The Smalls raised capital and have grown 300% year over year since competing at the LDV Vision Summit
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Kate Tancred, CEO & Co-Founder of The Smalls at the 2015 LDV Vision Summit ©Robert Wright/LDV Vision Summit
Kate Tancred, CEO & Co-Founder of The Smalls, finalized in the 2015 Startup Competition at the LDV Vision Summit. The Smalls is a content marketplace that connects the world’s filmmaking talent with the world’s brands and agencies. Since the Vision Summit, Kate has been building The Smalls global operations. We caught up with Kate in February to find out more:
How have you and The Smalls advanced since the LDV Vision Summit?
Following the Vision Summit The Smalls raised investment with Russell Glenister an angel investor who was in the audience. The funding was used to make key hires and improve technology. Following this The Smalls has continued to grow at 300% per year and now has offices in both London and Singapore.
What are the 2-3 key steps you have taken to achieve that advancement?
Surrounded myself with smart people both on my board and in my own time who have helped in all areas of the business.
Focused on technology.
Looked to international markets that are growing quickly in our space.
Kate Tancred at 2015 LDV Vision Summit ©Robert Wright/LDV Vision Summit
What project(s)/work is your focus right now?
I am focusing on adding key personnel to the business to further cement our position in the UK and assist in the growth in APAC. We are also focusing on new technologies for the business.
What is your proudest accomplishment over the last year?
Opening up office in APAC and our 2016 results.
What was a key challenge you had to overcome to accomplish that? How did you overcome it?One challenge we encountered recently was adapting the makeup of the team to suit our growing roster of clients and their needs. We decided to restructure and bring new skills into the business which really helped to ensure we were providing the best service possible. We have also found communication has become a new challenge as we start to operate in other markets. Gone are the days of us all sitting around a desk together discussing our thoughts and plans.
What are you looking to achieve in 2017?
Continued growth and expansion of our team and community.
Did our LDV Vision Summit help you and The Smalls? If yes, how?
Yes, it introduced us to our now director and angel investor Russell. It was also a great networking opportunity for the business and myself.
What was the most valuable aspect of competing in the Startup Competition?
The exposure and the feedback received from the amazing judging panel.
2016 Judges of the Startup Competition (in no particular order): Josh Elman - Greylock, Brian Cohen - Chairman of NY Angels, Jessi Hempel - Senior Writer at Wired, David Galvin - IBM Ventures Watson Ecosystem, Christina Bechhold - Investor at Samsung, Evan Nisselson - Partner at LDV Capital, Jason Rosenthal - CEO of Lytro, Barin Nahvi Rovzar - Exec. Director of R&D & Strategy at Hearst, Steve Schlafman - Principal at RRE Ventures, Alex Iskold - Managing Director of Techstars, Taylor Davidson - Unstructured Ventures, Justin Mitchell - Founding Partner of A# Capital, Richard Tapalaga - Investment Manager at Qualcomm Ventures ©Robert Wright/LDV Vision Summit
What recommendation(s) would you make to teams submitting their projects to the LDV Vision Summit competitions?
Hone your pitch, make it visual and entertaining.