Primer on how to drive users to your startups creating acquisition loops. Best practices and words of caution for partnerships between startups and corporates.

1. User acquisition and BD for
startups
Eze Vidra
Managing Partner, Remagine Ventures
Dec 2019
@ediggs

2. My story so far

3. The most common unscalable thing founders
have to do at the start is to recruit users
manually. Nearly all startups have to. You can't
wait for users to come to you. You have to go out
and get them.
Source: http://paulgraham.com/ds.html

4. How NOT to win (in the beginning)
Do things that
SCALE!
AUTOMATE
everything!

5. Agenda
● Understanding user acquisition
● User acquisition suggestions
● Understanding Partnerships
● Partnerships Do’s and Don’ts
● Q&A

6. Learn your acquisition funnel

7. SEE > THINK > DO
SEE
Generate leads
Start from market
research to understand
who are your users
Find the right channels to
engage them online and
grow the top of your
funnel
THINK
Soft selling to prospects
Create high quality
content to engage them
online.
Testimonials, reviews,
comparisons that show
what makes you better.
Try multiple channels.
Paid/unpaid
DO
Convert to customers
The goal is to acquire a
registered user. Capture
that email :-)

8. Acquisition loops for startups
UGC + SEO
(the long game)
Social Media/
Influencers
Paid Marketing
(various channels)
Linear channels
(PR, Conferences,
content marketing)
Virality
(referral loops)
Early adopters
(PH, Reddit, HN,
Discord…)

9. The list goes on...

10. Remember: Acquisition is only the first step

11. Avoid the leaky bucket

12. Example 1: user acquisition loop - UGC + SEO
Source: andrewchen.co

13. Example 2: user acquisition loop - Paid marketing
Source: andrewchen.co

14. In summary
● It’s important to start from research and target the right users
● Acquisition is important, but retention is crucial
● Experimentation required, linear channels don’t scale (i.e. PR)
● No silver bullets

15. Partnerships

16. Corporate
1. External innovation and
disruption
2. More innovative suppliers
3. Customer Focus
4. New revenue streams
What’s in it for me?
Startup
1. Revenue
2. Success story for future sales
3. Scalability
4. Internationalisation
5. Market knowledge

17. Word of Caution If not managed correctly,
partnerships can KILL
startups at the early stage
Delays
Costs
Lose focus
Limited
resources
Personnel
change
Premature
scaling

18. Example of cautionary tale
the startup signs a distribution partnership agreement that guarantees
the startup 10,000 users per month for 2 years.

19. Example of cautionary tale
If our startup could grow 1.5% more per month because we allocated the
time to internal initiatives instead of the product, in three years’ time
the user base would be nearly twice as large — and growth remains
under the startup’s control.

20. Do’s and Don’ts in Partnerships
Do’s
1. Build a pipeline
2. Define success and timeline
3. Understand what your partner wants
4. Standardise and simplify
5. Focus
Don’ts
1. Don’t assume
2. Don’t agree to one off terms
3. Don’t talk more than you listen
4. Never stop communicating
5. Avoid exclusivity

21. Questions?
Thank you
Contact me:
info@remagineventures.com
@ediggs