Conference Presentation, Keynote
Building a Startup is About Solving a Problem - Avni Patel Thompson of Poppy
- Poppy intends to build a "modern village" infrastructure by utilizing data and code to approximate trust, fit, and availability, aiming to connect vetted caregivers with thousands of families in Seattle while expanding operations.
- To support platform scaling, the company plans to transition from manual Excel tracking to a technical partner and recruit a technical co-founder, alongside hiring a dedicated employee to manage caregiver vetting.
- A four-week test period is scheduled to approximate the childcare experience using SMS and existing free tools, operating within a core "two-week drumbeat" of building and hitting goals.
- The organization sets a primary growth metric of increasing bookings by 10% to 20% every week and anticipates closing a seed round shortly after Demo Day to fund this trajectory.
- Specific milestones include Avni Tan delivering a speech by April 30th (a goal set in 2017) and the company entering its first official Seattle offices in May.
- Risks include current initiatives where the execution path is not yet fully visible, though the user-focused approach is expected to resolve these uncertainties.
- The outlook emphasizes a strategy for founders to commit to a four-week launch period with a target of 10% to 20% weekly growth, supported by a "village" of people to navigate adversity.
- The strategy is driven by a belief in the necessity of more female founders, with an expectation that connecting personal journeys will motivate continued action.