BrandXR is a no-code Augmented Reality platform and award-winning XR creative studio

BrandXR

In 2013 times were simpler, back when “AR” meant “accounts receivable,” back before , even back before . I was a fresh Babson MBA grad looking to make a dent in the world through startups and venture capital. I networked my way into my dream job working for a Silicon Valley Venture Capital firm and one of my first investments was in an . I was fascinated by how these immersive technologies could totally change the way people live their lives and conduct business. I could see the writing on the wall, the AR/VR industry was going to be Comparable in magnitude to the PC, internet, mobile phone platforms, the XR market was predicted to be a multi-billion dollar market in the next decade and disrupt scores of industries. Taking the , I told myself if I ever had a chance to work in the AR/VR industry I should take it. Magic Leap raised $2.6 billion Mark Zuckerberg spent $2 billion for Facebook to acquire VR headset Oculus Augmented Reality headset startup META MASSIVE. Angel Philosopher Naval Ravikant's advice to play long term games with long term people Fast forward several months and I had the opportunity to join a manufacturing company that was in desperate need of a turnaround. They were manufacturing bookbinding machines in Berkeley, California. Nobody was printing anymore, so nobody was binding anymore either. Needless to say, they were feeling the pressure in the bookbinding business and were in need of a "Second Act." Fresh off the META AR headset deal, I had the crazy idea to manufacture Virtual Reality headsets using the company’s existing resources. We inked a deal with Google to be one of their and we starting selling hundreds of thousands of custom-branded VR headsets through a site that I built in a few days with the help of one artist ( ). Official Google Cardboard Partners Shopify psst foreshadowing... This is where the fun started–I had a chance to work with some of the world’s largest brands on innovative VR marketing campaigns from stuffing 100,000 VR headsets in the Financial Times weekend edition to introduce Brits to VR for the first time to teaming up with 360 camera company, , to be their official VR headset partner. REAL 360Fly Moody launching the 360Fly / PowisVR partnership at Best Buy I recognized brands wanted to use VR for marketing but they were having trouble in three main areas: Content Creation - "How do we create interactive 3D experiences?" Distribution - "How do we get our content in the hands of our target audience?" Measurement - "How do we know if this campaign is working?" Having built multiple successful e-commerce businesses on Shopify by myself with zero coding knowledge, I knew there was a better way... that's when the idea for BrandXR was born. Then I met ... Kunal Patel I often joke that Kunal is the "Video Game Mayor" of Orlando, he seems to know just about everyone in Central Florida and is known as the "AR/VR/Gaming Guy." That title was earned not given. Over six years ago Kunal started as a monthly celebration of independent games and culture creating opportunities for exposure and meaningful connections between game developers, fans and media. As IndieNomicon grew from 25 people to 50 people to 75 to over 100 people who regularly attend monthly events, it became clear that a gaming community was forming. Kunal and team then had the crazy idea to test this young gaming community's skills by partnering with Space organizations like Space Florida, NASA and SpaceX engineers in a weekend game jam/hackathon/rapid prototyping event aptly named the . From there he went on to start the which began as a 2,000 sq ft space but eventually grew up to a 10,000 sq. ft. co-working facility in Downtown Orlando focused on gaming, AR/VR and emerging technologies. Increasing resources and local partners led to working in the Healthcare industry, where the was born–a weekend hackathon where AR/VR/Gaming technologies and solutions were brought to Physicians, Patients, Medical Organizations and Researchers. IndieNomicon Indie Galactic Space Jam Orlando Game Space Mega Health Jam Back to the story of meeting Kunal… He was looking for VR headsets for an upcoming project and found me at building exactly what he needed. We immediately hit it off when we learned we were both from Detroit and had similar childhoods getting started in the family business at a young age. He told me about working endless hours a week with his development team–who were game developers building advanced immersive content for various clients. To say it was stressful, lengthy, expensive would be an understatement. The projects they worked on were awesome, but when you’re working 25 hours a day, 8 days a week, you start to picture a better way. We figured if it’s like this for the people who have the know-how and tools, then what chance does the rest of the world have if we all start to move toward immersive 3D content? PowisVR Kunal and I started debating the problem and realized this is all déjà vu. We’ve had this same problem happen repeatedly in our lifetimes. Moving from the yellow pages to the internet in the 90s, from mail order to today’s e-commerce websites, eventually, a technology that’s difficult to use, time-consuming and expensive becomes simple, fast and affordable. We signed a deal for the VR headsets and Kunal invited me down to Orlando to check out the Orlando Game Space and the community he established. A few hours into the trip, I knew I had found my Co-Founder & CTO for BrandXR. Businesses are finding XR technology can have significant impacts in sales & marketing, education & training, product design & prototyping, manufacturing and more. However, there is a massive skill and technology gap in creating and distributing 3D XR content. It currently requires large, expensive teams of coders with specialized 3D Game Engine development skills, something most companies simply can’t afford or don't know how to manage. What currently takes a team of developers 9 months to create needs to happen in 9 days. Eventually taking only 9 hours, or 9 minutes to create an immersive experience. Augmented Reality experiences built using the BrandXR Studio After over two years of working on solving the problems we’ve faced as developers and we've seen hundreds of other developers and customers face, we're proud to be launching the BrandXR Studio! A no-code platform that allows anyone to create Augmented Reality (AR), and Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) apps. No development, engineering, or IT team required. Preview of the BrandXR Studio That’s how we’re going to give everyone XR developer superpowers! But as we all know, with great power comes great responsibility, so we need your help in building the simplest and most impactful platform to create the best immersive XR experiences. We’re seeking Creative Agencies & Enterprises to beta test the BrandXR Studio, visit the link to apply. to the BrandXR Studio! Build Professional Augmented Reality Apps Using No Code. Apply for Early Access

Want to Start an AR/VR Company? Here's how we did it.

Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offences

Moby-Dick; or The Whale, by Herman Melville is part of HackerNoon’s Book Blog Post series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here: . Chapter 92: Ambergris [LINK TO TABLE OF LINK] CHAPTER 92. Ambergris. Now this ambergris is a very curious substance, and so important as an article of commerce, that in 1791 a certain Nantucket-born Captain Coffin was examined at the bar of the English House of Commons on that subject. For at that time, and indeed until a comparatively late day, the precise origin of ambergris remained, like amber itself, a problem to the learned. Though the word ambergris is but the French compound for grey amber, yet the two substances are quite distinct. For amber, though at times found on the sea-coast, is also dug up in some far inland soils, whereas ambergris is never found except upon the sea. Besides, amber is a hard, transparent, brittle, odorless substance, used for mouth-pieces to pipes, for beads and ornaments; but ambergris is soft, waxy, and so highly fragrant and spicy, that it is largely used in perfumery, in pastiles, precious candles, hair-powders, and pomatum. The Turks use it in cooking, and also carry it to Mecca, for the same purpose that frankincense is carried to St. Peter’s in Rome. Some wine merchants drop a few grains into claret, to flavor it. Who would think, then, that such fine ladies and gentlemen should regale themselves with an essence found in the inglorious bowels of a sick whale! Yet so it is. By some, ambergris is supposed to be the cause, and by others the effect, of the dyspepsia in the whale. How to cure such a dyspepsia it were hard to say, unless by administering three or four boat loads of Brandreth’s pills, and then running out of harm’s way, as laborers do in blasting rocks. I have forgotten to say that there were found in this ambergris, certain hard, round, bony plates, which at first Stubb thought might be sailors’ trowsers buttons; but it afterwards turned out that they were nothing more than pieces of small squid bones embalmed in that manner. Now that the incorruption of this most fragrant ambergris should be found in the heart of such decay; is this nothing? Bethink thee of that saying of St. Paul in Corinthians, about corruption and incorruption; how that we are sown in dishonor, but raised in glory. And likewise call to mind that saying of Paracelsus about what it is that maketh the best musk. Also forget not the strange fact that of all things of ill-savor, Cologne-water, in its rudimental manufacturing stages, is the worst. I should like to conclude the chapter with the above appeal, but cannot, owing to my anxiety to repel a charge often made against whalemen, and which, in the estimation of some already biased minds, might be considered as indirectly substantiated by what has been said of the Frenchman’s two whales. Elsewhere in this volume the slanderous aspersion has been disproved, that the vocation of whaling is throughout a slatternly, untidy business. But there is another thing to rebut. They hint that all whales always smell bad. Now how did this odious stigma originate? I opine, that it is plainly traceable to the first arrival of the Greenland whaling ships in London, more than two centuries ago. Because those whalemen did not then, and do not now, try out their oil at sea as the Southern ships have always done; but cutting up the fresh blubber in small bits, thrust it through the bung holes of large casks, and carry it home in that manner; the shortness of the season in those Icy Seas, and the sudden and violent storms to which they are exposed, forbidding any other course. The consequence is, that upon breaking into the hold, and unloading one of these whale cemeteries, in the Greenland dock, a savor is given forth somewhat similar to that arising from excavating an old city grave-yard, for the foundations of a Lying-in Hospital. I partly surmise also, that this wicked charge against whalers may be likewise imputed to the existence on the coast of Greenland, in former times, of a Dutch village called Schmerenburgh or Smeerenberg, which latter name is the one used by the learned Fogo Von Slack, in his great work on Smells, a text-book on that subject. As its name imports (smeer, fat; berg, to put up), this village was founded in order to afford a place for the blubber of the Dutch whale fleet to be tried out, without being taken home to Holland for that purpose. It was a collection of furnaces, fat-kettles, and oil sheds; and when the works were in full operation certainly gave forth no very pleasant savor. But all this is quite different with a South Sea Sperm Whaler; which in a voyage of four years perhaps, after completely filling her hold with oil, does not, perhaps, consume fifty days in the business of boiling out; and in the state that it is casked, the oil is nearly scentless. The truth is, that living or dead, if but decently treated, whales as a species are by no means creatures of ill odor; nor can whalemen be recognised, as the people of the middle ages affected to detect a Jew in the company, by the nose. Nor indeed can the whale possibly be otherwise than fragrant, when, as a general thing, he enjoys such high health; taking abundance of exercise; always out of doors; though, it is true, seldom in the open air. I say, that the motion of a Sperm Whale’s flukes above water dispenses a perfume, as when a musk-scented lady rustles her dress in a warm parlor. What then shall I liken the Sperm Whale to for fragrance, considering his magnitude? Must it not be to that famous elephant, with jewelled tusks, and redolent with myrrh, which was led out of an Indian town to do honor to Alexander the Great? About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved April 2022 from Melville, Herman, 2001. Moby-Dick: or The Whale. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2701/2701-h/2701-h.htm#link2HCH0092 This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

Moby-Dick; or The Whale: Chapter 92 - Ambergris

Social Media Marketing sounds a little vast right? Well, it should because it offers so much and so many benefits. When it comes down to building a brand you own, you are most worried about how to deliver it to the right audience. The primary goal or aim of Social Media Marketing (SMM), I, or many would say, is the increase in brand awareness and brand loyalty. Before we get into it, here's a little brief about SMM: Although the expressions of digital marketing and e-marketing are still presiding in academia, social media marketing is becoming more popular among the audience of various demographics of age, education, location and so on. Most social media platforms possess in-built analytic tools that help companies to track the progression, engagement, success of campaigns. On the strategic level, SMM plays the role of setting the culture and tone that the brand requires, helps develop the scope and manages marketing campaigns. What does it offer? 1. Brand awareness: With the gigantic usage of social media by the ordinary people, it brings our businesses the opportunity to be found by new leads and maintain excellent customer relationships. Whether we use influencers or are only putting out good content, the visibility of the business increases, which thereby creates a pull for our products or services in the market. It establishes a level of identification and interrelation of potential customers with the products and services we have to offer. Well at the end of the day we want it to reach the right audience. 2. Direct linkage with customers : Social media allows us to connect with our target market and audience at any given time of the day. Linkage with customers helps us learn their perceptions and ideals. This indirectly plays a role for us to design the most efficient and reasonable deals for them, which would tingle their interest in purchasing our offer. Direct linkage helps us inform our customers on current sales and special offers and much more of it, for free. Connected customers tend to become repetitive customers, and repetitive customers are essential for business success. 3. Increase website traffic: Traffic helps our website to improve ranks which in-turn generates more traffic and brings in opportunities of adding more customers. Your irresistible and catchy content or offers drives the customers to express engrossment into your products and thereby associates with the increase in engagement as well. It is a principle move to produce good traffic to yield better conversion rates if not, website traffic can lead to awareness without potential buying customers. Few leading tools like SEMrush, Similar Web provide a helping hand in checking website traffic. 4. User-initiated content and collaborative ideas: User-initiated content refers to the content that is created by someone who is not an official representative of your business for your brand. It could be a review, a podcast or a video and more. The size of the audience is directly proportional to the potential the content possesses to have an impact on a brand and its messaging genuinely. This helps spread awareness of your business and consolidate brand image as a result of this enabling to take a strong stand and acquire a competitive edge. It helps build a robust online presence and drive engagement from the target audience. 5. Sales increase: Whatever the nature of the business, it’s driven to generate more and more sales. Teams use the method of social media marketing to create revenue and help sell more effectively. When you employ social media marketing for business, you are liable for better chances of owning good sales. Investing in social media advertising and turning loyal brand customers into brand advocates are the biggest keys to improving sales in business. These sales reach the vendetta of your company. 6. Setback communication: It is paramount to have a plan in place for dealing with a crisis. Though smaller businesses might not have a problem blow up to such a large scale, even a tiny number of whispers can lead to a devastating impact within a society or community. When it narrows down to dealing with a crisis, silence is not an option. Managing well run social accounts and having a plan in place makes sure that we are ready to engage with worst-case scenarios. Well, we cannot ignore a calamity and call it being positive, can we? 7. Customer support and service: The audience expects brands to be truthful on social media and seek out to the brands’ social accounts to find for answers. Research published in the Harvard Business Review reveals that brands that don’t meet the expectations damage their bottom line. Clear communication, empathizing with the customers, being able to understand their perspective and taking out appropriate actions helps an excellent deal to improve brand loyalty and brand-customer adaptability. This creates a mutually respectful environment and maintains credibility. A perfect and well-equipped social media strategy brings out the best in your business. What are you waiting for? For the best social media marketing strategies https://brandtree.io

Social Media Marketing in 2021: How To Make The Most Of It

Quantum Contingencies in Cryptography: A Short Primer

Become a better programmer by building a routine and habit for reading code This is a post in my occasional series, Notes to a Young Software Engineer . Sign up here . If you woke up one day resolved to be a great writer, you’d hear two simple pieces of feedback: write a lot, and read even more. In software, plenty of people write code, but precious few spend time reading it — especially code outside their day to day work. That is a mistake. Early in your career, act like an aspiring writer and embrace reading diverse code. Read widely and read often. It could be the difference between being a decent software engineer and a great one. Why should I read code? Great writers are a function of the writers they’ve read. Think of Joan Didion, who at 16, so she could learn how sentences work. Or think of Abraham Lincoln, whose later lyricism King James Bible. typed out Hemingway’s sentences sprung from his beloved Similarly, seeing diverse coding practices lets you expand your palette when it comes time to write your own code. Reading others’ code exposes you to new language functionality and different coding styles. Reading your dependencies will make you a more productive programmer. You’ll know the full functionality your dependencies offer. You’ll know exactly how they work and what tradeoffs they’re making. You’ll know where to debug when things go wrong. Being comfortable reading code also reduces the likelihood that you’ll overly favor your code. The more you read, the more comfortable you’ll feel augmenting someone else’s code, rather than building your own. This change will reduce the likelihood you’ll be bitten by the “not invented here” syndrome. Whether you are a web developer, data engineer, or cryptographer, cultivating regular reading will teach you tools and products different from your day-to-day work. As a web frontend engineer, reading a small part of a will expose you to a wholly different set of constraints. As a database engineer, reading high-abstraction web code can show you how your users think. For all engineers, you’ll find value in periodically reading languages outside the one you work with each day. raytracer’s codebase As Donald Knuth , “[reading code] is really worth it for what it builds in your brain. The more you learn to read other people’s stuff, the more able you are to invent your own in the future …” remarks Here’s how to make your code reading as painless and productive as possible. How should I “read” code? Approaching a codebase like you would a typical book — reading from start to end — is a (though, ironically, this is how computers read code themselves). recipe for failure Reading from the start means ignoring important context and having no sense for the structure that is to come. Passive reading — where you don’t write tests or fix bugs — prevents you from truly internalizing the code. Unlike a book, nearly all my friends struggle to read code without a particular goal in mind. Before reading a new code base, make sure you have a goal for what you want to achieve. This will make the codebase seem more manageable and provide motivation when the journey inevitably gets hard. I use a four-party strategy for approaching any complex code base (RSDW for short): : compile, run, and understand what the code is supposed to do. (R)un : Learn high level structure and review key integration tests. Examine (S)tructure : Follow key flows and read important data structures. (D)ive in : Write tests and prioritize simple features and bug fixes. (W)rite tests The RSDW method is a starting point, but over time, you should customize it to what works for you. Some people swear by writing tests and fixing bugs, while others always like starting by reviewing the integration tests. At first, though, start with the RSDW method. 1. Run The first step in reading code isn’t to actually read code. It’s to use the software. Read code only once you have an understanding for what functionality the software offers. During this stage, you should be able to make a summary of the code and have an understanding what the inputs and outputs are. Using the software forces you to get it to run. That means tracking down dependencies and, in some languages, compiling the code. For libraries, it means calling a few of the popular functions. This is the time to run tests and review the output messages. If you have trouble getting the system running on the first go, it’s the perfect time to document for others what it actually takes to run the software. 2. Structure Next, identify the most critical parts of the code. This process is the part that is most different from reading a book. Instead of beginning at the beginning, you have to jump around to identify the key nexuses in the code. Start with understanding the structure of the code. At minimum, run a few automated tools (such as tree and cloc) to figure out the languages and files of the codebase. To identify the key files, look at the most modified files and use . Review the most important integration tests, listing out the functions that are called. Flag these tests for later. any other advanced tools There’s an easy way to short circuit this process too: find someone who’s worked on the code before. Understanding the structure is a good first task for a whiteboard session. 3. Deep Dives Once you have a lay of the land, dig in. When reading code, you should look at code flows (seeing the actions that are being created) and look at data structures/objects (where the results of actions are stored). Pick three to five critical flows you’ve found from key integration tests, important PRs, or your review of the source files. Then dive deeper. Start at the top of a specific action and trace the code through. Some developers swear by debuggers that let you step through. Others prefer building (UML) diagrams or . Unified Modeling Language flame graphs FlameGraph Source: FlameGraph Repository UML Diagram of Process Flow Source: Wikimedia UML Data Structure Other times, I’ll stop at a breakpoint smack dab in the middle of an important function, and work my way through the stack to understand how I got there. If you decide to manually follow the code, make sure your editor is setup to let you use “go to definition” and “find all references” for quick navigation. For data structures, review the data types and when key variables are being set. Use the debugger to interrogate these data structures at critical moments. In addition to integration tests, are a powerful way to approach a new code base. PRs often are easier to understand, as they encapsulate an isolated feature. PRs also provide the narrative background beyond the why and how of a code addition. reviewing important pull requests During these deep dives, I keep two markdown docs open. The first is a “level up my coding” doc where I list out new syntax I’m seeing and code patterns I find interesting for my own learning (others call this a ). The second is a doc that lists out key questions I have for the developers of the codebase. At this stage, I also add to the documentation when I notice gaps. glossary Deep dives are especially powerful in pairs with someone who knows the code. If I have limited time with a developer on the project, I always have them trace me through a few key flows. Once I have a basic understanding of a few key flows, it’s much easier to dig in on my own. 4. Write Code Unlike literature, where reading and writing are separate endeavors, a critical part of “reading” code is actually writing code. Without writing code, it’s nearly impossible to internalize a code base. The two easy approaches to start are to write tests and address simple features/bugs. Writing tests is an active form of reading, forcing you to pay attention to the actual inputs and outputs of a particular interaction. Writing tests imprints the code in your memory in a way that reading alone cannot. For me, unit tests are an easy way to start. Once I have some base mastery, I move over to integration tests that force me to understand increasingly larger parts of the codebase. Sometimes I’ll even rewrite an existing integration test, to test my understanding of how a critical call works. The other easy approach is to write simple features or address easy bugs. Both of these tasks don’t demand complete knowledge of the codebase, but still force you to confront the code. Contributing bug fixes and documentation is also an easy way to give back to your dependencies. These methods provide quick wins, when you need it most. By augmenting RSDW with a few broader lessons, reading code will become less daunting. Some tips for reading The RSDW process is not dogmatic. Inevitably, engineers figure out the personal ways they like to dig into a new code base (the process also varies dramatically based on language, the tooling available, and the type of code base in front of you). Despite that, the RSDW process does argue for a systematic approach when you’re seeing new code. It also encourages active introspection into the code, be it writing tests or actively using a debugger to interrogate data structures. The process of reading code is far different than the more passive process of reading books. You’ll also find reading new code is exhausting. You are intricately retracing code flows and trying to concurrently hold tens of new data structures and functions in your head. Be aggressive about taking breaks when you’re approaching a new code base. When I’m starting on a new codebase, a few good hours of a day of reading is all I need to feel productive. While it’s critical to develop good reading skills, it’s just as important to be thoughtful about what you read. What code should you read? Early in your career, I believe that 60% of your time should be spent reading code. Maybe a third of that should be code outside of the direct codebases you actually build on. That’s an awfully large amount of time to fill, so what should you read? The easiest way to get started reading, and the highest ROI, is to learn your dependencies. Internalizing how your dependencies work lets you more easily debug and reason across your entire system. The other high ROI path is to pick an important system at your company that you interface with, and read through it. Not only will this be valuable in your work, but professional codebases are different from open source codebases. Beyond the direct systems you interact with, cultivate an openness to reading widely. Early on in my career, I recommend putting aside an hour in the morning or evening to read through code outside your day to day work. It sounds painful after a hard day of work, but pick a codebase you’re excited to dig into and try it for a week. For example, is known as a popular starting point in C. For less readable, more complex codebases an easy way to start is to read a specific subsystem. Redis Side projects are a powerful way to read, because they force you to learn a different world. You’ll need to read new dependencies and explore different codebases for what you’re building. Though it doesn’t seem like reading, it’s a project that forces you to actively read what you’ll be using. Outside work, you should read tools widely different from your day job. If you’re used to high level abstractions, learn an abstraction level (or three) down. If you work in one language, pick another language to read in your free time. If you consistently have to think about one constraint (e.g., the time for next screen refresh in graphics programming), find another constraint (e.g., saving battery life in mobile programming). Another good approach to reading code is to read and rewrite coders you respect. Where a young Didion wrote Hemingway or Hunter Thompson , write out antirez’s or gaearon’s or mrdoob’s code starting with a simple library. Read their other codebases. Stay up to date of their most recent work. typed out the Great Gatsby Stephen King cautioned writers that “if you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” Similarly, for software engineers, writing fresh code may be the most fun, but (actively) reading code is what will separate you from the pack. This is a post in my occasional series, Notes to Young Software Engineer . Sign up here or follow the RSS feed . All pieces in this series are published as drafts, with relevant community feedback incorporated. Thanks to Brandur Leach , Jake Craige , and Breck Stodghill for reflections and feedback. Links Articles on reading code Ask Hacker News: How do you familiarize yourself with a new codebase Ask Hacker News: How to understand the large codebase of an open-source project? Strategies to quickly become productive in an unfamiliar codebase What’s the best way to become familiar with a large codebase? Tips for Reading Code (Podcast) Software Engineering Radio: Software Archaeology with Dave Thomas Books (book) Code Reading: The Open Source Perspective (book) Working Effectively with Legacy Code Codebases to read Good Python codebases to read Good Go codebases to read

One secret to becoming a great software engineer: read code

Hiring a big name design agency is one of the perks of running a VC-funded startup. It’s like a makeover montage from a romantic comedy — all the beauty inside your ugly duckling startup is finally revealed! But it’s also a risky investment. If someone on the founding team has a strong aesthetic sense and a good ear for brand voice, agencies are like steroids — an undisputed performance enhancer. However, it’s easy for more analytical teams to be bewitched by the honeyed words of account execs. One thing many founders fail to appreciate is that the best agencies are highly selective of their clients. The firm’s most famous work is often for flush with cash corporations that have a mature marketing infrastructure to actually build the brand. The equally beautiful work done for the well-funded, but ultimately unsuccessful startups are quietly expunged from the agency’s website. Still, the agency touts the strength of their tried and true “process” to the next unsuspecting startup. Uninitiated founders can get caught up in the fun of designing unboxing experiences, they start to fixate on “brand moments,” and imbue tagline with quasi-religious importance. That’s fine if you’ve got a teams of marketing analysts and a nine-figure budget to buy media. Most startups do not have this luxury. Agencies are selling Maseratis when the day-to-day work for most startups calls for a used F-150. It’s fun geeking out about the ontological significance of your outer shipper packaging, but it’s not usually the best use of time. Agencies aren’t bad, their work is usually the most interesting in the industry. But it’s important to remember their incentives aren’t always aligned with the startup’s goals. The work that wins a Cannes Lion isn’t necessarily what earns a 10X return. Good brand work is necessary, but not sufficient. Here are a few tips on working with creative agencies: 👁️ Have a clear POV. Defend it. Even if you don’t consider yourself “creative,” bring strong perspectives about acquisition channels, customer profiles, etc. to meetings. You may not be conversant in brand jargon, but no one has a better view of the business than you. 🛑 Make your limitations clear Challenge the agency to create work that fits in your ongoing operational budget, not P&G’s. 🌆 Get out of Brooklyn Go to a LulaRoe or Scentsy party to see how marketing/sales interact. Photoshop your product on the relevant shelf at Target to get a sense of the category’s gestalt. Basically, don’t over-index on the Park Slope approach to brand-building. 👩‍🍳 Appoint a Chief Taste Officer Once the style guide is delivered, who is going to make the ongoing design and taste-based decisions going forward? Best to have that person hired before starting a branding process so they feel invested in the direction. 💩 Find a BS detector The narratives that win design awards don’t always move the needle commercially. It’s helpful to have a thought partner to help sanity check the work of the firm and to help identify self-important pitfalls in their proposals. ☎️ Involve sales/customer service from day 1 Whoever is actually interacting with the customer should be involved in the process. Branders fall in love with the idea of customers — Make sure someone can provide a real-time reality check as to what they’re really like. Spending $500K on a brand refresh can be one of the smartest decisions a startup makes. However, the chances of success improve dramatically when the founders have a clear idea of how that investment will guide the next $1M in CAC. By Joseph Flaherty , Director of Content & Community

6 Tips for Startups Working with a Creative Agency

Billions of dollars in venture capital have poured into direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands over the past ten years, funding hundreds of upstart brands challenging the incumbents in product category. These brands, once by investors, are now raising multi-million dollar rounds pre-launch and recruiting top talent. nearly every ignored There’s no question that there’s hype around the D2C space, but we’ve seen far less interest in the infrastructure that allows these brands to scale. D2C brands uniquely own every step of their production and distribution process — from product design to packaging to marketing to fulfillment. New brands can struggle to put all these pieces together, while established brands face challenges like figuring out how to serve an international audience and maintaining growth in a capital-efficient way. We see a huge opportunity for the rise of tools that better serve these brands, and we’re excited to share our research on companies in this space and areas where we hope to see further development. If you’re working on something in the D2C infrastructure space, please email us at twins@crv.com — we’d love to talk to you! Playbook for New Brands We’ve compiled a list of the tools we see D2C brands using today, based on our conversations with dozens of brands and data from Siftery . Product Design & Development Most brands handle design and development of products in-house, sometimes with heavy input from customers, which Glossier (and more brands are exploring via Instagram Stories and surveys). The development process typically involves finding a factory or manufacturing partner with expertise in the space, and working closely with them. famously does However, we’ve found a few startups that are aiming to use tech in the product development process. and offer this for 3D-printed products, while and do the same for hardware. and all focus on fashion, doing smaller production runs with quick turnaround times. (customers include , and ), and ( ) both work across industries. Voodoo Manufacturing Shapeways Shape Prototype , Kickr Design , Seeed Studios CALA , IndieSource , Nineteenth Amendment Parcel Supply Birchbox, S’well Blue Apron PCH International Walker and Company, Fitbit, Blaze Manufacturing Many brands find manufacturers through their personal networks or referrals, but there are also established marketplaces that connect companies with domestic and international factories — , , , , and are a few examples. Some of the newer players cater to younger brands who are concerned about eco-friendliness, quality control, and social responsibility — ( , ), , , and (fashion-specific) are a few examples. MFG.com Kompass Alibaba IndiaMart ThomasNet Anvyl LOLA, Hims, S’well Native Sourcify Maker’s Row Sewport Financing There’s a number of firms that focus on consumer brands, many of which combine an investment with incubation or branding, advertising, or other support. is a major player in this space — the company offers as well as financing options, as is is a newer firm that focuses on brands doing $1M+ in annual revenue. CircleUp credit equity Indie.vc . Assembled Brands Other funds include , , , , and invest exclusively in food and beverage. , , and (beauty-focused) all serve as accelerators that combine funding with agency-like support. Outroll Ventures Unilever Ventures Touchdown Ventures Beechwood Capital Simon Capital , Elizabeth Street , VTF Capital *. AccelFoods , First Beverage Group , Distill Ventures Bullish The Brandery SKU , XRC Labs , Sephora Accelerate and remain a popular way to fund an initial production run, as well as equity crowdfunding platforms like , , , and . Along with traditional credit options like small business loans (also offered via startups like , , and ), there are also a few new credit options catered directly to D2C brands. These include , (working capital), and (marketing funding). does the same via merchant cash advances and loans. Kickstarter Indiegogo SeedInvest Crowdfunder Republic Wefunder Fundbox SnapCap Kickfurther CircleUp Credit Advisors Dwight Funding Clearbanc Shopify Capital Inventory Management Inventory management and forecasting are crucial for young brands that are short on cash and storage space. Forecasting is complicated by the fact that these brands can have “viral” moments that are difficult to predict and lead to long waitlists. Like most other software categories, there are existing inventory management solutions (Netsuite, Workday, SAP, etc.). However, the pricing, features, and implementation often don’t work for early-stage, high growth companies. A few startup platforms that cater to D2C brands — ( , ) and ( ). Other options that are popular amongst e-commerce more broadly are , , , , , , and . Fuse Inventory Glossier, LOLA, MeUndies Snowe Stitch Labs Brooklinen, Thinx TradeGecko Finale Lightspeed Retail Ops Unleashed Veeqo Brightpearl Branding Many brands do this in-house, especially if they have a designer on the team or can easily consult with an expert. , and are a few of the more popular tools for managing brand assets, and some also include tools or design space for generating these assets. It’s also common to hire a freelancer on a platform like , , , , , and . Canva , Brandfolder , Bynder , Outfit , OpenBrand Frontify 99Designs , DesignCrowd Dribbble Behance Upwork Toptal Fiverr A number of design agencies have risen to fame for their work with top D2C brands — ( )and ( ) are two of the most popular. Others include ( ) ( ) ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ), and ( . Red Antler Casper, Allbirds, Keeps, Brandless Gin Lane Hims, Sweetgreen, Harry’s, Stadium Goods Pentagram Buffy, Tender Greens, The Wing , Condensed Pair Eyewear, Num Num, Keepers , Partners & Spade Allbirds, Flamingo, Warby Parker , M. Gemi Collins Heyday, Nourish, Archer Farms Motto Even, Keetsa, Crown & Buckle Circus Maximus Roman, Bombfell High Tide Warby Parker, Casper, LOLA) Marketing Like traditional e-commerce companies, many D2C brands devote most of their marketing dollars to Facebook, Instagram, and Google. There is a sea of marketing software tools for new brands to manage this spend. To get a sense of what both early and late-stage brands are using, we used to check out the marketing stack for the top 15 most well-funded D2C brands, as well as the 29 brands who raised a VC seed round last year. We’ve included below platforms that were used by five or more brands out of this group. Siftery Most of the brands we surveyed used at least one option in each of the sub-categories above, making it by far the most complex area of the stack we examined. Seed-stage brands were more likely to experiment with similarly early-stage marketing platforms (perhaps because they are the most hungry to acquire customers!)—particularly in categories that go beyond the basics like referrals, re-targeting, and conversion. We know many brands are also using tools to schedule and post content to social media, which wouldn’t show up in a Siftery stack. Examples include (Instagram scheduler), (Twitter scheduler) as well as cross-platform schedulers and — which we’ve included in the “Customer Success” map below as they also support customer service. Later Tweetdeck Sprout Social Buffer Customer Success Similar to marketing, many of the customer success platforms built for traditional e-commerce seem to be working for D2C brands. Unlike marketing, however, we found most D2C brands used a fairly tight set of customer success solutions — most commonly a live chat tool ( and were the top two), an email/ticketing system ( and —which all also offer social support) and a social-focused service platform ( and ) Olark Zendesk Zendesk , Kustomer , Gorgias , Conversocial Sprout . We’ve also included customer review systems in the “Customer Success” category — though they could arguably be considered “Marketing” tools as well. and were by far the most-used platforms in this category. Yotpo Okendo Commerce & Payments Almost all of the seed-stage D2C brands we surveyed used either or as their commerce platform, while later-stage brands commonly used to process payments. About half of the 43 brands we looked at also used one or more of the following: and is another newer option that handles checkout, analytics, and fraud protection. Shopify Magento Stripe Google Wallet , Paypal , Apple Pay , Amazon Payments . Bolt Payments Outside of the core payment processing functionality, almost all of the subscription-based D2C brands we looked at used for their billing, and several of the later-stage brands used a fraud protection solution like and Brands with higher-priced items also often implements solutions to allow customers to pay over time — with platforms like , , and . ReCharge Payments Riskified Signifiyd . Affirm Klarna Quadpay Fulfillment, Shipping, & Returns We’ve discussed Inventory Management above, so in this category we‘ve focused on packaging, shipping and fulfillment, and returns. In packaging, arguably the most well-known brand is ( ) but many earlier-stage brands that struggle with Lumi’s prices and minimums turn to and also have quite a bit of traction in this space. Lumi Parachute, MeUndies, Rockets of Awesome Packlane . Arka Pakible On the shipping side, ( ), , and are three of the most popular options, though some brands ship directly via USPS or FedEx. helps companies offer same-day delivery. , , , , , and are other popular 3PL and fulfillment options for D2C brands and e-commerce more broadly. Shippo MeUndies, Ipsy, Hims ShipStation ShipBob Darkstore Flexe ShipHero RubyHas Quiet Logistics ID Logistics Dotcom Distribution , Fosdick and are focused on international shipping, which remains a huge problem for brands of all sizes. Brands use platforms like and to help customers track orders. On the returns side, and (sometimes used together!) are the two most popular options we found, with and as other common options. Passport Shipping , Flow , FlavorCloud Arrive , Newgistics , AfterShip , Narvar Returnly Happy Returns ReturnMagic Narvar Brick & Mortar Space As we’ve , D2C brands are increasingly experimenting with physical retail space — usually via pop-ups or by renting shelf space in their early days, and then setting up permanent stores further down the line. The last few years has seen the birth of many startups that aim to help brands tackle this without having to hire a broker or realtor. written about before In the shelf or display space category, some of the biggest contenders are (with an online marketplace and three stores in NYC), (focused on consumer hardware) (in Edmonton and Minneapolis), (Plano, TX), (NoHo in NYC), and (SF). On the short-term or pop-up side, and all offer solutions. assists with longer-term retail placements alongside (formerly thisopenspace), a CRV portfolio company that also helps smaller brands find short-term and shelf space. Bulletin b8ta Fourpost Neighborhood Goods Showfields Re:Store Storefront , AppearHere , Go-PopUp Leap Uppercase (customers include and ), also helps D2C brands with retail — but with a focus on connecting companies to vendors and service providers who can manage store operations. This includes maintenance, events, dry cleaning, and other custom services that brands may not have the time or expertise to set up themselves. Worksmith Outdoor Voices, Casper, Bonobos, Stance What’s Left To Build? There are several areas where we see considerable room for improvement on existing solutions, as well as other categories that have yet to be tackled. Here are just a few areas of opportunity we are particularly excited about: CACs continue to rise on Instagram and Facebook — though consumers remain excited to try new brands, it’s hard to cut through the noise on social feeds. Many brands are turning to cross-promotions with other brands to lower acquisition costs, and sites like have popped up to aggregate brands. We’ve also seen new entrants focus on dominating specific product categories (e.g. in beauty) or distribution via friend referrals (e.g. ). We’re excited to see more scalable, software-based solutions for brands to reach the right customer. Discovery. Newfound Supergreat MASSE It’s surprising how hard it is for brands large and small to ship internationally — just take a look at the variety of products on ! Because D2C brands advertise heavily on social media, where content can be shared globally (even if ads target a domestic audience), it’s especially important to be able to serve these potential customers. We’re very excited about starting to tackle this problem, and are looking forward to seeing these solutions expand to more brands. International Shipping. Grabr Passport , FlavorCloud , Flow We continue to see D2C brands struggle to finance their inventory, particularly given that they often can’t negotiate favorable payment terms with manufacturers early on. This results in many companies raising more venture funding (and taking more dilution) than they need to scale. , , , and have been making progress in providing working capital to brands, and we’re interested in watching how this space evolves. Financing. Clearbanc Assembled Brands Dwight Funding CircleUp As shown by the many categories above, brands have to piece together and manage a huge amount of different resources just to get a first product out the door. This can be especially overwhelming for small teams running on limited capital, who don’t have partnerships or contracts with larger retailers. It will likely take more time and capital in the space, but we’d be excited to see something closer to an end-to-end solution (even just for one category!) that simplifies brand operations. is one example — as well as serving as a subscription platform for brands like , , and , they also offer fulfillment, customer service, and business intelligence. Resource Aggregation. OceanX Ladder Cora Seed Thanks for reading! If you’re working on something in this space, please email us at twins@crv.com — we’d love to hear from you! Like this post? to help more people see our story, and share it with your friends! Clap for it Interested in reading more content from us? You can subscribe to our weekly newsletter, , for more insights on millennial and Gen Z trends: Accelerated https://accelerated.carrd.co/ Thank you to Saar Gur for his help with this post.

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