Startup Advice: K.I.S.S

Turning "Face-Palms" Into High-Fives

Have the perfect business idea but need funding? Well, unless you know someone that's going to just give you money, then you're going to have to seek outside investors. But, why would they want to risk their money on your idea? That is the key question startups must answer when seeking funding. 

You need to keep your startup pitch simple (K.I.S.S) and it shouldn't take longer than 5 minutes. As you may have read, Gershon Consulting is partaking in a startup competition in Paris, November 7th. At this competition, startups will only be given 3 minutes to pitch their idea in hopes of wowing the judges enough to win a comprehensive startup package to take their business idea to the U.S. market.

This may seem challenging right? That's the point! Whoever wants the funding bad enough will be able to plead their case within the allotted time. Don't let the fear of the pitch scare you, just practice and follow the tips in these articles:

Tips on how to create your PowerPoint presentation:

http://vator.tv/news/2010-12-14-how-to-write-a-killer-deck-and-get-funded

Examples of startup pitches:

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-best-startup-pitches-of-all-time-2012-11?IR=T

Startup & elevator pitch advice:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericaswallow/2012/06/27/elevator-pitch/#29e667822375

Save the Date!!

November 7, 2016 

USA Startup Competition at the American Embassy in Paris.

#StartUpForUSA

Gershon Consulting, along with 10+ organizations, are coming together to hold a startup pitch competition for a prize unlike any other. Valued at over $50,000, the prize for the winning startup will provide all the necessary resources for a business entering the U.S. market. Any startup interested in participating in the competition can submit an application on MyBusinessInUSA.com from now until October 12th at 6 pm ECT. Ten contestants will be selected for the final competition and only one winner will be announced!

Be prepared to give your best pitch to our panel of judges, they will make the decision on who has what it takes to make it in the U.S. market. The winning startup will hop on a flight directly to New York City to attend the U.S. Presidential Election and start their journey to fulfill the American Dream!

For more information visit the website and follow us on twitter for updates @GershonConsult.

We can't wait to see what exciting ideas you have! 

Healthy Living Made Easy 

Obesity and diabetes are epidemics in the United States. In the US, 166 million people are obese, 1.25 million people have type 1 diabetes and 19.85 million people have type 2 diabetes.

To help combat this massive problem, companies have started to develop apps as easy, convenient ways to track your overall health. Most of the mobile-health application users look for goal tracking and for warning of potential health issues.

In recent studies, it was recorded that 60%, roughly 135 million, American adults say that they try to track their diet or exercise. Of this 135 million people, 40 million use an app to do so. Total, 150 million American adults said that they could use a smartphone app to manage their health-related issues. One of these health issues is diabetes. However, only 4% of diabetics use diabetes management apps because they are unsatisfied with the current offering.

There is a lot of competition in the app industry. Forty percent of the top 100 apps on the global charts are less than one-year-old. Brand loyalty to apps is low because comparing similar apps is easy; so, being able to differentiate yourself is important because there are so many diet apps and they are virtually the same. Therefore, having strong brand awareness is crucial in the app market because people search for specific names, not general terms.

The market for health apps is booming. Millennials are focused on fitness while baby-boomers are focused on health. These are two giant segments that have barely been tapped. Consumers are constantly searching for that one app that can do more than the last and provide more accurate features. This is a window for app companies that can offer advanced technological offerings because there are not a lot of apps that are very accurate.

One of our clients, DietSensor, was recently awarded for their innovative technology in this industry. Be sure to check out their website!

Far Right? Or Far Wrong?

"An American Election is a World Election"

In light of recent political activity, the French-American relationship continues to be strained. President Hollande reinforces his disapproval for Republican American Presidential candidate, Donald Trump. Hollande stated that "an American election is a World election" which could prove to be interesting if far-right Front leader Marine Le Pen runs in the upcoming 2017 French presidential election. Hollande believes that if Le Pen and Trump win, "It could lead to a very strong turn to the right in the world."

Trump contre les Français?

Let’s talk about what has everyone’s attention across the world, the U.S. Presidential Election. You know the one, with Donald Trump running for president. In latest news the republican nominee has suggested an extreme limitation on immigration for those entering the U.S. from countries that have had a history of terrorism. Of those named was France. He proposes that this solution will protect the country until there are more secure vetting techniques. The land of the free, the land of opportunity! At least that’s what we thought. We all understand the immediate move to protect the people and the country from all of the horrendous things that are happening all over the world. The question is will this honestly help? Will turning away the hundreds and thousands of people that enter the U.S. help protect the nation?

Source: www.frenchmorning.com

What is your position? Does Donald Trump make a valid point? Let us know in the comments below.