2009 Distribution Early Stage Vertical 
Version One Ventures
FEBRUARY 15, 2017
Generally speaking, Ed Tech has proven to be a tough vertical, primarily due to the fact that it’s hard to charge consumers (students) directly. As such, Top Hat can provide key lessons for early-stage companies: 1. They took an innovative approach to distribution. They took an innovative approach to distribution.
Steve Blank
MARCH 19, 2009
They had an existing distribution channel and their dealers and customers thought they knew who the company was and what it stood for. When I went through their financials as part of my due diligence I realized that if they ditched their low margin disk drive products, it wouldn’t take much to make them a profitable company. I took the job.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Version One Ventures
DECEMBER 3, 2019
We met Ryan Holmes in 2009 as he was just about to spin Hootsuite out of Invoke Media, a development agency. This was not our early-stage sweet spot and the $100M valuation felt rich. We loved the product, but weren’t convinced it would get much distribution quickly. Early-stage investors are more wrong than right.
Steve Blank
NOVEMBER 2, 2009
Filed under: Customer Development , Customer Development Manifesto « The Secret History of Silicon Valley 12: The Rise of “Risk Capital” Part 2 Raising Money Using Customer Development » 8 Responses Jake Lumetta , on November 2, 2009 at 10:49 am Said: Great post.
Steve Blank
NOVEMBER 16, 2009
Filed under: Customer Development , Customer Development Manifesto , Market Types « “Lessons Learned” – A New Type of Venture Capital Pitch Closure » 21 Responses Tweets that mention Times Square Strategy Session – Web Startups and Customer Development « Steve Blank -- Topsy.com , on November 16, 2009 at 7:20 am Said: [.]
Steve Blank
JULY 16, 2009
Go spend some time outside the building talking to potential distribution partners. Reply Mark Essel , on July 16, 2009 at 9:27 am Said: Fantastic experiential wisdom gleaned from a startup that crashed and burned. No, not really, but my partner owns the studio and tells me it’s spectacular and everyone will love it.
Steve Blank
JULY 2, 2009
Reply Wyatt ODay , on July 2, 2009 at 8:18 am Said: Great post, Steve. Reply Mark Essel , on July 2, 2009 at 9:14 am Said: Reality distortion field isn’t the basic technique covered in startups 101? Thanks for sharing the lessons you’ve learned, especially the ones where the cost is measured in years.
Expert insights. Personalized for you.
131 
Let's personalize your content