"Unlocking Business Success: Keith Newman & Brian Smith Share Key Strategies
Summary
TLDRIn this engaging discussion, Brian Smith, co-founder of Red Crow and The Main Stage, talks with Keith about the innovative platform, The Main Stage. The software helps startups streamline their fundraising efforts by organizing investor interactions and creating compelling, dynamic company stories using video and AI tools. Brian highlights the importance of video in building authentic relationships with investors and discusses challenges startups face in crafting strong narratives. He also touches on AI integration, affordable subscription models, and his personal passion for photography. The conversation emphasizes the future of fundraising and storytelling for startups.
Takeaways
- 💼 Brian Smith co-founded Red Crow, a crowdsourcing platform, with bandmate Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads.
- 🎬 Mainstage helps companies tell their story with a focus on video content, providing a dynamic and interactive tool for investor outreach.
- 📈 The platform provides analytics to track investor interactions with company materials, allowing founders to target engaged investors more effectively.
- 📹 Mainstage emphasizes the importance of videos for authentic communication between founders and investors, especially in a post-pandemic world.
- 💡 Founders often struggle with creating tight, compelling content, so Mainstage offers tools, coaching, and templates to help streamline storytelling.
- 🛠 The platform integrates third-party tools, including AI for content refinement and DocuSign for seamless document signing during fundraising.
- 🚀 Mainstage is not a marketplace like Red Crow but a software tool to support fundraising platforms, incubators, and venture capital groups.
- 💰 Many companies using Mainstage have raised significant amounts of money thanks to the streamlined process and improved investor communication.
- 📝 Mainstage offers a 30-day free trial and charges a $99 monthly subscription, which is considered affordable for its value.
- 🎤 Jerry Harrison is currently on tour, but he played an integral role in co-founding Red Crow and supporting Mainstage’s growth.
Q & A
Who is Brian Smith and what is his connection to Red Crow?
-Brian Smith is the co-founder of Red Crow, a crowdsourced funding platform. He launched it alongside his bandmate Jerry Harrison, who is known for being a member of the Talking Heads.
What is 'Mainstage' and how does it help startups?
-'Mainstage' is a platform designed to streamline the investment process for startups. It provides tools like LinkedIn integration, timeline tracking, video updates, and analytics to help startups communicate more effectively with investors.
What are some features of Mainstage that assist startups in connecting with investors?
-Mainstage offers features such as LinkedIn integration for team visibility, a timeline tab that tracks company progress, video updates, and investor analytics that show how much time investors spend on deal documents.
Why is video content emphasized on Mainstage?
-Video is emphasized because it provides a more authentic and engaging way for founders to tell their stories, especially in virtual environments. It allows potential investors to connect with founders on a personal level.
How does Mainstage assist in optimizing outreach efforts for startups?
-Mainstage provides analytics that track investor engagement with the content. This helps startups focus their efforts on investors who show a higher level of interest by spending more time on key materials.
What challenges do startups face when using Mainstage, and how does the platform help overcome them?
-A common challenge is that startups may not have a compelling or tight story to tell. Mainstage addresses this by offering coaching, scripts, and tools to help founders craft and refine their narrative.
How is AI being integrated into the Mainstage platform?
-Mainstage is implementing AI to help startups refine and edit their written content. This ensures that the summaries and other written materials on the platform are polished, concise, and professional.
Can investors search for specific companies or sectors on Mainstage?
-No, Mainstage is not a marketplace. Companies on the platform are segregated, and investors cannot search for specific sectors like healthcare. However, specific companies can be showcased if requested by investors.
What pricing model does Mainstage use for startups?
-Mainstage operates on a subscription model, charging $99 per month after a 30-day free trial. This model is designed to be affordable for startups while offering valuable fundraising tools.
What is Brian Smith's other passion outside of Mainstage, and how does he balance it with his startup work?
-Brian Smith is passionate about photography, which he enjoys as a hobby. However, he remains focused on Mainstage, hoping to turn photography into something more once the startup achieves further success.
Outlines
🎤 Introduction to Brian Smith and the Main Stage Platform
In this introduction, the host welcomes Brian Smith, co-founder of Red Crow, a crowdsourcing platform. Brian reflects on his journey in the startup ecosystem and introduces the Main Stage platform, a tool designed to help companies streamline their investor relations. He highlights how Main Stage integrates with LinkedIn, tracks investor activity, and provides real-time analytics, making it easier for entrepreneurs to focus on interested investors. Brian emphasizes the importance of storytelling, especially through video updates, allowing founders to connect authentically with potential investors even in a remote, post-pandemic world.
🤖 Incorporating AI and Tools in Main Stage
Brian discusses the tools integrated into Main Stage, particularly the role of AI in refining and improving the content shared by entrepreneurs. The platform utilizes AI for editing company summaries and makes it easier for founders to present a polished narrative. Additionally, Brian mentions the integration of DocuSign, allowing for seamless document signing within the platform. The conversation shifts to the nature of Main Stage, clarifying that it isn’t a marketplace but a tool that supports capital raising efforts, helping specific platforms connect with targeted companies.
💼 Simplifying the Investment Process
Brian shares insights into how Main Stage significantly simplifies the investment process for companies. He reflects on how the traditional fundraising model is outdated and time-consuming, explaining that Main Stage offers a streamlined, organized way to manage investor outreach and track its effectiveness. He stresses that the platform’s strength lies in its ability to help entrepreneurs tell a more compelling and authentic story, something that static pitch decks or live presentations often fail to do. This dynamic and continuous engagement keeps investors informed and involved.
🎸 Jerry Harrison’s Role and Post-Red Crow Life
Brian talks about his co-founder, Jerry Harrison, a former member of Talking Heads. He shares their journey in founding Red Crow and the personal deal they made, where Jerry would prioritize his music career if needed. After Red Crow’s exit in 2022, Jerry resumed his musical endeavors, touring with Adrian Belew and performing music from the album ‘Remain in Light.’ Brian humorously mentions offering to join Jerry on stage with a tambourine, highlighting their close personal and professional relationship. The paragraph closes with reflections on balancing career and passion projects.
📷 Photography and Startup Life: Balancing Hobbies and Business
Brian talks about his personal hobby, photography, which he pursues as a creative outlet alongside his busy schedule with Main Stage. He mentions his photography website, Brian Smith Photography, and expresses hope that one day he might dedicate more time to it. For now, however, his main focus remains on growing Main Stage. The conversation wraps up with the host thanking Brian and sharing mutual admiration for their respective ventures, while also aiming to help startups optimize their fundraising efforts by leveraging Main Stage.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Main Stage
💡Story Vault
💡Crowdsourcing
💡Video as a Communication Tool
💡Investor Engagement
💡Subscription Model
💡Fundraising Efficiency
💡AI Integration
💡DocuSign Integration
💡Crowdfunding Campaign
Highlights
Brian Smith, co-founder of Red Crow, discusses launching a crowdsourcing platform with bandmate Jerry Harrison from Talking Heads.
Main Stage offers a comprehensive platform for managing investor relations, including integrating LinkedIn connections and a timeline of company milestones.
Main Stage includes back-end analytics that track investor engagement, allowing entrepreneurs to prioritize outreach based on investor interest.
Video content is emphasized as a key storytelling tool for founders to connect authentically with potential investors, especially in a post-pandemic world.
Main Stage's ability to upload regular video updates from founders helps maintain investor engagement, even across geographic boundaries.
Challenges for startups using Main Stage include the need to develop compelling content and a cohesive story, which the platform helps founders craft.
AI tools are being integrated into Main Stage to help entrepreneurs improve their content, particularly by refining company summaries and other written materials.
Main Stage has incorporated DocuSign to streamline the signing of investor documents, improving efficiency in fundraising processes.
Main Stage is not a marketplace; instead, it serves as a tool for individual companies to manage their fundraising efforts without cross-marketing with other companies on the platform.
The platform is designed to help companies stay organized in their fundraising, offering metrics on outreach effectiveness to optimize time spent with potential investors.
Video pitches on Main Stage provide an authentic and dynamic way for founders to present their companies, surpassing traditional pitch decks and in-person presentations.
Main Stage is offered via an affordable subscription model, with a 30-day free trial and a $99 monthly fee thereafter.
Brian Smith stresses the platform’s ability to help startups tell their stories in a compelling and dynamic way that evolves as the company grows.
Jerry Harrison has returned to his music career post-Red Crow, touring with Adrien Belew and the remaining Talking Heads members for their 'Remain in Light' tour.
Brian Smith's passion for photography is mentioned, but he emphasizes his focus on Main Stage's success before pursuing photography professionally.
Transcripts
hey fans of the chalk talk I am here
with one of my favorite guys from the
startup ecosystem Mr Brian Smith Brian
and I met when he was um in the throws
of launching Red Crow a crowdsource
funding platform with his bandmate Jerry
Harrison a name you might be familiar
with Jerry was the lead uh player in
guitar and keyboards with Talking Heads
Keith it's a pleasure to be here with
you I've been following your Endeavor
into chalk talk and the different
episodes that you've had so it's really
cool for me to finally be here as your
guest um but yeah you know Keith there's
been a journey to get to part of what
we're going to talk about today which is
the main stage looked at all the things
too that uh investors eventually ask for
like let's connect on LinkedIn I want to
see who we know that's on LinkedIn So
within the main stage we make sure the
entire uh executive team and advisers
are all part of the mainstage story
Vault they can all be connected to
LinkedIn we have a timeline tab so it
shows the entire life of the company and
the accomplishments along the way and
all that is on the front end Keith but
then on the back end we have all these
analytics of watching and communicating
with investors and Prospects where are
they going in to the front end and what
are they looking at
and then you know saying okay well I've
sent it to five
investors um this one particular
investor has spent 20 minutes looking
through all of my deal docks so maybe I
need to focus my attention on that
person who seems to be very interested
as opposed to the person that opened it
went in watched the video and that's all
they really looked at yeah so we have
these ways of making it more efficient
on where to spend time what's working in
your story Vault what's resonating and
the other thing is Keith you know we
have it so the video is King and we
learned this with Red Crow that videos
you know being able to tell your story
was very important especially with a
crowdfunding campaign so we have a
section in the story Vault for videos
and being able to upload all kinds of
content but we made it so too that the
videos are something that maybe you're
updating every other week and it might
be as simple as taking your iPhone and
in shooting a video of yourself talking
about the
fundraise and we look at it like what
better way for prospects to get to know
the founders by hearing directly from
them getting updates from them you know
Keith sometimes in this world especially
when it's virtual and if you're doing
something where you're doing
crowdfunding and you're casting this
wide net around the globe you don't have
the luxury of sitting across from
somebody and we certainly lost that when
we had our pandemic and I think it
changed forever the way we look at zoom
and videos so having the ability to do a
video where an investor say in Montana
and you're a company in New York can
connect and can get to know each other I
think it's so authentic I think it
versus you know reading something that's
canned or you know using a teleprompter
as I've seen some do it's just yeah I've
been a lot of pictures myself so this
seems so easy why would somebody not do
it
um well yeah it's a good question I mean
I I I feel the same way about it and why
we created it and why I'm so excited
about it one thing uh Keith if we think
about what have been some of the
challenges in getting companies to use
the main stage first off it's a
subscription model and it's a very
affordable monthly
subscription but where we've seen
companies sign up and stop is don't have
the content they don't have a tight
story right one thing about the main
stage is that it forces you to make sure
your story is compelling and tight we
have Founders that don't know how to
convey their message and so we do help
them we have ways to coach we have
scripts that we can provide if you're
looking for a guide on how to tell your
story on a video but also um getting the
content tight and being ready to push it
out there
that's the that's the big thing key so I
could imagine content being a problem
six years ago today like you said
iPhones and now with chat GPT and a
dozen other things you could really zero
in on you know personalized custom
messages with videos and distribute
those out to really great crafted you
know uh assets yeah and Keith you know
that's the other thing um you mentioned
the AI yeah one of the things we've been
really good at with the main stage it's
implementing new tools and Technologies
from third parties right help with the
whole process and so AI is one that
we're working on right now because
within the main stage There's a summary
that the in the entrepreneur writes
about their company and so by plugging
an AI tool just to make sure it's edited
well it looks good it's tight right even
if you're writing it and you just want
the AI to help make it look good and and
maybe less wordy we're doing that but
we've also implemented um docu sign so
all of the documents all the investor
documents can be signed right through
our software awesome let me ask you
though about AI because now I'm curious
about something as an investor could I
go into main stage and search for
certain things based on categories or or
or uh key phrases well so you know you
bring up a good point um Keith and this
is one thing that we've been working
really hard at the main stage about clar
terrifying because we come from the
world of Red Crow where it's a
Marketplace the main stage is not a
Marketplace so even if we have you know
right now 200 companies using the main
stage yeah those companies are all
segregated there's no platform where
we're marketing all of those deals and
one person can't come to main stage and
say hey I'm interested in investing in
healthcare can you bring can you show me
all your healthcare companies that's not
what we are we're just a software and a
tool that really supports platforms like
crowdfunding platforms and capital right
that's sure Keith if you say hey I'm a
um I'm an incubator or I'm a venture
capital and I've got an investor coming
in and I've got 30 companies using the
main stage could I ask to see a specific
type of company that's dealing with
something then yeah yeah that's funny
okay so I I think the future is
Unwritten 100% way in the year yeah we
got this cooking so Brian any last
thoughts I know you uh I know the main
stage you you'll share the URL and the
special chalk talk discount but what
else do you want to uh uh share with the
uh with the listeners here there startup
companies they're looking to raise money
how are you gonna make their lives
easier well I can tell you one thing
that we've really seen and a a
significant amount of money has been
raised by companies using the main
stage is it streamlines the investment
process which prior to the main stage I
view it as a very Antiquated model I
think that um you know you can drown in
trying to raise money for your company
and not be running your company our tool
is really your partner in helping you
fundraise because we know the pain of
what it feels like to fundraise of
staying organized of being able to do
Outreach and then see how effective has
my Outreach been
but most importantly and I I can't drive
this point home enough we've offered you
a way to tell your story and a very
effective
compelling um way and and something
that's authentic and sincere that a
pitch deck is never goingon to capture
in fact that Keith I would even say
standing up and giving you know your
three minute pitch at a pitch event
doesn't capture what we were able to to
put together with the main stage where
if I'm a prospective investor I can come
into it I can explore I can leave it and
come back where I left off and continue
to dive deeper into it not to mention
it's Dynamic so as much as the
entrepreneur is updating it we're also
made it so that the uh prospective
investor is constantly being reminded
and updated to the things that are
happening within the main stage love it
love it so you know I'm committed I love
it already I'm already ass sold but tell
me again the uh uh the URL and where we
can send people so it's the mainstage
docomo there request a demo you can
start building it uh there's a 30-day
trial for every company before we would
start to charge the $99 a month
subscription umap you're too cheap well
we've heard that several times but I
think right now um get some let's get a
couple hundred users on then you'll be
able to move it up yeah and I think
success stories more than anything are
are really what we're looking for
because those that have used it that
have raised significant money right want
more of those uh Keith and I think the
value eventually you know for companies
using it it will just speak for itself
well I'm involved in a few startup
groups I'll share this file with them
you'll do the same let's get the word
out give my best to ashin I miss her I
will Jerry I guess he's still on the
road traveling where is he these days
yeah you know you know that's the other
thing is um got a great team Jerry is uh
obviously as you know Keith a remarkable
individual and just Serendipity that
when we exited Red Crow in
2022 the music opportunity started
coming in for Jerry and you know we had
a packed when we started Red Crow in
2016 when I really wanted him as an
advisor and he said let's do this
together let's be co-founders
yeah traveled as you know Keith you know
the country with me from Cleveland
Clinic to wherever we had to go Wixom
Michigan and um the one rule that Jerry
and I had was all right you've got to be
committed to this but if David burn
comes calling and the Talking Heads come
back together for anything then you got
to go do that well that never happened
on the Red Crow watch and right after
our exit they had the opportunity to get
back together really stopped making
sense and now Jerry's been on tour with
Adrien blo doing his uh remaining light
music and so he's such an amazing album
too I uh you know I've offered to come
on stage and bring my tambourine but
he's not he's not taking me up on that
wait wait until we get um closer Keith
so you don't have to get on the tour bus
and all that I think it be just do a
residency you know in in the part of
California where you reside I have my
own writer to Bright it's quite lengthy
but uh we'll talk about that okay later
too and your own photography I'm
surprised you haven't got whisked away
by some uh some photography exhibits and
things like that you know Keith I um I'm
really enjoying my photography for
anyone that wants to check it out it's
um Brian Smith photography.com
and
um you know what Keith I think one thing
I've always said about startups is
you've got to be Allin
and I love the photography and I really
want it to turn into something but we're
you know we're running so fast with the
main stage and I want to just see this
through and then hopefully you know more
success and the photography will be
there but right now it's a hobby and
it's just something I'm enjoying on the
side but I appreciate that you bet and
hey what a fun Circle we just completed
a big loop and we only hit on about half
the subject so I wanted to hit on with
you but I want to keep this thing tight
I know my audience is moving quickly to
in the startup Journey but let's help
him out let's get him over to the to the
main stage and uh get him signed up and
Opera at a much higher pace and
efficiency thank you Keith I'm such uh a
lot of fun to just watch what you're
doing and uh thank you for having me you
bet you bet
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