Going to Market When No Market Exists

Explore strategies for bringing innovative products to market when no established market exists in this 29-minute talk by Martin Casado at a16z. Learn how to create and enter new market categories, develop effective pricing strategies, and market to early adopters, particularly developers. Discover the importance of timing in setting prices and deploying sales teams. Gain insights on open-source strategies, attracting developers, and building a sales organization. Understand the challenges of early markets, managing limited resources, and leveraging professional services. Benefit from Casado's personal experiences and lessons learned as a technical founder, from his journey with Nicira to its successful acquisition by VMWare. Acquire valuable knowledge on transforming innovative technology into a thriving business, even when faced with non-intuitive challenges in market creation and valuation.

Introduction
Why this is important
Market Category Creation
Going to Market
Direct Sales
Discounting
Marketing
Magic Beans
Marketing Channels
Developers Control Budget
How to Attract Developers
Open Source Strategies
Sales Has Sales
Sales Learning Curve
Shift Your Sales Organization
Build Your Sales Team
Early Market
Limiting Resources
Professional Services
Final Thoughts