Ilana Grossman

Ilana Grossman

Ilana is the CMO of Gust. Previously she was at Digitas and Organic, where she led the development and implementation of several CRM and digital campaigns for clients such as Bank of America, Sanofi-Aventis, Johnson & Johnson, and Astra Zeneca.

Articles by Ilana Grossman

Industry Experts

The Marketing Devil is Really in the Details

It’s a fine line between an audacious-yet-successful marketing stunt and a total disaster. So fine that most marketing executives in charge of brands who have anything at all to lose often defer to safer approaches. Recently though a couple of daring and brilliant stunts have caught my attention, deserving a post with some deeper insight.

Much has been written about TriNet’s Yam Trader idea. Gust was among the hundreds of companies that received a yam in the mail (literally), prompting our CEO to stop by and visit their booth at SXSW. I later connected with TriNet’s Director of Marketing Ken Narita, who was wonderfully open to share their experience. As Ken described, the idea came about when they were faced with the reality that it would not be easy to break through the clutter at SXSW. A bold and funny execution would fit well with SXSW, where creativity abounds and formalities are practically non-existent, enabling companies to go a little wild with very limited negative repercussions to their brands. Hundreds of CEOs of target companies were sent yams, along with an offer to bring them to their SXSW booth to redeem their gift certificate. In addition, people were directed to YamTrader.com, a campaign micro site that re-directed them to TriNet’s real website. Ken reported that the initiative was very successful, with a conversion rate (herein defined as people who brought their yam to the SXSW company booth) in the double digits. While the definition of conversion here does not equate converting a prospect into a customer, Ken estimates TriNet was able to schedule at least 50 meetings as a result of this stunt, in addition to all the great publicity and increased brand awareness that was generated as a result of this bold direct marketing initiative (isn’t it great when a side effect of a direct marketing effort is brand awareness?). Similarly, Unreal Candy had the Easter Bunny go around SXSW apologizing to people for all the bad candy he’d been giving them all these years (Unreal Candy is the maker of all-natural, unprocessed candy). Albeit practically risk-free, this stunt was remarkably simple and creative, generating huge word-of-mouth activity and positive brand coverage.

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Invested Interests

Gust Startup Trend Map

Gust Startup Map & Trends Analysis – August 2012

Attention startup enthusiasts! Gust is thrilled to have nearly 7,000 new entrepreneurs creating startup profiles each month. To help us visualize the scale and global reach of these entrepreneurs we have put together a monthly startup map, which captures all new startup profiles on Gust. The map showcases new entrepreneur sign ups that chose to publish their startup profiles between August 1st and August 31st. Entrepreneurs that kept their startup profiles private are labeled unpublished in the map, and are not included in the trends analysis.

Take a look below!

 

At first glance we can see the US contains the majority of new startups, with a significant 60%, but Canada, India, France, and Brazil are closely following and worth to keep an eye on for future startup growth.

Unsurprisingly the dominant industry for new startups in August is Internet/Web Services, but other top industries include Consumer Products and Services, Media and Entertainment, as well as Financial Services. However, when we compare industries across the top startup countries, we notice there are better performing industries specific to each country. For example, India has the highest percentage of startups in the Education industry, with almost 10%, while other startup leaders such as Brazil have a greater focus on the Industrial/Energy sector.

Almost a quarter of all startups have a product in development stage, regardless of industry and country location, and less than 10% have a product that is fully ready. If we zoom into the US, we find California is the leading state across all stages, which includes products in concept, development, fully ready, and revenue. 28% of California startups have a product fully ready and 25% are in revenue stage. New York, Florida, and Texas closely follow as top states across all product development stages.

We look forward to presenting September’s startups and sharing the next trend map!

Invested Interests

Special Attendee Rate for DEMO Fall 2012

We are delighted to present a special rate to attend DEMO in Santa Clara, California on October 1-3, 2012. Please apply the registration code ‘DF12ANL’ to receive 50% off the published rate.

During the two-day conference, DEMO provides an environment for companies to secure venture funding, establish critical relationships, influence early adopters, and meet with top tier press. DEMO has built an unmatched track record of selecting, coaching, promoting and making successful some of the most game-changing products the world has ever seen.

Register for the special attendee rate.

Invested Interests

The Gust-DEMO Fall 2012 Scholarship

Following the huge success of the Gust-DEMO scholarship earlier this year, Gust and DEMO have teamed up again to offer Gust start-ups a full scholarship opportunity for DEMO Fall 2012. The recipient of the Gust-DEMO Scholarship will have a chance to launch their product to some of the most innovative people in the world. During the two-day conference, DEMO provides an environment for companies to secure venture funding, establish critical relationships, influence early adopters, and meet with top tier press. The deadline to apply for the full scholarship is August 17, 2012.

SCHOLARSHIP

The Gust-DEMO scholarship gives you and your company the chance to launch in front of a world-renown audience of leading investors, top enterprise and consumer technology press, and big company strategists. You and seventy of the world’s most carefully scrutinized emerging companies will debut your product in Santa Clara, among the best and the brightest in Silicon Valley. Your all-access pass included in the scholarship ensures that you will receive all the support and resources to help you succeed at the conference and after on demo.com.

DEMO Fall 2012 takes place October 1-3, 2012 in Santa Clara, CA.

HOW TO APPLY

Simply complete the free application on Gust to apply for the scholarship. As part of your application, you will create your startup profile on Gust, which you can return to in the future to manage all of your investor relations needs. Fields marked required must be completed in order to be eligible. Incomplete applications will be disqualified without any consideration of partial information received.

ELIGIBILITY

There is only one common denominator among companies chosen to present at DEMO: excellence. To be eligible to launch on the DEMO stage, and for the Gust-DEMO Scholarship, your product must:

  • Solve a commercial problem
  • Make an impact or change the marketplace into which it is introduced, or create a new market
  • Have a business plan and a management team capable of delivering the product to market
  • Make its public debut at the DEMO conference

 

Products that are not eligible include:

  • Products currently in public distribution, either as a launched product or as a highly publicized beta test
  • Upgrades to an existing product
  • Products entering an already saturated market category with little market differentiation
  • Products that have been widely covered by technology and business media

 

For a Gust company to be considered for the scholarship, it has to meet all eligibility criteria described above.

Gust News

Venturing Beyond Motherhood

For a long time now I’ve been meaning to write a post on women and gender issues, with the exact angle TBD – women in entrepreneurship, women in angel investing, women in tech, and women in business all seemed relevant topics. Those who know me are aware of my obsession with the topic after years of reflection magnified by two pregnancies and a maternity leave consumed with reading every book on career and motherhood I could find. From The Feminine Mystique through the Feminine Mistake, I have read them all. And yet, I’m continuously hit by daily insights in my professional setting. Read more

Gust News

International Women’s Day Scholarship 2012

GUST CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2012

In honor of International Women’s Day, Gust is thrilled to announce our partnership with Astia in launching the International Women’s Day Scholarship 2012. The scholarship aims to highlight the extraordinary women leaders of high-potential startups by awarding entrance into Astia’s Global Entrepreneur Program.

SCHOLARSHIP

The winning startups will receive a full scholarship to Astia’s renowned Entrepreneur Program, a week-long event providing intensive training in areas such as capital fundraising, business leadership, and networking opportunities with prominent angel and venture capital investors.

Astia’s Entrepreneur Program includes candid discussions led by active investors and seasoned entrepreneurs. The program is followed by a two-month advisory period during which companies are paired with a team of advisors, including one investor, one serial entrepreneur, and at a minimum, two other start-up experts. Additionally, select start-ups will receive:

  • Introductions to leading VCs and angel investors
  • Market intelligence provided by investor-led panels and workshops
  • Presentation skills coaching by a leading expert
  • Increased business acumen and executive leadership skills
  • Expert advice from VCs, angels and successful entrepreneurs

 

ELIGIBILITY

The scholarship is targeted towards women-led startups, and company applicants must have at least one woman in a leadership role (at C level).

SELECTION

A panel of leading industry women business executives and investors will conduct an initial screening for the top ten companies. Through Astia’s selection committee, either in-person or online, a screening will determine the final winners and award entrance into Astia’s Global Entrepreneur Program.

APPLICATION

To apply, create and submit your company profile via the Gust platform. There is no fee to apply. As part of your application, you will create your startup profile on Gust, which you can return to in the future to manage all of your investor relations needs. All applicants that publish their startup profiles will be automatically added to the International Women’s Day Scholarship collection.

DEADLINE

The deadline to submit your completed application is April 22, 2012 at 11:59pm EDT.

ABOUT GUST

Gust provides the global platform for the sourcing and management of early-stage investments. Gust enables skilled entrepreneurs to collaborate with the smartest investors by virtually supporting all aspects of the investment relationship, from initial pitch to successful exit. Gust is endorsed by the world’s leading business angel and venture capital associations, and powers over 750 investment organizations in 65 countries. More than 125,000 start-ups have already used the platform to connect and collaborate with over 35,000 individual accredited investors.

ABOUT ASTIA

Astia is a unique, global not-for-profit built on a community of men and women with a distinct focus and mission: to propel women’s full participation as entrepreneurs and leaders in high-growth businesses, fueling innovation and driving economic growth.

 

Gust News

“How Do Entrepreneurs Raise Angel and Seed Funding” Webinar

Gust is delighted to announce a partnership with NASVF and NCET2 for the online certificate course “How Do Entrepreneurs Raise Angel and Seed Funding”. The course is an insider view to the early stage fund raising process. You’ll learn how angels and early-stage investors identify promising startups, what needs to be in the business plan, how to build effective leadership teams, how to do a deal and what terms to avoid, and what to do after you get funded. This course is for researchers, entrepreneurs, service providers, and tech transfer people who are involved in raising funding for startup businesses.

David S. Rose will be the lead presenter for “What does an entrepreneur need to do to write a business plan” on Tuesday, March 27 and co-instructing with Ashley J. Stevens for the class “How does an entrepreneur negotiate the deal” on Tuesday, April 10. The classes will provide entrepreneurs with the essential components to acquire an angel investment, presented by The Pitch Coach. Entrepreneurs will learn how to deliver a powerful elevator pitch, leverage capital, and get revenue as quickly as possible.

Register for the course or learn more about the class topics.