seedcamp

As you already know, I spent most of this week at Mini Seedcamp Paris, where Veevid, the newest product developed by Brainient was one of the 20 finalists. If you follow my twitter account, you also know that we won the competition, together with other four great startups.

I’ve been thinking on how to describe my Seedcamp experience in just a few words, ’cause I’m sure you don’t have too much time to read my posts, anyway. So I decided to briefly write about what I got out of it but at the same time give some advice to those who’d like to participate at future Seedcamp events. Here goes:

1. Be passionate but brief
I met about 50 investors and entrepreneurs at Mini Seedcamp Paris. The minute I started talking to them it became very clear that these guys get pitched at least 10 times per day, so the first 2 minutes are crucial. Show them you’re passionate about what you do, but do it briefly. If they don’t either laugh or ask a question the first minute or two, it means you’ve lost them. Inspire. If you don’t do it, nobody else will do it for you.

2. Don’t go there for the money
Most startups apply for Seedcamp because they want the money. I didn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I could use more cash as much as any other startup in this world, but I went to Seedcamp because I knew it’s THE place to meet the right people and because I needed a confirmation that I’m on the right path. It seems I am :) . Go there for connections, validation and feedback. If you play your cards right, the money will follow.

3. Connect and listen
By far the most important aspect of Seedcamp is that you get to meet a lot of people. Really smart people, passionate entrepreneurs, and a lot of experienced investors. There were so many of them that it made me wonder what am I still doing in Romania. Plus, everybody kept saying London is THE place to be. So I’m considering moving there, but we’ll see. Anyway, listen to what they have to say. Take notes. Read the notes after the event. Improve.

I want to congratulate the Seedcamp team for doing such a tremendous job. Thumbs up to Alasdair, who works non-stop but always seems to be the most relaxed dude in the room, to Reshma, who’s always very focused, precise and very clear about, well, about everything :) , to Steph Bouchet, who’s the cutest marketing person I’ve met so far and has an adorable accent, and last but not least to Saul, who always makes the right observations and asks the right questions, at the right time. Excellent job, guys! See you soon, in London.

To sum it all up, I believe “it’s all about the people, stupid”, and Seedcamp is the best place to start meeting them.