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Greg Isenberg: Advice to Montreal (and other growing startup communities)
This is a guest post by Greg Isenberg, the founder and CEO of 5by, a startup acquired by StumbleUpon in September. Greg recently moved the company from Montreal to San Francisco to be close to StumbleUpon’s offices. The following is an excerpt from a post he wrote thanking the Montreal community that is applicable advice to growing startup communities everywhere.
This is a guest post by Greg Isenberg, the founder and CEO of 5by, a startup acquired by StumbleUpon in September. Greg recently moved the company from Montreal to San Francisco to be close to StumbleUpon’s offices. The following is an excerpt from a post he wrote thanking the Montreal community that is applicable advice to growing startup communities everywhere.
Keep that joie de vivre. Think bigger. Raise more money. Find mentors. Be mentors. Invest in local startups. Don’t worry about local politics (it will always be messed up). Throw more events (not just formal events, but dinners and drinks). Build your company proudly in this community, but be on a plane every two weeks. Get high profile advisors/investors. Hire from local universities. Local research incentives are godsent. Your community is the best place in the world to build an MVP. Never hurt another company in the your community’s family. Cultural difference debates don’t matter, we’re building products to make the world better, focus your thoughts on your biz. Take young entrepreneurs out for drinks and intro them to key players in your community and abroad. Find a bar. Never burn bridges (the community is too small for that). More established tech communities are only a short flight. And don’t forget let me know how I can help.
Greg Isenberg is a growth hacker and angel investor that has strategized and implemented digital strategies for companies like WordPress, FedEx, TechCrunch and Microsoft. He also helped build Wall Street Survivor, the world’s most popular fantasy stock market simulator. He is currently the CEO of 5by, which was acquired by StumbleUpon in September 2013. Greg is also a Venture Partner at Good People Ventures, an early-stage tech venture fund.
Photo Credit: Ryan Morrison
Keep that joie de vivre. Think bigger. Raise more money. Find mentors. Be mentors. Invest in local startups. Don’t worry about local politics (it will always be messed up). Throw more events (not just formal events, but dinners and drinks). Build your company proudly in this community, but be on a plane every two weeks. Get high profile advisors/investors. Hire from local universities. Local research incentives are godsent. Your community is the best place in the world to build an MVP. Never hurt another company in the your community’s family. Cultural difference debates don’t matter, we’re building products to make the world better, focus your thoughts on your biz. Take young entrepreneurs out for drinks and intro them to key players in your community and abroad. Find a bar. Never burn bridges (the community is too small for that). More established tech communities are only a short flight. And don’t forget let me know how I can help.
Greg Isenberg is a growth hacker and angel investor that has strategized and implemented digital strategies for companies like WordPress, FedEx, TechCrunch and Microsoft. He also helped build Wall Street Survivor, the world’s most popular fantasy stock market simulator. He is currently the CEO of 5by, which was acquired by StumbleUpon in September 2013. Greg is also a Venture Partner at Good People Ventures, an early-stage tech venture fund.
Photo Credit: Ryan Morrison
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