Confession: How I Launched at SXSW and Got Paid
By Larry Chiang
You want to launch something.
But you have no funding, no revenue and not a lot of street smarts.
Well, as a newly minted VC, I will not help you with the funding part —but will help you with the street smart part.
Here my confession (and let’s you and me work on pattern replicating ‘get-paid-to-launch-at-sxsw’)
My confession centers around an uber signature maneuver of ‘asking for forgiveness versus permission’ http://bub.blicio.us/entrepreneur-tip-dont-ask-permission-ask-forgiveness/
This confession / case study is fully legal, intricate, detailed, genius and fully pattern replicable.
Previous to SXSW launch, I premiered the “Reverse VC” concept at the worst party. You see, the GSB Club at Stanford University was notorious for hosting a horrible party during Stanford Entrepreneur Week.
Horrible.
No theme. No focus. No entrepreneurs. And no VCs.
Enter me and my ostentatious goal to take an annual Stanford Entrepreneur Week party from worst to *first*.
I charge VCs to attend a free party I wasn’t hosting. I used this Eventbrite rebate model. http://whattheydontteachyouatstanfordbusinessschool.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/guacamole-recipe-11-how-to-use-the-larry-chiang-rebate-model-to-sellout-your-eventbrite-event-at-sxsw-and-beyond/
VCs paid me 95.oo and got their money back when they showed up.
Because VCs paid to attend, it premiered the “Reverse VC” concept before it launched at SXSW. Because some 15 VCs that bought tickets didn’t show up, I had money for food and drinks. And Plancast brought pizza– yeah that same Plancast that successfully launched at SXSW 30 days later.
My value added Reverse VC pitch party was Feb 22. The SXSW launch of the reverse VC pitch was march 9. Pre-rolling and pre promoting a SXSW launch with a premier IS CRITICAL.
What’s the difference between premiering and launching??
One is in Palo Alto and the other is in Austin Texas.
I parlayed these series of maneuvers with 650 details into a teaching gig at Stanford University. In the school of engineering. I teach Technology Entrepreneurship.
Do not think I’m smart or whatevs.
Say, “gawd whatever that Larry Chiang with an IQ of 88 can do, I can do too”. Especially, say this if youre academically smart from engineering school because you study good.
Especially say this if you study engineering at the best schools: Stanford, Illinois-chamBana, Harvard or MIT (yeah I lecture at the last two)
In Austin Texas, the “Reverse VC pitch” launch was covered by the NY Times (I wrote it), GigaOm (I wrote it), VentureBeat (I wrote it), and Bloomberg BusinessWeek (I wrote it).
Disclosure: (I wrote it)
People forgive the self promotion because the attention gets re-routed into the startups that swirl around me and what I like.
But the Plancast, the InfoChimps, the etc were the past…
This is the future.
If you have a startup and wanna prep your SXSW launch… Prep and pre-launch in sf with media and VCs in attendance
http://www.facebook.com/events/213851905370135/
1/ there is no charge when your name is on this event.
2/ one name ONLY. no plus ones
3/ no VCs don’t have to pay. But yes, I have charged VCs to attend free events before. At Stanford. It is what launched “Reverse VC Pitch” panels and parties
Oh. And read a few more articles!
Gooogle “Larry Chiang countermeasures”
In order to do stuff out of the box, you will have to understand what the box is. In the USA, we are governed by laws which are set, enforceable and have recourse.
Know the rules of conference hacking and value addedly hijack with your tier one engineering degree.
Text me!
CEO of Duck9
Stanford University EIR (Entrepreneur in Residence)
Duck9 = Deep Underground Credit Knowledge 9
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Editor of the BusinessWeek Channel “What They Don’t Teach at Business School” http://whattheydontteachyouatstanfordbusinessschool.com/blog CNN Video Channel: http://ireport.cnn.com/people/larrychiang
Read my last 10 tweets at http://www.Twitter.com/LarryChiang
Author, NY Times Bestseller
http://whattheydontteachyouatstanfordbusinessschool.com/blog/?s=Ny+times+bestseller
“What They Will NEVER Teach You at Stanford Business School” comes out 11-11-12
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