Far too many modern day workers are sacrificing comfort because of high-end shoes that look good around the office.  I personally know of friends and coworkers who wear sneakers every day to work and change into work appropriate but uncomfortable dress shoes as soon as they get into the office.  Wolf and Shepherd, a growing mens footwear company is seeking to address this problem for a large market of young male professionals by offering a line of dress shoes giving equal importance to athletic fit and classic style.
 
Wolf and Shepherd’s CEO and founder Justin Schneider, a former decathlete and design student at the University of Notre Dame, knew this need all too well and was disappointed in the lack of solutions available in the marketplace. “The athletic shoe industry has done a great job innovating new products and manufacturing processes in last two decades while traditional dress shoes have stayed relatively the same,” says Schneider. “Many of your luxury dress shoes are still extremely uncomfortable and have you walking on wood and nails. We have the technology to be comfortable from the moment we first put on our shoes to when we take them off at the end of the day.”
 
After graduating from college, Justin spent time working at major footwear companies like Adidas and New Balance, where he learned firsthand the value of creating an authentic story behind each product.  With the goal of creating a high end dress shoe that looked great and felt just as good to wear, he launched Wolf and Shepherd and its first line of shoes in the fall of 2014.
 
The entire line of Wolf and Shepherd shoes seamlessly integrates the style and elements found in modern Italian dress shoes with the comfort and technology of high quality running shoes, helping the company live up to its tagline of “dress to perform”.  Additionally, in an effort to prolong the life of the shoe, Wolf and Shepherd made it possible to replace the forefoot and the heels of all of its shoes, which come in a variety of popular styles and colors.
 
Seeking a partner that understood the importance of quality and precision, soon after launching the company, Schneider secured a partnership soon after launching the company with a manufacturer in Leon, Mexico to help craft its premium leather dress shoes.  While the shoes are available in a few select boutique retailers, Wolf and Shepherd primarily distributes its products through its online store, where it offers free shipping and returns on all orders. 
 
Still in its early stages, the company has been able to build momentum thanks to winning first place and a grand prize of $25,000 at Notre Dame’s annual Mcloskey Business Plan Competition earlier this year and receiving positive endorsements for its products from beta customers including prominent athletes and politicians.  Justin took a quick break from running and growing Wolf and Shepherd, which is based out of Jacksonville Beach, Florida, to share his thoughts on a range of topics from fundraising to brand building to retailing.  Check out the interesting Q& A below:

Q: What have been the biggest lessons learned with regards to fundraising a startup like W&S?
One of the biggest lessons I've learned regarding funding is to start building relationships with prospective investors from the beginning of your idea. With startups being in the media limelight, there is this notion that anyone can just go out and raise a couple million to start their company. I used to think if I had a good idea and a prototype then my favorite VC firm would gladly stroke me a million dollar check. Well, it's likely this will never happen. 
 
When Wolf & Shepherd was just an idea, I started sharing it with family and friends who trusted me, knew my work ethic, and were excited to follow my progress. As I started to hit milestones: building and receiving my first prototypes, entering and winning a business plan competition, and launching my product with beta customers, my family and friends started making introductions to investors and sharing my progress with them. Over the period of about a year, I was able to organically grow a list of family members and investors who had gained confidence in our ability to build a great company and when we we're ready for our first capital raise, all the investors were already lined up.
 
Q: Any plans to open up a brick and mortar or showroom location?
Brick and mortar tends to be a very risky upfront investment for startups. Without metric evidence that the location and demographic will perform well with your product, you're left guessing whether the investment will be a success. One of the ways we've begun testing locations is to simultaneously partner with established retailers while experimenting with localized online re-marketing. Depending on how well we are received, we may consider allocating funds to a showroom model but we will have to see about a standalone Wolf & Shepherd storefront.
 
Q: How do you address the challenges of selling a product online at a fairly high price point that people traditionally like to try out in person? 
Great question, Will. The first answer is that we offer free shipping and returns on any product purchased online and follow up with awesome customer service. Not that we want to be taken advantage of, but no matter how extreme a claim we're never going to argue with our customers if they ask to return the product. With a background of designing performance shoes that have sold over half a million pairs and luxury products, we have a lot of confidence in our shoe making and believe most people will be extremely pleased with a new pair of our dress shoes. 
 
Q: Seems like a lot of the high growth fashion e-commerce players (Warby parker, Bonobos, Tie Bar, etc) have been successful at attracting very loyal customers by selling themselves as lifestyle brands and providing a great customer experience.  What are ways in which W&S is trying to accomplish that?
It goes without saying that a company will have a very hard time succeeding if they do not provide great customer service (quick responses to customers, personalizing orders and honoring our commitments) and build a great product - I think we are doing these things. 
 
With Wolf & Shepherd, I want us to be good stewards of our success. We are not looking to build a vapid brand in hopes that we'll get acquired for a high multiple when we exceed $5M in revenue. Wolf & Shepherd needs to be an enduring company and for that to happen we have to be mission driven. This includes everyone involved in the company from our customers, to our employees and investors. People are hungry for something authentic, a brand with some consistency and depth. My hope is for Wolf & Shepherd to be a brand you can stand beside for years to come. 
 
Q: Biggest tip or piece of advice for new entrepreneurs launching a business? 
My biggest advice is to just try and build it. I think the secret to success (or the common denominator) if you want to put it that way is trying. Nobody ever succeeded wildly or otherwise if they didn’t try first. You can’t succeed if you don’t try to succeed. The power is in the motivation. There is no secret formula to launching a business. Just try.

As evidenced by the lofty valuations of first movers and a constant stream of newcomers to the industry,  a massive market opportunity clearly exists for cloud storage solutions. These incredibly powerful and useful tools have become practically omnipresent in both the widespread consumer and enterprise markets.  While each service has its own pros and cons, there is no denying the explosive growth of cloud computing in the past few years. 

Nevertheless, the lack of integration solutions between the major players like Dropbox, Box, and Google Drive makes using these products across teams a potential headache.  I can recall one too many class projects in school where the group was wasting time and energy trying to efficiently manage and share files as some team members swore by Dropbox, while others refused to switch from Box, and I was using Google Drive. Adam Moisa knew this problem all too well and decided that there had to be a better way.  He realized that as virtual teams and online collaboration become the norm for teams big and small, the demand for a one size fits all file sharing solution just wasn't being met. With a focus on addressing this issue around simplifying real time collaboration, he and his co- founders set out to build Agora, a web and mobile based solution determined to get all the clouds on the same page.   

Founded in 2014,, the New York based startup has built a file sharing and collaboration platform that brings together your files from major cloud storage providers like Dropbox, Google Drive, and Box into one location. Agora's modern, well-design solution enables its users to properly and efficiently manage their files across various cloud storage systems with online editing and file sharing capabilities.  While the product is currently in private beta, you can request access on the company's website agora.co.  With a product like Agora, time wasted syncing, sharing, and managing documents and files between various cloud storage providers could become a thing of the past.  Check out my conversation with Agora's founder and CEO, Adam Moisa.  

Q: Where did the idea for Agora come from? 
We built Agora because of a personal issue: we couldn’t manage our various Dropbox’s, Google Drives, Box’s, etc. Our team had files all over the place and finding them was becoming a real challenge. We always ran out of space and had to open more accounts which only made it worse.  If they wanted to share files from their Google Drive for this project, but I didn’t have Google Drive, they couldn't share that file with me easily. We lived and breathed this problem as students and entrepreneurs and we just had to have a better way. We also found out we weren’t the only ones with this issue. So, we built Agora.

Q: Could you talk about the technology behind Agora and how you've created a service that doesn't store files across various cloud platforms but still allows you to share and edit them?
Without giving too much away, we view ourselves as the orchestrator of your files and not your storage provider. We created a universal file type that can handle all the various ways the individual clouds handle files and folders. This allows us to show you all your files and let you manipulate them in whatever way you want. That’s all we can say about our technology but in short, we let you work with your files no matter where they’re from, however you want.

Q: What has it been like to create and strategize around a launch campaign for Agora?  In your opinion, what goes into making a successful product launch?
The first few steps were all about clearly understanding the message our product should convey. Before talking about “What” your product does and “How” it does it, you need to tell people “Why” they should choose it and what pains it relieves for them. The final part requires focus from the entire team to make sure that in terms of design, features and marketing every piece of the puzzle is ready, consistent and aligned. These are crucial steps to have an impactful launch and to clear the way for product/market fit. 

Q: There seems to be a huge focus on digital collaboration tools/apps/platforms recently. Why do you think there is such a demand to address this issue?
As technology improves, the speed at which teams can work together increases. It also allows for a more distributed team. This fragmentation of teams has led to the need for tools to allow them to work together efficiently yet remotely. Dropbox did a great thing by allowing people to have files shared or mirrored no matter how far away they are. We are trying to put all your synced files into one place, to further defragment teams and to perfect the way you interact with your files and your team.

Q: What is the revenue model for Agora in the long term?
Agora’s base platform is free for use. We will be charging teams $7/user/month for a productivity platform on top of Agora that allows you to create and manage teams, create projects and invite external collaborators, get analytics on the people in your team (when they’re working, who is sharing documents with whom, etc), and a slew of other awesome features.  We are also able to offer this productivity platform to teams with local storage. For this integration, it will cost $15/user/month, and it includes more in-depth permissions management, AD integration, and other management tools for an admin.

Q: As a first-time founder, what has been the most important lesson you've learned while running Agora?
The single most important thing I’ve learned is that it’s incredibly important to have a strong team. No one is perfect and no one can do everything; you need to make sure you have strong partners that can fill in your gaps. Without my amazingly talented partners, Agora would not be where it is today.

Situated high above the heart of downtown Chicago’s growing tech and entrepreneurial scene, Catapult Chicago is doing its part to strengthen and develop the network of successful startups in the city.  Catapult first opened it's doors in late 2011 with the support of law firm Foley & Lardner, who at the time was looking for a way to get involved in the emerging entrepreneurial ecosystem in Chicago as well as put an empty floor of its downtown office to use.  The firm’s vision and hopes for the program have been instrumental in the growth of Catapult, which now has thirteen resident startups.  Part incubator and part co working space, Catapult hosts companies for a maximum of eighteen months, but before they set up shop, applicants must be admitted after pitching their business to the founders of current resident companies, who then vote on who gets in.

The unique application process at Catapult, along with a robust network of accomplished business mentors and a strong emphasis on entrepreneurs collaborating together, has contributed to an impressive rate of graduate companies still growing and thriving.  Among Catapult’s group of former residents are a slew of high growth Chicago startups including the artist designed footwear company Bucketfeet (completed a 7.5M Series A funding round in February) and Shiftgig, a networking site for the service industry (raised a combined 13M for its series A at the end of 2014).  

Great views of the city can be found all over Catapult’s 10,500 square feet of shared space on the 25th floor of 321 N. Clark Street.  Catapult targets companies with roughly five to fifteen employees already displaying some traction in their respective marketplace with the hopes that startups a bit further along in their growth stage can serve as beneficial neighbors.   “It's so much more than simply physical space - the community, the connections you make, and the doors that Catapult opens makes it a great place to grow a business, ” said Rent Like a Champion CEO Mike Doyle.  As one of Catapult’s newest members, the company is quickly appreciating the collaborative and supportive vibe the program was founded on.  “Being surrounded by companies at the same juncture is incredibly beneficial, and we've seen huge benefits after being here only a month.”

Program Director Kelsey Mazeski spoke with startingup@startups to provide some additional background on the ins and outs of Catapult Chicago.  Check out the Q&A below.

Q: What is the most important factors programs like Catapult tend to look for when admitting startups  besides simply being able to pay rent?
Kelsey: We look for companies with demonstrated business traction - funding, employees, user acquisition, paying customers, etc.- company drive, team dynamics, and what they can contribute to the Catapult community. 

Q: Is there a certain industry focus or alignment for companies that are admitted into Catapult?
Catapult companies are primarily tech based and B2B, which is also in part a reflection of the Chicago entrepreneurial/tech scene itself. 

Q: What are the most common challenges businesses face as they go through their time at Catapult (product-market fit, growing the team, user acquisition) and how do you help them with such obstacles?
We help companies address all of these issues primarily through 1) Founders Forums: bi-monthly meetings where one founder presents a particular problem and others offer feedback and share their own experience, 2) The Everest Program: An innovative all-access mentoring program that connects Catapult startups to successful digital B2B or B2C companies that have scaled from their own early startup days, and 3) educational programming in which we bring in the sponsors, experts and entrepreneurs that our companies legitimately need at their respective stages of the development.  Most companies stay for 18 months, and within that the time span, they often double their team size and raise capital, so the hiring process and raising funds are probably what we see our companies struggle with the most. 

Q: Can you talk about the "Peer Selection" element of Catapult.  How did the idea come about and what impact does it have on the space? 
The peer selection model evolved from the fact that it’s the people within the entrepreneurial scene that always know what’s going on. There’s the typical way of asking investors, analysts, and committees to deem which startups have the potential to scale, but we’ve found that it’s the tech companies themselves who can spot other talented companies that would make innovative additions to the Catapult community.

Q: You've had some very successful companies come through Catapult and a high percentage of graduates are still in business, what do you attribute that to?
Thank you! We’re very proud to share that of the 17 companies that have graduated from Catapult, 88% are still in business and remain involved with the Catapult community. We’re also a small organization (we only have 13 resident companies and 7 associate resident companies), and are geared for later-stage startups which means the chances of our companies going under is significantly less.



Q: Could you talk a bit about the sponsor network and their impact on Catapult and its resident startups?
As a non-profit 501(c)6, our sponsors play a vital role in helping our companies scale. Sponsors are typically forward thinking businesses interested in supporting our mission by providing financial support as well as access to their respective organizations and networks.  Basically, our sponsors work more as advisors who provide guidance and expertise to our residents. 

Q: Any plans to expand the Catapult model to other cities with large tech/startup scenes?
We’re not in a rush, but there’s definitely talk of taking the Catapult model to other cities. 

Excited to announce that the newest episode of the Startup Roadshow Podcast will be featuring Philadelphia!  Looking forward to heading to my hometown and learning about all the exciting and interesting companies calling Philly home.  Reposting a story from last year on Colabination, an awesome philly startup taking a new spin on how consumers find their favorite designers.  Be on the lookout for the new podcast epsiode this week, and enjoy the story about Colabination in the meantime:

On the rainy and cold morning before Thanksgiving, members of the Philadelphia based startup CoLabinationgathered in their small co-working space to share what they accomplished the previous day and what they wanted to achieve that day.  But before the team could break and start their tasks, everyone had to share a life goal and a value.  For some it’s a breeze and they can’t wait to share, for others, it’s a pain to get something out, and for a casual observer it’s a sign of a company doing things differently and doing them in a meaningful way.

 I recently spent a few hours hanging out at CoLabination’s co-working space near Drexel’s campus meeting the various team members to hear not only about their unique backgrounds, but also understand the passion shared by each employee working at CoLabination.  All of the feedback I received was unique and honest, especially what I heard from the guy who dreamed up a particularly innovative concept only a couple of years ago.

A professed entrepreneur at heart, Scott Latham tried his hand at building and running a Philadelphia based streetwear brand called Flight Crew Clothing a few years back.  While things were progressing with the company, one retailer here, a couple sponsorships there, Scott quickly ran into the expensive problem of geographic expansion, a challenge that plagues nearly all small and independent clothing brands.  Most apparel or streetwear brands either sell directly through their website or through a handful of smaller boutiques offering local and underground products, but this can be both a costly and inefficient route for brands like Scott’s looking to gain visibility well beyond the zip code they were started in. 


“I knew there had to be a better way,” Latham said.  So he has set out to overcome the extreme fragmentation that permeates the streetwear and underground apparel industry.  “Its an exciting opportunity because at first what I thought I was doing was just solving a problem for brands similar to mine, but what we’ve realized is that it has grown into two really big problems, one for brands and one for shoppers,” Latham explains.  

 Scott split his time between refining this concept with the help of other entrepreneurs at Seed Philly, an early stage incubator for Philadelphia startups, and gathering an all-star team that could contribute to the mission right away. Within a year, what was a frustration became a solution in the form of CoLabination, an e-commerce startup in Philadelphia focused on providing a marketplace for brand discovery and collection.  

Aiming to be a new online option for smaller and independent designers, CoLabination tackles the e-commerce and business side of the apparel industry and allows designers to devote more time and energy to their passion for making great clothes.  “There’s so many of theses small businesses out there that have tried to set up an online presence but its not working for them because its not being aggregated and no one can find them,” Latham explains with the zeal of someone confident that the market is in dire need of a better solution. “So in essence, what were doing is aggregating the future of shopping online.” 

CoLabination boils down to three main features benefiting both brands and consumers.  For discovery, shoppers use the Rolodex to scroll through and check out the newest or most popular products featured on the site.  If you click on a shirt or hoodie that catches your eye, you are taken to that brand’s Showroom. Once inside the Showroom, users can browse and purchase what the brand offers, but they also get a better understanding of the story and people behind that particular brand.   “We let designers tell their stories,” insists CoLabination’s Brand Specialist Tyler Blaisdell. “Ideally, we want CoLabination to serve as a platform for connecting shoppers with brands from all around the country.”  If a certain brand keeps displaying apparel you like, you can add them to your X Collection, a personally created profile allowing users to define themselves by the brands they collect.  

 Sitting down with Tyler and Paul Dziemianowicz, CoLabination’s product expert, I quickly appreciated the tricky yet crucial balance CoLabination is striving for when it comes to building a site that is easy and intuitive to use but also allows brands to express themselves.   Currently, a limited number of e-commerce startups feature up-and-coming brands, but they often leave shoppers feeling overwhelmed and confused.   After just a couple minutes on the site, I could already see why every member of CoLabination has taken such pride in offering a simple shopping experience for consumers who are passionate about discovering new and interesting brands.

Despite being such an early stage venture, CoLabination is already making noise in Philly’s growing startup ecosystem.  An endless pool of young talent from schools like University of Pennsylvania and Drexel combined with a renewed push for small business investment from City Hall has helped to strengthen Philly’s startup scene.  Every single CoLabination employee expressed his or her desire to help create a more collaborative community for the entrepreneurs within the city and make it a final destination instead of just a launching pad for young and growing startups.   

            Whether the topic is the Philly startup scene or the fragmented market for streetwear and underground apparel, talking with any of the CoLabination employees gives off a strong sense of excitement not only in what CoLabinaton stands for, but what it might become.  More than anything, this team seems driven by the excitement and energy that comes from creating a service addressing a massive challenge facing both brands and the people that want to wear their products.  

Packaging up a city like Chicago into a box is not an easy task, but Dennis Sobolewski believes there is a viable business behind such a concept.   Started in early 2015, A Case of Chicago lets people customize and send a kit filled with products from brands and businesses local to Chicago.  A resident of the Windy City since graduating from the University of Notre Dame a few years ago, Sobolewski figured there was a sizeable market of Chicago enthusiasts spread across the country who crave a connection to the town.  “Our target market is really anybody who loves this city,” he says. “Whether they grew up here or just had a memorable visit, I feel a case stuffed with iconic Chicago goods makes for an excellent gift.”  

Still trying to familiarize myself with all of the great vendors Chicago has to offer, I figured I had to give A Case of Chicago a shot myself.  My particular case arrived only a couple days after ordering it and came stuffed with Chicago treats like a bag of Garrett popcorn, Chicago butter cookies, and a package of coffee from the Metropolis Coffee Company.  Cases can also include a personalized note free of charge.  I spoke with Dennis about where the idea came from as well as what he’s learned while starting the business.  Check out the Q & A below.

You can order your very own case through their website acaseofchicago.com and follow the company on Twitter/Instagram at @acaseofchicago

Q: Did you have any experience with entrepreneurship prior to A  Case of Chicago?
Up until recently I didn't have much experience in entrepreneurship besides an entrepreneurial class my junior year of college. A friend of mine convinced me to go to a Startup Weekend here in Chicago and I was hooked. After that I flew to San Francisco to partake in another startup weekend event based in Santa Clara. Both weekends were great experiences and I knew I wanted to start something myself afterwards.     

Q: Where did the idea for the business come from?
Really it came from a combination of places. While at the startup weekend in California a friend of mine told me his plans to start a similar venture in San Francisco. My parents also routinely send me care packages featuring items exclusive to South Jersey and Philadelphia. The cases usually featured freebies and a local newspaper from the area and always brought a smile.

I immediately recognized that the sum of the these local goods in one case is more valuable than the items individually, especially to someone who loves the area. Starting a service that makes these types of care packages easy to send across the country seemed like a great idea.

Q: Can you talk a bit about the process of curating the items customers can select for their case?
I was not the best person to come up with items since I'm not from the area. I knew of the more obvious big names, but to come up with the final list took surveying a number of true Chicagoans. I relied on friends who grew up here as well as some coworkers to help finalize the item list. For instance, one coworker mentioned a friend in Portland has her ship them Ranchero tortilla chips from here no matter what the cost. 

Q: Any surprising lessons you've learned about the business in the early stages?
One thing that surprised me most is realizing how many resources I possessed without knowing. I had a family friend help me with the logo design, a former coworker with the website, and an equally enthusiastic business partner in my current coworker and friend, Nick Tammerine. He in turn has leveraged his girlfriend and former college roommate's social media presences to help get the word out about the company. It was interesting to find out I had this network of people who are able and happy to help that I never really knew existed before. 

Q: Any plans to expand the concept to other cities?
I have talked to friends still in Philadelphia about starting a company of the same concept there. All have been enthusiastic and I am traveling home this coming weekend to further discuss details. 

Looking for an interesting entrepreneurship/networking event this weekend in Chicago?  The University of Notre Dame's Irish Impact conference is making a road trip to the windy city this Saturday to promote and discuss the topic of social entrepreneurship.  Three different panel sessions with great speakers will cover subjects such as impact investing, social incubation, and opportunities to get involved in social entrepreneurship.  A happy hour at nearby Citizen Bar will wrap up the event's agenda.  Come join a great crowd for what is sure to be a fantastic time.

Be sure to join the event's facebook page to stay updated on everything associated with the event. Hope to see you there!  

Everywhere you turn people are talking about podcasts.  Whether its discussing Serial after a four episode binge or arguing over which speed to listen to your favorite show, Podcasts are coming back to mainstream media in a big way.  

With this "age of podcasting" upon us, I figure i'll throw my hat into the ring and give it a try.  Startup Roadshow will be a podcast that, like this blog, features and showcases some of the most interesting startup companies across the country.  Each episode will be focus on a few companies from one city in particular, and I'll spend some time chatting with founders/CEOs about their companies and what makes that particular city a great place to call home, especially when it comes to starting a company.  Should be a great learning experience and an interesting way to share and discover more and more of the kinds of companies and people that got me interested in writing this blog in the first place.  Stay tuned.

Links to a few of my favorite podcasts to check out and hold ya over til we get Startup Roadshow up and running:

• Product Hunt Radio - Founders of the site chat about the latest and greatest in tech/startups from the web
• Startup - A must for those interested in starting a business.  NPR producer documents his startup's journey


• Stuff You Should Know - They take a random topic and host a interesting/funny 40 min brain dump about it

Always a great resource for interesting startup news and profiles, Fast Company has gone above and beyond in its coverage with its coverage of the famously intense and successful incubator Y Combinator with a 7 part article series entitled The Y Combinator Chronicles. Contributing writer Max Chafkin highlights the program - whose successful graduates include billion dollar behemoths like Airbnb, Dropbox, and Stripe - in a unique way with each well written story.  

The first piece covers the oft discussed YC weekly dinners, where entrepreneurs from around the world share business plans, anxieties, and a hot meal side by side.  Other articles tackle the topics of tech diversity and growth hacking, which instantly become more interesting as they are analyzed against the backdrop of a grueling, intensive few months for many who have given up jobs, homes, and friends to be a part of the program.  Every year, Y Combinator famously concludes with a highly publicized demo day where its members try to convince press, investors, and eachother their companies are well on their way to become the next big company to come out of YC.

Meanwhile, Mashable puts a spotlight on two driven and likeable entrepreneurs looking to launch their business through their Setting up Shop video miniseries.  Stephen Roginson, a proud Detroit native building his microbrewer Batch Brewing Company, is a gritty and driven character bent on turning his passion for beer making into a business.  Out in San Francisco, Azalina Eusope learns quickly about the ups and downs of starting a business as she works to open her first brick and mortar in the Mid Market neigborhood.  The series focuses on themes like passion, location, and fundraising that all business owners become familiar with early and often.  Mashable makes the series work by simply letting the viewers get just a taste, or sip, of what getting a business going is really like.

Q: What is the process like for selecting and adding a school to Cribspot's network?
There isn't an exact science for launching at new colleges. We typically consider several qualities such as the university type, size, location, geography, and make-up. Once we've targeted a school, we then ask landlords to add their rentals to Cribspot.  It's a very laborious and tedious process, so we typically work with universities to aid in that process.

Q: Can you talk a bit about your competition.  There’s plenty of it between Craigslist, Zillow and then of course the entrenched major property owners in the college towns.  How do you get students to go to Cribspot before them?
College students know they need a place to live the next year, but they aren't just going to use one website and lease the first place they find. We find that most renters use multiple sites and our advantage is that our site is built by college renters, so we typically have more data than other competitors.

Q: Cribspot is super active on social media and its own blog, generating a ton of quality content.  What's the strategy for the company when it comes to using social media specifically?
As a college start-up, we naturally focus on social media as a marketing tool. However, the real motivator behind sharing our content is that most new renters are completely ignorant of the rental process. We know this because we were once freshmen on campus. We really want to help these renters find a place and we've found that good content provides greater transparency to the chaotic housing search.

Q: You guys just raised a big seed round recently ($660,000), how will that additional capital help with the next phase of growth at Cribspot?
We raised the seed round to grow our portfolio of current campuses. The rental process is so broken that we are only tackling the first part of the problem. Eventually, we want to use the capital to alleviate some of the other stresses surrounding the rental search and leasing time.

 

This week marks the end of the the "How to Start a Startup" youtube/lecture series.  I posted the website on my links page a month ago, but figured that such a helpful and relevant resource probably deserved its own post as well.  The site now has the links to every video lecture featured in the series.  The links also include the written transcript of the lectures, the slide decks that were presented, and suggested readings for each topic.  

Each video is roughly 45 min long, and while you probably won't find yourself binge watching every epsiode like a House of Cards season, it still serves as a tremendous resource for those interested in practically every major topic associated to starting a company.  Lectures cover topcis like funding, culture, sales, management, and just about everything in between.  It also helps that the people presenting these topics have founded some of the most successful startups (often Y-Combinator grads) and VC firms in Silicon Valley.  Lecturers include Paul Graham, Reid Hoffman, Brian Chesky, and Dustin Moskovitz and many other brilliant entrepreneurs who make for great presenters because they have gone throgh or are currently experiecing  the very topics they are discussing with their own companies.  Check out my favorite lecture below that features a 101 on Startup PR as well as lessons learned from the founders of the t-shirt designing startup Teespring and DoorDash, a food delivery company.