“The standardized measurement for how businesses should be evaluating content is the larger question within the industry.”

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The live video platform has been exploding in recent years, with some even calling 2016 the “Year of Facebook Live.” Companies worldwide are adapting the idea of boosting engagement through creative and exciting content via live platforms, such as Snapchat, Instagram Stories, and Facebook Live. But what drives higher engagement, and how do businesses measure success rates, beyond view count? Our guests this week join us to discuss the evolution of Live video, and where it’s headed in the years to come. Joining us this week are:

Ivana Kirkbride, Chief Content Officer for Go90, a Verizon company.
Allison Stern, Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer for Tubular Labs.
Matt Levin, Co-founder and CEO of Donut Media.
Rhoades Rader, Head of Content Studios at Mitu, a Verizon Ventures portfolio company.
Allen DeBevoise, Managing Partner of Third Wave Ventures.  
“The difference between live and on-demand video, is that live video is similar to traditional TV, and we’re familiar with the concept.”

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Highlights

The average successful Facebook Live video is around 18 minutes, and is twice as engaging as a normal Facebook video.
Allison: The way we’re looking at measurement in video is an interesting sector to explore.
Allen: Companies building branding right now see these type of companies and platforms (Snapchat, Instagram Story, Facebook Live, etc.) as an opportunity to build engagement through live content.
Allen: Unlike TV, which is all on the same signal, the content is different and the timing is different on live, requiring different skill sets
Matt: Live videos cause us all to be more creative to create high engagement type content.
Allison: measurement is a real question in the industry right now--everyone is looking for a standardized form of measurement.
Views are the current metric people use to measure their content on, but as we start to move towards types of videos and types of platforms, time watched is going to become the unifying metric.
The difference between live and on-demand video, is the advantage live has being similar to TV as we know it, in concurrent viewers.
The notion of views is limited in relation to the number of engaged views.
High engagement is favored more than shares in some ways.
Males are shown to share less than females do.
The standardized measurement for how businesses should be evaluating content is the larger question within the industry.
The Advertising agencies are invested in the way they’ve been doing business, which, in turn, makes some of them careless to real data.
“Being live teaches us to be more creative with our content, in order to create high engagement.”

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Resources

Go90 https://www.go90.com/

Donut Media http://www.donut.media/

Tubular Labs: https://tubularlabs.com/

Mitu Studios: https://www.wearemitu.com/

Third Wave Ventures: http://thirdwavedigital.vc/

Matthew Levin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-levin-7205033b

Ivana Kirkbride: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivanakirkbride

Allison Stern: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonjstern

Rhoades Rader: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhoadesrader

08: The Future of Video: Part 1

“Because all the video platforms are global, it is a very different mindset than television.”

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Welcome back to part 2 of Verizon Venture’s live video content discussion, where we continue to discuss the evolution of live content in relation to shoppable content and branding within videos. Joining us are the talented:

Ivana Kirkbride, Chief Content Officer for Go90, a Verizon company.
Allison Stern, Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer for Tubular Labs.
Matt Levin, Co-founder and CEO of Donut Media.
Rhoades Rader, Head of Content Studios at Mitu, a Verizon Ventures portfolio company.
Allen DeBevoise, Managing Partner of Third Wave Ventures.  
“Shoppable videos have become a really cool trend for business models, that can work.”

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Highlights

Information and items now within videos have the capability to be itemized, and in turn shoppable.
Shoppable videos have become a really cool trend for business models that can work.
The rise of sponsored content and branded content is going to be a huge theme in 2017.
The idea of content within videos grew ten times last year from the previous year, and we’re expecting that to be a large piece of the way to make money within media companies.
Companies in the space are beginning to build creative agencies, and see how they can further scale this department.
Allison: There’s a spectrum of how brands engage in content. One end is uploading TV ads onto Youtube or a video platform, which we have evolved from. The next step is partnering with influencers.
Businesses are going to be creating branded content to market, separate from their TV ads, to showcase their brand
GoPro has become a media company on par with other media companies.
A main challenge is how much appetite there are in brands to become their own media company.
The big question for publishers and programmers now becomes: How do we scale? How do I own a mindset?
In digital media -- it’s a global opportunity instead of the US centric mind frame.
The type of content you’re creating will heavily influence the budget and quality of the production in your videos.
The notion of what people would want to watch is expanding widely, thanks to the on-demand nature.
“The next step for businesses in this space isn’t for the faint of heart: becoming a media company yourself.”

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Resources

Go90 https://www.go90.com/

Donut Media http://www.donut.media/

Tubular Labs: https://tubularlabs.com/

Mitu Studios: https://www.wearemitu.com/

Third Wave Ventures: http://thirdwavedigital.vc/

Matthew Levin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-levin-7205033b

Ivana Kirkbride: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivanakirkbride

Allison Stern: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonjstern

Rhoades Rader: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhoadesrader

09: The Future of Video: Part 2

“There are places where digital and traditional co-exist, even on digital platforms.”

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Welcome back to part 3 of Verizon Venture’s live video content discussion, where we continue to discuss the evolution of branding content and the constantly growing media and entertainment industry. Joining us are the talented:

Ivana Kirkbride, Chief Content Officer for Go90, a Verizon company.
Allison Stern, Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer for Tubular Labs.
Matt Levin, Co-founder and CEO of Donut Media.
Rhoades Rader, Head of Content Studios at Mitu, a Verizon Ventures portfolio company.
Allen DebeVoise, Managing Partner of Third Wave Ventures.    
“Television in the last 15 years has begun to fill a void that was created by the movement in the film industry.”

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Highlights

When you think about what it means to look at Youtube and other platforms, it shows a lot of opportunities. We’re just at the beginning of what that means.
Television in the last 15 years has begun to fill a void that was created by the movement in the film industry.
If you look at the movie model, one 90 minute piece of film can produce $1 billion in revenue. If you look at the live programming model and compare them, it doesn’t work.
From a spectacle perspective, there are different value prospects in the live programming models compared to traditional formats.
Context in platform matters. You have to treat each ecosystem as it’s own unique beast.
Platforms mature and change and at their best, are self reflexive.
Audiences mature, and so do their expectations in the TV and entertainment fields.
Every platform will see more formats evolving and more sophistication from the audience, thus leading to the industry being able to take more risks.
Success comes from keeping an eye on the content and data. What works and what doesn’t work? Be aware.
Audiences now have a short attention span, and more places to go for their content. It will become harder for businesses to captivate them if they do not stay on top of their content data.
2017 predictions; Allen: Facebook and YouTube do more premium content with their audiences.
2017 predictions; Rhoades: More traditional narrative structures beginning to manifest in the digital space.
“Every platform will see more formats evolving, and more sophistication from the audience, thus leading to the industry being able to take more risks.”

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Resources

Go90 https://www.go90.com/

Donut Media http://www.donut.media/

Tubular Labs: https://tubularlabs.com/

Mitu Studios: https://www.wearemitu.com/

Third Wave Ventures: http://thirdwavedigital.vc/

Matthew Levin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-levin-7205033b

Ivana Kirkbride: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivanakirkbride

Allison Stern: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonjstern

Rhoades Rader: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhoadesrader

10: The Future of Video: Part 3

“I found it really inspiring to be around a lot of other young people that wanted to do something meaningful and impactful.” - Mark Chung
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Many Universities around the country support innovation and technology development. There’s groups dedicated to seeing entrepreneurs on campus move forward with their projects, and major companies have taken notice to what students are doing. Everyone knows it’s practically impossible to start up your own company while being a full time student.

What’s exactly why major companies like Dorm Room Fund and Verizon Ventures has begun partnership programs where they find and fund the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Welcome to Verizon Ventures! Today, we discuss on campus innovation and the different approaches companies take to seek out new talent and products in development.

Download this episode today to hear from top experts and leaders who are searching for new talent, and hear from entrepreneurs who went through these types of programs.

Our guests include:

Lemu Coker, who is the partnerships lead on the open invitation team at Verizon. He works with campuses to bring in talent, product, and insights into verizon.
Mark Chung, the CEO of Verdigris Technologies. Verdigris Technologies makes the world’s most intelligent energy monitoring systems for high end commercial building.
Rei Wang, the Director of Dorm Room Fund, which is dedicated to funding student entrepreneurs.
“We believe there is a LOT of innovation happening on campuses today.”
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Highlights
Rei explains that the Dorm Room Fund started in 2012 to help full time students be able to start their own business while staying in school.
They recruit and trains selected students in each region they are active and let the students make investment decisions.
Students meet with founders, and make the pitch.
They invest in all kinds of products, not just mobile or tech.
Mark discusses how working with startups at Stanford was very inspirings, surrounded by other young people who really wanted to do something meaningful and impactful.
Since the beginning, standing for climate change and something really impactful stood as a unifying piece for the company.
Evolving into a company means more grounded reality outside of the company’s mission
You have to learn to scale what you build when making a transition to a profitable company.
Verizon looks for students who have an entrepreneurial drive, but may not be ready to step out into the world and start their own business.
They look for students who can help build out current products and what products should come next.
Verizon has a concept studio, where they go bring in ten students with various skills. They give them a challenge to overcome and a six month deadline.
At the end of 6 months they may be offered a job, or the chance to continue on that project as a startup.
It’s basically a six month full time on boarding position.
Verizon is willing to spend money to invest in projects, which can spin out into their own companies with Verizon as an investor.
They want right to use the product, but don’t require exclusive rights to a product.
Verizon engages with over 50 schools all over.
Most of the investments Verizon Ventures makes are very young companies that already have a product ready to go.
Both teams and individuals are supported by Verizon Ventures.

“Most people who think of university founders think of consumer mobile apps, but that’s actually not the case.” -Rei Wang
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Full Show Notes at:
VerizonVentures.com/Podcast

11: Campus Technologies: Part 1

“It’s not just about a return on investment… It’s really about a return on relationships” -Rei Wang
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One of the benefits of being an on campus student is the infinite amount of resources available to you at your university. You have access to professors who have been through it all, are surrounded by students full of energy and eager to get things going, and now more and more companies funding innovations.

Companies like Dorm Room Fund and Verizon Ventures have been reaching out to campuses to find the newest up and coming talent. They are funding students, and letting them take the reigns on projects that would normally be just a dream.

The support doesn’t end when students get their degrees. In fact, it’s the contrary. The students who join these programs become life-long members of a support group that will continue to help and nurture their ideas and companies. It’s a very exciting time to be a university student.

Download this episode today to hear more about on campus integration from the leaders of top companies like Dorm Room Fun, Verdigris, and of course - Verizon Ventures.

Our guests include:

Lemu Coker, who is the partnerships lead on the open invitation team at Verizon. He works with campuses to bring in talent, product, and insights into verizon.
Mark Chung, the CEO of Verdigris Technologies. Verdigris Technologies makes the world’s most intelligent energy monitoring systems for high end commercial building.
Rei Wang, the Director of Dorm Room Fund, which is dedicated to funding student entrepreneurs.
“You don’t give them (students) the guard rails, you let them create the guard rails and create the structure...” -Lemu Coker
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Highlights
Being a student on campus means you have access to infinite resources.
Stanford’s program is supportive well beyond graduation.
Every year Dorm Room Fund does a giant summit where alumni and founders stay connected.
Value is created through on campus integration by providing support.
Giving students the resources to create their own systems is a stronger tactic than forcing them into events and situations.
Your first five hires need to be complicated and skill specific.
On Campus Integration gives students access to real world problems a lot of university students never get the chance to deal with.
There can be a lot companies are missing by going to the administration and not directly to the students.
“What I’ve seen be very effective in providing a nurturing environment is creating frameworks for experiential learning” - Mark Chung
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Resources
VerizonOpenInnovation.com
Verdigris.co
DRF.VC

Full Show Notes at: VerizonVentures.com/Episode

12: Campus Technologies: Part 2

“Today there’s a much more mature ecosystem around technology.” - Marcelo Ballvé
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Venture investment is a very tricky game. It can be very difficult to find the balances between financial and strategic investing when looking at a new company. This makes it tough for some Venture Capitalists to decide what route to take when looking over proposals.

On this episode of Verizon Ventures we are joined but Meredith Finn and Marcelo Ballvé, two Directors in charge of researching and finding new companies to partner with.

Download this episode today to hear what investors are looking for, how to pitch them, and if you’re the right fit for the venture capitalists you are reaching out to.

Our guests include:

Meredith Finn, Director of Sales Force Venture - the strategic investment arm SalesForce.com.
Marcelo Ballvé, Senior Director of Research at CB Insights - a software and data platform that helps companies predict technology trends.
“We define strategic as the ability to plug into our platform and partner with us closely.” - Meredith Finn
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Highlights
Each success in corporate venture capital can be attributed to a major breakthrough in technology.
GM/Dupont wave.
Invention of the PC.
Internet boom.
.com bubble
Mobile computing/Social network revolution.
We’ve seen the rise and fall of many technology trends, which makes this business interesting.
AI and Machine learning is the new frontier for investments.
The largest tech companies in the world have been starting tech venture companies.
People believe it’s unlikely to be a big shake up like we saw in previous tech bubbles.
There seems to be a more sustained build up.
There’s always a tensions between strategic and financial ventures.
Founder need to consider if venture capitalists have invested in their type of business before reaching out.
There’s communication issues that need to be ironed out in the relationships between venture capitalist investors and founders.

“50% of our investment is split between a 3-5 and 5-10 year value ahead of where we are today.”
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Resources
CB Insights
Sales Force Venture

13: Venture Capital: Part 1

“Investments create an opportunity to learn more about emerging technologies” - Meredith Finn
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If you’re the founder of a company it can be a challenge to know when it’s the right time to reach out to an investor. If you’re in the seed stage of your company, it may be tougher for you. It might be best to spend  your time developing your company, your technology, and acquiring clients to reach a sustainable point in your company.

Because of this, many Corporate Venture Capitalists shy away from a company that’s in too early of a stage. They may find it better to wait until a company is in Stage A, when they can take the time to branch out and really communicate and build a relationship with a CVC.

Don’t let that discourage you if you’re the kind of a founder that thinks you can do it all. There are certainly a number of CVC’s out there whose portfolio is filled with companies they invested in their infancy.

The biggest thing is that you really need to analyze your company from a realistic standpoint. Know if this is the time to reach out or not. If you feel it’s the time, really research the CVC you plan to reach out to. KNow their portfolio, what they invest in, and when they typically invest in a company. It may sound like a no brainer, but make sure you always make sure you do your due diligence.

There’s nothing worse than wasting your time and an investor's time just because you didn’t take a little extra time to really research a CVC’s portfolio.

On this episode of Verizon Ventures we continue our discussion with Meredith Finn and Marcelo Ballvé to dive deeper into what CVC’s are looking for.

Download this episode of Verizon Ventures to learn what investors are looking for and how you can increase your success rate when reaching out to them.

Our guests include:

Meredith Finn, Director of Sales Force Venture - the strategic investment arm SalesForce.com.
Marcelo Ballvé, Senior Director of Research at CB Insights - a software and data platform that helps companies predict technology trends.
“Corporate Venture Capital is increasingly having a larger and larger footprint in the venture ecosystem as a whole.” - Marcelo Ballvé
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Highlights
Sales Force tends to avoid investing at the seed stage.
Seed stage isn’t necessarily the right time to think about partnerships.
Series A stage is the right time to start considering a partnership.
Some CVC’s, like Google Ventures, do invest primarily at the seed stage.
When investing, Sales Force doesn’t take control of the partnership.
In 2016 alone there was around 100 CVCs that were created.
We are seeing a boom from a variety of industries.
Not just tech, but even automotive and food industry CVCs.
CB Insights has a newsletter with all the newest trends and developments in CVC.
Sales Force actively reviews and encourages people to send over ideas to their company.
“There’s some variance in Corporate Venture Capital in terms of how closely and how strategically aligned investments are.”
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Resources
CB Insights
Sales Force Venture

14: Venture Capital: Part 2

In this series, we bring together Verizon industry experts, investors and startups to discuss today’s most innovative technologies and their industry predictions. Over the course of several episodes, listeners will be treated to unique perspectives from our guests on the state of various industries, new and exciting developments, as well as insights on trends we can expect to see in the long term. We’ll cover off on topics like AI and chatbots, enterprise IoT, video and content, and consumer IoT and the Smart Home.