Pink Moustaches, 7 Second Videos and Flirting Made Easy

mitchellake on June 12, 2013

MitchelLake’s Managing Director, Mike Page, spent two weeks in the San Francisco office. Here’s his update from Silicon Valley.

Three months is a long time in the start-up and innovation World. More so in San Francisco where time seems to move faster than anywhere else. The whole Bay Area seems to be in a perpetual pivot, constantly evolving at lightning speed. New ideas are literally launched on a daily basis and the appetite for change and disruption is woven into the fabric of the city.

Three months is also the time since I was last in San Francisco where the MitchelLake Group has worked closely with the start-up community for 7 years, including some outstanding Aussie businesses like 99designs who are making waves in the big league.

So what’s happening in the centre of the tech universe? As you would expect, quite a lot. Having spent the last 2 weeks in SF, here’s my take on what’s being talked about in the bars of SOMA and the cafes of Stanford.

Lyft; taking Uber to the next level. An app which matches taxi customers with private drivers who are using their cars to make some extra cash. Just when you thought the taxi industry had received its fair share of disruption this highly social based app has quickly created a market for itself.

The private Lyft vehicles sport a large distinctive pink moustache on the front grill and as you would expect come in all shapes and sizes. The ride is highly social (think front seat conversation rather than back seat silence). The tradition is to greet your driver with a fist bump and of course it’s well priced. Sounds like a fad? Well those that know obviously don’t think so as a couple of weeks age they raised $60m from Andreessen Howowitz to fuel further growth.

Vine. The Twitter acquired business which allows you to send a mega short video with your tweet. Maxing out at 7 seconds you would think this might have frustrated users rather than inspired them. Well, 13m downloads answers that question pretty easily and that’s just on IOS. This mobile social video solution last week released its Android app. With its current level of popularity and take up expect to hear more about Vine. The significance of the new release is interesting when you consider Instagram added 1million new users in 12 hours when they launched their Android version.

Similar in focus to Vine but already more established is the LA based social app Snapchat. They’ve been around for about a year and whereas on the surface you would think their photo sharing app is just like many others, the killer difference is that the picture you send self-destructs after a short period of time which you dictate. No more problems with photos you may not want to be sitting on a server for ever being found in the future.

The blend of time restricted viewing and ease of use has seen Snapchat go ballistic in the high schools and college networks and its now reaching into the wider population. So much so that they are reporting to be raising $100m over the next few weeks on a valuation of $700m – $1bn

Some simple but great ideas never go away, they simply morph with the times and wait for technology to play catch-up.

For those of you like myself who are old enough to remember the early forays into the online dating space, the website Hot or Not? will bring a smile to your face and perhaps a memory of wasted minutes at work when you should have been doing your job back in the day. Well, Tinder has taken this concept and introduced it back to the mobile generation.

Viewing photos and some basic Facebook data, the system uses geo-location to match you with other users nearby. You either chose yes or no to connecting with them and swap details if you want to. More flirting than online dating, the app neatly blends the instant gratification movement with the now established online dating market and boom, what’s old is new again. With take up numbers mirroring those of the early days of Facebook and Twitter (50 million matches made to date since its release in October), Tinder looks set for great things.

Just as old ideas are reborn and new ideas are tested, what was hot a heartbeat ago is now withering on the technology vine. There has been a lot of debate about Zynga in the tech press of late. What is their post IPO strategy?, can they keep growing with a two game solution set?

Well these questions were partly answered last week when Zynga announced that they will be laying off 18% of their workforce. A total of 520 people. Although the announcement was carefully crafted as you would expect the word on the street is that they’ve simply moved too slow for the market. The use of Facebook on mobile devices has left them behind.

Interesting when we’ve all been talking about mobile and tablet being the major growth platforms for some time now.

Spring is definitely in the air in San Francisco. The days are getting longer although the temperatures never seem to change that much and the fog is still omnipresent, appearing to enclose the city and form a natural boundary between the way things work here and the rest of the world.

August will see the America’s Cup carnival roll into town which will inject even more vibrancy and energy into the city (if this is possible) I wonder what new sailing related tech solutions are being prepared to be tested on the incoming audience as well as the locals?

But then again August is a couple of months away so who knows what could happen between now and then?

MitchelLake Group Welcomes a New Laker: Tina Neale

mitchellake on May 23, 2013

MitchelLake Group is extremely excited to welcome Tina Neale as the latest addition to the Sydney family. Our new Laker will be heading up MitchelLake Group’s brand new contracting division in the digital and technology space.

Prior to joining, Tina spent a little over three years managing the contracting recruitment division for Michael Page Technology across both infrastructure, applications and project space.
She possesses international recruiting experience that she gained while based in Europe.
Tina is an avid lover of animals and recently dog-sat for Brian McFadden.

Welcome to the team Tina!

Connect with Tina below

Email

LinkedIn

Ph. +61 405 548 454

Event Review: Innovation Bay Angel Dinner

mitchellake on May 22, 2013

Last night saw the latest Innovation Bay (IB Angel) dinner in Sydney where budding startups pitch their business ideas to an intimate collection of angels from the Australian and regional technology and digital Eco system.

As the longest standing Angel network in Australia, IB has seen over 150 start ups pitch over the last 10 years with some outstanding success stories along the way. The network has helped to raise over $10m in seed investment and provided invaluable advice, guidance and mentorship to many aspiring Aussie Zuckerbergs!

As usual, the competition amongst the startups had been fierce even to qualify for inclusion at the event. Around 20 entrepreneurs had submitted video pitches over the last month which were then voted on by the angels with the 4 most popular concepts being chosen to pitch on the night. The audience heard from a wide range of innovative concepts and business ideas seeking to solve problems and disrupt traditional markets.

Following the initial welcome drinks and networking session, the invite only guest list took their seats in the always popular dining room of TableFor20 and waited to be impressed.

Ian Gardener (the co-founder of IB with MitchelLake’s Phaedon Stough) addressed the room first, thanking everyone for their continued support and reminding the audience of how difficult it is to successfully launch a disruptive business idea in any market. The importance of providing support and investment dollars is critical to continuing to back Aussie ideas on the world stage.

And then the main event of the evening began with the four startups using their 7 minute times slots (plus a further 7 minutes for Q&A) to impress, inspire and intrigue the angels.

First up was Edisse, – a watch that will save lives. A company that has only been around for 5 months and is developing a product aimed at the medical analytics and personal healthcare device market. An automatic panic button built into a watch the product has 3 unique features including fall detection, real time tracking and data analytics none of which they claim are features of their competitive products. With 39 million people over the age of 65 in the US alone, the business calculates a $1.4bn market awaits their solution.

Nick from Edisse explained their growth strategy and the team they have gathered to commercialise the business as well as what they plan to do with the investment they are seeking.

Then it was over to the Angels for questions. These ranged from the technical platform the product was built on, the competitor landscape and marketing strategy.

Over main course the next business pitched. Swipe Ads. This is an interactive online advertising platform that distributes targeted ads through a spam blocking capture solution. They are trying to solve the problem of security capture systems on e-commerce sites by combining gamification and advertising to increase completion rates and introduce a revenue model into the process. Run by experts in game design and online sales they are looking to grab part of the 280m capture processes that are used everyday across the web.

Matthew from SwipeAds outlined their go to market strategy, competitive landscape (including the size of similar acquisitions) and growth plans for their next stage of development. The solution is currently in use across 1200 websites in 90 countries.

The questions from the Angels were more pointed than those for the previous pitch, often indicating a strong level of interest. The classic start up Hockey Stick revenue graph was challenged as was the catch up position of the competitors. Matthew seemed to have the right answers to these queries and we then moved onto pitch number 3.

Pygg is a messaging and payments platform which has recently pivoted its model to address the cash payment challenges faced by Australian schools. Many schools still insist parents load up their kids with hard currency to pay for excursions, lunches from the canteen and extra curricular activities. All of which they claim can be solved with Pyggs’ cashless platform. Parents create a Pygg account and deposit funds into it, fees are then transferred electronically to the school to pay for the activities.

With an estimated $50m market in Australia alone, the Pygg team are seeking investment to grow their footprint in the local market. This will mean growing the school user base to 50 in Australia before looking at a series A investment followed by potential overseas expansion. Peter from Pygg then outlined the current team he has built around him and the existing investors who have backed the business. The Angels were obviously warming up now as more razor sharp questions followed around why people hadn’t taken up the solution in the existing trials to date as well as what the Pygg strategy was against the larger competitors.

Already lots for the Angels to think about and we hadn’t even got to dessert yet.

Luck last was Hungry Hero a Qld based start up attempting to reshape the group buying market. With a focus on the hospitality sector the smart phone app allows vendors to quickly fill venues with offer based deals during quiet times and enables consumers to source nearby venues at discounted rates. The platform is cloud based, free to venues with a revenue model based on a small fee for the user. Already installed in over 100 venues in Australia they claim the app has topped the local Apple App store charts within its category over the last 2 months. Funding will ensure they maintain their first mover advantage and increase their technology and market footprint.

Some of the Angels grilled Chris from Hungry Hero around the revenue model and the market perception of “another group buying solution” but he was confident their solution was a worthy option in what has been a crowded market.

The end of the pitches meant that the evening was coming to a close but not before more networking, a few more one on one conversations with the start-up founders were observed and the wine bottles were emptied. Follow up meetings were arranged and more advice provided to the entrepreneurs from those that had the scar tissue from their own start up experiences.

My pick of the night? – SwipeAds as I think they are solving the biggest problem identified during the night with a simple but effective solution. Watch out for them and all the other start-ups that pitched.

Overall another great IB event with the network continuing to grow from strength to strength. The next pitching dinner is in August so if you’re interested in showcasing your business idea to the IB network get working on pitch!

MitchelLake Group Welcomes a New Laker: Kim Reynolds

mitchellake on May 13, 2013

MitchelLake Group is excited to welcome a new Laker to the San Francisco family.

Kim Reynolds joins the MitchelLake Group as an Executive Search Consultant with a heavy focus on sales roles. Prior to the MitchelLake Group, Kim spent a year and a half at Bloomspot as a Sales Executive, covering the New York City market.

This Bay Area native spent 10 years in New York City before returning to San Francisco and comes with a background in equity sales and trading from Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers.

When she isn’t becoming acquainted with her new team, Kim can be found hanging out with her dog Dipsea.

Check out her open roles, introduce yourself and drop her a line at kim@mitchellake.com.

Welcome to MitchelLake, Kim!

MitchelLake Group Welcomes a New Laker : Denis Duka

mitchellake on May 1, 2013

We are delighted to welcome Denis Duka to the MitchelLake family. Denis has recently joined the Mitchellake Melbourne office as State Manager and will be tasked with leading the growth of the MitchelLake brand and team in Melbourne.

Denis started his career in digital in the late 90’s as a Business Strategy Consultant with the Eclipse Group (now part of Deloitte) before moving into recruitment. He has now worked in the digital industry for over 14 years – the last 5 in London most recently as Director of Strategic Accounts at Aquent prior to launching their new brand in the UK – Vitamin T as Regional Director.

He is a lifelong Carlton member and Arsenal fan. He has spent the last 5 years at every game at The Emirates Stadium cheering on The Arsenal and when not at the football can be found at the VRC or MRC.

Connect with Denis below:

Email

LinkedIn
Twitter
Phone: +61 478 955 996

Welcome to our new sites

mitchellake on April 2, 2013

Following months of coordinated effort, the much-anticipated rejuvenation of the MitchelLake Group websites is here!

Along with a new look, we have included some features that we hope will make visiting the sites a quicker, easier and more interactive experience.

To make sure you get the most of the new sites, we have listed a few of the new features below:

Lovely new look and feel
Built on HTML5/Ruby
Responsive design – (scalable to your browser)
Mobile enabled
Group jobs portal – jobs.mitchellakegroup.com
News portal – a regular digest of industry news and happenings in our space.

We will be monitoring the site to make sure visitors find the new site as easy and intuitive to use as it’s been designed to be. We would love to hear your constructive [comments and feedback](mailto:jayde@mitchellake.com).

How are those resolutions going?

mitchellake on January 23, 2013

There’s something about a new year that feels like hitting a ‘reset‘ button. It’s a call for a new beginning – resolutions and plans to achieve goals that may have been swept under the rug. With January coming to a close, now is the time to check in on those resolutions. Many working professionals take this transitional time of year to consider new employment opportunities. If you’re among the likes of those seeking a change, here’s where the MitchelLake Group comes in.

Our various areas of expertise and a decade of working with the best in the business connect us with some of the most exciting companies in the world. They may be companies of scale who are looking to innovate, or innovative companies that are looking to scale. With offices spanning the globe from Melbourne and Sydney to San Francisco, Brisbane and London we are able to leverage our networks to connect top talent with top organisations.

Before you dive head first into the job hunt, make sure your resume and LinkedIn profile are up to date and highlight your achievements. Consider why you want to make such a big transition. Create and rank a list of attributes and qualities you find attractive in a company or in your next opportunity. What does the team look like? How much visibility are you seeking in your next role? What kind of product are you passionate about? These are all questions we, as recruiters and executive search partners ask candidates every day and it’s important that you are able to answer confidently.

If you need help identifying what it is you really want, ask questions, do research and start exploring opportunities that interest you. As experts in the industry, the MitchelLake Group is always happy to grab a coffee and have a chat. Feel free to contact us, we want to know you.

Mitchellake Group bolsters global presence with multiple strategic hires and the launch of executive search brand

mitchellake on October 25, 2012

MitchelLake Group, specialist provider of executive search, specialist recruitment and managed recruitment solutions has reported continuing success across the markets it operates in and the launch of a new executive search offering.

Achieving an inclusion in the 2012 BRW Fast 100 list, the business has tripled its headcount over the last 18 months. After recently opening an office in London, they now have operations across Australia (three offices), USA (San Francisco) and Europe (London).

When asked to comment on MitchelLake Group’s recent surge in demand, Managing Director, Mike Page states, “Having operated in the Digital, Emerging Technology and Start-up areas for over 11 years we are currently experiencing a rising and sustained demand for our services as we continue to see the rapid convergence of the technology, media and digital markets. Our expertise and track record in the local and international startup market has also fuelled a boom in demand for us as the rise of new solutions disrupting traditional channels continues to explode”.

Some key hires across the group include:

* Nick Dean, previously with FBI in London and Sydney. Nick will focus on senior digital assignments across the agency and enterprise sectors.

* Astley Milne, previously with Perceptor in Sydney. Astley will cover the startup and innovation markets.

* Jonathan Jeffries and Kevin Griffiths, previously with Ethos and BMS respectively. Jonathan and Kevin are responsible for executive search services under the new global executive search brand, Lake Republic.

Commenting on the groups’ recent hires Page said “We are excited to have hired some of the industry’s leading senior recruiters to join our longstanding team and help us continue to grow our market share”.

Page says “Lake Republic has a highly specialist focus on senior regional and global search exercises within the digital transformation and emerging technology disciplines. We have already completed a number of assignments for both Australian businesses and overseas enterprises looking to enter the local market…

Lake Republic compliments our strategy of providing global access to the best talent across the markets we serve. Our dedicated teams of researchers in Australia, U.S. and Europe are able to support our delivery across these markets”.

Page also commented on the groups’ continued expansion plans for a second US office as well as a presence in Asia. “We are currently being asked by a number of our clients to support them in their own expansion efforts across the eastern U.S. states as well as key territories in Asia”.