AMA: I'm Daniel, non-technical cofounder of YCombinator-backed startup Sleek

[crossmyheart]

@skitta Congrats! Just makes me wonder how important saving a few seconds at the top of the pyramid is.

 

[skitta]

@crossmyheart It's crazy how saving time or typing less makes the process so much better, even if its not hours

 

[jheitinga]

@skitta What’s your contribution been to the team as a non-technical cofounders? I’m a product manager in mobile gaming; How and where would you recommend finding technical cofounders, or technical people with a drive to start a company? How would you vet them?

Thanks for all of your thoughtful responses. I’ve read thru all of this AMA; it’s all super interesting.

 

[skitta]

@jheitinga Thanks for commenting! There's a lot of non-technical work that turns an invention into a business: CFO-type tasks (accounting, investor agreements, etc), corporate partnerships, go-to-market (customer identification, positioning, marketing, etc), speaking to users & customer support... there's always something to be done!

My technical cofounder was a friend, so I'd suggest networking. But there's also programs like On Deck which could be helpful

 

[astoria59]

@skitta Hi there! Thank you for this post. In my personal opinion I’m not sure this constitutes a big enough problem to solve for. I have my credit card # memorized and the checkout process is never so tedious where I’m like - omg I need help, especially since 99% stores I shop at support shop pay or Apple Pay (am a 30 yr old female that buys a lot of clothes and home stuff).

The 2% cash back is nice, but not quite sure how that would work and like, Honey offers something similar but I don’t think I’ve ever used it because it didn’t seem too appealing / didn’t quite understand how it works or where to apply. But Honey actually saves me some unexpected money here and there so I always give it a go.

Anyways, just my two cents and possible that I’m not your target market anyways, but figured consumer research is consumer research in any event.

 

[skitta]

@astoria59 Really appreciate the comment! A lot of great points.

Is there an aspect of online shopping that you hate? That makes you say "omg I need help" or just constantly frustrates you? One example I think of is the constant emails from online shopping are really annoying

 

[mashilts]

@skitta Was YCombinator worth it? I’ve heard it’s become a bit of a start up mill that doesn’t really provide companies the resources it once did. My cofounder and I turned it down for venture money.

 

[skitta]

@mashilts For first-time / young founders or founders from outside the US, I think its absolutely worth it. You're learning and networking with some of the top minds in startups. And in a way, its a hedge against your startup failing - you at least get the YC badge.

That said, I understand why some people don't do it. But my opinion and experience is that it's worth it

 

[davidbrainerd]

@skitta Do you need a BDM/ERP solutions or product consultant?

 

[skitta]

@davidbrainerd Not today but thanks for the interest!

 

[jordanw123]

@skitta How did you score your funding?
would appreciate some insight on your process

 

[skitta]

@jordanw123 YCombinator is pretty helpful with fundraising exposure, but I'll try to provide a couple keys I found:

- Build a compelling narrative around your company and vision

- Be prepared. Predict their questions and know your numbers

- Leverage your network. Get your first investor to introduce you to 3 more. They'll want to take credit for discovering you, and a warm recommendation is always the strongest.

- Create a sense of FOMO and time-box the process. Investors don't want to miss out on an opportunity, especially one which other investors they admire are in.

Hope this helps, but feel free to ask more!

 

[berksguy610]

@skitta How do you sell against PayPal?

 

[skitta]

@berksguy610 PayPal isn't really a seamless checkout process, and it requires embedding into sites. We offer a frictionless experience that serves the consumer better, and there's no tech lift from merchants

 

[berksguy610]

@skitta Two frictionless clicks for me (my password manager autologins to PayPal), and an interest free loan for 6 months. I'm not trying to tell you what to do, just asking about the elephant in the room. For me, PayPal is what Sleek has to beat.

That said, plenty of sites don't offer PayPal, and Sleek would then be a top choice.

Re: Seamless checkout with a credit card, I find the occasional site that seems to disallow pasting info in, and many won't autofill from my password manager—so if the experience is more seamless, the extra cash back would definitely incentive me to use Sleek, which I am testing.

 

[skitta]

@berksguy610 PayPal is definitely the biggest payment tool / the incumbent. So I appreciate your point.

Sleek works where other solutions won't (ex Zara) and ofc the cashback helps. Thanks for giving it a try! Please DM how your experience goes and any product feedback

 

[berksguy610]

@skitta Have you looked into associating with ShopRunner? They offer a 2-day shipping experience through some sites that don't have a fast shipping membership option.

 

[skitta]

@berksguy610 I haven't, but sounds cool! I'll look into them. Thanks

 

[berksguy610]

@skitta Combining your and their features effectively would make a gorilla of a company.

 

[sangeria8]

@skitta Does this work in conjunction with Honey?