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Tag: advice

RIP Good Times 2.0: Y Combinator offers startups advice on market downturn

Rick Turoczy on May 19, 2022

If “RIP Good Times” doesn’t ring a bell, it’s probably because we’ve been on a decade-plus upswing since Sequoia Capital shared that presentation with portfolio companies — and the then relatively nascent SaaS and Cloud world — as the mortgage crisis began to wreak havoc on the economy. Now, similarly timed guidance has been released by (aptly) Y Combinator, the startup accelerator and investor that has risen to Sequoia-esque prominence during this era of startup activity.

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Getting on stage to pitch your startup soon? Here’s how to structure it

Rick Turoczy on January 14, 2022

By this point in my startup career, I’ve easily seen thousands of startup pitches. Maybe tens of thousands. What’s more, I’ve also had the privilege of working with hundreds of founders to workshop, refine, and polish their pitches for both VC pitches and on stage presentations. So if you’re a founder prepping to jump on stage at an upcoming startup competitions or demo day, I thought it might be beneficial for you if I shared a little advice that any number of founders have found valuable as they developed the stories of their startups to tell in front of a live studio audience…

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Need my focused effort on your startup problem? I’m hoping this will help

Rick Turoczy on October 1, 2020

Even though I’m a complete introvert, I do everything I can to muster the energy to meet with people. It’s my way of collecting and connecting dots. For the benefit of the startup community. Meeting with folks who want to get connected and putting them in touch with folks they need to meet.

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PitchBlack 2019: A few words of advice and inspiration from former PitchBlack Portland presenters

Rick Turoczy on August 13, 2019

This Wednesday marks the fifth installment of PitchBlack, an event created by Stephen Green to showcase Black Portland founders that has grown into a national happening. Wednesday’s event will be the biggest PitchBlack Portland ever, held at Wieden+Kennedy’s headquarters in the Pearl. By all accounts, this is a big deal — and probably a little stressful for participants. That’s why Stephen reached out to former PitchBlack presenters to get some last minute words of advice and a bit of a pep talk.

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AppFog founder provides sage advice: How do I cope with startup envy?

Rick Turoczy on January 9, 2014

If you’re even remotely associated with the startup scene, you know it’s competitive. Even in a community as collaborative as the Portland startup scene. And even if it’s not outward pressure, founders can put a lot of pressure on themselves. And compare their progress to that of their peers—or their perceived peers. Read More