Transitioning into Tech

Transitioning into TECH

by

Gillian Morris

Presented at Harvard in Tech meetup, 18 November 2014

@gillianim

FORMER LIFE Journalist/Consultant in Istanbul

view from my kitchen

@gillianim

2 years later Founder & CEO of Hitlist, a mobile app that

helps you build a list of places you’d like to go then alerts you when there are cheap flights to get to those places •  200k+ downloads •  Venture backed •  Won 4 hackathons •  ‘35 under 35’ Young Leaders

to watch in Travel

1. Build something people= want

Not just you and your yuppie friends

@gillianim

Know the difference*:

Lifestyle Do what you love! And make enough

to live comfortably

•  Incremental improvement on something that already exists

•  Nice to have not need to have

Venture backable Build something market-changing in a

minimum $1bn market

•  Differentiated: new product or 10x better

•  Sustainable: network effects

•  Compelling: solves a real problem

@gillianim *there are exceptions to every rule, but have a good reason if you think you’ll be one

Validate your idea •  In a weekend

•  In a quarter

@gillianim

2. Build your network (virtual & local)

@gillianim

FACT: •  the best investor introductions

come from fellow entrepreneurs who are already making/have made the investor money

•  The best jobs come from personal referrals

•  The best employees come from personal referrals

@gillianim

@gillianim

Useful meetup groups: •  NY Tech Meetup •  Women 2.0 •  Ultra Light Startups •  Entrepreneurs’ roundtable •  PandoMonthly / Startup Grind

Check out my ‘complete guide to NY Tech – Abridged!’

3. Build your track record

@gillianim

‘Investors invest in lines not dots’ - Mark Suster Google this & read the blog post!

@gillianim

FREE ways to build your track record: Hackathons •  TechCrunch Disrupt (NY in May, SF in September) •  NYC BigApps •  Look for ones related to your industry Pitch competitions •  AlleyNYC Startup Battles •  TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield Speak at/organize Meetups Blog Send updates Help others

RECAP: 1.  Build something

people want 2.  Build your network 3.  Build your track

record @gillianim

@gillianim

Qs: Contact g@hitlistapp.com Gillian.im