Cold Outreach Done Right, Turning Accelerator Rejections into Offers, Defining North Star Metrics, and the Dark Art of Pricing, with Patrick Utz of Abstract

<p>Justin Gordon (<a href="https://twitter.com/justingordon212">@justingordon212</a>) talks with Patrick Utz (<a href="https://twitter.com/PatrickUtz">@PatrickUtz</a>), Co-Founder &amp; CEO of Abstract, the premier platform and database for working with California state &amp; local legislation that’s bringing lobbying and advocacy into a new era by increasing government transparency. Abstract streamlines how you research and track bills, organize notes, brief stakeholders, and collaborate over legislation in real-time. More than just a bill tracker, Abstract provides the tools necessary to influence legislation and keep stakeholders aligned, all in one place.</p><p>Abstract is a VITALIZE portfolio company that recently raised $2.5M from several notable investors, on their thesis of becoming the gateway for understanding messy government data. </p><p>Website: <a href="https://www.abstract.us/">Abstract</a></p><p>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-utz/">linkedin.com/in/patrick-utz/</a></p><p>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/PatrickUtz">@PatrickUtz<br></a><br></p><p>Show Notes:</p><ul> <li>How Abstract is increasing government transparency</li> <li>Abstract’s origin story as a university senior project</li> <li>The evolution of Abstract’s product development</li> <li>Leaning into their mission to get an alumni from their university to build Abstract’s front-end for free</li> <li>Early customer acquisition through cold outreach</li> <li>Determining their ideal customer base and what Patrick would have done differently</li> <li>Securing funding after 60+ rejections: all while still attending university</li> <li>Defining their early north star metric</li> <li>How they run pilot programs to construct a product road map</li> <li>Structuring Abstract’s business model and the dark art of pricing</li> <li>The huge market opportunity for Abstract</li> <li>What puts Abstract above their competition</li> <li>Hiring to elevate not to delegate, and leveraging their mission to win over tech talen