The TWiST Startup Effect was inspired by TWiST – This Week in Startups, a podcast created/hosted by Jason Calacanis focused on providing the startup community with advice, compelling interviews, and the latest news in startups and technology. As a first time entrepreneur, I’ve found that one of the most difficult and arduous tasks has been finding a great co-founder and early stage team members. I scoured the web for resources and websites to help me with this task and was disappointed with what I discovered. I found it extremely interesting that Joe Essenfeld of LocalBacon (a Techcrunch 50 finalist) found his co-founder via TWiST. I thought to myself, “If only there were a job board specifically made for startup founders that leveraged the TWiST and Jason Nation community.” – thus the genesis of the TWiST Startup Effect.
The TWiST Startup Effect’s mission is to unite founders and co-founders in addition to very early stage team members (roughly your first 3 employees). Although the site’s primary focus is on technology and web-based startups, I encourage founders from other industries to utilize the site as well. The TWiST Startup Effect is meant to be simple yet effective.
About Me
JT Keller
I’m a strategic marketing and branding consultant specializing in brand strategy, portfolio management, brand equity research, and social media strategy. I’ve been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work with some fantastic teams at companies ranging from the Fortune 500 to prefunded start-ups spanning multiple industries/verticals. I’m a self professed technology/Web 2.0 junky and recently decided to take the plunge into entrepreneurship. I enjoy basketball (Go Heels!), reading, and movies (sci-fi is one of my favorite genres…I’m a huge Star Wars fan). I graduated from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Life Sciences.
At this point and time, the TWiST Startup Effect is a free service and my intention is to have it remain that way for the foreseeable future. The TWiST Startup Effect is meant to be a catalyst/venue for the startup community to connect. Please be aware that none of the postings, submissions, or content is evaluated for validity, safety, quality, or legality. Please use the TWiST Startup Effect with caution and do so at your own risk. The TWiST Startup Effect’s disclaimer, terms of use, and privacy policy can be found in the footer or here.
Useful Startup Sites/Resources/Blogs
www.thisweekinstartups.com
www.bothsidesofthetable.com
www.onstartups.com
www.answers.onstartups.com
www.mixergy.com
www.foundersmix.com
www.startuprecap.com
TWiST on Co-founders
TWiST Episode #20 with Joe Essenfeld