Launching a startup at a big event is a great idea. There are many advantages.
- Hard Launch Date: Launching at an event forces you to launch. There are many examples of startups that delay their launch (several times over) because they can. An event means you’ve got to launch. Granted, I’ve seen a lot of startups launch at events, and they’re not really launching … they’re announcing the upcoming possibility of a beta product, sometime in the near future, maybe. That’s not really launching and in my mind, shouldn’t be allowed at events like TechCrunch50 or DEMO.
- Lots of Press: You can’t go wrong with some buzz, and the more the merrier. PR can be a huge boon to a startup, and there’s no better way to kickstart things than with a well-publicized event. Of course, the event buzz will die fast (it almost always does), so you need a plan for maintaining and leveraging that press and buzz going forward.
- Lots of Networking: Put hundreds or thousands of people in a room, all there to live and breathe startups for a few days, and the opportunities are almost endless. You won’t get a similar opportunity, and you’re in the spotlight, so you have to take advantage. I would recommend that every startup have a plan of attack for who they want to speak to, why and how. Don’t just assume you can walk around and meet people randomly, have a strategy in place.
- Getting on Stage: For a lot of people this is a scarier proposition than death. And it is scary. But once you’ve gone on stage in front of hundreds of people to pitch your startup dream, you’ll find it gets infinitely easier. I cringe a bit watching our presentation at DEMO 2008, but the confidence I gained from that is immeasurable.
- Line in the Sand: Launching at an event creates a more marked point in time whereby you can distinctly say, “We’ve launched.” It’s almost like your startup has two lives – Before Launch and After Launch. If you recognize this fact, and don’t get bogged down in obsessing solely about the launch, you’ll be very ready and eager to get past the launch into the real business of making your startup a success.
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