I am currently running a strategic communications agency called thinkBIG Communications, and I am also leading marketing for Vuulr, a global platform for the film and television content business built on blockchain.
My career has seen many twists and turns. I started my career building and running a food and beverage business for five years. When I sold the business to cut losses short, I went into event management. I also held roles leading social media communications for a global public relations company, and in the music industry as the manager of a recording artist and music label. Now I'm extending these experiences to a new foray, joining as a founding team member of Vuulr.
From Startup to ICO
Vuulr is a blockchain-based marketplace and digital supply chain for the $240 billion film and television content industry. Our business focuses on removing and reducing existing friction points that makes content acquisition today a slow, manual, and expensive process that takes three to six months for a transaction to be completed. We aim to bring buyers and sellers from discovery to delivery within 24 hours, potentially saving them up to 40% of the value that is lost in transactions today.
Vuulr is currently on the road meeting investors for an initial coin offering (ICO) private pre-sale. Our seed is oversubscribed, and we have already secured partnerships with mature Hollywood industry organizations. We are currently traveling around the world pitching our company, making stops in Seoul, Tokyo, Vietnam, London, Los Angeles, New York, and more.
An ICO is somewhat similar to the concept of a traditional initial public offering (IPO), but with a few key differences. Unlike an IPO, an ICO raises capital by selling tokens from the organization instead of equity. However, ICOs are fundraising mechanisms specifically for blockchain-based ventures. During an ICO, participants of the organization’s token-generating event purchase tokens that typically have a utility function. This utility function will form the liquidity for the token and can be traded on crypto-exchanges. We are currently pitching the company to private investors raise our required funds to grow Vuulr.
How Disruptive Strategy Informs My Decision-Making at Vuulr
Equipped with the knowledge I gained from HBS Online's Disruptive Strategy course, I recognized this opportunity with Vuulr immediately as one that could potentially disrupt and change an entire industry. This propelled me to accept the role without much hesitation.
While we are considering our business model and marketing for industry adoption, I am able to effectively anticipate the market reaction, trends, and necessary effort and resources required to make our business a success. I recognized we are not in the business of a technology solution. Instead, our job is to enable all stakeholders in the content ecosystem to trade safely, easily, and simply, so end-consumers can get higher quality content at a lower cost, regardless of what that solution or technology may be tomorrow. I think the learnings from Disruptive Strategy provided that level of clarity and focus when I look at any business today.
Applying the Theory of Disruptive Innovation
After completing Disruptive Strategy, I am able to recognize patterns of disruption and gaps in failure of execution quite quickly. I have used the model in my public talks to retail and small and medium-sized enterprise audiences. I have also used it to help my clients understand their business better, especially in their allocation of resources and revision of business models to ensure any attempted digital transformation is effective.
Are you interested in learning more about disruptive innovation? Explore our six-week online course Disruptive Strategy, and learn how you can acquire the skills and techniques to organize for innovation and craft winning strategies.