Sesame Summit 2026 – application open

Dan’s List

While Ben was away in Spain last week, I knew “the list” would fall into my lap, and I turned my attention to what my attention was turned to. What I found was that much of it wasn’t really “business” focused at all.

At least not directly.

Which made me think that I was failing. At least at the “business” part.

And while this may be true by some measurements, I came to realize that my “business” is the business of creation. Of storytelling. Of drawing from a wide range of resources so that I CAN and AM armed with a wide range of knowledge.

Whether that’s to carry on an intelligent conversation, craft an intro to a newsletter, or simply know my fucking history, it all adds up.

With a clear and present danger of ignorance on full display last week, the Persona Universale is, and should be, the most sought after “business” skill of them all.

And that, has made all the difference.


Book

From basement project to most sought after cycle in the world in less than a decade. This inspiring chronicle of Cervélo outlines the cultivation of the unique culture of the brand, as well as the daring and innovative engineering that’s set them apart from their competitors.

Cervélo history book – Vroomen and White story – Cervélo Cycles
A book about two entrepreneurs, Gerard Vroomen and Phil White, who took their company, Cervélo Cycles, from a school basement project to their bikes winning in the Tour de France, the Olympics and Ironman. TO MAKE RIDERS FASTER is a 256-page hardcover book with the story woven through the words, pic…
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Entrepreneurship

Robin called it last week.

Uber and Airbnb were created in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Do with that what you will.

Why Right Now Is the Best Time Ever to Start a Business
Macro-economic uncertainty is creating opportunities entrepreneurs have not seen in decades. Seize this extraordinary moment.
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Branding

Life. A bit less fucking seriously.

Prediction: Nicolas Cage is poised for a John Travolta-circa-Pulp Fiction renaissance.

Because sometimes taking your brand LESS seriously can be the path to success.

History of Swear Words | Netflix Official Site
Nicolas Cage hosts this proudly profane, funny and engagingly educational series about the history and impact of the most notorious English swear words.
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Advertising

Saving the world with Snoop and the story behind it.

It’s a proven fact, humor works. And saving the planet is no laughing matter.

Behind the Idea: Snoop Dogg saves the planet – With SodaStream Global CMO Karin Schifter
So here we are: Christmas is over, the new year is all ahead of us, and the road is still long to make another positive year for sustainability – but we might be on the right track. 2020 was an interesting year for the planet in many ways, and brands…
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Content

Plan it or lose it

If you’re still scrambling for content on a weekly basis … clicky clicky.

11 Social Media Calendars, Tools, & Templates to Plan Your Content
If you have campaigns across many channels, organizing can be hard, but these social media calendars and other tools can improve your process.
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Comms

All your data are belong to us

Later on Thursday, Facebook issued a statement saying that there would be no changes in the “European region” – which covers the EU, EEA, and post-Brexit UK.

And if you believe that one, there’s this company called Cambridge Analytica I’d like to introduce you to.

Signal. #justsayin’

WhatsApp and Facebook to share users’ data outside Europe and UK
Users in Europe and the UK must accept new terms to use the service, but will not see data rule changes.
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Twitter

Sit the fuck down and shut up.

Well, we saw what it finally takes to get the fat man banned forever. Encouraging a violent insurrection by domestic terrorists. Great.

Here, Corey sums up EVERYTHING that I’ve been thinking for the past 4 years.


Music

It’s about time

“A record label markets music and distributes royalties for the artists that it’s signed based on records sold, downloaded and streamed. But unless the company also a publisher it won’t provide a full service for songwriters.”

London’s own Henry Marsden wants to change that.

On Song—How Technology Can Help Composers To Get Their Just Deserts
British MPs have been investigating streaming payments but there are other ways that musicians can enhance their earnings. Trevor Clawson talks to two entrepreneurs who see data as the key to higher royalty payments
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Podcast

It’s a podcast. About a startup podcast media company.

That was eventually acquired by Spotify. To the tune of $230M. … un huh.

Listen and learn.

StartUp | Gimlet
A show about what it’s really like to start a business
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Hat tip: Nick Stevens. This man knows his shit.


Art

“Your art is only as good as who says it’s good.” – Dan Taylor

Masterpiece? Child’s doodle? Art is in the eye of the beholder. And when the beholders are art critics … well …


Tool

Cut it out

Do you know YOUR carbon footprint? I didn’t either. It’s 2021. Time to get with the program.

WWF Footprint Calculator
The planet is in crisis – from climate change to the pollution in our oceans and devastation of our forests. It’s up to all of us to fix it. Take your first step with our environmental footprint calculator.
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Events 2 days ago

Last week, I spent three days at Bits and Pretzels in Munich — a startup-focused event with a distinctly Bavarian flavor. Think Oktoberfest meets startup conference, complete with dirndls, lederhosen, and more beer than you might expect. As someone building an AI-powered event platform, I went in with a specific mission: Observe how startups actually market themselves at events. Here’s what I discovered: GoodBytz: The power of good demos What they did: Robotics startup GoodBytz set up a booth where its robots prepared kaiserschmarrn (a traditional German dessert) all day long. Why it worked: Nothing beats seeing a product in action. While other booths had brochures and demos, GoodBytz’s robots were actually cooking. The smell, the movement and the end result stirred together an experience that people will remember and talk about. The lesson: If you have a physical product, show it in action. The old writing adage generalizes well: Show, don’t tell.  Let people see, hear and touch the product. WeRoad: The bathroom hack What they did: Posted “Missing Investor” flyers in bathroom stalls with QR codes pointing to their website. Why it worked: Pure genius. Every startup at the event was looking for investors, but the “Missing Investor” headline, while a bit on the nose, proved irresistible. Plus, bathroom stalls are one of the few places where people have 30 seconds to actually read something. The lesson: Think about where your target audience’s attention will remain undivided. Sometimes, the most effective marketing leverages the most unexpected places. Emqopter: Visual impact matters What they did: Designed a bright orange booth that displayed their drone prominently. Why it worked: In a sea of grey, white, beige and brown, Emqopter’s bright orange booth was impossible to overlook. The drone was real, too, and proved a real conversation starter. The lesson: Your booth is competing with hundreds of others. Make it visually distinctive and ensure your product is the hero. Quests: Community building using the product What they did: Created a busy, branded booth with accessories (toy car, traffic cones, a bulletin board) and used their anti-loneliness app to build communities among founders at the event. Why it worked: Quests used their product to solve a real problem right at the event, and the busy booth design generated energy and curiosity. The lesson: Use your product to solve a problem at the event — if it’s possible, of course. Demonstrate your value in real time. Dyno: Event-themed marketing What they did: Distributed branded electrolyte packs with the tagline “Your hangover ends. Your pension lasts – with Dyno.” Why it worked: Dyno aligned its messaging perfectly with the Oktoberfest theme. Every attendee was thinking about beer and hangovers, so Dyno’s goodies were quite relevant. The tagline was clever, memorable, and directly addressed a pain point most people at the event might have to deal with later. The lesson: Tailor your marketing to the event’s theme and culture. The more you tie your messaging and product to the context, the more memorable you become. So, what did I learn? Event marketing is about more than just showing up and setting up a booth; you have to understand your audience and create experiences that people will remember. Here’s what really struck me: most startups and even big companies don’t know how to leverage events properly. They book the booth, show up and hope for the best; maybe they bring some branded pens and a pop-up banner. Then they’ll go back home and wonder why they spent €5,000 in exchange for 50 business cards that never convert. The startups that stood out at Bits and Pretzels understand something fundamental: event ROI isn’t about booth size or location; it’s about strategy, creativity and planning. None of the startups above improvised on-site, or planned something the night before the event in their hotel rooms. They laid everything out 4-6 weeks before the event. A solid pre-event strategy is what separates successful event marketing from expensive booth rental.  But what matters most for early-stage startups is that you don’t need a massive budget to stand out. WeRoad’s bathroom stall hack probably cost €50 to print the flyers. A standard booth package at Bits and Pretzels would go for €3,000 to €5,500. The ROI difference is staggering when you compare the cost per meaningful conversation. That’s the difference between simply spending money and investing smartly. Building Sesamers has taught me that helping startups find the right events is only half the equation. The other half is helping them understand how to maximize ROI once they’re there. Good props aren’t a marketing expense; they’re opportunities to meet customers, investors and partners, and strike up engaging conversations.

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New Materials 3 days ago

Lios Group, the Irish startup behind SoundBounce, was a winner of JEC Composites Startup Booster 2018, and has been making significant strides since taking home the award.

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New Materials 1 week ago

Tree Composites aims to accelerate the energy transition with innovative composite joints.

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