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Speak at the 2013 Lean Startup Conference
Speak at the 2013 Lean Startup Conference by Eric Ries
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Speak at the 2013 Lean Startup Conference
By Sarah Milstein on Apr 18, 2013 10:29 am
Thispost was written by Sarah Milstein, co-host of TheLean Startup Conference.
Exciting news: we’ve nailed downdates for The Lean Startup Conference 2013. We’re holding it December 9 – 11 in San Francisco,with sessions at the Nob Hill Masonic Center and the Fairmont Hotel, ahalf-block away. This is the fourth year of the conference, and we’re acting onfeedback last year’s attendees shared with us: as Lean Startup practices haveevolved, you want in-depth talks, new speakers with fresh stories, and moretime for structured networking and mentoring. So we’ve added an extra day andexpanded into two larger venues--giving us the chance to offer hands-on breakoutsessions, increase your chances of meeting fellow entrepreneurs with eventsthat let you share ideas and learn together, and create active mentoringopportunities with real experts.
While we’ll have announcementsbefore long about our keynotes, our focus right now is finding the other 95% ofspeakers for this year—most of whom we don’t already know. We know LeanStartup methods are being applied by people around the globe, in startupsand established organizations alike, and in sectors of every stripe. Thisconference has always been about entrepreneurs helping entrepreneurs, and mostof the work is now being done by people we haven’t heard about. To find thegreat stories out there that other people can learn from, we’re opening ourcall for speakers today, and we’reseeking practitioners who are doing the real work, whether they’ve ever spoken at aconference before.
Just like last year, we're committed to having a merit-based speaker selection process. This is different from most conferences, so if you'd like to learn more about it, we've included details below. When you're ready to apply, check out our short application form.
Last year, wemade a fairly big deal about looking for speakers outside our own networks.We noted that in previous years, the speakers had been excellent but had beenlimited to the pool of people Eric knew directly—and that had turned out to bemostly white men. When we broadened our search and aimed to find people basedon the merit of their stories (rather than based on their proximity to us), wewound up with a speaker roster comprising approximately 40% women and 25%people of color - without using quotas.
We mention this now because we think that too many people don’t apply to speak at conferences becausethey make a reasonable assumption that they won’t be accepted. Ourpast record demonstrates that we’re committed to creating a transparent, merit-based selectionprocess that not only serves applicants fairly but also delivers great ideasfor attendees.So how we can find people we don’t yet know who have very useful experiences wecan all learn from? By asking all of you to help us find them, encourage themto apply, and convince them their stories are worth hearing.Here’s the deal: If you have a Lean Startup experience toshare--regardless of whether you’ve ever spoken publicly before--we ask thatyou propose a talk via our short applicationform. We require that you submit your idea in the form of a short video,but as the application explains, we don’t care at all about the quality of thevideo.If you don't think you're qualified to speak ata conference like this, you're probably wrong! Most of our amazing speakersalso feel that way. In fact, this is a well-documented and universal psychological feeling. So we hope you'll consider applying anyway. For newspeakers we select, we’ll provide hands-on help developing presentations, plusspeaker training. A few notes:
*Although it's impossible to review a video blind (your speaking ability part ofwhat we’re evaluating), we promise to review the written part of yourapplication without being able to see for your name, ethnicity, sex or age. (Thisis the blind resume screening technique Eric has recommended elsewhere.)
* The Lean Startup Conference is a no-hype, no-launch event. Publicists and those seeking PR and media attention should look elsewhere.
* Asyou're refining your talk idea, bear in mind this IMPORTANT point: when we refer to "the Lean Startup," wemean specifically the set of ideas that Eric and others have articulated fortesting, validating, and learning quickly. It's NOT aboutrunning a small company or a shoestring operation (though those can be smartthings to do!), and we are NOT looking for talks about how to bootstrap or runa business on the cheap.
* Ourattendees are entrepreneurs of all kinds - venture backed, bootstrappers, even entrepreneurs in corporate and government settings. We are seeking talks aimed at all segments of our audience: corporate entrepreneurs;educators; government innovators; non-profit and social impact leaders; anddevelopers. The application form lets you tell us if your idea is of particularbenefit to folks in these groups.
* We’re interested in all kinds of Lean Startupstories that other people can learn from. Astraight-up story about how you followed Lean Startup principles at yourorganization and did pretty well with them is not useful for otherentrepreneurs. Instead, tell us what you’ve learned. For example, if you’ve done lots ofcustomer development, don’t suggest a talk reporting that; instead, tell us howyou now do customer development in an unusual way that others might find useful. Or share what didn't work, or what took you by surprise. Or explain the obstacles you uncovered in applying Lean Startup in acounter-intuitive context, like a regulated industry. Or describe tactics thatyou’ve refined in an innovative way--say, a new take on A/B testing orcontinuous deployment.
* Dofollow the directions in the application form and read them first beforeemailing questions. Seriously. * The deadline is Thurs, May 9 at midnight PT.If you work with somebody--particularly a woman,person of color, or anybody else typically under-represented at techconferences--who has relevant experience to share, please show themthis post. Note, too, that we’re looking for speakers from all sectors.Again, here’s the new form. We look forward to learning from you.
