LivePost helps publishers make money, not spend it.
Name: LivePost
Location: Monterrey, Mexico
Website: http://www.livepost.news/
Product / Service Offering: Mobile application that helps publishers cover the news from their phone
Co-founder Interviewed: Diego Guadarrama
Other Key Management Team Members: Javier Gonzalez, Co-founder & CTO and Ana Quijano, Digital Content Manager
This article is part of our Business Startup Spotlight series featuring entrepreneurs and their companies. We hope that these founders’ interviews will inspire and motivate you as you undertake your own entrepreneurial journey.
Tell us a little about yourself with a focus on what motivates you?
We believe the world is filled with information, but it is still a very uninformed place. All the information you receive is either fragmented or filtered. Our mission to update the world on everything and anything that is happening.
When did you establish your company and where did the idea originate?
The company was established in January 2016. The idea originated when we were trying to follow an Apple Keynote and could not find a place to follow what was happening from our phone. We started a group on Whatsapp, invited our friends, and started covering the keynote ourselves. Everybody liked the whole experience, and we knew that we had stumbled onto something different.
What need or needs does your company seek to fill for its customers?
We want to become the best place to find the news that is happening now and help content creators make money while they cover the news.
What is the one thing that sets your company apart from its competitors?
First, LivePost helps publishers make money, not spend it. We give our publishers a percentage of the revenue made from the ads we place in the news feed. Second and most important, it has never been easier to start covering an event right from your phone and inviting all your audience to follow.
What was the biggest challenge you faced while getting your company up and running, and how did you overcome it?
There has been a series of big challenges, the first was finding a technical co-founder. I was having a hard time finding someone to help me code everything so I organized a meetup hoping I would meet a developer and I did. The next big challenge was and is finding users. We have worked with the biggest newspapers in Mexico, but now we want to go international.
Are there resources you have utilized that other founders might find compelling or useful?
We’ve used a lot of resources. Here’s the list:
- Bitly – Track our links’ analytics
- Google – Email/Calendar/Hangouts/Analytics
- Trello – Project Management
- Slack/Whatsapp – Team Communications
- Pomodoro – Time Management
- Mailchimp – Email Marketing
- Unbounce – Landing Pages
- Pagecloud – Website Builder
- Google Adwords/Facebook Ads
What steps have you taken to secure funding for your company and what, if anything, would you do differently if you had to start over?
Initially, we focused on gaining traction. Now we are reaching out to investors we have met in conferences and through connections. The conference investors have been the strongest leads we have had. I would recommend it.
Have there been any questions you have had as an entrepreneur of a fledgling startup that you had a particularly hard time finding the answers to?
The most important question is, how do I do “X” in the fastest and highest quality way possible?
- How do I build faster?
- How do I sell faster?
- How do I get funding faster?
When you guys find out, let me know!
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What challenges, if any, are you grappling with?
Our biggest challenge right now is getting funding. We have mostly been focused on raising funds in Mexico, but we are starting to focus on the United States.
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What is the most helpful tip or “hack” you’ve ever learned, stumbled across, or been given?
Build fast, sell faster!
Is there anything else you would like to share about your company?
We have been through all the usual problems a startup faces, everything from coding, traction, marketing, to funding. So, if you have any questions, I’d be happy to talk. Contact me via email .
Also, you can download LivePost here to start covering the news.
Want to learn about other businesses in the spotlight? Check out our Business Startup Spotlight Series.
Are you familiar with other startups you believe should be spotlighted? If so, we would like to hear from you. Tell us about them, sharing your comments below!
Sandra Sloan
Sandra has previous supply chain and business operations experience which she is leveraging as an author with FundingSage focused on spotlighting entrepreneurs and their startup efforts.
