lessons learned from startups with cute mascots (talk at ucla 4-4-11)

Lessons Learnedfrom Startups with Cute Mascots

alexis ohanian@kn0thing

Steve

Steve

14M uniques

1B pageviews

(thanks!)

politicsgadgetsscienceapplemarijuanaUCLAphotographyenvironmentspacehowtovideospicseconomicsworld newsask scienceatheismchristianitysports

The voice of the internet News before it happens

The biggest little community online

Credit: xkcd

Good news,everyone!

(only without the sex)

Find your reason(not $$$)

Find your we’re doomedbut I need to get out of bed

reason

Total monthly costs

Total monthly costs1. Rent

Total monthly costs1. Rent2. Food/beer

Total monthly costs1. Rent2. Food/beer3. Servers/bandwidth

Total monthly costs1. Rent2. Food/beer3. Servers/bandwidth

$82,000 raised.

Your Web Startup

Your Web Startup

Your Web Startup

Your Web Startup

Start!

no onewants to useyour website

make something people want

make something people love

Why?

We want you to

LOVE travel search.

Hotel search!

Users come first.

Users come first.Why market it?Just do it.

Why?

We want tomake the world suck less.

We want to make the world suck less.

We want to make the world suck less.

We want to make the world suck less.

We want to make the world suck less.

for nerds!

$175,000 donated so far

Peace and Social Action Committeeof the Midlothian Friends Meeting

Baller.

@mituK

@mituK

@mituK

There’sLOTS of work

to be done.

(no pressure)

Questions?

questions?@kn0thing