Biography of Julian Shapiro: Partner at Hyper & Startup Investor at Julian.capital
Biography of Julian Shapiro:
Julian Shapiro, Partner at Hyper and Startup Investor at
Julian.capital, resides in San Francisco, California. He has a diverse
background, having founded Demand Curve and served as a Growth Marketing
Columnist at TechCrunch. Previously, he held the role of VP of Marketing at
Webflow and is an alumnus of Y Combinator.
Julian Shapiro, currently a Partner at Hyper and Startup
Investor at Julian.capital, draws on his extensive experience as the Founder of
Demand Curve and Growth Marketing Columnist to guide his investment decisions.
He has supported over 45,000 startups in launching and scaling their customer
acquisition efforts, a background he now leverages for his Rolling Fund.
Investment Focus
Julian Shapiro focuses his investments primarily on
Software, Information Technology, and SaaS (Software as a Service) sectors. His
investment stage preferences include Seed and Pre-Seed rounds, with a
particular interest in startups based in the United States, Bangladesh, and
Pakistan.
Education
Y Combinator: Seed Investor
Currently serving as a Seed Investor at Julian.capital,
Julian Shapiro leverages his extensive experience and network within the
startup ecosystem to identify and support promising early-stage ventures. His
role underscores his commitment to nurturing entrepreneurship and fostering
innovation across various industries.
Experience Overview
Julian.capital: Seed Investor (March 2022 - Present)
Julian.capital is a seed fund that invests in early-stage
startups, providing $500K checks to help them grow. They are known for their
expertise in fostering growth and design strategies, actively partnering with
startups to accelerate their path towards securing Series A funding.
Entrepreneurs are encouraged to submit their business proposals through
deepchecks.vc for potential investment consideration.
Demand Curve: Founder (2019 - 2022)
Founded by Julian Shapiro, Demand Curve stands as a
prominent figure in growth marketing education. Over its operational years,
Demand Curve has trained and mentored thousands of startups, imparting
essential growth strategies that have been applied by leading companies like
Autodesk, Microsoft, and Zendesk. Their approach focuses on equipping
businesses with the tools and knowledge to replicate the success of the world’s
fastest-growing companies.
Bell Curve: Founder (2019 - 2022)
Bell Curve operates as a growth agency that partners with
notable brands such as Ancestry and LinkedIn. Specializing in customized growth
strategies, Bell Curve helps companies optimize their digital presence and
achieve significant market growth. Their client roster spans across diverse
industries, showcasing their versatility and effectiveness in driving impactful
marketing campaigns.
TechCrunch: Columnist (2019 - 2021)
During his tenure as a columnist at TechCrunch, Julian
Shapiro contributed insights and analysis on growth marketing trends. His
columns not only provided valuable perspectives on industry developments but
also offered practical advice to entrepreneurs and marketers looking to
navigate the rapidly evolving digital landscape. Additionally, Julian shares
his expertise through his personal blog at Julian.com, further establishing
himself as a thought leader in the field.
Biography of Julian Shapiro: Partner at Hyper & Startup Investor at Julian.capital/Founder of Demand Curve/Y Combinator/investor/ Seed, angel,pre-seed
Webflow, Inc.: VP of Marketing (2014 - 2015)
As Vice President of Marketing at Webflow, Julian Shapiro
played a pivotal role in driving the company’s growth initiatives. He oversaw
various aspects of marketing strategy, including business development, paid
acquisition campaigns, and conversion rate optimization. Under his leadership,
Webflow solidified its position as a leading visual website builder, catering
to professionals seeking intuitive and powerful web design solutions.
Velocity.js: Lead Developer (Stripe Open Source Grant) (2013
- 2014)
Julian Shapiro’s contributions to open-source development
are exemplified through Velocity.js, a widely adopted JavaScript animation
library. Supported by a grant from Stripe, Velocity.js became a cornerstone
tool for developers seeking to enhance user experiences through smooth and
efficient animations. Its adoption by major companies such as Samsung and Uber
underscored its impact and popularity within the tech community.
NameLayer, Inc.: Founder (2011 - 2013)
NameLayer, Inc. was founded by Julian Shapiro with a focus
on providing domain name services. The company’s acquisition by TechStars
highlighted its importance in enhancing startups’ digital identities through
strategic domain name selection and management.
Portfolio Highlights
Among his notable investments are:
DealCart: This platform enables users to purchase their
favorite products collectively, leveraging group buying and sharing deals via
WhatsApp and other social media channels.
Pogo: Pogo is an app that empowers users to optimize their
financial decisions and shopping experiences using personalized data insights.
It boasts a high rating of 4.9 stars on the App Store.
Agroshift: Agroshift supports farmers by facilitating the
sale of their produce to businesses and consumers through a technology-driven
supply chain.
These ventures showcase Julian Shapiro's strategic focus on
innovative solutions in commerce, data optimization, and agricultural
technology.
Identifying Promising Startups
Julian emphasizes his unique perspective as a growth
marketer to identify early-stage companies with compelling value propositions.
He applies his insights into what resonates with the market to select promising
investment opportunities. This approach has led him to invest in notable
companies such as ClassDojo, Republic, and Synthesis.
Framework for Investment
Julian's investment framework revolves around thinking like
a growth marketer. He analyzes how startups position themselves in the market
and evaluates their potential based on the attractiveness of their value
propositions. This strategic alignment allows him to identify and support
startups poised for growth and success in their respective industries.
Identifying Great Companies
Julian Shapiro holds a keen interest in identifying
companies that exhibit Product-Led Growth (PLG). These are businesses where the
growth is primarily driven by existing users. Examples like Slack, PayPal, and
Zoom illustrate PLG because users need to invite others to derive full value
from the product. Other forms of PLG include products that generate public
exposure or rely on user-generated content. At Demand Curve, Julian observed
that many highly successful companies attribute their growth to PLG strategies.
“PLG scales, it’s defensible, it has network effects, and it
can build moats. It's the holy grail of growth,” Julian emphasized,
highlighting the strategic advantages of Product-Led Growth.
Julian's Investment Criteria
Julian places a lot of importance on "founder
formidability," which he defines as essential qualities in a startup
founder.
Biased Towards Action
Julian values founders who are decisive and proactive. He
looks for leaders who don't hesitate when clear decisions need to be made. They
strategize and gather information thoughtfully, demonstrating a track record of
effective decision-making.
Resourceful and Ambitious
He also looks for founders who show initiative and drive
throughout their careers. A founder's history of proactive effort and ambition
is crucial. It helps Julian understand why they are passionate about their
current mission and their ability to execute it successfully.
Insightful Communication
Julian values clear and strategic communication from
founders. He seeks out founders who can articulate their vision effectively, make
objective decisions, and navigate challenges without getting bogged down by
distractions or internal politics. He assesses this through past investor
updates and the founder's ability to prioritize critical information.
