Yesterday was the third Co-Founders MeetUp of Silicon Valley, which set a new attendance record of 120 people. 12 startups pitched their idea with the goal to attract co-founders. The quality of the ideas was very high. Another thing I liked is that this MeetUp truly opens my mind: it’s like a giant idea brainstorming session. It’s captivating. I always learn something new and exciting and find new ideas that I can apply to my own startup. Next time, we’ll try to do even better and make sure we the right mix of technical co-founders.
As I remind all the presenters beforehand, your personality is just as important as your Powerpoint. Finding co-founders has been compared to dating or marriage many times, and it’s true. So you need to show a little bit of your personal side, to attract people who will enjoy working long hours with you and stick with you during the ups and downs of your startup adventure.
And the presenter who stole the show last night is Beto, with FiestasMariachi. I knew something was up when he checked in with a guitar in hand. And he didn’t disappoint the audience!
To get back to business, he probably has found a great niche and he is probably one of a handful of people who can pull it off. I followed up with him after the MeetUp with more questions.
1. Tell us about FiestasMariachi,where the idea came from, or why you think this is important.
Beto: Like a good amount of business idea anecdotes I’ve heard, mine came from the realization that there was a pain point in a certain market. My girlfriend was trying to spend $600 on a mariachi to come to an event in San Francisco – which has a significant Mexican American population – and could not find anything online. She ended up having to go through my old mariachi teacher, two groups removed, to find someone in SF. This is a clear market inefficiency that needs to be addressed. As my roommate @JoshConstine pointed out yesterday, if someone ever has to work to spend money, there’s an opportunity there.
2. What stage are you at (do you have code, specs, etc.)?
I have what most idea people have – a great business plan, executive summary, job description for a technical co-founder, and some basic mock-ups. I’ve tried the code. I’m so bad at it. I just feel like I go round in circles reading tutorials online instead of being productive. Few things bother me more than not feeling productive.
3. What help do you need now? Did you get interesting feedback from the MeetUp?
Now I need one of two things – a technical co-founder that can do a quick build on my idea (less than four weeks should do it) or partner with an existing technology that can be white-labeled and tweeked.
I did have a lot of great feedback at the MeetUp. It’s amazing how much people are willing to engage with your idea and provide feedback; I suppose that’s the lifeblood of entrepreneurs these days: constant feedback. I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t find my technical co-founder right then and there, but it was still a great launching pad for my search (i.e., the networking was excellent).
4. Tell us about yourself, your background
I’m a dreamer from San Antonio, TX. I got into the tech game a little late while doing my undergrad at Stanford. Before then, it was all International Relations and Mariachi. But once the Silicon Valley bug gets in you, it never leaves. Follow me @betoiii to get a little better idea of where my mind is:)
5. What else will you need to succeed, or is there anything else that would make a difference for you?
The name of the game right now is perseverance. I’m extremely boot-strapped, but still committed to a successful business. In the mariachi world, I’m confident I have exactly what I need to build a viable site and marketing campaign. All I need right now is someone who shares that passion to partner with me on the build. Victory is close!
