One of the toughest things about building any business is knowing when it’s truly working. Gaining early adopters isn’t typically the hard part; in fact it can oftentimes be a misleading indicator of that elusive product-market fit. But what happens when things indeed do start to take off? How can you filter signal from noise and recognize what real market uptake looks like? How do you know if it’s the right time to Hit The Gas?
This Crash Course will walk through the distinct stages of a company’s growth curve: from raw startup, through one or more rounds of venture capital financing, and through the crucible of becoming a profitable high-growth business. We will cover topics such as:
- Understanding the market through the lens of customer motivations
- The critical difference between over-served and under-served customers
- Metrics that matter rather than mislead
- How each phase of scale impacts the leadership team and organization
- What happens if you’re right? How do you balance growth, scale, and innovating like a Startup?
Walter Knapp, Chief Executive Officer, sovrn
Walter is the CEO of sovrn. Most recently he was the Chief Operating Officer at Federated Media Publishing and Lijit Networks. With more than 20 years of business and operations management, Walter has been an investor as a partner and principal for two very successful venture capital funds. He has also built and led large field organizations for two public companies, Novell and Cambridge Technology partners. Walter regularly speaks about monetization and data strategies at industry events covering both online publishing and advertising. Walter holds a Master’s in Engineering from the University of Colorado in Boulder and a B.A. in History from Boston College.