Slack's Origin Story & The Importance of Building Real Connection

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At Pitch Lab, we believe that when it comes to selling, you are the differentiator. 

This is especially true in the ultra-competitive startup world. To this end, we open our entrepreneur-focused public speaking workshops by sharing Slack’s origin story.

Back in 2008, Stewart Butterfield was an entrepreneur building a desktop game at a time when users were migrating over to mobile devices.

Consequently, after only a few years, Stewart and his partners made the difficult decision to shut down. Stewart broke down in tears telling his staff it was over.

Then they offered their VCs back the remaining money (about $5 million), but they were told to keep it and try to build something else with a skeleton crew. 

They found the perfect pivot: the communication tool Butterfield and his team had built to chat in real-time while developing the game.

From the ashes of a gaming company, Slack was born. 

And the rest is history. 

Connection Is Paramount

Stewart’s example may be extreme, but an investor is investing in you, not just your idea. And if you blow the pitch, you won’t win regardless of your idea.

You may invest more time as an entrepreneur asking for money than nearly anything else you do. It’s worth it to make sure your time spent selling is authentic and engaging. 

The connection you create may be the one thing that differentiates you. 

The best entrepreneurs always work on themselves.

Are you as authentic and engaging as you’d like to be? 

Take the time to invest in how well you deliver your pitch. It’s something we can all do better. 

Join us at Denver Startup Week and learn 5 comedy techniques that will make you the differentiator.