Kristen Wiley 麻豆精品 S�14 never imagined that just a few years after graduation she would be choosing between a dream job offer and starting her own business.
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As a result, the startup, which matches companies with social media influencers, has proven itself to be a leading innovative platform among Orlando 麻豆精品 S檚 emerging tech startups in just two years. Wiley credits the region 麻豆精品 S檚 growing entrepreneurial community and coworking spaces for much of her success and is looking forward to the possibilities in Orlando 麻豆精品 S檚 upcoming innovation district.
Finding a Niche
As an advertising and public relations major, Wiley was paid small amounts to advertise products for companies such as Hershey 麻豆精品 S檚 chocolates on her personal blog 麻豆精品 S� a now-common practice in the marketing world known as influencer marketing. The experience landed her an internship at an advertising agency where she later accepted a full-time position upon graduation.
麻豆精品 S淭hey thought of me as this social media savvy graduate, so they allowed me to build influencer marketing relationships with brands, 麻豆精品 S� Wiley says.
麻豆精品 S淏loggers need a lot of content and products to post about, but they get expensive, 麻豆精品 S� says Kristen Wiley 麻豆精品 S�14.
She was soon tasked with leading the endeavor for the agency when she noticed there was something missing from the relationship between brands and bloggers.
麻豆精品 S淏loggers need a lot of content and products to post about, but they get expensive, 麻豆精品 S� says Wiley, who was a Honors Scholar. 麻豆精品 S淎nd sometimes brands don 麻豆精品 S檛 send you products that match your interests. 麻豆精品 S�
Wiley 麻豆精品 S檚 idea to use a curated subscription box for influencers in exchange for blog postings seemed like it could fill the gap. It was a fresh idea, but she wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 sure if it would work. Wiley bought joinstatus.com and continued working full time at the agency.
About a year later, Wiley was attending networking events around town when she was inspired by entrepreneur Suneera Madhani, CEO of the successful Orlando-based payment-processing company Fattmerchant.
麻豆精品 S淪he was one of the first people who made me feel like I could do it, 麻豆精品 S� says Wiley. 麻豆精品 S淪he had this confidence and strength in her business presentation, and something about that moment was a big turning point for me. 麻豆精品 S�
Wiley then made a promise to herself: If she applied to a local business incubator program called StarterStudio and was accepted, she would pursue the venture full time.
Soon after, Statusphere was born in downtown Orlando.
StarterStudio Program Director Dayle Moore mentored Wiley in a variety of areas such as business model development, market strategy, fundraising and getting down her pitch.
麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檝e helped hundreds of startups, but it 麻豆精品 S檚 not every day you meet a founder like Kristen, 麻豆精品 S� says Moore. 麻豆精品 S淪he brings a strong market understanding and passion to the table, while having an innovative idea and strategy to back it. 麻豆精品 S�
Within the first year, Wiley had clients including Freeman Beauty, Safeway and Barnie 麻豆精品 S檚 Coffee and Tea Co. She also brought another Knight on to the team, Theresa Joseph 麻豆精品 S�17, as director of operations. Joseph 麻豆精品 S檚 previous experience included a finance internship at NASA. Much like Wiley, Joseph, a , realized that she wanted to pursue creativity and flexibility in her work. The alumni say the best part about running a startup is the ability to bounce ideas off each other and implement new concepts quickly.
麻豆精品 S淚 think Kristen and I both have the same policy on things, 麻豆精品 S� says Joseph. 麻豆精品 S淛ust say yes to new ideas and new opportunities, and then we 麻豆精品 S檒l figure the rest out. 麻豆精品 S�
Diminishing Doubt
For Wiley and Joseph, the path to funding hasn 麻豆精品 S檛 been easy. Without investors, startups can 麻豆精品 S檛 scale the company up to a size effective enough to carry out its vision.
麻豆精品 S淛ust say yes to new ideas and new opportunities, and then we 麻豆精品 S檒l figure the rest out, 麻豆精品 S� says Theresa Joseph 麻豆精品 S�17.
On trips to Silicon Valley to pitch potential investors, Wiley had to fight her way through the criticisms of Statusphere. Investors liked the concept but said her location wouldn 麻豆精品 S檛 work. Jason Calacanis, a former New York City tech kingpin and well-known angel investor who was one of the first to fund Uber, was one of those critics.
He recommended Wiley take her company to cities such as Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, suggesting they would be more beneficial to networking and company growth.
Wiley 麻豆精品 S檚 quick response? Orlando fits the job, and her dollars stretch further here. Orlando International Airport is one of the most affordable international airports in the country. There is a large talent pool of college graduates specializing in STEM. And the cost of living in Central Florida is significantly lower in comparison to San Francisco.
A strong case was made for keeping the company in Orlando to grow. Calacanis found the argument convincing enough to grant Statusphere a $100,000 investment and acceptance into the LAUNCH program, based in San Francisco.
With these new funds, Wiley and Joseph have been working on the logistics of the company and growing the team. They now have a staff of five, plus three interns 麻豆精品 S攁ll are UCF graduates and students.
A Bright Future
The momentum for Statusphere is high and the startup movement in Orlando is not likely to slow down anytime soon. As digital technology permeates more of the world 麻豆精品 S檚 economy and social media remains a channel for brand innovation, opportunities for startups continue to grow.
UCF Downtown will place students in closer proximity to accelerator programs such as StarterStudio, and give them more opportunities to collaborate with high-tech and creative companies in downtown.
麻豆精品 S淯CF Downtown will be thought of as a pipeline into the entrepreneurial community that 麻豆精品 S檚 already rooted downtown, 麻豆精品 S� Joseph says.
麻豆精品 S淯CF Downtown will be thought of as a pipeline into the entrepreneurial community that 麻豆精品 S檚 already rooted downtown, 麻豆精品 S� says Joseph. 麻豆精品 S淏etween the space coast and the university, Orlando is primed for something really cool. 麻豆精品 S�
For the two alumni, growing their company from Orlando couldn 麻豆精品 S檛 be a better decision.
麻豆精品 S淭he bigger the tech culture grows, the bigger it will feel for everybody in it, 麻豆精品 S� says Wiley.
麻豆精品 S淲ithout this welcoming community here, it 麻豆精品 S檚 hard to envision what we would be attached to. There are benefits financially, but the benefits of having the support of the Orlando community are bigger than we could have possibly imagined. 麻豆精品 S�
