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Will Koffel Talks About How to Make Difficult Tech Decisions at Your Startup

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Will Koffel Talks About How to Make Difficult Tech Decisions at Your Startup

On October 4, 2019, Will Koffel will take to the stage as keynote speaker of this month’s First Fridays, presented by Google for Startups in partnership with the DMZ.

As Google Cloud’s Head of Startup Ecosystem for the America’s, Will Koffel has been leading technology-focused startup teams for over 20 years. His keynote talk will be focused on the topic “Making Tech Decisions”. In advance of the event, we sat down with Will to ask him some questions.

DMZ: Will, can you tell us a bit about your professional background and how you became involved in the startup ecosystem?

Will Koffel: I’ve been deeply embedded in the startup ecosystem my whole career. While completing my Computer Science studies at MIT in 1998, I joined the founding engineering team at Akamai Technologies, experiencing the original dot-com boom (and bust!) from a front-row seat. I’ve been a 6-time serial CTO and startup founder since, and I’ve worked with hundreds of startups as an advisor, investor, mentor, and consultant. My most recent startup, Qwiklabs, was acquired by Google Cloud in 2016. I was then presented with the unique opportunity to work at Google and help build and support the startup ecosystem I’ve been passionate about for 20 years.

DMZ: In your leadership role at Google, what are you currently focused on achieving or advancing?

Will Koffel: We believe that Google Cloud offers the best suite of infrastructure and services for most early-stage startups. We’re focused on raising awareness of Google Cloud and its unique offerings for early-stage startups (like superior developer experience, DevOps with Kubernetes, BigQuery and other data tools, Firebase mobile, and top ML/AI solutions).

One of the key ways we do this is by partnering with accelerators and incubators like Ryerson DMZ, who refer startups directly into our program, pre-approved for up to $100,000 in Google Cloud credits to start building.

We’re also committed to working with startups to remove barriers they may face by providing technical expertise, community networking events, introductions to other teams at Google, and by increasing their visibility in the ecosystem. First Fridays is a great example of this.

DMZ: What are the most important challenges and opportunities facing startups today, especially when it comes to agile product development and technology decisions?

Will Koffel: Many of the challenges that startups face haven’t changed since I was getting started in the 90s, like how to hire great talent, how to close that first critical enterprise customer deal, and how to decide where to focus limited resources in a seemingly endless backlog of feature requests. Each of those topics warrants a separate interview of its own!

When it comes to selecting technology, startups face a wide assortment of choices. They are trying to choose from among the many open-source tools, the landscape of inexpensive and polished API-first services, and from multiple great choices for fully-managed public cloud infrastructure and advanced machine learning/AI solutions.

The biggest challenge for early-stage startups is uncovering the best practices for how all these tech puzzle pieces fit together. Deciding where to adopt cutting-edge tech, and where to anchor on tried-and-true approaches has never been more difficult. The tech choices many startups make today represent a bet they’re placing on the future of their product and business agility, so getting good advice from a tech lead, their community, and their vendors is paramount.

DMZ: What can attendees expect to learn during your First Friday keynote talk, “Making Tech Decisions”?

Will Koffel: I’m so fortunate to work in ecosystems all over the world, and Toronto is one of my favourites, where we see great engineering expertise, plenty of investor attention, and emerging companies creating real value. We’ll be digging into some of my favourite themes and practical advice, including Developer happiness, offloading the undifferentiated heavy lifting, opportunity-driven development, and maintaining technical optionality for the future.

We’ll also discuss anything that attendees want to explore! There’s plenty of time for Q&A, which is always the best way to surface the shared issues that are top of mind for startup founders and tech leaders.

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First Fridays Canada is presented by Google for Startups. Visit the website for more information and to sign up: FirstFridaysCanada.com

About Will Koffel:

Will has been leading technology-focused startup teams for over 20 years, as a serial venture-backed CTO, founder, and application developer. In addition to his operating roles, Will has served as an advisor, consultant and mentor-in-residence for many Boston area startups. He joined Google in 2016 by way of a startup acquisition, and is honoring his startup roots by bringing the best Google Cloud solutions to great early-stage companies. Will received B.S. degrees in Computer Science and Music Composition from MIT. He lives with his family in greater Boston.

Six reasons your startup needs social media (even if you don’t think it does)

Here are the top six reasons for building your online presence.

Different startups need different platforms (you don’t need them all)

Linkedin and Twitter are great platforms for verbal communication. They don’t focus as much on visual assets, though a good mix of both is effective. Instagram and Facebook, on the other hand, are visual platforms, so you have more opportunity to show off a physical product. No matter the platform, keep copy simple, clear and to the point to further each posts’ impact.

Control your narrative

Clients are going to look up your company on Google. Make sure they are seeing what you want them to rather than seeing other businesses with similar names pop up in the search bar first. This is called SEO (search engine optimization). If you don’t manage your image, your image will manage you. A recent article by Search Engine Journal informed readers that, “In addition to optimizing for your own website, you must also optimize for the Google search experience in 2019.”

Free advertising

Yes, investing in ads or a social media management platform is also wise but when you’re starting out, simply having twenty minutes a day dedicated to posting on social, liking and engaging with other accounts via comments and direct messages, can be extremely beneficial. Community management is key when it comes to startup social channels.

“The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.”
– Chinese proverb

Tomorrow is too far away, and will you really do it tomorrow? Make those accounts now.

Analytics, analytics, analytics

Social media gives you the unique opportunity to test new ideas and get almost-instant direct market feedback. With new business-friendly features, you can track success rates of different posts or gain insights into who follows your company. Another form of data that comes from social is positive customer reviews. Overall, more data = more business.

People like a good story

An easy way to stand out from competitors is to be relatable. Show the faces behind the company, your office space and team hard at work. When people see who you are as a company, they will feel more drawn to you as opposed to a company with no social context. As well as feeling drawn to you, they will also be more inclined to trust your company. In a recent Forbes article on the subject, they state that, “In this environment, businesses can no longer afford to be faceless entities.” If Forbes says you need a story, you need a story.

*Bonus*

What you’ll need

For any social platform, you’ll need:

  1. A clear, high resolution logo to use as your profile photo. Your profile photo should be the exact same on all platforms for consistency.
  2. A tagline that clearly explains your company’s mission. Again, keep it short, clear and impactful.
  3. Consistency – be sure to post at least once and a while so your page doesn’t collect dust.

DMZ Sandbox is proud to announce the Basecamp 2019 university cohort winners!

6 weeks, 15 companies, 35 workshops, 3 prizes of $5,000!

The Basecamp program allows DMZ to get back to its roots – helping student entrepreneurs build viable, sustainable businesses. The six week annual summer program provides customized, intensive coaching and mentoring from DMZ EiRs (Entrepreneurs-in-Residence), workshops headed by the likes of Google and culminates in a pitch competition. Its university cohort just wrapped and all three of the winners are Toronto Metropolitan University students! 

By the end of the program, winners don’t just receive a $5,000 prize, they also have a validated business model tailored for long-term success and receive the opportunity to become a ‘DMZ Fellow’. The fellow network provides up-and-coming entrepreneurs the opportunity to immerse themselves in the startup ecosystem with access to Ryerson’s Zone network, ongoing coaching from DMZ EiRs and other resources that prepare them for DMZ’s official incubator, validator or accelerator program. 

“Canadian post-secondary students are the future pace-setters and will determine the success of our country,” says Natasha Campagna, director, DMZ Sandbox. “The Basecamp program allows skilled, talented, creative students to get the experience they need to manage a business, get introduced to STEM and become the innovative leaders of tomorrow.”

So, who won $5,000? 

Omar Said, Founder of Smart Eyes

Omar is an Electrical engineering student at Toronto Metropolitan University and a promising tech founder. Smart Eyes is a mobile application that uses real-time video processing tool to show visually impaired users the objects obstructing their path. “My participation with the program was instrumental in driving my business forward.The mentors I connected with included founders who raised millions of dollars in funding like Henry Shi, founder of DMZ alum company SnapTravel, who was recently funded by Steph Curry!”

Kartik Balasundaram, Founder of Scuto

Kartik is a Business Technology Management student at Toronto Metropolitan University and founder of Scuto. Scuto’s platform enables photographers to accept payments, generate new clients and receive dispute management services. “With the help I received, I was able to learn about the fundamentals of finance for early-stage startups, refine my business and effectively tell our story to people who aren’t our customers.”

Annie Chen, Founder of Menuless

Annie is an Interior Design at Toronto Metropolitan University and founder of Menuless, an ordering application that saves customers time by allowing them to make their bill payments directly from their phones. Through her participation in Basecamp, Annie brought forward her passion to make a global impact through design thinking and technology. Her biggest takeaway from Basecamp was learning how to get out of her comfort zone. “I learned that coming up with an idea is easy, but running with it and trying to make it a reality is hard. I learned to always put yourself in uncomfortable situations, because that is how you learn and improve the fastest. The hustle never stops and neither should you.”


Look out for updates from the upcoming Basecamp high school cohort, set to take place July 22 – August 21 – truly the next generation of tech entrepreneurs!

Have an innovative business idea but don’t know where to start? We’ve got a program for you. Visit dmz.to/sandbox to learn about our programs, or follow us on Instagram at @DMZSandbox.

Reach out directly to our Sandbox programs lead Haseeb Khawaja at haseeb1.khawaja@torontomu.ca.

 

Who’s behind 6ixbuzztv? How the brand is going from Instagram to international empire

If you’re a Canadian on Instagram, you’ve most likely heard of 6ixbuzztv. The page with over one million followers has become the pulse of Toronto and its one-of-a-kind (and internationally recognized) culture.

With a following that includes Champagne Papi himself (Drake) to politicians like Ontario Premier Doug Ford, 6ixbuzztv has turned its Toronto (aka ‘the 6ix’) culture into a business with smart, yet subtle, branded content.

If this is your first time hearing about 6ixbuzztv, crawl out from under the rock you’ve been living under and check out some of their most popular posts:


So who are the people behind the 6ixbuzztv brand? Are they just another Instagram meme and gif page? Why is it getting so much attention?

Today marks 6ixbuzztv’s two year anniversary, and we’ve received the exclusive opportunity to interview the individuals behind it (a startup that is part of the DMZ roster).

Learn about their start, how they would describe what they’re doing, and where they see all of this heading, below.

How did 6ixbuzztv start out?

August 2017 – when I was attending George Brown College. It was called ‘NorthBound Buzz’, but then was switched to 6ixbuzztv. People quickly found the page’s humour was unique and very Toronto-centric. Through sourcing content and adding clever captions which were both comedic and informative, the account slowly started gaining traction.

Did you have any goals when starting out?

We found the way traditional broadcast shares news to be too traditional, censored, and un-engaging. And Canada has never had a platform that included breaking news, hip-hop and entertainment talent. As a team, we wanted to create a brand that also highlights stories, situations and relatable moments that never make the news, while also providing music artists an opportunity to receive much needed attention.

How do you get your content?

People DM (direct message) us (2000+ a day) on Instagram. Also, just searching online, you’d be surprised where the best videos are found.

How would you describe 6ixbuzztv today?

Canada’s #1 media outlet for buzzin’ news, entertainment, and hip-hop. Since then, we’ve fostered a unique community that is loyal to the Toronto brand, but is still relevant to the rest of the world.

Tell me more about the entertainment company you’re looking to grow 6ixbuzztv into?

  1. Given that there’s no new age media outlets in Toronto, we wanted to give artists and entertainers a platform in which they can engage with an audience that traditional outlets have a difficult time reaching.
  2. Given that we represent Toronto and Canada as a whole, we want to engage with the larger community to create positive change. This includes new initiatives like Cleanup Day, ThanksGiving Food Drive, Christmas Toy Drive, and more.
  3. We want to create an experiential stream that runs exclusive events, concerts, and festivals that bring out our community and the best of our culture.

How do you pick the brands you work with?

Ideally, we like working with Canadian brands, specifically those that are innovative and open to engaging with our immediate community. However, we are growing out various other streams within the 6ixbuzztv brand and each one is open to creating great activations and curated campaigns.

Where is 6ixbuzztv headed next?

We want to continue growing original content series (i.e., not only content aggregation), while we work to release our website and app. You can look out for a special announcement from 6ixbuzztv in Fall 2019.

It’s clear that 6ixbuzztv isn’t your ordinary popular Instagram page, as the founder and partners behind the brand are far from ordinary. Time will tell how the rollout of their subsidiary brands will resonate with their growing audience. Given the household names that are clamouring to work with them and their hyper-engaged following, it’s safe to say that the 6ixbuzztv brand is destined to only go up from here.

 

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6ixbuzz is a proud member of the DMZ Black Innovation Programs (BIP), a free program designed to support very early-stage Black tech founders around the world with the aim to help them validate their business ideas and build their first prototype and MVP.

Isaac Olowolafe Jr. talks Black Innovation Fellowship

Diversity fosters innovation, but looking at some tech accelerators across the country, you may not find the most diverse crowd.

That has, at least, been the experience of Isaac Olowolafe Jr., founder of the Toronto-based asset management firm Dream Maker Corporation.

When Olowolafe Jr. launched Dream Maker Ventures, the tech-focused investment arm of the company, the entrepreneur noticed something across the ecosystem: almost everyone was Caucasian. 

The son of African immigrants, Olowolafe Jr. didn’t see his community represented within Toronto’s startup community. To solve that problem, Olowolafe Jr. partnered with the DMZ to launch the Black Innovation Fellowship, a first-of-its-kind initiative designed to help Black entrepreneurs achieve success. 

Sitting down with BusinessCast host Robert Gold, Olowolafe Jr. traces his own journey as a business leader and outlines some of the barriers entrepreneurs from racialized communities face when trying to launch their own enterprises. 

But it’s not all bad news. Olowolafe Jr. takes us through what needs to be done to diversify Canada’s startup community at-large, and how the Black Innovation Fellowship is doing just that.

Listen below.

DMZ startup pitches at Tsinghua University’s President’s Cup

Last month, DMZ Sandbox was invited to attend the President’s Cup at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China – the number one educational institution in Asia.

Now in its sixth year, the President’s Cup – an initiative that aims to discover, cultivate and enhance students’ entrepreneurial skills – took place as part of the university’s incubator x-lab.

And this year, for the first time, the conference extended its invitation to international delegates. Representatives from Germany, Georgia, Japan, Singapore and Canada participated as a result.

“Canada’s participation in international pitch competitions importance is two-fold. For entrepreneurs, it broadens their understanding of global business markets. For Canada, it positions us as a powerhouse on an international level” says Peter Bowie, DMZ Advisory Council Member.

RTA School of Media graduate and DMZ’s Sandbox Student Grant recipient Josh Gonsalves, founder of Contraverse – an end-to-end VR production and distribution company for innovative and exceptional story-driven virtual reality – attended to represent the Canadian delegation.

Each presenter had a five minute pitch, followed by a question and answer period. The audience included investors from high-calibre investment firms and global influencers.

We spoke to Josh about what he learned from this exciting experience.

Learn about your audience

Knowing your audience prior to an international competition is crucial to ensure you speak the masses’ language. It’s not limited to your choice of words when presenting, but understanding that coupling your presentation with effective visuals and simple messaging allows global investors and entrepreneurs to gain a better grasp on your product.

“The DMZ’s pitch coaches helped me shape my presentation effectively through the use of imagery prior to pitching at the President’s Cup” Josh states.

Challenge your comfort zone

Josh powered through the nerves that came with presenting to a large audience.

“I now have a lot of empathy for individuals that get butterflies and nerves right before presenting. It was a humbling experience. I knew I was representing an entire nation and I told myself  – for the next 12 minutes I need to shut all these feelings of discomfort off.”

Embrace a global perspective

“Being around similar mindsets with a global perspective on business helped me work through different challenges.” Josh explains how delegates discussed different obstacles they’ve faced as first time entrepreneurs, from raising investment rounds, to prototyping and resource availability from different parts of the world.

For Contraverse, pitching in Beijing and gaining feedback from world-leading investors was invaluable. Tsinghua University is eager to welcome back Toronto Metropolitan University’s entrepreneurs next year at the President’s Cup.

Have an entrepreneurial idea but unsure about where to start? Visit the DMZ Sandbox to learn more about our programs.

Sampler this: Marie Chevrier talks the future of digital marketing

Consumers love free samples. But there’s something illogical about the tried-and-true marketing method.  

Entrepreneur Marie Chevrier saw the problem with this tactic when she was a brand ambassador in university.

While handing out sample products to anyone who would walk by, Chevrier realized there had to be a better way to strategically utilize the power of free samples.

Fast forward to today and Chevrier is the CEO of Sampler, a startup that helps brands distribute physical product samples to digitally targeted customers.

Chevrier joins BusinessCast host Robert Gold to take us through her journey starting Sampler, from simple idea to effective marketing engine, and how her company is reorienting sample-marketing in the digital space.

Amazon has even taken notice. The e-commerce behemoth began offering targeted product sampling as a way for brands to increase sales earlier this year.

That may seem like bad news for Sampler but, for Chevrier, hearing that Amazon was entering the same space as her company was the best day of her life.

Chevrier takes us through why that’s the case and the future of digital marketing in this edition of the BusinessCast Podcast powered by The DMZ.

Free samples not included.

Three takeaways from our newest program, DMZYYZ

The DMZ is giving international entrepreneurs a chance to experience Toronto’s growing tech ecosystem with the launch of our newest venture, DMZYYZ.

The two-week intensive soft-landing program aims to help growth stage startups integrate within the Canadian ecosystem.

Last week, we wrapped our first cohort comprised of nine companies from seven countries. Visiting entrepreneurs flew in from Lebanon, Hungary, Chile, Jamaica, Norway, Brazil and Uruguay.

A day within the first week of DMZYYZ consists of intensive-programming, back-to-back workshops and desk time to debrief about the information you’ve consumed.

In the second week, participants get VIP access to a world-class tech conference. This cohort gained access to Collision, the largest and fastest-growing North American tech conference. Their participation resulted in locking in 20+ potential customers, hiring talent from Toronto, and pitching to global partners.

Here are the top takeaways from the startups’ time at the DMZ.

Challenge your assumptions

“A lot of my presumptions about product changed significantly after being a part of this program. Defining the right MVP is important to gain quality customer retention, and the entrepreneurs-in-residence at the DMZ helped refine that,” reflects Hussein Salman, Founder of FindANurse, a Lebanese startup aiming to change the face of caregiving within the MENA region. “As a reputable university-backed accelerator with a large community, being part of this program has given me the confidence to now build necessary relationships with potential investors.”

Make meaningful connections

The DMZ is a place that is filled with opportunity – be it from workshops to investor meetings and connections to serial entrepreneurs. “The calibre of network within the DMZ community is huge. The amount of knowledge transfer that happens within the conversations you have is close to none.” Zoltan Czikos, Co-Founder of Hungarian-based startup, Neticle says. The startup aims to boost business decisions with automated text-analysis.

Create global impact

Through worldwide perspectives during the DMZYYZ program, companies were able to learn more with a growth mindset and feel empowered. “We built something on a small island and were looking for the feedback that we got at the DMZ. The thing that stuck out to me the most is that you can make a global impact no matter where you’re from. The ability to bring a fresh perspective to highly regarded individuals within Canada, empowers me as an individual as well.” Conrad Mathison from It’s Pixel Perfect, a Jamaican based startup, aimed at helping brands stand out in the digital space through creative content.

Applications for our second cohort of DMZYYZ are now open. Apply here.

Founder Spotlight: Derek Hopfner

The digital age puts customers first.

It is crucial that the legal ecosystem uses technology to create seamless experiences for customers.

According to a recent report found by Canadian Lawyer, the legal industry is worth $30 billion in Canada. Despite being one of the slowest industries to adopt technology, the emergence of legal startups today is unprecedented, and Canada needs to keep up as there are ample opportunities for innovation within the sector.

Derek Hopfner and co-founder Shane Murphy were practicing lawyers prior to starting Founded. Their third co-founder, Travis Houlette, had previously started his own company and sold it to Yahoo. Throughout that process, Travis felt the experience was not as transparent as he expected it to be, so the trio decided to dig into finding solutions to make the legal experience faster, more efficient and collaborative for entrepreneurs.

Simplicity, innovation and trust are the company’s main values. A key factor to Founded’s success is their online platform that automates business legal workflows: from generating documents and capturing eSignatures, to filings with government and making legal work easily accessible.

Originally focused on automating routine legal work for small business and startups, Founded now extends its reach to law firms. They work with more than 1000+ businesses, law firms, accounting firms and large enterprises to automate legal tasks like incorporating, ongoing company compliance, government filings and legal agreements.

The Founded user experience is unlike any other due to the diverse mix of legal and non-legal experience the employees of the company have. According to Hopfner, hiring people who have no previous experience in the legal industry makes their product more digestible for the masses and creates more streamlined experiences.  

“No one cares that you’re building anything. When you’re building a product, you have to think about your sales distribution channels,” says Hopfner. “You have to be building a product for a specific audience, and understand how your target market will consume it in a really easy way.”

While navigating legal jargon may not seem like an exciting endeavour for users, Founded aims to change that. “Our goal is to make the legal side of business effortless. When using Founded, entrepreneurs have a better understanding of their legal work and company data, while saving time and money.”  

The only problem with innovation in the legal industry is that there are established models such as billing that do not prioritize efficiencies especially if work is being charged at an hourly rate. With Founded’s technology, entrepreneurs take charge with the ability to translate complex legal concepts into straightforward language in a fast and effective manner.  

Want to learn more about Founded? Visit their website.
Twitter:@FoundedCo
Instagram: @FoundedHQ

Founder Spotlight: Michelle Caers

Entrepreneur-in-Residence turned founder Michelle Caers has been on both sides of the DMZ accelerator offer. An expert in user experience design, she has been a resident coach to our startups for the past three years, while simultaneously working on getting her edtech company Crowdmark on its feet. Her mission – to enrich the learning and teaching experience for students and educators by transforming assessment into a dialogue for improvement.

Technology is changing the face of education at a rapid pace.

With the availability of ample information online and various emerging educational institution models, it is becoming difficult for students to see the value of HigherEd. Universities must re-evaluate the ways they can change the educational experience in order for them to keep up with innovative trends and for students to see the true value of accredited degrees.

A catalyst for that change is in the feedback loop provided for students; a byproduct of time-savings.

Originating with UofT mathematics Professor James Colliander, Crowdmark provides a solution to a real life problem. Faced with grading 5,000 exams by hand during the 2011 Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge, Colliander realized there needed to be a more effective practical marking process instead of the cumbersome red pen on paper approach.

Crowdmark’s artificial intelligence analyzes vast datasets generating unparalleled insights into teaching and learning. These insights help drive innovation in grading for educators and support personalized learning for students.

Rooted in the belief that teaching and learning are fundamentally a human-to-human exchange, the grading platform focuses on automating repeatable actions, eliminating pain points that educators experience when marking student workpapers and providing rich, formative feedback on exams and assignments. The tool increases educator’s productivity by 75%, allowing more time to focus on providing meaningful, constructive feedback to learners. It further provides a direct positive impact on students as it allows for electronic submissions, reducing paper waste and the anxiety of meeting tight deadlines.

“AI shouldn’t replace human interaction, it should enhance people’s experience. You can automate a spreadsheet or anything that’s repetitive and predictable with machine learning, but you cannot replace human judgement in high stakes decision making situations,” Caers says.

Time-savings, increased productivity and more meaningful connections with learners are only a few of the highlights in Crowdmark’s value proposition, and for some educational institutions, it’s even changed their pedagogy. “At McGill University, they used to do a lot of multiple choice exams, but once they implemented our application, they now have a more robust assessment strategy.”

Caers has shared a wealth of advice as a resident DMZ EiR and she is definitely not a stranger when it comes to closing large sales deals. “To close impactful deals, you need to understand the buying processes and security regulations in the industry you’re operating in. We supported  our champions by listening to what our organizations want, and delivered accordingly.”

With 37 million papers already graded and institutions like the University of Toronto, University of Waterloo and University of Southern California using the platform, Crowdmark is using insights to continuously build more features to enhance their offer and continue to lead improvements for educators and learners.

To have an edtech company excel in our space as a university-backed accelerator, confirms our impact and mission.

Learn more about the company: @crowdmark | crowdmark.com

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