"Unlocking Business Success: Keith Newman & Brian Smith Share Key Strategies

Summary

In 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

00:00

🎤 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.

05:02

🤖 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.

10:03

💼 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.

Keywords

💡Main Stage

The 'Main Stage' is a software platform created to streamline the fundraising process for startups. It acts as a tool that allows companies to organize their documents, communicate with investors, and track investor activity. In the video, the speaker emphasizes its role in helping startups present their stories more effectively and making the investment process more efficient.

💡Story Vault

The 'Story Vault' is a feature within the Main Stage platform that allows companies to store and update their company narrative, including documents, videos, and other content. It is designed to help companies present a compelling and authentic story to potential investors. The speaker highlights its usefulness in allowing startups to continually update their content to engage investors.

💡Crowdsourcing

'Crowdsourcing' refers to the practice of obtaining funding or input from a large group of people, typically via the internet. In the video, Brian Smith refers to his earlier venture, Red Crow, which was a crowdsourced funding platform. This concept is crucial as it ties into the broader theme of innovative methods for startups to raise capital.

💡Video as a Communication Tool

The importance of using video as a communication tool is a key concept in the video. The speaker discusses how videos help startups tell their stories in a more personal and compelling way. Videos, according to the speaker, allow founders to connect with investors, especially when face-to-face meetings aren’t possible, such as during the pandemic.

💡Investor Engagement

'Investor Engagement' refers to how startups interact and build relationships with potential investors. The speaker explains how Main Stage helps startups track investor activity, such as which documents they view and how much time they spend on them, which helps founders focus their efforts on the most interested investors.

💡Subscription Model

The 'Subscription Model' refers to the business model used by Main Stage, where companies pay a monthly fee to access the platform’s features. The speaker notes that Main Stage offers a free 30-day trial and then charges a subscription fee of $99 per month, making it affordable for startups.

💡Fundraising Efficiency

'Fundraising Efficiency' is a core theme in the video, referring to how Main Stage aims to streamline and simplify the often complex and time-consuming process of raising capital for startups. The platform helps startups stay organized and focus their outreach efforts, making the fundraising process less overwhelming.

💡AI Integration

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is used within the Main Stage platform to help improve the quality of the content startups produce. The speaker mentions how AI tools are implemented to refine company summaries, making them more polished and concise, which adds to the platform's value for startups looking to present themselves professionally.

💡DocuSign Integration

DocuSign is a tool for electronic signature that Main Stage integrates to allow for the easy signing of investor documents. This integration helps to streamline the process for startups and investors, making the signing of documents faster and more convenient.

💡Crowdfunding Campaign

A 'Crowdfunding Campaign' is a method of raising capital by collecting small amounts of money from a large number of people, usually via the internet. In the video, the speaker mentions Red Crow, a crowdsourcing platform he previously launched, and explains how Main Stage builds on lessons learned from crowdfunding, such as the importance of storytelling through video.

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