Trevor Whittingham

I'm embarrassed. After a few enlightening conversations with mentors at at iHub Innovation Hub of Utah this week, I realized I've been dropping the ball on our beta tester program. It was too long, unstructured, and expectations were unclear for our awesome and patient testers. Basically, it was a half-baked plan that sounded better than it actually worked. The biggest fail of all was that I wasn't asking people to pay for Viddy Studio. This kept us from running into objections and discovering obstacles. It also made it so we didn't even have the ability to get a paying user even if they wanted to pay. So, I created a basic outline of how we doing it going forward and I've provided a screenshot of the outline of our (work in progress) internal Notion page we're using to outline the program. Starting today, all new beta testers will get to use Viddy Studio for free for 7 days and will then be charged $99 monthly. We will be following up bi-weekly and we'll catalog the answers to the questions in the screenshot below and track their answers over time. The main goal is to get us to get better feedback, more feedback, and give them a chance to pay for it if they like it. If they don't like it, we'll accept discovering their true objections as a consolation prize. If you can't tell, this is my first time building out a beta testing program, so if you've got insight on how to improve this, I am all ears! I'll send out another update once some of the data comes in on how well this works.

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The Phoenix Thesis: 1. Take a hard look in mirror 2. Build two way bridges to other ecosystems 3. Arizona based founders, investors, and employees should be biggest $$$ winners from AZ unicorns. 4. Redistribution is the default. If the startup scene made you, make the next generation.

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"Monetization must be a first-class citizen in your product from Day 1 & if you're not thinking about entitlements early on, you're not setting yourself up for success." -- Justin Gagnon Justin leads growth engineering at Calendly, which means he's built & evolved monetization in the context of both hyper-growth & scale. We sat down last week for a conversation about feature management, monetization, and the services needed to deliver flexible pricing & packaging at scale. Some of the topics we covered: 1️⃣ Why monetization is so complex in B2B SaaS 2️⃣ The role of entitlements 3️⃣ Paying down bad product decisions vs. bad monetization decisions 4️⃣ How Justin & team built monetization infrastructure at Calendly 5️⃣ The tech & commercial debt that comes when monetization is a last-class citizen If you're a product & engineering leader, I highly recommend this episode with Justin. Schematic has learned much from him over the last year and so very excited to share the full episode (link in the comments).

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I am looking forward to joining the folks on Techstrong TV today to talk about how companies can successfully implement AI into business processes without heavy developer lift or long development cycles. Plus, why you'd want to and how to do it safely and securely. Pop on over and watch if you're curious about making AI work smoothly for your whole team. https://lnkd.in/ehP_XC8K #AI #CIO #DigitalTransformation

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Should ZipRecruiter reassess leadership? -->> https://lnkd.in/eHf6wemw In this episode, we dive deep into: - Paradox Innovation Day - VONQ's US Departure - CV Wallet / Resume Wallet's Triumph - Vangst, acquisition and its implications for the #cannabis #job market - Veritone Hire's Road Ahead - A critical view on ZipRecruiter, Nike, and Bayer's leadership mishaps. - Who'd You Rather? with Take2 AI and Paraform Expect a snarky blend of analysis, insight, and entertainment as we dissect brand consolidation, #AI's growing role in #recruitment, and the nuances of navigating the cannabis market. -->> https://lnkd.in/eHf6wemw #ChadCheese #RecruitmentPodcast #FutureOfWork #InnovationInRecruitment #Leadership #AIRecruitment

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Thanks for the insightful pitch strategies. When can I get a slot to pitch to you?

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Here's how Intuit Mailchimp grew from a few thousand $$'s into a $12 Billion business. 💸 __ Founded in 2001, Ben Chestnut and his co-founders never thought that Mailchimp would become a multi-billion-dollar business. Ben and Dan created Mailchimp as a side project to help their web design clients communicate better with their audiences which eventually became the world's leading email marketing tool for small businesses. Here is how they did it and what you can learn 👇 1️⃣ Obsess over evolving customer needs: Mailchimp started as a simple email marketing tool but quickly expanded by focusing more on customers' evolving needs and offering the customizations they needed. One fundamental change was adding landing pages, which let users create standalone web pages to enhance their marketing campaigns. This is just one of the many examples of how Mailchimp evolved its features to stand out as an email marketing platform and an all-in-one marketing platform. 2️⃣ Master a Niche Before Expanding: Initialy, Mailchimp focused only on mastering email marketing for small businesses, achieving a strong product foundation before diversifying into automation and CRM. This helped them secure a 66% market share in their niche. For new businesses, perfecting one key area is essential. Once you're strong in that niche, you can add related services that your customers need. We applied the same strategy at Granimals. We went hyper-niche by providing digital rehab services to football players. Once we gained traction in that segment, we expanded to other sports/activities and, eventually, other types of injuries. 3️⃣ Build Your Brand with the Customer in Mind:   From the start, Mailchimp designed its brand to be quirky and approachable, which appealed to small business owners. Their logo, featuring a friendly cartoon mascot named Freddie, combined with bright colors and unique fonts, created a memorable and inviting image. Their casual, humorous tone in emails, ads, and the "Did You Mean" campaign made the brand feel relatable and friendly. This helped Mailchimp build a brand that was easy to support, use, remember, and share. 4️⃣ Don't Shy Away from Going Freemium: In 2009, Mailchimp made a big move by launching a free version of its email marketing tool. This strategy helped Mailchimp's user base grow from 85,000 to 450,000 within a year, with profits increasing by 650%. Offering a free option can attract more people to try your product or service, including those who might not have considered it otherwise. ​​ Mailchimp's rise from a side project to a leading global email marketing tool, achieved through bootstrapping, shows how focusing on customer needs, mastering a niche, and offering a freemium option can drive impressive growth. – Did you like this post or learn something new? 🔄 Consider resharing with your audience 🔔 Follow me for more on business and personal growth. P.C - Sprout 24 #mailchimp #bootstrapping

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Last week, Zach and I headed to Seattle for 2 days of our executive offsite. The goal? To set our vision for 2025. We focused on: → Solidifying our vision, → And allocating resources across our 3 product lines. We answered critical questions like → How can we get our customers to find even more value? → How can we be the rising tide that lifts all boats for our target industries - moving & insurance → How and when can we scale Yembo beyond our first two verticals I think this was our most productive offsite yet! Looking forward to executing on these priorities in 2025 - making ideas into code and into customer life improvements!

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One thing I love about my work: Getting to empower non-technical teams to use data. The old ways to do that used to be: -Pair with someone on the dev team -Upskilling them The first solution meant putting undue pressure on the dev team. The second solution meant spending a year or more teaching someone to code. Neither was ideal. Now, I get to see team members build out integrations themselves with a low-code solution. They also have complete control of their data end-to-end. A low-code solution like Integrate.io removes the intimidation factor of using data in the workplace.

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I usually wouldn't share something like this on LinkedIn but I feel it's extremely important to share to protect the Utah Tech community and/or anyone with a financial connection to Jesse Silva. BEWARE you might be getting defrauded too. I was approached with the opportunity to invest in Maddix Capital back in 2022. The thesis was that Maddix was a new Private Equity (PE) firm looking to disrupt the existing model used by the major PE firms. Jesse Silva was the Founder and CEO. He claimed to be funding the Maddix Capital expenses out of his own pocket using his substantial wealth. His wealth was purportedly acquired from building and selling a 9-figure towing company with over 160 acquisitions. After the acquisition of his towing company, he claimed to work for the PE firm that acquired his towing company to deploy over $500m in capital for the PE firm using the same acquisition strategy he used for his towing company. These claims all now are allegedly false. Had this been known from the outset I doubt any investors would've invested in Maddix. Maddix raised an unknown amount of money and the actual amount raised is still debated. The initial target amount of the fund was $75m. Silva told investors and potential investors that he was personally investing $10m as the largest investor in the fund. Though it appears he never funded the $10m he stated he would invest. Recently a civil suit was brought against Silva for embezzling investor money. Allegedly, Silva didn't have the independent wealth he claimed, hadn't actually built and sold a 9-figure business, etc. Maddix expenses and Silva's lavish lifestyle were largely paid for by money from Maddix Capital investors. Silva chartered private jets, leased luxury vehicles, and other luxury items. During the Silicon Valley Bank chaos Silva allegedly moved $7m+ in funds from Maddix Capital to a personal bank account and has yet to return it. Editing my post for the last section. I initially stated I want Steve Sala removed. After numerous calls with LPs, the Plaintiffs, Sala himself, and others. I don't think removing Sala is the right action at this time. I think more context and communication from Sala to the LPs is needed. It doesn't sound like any of the "pennies on the dollar" offers are being entertained by Sala. He's not liquidating our assets on a whim. I believe Sala is trying to get the best outcomes for LPs. However, as stated above more context and communication with LPs would greatly help. If Sala can do that consistently and provide avenues for LPs that have possible leads for buyers or positive outcomes for the fund to be heard and when turned down provided with an explanation why that doesn't make sense then I think my concerns would largely be resolved. Happy to jump on a call with any LPs that have concerns about my edited position and what I’ve learned recently. For more info on the civil case, search case #: 230403420 in Utah County's Fourth Judicial District Court.

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How do you build a killer team at seed? Seed companies don’t have that much money. It’s hard to attract a team of FAANG level credentialed employees. Even after we raised a big seed round at Mercury ($6m raise), I found that people that cared about total FAANG level comp were impossible to hire. The key is to: - hire people who want a startup experience - give lots of equity - hire people earlier in their career. It’s not easy to find these people, but they exist. Out of our first 8 hires,  - 3 were founders - 3 were from our network - 2 were engineers who really loved Haskell (a somewhat esoteric programming language we use) Keep a high hiring bar and have at least a couple of people focused just on hiring until you have filled out the core team. You might not be able to assemble a team that has a “killer” resume from a VC perspective, but it’s your job as the founder to sell them. What makes your team uniquely suited for tackling your problem, and how have you delivered so far? This is what worked for me. What are other tips people have for hiring a seed team and selling the team to VCs?

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This resonates with the idea of the one-person unicorn. It’s easier and more affordable than ever to bootstrap a product/startup by yourself (AI, low-code tools, automation, etc). You can focus on monetization from the get-go instead of the scammy hyper-growth BS. And if you happen to be a generalist, it would be a crime not to take advantage of these opportunities.

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Gusto's founder Josh Reeves shared how they built their first MVP. Here's what I learned: 1. Prove the core first • They focused on the backend: tax filing, payments, and money movement • No fancy UI, just the essential systems • Goal: Process for 5-10 businesses (friends' companies) 2. Get creative with early "customers" • No website, no real customers • Co-founder went to their houses • Typed into his laptop • They called his cell phone 24/7 3. Build credibility through action • Processed hundreds of thousands in payroll • Proved their system worked accurately • Used this to move forward 4. Focus on your key hypothesis • Target: Small businesses • Belief: Cloud, paperless, mobile could reach this segment • Goal: Product anyone could use without training 5. Design for scalability • Self-serve experience crucial for low ACV • Inbound and word-of-mouth growth, not high-touch sales 6. Launch MVP with core functionality • Web app launched December 2012 • Sign up, onboard, add employees, pay them • California only, new companies, full W2 employees The takeaway? Start small. Prove your core. Then expand. Even a $9.5B company started by helping 10 friends run payroll. What's the ONE thing your product needs to prove? — #VenchaVideosforFounders | Video #30 Find us at Vencha 💛 Read about my Book - The Go To Market Handbook for SaaS Leaders here - https://lnkd.in/gbvSV5yU

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We all know the struggle of constantly reminding clients to send those essential documents. That's why we created Uncat's document request feature! Now you can set recurring requests for W-9s, 1099s, bank statements, and more. Uncat will automatically send reminders to your clients, so you can focus on what matters most – growing your business. Try it for free today and experience the difference! #Uncat #bookkeeping #accounting #automation #productivity #documentrequests

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Our team demo'd something on Friday that blew my socks off. Codename: Project Raptor. (Because if you can't have awesome code names for software projects, what are you even doing???) So...what is it? About a year ago I put together this slide to help illustrate what the future of strategic finance might look like. The idea was pretty simple: Today, even with a great toolkit, humans have to do most of the work of *thinking* up the scenarios to run, then using their tools to run those scenarios, then comparing to outputs to find the winners. Tomorrow, you'll wake up to an email from a finance agent of sorts who has been busy all night running scenarios on your behalf with the latest data and cherry-picking the best ones for you to consider putting into action. Project Raptor makes this vision *very* real. In the same way you might be using ChatGPT to write a great draft of your blog post, you'll be using Project Raptor to build a great draft of your next Annual Budget, along with all the sensitivities and cases you might want to explore. It's going to be freakin' awesome. Can't wait to share more soon...DM me or drop a comment if you're interested in getting involved as a beta tester :) HUGE shoutout to Derek Y. the entire Drivepoint engineering team for blowing me and the rest of the team away.

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🏜️🏔️Utah, Wake Up: They’re Taking Everything While You Watch 👀 Utah, you’re sitting on something priceless—not gold, oil, or tech startups—it’s water and energy. But instead of protecting what’s yours, you’re watching it get stripped away while outsiders and outdated systems profit. The corporations flooding into Silicon Slopes aren’t here because they love Utah. They’re here to take what you have. What’s Really Happening? 1. Your Water Is Being Drained Data centers use millions of gallons daily to cool servers. Aquifers take decades to recharge, but Utahns are outpacing replenishment. When water runs low, these companies will leave, leaving Utahns to face the crisis. 2. Your Energy System Is Broken Rocky Mountain Power’s grid is failing under this demand. They block decentralized microgrids and quantum systems to protect their monopoly while hiking your rates and calling it “progress.” Demand real innovation. 3. You’re Paying the Price Rising costs, shrinking resources, and a future where Utahns are left with nothing but regret. Meanwhile, outsiders profit and leave Utah with the mess. They Don’t Care About You These corporations aren’t here to build a better future for Utah. They’re here to extract value and leave. - Your water is disappearing. - You’re locked into a failing energy system. - They call it “progress” while you foot the bill. You’re not getting a share of their billions. You’re being robbed blind while your leaders hand them the keys. The Solution: Bet on the Future Utah doesn’t have to go down like this. Quantum technologies and independent microgrids are the solutions—but only if you demand them. 1. Revolutionize Data Centers Quantum computing can slash energy use by 50% and water consumption by 40%. 2. Decentralize Energy Microgrids empower communities with local control, integrating renewables and reducing grid strain. 3. Protect Utah’s Legacy With smarter systems, Utah can grow sustainably without sacrificing resources. Why Aren’t We Doing This? Because the people in charge don’t care about innovation or sustainability. They care about control and profit. - Rocky Mountain Power blocks progress to protect their monopoly. - Politicians pander to corporate interests instead of fighting for Utahns. - Most are too distracted by the tech boom to see they’re being sold out. What You Can Do? 1. Educate Yourself Learn how quantum and microgrid systems can transform Utah’s water and energy infrastructure. 2. Demand Better Leadership Elect leaders who prioritize sustainable solutions and hold corporations accountable. 3. Push for Change Advocate for policies that protect Utah’s resources and empower communities. 4. Take Back Control Fight for decentralized systems that put power literally in your hands. Quantum technologies and decentralized microgrids aren’t just options—they’re the solutions Utah needs to survive. I’m betting on Utah’s future. Are you? #Utah #SaltLakeCity #WaterTable #Energy #Resources

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😱Pretty worrisome for founders, but great news for VCs😎 Fewer startups equate to less work, fewer intro calls, fewer funding opportunities, fewer bad decisions... Where next? #VentureCapital #VentureFunding #VentureDebt #Fundraising #Innovation #Technology #Entrepreneurship #Investing #Network #Investors #LPs #GPs #EmergingManagers #FamilyOffice #Markets #Economy #Business #Founders #Startups #StartupFunding #ai #artificialintelligence #unicorn #secondaries #secondarydeals

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Lemme vent for a second about how value of this platform is dimishing thanks to: - #recycled #content - #propoganda and #bots - retirees using this platform as a substitute for Facebook - #Utah tech bros bearing their religious testimonials (I lived in Utah off/on for nearly 30 years and this does not get any less cringe) Folks are sharing the same videos from Telegram and news articles (even those written by AI). Some of y’all are even paying to promote your posts (yes, looking at you Skydio.) That’s real SMFH vibes. Anyway - the next few weeks are going to be massive for the #West and related #industrialbase for #drones: - we just had Anduril Industries and PDW win #MRR (I would have loved to have seen Edge Autonomy and Quantum Systems on there but I digress) - #SRR announce is IMMINENT - between Skydio and Teal Drones (Utah LFG!) - this is one of the largest contracts and programs of record in our industry. It would be nice to see both companies awarded, tbh, as it really helps the industrial base and more so, creates a massive black eye for the loser. I’m long #RCAT btw and would love to see these jobs brought to my hometown of #SLC. - #BlueUAS Refresh applicants get notified this week if their solutions were accepted for the first round of vetting. Curious to see who makes it and who doesn’t. - lots of #FPV stuff coming out of the woodwork, I’ve got eyes on #Europe 👀 - #SkydioAscend24 will unveil the #dock for X10 - it’s better than the predecessor, but larger and more expensive. Plus, lots of #software features like better #autonomy. (tbh, I’m always stoked on what Charles Wood and his crew are doing - the guy has had me eating my words like cereal on a few occasions about their products and despite the posts I relish being wrong and coming to a different conclusion - whether re: drones or something else). Word on the street is that they’re raising $$, again. (Quick take: if Skydio loses SRR, I believe the company will double-down on #DFR to alleviate any #investor concerns.) - Zipline (presumably) taking the wraps off of their P2 #dronedelivery platform. Keenan Wyrobek you’ve got everyone’s attention, as per usual. Photo of my dog, because Churro is cute and real (TRL-9) - unlike the render of that prototype product that needs multiple revisions and won’t be available for months.

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