"...a Brand Champion is kind of your biggest crush. They’re thinking about you when you’re not around, they’re into everything you’re into, and if you’re lucky — they’ll tell anyone who will listen how in love with you they are.."
Thoughts: It all starts with revenue. If you’re trying to get funding or building a bigger team, it always helps to have revenue first. Most founders start with products or services and go right for the raise, sell something first.
Forbes • In this compilation of e-commerce trends, Embarc Collective member company SiteZeus was cited as an example of how companies can leverage AI to improve customer service operations and better understand customer preferences.
Grit Daily • Embarc Collective member company Cope Notes has secured a deal with Orange County, Florida. The program, which is funded through the CARES Act, will provide 1,000 residents with year-long access to the text message mental health support from Cope Notes.
Tampa Bay Inno • Tampa Bay was ranked sixth on SmartAsset's "Best Places for Female Entrepreneurs" list, which came out last week. Even with this good news, we still have work to do to ensure that women have more access to capital to grow their ventures. Our Glaring Gap Summit, which aims to increase the number of women investors in Florida, can be a part of the solution to grow capital sources for women, read our recap here.
Elevator Pitch: An award-winning startup that pushes the limits of what’s possible in virtual health. Using our virtual reality platform, surgeons in remote locations get transported into an operating room, where they learn modern surgical procedures and collaborate with other surgeons in real-time.
Position: Senior Software Engineer, Full Stack
Position Highlights: The Senior Software Engineer, Full Stack will help develop Immertec’s products. This role directly contributes to the end-user experience and is involved in interfacing with all parts of the team including product management, development, testing, and architecture.
When resources are constrained, you have to leverage the assets you have available to grow. Many of the highest growth startups have nailed their playbook of how to increase their customer acquisition engine, by turning existing customers into their brand advocates. This week's resources dive into how to master customer advocacy in your company.
📖 The Plain-English Guide to Customer Advocacy - Start here for a primer on how to turn customers into advocates. Our friends from HubSpot outline the fundamentals for forming a well-thought-out customer advocacy strategy.
📢 5 Ways To Turn Your Customers Into Your Marketers - Startups need to use every lever they have to grow brand awareness and customer acquisition. That includes using existing customers as ambassadors and advocates. This article from The Startup outlines 5 techniques to use to help your customers be your marketers.
The Digital Marketing Podcast walks through how to use advocates, LinkedIn groups, and customer reviews as a marketing engine. They also discuss how to incorporate advocate engagement into your content calendar.
mHUB Accelerated Incubation - Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
This 6-month program fast-tracks high potential startups through hands-on product development in a state-of-the-art prototyping facility supported by world-class corporate and venture investors. This program is specific to industrial internet of things startups.
IDEA Fund is seeking ambitious, engaged, and intellectually curious candidates to join the Venture Fellows program, assisting with an array of firm matters and examining the next generation of startups and innovation. This internship is open to both undergraduate and graduate students, with an approximate time commitment of 10–15 hours per week.
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