More founders need to touch grass

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2. Today’s story is about tech and media, and how founders can leverage it best.

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Now, let’s get into this week’s edition!

On 31st March 2016, Doug Evans launched the first-ever juicer that connected to the internet: Juicero.

To use it, you needed to buy $5 pre-chopped fruit and veggie packs from the company.

Each pack had a QR code, and the machine wouldn’t work unless you scanned the code and connected to the internet to verify it was the real pack.

Juicero’s big sell?

These packs were way faster and less messy than chopping up and grinding your own fruits and veggies.

Silicon Valley went wild at yet another “tech disruption”.

The media jumped on it, and Juicero landed glowing profiles in The New York Times.

Oprah became a fan. Fitness influencers pumped it up online. And Silicon Valley’s investors followed the noise, throwing in $118 million.

Then in April 2017, the wheels came off.

Bloomberg posted a video of someone squeezing the juice packs by hand - no Wi-Fi-connected machine needed.

When the video went viral, the rest of the Juicero pieces fell like dominos.

And the juice squeezer got squeezed.

Turns out, the early excitement was coming from a small group of super fans.

The rest of the world didn’t really get it, and the hype didn’t reflect the actual demand for the product.

Juicero might be the most viral example, but it’s not the only time media hype has hidden serious problems in a startup.

Too much early publicity can overwhelm founders, push a startup to scale before it’s ready, or force them to cut corners to keep up.

So it got us thinking: is there a better way for founders to deal with media attention?

We looked into what startups get right and wrong with media, and found three gems to remember when you’re trying to get noticed.

1. Sync your media moments with actual growth

When Juicero first hit the market, founder Doug Evans went all out with a media campaign, even comparing it to the Tesla Roadster launch.

They got covered by top media outlets and brought on influencers with massive audiences.

But this publicity only pushed the company to rush their product to market and scale fast when the business model was flawed.

The takeaway: Build your product before chasing headlines

In a later interview, Doug Evans admits that pushing out too many press releases put a target on his back.

Not just that, but it can make it seem like your product is doing better than it really is.

If you’re early stage, it’s wiser to focus on real customer feedback and nailing your product-market fit.

Not blowing cash on a “top 30 under 30” list when your product barely works.

2. Brace yourself: Spotlight comes with a side of scrutiny

Getting things right in the beginning can make a difference for your startup.

You build something people love.

You get the funding you need to bring it to market.

And you hire talent that makes the rest of us sit up and notice.

Naturally, this will get you a lot of clout - from the media, your socials, and even your circle.

But that attention won’t just vanish when it starts to rain.

Take Flutterwave, a payment startup that's become the face of startup success in Africa.

Flutterwave has soaked up its fair share of media attention:

• Joining Y Combinator in 2016

• Raising $170 million in Series C in 2021 to become a unicorn

• And hitting a $3 billion valuation a year later

But that spotlight followed them, even when they fumbled.

In 2022, a former employee accused Flutterwave’s CEO Olugbenga Agboola of bullying.

It was all over top tech publications, making major headlines.

And on social media, it sparked a huge conversation about toxic work culture in Nigerian startups.

Then three months later, when the company faced money laundering allegations in Kenya, the attention didn’t let up.

Flutterwave’s CEO had to jet off to Nairobi to sort things out.

And in the end, they got their millions unfrozen, got the Central Bank of Kenya’s stamp of approval for a name, and moved a step closer to getting their Kenyan license.

The Takeaway: You’ll be hyped today, and called out tomorrow.

Our job in media is to tell Africa’s tech story, but it won’t always be love and light.

Part of the media’s JD is to ask tough questions. To track the lows just as much as the highs.

So when you get a lot of coverage early, you’ll also get extra scrutiny during tough times.

But you can handle by having a crisis management plan.

Get a great PR team who understands the media scene, and can help you handle the scrutiny and answer the tough questions.

3. Invest in owned media platforms

In 2024, there are plenty of ways to get your startup out there beyond just mainstream media.

Two months ago, Tanzanian fintech NALA raised $40 million in a Series A round.

The news hit all top tech publications, including Tech Crunch.

But what really stood out was the video Benjamin Fernandes, NALA’s founder and CEO, posted on his socials.

In the video, “The Next Billion“ Benji rocks a shirt that reads “1% built”, a mantra he repeats all the time on his socials.

It’s a reminder that 99% of Africa's payment problems are still unsolved.

In two minutes, he shares NALA’s journey from his hometown in Dar es Salaam to the world, diving into:

• What inspired him to build payments for Africa’s next one billion people

• How they turned profitable last year, growing their customers, transactions, and revenue

• And how they pulled it off while dealing with 25 payment partner issues every month

The video blew up, getting 200K+ views on Twitter and 1,000+ reactions on LinkedIn, beating Nala’s official accounts.

The takeaway: Build your channels to own your narrative

Founders need to build in public and grow an audience.

When you’re out there sharing your story as you go, it catches the media’s eye because it’s backed by real traction.

And it helps you control the narrative.

A strong following also means early customers who are fired up about what you’re building.

They give you instant feedback on what’s working and what’s not.

And they spread the word and get others excited by commenting or even sharing your updates on their feed.

PS: That’s exactly why we started our agency: to help founders grow their audience online and own their own narrative. Learn more here.

Publicity is great for getting your startup noticed, but it's not everything.

Too much attention too soon can pull you off track and create unrealistic expectations.

You don’t have to attend every conference. You don’t have to be on the cover of every publication.

And just because your startup isn’t in the spotlight doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong.

Remember to go outside and touch some grass.

Know any founders who nailed media coverage, or those who got their juice squeezed by too much attention?

Let us know here.

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