- Larry Schwartz, President, Newstex
With the Previews application deadline coming up November 21, I sat down with Previews Chair/Judge Larry Schwartz, to get some tips on what makes for a successful previews presentation, both to the judges and at IIS 2013 in January.
JH: What sparked the Previews concept?
LS: Wow that tests my memory. It started organically with me and Ed Keating. I was frustrated that small companies were not getting enough exposure at SIIA, and SIIA was not enough to bring small companies/startups into the SIIA community. Ed and I had several lobster roll sessions and came up with the idea, originally as a stand alone conference the day before IIS.
JH: What is your most memorable Previews moment?
LS: Two come to mind, first when Fred Wilson spoke at I believe the first Previews event. It was a great speech about information wants to be free. Watch it here.
My second moment was the Alumni lunch we had in 2008 and 2009 I believe. It was a great to see all of these content related companies networking under the SIIA previews banner.
JH: Rumor has it that you are the “Simon Cowell” of the Judges. If you’re Simon, then who is Paula?
LS: Ha! You mean who gives the love? Randy Marcinko 
JH: You have been judging previews since it launched in 2007. What is the best advice you could give potential applicants?
LS: When presenting your company in 5 minutes tell a story! The audience does not want facts and figures about your startup or hear your 10 page resume. They want you to tell a story about the problem your company is trying to solve. Some of the best Previews companies were the ones that described the problem and then showed how they were solving it. Boardroom Insider is a great example. They are helping to solve the problem of finding detailed information about senior executives by using public source data to build deep and insightful profiles of senior executives at major companies nationwide. Tell a great story that solves a problem.
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About Previews
Previews showcases innovative B2B content companies – publishers, media, content aggregators, and technology plays – who have at least a Series A round of financing, generate less than $10 million in sales, and have actual customers. If that describes your company, apply now.
Selected companies will present at IIS 2013 to over 300 leaders from the information industry. Previews presenting companies present to secure funding, strategic partnerships, new customers or even an exit.
Questions? Contact Jennifer Hansen.
