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Alan Weinkrantz – ‘Rising Above the Code’
How correct storytelling will help you build your Startup’s Unique Narrative
Take a tip from Alan Weinkrantz: #BeHelpful.
With over 33 years of experience advising startup companies, PR and technology media relations guru Alan Weinkrantz can teach us a thing or two about storytelling. In the past 20 years Weinkrantz has been involved in Israel’s startup ecosystem, helping startups tell their stories right and get on stage in American media. His observations on the Israeli startup ecosystem are both insightful and thought-provoking – a must listen for any aspiring entrepreneur.
“A story telling is really about defining your narrative” says Weinkrantz. “All startups have their code and have their product. But how do you rise above that code? The good news is that today it is not expensive to start a startup – 2-3 guys, a good idea, a workspace, free cloud hosting service for the first year, and boom – you’re in business. However, the bad news is there’s probably 10 other companies around the world doing the same thing and thinking along the same lines. So you have to create a differentiated position for your startup. And that differentiated position can be your brand”.
Related Content: Saul Singer, author of New York Times Bestseller ‘Startup Nation’ on the challenges Israel faces as a global innovation leader.
Weinkrantz is in Israel these days on behalf of Rackspace, the world’s largest managed cloud hosting company, based in San Antonio, Texas. “My role is to be helpful to the startup communities” he explains. “We have a startup program where we offer hosting credits for startups that want to have a completely different experience with a cloud hosting provider. You get the first year free, and I come with the program as well, for zero cost. We want to help you grow, and we believe that if you like us the first year, you’ll build a long-term relationship with us”.
[powerpress]
What you will learn in this interview
- The Rackspace first-year-free program for Startups 02:40
- Why you MUST start using Twitter as a main research and communication tool 05:06
- Rising above the code: Using of correct storytelling to define your narrative and build your brand 11:01
- How (not) to approach journalists 16:15
- How to start building a successful company blog 21:32
- How Israel’s becoming the API of humanity 24:44
- What’s different about Israeli entrepreneurs 28:48
- The Camel Race 32:10
- The one danger of being in Israel 42:37
Resources and Links mentioned
- Alan Weinkrentz’ official webpage
- Rackspace Startup Program
- Samurai House in Israel – Japan’s Largest Startup Accelerator (Israel Branch)
- Nautilus Accelerator for Startups (powered by AOL) – We actually have an EPISODE about these guys!
- Delivering Happiness A book, recommended by Alan
- Jeff Pulver – Entrepreneur and famous blogger
- Buffer – Alan’s highly recommended blog for content and social media
- TweetDeck – A tool, recommended by Alan, to do research on Twitter
- Medium – A platform for blogging, recommended by Alan
- Meetup
- Flipboard – a great tool to build custom content
Recommended Israeli startups
Alan Weinkrantz (RS), Idan Hershko (SC)