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Mantella VP

· From the 2010–2013 blog

So last night I was invited to a little event at the pushlife offices in Toronto. these happen to be the same offices used by the mantella vp boys. I'm not sure how I would feel about working in the same space as the money, but you've gotta give them credit for being involved and not in a harass-you-via-phone kinda way. first off I have to say it was pretty neat! beautiful offices, fun people, great vibe, you know - all the good stuff. all of the founders were pretty neat guys, even the vc's seemed like pretty laidback guys. The model was basically:

  • invite a bunch of startup guys
  • feed them beer
  • have their 2 fund companies do a demo
  • expert talks with Q&A
  • all mingle and escape

Pretty standard stuff. but knowing absolutely no one is the VC / Toronto Start-Up community - it was really cool to go and share some of these hands. I have to give a shout out to Ali from whotheman.com and Devon from redwoodsmedia.com, both very cool guys with lots of experience. I was super grateful for the chats I had with them. Now, here's what I think I did kick-ass:

  • Chatted, drank, had fun - low key not pushy
  • Vague within reason - lots of big description, but nothing specific
  • Played off the fact we are nameless, and 2 weeks legitimately in
  • Played off the fact that my damn partners wont quit their jobs!

Here's what I need to do better:

  • Pitch smoother and gentler - this is an experience thing, but I just started rhyming when asked who I was
  • Introduce myself more aggressively - I met a couple neat guys and picked their brains, right now I need volume though
  • MAKE BUSINESS CARDS!
  • PICK A NAME!
  • Talk more - I was quiet and spongy, I need to engage else I look like every other UWaterloo dweeb there.

Any thoughts on this? its all pretty new to me - and I have no good ideas, just gut feelings and lots of bookworm advice. I am officially the face of this business for the next couple months - and I do need to promote us, which means I need to do a lot more of this work! Anyway, that's the story. thanks to James for the invite, and Mantella for the event. I have lots to brush up on before the next one! haha.