This is the first post in CBIC’s series, “Grounds for Innovation: Student Entrepreneurship at UVa”
You may have seen these bright bottles of delicious exotic fruit juice at some well-known retail locations around Charlottesville, such as Little John’s, Whole Foods and Greenberry’s Coffee. But what is Caribé? As its co-founders describe it, “Caribé is juice done right. Nutritious, really fresh, and helping fruit growers: the three things every juice should have.”
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You know what your startup does but how do you now tell that story to the world? And how do you do it on a budget?
The answer: PRIORITIZE
As a startup, you will need to get to the public quickly, and likely, cheaply. By prioritizing your needs to get out the door, you can save money up front. Logo? Yes. Branded mugs? Maybe not totally necessary out of the gate. Necessity is king, so do what you can on your own and then start appropriating your budget to the priorities as needed. Most branding firms will work with you a step at a time, as you are able. Over time, you can build the brand of your dreams without having blown it all in the first 5 minutes of your business when you need funding the most.
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Throughout my career I’ve had the tremendous opportunity to promote all things Virginia. The many times I have visited Charlottesville – there’s always a feeling about the community, you’ve really got it going on. Through increased collaboration, the environment for innovation and entrepreneurship in Charlottesville will only intensify the ability to compete.
In the recent book “The Metropolitan Revolution,” and the conversation many enjoyed with Bruce Katz of the Brookings Institute during his visit to Richmond last year, it is said there are three things to help ignite a metropolitan revolution: create a network where everyone moves in the same lanes together; celebrate and champion the distinctive feature for the region; and figure out the game changer.
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As Executive Director of CBIC and Founding Executive Director of the Charlottesville Angel Network (CAN), I'm often asked:
CBIC publishes a weekly opt-in e-newsletter, which provides answers and insights into these very questions.
In addition, CBIC maintains the below inventory of active groups, meet-ups, funding sources, online forums, jobs boards, makerspaces, accelerators, and more that collectively stitch together and inform our tech, entrepreneurial and innovation-based start-up ecosystem.
Do you know of other local resources, groups, meetups, training, calendars jobs boards, we should add to this list? Comment below!
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There I was suspended with my body standing perpendicular against the wall of a 50-foot rappel tower. Above a Marine drill instructor was barking at me. I could see his veins popping out of his forehead. “Lean back, look over your right shoulder, and double-time backwards! Do it, now!”
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Question: How many Art Directors does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
Answer: Does it have to be a lightbulb?
It’s a joke of course, but it's worth asking the question for the simple fact that you might come up with a different answer had you never asked. One of my favorite things I learned in architecture school is that once you ask the right question, you're well on your way to finding the answer.
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