We Bring Technology to Market.

My three buckets of customer segmentation

• Posted by Francis Moran
• June 23, 2011
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By Francis Moran

Marketers are well familiar with the concept of segmenting their marketplace. Segmentation is the process of dividing a broad and undifferentiated set of consumers into ever-smaller segments until you have identified that group of potential customers that is the best match possible for your product or service. My wife is also afflicted with this contagion we call marketing and that gives rise to some strange conversations in our household. One such conversation a few years back resulted in our developing an easy-to-understand explanation of market segmentation we refer to as finding your gay Acadian dog lover. The key to segmenting the marketplace is to identify those traits — some demographic, some taste-based, many certainly geographic — that define the customers most likely to be interested in your product or service. Not only does the process tell you a lot about who you’re trying to sell to, it also gives you a lot of insight into how you might reach them.

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Francis Moran

Posted in:

• Marketing strategy

First we’ll eat – then we’ll talk

• Posted by Bob Bailly
• June 22, 2011
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This is the next contribution to this blog by Associate Bob Bailly, a Calgary-based neuro-marketing practitioner

By Bob Bailly

I remember several road trips as a teenager travelling with my parents and my younger brothers and sisters to California from Calgary. Back then it was a three-day journey for us, stopping in Idaho Falls, Las Vegas and a final day across the desert to Los Angeles. My mother was normally a trouper, but the heat, the kids and perhaps my dad made these journeys for her a challenge. I remember she would pop her head out of an open car window, reminding me of a dog with his tongue flapping in a hot breeze.

This is when I first discovered a very interesting trick my father would use when discussions about anything became a little testy during the drive. He’d stop talking and would start looking for a restaurant. “First we’ll eat – then we’ll talk,” he said on more than one occasion. Once said snack was secured, mom’s testiness disappeared and her world certainly seemed more sublime.

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Bob Bailly

Posted in:

• Random thoughts

Drinking from the waterfall: How to effectively monitor social media

• Posted by Alexandra Reid
• June 21, 2011
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By Alexandra Reid

This is part one of a three-part series I will write on how to monitor, manage and measure social media. I have discussed best practices for each of these processes in previous posts. However, after receiving a comment on LinkedIn, I realized that I neglected to dive into any of these subjects in great detail. I hope this short series will help social-media newcomers grasp not only the basic concepts required for each of these areas of community management, but also provide the most modern tools and techniques so they can be more effective in marketing their businesses on these channels.

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Alexandra Reid

Posted in:

• Social media

Accelerated: Springboard takes a ‘people centric’ approach

• Posted by Francis Moran
• June 20, 2011
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This is the 21st article in a continuing series that examines the state of the ecosystem necessary to successfully bring technology to market. Based on dozens of interviews with entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, angel investors, business leaders, academics, tech-transfer experts and policy makers, this series looks at what is working and what can be improved in the go-to-market ecosystem in the United States, Canada and Britain. We invite your feedback.

By Francis Moran and Leo Valiquette

This week we conclude our two-part discussion with Jon Bradford, the man behind The Difference Engine and Springboard, two U.K.-based startup accelerators that took their inspiration from TechStars and Y Combinator in the U.S.

The Difference Engine was an initiative supported by public funds that launched in the north east of England two years ago. While that program was successful, funding cuts to regional economic development, as well as a desire among angel investors to regroup in a more central location, led to what was essentially v2.0 of The Difference Engine, Springboard. Springboard is an intensive 13-week program based at the ideaSpace Enterprise Accelerator, part of Cambridge University’s state-of-the-art Hauser Forum.

Last week, Jon talked about the role that Springboard plays in the commercialization ecosystem, how it selects teams for its program, and the characteristics of a winning team. This week, we continue with his thoughts on why companies fail, how Springboard measures its effectiveness and what it takes to create a successful startup accelerator.

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Francis Moran

Posted in:

• Commercialization ecosystem
• Financing and fundraising
• Marketing strategy
• Startups
• Technology marketing

How to become an investor magnet

• Posted by Martin Soorjoo
• June 17, 2011
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As part of our ongoing series examining the ecosystem necessary to bring technology to market, we asked investment coach Martin Soorjoo to share his thoughts on how startups can overcome the challenges of securing early-stage financing. This is the first of his commentaries and we welcome your comments.

By Martin Soorjoo

This is the true story of “Ryan” (not his real name), a serial entrepreneur with no qualifications and a very limited understanding of financials or launching a startup. Ryan, however, is an entrepreneur with a deep understanding of people, who consistently and easily raises hundreds of thousands of dollars from savvy, experienced investors.

I first came across Ryan six years ago when he approached me to help him create some pitch materials. He explained that he had persuaded two investors (both bankers) to invest $500,000 in his IDEA (no prototype, company or team) but that one of the investors had asked to see details of his business model and financial projections.

Initially, I was skeptical as to whether the potential investors had, in fact, actually committed or had simply expressed an interest in learning more about Ryan’s idea.

Sensing my skepticism, Ryan called one of the bankers on his cell phone, explained that I was helping him put together the information that had been requested and asked the banker to confirm for me that he was investing. Sure enough, banker X confirmed that both he and banker Y were investing but would appreciate understanding a bit more detail. About a month later, Ryan received the investment.

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Martin Soorjoo

Posted in:

• Commercialization ecosystem
• Financing and fundraising
• Marketing strategy
• Startups
• Technology marketing