We’re Launched! Thanks DEMO. 2009-10-05
What an exciting 12 days it’s been since Gelato went live! Not only did we grab the attention of those who have decided to give our site a try, but also the news outlets. We received excellent press coverage from Mashable, ReadWriteWeb, CNet, GigaOm, the NY Times, and many more. I’m so thankful for the users who took the chance on a new type of online dating and to the media for the coverage.
I would like to especially thank Matt Marshall, Chris Shipley, and the entire DEMO crew for allowing us to launch Gelato at this year’s conference. What a freakin’ well-managed event. What a great community. What a wonderful feeling of kinship with the other entrepreneurs who launched companies. Instead of competitiveness, there was a good-spirited energy of support. In fact, I couldn’t help but notice that the energy at DEMO reminded me a lot of how it feels in Gelato’s hometown of Austin right now among individuals in the startup community. The words cooperative, scrappy, bootstrapped, helpful, and happy are the words that could readily be applied to not only the Austin startup scene, but also the community of folks at DEMO.
I’m not surprised that I have similar feelings for both DEMO and Austin. The warm, fun-loving and down to earth vibe that makes me love Austin, was also present at DEMO. I can’t help but think that the atmosphere at DEMO was a strong reflection of long-time DEMO organizer Chris Shipley’s personality. She’s kind, welcoming, and doesn’t put on any airs. She could totally be from Austin.
But it’s more than just one person. Certainly there’s something else that created this shared vibe. I began to think about the similarities. In the last few years, both the DEMO and Austin startup community seem to have lost some traction. The success of TechCrunch50 sucked some of the cachet and companies away from DEMO. Likewise in Austin, lack of an active consumer internet investment community seemed to quiet the startup buzz in the middle part of the decade. The cool thing is the lull gave rise to a very strong bootstrapped, cooperative ethos here in Austin. We help each other out. We want each other to succeed. We’re scrappy. We’ve emerged stronger for the lull. DEMO felt the exact same way. I truly couldn’t be any happier to have been part of such an amazing event. Thank you, DEMO!
ps Here’s Gelato’s 90 second pitch from DEMO:
