Bill Clerico is an unassuming bachelor. Slight, friendly, and coder-pale, he doesn’t appear to be the sort who’d revel in the ritual humiliations of a TV dating show. But for 44 minutes in 2011, you could find Clerico on Bravo, submitting his looks (“a little, nerdy redhead”), his three-year-old startup (“Nobody cares about a software company”), and his makeout game (“Do you really know how to kiss?”) to some derision on The Millionaire Matchmake “I was single then, and figured I would mortgage a little person dignity for awareness,” Clerico says. “Did not find love.”
That was only his latest effort to get people to notice his payments software company, WePay. He’d tried recruiting financial startup royalty, but a request to meet with PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel went nowhere. Then WePay hijacked some publicity at a PayPal developer conference, dropping a 600-pound block of ice—with dollar bills encased within and a message about PayPal “freezing your accounts”—at the entrance. Awkwardly flirting on reality TV was just the next step in Clerico’s campaign to make his payments-processing company sound more attractive than, well, a payments processing company.
“It wasn’t an interesting space to be in when we got started,” Clerico recalls. “The view was that there are just such strong monopolies there in terms of the existing banks … and no one’s built a successful payments company since PayPal.”
Denne historien er fra September 2015-utgaven av Inc..
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra September 2015-utgaven av Inc..
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
A Bankable Pet Project - How Moonshots Capital helped eTailPet scale up and attract a buyer in just three years.
Berenice Giannini's startup, eTailPet, wasn't a natural fit for Moonshots Capital. The Austin-based venture firm, launched in 2014 by Kelly Perdew and Craig Cummings, both of whom had previously served in the U.S. Army, frequently backs companies founded by military veterans.
Backers Should Have Your Back - The best capital provider for your business will offer a helping hand, not just deep pockets.
Three years ago, U.S. entrepreneurs were enjoying one of the best funding environments in decades. Venture capital and private equity hit all-time highs as banks loaned at historically low interest rates. All you needed to get a term sheet, it seemed, was a smile and a pitch deck.
Lift Off - Would you pay $50,000 to touch the edge of space?
Would you pay $50,000 to touch the edge of space? Meet the entrepreneurs providing a rarified clientele with a luxurious, once-in-a-lifetime journey.So you want to go to space. To take in the expansive curvature of the Earth glowing miles above the atmosphere, surrounded by pure darkness. To experience the mind-altering overview effect described by astronauts as a transcendent state of awe, staring back at the planet on which you've inhaled your every living breath.
There Will Always be Those Who Doubt You and Your Vision. Here's How to Tune Them Out. - Recently, I invited an experienced luxury hotelier to visit the new campus we were building near Santa Fe for Modern Elder Academy,
Recently, I invited an experienced luxury hotelier to visit the new campus we were building near Santa Fe for Modern Elder Academy, the midlife wisdom school I co-founded in 2018.
A Scientific Discovery that Unlocks Your Body's Healing Power
The founder of Stemregen, a company that creates powerful supplements that stimulate the body's natural repair system, explains how a \"fringe idea\" opened up a new world of stem cell therapy.
Transformative Growth: Agency Masters the Art of Evolution
As a destination marketer, Awestruck has mapped out a journey to success by constantly developing its services and its staff.
For the Love of the Restaurant Experience
The founder and CEO of DJB Hospitality shares his passion for the challenging and uniquely rewarding hospitality industry.
Custom PEO Solutions for Blue-Collar Industries
COMPEO is an HR management solutions provider with a jaw-dropping five-figure growth rate.
Homebuying Was BrokenMeet the Founders Here to Fix It
Cecilian Partners is a fast-growing technology firm providing end-to-end solutions for production homebuilders and land developers.
A Focus on Complete Solutions for Regulatory Environments
The Northcross Group develops sustainable processes for clients with compliance needs.
