ll fall.

(Idea + Product + Team + Execution)

(Idea + Product + Team + Execution) ⨉ Luck

Idea

Have an idea?

Does it matter?!

How to find it?

Explain your idea in two sentences

You will spend your next 5 years on it!

Define the market

Note Taking app

Validate your idea!

They will steal my idea.

Find a co-founder

Product

Build something that users love!

Hand pick initial users and talk to them

● Build● Show to users● Support● Get feedback● Repeat

Start simple

Imagine the best user experience

Do one thing extremely well

“It drove hundreds of thousands of people to the website. Our beta waiting list went from 5,000 people to 75,000

people literally overnight. It totally blew us away.”

Drew Houston, CEO of DropBox

Do things that don’t scale

You can make something that small group of people

LOVE, or big group of people LIKE.

Focus on growth

Find the magic moment!

Define a metric

When your product is ready?

Launch!!!

“If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched

too late.”

Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn

The Algorithm

You Launch Quickly

Nobody Sees You

You Relaunch

Repeat!Until they see you

Where to Launch?

ProductHunt

1. Engage with a hunter2. Ask them to post your product 5:00AM PST on

Tuesdays3. Offer an exclusive deal to PH community4. Do an Ask Me Anything

ProductHunt

1. Betalist - 25,000+ early adopters, $129 to post2. Erlibird - 40,000+ beta testers, $149 to post3. Killer Startups - 5,000 potential users, $169 to post

Also answer relevant questions on Quora and share your slides on SlideShare

Similar services

Hacker Newsnews.ycombinator.com

1. My YC app: Dropbox - Throw away your USB drive (YC S07)2. Show HN: Meteor, a realtime JavaScript framework (YC S11)3. Show HN: Codecademy.com, the easiest way to learn to code (YC S11)4. Show HN: Firebase, a scalable real-time backend (YC S11)5. Show HN: Webflow - Design responsive websites visually (YC S13)6. Show HN: We open sourced Lockitron's crowdfunding app (YC S09)7. Show HN: We just built a site that saves lives (YC W13)8. Show HN: Myth - CSS the way it was imagined (YC S11)9. Show HN: Easel, web design in the browser (YC S12)

10. Show HN: Heap is a new approach to analytics. Just capture everything (YC W13)

Hacker News

r/Startupsreddit.com/r/startups

Find ReportersFrom Google News, Twitter

Find their emailsUse Mechanical Turk or Fiverr

https://www.mturk.com/mturk/welcome

Make a Press Kit

Send out Emails

Follow Up!Follow Up!Follow Up!

KickStarter

Things to do before Launch

Gather Emails!

Share Buttons

Don’t Leave PopupsSumo.com

Measure EVERYTHING!

MixPanel

MixPanel

Google Analytics

International Student?● International Services Office (ISO)● GW Career Center● GW Office of Entrepreneurship

Y CombinatorStartup SchoolRegistration will close by March 27th

hexib.com/channel/startups

Questions?!

That’s it!

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