Last week, the US Federal Trade Commission, which protects consumers against deceptive trade practices, issued an advisory entitled “Keep Your AI Claims Under Control”.
When it comes to marketing, “false or baseless claims about a product’s efficacy are our bread and butter,” wrote Michael Atleson, an attorney with the FTC’s Division of Advertising Practices.
Artificial intelligence is currently on everyone’s lips, “and at the FTC, we know one thing about popular marketing terms: some advertisers won’t be able to avoid overusing and abusing them.”
Given the renewed interest, “For companies where AI used to be No. 4 on the evidence list, machine learning capabilities should coalesce into the main hook of the announcement,” advises public relations strategist Camilla Tenn.
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“If AI-related coverage can get a new, unknown brand into its target publications today, it could help bring the brand’s pitch deck to the attention of potential investors or partners tomorrow,” she writes in TC+.
Tenn recommends imitating major players like Google and Samsung, which have dedicated teams that release a steady stream of material on “ongoing projects” related to prevailing tech trends.
“Even if those projects don’t see the light of day, the PR team has strategically positioned the brand as ‘innovative,'” says Tenn. “With this precedent, startups shouldn’t be ashamed to use whatever resources it takes to get their name out there.”
Good advice for marketing mercenaries, but keep those pitches straight – reporters know when we’re being sold, and the FTC doesn’t mess around.
Thanks for reading – and for making this businesskinda.com’s fastest growing newsletter last month!
Nice weekend,
Walter Thompson
Editorial Manager, businesskinda.com+
@your protagonist
Contents
- 1 How to turn an open source project into a profitable business
- 2 To improve the climate, these 10 investors put their house on the ocean
- 3 Pitch Deck Teardown: Gable’s $12 Million Series A Deck
- 4 Dear Sophie: What are my options for changing my L-1 visa status?
- 5 Top legal issues for influencers and brands (and how to deal with them)
- 6 Sign up now to speak at businesskinda.com Disrupt in September
How to turn an open source project into a profitable business
Image Credits: Juanmonino (Opens in a new window) /Getty Images
Many developers rely on donations and crowdfunding to monetize open source projects, but with the right planning, teams can deploy their work to commercial clients that will put them in a higher tax bracket.
Offering customer support or consulting services to users are common revenue streams, according to product development consultant Victoria Melnikova, who also says developers should form partnerships and use platforms like Reddit and Hacker News to reach potential paying customers.
“To find your path, talk to your clients and understand their goals and pains.”
To improve the climate, these 10 investors put their house on the ocean
Image Credits: Liang Wendong/VCG /Getty Images
Tapping the ocean for energy led to disasters like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which spilled nearly 5 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.
Today, wind power and wave power are just two technologies that are driving investors to take a closer look at ocean conservation technology, Tim De Chant reports.
To learn more about the opportunities they are chasing and how climate change is shaping their investment thesis, he researched:
- Daniela V. Fernandez, founder and CEO of Sustainable Ocean Alliance, managing partner at Seabird Ventures
- Tim Agnew, Managing Partner, Bold Ocean Ventures
- Peter Bryant, Program Director (Oceans), Builders Initiative
- Kate Danaher, General Manager (Oceans & Seafood), S2G Ventures
- Francis O’Sullivan, General Manager (Oceans and Seafood), S2G Ventures
- Stephan Feilhauer, General Manager (Clean Energy), S2G Ventures
- Sanjeev Krishnan, senior director and chief investment officer, S2G Ventures
- Rita Sousa, Partner, Faber Ventures
- Christian Lim, Managing Director, SWEN Blue Ocean Partners
- Reece Pacheco, Partner Propeller
Pitch Deck Teardown: Gable’s $12 Million Series A Deck
Image Credits: Gable (Opens in a new window)
Remote workspace platform Gable raised $12 million Series A to scale its business, which currently serves more than 5,000 employees in 26 countries.
“Making shared workspaces easier for startups certainly has its challenges, but it is also a large and growing market,” writes Haje Jan Kamps. “Gable weaves his story together with ease.”
Here’s their series A deck with 21 slides:
- Cover slide
- Team slide
- Market Context Slide (“The Remote Work Revolution”)
- Problem Slide No. 1 (“Going distance at first is hard”)
- How people are solving it now (“How it’s done today”)
- Problem Slide No. 2 (“Main Problems”)
- Solution slide
- Traction Slide (“Where We Are”)
- Product Slide #1 (“Employee View”)
- Product Slide No. 2 (“Management and Insights”)
- Product Slide #3 (“Host View”)
- Traction slide (“Cooperation with more than 800 places”)
- Value Proposition Slide (“Why They Choose Gable”)
- Case Study Slide #1
- Case Study Slide #2
- Business model slide
- Market Size Slide (“TAM”)
- Go-to-market slide (“Scalable Process”)
- Marketing Slide (“Big Channel Opportunity)
- Slide with product roadmap
- Thank you slide
Dear Sophie: What are my options for changing my L-1 visa status?
Image Credits: Bryce Durbin/businesskinda.com
Dear Sophia,
I started working for my current employer on VOTE-OPT, but I lost four times in the H-1B lottery. Fortunately, my employer transferred me to an international office and now I am coming back to the US on an L-1 visa.
I have heard many complaints from my classmates about not being able to switch employers on an L-1 visa. I don’t see myself staying with my employer for another six years, which is the estimated time until I can get a green card based on my employer’s internal policies.
What are my options for changing my immigration status so I can work at a startup in the US in a year or two?
– Determined Acquirer
Top legal issues for influencers and brands (and how to deal with them)
Image Credits: Some resources (Opens in a new window) /Getty Images
No one needs a mega influencer like Serena Williams or a Kardashian to build buzz for their startup — an evangelist with just a few thousand followers can push qualified customers into your product funnel.
But before hiring a TikTok or YouTube personality, brand marketers should brush up on the laws governing how influencers operate, and the risks associated with not complying.
“New legal issues and risks have emerged for influencers and brands alike,” said Nicholas Sandy, litigation attorney at Pryor Cashman.
“Important, recurring issues relate to licensing and copyright infringement, disclosures and statements in endorsements, securities compliance, and defamation.”
Sign up now to speak at businesskinda.com Disrupt in September
Interested in speaking at businesskinda.com Disrupt in September in San Francisco?
Submit a title and description for the topic you want to talk about before April 21.
Selected candidates will have the opportunity to lead a roundtable or participate in a breakout session followed by a Q&A for the audience.
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.