New Mexico Rainforest University Center Spring 2020 Seminar Series

STC.UNM and the Innovation Academy are hosting their spring 2020 University Center Seminar series. The New Mexico Rainforest University Center provides entrepreneurial training and technical assistance at the University of New Mexico main and branch campuses. The seminars are free and open to the UNM community and the public via in person or web access, but registration is required. A certificate program in entrepreneurial capabilities is available to UNM students and community members thru UNM’s Innovation Academy. If interested in the certificate program as part of the seminar series, please contact Cecilia Pacheco at cpacheco@stc.unm.edu.

Go-to Market Strategies for Entrepreneurs

Presented by John F. Rizzo, Deem Inc., CEO, Founder, New Mexico Innovation Triangle (NMIT)

The technology startup battlefield is littered with the remains of incredibly promising, put-a-dent-in-the-universe technologies. Oftentimes, these businesses fail due to self-inflicted errors in go-to-market (GTM) strategies and tactics. The art and science of the sales and marketing discipline is largely foreign to technology entrepreneurs, at best, and, at worst, a waste of time for those who think primarily through an analytical lens.

This lecture will take holistic view of technology startups, the role of marketing and sales and how go-to-market strategies affect the chances for success. We will also cover the financial process for startups, financial models, capitalization, sources of funding, cap tables and terms. The role of the CEO and founding entrepreneur in the sales and marketing process, areas of focus, and mechanisms to measure outcomes and investment will be discussed. It will include practical suggestions to members of the go-to-market teams in startups and we’ll examine each of the disciplines in sales, marketing, marketing operations, content marketing, demand generation, social marketing, marketing automation and leadership skills in the GTM process. We’ll provide answers to some of the most common questions in GTM strategies including: How does the leadership team create or capture demand?; What is the appropriate sales model?; How does leadership know if investments in GTM are providing good returns?; How do you measure the success of your overall GTM strategy?: How do you make tradeoffs between high-touch and fully digital?

Speaker Bio

John has more than 35 years of experience helping guide some of the world’s most successful technology companies through start-up phases, major product launches, branding and marketing campaigns, rapid growth, acquisitions and IPOs. Early in his career, at Intel, he created what is now the $200B FLASH memory market. At Apple, he worked with Steve Jobs to launch the first Macintosh. As the CEO of Deem he executed a transformation of the company and lead a merger with Enterprise Holdings, the world’s largest car rental provider, and an industry leader in mobility and technology. Previous to Deem, he was Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Customer Officer and General Manager at SolarWinds, an IT software company that grew from $300M to $500M in two years culminating in a $4.5B buyout. Prior to SolarWinds, John was Chief Marketing Officer at Jive Software, where he helped grow the business from $75M to $150M in two years, and completed a successful $1.75 billion IPO. John has served as CEO at several early-stage startups with five successful exits including two IPOs. He is a frequent speaker to entrepreneurs at students at Stanford University where is teaches Go-To-Market Strategies. He is currently on the boards of Untangle (security software), Filld (near-demand fuel delivery to automobiles), IR Dynamics (a Nano tech company based in Albuquerque, NM), and a board advisor to Prevedere (big data analytics), Motiva (AI for marketing automation). Mr. Rizzo is also the founder and CEO of the New Mexico Innovation Triangle LLC (NMIT), a business aimed at economic development, technology, educational transformation, housing, and community inclusion through a series of Innovation Villages across the state of New Mexico.

Speaking topics: travel, expense, technology, go-to-market strategy for entrepreneurs, start-ups, venture funding, growth, IT software, design, marketing, customer support.

Recent speaking engagements: European World Cup Start Up Competition, Prague; Beat Live, Dallas; GBTA 2018, San Deigo; CFO Summit, Atlanta; CES.

About the New Mexico Rainforest University Center

The University Center program is funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration to provide entrepreneurial training and technical assistance to individuals or small businesses who are looking to start or grow their idea. The platform for the training will be e-commerce, designed to assist any business with its digital presence.

Note: This seminar may be attended in person at the Lobo Rainforest Building in Albuquerque, New Mexico, or online via Zoom by registering with the following link: https://zoom.us/j/388712341

Parking Map

REGISTER ON EVENTBRITE HERE