From Israel to Silicon Valley, Niv Dror's Journey To Conquer Social Media
Season Two of Ambition Today is happy to welcome Niv Dror, head of social media for Product Hunt. Niv boasts in impressive resume in both startups and finance, stemming from his education at UC Santa Barbara.
Niv Dror, Shrug Capital
Season Two of Ambition Today is happy to welcome Niv Dror, head of social media for Product Hunt. Niv boasts an impressive resume in both startups and finance, stemming from his education at UC Santa Barbara. After moving to Silicon Valley at a very young age, Niv had surprisingly little involvement in the tech world. It surrounded him entirely and thus he never noticed it, as water to a fish. However, after auditing a few hedge funds and VC funds as a CPA, he knew where his skills truly belonged.
Niv Dror’s taste of the tech community flourished very quickly, landing non-engineering jobs at DataFox, Meerkat, and Product Hunt. He aspired to add value without asking anything in return, and was rewarded with the experience and skills to climb the ranks at multiple organizations, currently aiding the curation of the world's most cutting-edge technology on Product Hunt. Kevin and Niv explore what's behind this drive, the man he gives credit to involuntarily kickstarting his success, and much more:
Growing up in Israel and moving to the U.S. at a young age.
Pursuing a finance degree and applying it to the startup world.
Getting exposure to the tech industry by auditing a successful VC.
Building an engaging community around a product.
What changes we can see in social in 2017.
The war of pronunciation for “gif”.
We why all love gifs and how Twitter is the perfect platform.
Ambition Today Question of the Day™:
"Should people optimize for learning or for earning?"
Quote Of The Episode:
"Community is everything. Without the community, Product Hunt wouldn't work."
Links from this episode:
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A Full Day With A Brand New Boosted Board Version 2
I grew up in the suburbs of Buffalo and started driving as soon as I could. I paid off my first car while bartending in college and grew up being used to having the freedom of, if you just want to go somewhere, you simply get in your car and go there. As of today, I think I might finally have that freedom back!
Central Park, East Side Drive
I grew up in the suburbs of Buffalo and started driving as soon as I could. I paid off my first car while bartending in college and grew up being used to having the freedom of, if you just want to go somewhere, you simply get in your car and go there.
Then I moved to New York City, sold my car, and learned the ropes of public transportation. While I love public transportation and have mastered the ropes; the subway, buses, trains, and taxi's do at times force you to submit to their binds a lot of times. As a result of those limitations I still craved a way to get around New York City just as I used to be able to get around with my car, on my own terms. As of today, I think I might finally have that freedom back!
I just got my brand new Boosted Board Dual + Version 2 and yesterday was my first full day riding it. You may have seen these magical all electric "vehicles" around YouTube as a lot of the content creators have them already. Here are some of my initial thoughts so far.
High Praise 🙌 ! WOW! I am blown away! As a life long skater I can honestly say this is the dream. I started skating in my childhood driveway from before I can remember and more recently I have been longboarding around New York City on a good old fashioned non-motorized longboard for the past 3 years. This new board though, it is no joke.
Boosted Board Power Modes
To give you some quick background the Boosted Board Dual + v2 is an all electric longboard with 2 motors. It can go up to 22 MPH and comes with a 6-7 mile range on average. An optional extended battery can increase the range to 12 miles on a single charge.
The amount of acceleration the board has, is nothing short of impressive. I was immediately blown away by how fast it actually accelerated me. After that I also wasn't sure how the board would handle going uphill. I quickly learned. When I approached my first big steep hill in midtown manhattan, I jumped the boosted board up one mode from Beginner to Eco and it climbed it like a champ. Again, even accelerating while carrying me up the hill. And, if you put the board in PRO mode, you essentially fly.
Now while getting speed and acceleration on traditional longboards is almost always somewhat easy, stopping can be challenging. Stopping a longboard with your foot is a skill that takes some getting used to when you first start riding. But not with Boosted. The brakes are built into the throttle. And even better they are regenerative so when you are braking your are actually putting power back into the battery.
Perhaps most importantly though, one of my favorite things about the Boosted Board is the fact that you are getting around the city above ground. It really is a small electric vehicle. It can become easy in a big city full of public transportation to only orient your understanding of the city around the subway stops you magically pop out of the underground from. With a Boosted Board however, something that can only be described as "experiencing the great outdoors" of New York City's concrete jungle might be my favorite feature. Not only is it at times faster to get somewhere via bike lanes then taking either the subway, bus, or a taxi through traffic, but it is mind freeing. You can't stare at your phone like you would on the train or in the back of a cab, so you are forced to just experience the city around you. Which I love!
The Boosted Board's basic functions have exceeded my expectations and I can't wait for my next ride. I am sure I will learn more about the Boosted Board as I continue to ride it, but my initial impressions are amazing. I truly love that it has the potential to expose me more to this great city I live in and I can't wait to explore more of it with my Boosted Board taking me there.
2016 Startup Funding Trends With Adeo Ressi
In 2015 it was all the rage to be a "unicorn", a startup company with a billion dollar valuation. Since then the supposed "startup and tech bubble" has popped and the gold rush is over. But what is really happening with the markets?
Adeo Ressi at Valley in Berlin 2016
In 2015 it was all the rage to be a "unicorn", a startup company with a billion dollar valuation. Since then the supposed "startup and tech bubble" has popped and the gold rush is over. But what is really happening with the markets?
Alex Konrad recently gave us some insight on Ambition Today and now today we have a more in-depth explanation of what is happening from Adeo Ressi, the founder of the Founder Institute. Last month Adeo was in Germany for the "Valley in Berlin Summit" and keynoted a talk around the 2016 Startup Funding Trends we are currently seeing. If you are thinking about fundraising, have a startup, or plan on starting your own company you are going to want to watch the keynote below.
A Complete Guide To The New York Startup Ecosystem
In local regions startup ecosystems can be fragmented, competitive, and sometimes hidden to newcomers, which can be detrimental for local startups and the growth of the community. The New York City Startup Ecosystem Canvas seeks to provide local entrepreneurs with a clear list of resources for every stage of their startup journey. A complete guide to the New York City Startup scene, Silicon Alley, all in one place for the community.
In local regions startup ecosystems can be fragmented, competitive, and sometimes hidden to newcomers, which can be detrimental for local startups and the growth of the community. The New York City Startup Ecosystem Canvas seeks to provide local entrepreneurs with a clear list of resources for every stage of their startup journey. A complete guide to the New York City Startup scene, Silicon Alley, all in one place for the community.
With applications for the next semester of the New York City Founder Institute coming to a close, we are excited to release the New York Startup Ecosystem Canvas. It was developed by the Founder Institute and local New York City leaders Kevin Siskar and Ramphis Castro.
If you know of a great resource that you feel should be added to the New York Startup Ecosystem Canvas feel free to let me know on Twitter @TheSiskar.