Welcome to Startup Grind's Founder Series, where our VP of Sales + Startups Alex Gordon-Furse educates our global community on highly relevant early-stage topics through interviews with founders of top startups from our Startup Program.

In this episode, Alex interviews Mary Spio, a former Deep Space Engineer with multiple patents. Mary is currently Founder & CEO of CEEK VR, an award-winning streaming service for virtual events and experiences featuring the biggest names in entertainment, like Bon Jovi, U2, Lady Gaga, and more.

The subject of this interview is 'Alternatives to VC: Funding organic growth through mega-partnerships'. Expect to learn how Mary used revenue from partnerships with the likes of Universal Music, Google, and Apple to grow, rather than primarily investor funds.

0:00 Start
0:10 Quick intro from Alex Gordon-Furse, VP of Sales & Startups at Startup Grind HQ
2:30 Meet Mary Spio, Founder and CEO at CEEK VR
3:30 What is the problem CEEK is solving?
4:59 Before COVID, how did you explain why now the best time for CEEK to be solving it?
7:05 Who are your main competitors and why are you better?
10:59 How did you fund CEEK between 2016 and 2019 when you raised capital?
13:50 Raising capital for female founders is a huge challenge. What was the story for you?
16:42 How did you choose your investors?
18:49 Will you raise more venture funds in the future & what will your decision-making process look like for that decision?
21:14 Is CEEK different because its primary distribution strategy is through these big brand partnerships as B2B2C?
23:54 What was your process for finding & getting meetings with big brands when you run such an early-stage startup?
28:11 What is the key to getting large organizations to take the time with you and to pilot things with you?
32:54 How does the sales cycle look for one of these partnerships?
37:38 How has your role evolved as CEEK has grown?
41:56 Are there 3 words you can leave us with on organic growth through mega-partnerships?

Watch more of the Founder Series:    • Founder Series  

Alex's Twitter: @giomate
Mary's Twitter: @MarySpio

Medium:   / startup  
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Check out CEEK!
Website: www.ceek.com
Twitter:   / ceek  
Facebook:   / ceekapp  
Instagram:   / ceekvr  
Youtube:    / @ceekvr  

GLOBAL CONFERENCE: https://www.startupgrind.com/conference/
EUROPE CONFERENCE: https://www.startupgrind.com/europe