Venture Studio (5): Vinicius Vacanti, CEO of Yipit (Part II)

This is Episode (5) of Venture Studio

Welcome to Part II of this in-depth conversation with the extraordinary Vinny Vacanti, CEO of Yipit. 

In this second part of the conversation we cover topics such as the importance of engaging your fellow entrepreneurs in the tech community, his take on the right way engage with investors, the importance of getting real, honest and at times brutal feedback about your business, and Vinny's description of his team, his business model and what's coming next for Yipit.

Below is a short table of contents (with corresponding minutes) of Part II of our conversation.

:oo         What are the founders doing to engage the NYV tech community?

:54         Who the people are that really end up helping you. 

1:51        The mindset required to be a successful tech entrepreneur 

3:15       How to think about getting to know investors

4:19       Investors as part of the community & "investing in the curve" (!)

6:05      "The most brutal feedback we got.... was the most helpful..."

6:45      "It was like getting punched in the face"

7:05       Their meeting with Eric Paley of Founders Collective

9:05      "Traction is King"... Getting Funded

10:43    "I taught myself all the back-end development, but I am not CTO"

11:27      The Team

12:32     The Business Model

15:06     What is Next for Yipit?

16:50     Vinny's awesome blog:  www.vacanti.me

Click Here: For Episode 6 of Venture Studio w/Trevor Owens

                  

               

Venture Studio (4): Vinicius Vacanti, CEO of Yipit (Part 1)

This is Episode (4) of Venture Studio

Welcome to Part I of this in-depth conversation with the extraordinary Vinny Vacanti, CEO of Yipit. 

Vinny treats us to an immensely insighful and transparent account of his ongoing entrepreneurial odyssey. We cover topics such as his decision to abandon the primrose path of a thriving career in finance,  his sudden leap into the world of startups and the challenges of launching a tech company as a first-time entrepreneur. His insights and learnings, including the account of the fateful decision he and his co-founder made to actually learn how to code themselves are a literal treasure trove for any entrepreneur. 

Below is a short table of contents (with corresponding minutes) of Part I of our conversation.

:20        Harvard freshman in '99, the tech bubble, investment banking

2:20     The "kernel of entrepreneurship" could not be ignored

3:15      Post bubble epiphany at a conference: "That's who I want to be"

4:12     Early Days of Yipit, Summer '07, "no idea what we were doing"

5:22     No safety net, no more primrose path: big realizations!

6:47     The leap of faith: Learning how to Code....

8:00     The reaction of his colleagues/family

9:30     Building the early prototpes of Yipit

11:23     The equivalent of steroids for an entrepreneur

11:50    Becoming a deal-aggregator in NY; Groupon launhces

13:57   The Lightbulb Moment: "just aggregating daily deals!"

15:04   The Big Pivot: Building this version in 3 days... first-to-market

16:30    Finance/Corporate World vs. Startup World: different mentality required

Part II of our conversation with Vinny