On February 19th the director of Tech Wildcatters announced he was stepping down. Stewart Youngblood (no relation), left the startup accelerator right before it was named to a Forbes top 10 list, leaving behind a 3 year long legacy that saw Dallas go from an unknown city for startups to one of the top cities. He immediately went into recluse becoming a hermit and hiding from the public like Shia LaBeouf, ok I made that part up.

He’s actually been working on a top secret project set to launch in a few weeks. I asked him to sit down and answer some questions about startup life, marketing a startup, SEO in Dallas, and the city.

Joe: Stewart,  thanks for taking a few minutes to answer some questions for me. It’s no secret we share a last name. I constantly get asked if I’m related to you, apparently you’re more popular than me or something ridiculous like that. Do you ever get asked if you’re related to a rapper or someone more famous than you?

Stewart: Dude I get asked ALL THE TIME about my last name. First off, most strangers don’t believe it is real. If I have to hand my ID to someone for something, I always get a weird look once they see the name, and usually get 20 questions about it too. Usually I either get asked if I know about the rap group the Youngbloodz (duh) or if I am related to Jack Youngblood who played in the NFL like 20 years ago. And despite what you think, I’ve been asked many a time if I am related to you as well 🙂

J: #YoungbloodProblems It’s ok, I know you deny me every time. [laughing] Our last name is pretty awesome isn’t it? Do you think that’s why you’ve been so successful? because… it hasn’t helped me yet.

S: I pretty much attribute all of my success to my last name. No but seriously, I do think that having a unique last name is a benefit because people remember you better. So it definitely doesn’t hurt!

J: Ok, time to get serious here. You worked with startups for 3 years at Tech Wildcatters as the Operations Manager and then Program Director. What’s the strangest startup pitch you’ve ever heard?

S: Oh lord, well I have seen and heard so many strange pitches that it’ hard to pick one. Let’s say I’ve had people pitch some sexual/porn related pitches that I would DEFINITELY file under the “strange” label. I’ve also seen application submissions that I am pretty sure were written by crackheads while they were high (rambling ON and ON for literally dozens of pages). So that’s fun.

J: In the time you were at Tech Wildcatters the group has gone from being new and relatively unknown, to being a Forbes top 10 tech accelerator, which is obviously all thanks to you =] . Any crazy stories you’d like to share about your time there?

S: I was lucky enough to partake in the rise of Tech Wildcatters, but the foundation was set long ago by amazing people – many newcomers in today’s Startup Scene have never met or heard of any of these people. I was humbled to be able to contribute to such an amazing group and continue to build on what they put in motion. As far as crazy stories… again, I’ve got too many to share! My favorite stories are usually alcohol-related. We had one group that had to switch a presenter on Pitch Day because the original presenter was drunk! Moral of the story: everyone on your team needs to be prepared to pitch at any moment, because you never know what might happen to your cofounder at the bar beforehand 🙂

J: How do startups approach marketing before they get into a program like TechWildcatters and what changes after they get accepted if anything?

S: Since most of the TW startups are b2b, there’s been little or no marketing focus, let alone any marketing spend/budget. We are usually starting from scratch, so TW gives them resources (both online and in-person mentorship) around specific topics that will be pertinent to them. The key is to give them the base of knowledge to be able to develop a coherent plan during the program, and be able to execute on that plan once they’ve graduated. TW has several amazing marketing minds as mentors too, and those guys/gals are worth their weight in gold to our startups (years of experience always trumps knowledge of how to use a tool).

J: Do you think SEO or Social Media plays a larger role in startup marketing, why?

S: It depends on the industry, but typically the answer is yes. This is because trackable ROI via SEO and Social Media has become a standard for showcasing traction to investors and potential customers. Also, most startup entrepreneurs are more comfortable with the tools in the SEO/social media ecosystem, so they feel they can make a greater impact than if they were doing “traditional” methods of marketing. I agree with this – if you already have a technical base of knowledge, then playing to your technical strengths is a good thing. It just shouldn’t be at the expense of a different marketing channel if you are in an industry where that channel has proven to produce trackable ROI.

J: What are some tips you have to help propel a startup company’s marketing program?

S: Talk to experts. It’s easier in an accelerator/incubator setting, but even if you are interacting with these people online, you will get A LOT of value for basically free. I always preach “path to least resistance”, and in this case, why wouldn’t you stand on the shoulders of giants if they are putting this info out there for free?

Another tip: If you are b2b, you need to practice navigating an organization to get to the decision-maker. Your “marketing” program may very well resemble a private investigator team – trying to identify the right person to talk to in an organization with thousands of people and titles is extremely difficult and time consuming. Learning how to do it will set you apart from your peers.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to experiment. You are a startup! You are nimble. Try something, react to it, and keep doing it over and over until you’ve refined a plan. This helps you spend the money where it should go, instead of spending it where you THINK it should go. All experiments should have a trackable outcome.

J: What percentage of startups join an accelerator thinking they will be famous and rich in a few months and what percent seem to understand the amount of work it will take?

S: Thankfully, most people now realize it’s hard as hell and there’s a lot of work – and that’s what they want! In the past, perceptions were definitely different. I heard from many entrepreneurs in the Dallas ecosystem who were obviously headstrong and thought they were hot shit, and that everyone would just hand them money. I also saw a lot of people celebrate an investment as if it was the end goal. Guess what? It’s NOT, it’s the beginning, and now you are accountable financially to others.

Again, this has now shifted for the better I’d say, but there are still those who just won’t ever get it and who think the world revolves around them. Fuck those people.

J: What are some areas they seem to struggle in?

S: Most startups struggle with the emotional and physical toll that an accelerated environment forces upon you. It’s not meant to be easy, and people know that, but they usually don’t understand that it’s not just a mental thing, it’s physical and emotional as well.

Also, I am a pitch stickler, and every startup I’ve seen come into TW has had a subpar pitch before going through the process. This is usually because they’ve picked up bad habits along the way and don’t even know they are doing it wrong. A strong pitch (not just a powerpoint, pitch-day style pitch, but also a 60 second elevator pitch) is the most important foot forward during the limited time you are in an accelerator. If you can’t convey the value of your startup, then you are immediately screwed, because people don’t know how they can help you.

J: Does Dallas have what it takes to beat out Austin and San Francisco to become the nations top city for startups anytime in the future? If so what do you think needs to change to get our city or metro there?

S: Absolutely! Why do you think I didn’t leave for Austin or SF? Because I know that cities like Dallas are going to win long-term. Will it be immediate? No. Brad Feld’s book Startup Communities lays out what it takes to build an ecosystem, and I believe we are in year 6 or so of a 20 year process. But even before 2028 rolls around, we are seeing signs of significant momentum here. I personally haven’t seen this many people consistently involved in events, and I haven’t seen this many events ever. So our “scene” is solidifying. However, we still lack the proper Venture Capital model for our Series A- level startups. We need exits from funded startups in the area – once that happens, the capital will not be able to deny the value of DFW. We also need some more “name brand” VCs to set up offices here.

Even if the VC stuff lags, we are on an amazing trajectory because people are building VALUE instead of HYPE. That is Dallas’ biggest asset. People are focused on doing real shit here. The “scene” is here to support BUILDING VALUE, not because people want to socialize (though that’s naturally a part of it, it’s not the focus). I can’t wait to see what happens over the next few years here!

J: Finally, you’re doing some secretive thing now, I can only assume it’s going to be amazing. Want to give me any hints as to what it is?

S: Well I can tell you this – I am staying in Dallas. Also, it’s the best opportunity I’ve seen in my time working at TW. So yea, I am pretty excited, but unfortunately I am being held captive by ninjas as I type this. They will really be pissed if I say who it is, so you’ll have to wait until May to find out!!

J: Thanks for you time. real quick what’s your favorite place to eat in Dallas?

S: Favorite place to eat: Hard to pick one, so I’ll do three: Date night – The Grape on Greenville Ave, Hanging out with friends – The Rustic, Personal favorite – Ocean Prime

J: There you have it ladies and startups, now you know where to take him to say thanks for the awesome 3 years. best of luck to you on whatever this new super-secret classified project is.